1963-10-30 - Two Mercs and an Agent Walk Into A Bar...
Summary: A chance meeting in a bar turns into a capture for SHIELD.
Related: None!
Theme Song: None
domino barney ava clint brunnhilde 


Sun is setting over the city, and it's time for all good mercs to take a breather from the day and find a moment to relax and be human, if only for that single solitary moment.

A 'good' merc, then, is taking his moment at a table that is up and against the wall, chatting and laughing with one of the waitresses, though that mirth never truly reaches cold blue eyes. She leaves him with a glass of beer with a light froth and a bowl of pretzels before him. He's still dressed 'casual', that mix of YMCA and homeless, but he acts a little less like it. A small handful of pretzles is taken, and he breaks them apart in his hands with a 'snap' before he munches on them, now crowd watching.

Tonight is not a night for taking jobs…

*

Tonight might not be a night for taking jobs for Barney, but Ava has a cover to maintain. Or rather, she's not yet ready to give up her life in favor of a SHIELD position. That and she has her own ideas about being a spy, and explaining how she's gone from living in the basement of the YMCA to having an income is a hard thing to do without arousing suspicions. So.

Her hair is still wet from a cold shower when she slips into the bar in a t-shirt and oversized jeans, weaseling her way up to the side of the bar. "Hey, Harry," she greets the bartender with a flicker of a smile. "You guys got anything you need done tonight, maybe?"

*

Well, the pain is largely gone. Though there's always -something- to drink copious amounts of alcohol to! Domino hasn't given herself a chance to really enjoy the spoils of the team's victory the other day, it's not something she's used to experiencing. Drinking, though? Drinking always works. This time around she can have as much of whatever she wants of whatever they have stocked on the damn shelf. Which means she needs to find somewhere a little more classy than the usual hole in the wall haunts.

Hell, she's feeling well enough that a few rounds of darts may be in her near future. Never hurts to make a couple extra bucks on the side. It all adds up! Whitey's still parking her black Polara when Ava shows up, it'll be another minute before the pale one comes in through the gate.

*

Drinking always works! The glass is taken after the pretzels, and Barney takes one swallow, two.. only to have to put it down again when the young lady with extraordinary red hair enters. He stares for a long moment, consideration given to departing the bar.

Too obvious now.

Barney doesn't move from his spot at the table, then. Instead, he's got a system going; pretzel pieces, swallow of beer, watch the crowd… rinse and repeat.

*

"Well, I might," the bartender muses, giving Ava a measuring look. "You think you can handle it? You've been looking a little rough the last few days." So she's local, or at least the locals know her. Chances are she didn't follow Barney here then, at least.

"I went down to the free clinic in Harlem, got it taken care of. See?" Ava turns, twisting around a bit. "All good. C'mon, Harry," she pleads. "I haven't had a square meal in two days."

*

ROLL: Domino +rolls 1d100 for a result of: 15

*

Surprise! Fate draws another wildcard! A -third- person from the same free clinic is walking into the same freaking bar. In all of blasted New York City. Same place, same time. Go ahead and ask Domino what those odds are sometime, she could tell ya.

It's a customary thing to examine the room, and those within it, before walking out into the middle of it all.

Barney..is completely missed. He hid himself well.

Ava..is -also- completely missed. Too many shiny bottles of poison calling out to the albino with their 'price is no object' siren song.

She's just gonna walk right on over to the bar, randomly point at something, and order a glass of whatever the hell -that- is.

*

One more bit of information, and the beer is lifted to his lips once again. Kid probably lives around here, knows the bartender, which also means she's a regular. A down on her luck regular. Lucky young lady doesn't have to turn tricks to survive! Barney sets the beer down and low-gestures for the waitress, "Hey.." and he keeps his voice down at the approach, "Who's the kid? Put her on my tab, but don't let her know, 'kay?" He got paid, after all!

Domino's entrance gains yet another stare, and once again, the exit is eyeballed. Nope… Barney can tell he hasn't yet been spotted, which is fine by him! For the time being.

*

The waitress leans in for Barney's question, following his gaze over to the side of the bar with a small smile. "Her? That's Ava. Been around the block for years, picks up odd jobs here and there. Tougher than she looks, too. Probably best she doesn't know," she winks. "Girl's proud, won't take it without working for it. You're a sweetheart," she adds with a hand to Barney's shoulder, slipping behind to bar to pass on the message to Harry with a whisper.

"All right, kid," Harry nods once he gets the message from the waitress. "Tell you what, I need some inventory done on the bottles here," he tips his head toward the stock on the wall. "Go put on an apron and get a pad, you can count."

"Thanks, Harry," Ava grins, disappearing into the back. The nice thing about the back? There's a phone in the back. While one of the dishwashers goes to get her an apron, she slips into the office, dialing a number. "Hey," she murmurs. "It's Av- Junior Agent Orlova. I have a location on the subject from the sketch."

*

Alright, what did she order… Eh, not like it matters. Domino doesn't even inspect what's in the glass, she just takes a drink and promptly sets the glass down with a dull thunk.

The look on her face is priceless.

It's a tough pill to swallow, followed by a mostly stifled cough. -Then- she looks at the glass, holding it up and lightly swirling the fluid around with a frown on her face. Then she smells it. Then she shrugs and drinks some more of it. It's actually not half bad… Once you get used to its various assaults upon the various senses.

"Hey lady, you been livin' in a cave your entire life?"

Dom glances at the curious patron, they're smiling so it's not -completely- meant as an insult. "Someone replaced my lotion with peroxide."

*

Barney is settled out by a wall of the joint, a glass of light amber liquid half-gone and a small bowl of comped pretzels settled before him. Pretzel crumbs are on the table, as are small pretzel pieces.

Domino is at the bar, oblivious to either Barney or Ava's presence at the moment (though that may change!). Obviously the woman can't hold her alcohol, as shown by the sputter the moment the drink burned her throat!

Ava, well.. she's been given a task by the bartender, but before that begins, she's disappeared into the back room!

Barney watches the waitress depart once again with a brief nod and gets back to having that drink. No need to nurse one tonight! Another swallow is taken which near empties the glass, and it's set back on the table with a *thunk* even as Domino almost dies on her own glass.

*

A day off. Or, well, night off techinically — Hilde hasn't worked the day shift in, well, ever. All that means is she's not in her stiff blues with blood-stained patches on them but a pair of old, drainpipe jeans that might have been fashionable a handful of years ago, but are just faded and rough now. The black sweater she's gotten from somewhere is way too big to be in style, maybe it's a man's, and drowns her bony form quite nicely. The collar is huge, so it half hangs off her knobby left shoulder, exposing collarbone and scandalous lack of a bra strap. Her blonde hair is also down, straight around her ever-exhausted face.

She doesn't quite see Barney at first, hands shoved into her pockets as she steps into the room and almost halts, like a wall of something has hit her. Her brows knit, ice eyes flickering around too fast. First to Domino in her cups, then a few other people in the corner, uncomfortably back to the door, and back to the bar where she finally sees Barney. She's frowning now, but finally keeps going forward, digging out her cigarettes as she walks.

*

Ava isn't in the back long. She can't afford to be caught, so she stays on the line long enough to deliver location, exits, and general situation before she ducks back out, tying an apron around her waist.

"Thanks, Harry," she grins to the bartender, pulling an order pad out of the pocket to start keeping tabs of what's behind the bar. In the process, she glances over her shoulder, marking two of the people at the bar as familiar - ostensibly for the first time.

*

That first sip of ..whatever the hell Domino ordered had been rough. Sure. That's part of the fun though, right? Beer gets boring, gotta find something that'll make the ol' socks curl. For all she knows the stuff she had just ordered came from another planet. Doesn't matter! Down the hatch it goes, getting easier to drink with each pass.

One down! Still sitting at the bar the albino makes like she's got a dart in her hand and mock-throws it in a random direction, pointing to another bottle on display.

"That one."

What's the label read? Who cares! It's -alcohol,- baby. And now it is -her- alcohol. Let the games commence.

*

Barney is dressed down, very, very casually.. like, a notch above homeless and/or boarding house casual. He looks at his beer glass now empty, and gives the waitress a moment to get other work done before he makes a call to add yet another glass to his tab for the night.

Hilde's entrance isn't missed; how could it be? He catches the look on her face as she searches the room, and finally, when she looks at him, he offers a smirk and a wave. "You got another one of those?" is asked, gesturing at the cigarette in greeting.

Ava's reappearance from the back room is noted, but there's nothing that sends flares off. Not yet, anyway.

Domino's antics at the bar is honestly like a breath of fresh air to the merc. Barney watches the albino as she looks as if the wall is a giant dart board, and she's ready just to toss to decide what is next on her list. "Easy there, girlie.." is murmured. "This'll be an interesting night, I'm thinkin'," comes a little louder now.

*

"For *you*? No." Hilde rasps out, deadpan as they come, even as she's digging a second cigarette out of the soft Lucky Strikes pack, it only slightly crumpled from being in her pocket, and handing it in his direction. Her own remains stuck between the corner of her mouth, not quite lit yet. She's a little spacey today, it seems. Maybe she's really low on sleep, but the exhaustion looks no worse than usual. Her eyes just keep watching the room like there's a hundred ghosts no one else can see.

All Hallow's Eve — maybe there is.

Ava's return is noted also, her thin mouth turning down in a half frown. It's just thoughtful. But, inevitably, her eyes get drawn back to Domino. Whether it's the woman's antics, or something else, isn't clear. She silently slides into the chair next to Barney, like she was his spidery shadow. She lets him do the talking to the tattoo'ed drunk, but her eyes watch the woman distantly. She still hasn't remembered to light her cigarette. Or, you know, ordered a drink.

*

Huh. Looks like the fugitive has a friend. Ava keeps counting, making tally marks on the pad in her hand as she moves through the bottles, weaving around Harry and any of the waitresses who stop back for a drink like it's second nature. She's graceful with it - whatever she had done at the clinic clearly worked.

When Domino nods to the next bottle, Harry tips his head in Ava's direction and she retrieves it to bring it over to the woman at the bar. "Hey," she smiles faintly, though she makes no mention of the clinic. Whatever happened there was too weird.

Somewhere in Chinatown, there's a bustle of SHIELD agents piling out of headquarters and into cars, trying to get to Brooklyn.

*

'Easy there,' as if! 'Girlie'…

Domino suddenly stiffens where she sits, her posture going completely rigid for a split-second before she turns toward the voice, trying to mask the initial reaction as nothing more than her preparing to move. She's not drunk yet! Drink #2 hasn't even reached her spot at the counter yet.

Now she sees Barney. The same strange fellow from the clinic. No, this isn't because of the stuff she just drank. "I think you might be right," she calls back with a note of caution in her carefully spoken words.

She isn't here for him, which he doesn't know. He isn't here for her, which -she- doesn't know. Thus begins the great conundrum involving two random shady, paranoid, murderous sorts being placed in the same room at the same time.

Maybe nothing will happen. Maybe -everything- will happen. It's anyone's game tonight! Though Ava has the home field advantage, which she's already put to use. She's also just popped up on Dom's radar with a drink in hand.

Once again, the look on her face is rather entertaining. "Hi..! Aren't you—"

The same gal from the clinic?

A little young to be in here?

Supposed to be in school/with parents/with relatives/at home?

"—quick at filling orders. Thanks," she says while giving Ava a peculiar stare.

*

Barney chuckles at the response, lifting his fingers to wiggle at Hilde. "Thanks.." and crumpled or not, he takes it and reaches for the ashtray on the table and the book of matches there. It's opened, and a single cardboard match is pulled from its compatriots, struck on the back, and the cigarette is thus lighted. The flame is waved out before he opens the pack again in preparation to light hers, but it is apparently not to be. "Hey darlin'.. you okay?"

Domino is given a smirked response, and now that his glass is fully empty and raised, it is the call to the waitress to bring another one! Ava is watched, and Barney's voice drops to talk to Hilde. "Dunno about either of 'em," he begins. "Got a funny feelin'." What? That this night will end in bloodshed?

With a Barton, who knows?

*

Oh. Yes. Cigarette. Hilde blinks at the match about 3 seconds too late to actually get her own death stick smoldering, but at least it moves her hands into action to steal the matchbook from him and strike one for her own. Domino is certainly of more interest to her than Ava — Ava reads nothing but casual innocence on her radar — but the other woman practically screams. She's trying to piece something together, looking between Domino and Barney, but the connection isn't being made. "…yeah. Real funny feeling. Her…maybe?" She mutters beneath her breath to Barney, maybe quiet enough Domino can't hear, but who knows how good the woman's ears are.

Her legs the curl up, knobby knees beneath those tight jeans, resting pressed against her chest as she hooks the heels of her boots on the edge of the chair where she sits. The feeling isn't bad enough that she's ready to run out of the place, it seems. "You should tell the lady to get us a drink, if she that carefree with the booze…"

*

"Already back here counting, might as well make myself useful. Maybe Harry'll decide to give me a job," Ava says a little louder than necessary, looking over her shoulder at the bartender with a faint smirk.

"Don't hire girls who bleed on the dishes," Harry drawls, deadpan.

"It was one time, Harry, and there are vampires in the city. You should be happy I wasn't drinking blood over the dishes," Ava grumbles good-naturedly, going back to her counting. Yep, just a plucky little kid here, nothing to see.

*

Fortunately for the pair in the booth Domino's ears aren't any better than the average Joe's. Whatever they're discussing is beyond her (and it's probably nothing good at that.) The fact that they are talking does happen to be of some interest, and that BaggySweaterGal seems to have a perpetual frown about her suggests that it isn't light and friendly stuff they're discussing.

Back to Ava, distractedly, Dom says "I think..the vampires have been taken care of… What with the portal being closed. It -is- closed this time, isn't it? How anyone can keep track of this crap…"

(Hey. Bigger point of interest here, Dom.)

She frowns and seeks eye contact with Ava once more. 'Bleeding on the dishes.' That's NOT a normal conversation to be having. Normal for her, maybe for the two at the booth, sure, but -normal- normal?

Albino senses tingling.

"Think I'll finish this round another time," she says in a low tone while standing from the counter, quickly fishing some cash out of a pocket.

*

"Getting a girl to buy a guy a drink?" Barney chuckles softly, that smirk playing a little larger now, morphing into a grin. "Don't need it. Got paid last night. Tonight, we get stinkin' drunk. Now that you're here, it's 'we', and when we stumble back to my place, we stop at a pizza joint and grab a couple of slices, and finish the party after." Blue eyes gleam with mischief, though the grin slips just a little, "You on shift tonight?" That may screw up his plans, but!

The waitress does come by, picks up Barney's empty glass, sets down a refill and looks expectantly at Hilde. "Want anything?"

Eva's pronouncement brings Barney's attention back up and around. Vampires? Now, she used the present tense, 'are', not past, not any other tense that he didn't bother listening or learning about in school. "Ho-kay.. and she hasn't started drinking, that I can see. One of those that is better if she keeps her mouth shut.." is murmured. She is cute, he'll give her that! But the stories?

To answer Hilde, however, Barney gets another look at Domino and brows rise as the albino slides off the barstool. There.. there is a hint, and Barney glances back at Hilde, a grin forming upon the man's lips. "She couldn't have afforded it anyway." A little louder, he calls out, "Who the hell knows. It's Halloween."

*

Still curled into the half ball of lanky limbs on the too-thin chair to really be accomplishing this position comfortably, Hilde almost looks now like she's smelling something that she can't figure out is rotten food or a rotted body. Or opening a fridge to realize *something* has definitely spoiled, but not having any clue what. It's just an entirely too weird sense in the room, which further gets thrown off by Ava's commenting about vampires. Her mind catches up with Barney's words sentences later, but she's sharp enough to get to most of it when she finally decides to answer.

"…then have her buy me a drink… should get her over here…" She mutters quietly, but the rest of her words are almost a normal-person loud. They're a Hilde loud, at least, "Though you buyin' and pizza sounds damn good. I'm not on shift 'til Tuesday. But tomorrow's Halloween. You know I'm gonna get called in. Too many drunks, pranks and idiots for every ambulance not to be on the road. But not tonight."

Finally, as the woman who has taken most of her interest responds to the strange vampire chat, Hilde clears her throat a bit louder and calls over to them both, "…It's… over? Really? Closed? That'd…be nice. Dunno what the hell drug or craziness was on the street, or vampires, maybe… but city's been out of blood for five days. We can't get to a single blood bank before it goes dry again. Lotta people dyin' who ain't been anywhere near that thing because we don't have the blood on hand for'em." She actually does sound hopeful that it's over. That trumps whatever else she's feeling.

*

"Vampires my ass," Harry snorts. "You ask me, that's what they're calling some new gang. You ask me, you got lippy with someone twice your size - again - and got your ass handed to you. And I don't need someone picking fights with the customers."

Ava wrinkles her nose at Harry, not bothering to disagree. Might as well let him see it that way, after all. The albino's definitely getting jumpy. And jumpiness is catching. What's it been, ten minutes? With traffic, might take twenty to get a team here from HQ, and that's assuming there isn't something else in the way.

"Hey, girl's gotta eat," she grumbles back at Harry, pulling out a stool to get to one of the higher shelves. As she works, she uses the mirror on the bar-back to keep an eye on Barney and his friend.

*

How nice to see that Midwestern guy has a ladyfriend. So he isn't a -total- loner. Dom's still not trusting him. Or the lady sitting near him who looks like she's afraid of the floor the way she's all huddled onto the seat like that.

Barney's verbal jab isn't overlooked, either. "And yet I can still afford better than the watered down piss you've been sucking on," she challenges back without really thinking about it. She's ..getting a little too paranoid to give sarcasm the attention it deserves.

Even the matter of the Hellmouth is set aside, she's no expert and getting caught up any further in that discussion would delay her timely exit. She's feeling cornered and out-numbered, neither of which tend to end well.

If she only knew that there was a SHIELD team already on the way she would have fled this place a long time ago. Whether she'll make it out before they arrive or not is all up to the fates.

*

"Hey.. honey.." Barney is going to follow 'Hilde's advice first. She's agitated, and there's no telling what's up behind it all. He'll ask later… after drinks and that pizza. "Why don't you bring yourself over, and we can have a chat?" There's that Midwestern twang again! "You're lookin' a might bit flighty, and that's unbecoming." That last bit is a tease, even after she mocks him over his beer!

Regardless of Domino's own taste, Barney raises the glass and takes a long swallow of the beer, letting it finish with an 'ah', and a thump to the glass. He looks to Hilde again, and nods, the smile growing. "Perfect. Light a fire, and we're in."

Barney keeps an eye on Ava, though there's just something about her. He can't put his finger on it, however. And he's trying. Oddly enough, while Hilde is looking at Domino, he's trying to figure out Ava…

*

ROLL: Barney +rolls 1d100 for a result of: 6

*

Well, apparently no one really wants to chat about the craziness of the fact that *vampires* were seemingly roaming the city for the last month. Hilde gives the smallest of huffs that her single actually topical piece of news/conversation isn't followed up, but remembering to actually drag off her cigarette a moment later drives her quiet.

Even more so as Domino speaks to Barney and she watches them interact, feeling whatever she's feeling. It makes her freckled nose slightly wrinkle, "…it's not her… " She mutters beneath her breath, but she can't get that feeling out of her head. Ava is stared at again, pretty much openly this time. Hilde isn't exactly the subtle sort. But she leans closer to Barney, almost protectively. They made the strangest pair.

Outside, a telltale black Sedan that is just entirely too black, boring, and Unremarkable In Every Way, drives past. Parking. They had to find parking. Ava would probably recognize one of the SHIELD sleeper cars, but the others might be too caught up for it. After all, aren't black sedans almost popular? Sure.

*

Well, apparently no one really wants to chat about the craziness of the fact that *vampires* were seemingly roaming the city for the last month. Hilde gives the smallest of huffs that her single actually topical piece of news/conversation isn't followed up, but remembering to actually drag off her cigarette a moment later drives her quiet.

Even more so as Domino speaks to Barney and she watches them interact, feeling whatever she's feeling. It makes her freckled nose slightly wrinkle, "…it's not her… " She mutters beneath her breath, but she can't get that feeling out of her head. Ava is stared at again, pretty much openly this time. Hilde isn't exactly the subtle sort. But she leans closer to Barney, almost protectively. They made the strangest pair.

Outside, a telltale black Sedan that is just entirely too black, boring, and Unremarkable In Every Way, drives past. Parking. They had to find parking. Ava would probably recognize one of the SHIELD sleeper cars, but the others might be too caught up for it. After all, aren't black sedans almost popular? Sure.

*

Ava is just a harmless urchin. Nothing to see here. Especially that- sometimes SHIELD is the worst at being spies. Those watching her might pick up a little bit of tension from the girl. But then again, she just got called out on telling tall tales. Maybe she's just trying to make sure she doesn't get the boot before she gets a chance to eat.

*

She may have missed the calls to join the two at the booth before. This time as Domino is walking past Barney and Brunnhilde she doesn't miss the call, stopping short in her otherwise brisk step to snap her attention back around to Barney. Really..? The guy -wants- her to stay.

This doesn't smell of foul play AT ALL.

Suspicion runs high, buuuut..she's got two hands and two guns and despite not knowing the full play she's pretty comfortable with her overall odds. Still, the way that the guy picks his words it makes it sound like he's working for one of the Families that she had recently wronged.

So maybe it -would- be in her best interest to stick around. Figure out what's what. Decide if these two really are going to be a problem. Isn't it better to know up front so she can deal with it NOW rather than giving them a chance to stab her in the back later?

A call is made back to Ava. "Mind bringing that drink over here?" Because apparently she can't make up her goddamn mind tonight. A seat is taken with B&B, her pale stare moving from one figure to the other but ultimately landing on Barney. "What sort of -chat- did you have in mind?"

*

Barney honestly doesn't notice the black sedans driving around the place, too interested in what is going on with Hilde and following the lady's suggestion and calling Domino over. He holds a hand up to shake hands with the lady, but not before wiping his palm on his not-quite-clean pants. "Mike.. Mike Mullins." There's 'Mullins'. "S'my friend. Don't mind her, though. I think it's just 'cause she's overworked." Beat. "Aren'cha darlin'?"

Barney's smile comes a little more, and lopsided as he lifts his glass next, and points to Ava with a lack of any subtlety. "You know that little girl?" Probably not.. but it's worth asking! He shakes his head, "Little girl lost isn't workin'."

*

If being called 'darling' bothers the lanky woman, she makes no show of it. The washed out blonde gives Domino a slight nod, also not looking jealous or bothered that anohter woman is joining them, "Well, if people in this city would just stop *dying*, then maybe I wouldn't be over worked." Hilde mutters quietly, quite dead pan, but she doesn't seem to be joking. Maybe that makes more sense to Barney that it would to the woman.

Then something just smacks her right up side the head. Like a wave of nausea and a Mac truck at the same time. She sharply turns her pale eyes to Barney as her feet heavily drop to the ground. "…Go. We need to go. Now. Come on. Sorry. We're sorry. He… he's late… for a thing. We need to go." She looks like she's just seen a ghost, literally. And people thought Hilde was pale before. Out of her chair, tossing down a crumpled fiver on the table which is WAY too much money, but she doesn't care. She grabs Barney's hand, trying to drag him for the door. He's probably never seen her move this fast in her life. Well, not when someone wasn't actively bleeding somewhere neear.

*

Ava doesn't want to be at the table when the agents break into the bar. That's how you get your cover blown, and getting your cover blown is the cardinal sin. But refusing to bring the bottle of would be just as damning at this point. They're all suspicious already; the only way through is deeper in.

She smiles faintly, hopping down from her stool to pick up Domino's bottle and bring it over to the woman. "Here you go," she says as she drops it off, already turning to head back to the bar. This is her home turf. This is her cover. And this guy? Well, he seems kind of shady, but not like big enough game to burn the last few years of her life over.

But now he wants to run? Who is this woman with him? She just needs a few more seconds for the team to get in. Just…What's her excuse? How can she stop him? Passing by an empty table, she reaches to pull out chair and move it to another table…right across Barney's path.

*

ROLL: Barney +rolls 1d100 for a result of: 9

*

When the word had gone out that contact had been made, a ping on the espionage radar triggered by an operative known as Ava, it sent off waves of reaction through various SHIELD offices. Those teams were dispatched, set to create the perimeter, get a few angles on the possible points of egress and insertion… and with some of the theories thrown around about this possible perp a computer or officer somewhere decided to activate a call to another Barton.

Clint had been leaning over the hood of a parked sedan for a moment. Eyes flickering from one of the other SHIELD agents to another. Placement was important. Seating arrangements. The fluid motion of the people inside. Whatever data would be important it was fed to him.

The plan, at first, had been to set up an insertion. Operatives inside, make the move, control and isolate. A comment was made as Barton motioned to the marker indicating where Domino was seated. "She's good. Not sure what side she'll pick. Best to take the choice from her if it goes down."

But then he gets into place across the street. A glance down one way and the other. Almost feels like it might go smoothly. Of course that's when the woman gets spooked.

"Something tripped it. Go." The order comes even as Hawkeye touches a hand to his ear and grimaces. With a snap-click the bow flips into full view an arrow already nocked and set. There's no hesitation, just a sudden 'fft' of flight, the 'kachink-ksssh!' of glass being broken by a steel point, and then a /POFF/ of expanding arrowhead seeking to restrain the target with cabling that… legally shouldn't be electrified. But it is.

*

'Mullins,' huh. Sure. Okay. With a yet unnamed companion. Domino's gaze once more shifts between the two before she offers a name in return, and a hesitant shaking of 'Mike's' hand. "Tamara Winter. Lot of overtime being clocked lately with the mess this city's been in." Then with the matter of Ava, glancing in the girl's direction when Barney points her way, Dom simply tells him "Ava. That's all I know." Just like that she's at the table with the previously abandoned bottle! "Thanks, again."

Then her eyes are back on Brunnhilde. "You don't look so g—" (Uhm.) The blonde's string of excuses isn't doing it for the albino, but the urgency in her voice sure is. Dom knows that sense of urgency. In the same instant she's swearing at herself for not following her earlier instinct on -getting the hell out of this place.-

When the electrified arrow lands Domino is on her feet in half of a New York Second, the two concealed .380 pistols coming out from behind her into a pair of equally excited hands. Her first conscious thought is that whomever fired that arrow had missed. She's still fine! But 'Mike's' friend..somehow she knew this was coming. These people are here for Mike.

And she still has no idea what he wanted to talk to her about. Timing, guys! Gees! And now she has to figure out where to point her guns!

..She has two guns. She quickly backs away from the booth and aims at them BOTH.

*

Hilde rarely gets into this sort of state; all the times he's seen it, yes… it usually meant that she would be sent out on a call with the potential of mass casualty. It all begins to come together at the movement of Ava, and the subtle move of a chair to a table. Rising quickly, then, Barney actually makes a leap up and over the table, swinging legs out just a heartbeat after Domino gains her feet and pushes back, pulling out her pistols.

The man is up.. and within a step, he's down again, tangled in the damned chair that he knew was there, but in that moment? He had Hilde's voice rattling around in his head like an echo chamber.

The glass breaks just beyond him, and he can hear the *wzzz* of arrow just overhead as it finds a mark, but it's not him. Looking up off the floor, legs tangled in the chair, elbow raising him off the ground, he's pulling himself together and making an instinctive grab for 'Hilde even as he tries to gain his footing… or at least some semblance of cover.

*

Well, whatever Hilde was feeling, the premonitions that NEVER end with everyone alive, doesn't seem to have come to pass. No actual bullets are firing through the room… yet. But a damned technological arrow is coming through the window and, suddenly, a chair is there in front of both of them. Barney's going down hard, Domino's pistols are out, and Hilde's senses are screaming every which way. She doesn't even know what's hit her when it does, but Clint's arrow finds the thing right in Barney's place — namely herself, having jerked back to try and get him up. She's hit hard and she goes down, all long legs and arms, toppling against a table and sending glasses crashing. "What the f*ck!" She rasps out as electric hits her.

That's…upleasant. Her cursing is cut short by it.

Then Clint's more than jumpy trigger fingered back up, just outside the window, catches sight of Domino's guns. Two shots go off, but Hilde is already down and Barney reaching for her, which means those shots don't find home. At least, not in their targets. Two more suited agents spill into the room, their guns aimed at Domino more than anything, because she's the one actively displaying weapons. "Weapons down, hands up. NOW!" The agent who shot screams orders.

*

Now things are going to get ugly. And stupid. And Ava doesn't want any part of where things are going to go down. When the arrow breaks through the window, she's already hitting the deck. And when Domino pulls the guns? Yeah, no, the deck's not going to do it. She knocks over the nearest table, taking shelter behind it as one of the bullets chips a piece from the top edge. Good timing with the taking cover.

*

ROLL: Barney +rolls 1d100 for a result of: 96

*

A short stream of profanities is heard on the comm even as Clint is moving, breaking from cover with another arrow fitting to the bowstring purely on muscle memory. There's a dash, combat boots thumping upon the ground and then a short leap with a knee leading into the already pierced window that now fully shatters it in a crash as Hawkeye hits the tabletop of the booth sitting right next to that window. He skids across it, arrow up and already tracking the course of the target…

/TWANG!/ As the second arrow fires at Barney. But even as Clint hits the ground he snaps to the side with a loud sharp shout. "Stand down, Domino!" Oh sure maybe she might recognize him, maybe not. But sometimes people follow orders in a chaotic situation without even thinking about it. If not… well there's that bit of cover between him and her that hopefully might save him.

*

ROLL: Domino +rolls 1d100 for a result of: 4

*

Lucky… Domino hasn't been shot yet. The night though, she is still young. She doesn't yet know who these people are, just why they're here or if they're after more than Barney/Mike. Either way this situation is -way- too close to a reality which she may some day be facing on her own. There's eight thousand and one things she would rather do or have happen than getting caught. By anyone.

Never again.

When the warning is yelled at her, by the guy who shot first nonetheless, her response to them all is just as clear: "Get fucked!"

If Clint's warning had been just half of a second earlier, this situation may have turned out much differently… The albino's leaping sidelong for cover just as quickly as her two guns start chewing through their magazines, filling the air with angry jacketed lead to cover her hasty retreat. Even then, she's got stupidly good aim.

*

There is a stream of curses that emenates from Barney, but now, the man is all business. His expression shifts to rock hard, blue eyes cool down and he's trying to reach Hilde, but there isn't anything he can do pull the electrically charged wiring from around her. Clothes do not make a good ground, and he's not got anything rubberized.

Instead, there's that chair, and as he makes to draw his own weapon, he pauses in the action as the agents come in. Barney's gaze darts from agents to Domino back to Hilde.. and just after the last ricochet of bullet, he grabs a knife that has fallen and skipped/slid across the floor. In the next second, it goes flying through the air with a force towards one of the screaming agents, landing with a *thunk* about the same time as he gets whacked in the head with an electrified tazer arrow fired by Clint's bow.

Immediately, Barney goes down, muscles spasmning uncontrollably for a couple of long seconds; not one of those 'walk it off' sort of doses of electricity!

*

Being tazed is probably about one of the least pleasant experiences in a slew of not a great life for Hilde Norris. She looks like one of those dying water spiders, all raggedly long limbs on the floor, until that net loses electricity. Maybe Barney will get away at least — then they *really* need to have a talk about what the hell he's doing with his life.

A heartbeat later proves her wrong as he's dropping but a few feet away, fish flopping as well. "F*ck…Barney…" The half conscious blonde raggedly breathes out. For as sketchy as a guy he might be, it seems something in the woman cares for him, as she feebly tries to reach out. But really, it's too damn late. They're down and out, and she has not a clue why…

Meanwhile, Agent Williams is about to pay a very dear price for his own trigger happy life. He's not spraying fire, but Domino is. He might have some fancy armor under that suit — SHIELD did have these things — but he doesn't have anything against Barney's knife. Bullets and weapon land true and Frederick Williams is bleeding multiple places before he even hints the ground. He'll be dead in less than a minute.

*

Ava isn't going anywhere. And she's not contributing to the fight, either. She did her part. She called in the suspect, she made sure he was still in the place when the team moved in. Now? Now she's staying behind the shelter of that table and doing her best to be utterly unforgettable. Maybe all of the bullets and blood will stand out more than the girl with the red hair.

*

"God dammit, Domino!" The voice of Clint Barton shouts louder even as he's ducking down into that booth with the table flipped and various bullet holes kicking up motes of splintered wood and concrete. He hunkers down in the cover even as Williams takes a knife and a few rounds, taking him down.

From his hip quiver, Hawkeye nocks another arrow and calls over his shoulder. "Targets are down. Stop shooting or things are gonna get messy!" And with that sage advice he cocks an eyebrow as he checks the angles from the booth, to the bar, to the shelter that Domino's got. He gauges the proper course a shot would have to take, the chotchkis it'd have to bounce off of… just in case she doesn't stop shooting.

*

ROLL: Domino +rolls 1d100 for a result of: 2

*

ROLL: Barney +rolls 1d100 for a result of: 77

*

The redhead has one thing going for her, besides not joining the fight. She's young! Domino doesn't see her as a threat, which she may very well come to regret sometime down the road. Whomever all of these people are (ALL of them!), she has no alliances with any of them. Her only priority is to Get The Hell Out Of Here. Even with two guns she's not prepared for this sort of engagement!

The upside is that she isn't getting her murder-on with all of these Agents.

The downside is that she's still in DominoSpace and apparently isn't bothering to hear a damn word Clint is yelling at her.

There must be another way out of this place. If she's -really- lucky they didn't have enough time to completely surround the building! Find a door, a window, a damn drain big enough to flush herself down, she just wants out of this mess before the next taser-arrow-thingie hits her! If she has to shoot now it's either for cover fire or for the purpose of breaking a window prior to her leaping through the stupid thing.

*

Breathing, check. As evidenced from the groan that exits the man. Every nerve ending is on fire, and while he's no longer flailing on the floor, Barney simply can't move. Not yet. He's conscious, however. Training's done that little bit for him, at the very least.

Heart? Check. It's still pumping, though it feels like it's about ready to exit his chest. He's not yet ready to move, or really capable of doing so for a little while. He's looking up at the ceiling, all sounds a *whoosh* as he tries to home in one first one voice, then the next… and he can hear the tumult.

'Targets are down.'

*

Everything hurts. Hilde is used to that in a way, the aching misery post-shift in a rickey old bus of an ambulance having carried one too many drunks over the night. But nothing hurt like *this* before. It hurt to breathe. It'll wear off, she dimly recognizes the biology of what has happened to her body, but it still sucked. She doesn't even bother trying to talk again, she just stares at the ceiling with those glassy, ice dead eyes and waits for whomever decides to scoop her up to finish the job.

What the *hell* had Barney gotten them into?

Then she feels it. The Agent above her, that last tugging of his life. Her head drowsily turns up to him and it's *that* which motivates her through energy she should not have. She tries to claw the netting off of her, groaning as she goes, "I'm a *medic*…let me help…" But she knows it's too late. She could at least be there to usher on his spirit, maybe. Another death in violence. Another night in New York. She's trying to move, but it's coming out far more like a twitching.

Agent Coolridge, the last, far cooler head in the room, is pocketing his own gun and going straight to the side of their downed personnel. Clint is in charge and seems to recognize the other shooter, so he's trying to give Williams an impossible chance, even as he sees the knife. He knows. He swears beneath his breath, hand raising for him to speak into his watch (apparently some sort of comm): "We've got an Agent down. Repeat, Agent *down*…"

*

Ava peers out around the edge of her table, then looks toward Domino. That woman is going to run. And Clint told her to stand down. That means she's been recognized by a senior agent, that she could very well be an asset. So it's a chance to preserve her cover with the woman and preserve the cover of an asset? Easy choice.

"Hey," she calls over in a low tone, tipping her head toward the kitchen. "Out the back, through the kitchen to the right." Of course there's probably an agent out there. Which means either that agent can try to stop her, or Clint can warn them off and let the woman run. But hopefully no one else gets shot.

*

No angle, or at least not a good enough of one. Clint breaks from cover, rolling to the side and coming back up with the arrow tracking the flight of Domino as she makes her break and run. His brow furrows for a moment as he brings it into line. Perhaps there's a moment when he does have a shot, or perhaps he doesn't take it. Whatever the reason, it gives Domino enough time to ditch and bust a run.

Into the comm, Hawkeye murmurs quickly. "Let her evac, tag and track if you can but don't engage. We got a man down." He rounds and gestures towards the fallen Brunnhilde and Barney, frowning severely as he murmurs. "Let's bag em up and get outta here. Man's got a business to run."

*

Even Domino wouldn't have counted on these odds. The same girl who served her a drink is now also telling her how to get out of here in one piece?

SCORE.

She only hesitates in her hasty escape long enough to make eye contact, listen, dip her head in acknowledgement, then sprint for the route Ava verbally lays out for her. Ava's in line for the next hundred dollar tip the albino feels like passing out.

*

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