Owner	Pose
Clint Barton	It was just after New Years, when someone came after DarkSky. It had begun with an old email account she'd used, it had been hacked and filled with copy after copy of a single image: Skye at Tony's party, dressed to the nines and swapping spit with Clint for all the world to see. There were none of the usual taunting, threats, epithets that came with these sort of attacks. Just pictures and silence. Or perhaps not. Some of the pictures had titles, single letters, M, E, L, A. The next day it was another old email, from the Rising Tide days. More pictures. More letters. A, T, E, P. The next. An old data cache that only a handful of associates knew about got hit. More photos, more letters. T, D, A, H and one labelled END. After that the attacks stopped.
Skye Johnson	The first send had got her attention. It was worrisome, but nothing that Skye really had an answer to. They'd seen the ball drop on video New Year's Even - and then endlessly after that - so by now everyone at SHIELD was on edge about the Rising Tide. Including Skye, for more reasons than the average agent. The picture of the first day's send had her worried. Someone was tracking her, and it couldn't be good. Still, she didn't say anything. Nor did she when the next day it happened again. Only this time on a Rising Tide account. She should have axed that one long ago. She wasn't even sure why she hadn't. Only, she hadn't, and when the notifications came through, she couldn't help herself going to look, even knowing it couldn't possibly be good news... By day three, she was looking for the sends. She knew it would be hidden. And she had an idea where. It hadn't taken her long to locate it. Or to unscrammble the letters: METADATA. HELP. Wordlessly, Skye had deleted everything, and all traces - or as much as anyone could ever delete digital trace - and spent the evening in deep thought. METADATA. Of course she was going to make the meet. She just wasn't happy about her past coming to haunt her. Still, something told her that if it was going to be ugly, it would have been ugly already..
Clint Barton	The place and time set by the info in the metadata was a Russian diner in Brooklyn. Even on Google Maps, it looked like a well-chosen meeting spot. Good sight lines, multiple exits. It was somewhere safe, and odds were good it was home ground for whomever set the meet. There also wasn't much time for scoping the place out. The doctored timestamp on the metadata said 3pm the following day.
Skye Johnson	You'd think she would be better at this now, the being an agent. Scoping the place out. Hells, you'd think she'd actually *tell* someone *cough*Clintatleast*cough* before heading into the meeting, but nooooooo. Your past rears its ugly head, and sometimes a person forgets common sense and rushes in like a fool. Or something like one. Skye makes the meeting, showing up forty-five minutes early, ordering a plate of food she barely touches, and a soft drink she doesn't like. Nerves chewing at her stomach. She still wasn't sure if the sends were a threat or not, and that was really where the problem lay. All her attempts to track the things back hadn't gotten her anywhere, and in truth, she was kind of glad that they hadn't. It gave her hope that they weren't a threat. That they were something else, hidden in the detritus of other sends, trails covered up as neatly as they could be from the other ends. But then again, that's how she'd worked, too. And that she wasn't finding any easy way in? That was a bit worrisome. While she waited, Skye plugged away at her tablet. Hoping to find something she'd missed the first time around. It helped settle her nerves at least.
Clint Barton	During the wait for the meet, a few people look at Skye. There's a lot of Russians in the place and she sort of sticks out. Maybe that was planned, or maybe not. A few guys can be seen milling about outside too, that look a little sketchy, like they're looking for something or someone. Though, unless Skye bolts for the door and runs, nobody approaches her until three o'clock, when a young man makes his way out of the back of the joint and slides down into the booth across from Skye. He dressed in a jacket, an Avenger's t-shirt and a ball cap with a scruff of a beard around his chin. She knew him as Genus, one of the whiter hat hackers in the Tide. "Heya DS," he greets as he sits. "How's things?"
Skye Johnson	Sticking out like a sore thumb is not a thing Skye does lightly or well. That is to say she hates it. It makes her uncomfortable. And probably doesn't do her any favours. She's used to being invisible. Most hackers are. This wasn't invisible. Belatedly, she remembers she really should eat something off of her plate to help her fit in. She really does look exactly like what she is: someone waiting for someone. It's a measure of her anxiety that she didn't think of that sooner. But no sooner has she picked up her fork than Genus slips into the booth across from her. It was a thing unlooked for. "Hey G.. uh.. what the fuck?" Skye looks about, not entirely convinced there aren't others here. That she hasn't been set up. That there isn't some sort of trap. "Metadata?"
Clint Barton	Genus now that he's seated and the surprises has worn off, Genus looks a bit nervous too. "Metadata," he confirms. "And what the fuck is right. I mean, that picture? So many questions. But, let's do the thing first. You here alone? And can I trust you? I mean, your boyfriend's not taking a bead on me right now is he?" he says looking out the window. "I mean, cool way to go out, but, y'know, I am hoping after the Roxxon hack, we've still got each other's backs, even just a little bit." That'd been Genus' 'in' for the Rising Tide, working with DarkSky to take down Roxxon oil's dirty deeds in the congo. Or well, at least exposing them to the world. It'd drawn a lot of heat.
Skye Johnson	Skye's lips twitch over a hint of a smirk. "Totally got one another's back. And nah. Just me." She rolls her eyes. "Pretty stupid, really." Her glance follows his, even as she frowns. "You? I mean, taking a leap of faith here that you didn't sell me out. But I guess it's all over the Tide, huh? Me and Hawkeye?" All over Rising Tide? Hell, it was all over the daily newspaper. Sure, in the social section, but it was there. Tony's party had made a splash. It hadn't been the photos that had upset her, but how she'd received them. She doesn't even try to deny Clint's her boyfriend.
Clint Barton	Genus looks a little relieved when she says they've still got each other's back. She could be lying. "Cool, my friends," he nods in the direction of some of the sketchy looking Russians nearby. "Said they didn't see anyone, but, y'know, I mean if it comes down to some Russian thugs and the Avengers, you know who I'm putting my money on." He shakes his head when she mentions the news about her and Clint being all over the Tide. "Not yet. Most of the superhero junkies left the group, I'm pretty much the last one left. I found the picture on some half-assed superhero gossip site, but yeah, it showed up in a spread in the Daily Bugle. So, not sure how long it'll be before the others see it.' Genus scratches the back of his head under his ballcap. "So what's the deal there, I mean you and Hawkeye. Like is that for real or should we expect you to be coming back with a big pile of Avengers data?"
Skye Johnson	Now the smirk is for real. Skye's insides unclench some. Sure, there are some big burly Russian guys near enough to take her down if Genus is a liar, or she somehow makes it seem like she's threatening him, but she's been in worse scrapes, and now that she knows where she stands, it's all good. "Funny thing, that," she remarks about herself and Clint. "Just kinda happened. I didn't even know it was him until after. I think he laughed at me. And you know me, G. When have I ever operated that way?" Even if her mind silently supplied: since you started working for SHIELD. Though even that was a lie. She'd been to any number of meets without backup. Just not one of this sort, where she expected things to go from bad to worse. Only, how could she drag him into her past? It was, she knew, ridiculous and ill-advised to have come alone. She does wonder, "What do you mean is it for real, or am I coming back with a big pile of Avengers data. You saying they're still sitting back waiting for me?" It boggles the mind to even consider that might be the case.
Clint Barton	"I mean if you don't show up with a big pile of Avengers data, yeah, they might not be so happy about that picture, I mean to them, and this is why a lot of the superhero guys bailed, the Avengers are just PR and enforcement for SHIELD and Tony Stark. And well with New Years, we sort of put ourselves on their collective shit lists." Genus looks over. "Not that, I had any say in that. I mean, that's changed since we've gone, there's a whole lot less voting about what gets our name attached to it now." He sighs and shakes his head, impulsively stealing a fry off Skye's plate and chewing it for something to do. "Anyhow, Hound said, you weren't around because of some fight with him or something, so, if you wanted to, you could probably come back." He snorts and smiles, "And you're shitting me, how do you end up dating Hawkeye and not know who he is?" he asks. "Like, do you even read my old superhero postings? Gawd."
Skye Johnson	"He said that?" Skye frowns. She'd wondered what Miles had done to cover her leaving. And it wasn't like she hadn't kept some ties. Just not with him. "Nah. Just something came up." OKay, the something was SHIELD. And a little something about work for us or else. But really, she didn't need to go into those details, did she? "Yeah, noticed things seemed to be changing a lot there since I was gone." Pretty much confirming for Genus that she'd kept tabs, however remotely. "That New Year's thing... totally not what we were about. Hound's idea? Because I gotta tell you, that's pissed people off you don't want to piss off. What's he thinking, anyway, taking on everyone like that?" It truly had boggled her mind to consider it. Skye shrugs, and gives a crooked little grin. "Why would I ever read old superhero postings, G? Wasn't really my style." And it hadn't been. She was too busy making a name for herself with Miles and the rest of his cronies. She'd wanted an in. To belong. Even if some of what she'd done had given her pause. She'd had to believe in it. The stuff G had been into was only a reminder of how far she was falling away from the ideal. It was amusing, though. "If you must know, we started dating by accident."
Clint Barton	Genus nods, "Yep. I'd give you the log if I kept them, but yeah, said it was a fight," he air quotes. "Didn't want to talk about it." He shakes his head. "For the record, DS, your ex-guy's a bit of a dick." The first fry is finished and he steals a second. Nervous eating by the look of it. "I'm hurt DS. You've been keeping up with everyone but me?" he asks. But then he wasn't really part of that inner circle of superhackers. "Joking of course, but, still, ouch," he says around that second fry. "And yeah, about that whole New Years thing..." he looks around the place. His guys were still around, but by his body language he was still nervous. "Wanna take a walk?" he asks. Before she answers he adds, "For the record, I totally hate you. I have an accident, usually means, I fucked up and now I've got to run because someone knows I fucked with their site, you have an accident and you're dating an Avenger. However, if you give Black Widow my number, I may learn to forgive you."
Skye Johnson	There's an amused snort from Skye. "Tell me something I don't know." Yeah, she'd known Miles was a dick. It wasn't a surprise. He was also her best way in, and her safety there at Rising Tide. In the face of those who were deeper and darker than herself, Miles had been a buffer, protecting her. She shakes her head, reaching for a fry of her own. "Haven't kept tabs on so many, G. At least not like you think. Check in a couple of sites every now and then. Poke at a few contacts. Wasn't really safe to be poking at you." Which was the truth. She'd been very careful about where her trails had led since joining SHIELD. It wasn't that she thought they had so many who could track her doings, but she'd not wanted to take chances. And, at the time, she still wasn't sure where she wanted her loyalties to lie. Mistakes in either direction could have closed doors she needed to be open. "Walk? Sure. And hate me, how come?" Her tablet is tucked away and her jacket shrugged into. "Accident means I got pinched, G. I fucked up big time with the worst people." Though she still wasn't sure how SHIELD had got to her. That remained a mystery. "And she's out of your league, G. She'd eat you for breakfast and pick her teeth with your bones. Trust me. You don't want to go there." Not to mention, Nat had a man. Not that she was telling G that.
Clint Barton	"And yet you were dating him?" Genus says with a grin. "Why girls put themselves through that shit, I'll never understand." He grabs another fry and scarfs it down, before he gets up. "Fair enough, besides, I got to admit, my stuff lately's been kinda weaksauce, so I don't blame you for skipping." He leads the way, as they keep talking, "Shit, I was joking but you talk like you actually know her. Holy shit I want your life, hell I'll even date Hawkeye for you if it lets me hang with his team." He drops some money at the till, nods to his friends and steps out the door. Pestering Skye for some details about the Avengers as they get a bit of distance from the diner. Stuff like who she met, and what's Tony Stark like. Yeah, G's always been a bit of a fanboy. Once they're far enough away he asks, "So how good to you really know the Avengers?" he begins. "I mean if you asked for their help. Would they do it?"
Skye Johnson	Skye, too, throws some money down on the counter. Enough to cover what she ordered, on top of what Genus had thrown, so someone is getting a nice tip. She follows along after him. "Uh, yeah. Guess I do know them," Skye shrugs with a grin as they step outside, pulling her coat collar up against the wind. "It's not all that glamourous a life, G. And Tony's okay. Bit of an ass, but we get on." Like a house on fire. Which is really odd for most to say about Tony. "And what do you mean, would they help me? You saying I'm in trouble and I need help?" She stops, and looks around, suddely worried again. "What's up, G. You fucking shitting me? This some sort of setup?"
Clint Barton	Genus shakes his head in disbelief. "Right, not so glamourous. Do I need to pull out the picture of you at Tony Stark's invitation only party dressed to put Svechinskaya to shame?" he asks mentioning the so-called 'world's hottest hacker' Kristina Svechinskaya. He shakes his head. "Real tough life. I can see it." Then, at the other questions. He shakes his head emphatically. "No, you're not in trouble and this isn't a set up. The Tide's in trouble, Skye. The guys up top, they're fucking with stuff like you wouldn't believe. I'm sort of tight with Saffron, she says they have SHIELD shit we're going to drop and it's stuff the rest of us haven't been allowed to see. She won't tell me where she got it either and there hasn't been any real wind up for a major hack to get it either. So, yeah, it's kind of fucking with me, and well, I saw you with an Avenger and thought, well maybe it was you grabbing stuff for the guys up top. And if so, I am so fucked right now, but if not, if it's someone else, then shit, Skye, I sure as fuck want to know I've got a friend who's got pull with the Avengers when the shit comes down."
Skye Johnson	Skye blushes faintly as she's described at Tony's party. She doesn't tell him she had her own invitation - it would only go to confirm his thoughts on the matter. "Uh, thanks? I guess?" She's seen the pictures. It's high praise. When he reassures her, she starts walking again. "Trouble, huh?" And when he elucidates with SHIELD shit, she frowns deeply. "I was afraid of that." And then she nods. "I know where they got the information." It almost physically hurt her to admit that. But she was taking another of those leaps of faith here. "Talk to me, G. What are we looking at? For real. I.. have places I can take this. But I need more than a half-assed story."
Clint Barton	"Don't worry, not creeping on you," Genus says with a too quick smile. "Just saying." Okay maybe he had a little crush, but could you blame him? Genus frowns when she says she knows where RT got the info. "I mean, I knew it was going to be the end of my time with the Tide if it was you, but shit, I was kind of hoping it was anyhow, y'know?" he asks before the other obvious question comes up. "Who is it?" he's almost flinching when he asks. Like he might have guessed but didn't want to admit it. He reaches into a pocket and hands over a flash drive. "Pics or it didn't happen, I getcha, and I brought proof. They've got a bunch of stuff, some of it they haven't cracked yet, nothing above a Level 7. Saff, knows I know my shit, so she gave me a peak at some of the stuff they couldn't decrypt. That's it right there," he nods to the drive. "Should prove I am not just talking out my ass. Plus, now I'm hearing they found someone to decrypt it so might be good to know what they've got." He lets out a long slow breath, "Anyhow, you know I'm not down for this shit right? I mean stuff like Roxxon, those fuckers were murdering people for oil, they had to go down, but, Hound and the others, they're just being reckless. Going to get people hurt and the rest of us locked up."
Skye Johnson	"No, not me," Skye confirms. Though she'd been right there when it happened. Helpless to stop it. In fact, given enough time, she probably could have produced the information she was being handed by Genus. Well, with enough time. The mess Hydra had left in their systems had been a headache and totally disguised the other. Of course, now, with the flash drive, she wouldn't need to recreate. She'd have enough proof. To what? And that's when her brain said this was something she'd be taking to Fury. Really, the man was going to get tired of seeing her at the rate she dropped bad news upon him. "Yeah. I know it wasn't you. Say, G? You got somewhere safe to go? I mean, okay, it's a longshot and all, but I know people. I mean, if you're ready to be done with the shit at Tide." She lets that hang between them.
Clint Barton	"Shit," Genus says when his fears are confirmed. He adjusts his ballcap nervously. The offer, though? That catches him by surprise. "I can totally lay low. Sure. I'm good at that. But, I got to stay in touch or Saf, might catch on to what's up. I mean, I've got that," he nods again at the drive. "Things start happening, they might let some things go about me that I don't want out there." Though despite all that, his curiosity prompts him to ask, "But who are these friends?"
Skye Johnson	She hadn't thought of that. "Saff won't leave, will she?" Skye frowns as she walks along, hands pushed into her pockets. "Right. So, stay where you are. Really, it's the safest place for you. And forget I even mentioned friends. But if you need out in a hurry, no questions asked, you ping me. I'll do what I can. Just better all around if you don't ask questions you don't want to answer." In other words, he couldn't spill what he didn't know. Let him think she meant the Avengers.
Clint Barton	"Nah, she's pretty much ride or die, when it comes to the RT," Genus says. "And she's Inner Circle, so she's neck deep in this stuff." "Sure," Genus says. "I can keep my head down, but how do you want me to ping? Hit up some of those old accounts?" he asks before the last part has his caution warring with his curiosity. "Yeah, you're right, the less I know, the less shit I might spill. I get it."
Skye Johnson	There's a nod from Skye. "Yeah. I burned the channels you used so not them, but any one of the old ones you can remember." It's probably safest if she keeps it simple, to something that already exists. No extra trails. Nothing for anyone to track her down with outside of what was already there. No connections to SHIELD. Unless Lotus alread dropped that one on them. The possibility existed that she had. "Sorry to hear it about Saff. You know you could still cut loose yourself, right? You still hanging on in hopes of her?"
Clint Barton	"Should have figured," Genus says. "Hmm, I think that one channel we used in the Roxxon thing is still workable. So if it is then that, if not then I'll improvise when the time comes, or just jump the fence and streak the Avengers mansion. That should get some attention," he says. If Lotus had dropped the connection, Genus hadn't heard, or, was better than he seemed at keeping his mouth shut. He nods, frowning a little. "Maybe?" he says of hanging on for her. "Also for Rising Tide. I mean, it's probably dead anyhow, but I don't want to burn my cred, it's pretty much all I've got and if I run I'm done. Not to mention, my background is a mess and I go somewhere legit there's going to be questions." He makes a face. "Basically I'm fucked either way, so I might as well stick it out."
Skye Johnson	"That channel will work," Skye murmurs, sounding thoughtful. It was one she hadn't burned yet. And she'd make sure it was still open, just in case. Still... "Look, things go tits up, and you need to fly? Go to the mansion. Ask to speak to Hawkeye. Tell them his girl sent you. It'll buy you time at least." The rest she couldn't do much about. Well, Saffron, at least. "You're wrong, you know. You're not fucked either way. Not if you don't want to be." She could use him where he was, though. If he didn't want to jump ship, that was.
Clint Barton	"Good," Genus says about the channel. The rest earns a nod, and a serious look despite it basically being one of his life's dreams coming true, albeit in the shittiest way possible. "Yeah, I can do that." There is a faint smile, "Hawkeye's girl," he says, shaking his head. Genus has to think about that last part. "Just let me know when things are going to go down, I don't need details, just ping me. I figure might as well keep things going, and see who can be saved. I mean, RT is a good idea, it's just being led by assholes."
Skye Johnson	Skye can't help the soft look that crosses her features as she hears her words parroted back: Hawkeye's girl. Yeah. She was that, wasn't she? Skye stops again, and gives him a serious look. "Thanks for the heads up. And yeah. Stay put if you can. Do what good you can, but not if it puts you at risk, huh? And yeah. It was a good idea." Was. Not is. She'd never thought she'd say that. Assholes accounted for or not. "I gotta go do some things. We're good? Anything else held back?"
Clint Barton	Genus smiles back at her enjoying the joke in the otherwise dark moment. "Right? And yeah, I won't get myself killed over it, but I'll hang out save who I can," he says. "I can do this." That last as much for himself as for Skye. "That's what I've got, and we'll talk, when we talk," he says, unsure if to offer a hand to shake or a hug or, he just stands awkward for a second then shaking his head he goes back to the diner.