Why bleeding is breathing

[mocks]

WHO: Julian, Gil, Daria, Nick, & Bobbi
WHERE: SHIELD 2.0's hideout.
WHEN: Friday.
WARNINGS: N/A
SUMMARY: SHIELD 2.0 gathers for one last pow-wow before their mission is go.
FORMAT: Quick + Open. There is no tagging order and you can tag whoever you like, however you like.

Their base of operations was a warehouse rented out under the name WCA Industries, Inc., located in a relatively quiet area of Brooklyn. It was nondescript, filled with a random assortment of supplies and weapons, all accumulated by their fearless leader over the past few months. And in addition to being well-armed, the unit was under tight security surveillance. This warehouse was a veritable fortress, the last bastion of safety left to this ragtag team of spies before they would be let loose into the field.

The news of Sherlock Holmes and his botched investigation had sped their time table up rapidly. Whatever move they were going to make had to be now. Discreetly, the word was spread that the trigger would be pulled soon and everyone was asked to report in for final briefings.

Bobbi wished that they had had more time to dedicate to training. Picking up the skills necessary for successful espionage wasn't exactly a speedy task. But this wasn't her call, it was Nick's, and if he said they needed to jump, she was committed to asking how high and just doing it.

Still, the kids needed to solidify their aliases and polish up some last minute combat training. And Gilbert would need some reassurance that he was capable of providing distance intel to Nick in the field. This was a delicate situation, and one that could easily spin out of control. Bobbi just hoped they could extract themselves from the mess just as easily as they were about to wander in.

Comments

[invoking]

[ Gil certainly needs the assurance. Confidence is not something that comes to him easily, not when he's plagued by failures and all the horrible things he's had to do, back home and here.

Not to mention, in spite of his willingness, he does feel he's betraying Oz. It's difficult for him to put into words, but his loyalty to his master was never supposed to waver or bend for others, yet here he is. But Bobbi and Fury were right; they couldn't let another city fall into an abyss due to their negligence. If it means protecting the people he does care about here, then maybe it can be forgiven somehow.

He always shows up earlier than expected, letting loose his collar and heading further into the building, looking for the others. ]

[mocks]

Hello, darlin'.

[Bobbi had been in the warehouse for some hours, looking over their mission specs again and again. She wasn't exactly obsessing, but she wanted to be thorough. No way was she going to send her team into a situation she didn't like. If she wasn't 100% confident about what they were getting into, she was prepared to tell Nick to pull the plug.]

You ready to put in some long hours, hm? I like that in a man.

[invoking]

[ He doesn't need to work and he could technically put in more hours into his training, though if he did he would have nothing to fill his days and he doesn't mind working for Natasha. It's the only normal part of his day.

He sets down his bag, having come directly from work, and nods in greeting at Bobbi. ]

I'm clear for the whole weekend. [ As he approaches her, he looks around inquisitively. ] Where are Julian and Daria?

[mocks]

Fabulous. [She gives him an approving nod, pulling out a small device from her hip pocket, placing it out before her. It's small, closely resembling a cell phone.] They should be around any time. This is for you, by the way. It's a present.

[invoking]

Ah? [ He's caught by surprise. He stares it, confused at first, then he looks up at Bobbi. ]

A phone? I already have one.

[mocks]

It's not an ordinary phone. [She turns it on, lets it start up.] It's something I've been working on. Phones aren't secure enough for our purposes, and a communicator is a dead giveaway that we're imPorts.

[invoking]

[ He watches with renewed interest, peering at it closely. ]

That's true. [ He tries not to pull out the communicator even when he's on the train. ] Is it encrypted, then? [ He would assume that's what she means by phones not being "secure" enough. He also remembers Monica once telling him things like that and computers could actually be hacked. ]

[mocks]

[She nods, handing the device to him.]

I programmed it myself. No one else knows this code, not even Nick. [Not even Clint.] It's not perfect, but it's my very best work. I want you to use this whenever we're working, got it? I want you to be protected.

[invoking]

[ He takes it, lightly gripping the edge. He seems surprised -- as usual, really. ]

Thank you. [ He isn't sure how else to put it. ] You really put this together yourself? That's incredible, Miss Bobbi.

[onmyneck]

[Daria is never as early as Gil, but she always makes sure that she's at least on time. Even if she's on time but holding a very large cup of coffee and wearing a backpack full of books, she's still on time.

She still feels a little bad about tricking Gil so often, but guilt was one of the few things that Daria knew how to deal with easily. She makes a point of talking to him today.]

Hi, Gil.

[Not starting a conversation. But talking. That's probably good enough for now.]

[invoking]

[ It's strange reminder that hangs in the back of his head whenever he looks at her; some months ago they were barely even acquaintances and here they are now as teammates. Fury sure knew how to pick them, didn't he? ]

Good evening, Daria. [ He greets in return. ]

[onmyneck]

[She glances around the place, hoping she can find a convenient way to exit the hastily started conversation. No such luck.]

Did you get here early?

[invoking]

[ He nods. ]

I come straight here from work. It would only be wasting time to go back and forth between the places. Plus you can never be too sure if the train is going to be late.

[onmyneck]

[There's no escape from this conversation.]

Did you... have a lot to do at work?

[invoking]

[ He notices the pause and... pauses himself.

He feels very strangely about his teammates... ]

Ah, not really. It's just a lot of paperwork I tend to. Are you alright?

[onmyneck]

[Oh boy.]

I'm fine.

[Another pause.]

Are you okay?

[invoking]

Yes... are you tired? Maybe you should drink your coffee before it gets cold.

[onmyneck]

[If Daria wasn't anxious enough about being sent out onto the field, the need for a speed up certainly didn't help. She's no expert at combat, although she's certainly better than she was before the training, and her powers are entirely useless for self defence.

Still, today, she's well aware there isn't much time left for complaining. She's resigned herself to reading a book, staring pointedly at every word in an effort to streamline her thought process. There's not much room for worrying about dying if she forces herself to become very concerned about Alice in Wonderland.]

[mocks]

[Bobbi sidles up to Daria, a small box in her hand. At first she doesn't speak, allowing for some silence and the moment to unfold. There will be enough pressure later, letting themselves sometime to relax now is perhaps a good idea. But there's still work to do.

Finally, she clears her throat.]

I have something for you, doll.

[onmyneck]

[Daria glances up. She places the book down reluctantly, but she trusts Bobbi enough that whatever she's about to show her, she'll want to see it. She puts on her least aggressive monotone.]

What is it?

[The box doesn't yield many clues.]

[mocks]

[Bobbi opens up the box herself, revealing two items inside. The first is a small phone-type device, much like the one she'd previously given to Gil. The other is a coupon for a wig and beauty supply shop.]

For when you need to be incognito.

[onmyneck]

Oh God.

[Beauty supplies.]

I need beauty supplies?

[mocks]

You never know when you'll need to drastically alter your look. [Bobbi shrugs.] It'll come in handy, trust me.

[onmyneck]

I think I've drastically altered my look once in my entire life.

[mocks]

It doesn't have to be a permanent thing, Daria. It's for the purposes of the mission and the mission only.