[IC] Pre-intro

[stupidcupid]

[ you're being watched ]

Comments

[stupidcupid]

[not even turning around]

Hey, Tasha. Teach me how to do that, okay?

[accountable]

But that'll make it less fun for me.

Did SHIELD give you a mission?

[stupidcupid]

You suck.

Sort of. You guys went off the grid so he sent me after you guys. Or he doesn't want me on a ship full of people who are prissy at me and sent me away on the excuse you guys apparently get lost in summer camps.

[accountable]

Only sometimes.

Not lost. Their transport couldn't take the passage that well.

It was supposed to.

[stupidcupid]

How is that the only dirty talk I've ever heard you say?

What's going on, Nat? I mean, Banner wasn't lying, but science's not my thing.

[accountable]

Because it wasn't dirty talk.

We're stuck here. And camp can do ... whatever it wants with us. In fact, it's been quick to make sure we're clear on that.

[stupidcupid]

Now I'm just ashamed.

[scoots back, so they're closer]

... How bad?

[accountable]

I wanted to murder everyone here.

The only good thing is that I'm too ... me to act quickly.

[stupidcupid]

I'd call that a good thing. You could have been me and one of us has to be the sensible partner around here.

[accountable]

Stop dwelling on that, Clint.

[stupidcupid]

You first.

[accountable]

No one to dwell about.

[ ... this time.]

[stupidcupid]

[taps her shoulder lightly with his fingers, almost like an embrace]

That's my girl.

[accountable]

But I should get to filling you in. It wouldn't help if you didn't know what you were looking at.

[stupidcupid]

I'm all ears.

[accountable]

Everything you've heard is true. The Director is crazy. She brings people here because of a long-disproved agenda and people are put through various ... I don't want to call them tortures, but some are unpleasant. Like what I went through. That's one of them. Furthermore, this place is in danger. Something's on its way to attack. Something that devours entire worlds, and once it eats up the link—you can figure out what comes next.

It isn't good, and it's been going on long enough that there's so much firepower here that even the Avengers seem like a futile addition.

[stupidcupid]

Damn.

So what we really need is a plan.

[accountable]

And we can't come up with an acceptable plan until we have a database. What we've been accustomed to working with ... it's not here. None of it. No guesses. No analysts. It's just us.

[stupidcupid]

We could do worse with just "us".

Coulson and Loki, though. What's up with that?

[accountable]

Which Loki?

[stupidcupid]

Uhm, hello, there's only--Oh my god, are there two of them?

[accountable]

As far as I know, yeah. I haven't personally encountered the other. I'm assuming you mean ours.

What did he say, Clint?

[stupidcupid]

The usual garbage. Blah blah I'm so cool, see me for the wonder I am, be prepared, I forgot the rest of the song.

[accountable]

He hasn't done much of anything. And he won't.

[stupidcupid]

Does he still have the . . . pointy stick?