13199/One Chance for First Impressions

One Chance for First Impressions
Date of Scene:	27 October 2022
Location:	Somewhere in China
Synopsis:	Monica and Daisy take on a Hydra base. Things don't go as planned. Do they ever?
Cast of Characters:	Monica Chang, Daisy Johnson

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Monica Chang has posed:
Sometime ago...

The Hydra base was hidden quite well but SHIELD had been able to obtain the information about it. They needed to get inside and steal the data off the internal computer, an air-gapped system that was not connected to anything outside. No internet, no localized network. Nothing. Thus, the only way to get the data was to get someone inside.

Thankfully, they had several agents who might fit the bill but Monica had won the rock-paper-scissors for going in. SHIELD actually used a more calculated way to choose, despite Monica's joking otherwise.

The team had met and Monica had replaced one of the women working inside the facility. The high tech facial mask in place was helping her to look like the other woman. Her Chinese was flawless. Her acting on point.

And it all came down to this. She was in the area with the mainframe for the first time and she quickly attached a device to the back, to allow it to start copying the information. Then she moved to the coffee pot nearby, pouring herself some in a little paper cup. Only to make a face like an infant given a lemon. Over the comms came her voice. <Transfer commenced. And none too soon. This coffee tastes like swamp muck.>

Which is when the mainframe started beeping loudly before an actual claxon type alarm went off. <Looks like they had an alarm on the thing. Once transfer is complete, I'll make a run for it.>

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Daisy had been assigned to this mission due to her heritage. She could blend in even if not full chinese but she knew the dialect. The various dialects actually. And she could work through their firewalls if needed, in case there was a need for a on-the-field expert in getting through security measures they hadn't anticipated.

Right now though? She was on a quinjet hovering above the base. Low enough it wouldn't appear on any radar. It gave her some proximity and also enabled her to be talking on comms with the agent on the field.

The one that took the short straw for this mission! (No, Fury doesn't choose his agents by pulling straws either!) But Daisy could joke.

< Looking good so far. > She says on comms back to Monica, looking over satellite feeds on what was happening at the base, < It's going smooooth as butter. >

Typical Agent Curse. Never say things are going smooth!

< I am seeing various enemies starting to converge. > She says, < Go out through Section C, second floor window. > but Daisy is already getting up to her feet.

Monica Chang has posed:
The cup of sludge abandoned, Monica moved to check the device on the back. <Eighty percent. Almost there.> She popped open a panel and looked for anything that might be attached to that alarm. There! A quick yank the alarm stopped blaring.

The damage was already done. She picked up her cup of coffee and 'tripped' so it would be a convincing spill on the front of the machine. Which is when the first guard came in. He looked around then at her with narrowed eyes.

In perfect Chinese, Monica apologized profusely. "I was trying to get a cup of coffee and I tripped and it went on the machine and it started making noise." She was shaking like a leaf, a convincing reaction to someone who might have accidentally set off an alarm in a high security area. "Then it stopped. I hope I did not damage it!"

The guard seemed to buy it. Only, then came in the other four guards. Including their supervisor who was not so convinced. In fact, he moved toward the machine to examine it more closely.

Shit. She couldn't afford for him to find the downloading device. If he opened the panel to find the alarm cutoff, that would be equally bad.

She leapt, firing a kick at one of the men and sending his gun flying to the other side of the room. Then a leap and a spinning kick at the head of another before sliding under the swing of the third.

<Engaging. Will make for that exit when I can.>

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Where are you going?" It's Davis talking now, from the pilot's seat, looking over his shoulder at Daisy with that kind of look that already knows what she is about to do.

"She needs support on the ground, there is way too many troops for what our intelligence of this base was." she points out to Davis. Daisy finishes getting her gauntlets in position, hearing them 'click', the hum under is telling. Her powers are now enabled. She takes in a breath. She hasn't really learned how to fly -that- well yet but what can go wrong, right?

It's just falling after all.

And trying not to become a splatter on the ground....

< Moving in to provide support. Try to reach that exit as soon as you can. > And then the hangar doors are opening. Daisy feels the wind in her face and runs to throw herself into the open, falling at speed towards the base. Maybe she should had brought a parachute, on hindsight. Why is she always so impulsive?

Monica Chang has posed:
Within, Monica is a little busy to be able to answer. At least the guns are out of hands for the moment. But she still has the five guards she's trying to deal with. The good news? They aren't as skilled as she is in hand-to-hand. The bad news? It sounds like there are more coming.

She leaps into the air, slamming both feet into the chest of one guard. As he is falling, she uses him as a springboard to go airborne, flipping over the next and catching him with an arm around his neck as her feet windmill to kick two of the other guards. Then the one she has by the neck is falling and she lands next to him, slamming a fist down into his face as they reach the floor. Her mask was messed up in the process and she tore it off, slipping it into her pocket. It also will keep them from punishing the woman she replaced for this espionage. The guards will be getting up but it leaves her the opportunity to work on finishing them off.

Not killing. She's trying not to do that although it is fully within her authorization to do so at this point. Incapacitate is plenty. A kick here, a punch there. Soon all five are out as she checks the device. One hundred percent complete. She rips it off, tucks it into a pocket, then dashes for the door. <Heading toward exit now.>

And that is when the explosion went off a few feet behind her. She was sent airborne, flying a good fifteen feet and slamming onto the floor. Glancing back, she saw a man with flaming hands as he prepared another blast. <Metas present.> Which let them know that there was at least one powered being there. <Fire powers, appears male.> But she has no idea if there might be more.

She scrambled to her feet and dove through a nearby door as the send blast of a fireball came her way. <Section C obtained.> And she was heading for that window as fast as she could.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Daisy is still free-falling when she hears that word on comms. 'Metas'. Trouble. Hydra had been working on the centipede program for a time now, harvesting blood out of Inhumans and Mutants in order to create serum they used to gain temporary powers. It always came at a price... But during that time they felt like Gods.

And now Daisy is still the ground real close. Along with a throng of guards making their way towards the building where Monica is. A rush courses through her body as her powers engage, hands opening and she pointing down to the floor.Vibrational waves expand. Once, twice, creating a shockwave even as she drops right close to those troops. It sends them flying back with a yelp, then knocked unconscious.

The building shakes briefly, almost like it had been by an earthquake and the window glass of that exit 'explodes'.

<I have arrived.> She looks up at that window, then has to turn swiftly as machine gun fire starts peppering around her. She lifts her arms up, creating a vibrational barrier. It will hold ..., for now.

Monica Chang has posed:
<Was that an earthquake?> came the frantic question from the woman inside as she crossed that lab area. She ducked under a table as another blast of fire went flying overhead. Coming up on the other side and continue to beat feet for the now broken window. Helpful!

<Cause if not, they might have more metas. Exiting.>

And in that instant she appears, leaping out that second story window. She was dressed as a civilian would be. A cute skirt, button up blouse, white lab coat over it. She'd kicked off the heels somewhere along the way so was barefooted. She went into that freefall then landed on her feet, immediately tucking and rolling into a forward roll to absorb the impact. Then she was on her feet and running just as the man appeared at the window. Another blast of fire came her way and she leapt to the side, a quick double flip before landing and continuing her path to get as far from the building as possible.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
< In a way. > This in answer to the earthquake. Well, Daisy -could- create those after all! Those vibrational barriers are still up when Monica jumps down from that window, Daisy diverting that protection to encompass Monica as well when she comes back down to the ground.

"Welcome to the party!" She calls out to Monica, because nothing like some quips to disperse that tension. And then she returns some of that 'fire' back to the troops firing at them by way of a concussive blast. It sends them sprawling to the ground, weapons flying..

It also leaves her vulnerable to the fire blaster upstairs. It continues shooting a blast of fire Monica's way until it finds that other Agent there..., and shoots towards her. It hits the ground right next to her in a small explosion that sends Daisy flying and skid through the ground..

And then the man jumps down as well, lifting his hands up. Daisy really isn't liking this party anymore.

Monica Chang has posed:
"Shit!"

Not the most proper of terms but it sums up Monica's feelings as she sees Daisy go skidding along and the fire powered guy jumping down and starting their direction. <Going hot.> Which means she is no longer trying to preserve lives. Not literally, as she doesn't have those kinds of powers.

The bullets are hitting around them and she charges /toward/ those firing them. Specifically the closest one who is about twenty feet away. A series of flips and acrobatic moves as she closes the distance. Then a leap as she catches the man around the neck with her legs, using her body as a fulcrum and her charge for the momentum, to fling the guy to the ground. A move that is commonly used by a certain redheaded Avenger. She lands on the ground next to him, picking up the pistol he just dropped.

It is leveled on the nearest man. She begins firing rounds, each hitting perfectly. And by the time she is done, she has three pistols for herself, having abandoned the now empty one. She grabs some more magazines of ammunition and tucks them in various pockets then aims that gun for the powered man.

The heat from his hands stops the bullet before it reaches. She continues to fire, laying cover. <Let's get out of here before they get more backup.>

And that is the moment more people appear at that broken window. One has blue skin. Another looks like she has wings. Things are about to go from bad to worse unless they can get clear.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Daisy rolls over to her feet a moment later, just fast enough to dodge an incoming fire blast. "I hate fire guys..." sorry, Human Torch! Then she casts a look at what's going on. A brow quirks at what she sees. Those moves are certainly above what she'd expect out of Chang. Even May might have trouble keeping up at that speed and strength for long. And that signature move? That has letting out a 'oh'...

So that's where she saw it before. Natasha.

No more time to think on it now. She rolls back as the man nears in to her position, fists on fire and trying to punch her out. "Sorry, you are hot but not my kinda guy..." and then she -pushes- away with her powers, both hands in fists in front of her and hitting the man in the chest. Another vibrational wave is felt and the man goes flying down the compound, coming to crash on the wall of a building a few good meters away, unconscious.

And when those other metas appear on the window? She creates an earthquake, hands on the ground. It's enough to get the building shaking more heavily. Enough to get those metas retreating inside for a moment.

"Let's go!" she begins running towards the exit, asking the other. "Great moves back there." she comments while they run.

Monica Chang has posed:
And when that rumble goes through the ground, Monica looks around and spies Daisy with her hands sending vibrations outward. As she falls into step beside Daisy, she has a bit of a wild smile on her face. "So YOU were the earthquake. Got to say that's damned amazing!"

She turned to fire a few rounds as they reach the treeline and disappear within, forcing the Hydra agents to give chanse since they lost line-of-sight.

"I'm guessing we have an exit strategy up ahead?" Translation: Where's the Quinjet?!

Daisy Johnson has posed:
They are running through the treeline now, Daisy already uffing and puffing at the effort. Look, she has been skipping cardio! Big mistake. But she grins back at Monica, "No more than your own abilities." she points out. Did she notice Monica's abilities being a touch beyond the normal? Maybe.

Yet before she can really get to it there's a rush of air above them as they get to a clearing, a quinjet coming into sight. Davis on comms. <You called?>

<Yea, yea. Stop showing off Davis. Now let's get out of here.> And with the hangar doors lowering down they make their way into the big bird. It was time to fly back home.

And Daisy had some digging to do.