4850/Gathering the Flock

Gathering the Flock
Date of Scene:	09 July 2018
Location:	Gotham City
Synopsis:	Oracle brings Skye into the team.
Cast of Characters:	Oracle, Quake

---

Oracle has posed:
    The email confirmation arrives in Skye's personal inbox: ticket for one to the 9pm showing of the latest blockbuster movie at the Cineplex 12, in West Chelsea Hill. Except Skye didn't make the reservation. Once at the theater the ticket is issued at the box office counter. Turns out there's a specific seat number as well. Center section, near the back.

Quake has posed:
Skye come early enough that she can buy a box of popcorn at the concession stand. She's able to make a few guesses about who or what this might be about, but barring those, even a meeting with an unknown deserved the extra steps in making this look like just another afternoon out instead of a clandestine meeting.

She had to admit, she wasn't sure what this particular movie was about, but it was a rom-com if she remembered the marquee, so at least it might look like she'd possibly come here legitimately to watch the darn thing. Though she'd bought tickets to movies in the past just to have a quiet and warm place to hide out.

Ticket and popcorn in hand, she heads to the assigned seat. Spiffy newfangled theatre with those fancy reclining seats. Numbered and everything so folks couldn't complain so much. Skye slips in through the doors just as the lights are going down and the curtains are going up for the showing of the trailers, barely slipping into her seat before the sound system finishes its Dolby check.

Oracle has posed:
The theater isn't full, but there are enough people here to mask any other conversations. It's likely no coincidence that the seat beside Skye is occupied as well. A young woman, 20-something, with red hair. And a very familiar smile.

Barbara already has her popcorn and she looks over as Skye takes a seat. There's also a small 'dead zone' of empty seats around the two. Which is probably not a coincidence, either.

"Long time, no see." she offers in a low voice, as the trailers start. "You recall our last conversation?"

Quake has posed:
There's a small smirk from Skye as her companion is revealed to be one of her initial guesses. There were a few others, but this one she'd been expecting.

"The popcorn is good here. They made this batch fresh," she murmurs. "And of course I remember. Pretty nice little setup for this. I'm going to guess this isn't a meeting for pleasure given the trouble you went to. What's up?"

Oracle has posed:
Babs crunches her popcorn and smiles again. "No, it's not just a casual meeting. You remember how we discussed you taking on field work, right? Consider this your opportunity." She pauses to look away from the big screen at her movie companion.

"All I need, if you're serious, is your commitment. You already know the terms: secrecy, loyalty, and courage."

Quake has posed:
"Suppose this is a bad time to say two out of three ain't bad?" Skye gives a soft chuckle. "Sorry. Pop culture reference." The young woman shrugs, and nods towards the screen as the lead actor comes up. For all the world it looks like theyve bent heads to gossip about him.

"You know I'm good on the secrecy. Loyalty and courage? Do my best. Show up for work every day when it isn't easy. Do the shit other people are afraid to do because someone has to. Not sure I'm one of your heroes, but not afraid to put myself out there for the right things. That's what you really want to hear, right? The rest is just words."

Oracle has posed:
"Meatloaf, Bat Out of Hell." Babs replies almost casually. "And no need to apologize to a fellow geek." More popcorn crunching follows, and she turns to regard Skye more directly. "I've never doubted your secrecy, otherwise we wouldn't have had our coffee meeting. The other two? Let's just say that bridges the gap between 'agent' and 'hero'. Give you something to think about when you can't sleep at night."

"As for what I really want to hear? I want to know that you're willing to go all the way with this thing. To know that you're not going to panic or run when missions go sideways. To know that you'll follow orders when things are on-plan, and you'll improvise as best you can when the plan goes off the rails."

Barbara pauses for a moment, looking back at the screen. "Yes, you've said the right words."

Quake has posed:
Skye smiles to herself, the gesture mostly blunted by the darkness in the theatre. "Dont really know another way to be anymore," Skye says quietly. "Thought I was this other person, you know? Way back when. Keep thinking how we'd have sold our own grandmother out to save our asses, and how we all thought we were these world changing people. We weren't. We were nothing," she says of her time in the Rising Tide. "And we wouldn't be talking if I were someone who didn't know when to step outside the box. Pretty sure that's why I got tagged for SHIELD to begin with. They have enough pencil pushing box checkers. But you know that already. Can't really buy that."

The young woman nods, "Been thinking about your offer a lot since we talked, you know? Lots of things in my life have changed. Figured out something - you get one chance at this, and folks died to get me here. Like literally died. Whole string of agents killed because I was this baby that someone wanted bad enough to mow through them and me. Figure It'd be kinda a piss poor way to repay that if I say hey, no thanks, don't want to be a hero. Pretty happy living my safe little life."

She's quiet a moment. "Enh, sorry about that. Just found out some things about my past. Guess I'm a little more shaken about it than I thought. Answer is yes, though, in case it wasn't clear."

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon nods, keeping her focus on the screen when Skye gives her answer. "Good. And thank you, in advance. You won't be alone, as I said before. And you'll also be stepping up your training." Stepping up? From SHIELD training?

"We'll talk more after the movie. There are some things I want to show you."

Quake has posed:
Skye surprises herself by enjoying the movie. And files that 'stepping up your training' bit away. It piques her curiousity, but she imagines she'll find out in due time.

Oracle has posed:
The movie was rated highly, and it actually lived up to the rating. After Action, the Rom-com genre is pretty failsafe, after all. The credits are still rolling when Barbara starts to get up. In a low voice she offers. "Wait until the credits finish and get a popcorn refill before you leave. The side door to the Gotham Clocktower building will open. I'll see you there."

And then she is gone.

Quake has posed:
Credits were actually fun to watch if you were the right kind of geekling. Skye often was. Plus there were the bloopers at the end. And some silly little outtake of the lead singing the main theme to his leading lady in a falsetto, wearing a showercurtain and using a back scrubber as a mic. Skye almost forgot to get the popcorn refill, and has to argue with the guy behind the counter that the lights hadn't come up in the theatre, so it do too count as the movie still playing, fork it over.

He grumbles, but refills the bucket, even adding a sullen splash of the premium butter flavouring that he was supposed to charge for, because screw the bosses, he wasn't getting paid enough for this.

Eventually, though, she's made the arranged time, and makes her way out, heading to the Gotham Clocktower. She at least knows where that is. Not like you can miss it, but still, she didn't have to stop and ask directions. And, as promised, the door is open, leaving Skye to slip in without being noticed.

Oracle has posed:
The main floor of the Clocktower is quite sparse. A vaulted ceiling extends up through the second and third floors, complete with a balcony all around. There's a simple receptionist's desk with a small sign stating that the upper floors are private residences.

The building has security measures that would rival SHIELD's New York compound. All discrete, and very well concealed to the untrained eye. A very curious addition to just an old Gotham landmark.

There is a soft *ding* and the elevator doors open. The floor is already selected: the penthouse.

Quake has posed:
Skye.. is impressed. Luckily, she's a trained eye, so at least *some* of the security measures she's noted. Hell, she's dealt with similar ones at the Triskelion and has a good idea of not only what to look for, but likely the mechanics behind them. Other than the fact that Oracle code is a tad beyond her ability to crack - though she does recall she did have a firm offer in place from Oracle... well, Babs.. to upgrade her hacking skills. An offer that Skye had every intention of taking the other woman up on.

When the elevator doors open, Skye shrugs. She expected something like that to happen. And if she's not mistaken there likely isn't a way to stop the thing between floors. Probably not even other buttons to press. Likely those doors only open if you've been invited to visit.

As it happens, Skye has been invited.

With a saucy grin in the direction of the security camera she's sure is pointed right at her, Skye steps into the elevator, turns so that she's facing the doors to the exit, and waits.

Oracle has posed:
As expected, the doors close all on their own. There are no buttons on the panel, only a slot for a key card. Which apparently won't be needed, since the elevator begins to move. It takes a few moments to reach the top, then the doors slide open.

Barbara is standing just inside the apartment, hands clasped behind her back and a knowing smile on her face. "Welcome to Oracle's Lair." she offers. "Or, as I prefer to call it, Home. Get you a drink?"

Quake has posed:
Skye inclines her head as the doors open (as expected) on the only floor the elevator goes to (also as expected). Stepping out of the lift, she shrugs, with a grin, "Depends on what you're offering. If it's milk and cookies, I think I can pass, but a drink might be nice."

She takes a quick peek about. "Your place is really nice. Makes mine look a bit shabby, and I live in a good neighbourhood these days. Much to the sorrow of our neighbours."

It's true, since Lara rented her place to them, there had been some head scratching wondering just who these newcomers were, and how did they have such highly placed friends.

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon gestures towards the spacious pad on her way towards the kitchen. "Sure, I like big-girl drinks as well. What's your poison? Beer? Wine? Or something harder? I've got a bottle of merlot that's open." She pauses for a few steps, then adds. "By the way, just so you know, I'm no stranger to field work myself. All that workout space isn't just for show."

"I know your computer capabilities, and you've had some SHIELD training as well. But I'll want to see where your hand-to-hand skills are as a baseline. Then we'll figure out a training regimen." Yes, this slender young redhead is talking like some sort of martial arts master.

Quake has posed:
"Beer is good. I'll drink the Merlot if you'd prefer company, but beer is fine. I'm pretty easy to please."

The loft is regarded in light of being a working space as much as a living space. Skye is familiar enough with the concept; it's not like she's all that attached to material goods, and she and Clint have an archery range in their basement and backyard...

"You say that like I'm about to have my ass handed to me." Skye grins. "My former SO has connections to the Bat family. She's liable to be terribly disappointed in me if I don't at least try to make a good showing."

Oracle has posed:
The fridge opens, and Barbara returns with a couple of beers. And glasses, too. She heads for a sofa, offering one of each to Skye. "Well you know I provide tactical and information support for the Bats, Superman, Wonder Woman, and those folks." she replies, twisting off the top of her beer as she settles.

"To be perfectly transparent, however, there's a Batgirl costume hanging in my closet. So while I'm not positive that you'll have your ass handed to you, I'm really sure that you'll know you've been in a fight when we're finished."

Quake has posed:
There's a soft snort from Skye when she takes her beer, and declines the glass. Of course the snort isn't for the glass, but the commentary on she'll know she's been in a fight.

"And this would differ from my basic training.. how?" She shrugs. "They brought me up to SHIELD standards. May made certain if my ass was handed to me, they'd have to at least earn the privlege. I'm good with a gun. Probably better with a bow, but I've been working on both. If it's not moving, I'm a damned good shot. Moving, I'm not an embarrassment."

There's a wry grin from the girl. "And you're still going to make me regret it. That's okay. I kind of expected it. And truth, now that I've moved my portfolio into Field Agent, I should probably be upping that game anyway."

As for the glass, Skye salutes with the offered can of beer. "I'm a heathen. Who wants to wash an extra glass if they don't have to?"

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon raises her glass in return. "No offense taken. My dad still drinks his beer straight from the bottle." She takes a sip, then. "But we can discuss earning stripes and bruises later. Believe me, there will be plenty of time for that."

"I learned with Batman, which meant I learned to play by his rules. That doesn't mean I -require- the same from my team. No guns, no killing, no excessive force. But when we're in Gotham, those are his rules. Our theater of operations is a bit larger than that."

Barbara stretches her legs out, then, pausing to consider her words. "Batman, Nightwing, and others spend a lot of time in Gotham and the surrounding areas driving out crime directly. Stomping on thugs, capturing criminals that the GCPD either can't handle or don't have the resources to handle. But what if we were somehow able to fight, say, Gotham's drug problem by cutting it off at the source? That's what I'm proposing."

Quake has posed:
"We mostly use ICERs," Skye returns. "Not lethal. Possibly mortifying to some."

She chuckles softly. "That mission you helped us with? When I was breaking out of the Trisk, I had to shoot my partner. Not my working partner, my actual partner, Clint. The look on his face.. I still can't believe I did that. But I guess if anyone was wondering if I were real or not, I proved I'd turned traitor and ran."

Not that she had, but she had to look like it. As it was, the escape was harried, and she almost didn't make it out. Though, thanks to Oracle..

"But yeah. I grok the no killing. Trust me, not really high on my list of things to do for kicks. Or even pay."

As Barbara goes on, tossing out an inkling of the types of missions she's considering, Skye nods to herself. "Yeah, I can see that. Working, I mean. A lot less hassle to round up if you can pinpoint the sources and take them out. The other is kind of like throwing towels down on the bathroom floor hopng it will stop the overflowing toilet instead of trying to jiggle the handle or unclog the thing. And actually, if I'm getting where you're going with this.. I kinda have a small handle on a few places we can start targetting leads like that."

A pause.

"Well, we both kind of do, only you'd be a lot more obvious than I would be looking for it. Not that you probably can't just trounce through our systems, but if information leaks are noticed at any point, eyes go your way. If it's me, it's just Skye doing what Skye does, and I'm supposed to be watching those windows."

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon nods slowly, toying with her glass. "It's going to mean going into some very unpleasant places, meeting unpleasant people, and doing unpleasant things." she offers. "I'll provide the mission background and do the ground work. I'll also provide field intel, although I like the idea of having someone else on the team to carry part of that load."

Barbara smiles at that, lifting her glass again.

"I have a few more prospectives to contact, and a couple more outside of that which need to be vetted before bringing in. On that note, I'd be very interested in meeting anyone you'd be interested in bringing into the team."

Quake has posed:
"In case you missed it, what I had to do when I was under in Rising Tide wasn't very pleasant either. But I get your drift. Less annonymous nasty, and more in your face, might get punched in mind kinda nasty."

Skye grows rather serious, then. "I don't mind that part, I really don't. But I excel on the computer end. Pretty sure you know that, and aren't overlooking it, but the rest of them, right? They might not get it. I'm guessing the rest have other skills, and we're going to capitalize on that whenever we can?"

On the matter of recruiting, Skye looks thoughtful. "Possibly? I might know someone interested. I mean, I'd have to ask her. She's a kick ass pilot, and a damned scary hand to hand Agent as well." Skye makes a face. "Yeah. Capital A agent. But, I'm thinking from what I know of her, it's not going to be a problem. Advantage, you already know her. Or of her. Or should."

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon nods slowly, tucking one leg up while she listens. "Well we have the capabilities of Blackhawk Island at our disposal, although Zinda Blake may not be always available. So yes, I'd certainly welcome another qualified pilot."

She smiles, then. "You want to talk with this mystery person first, I take it? Tell her about the team and the mission outlook. Tell her that Oracle is directing traffic, but don't mention real names. At least not at first. Secrecy and privacy are paramount, and not only mine. There are others who I'll be bringing in, but nobody learns any names until they're fully vested."

Quake has posed:
Skye snorts. "I managed to sit an entire interview with Drector Fury without revealing any sex for Oracle, I think I got this privacy thing down. Not to mention, my ass is on the line, too, right? Like doing this is as dangerous for me as the rest of the crew. So it's not just them who are depending on secrecy. I do too."

Which leaves her pondering the matter of her man. How much he could know. And how much he'd take on trust. Though they'd had a similar conversation about SHIELD now, so Skye imagined things would be okay. Some things you didn't ask, because you knew your partner couldn't tell.

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon nose-wrinkles and she nods. "It's not you that I'm necessarily worried about. One person can easily keep a secret. Two people can, with a bit more difficulty. As we get more people involved, the difficulty of maintaining secrecy rises geometrically. I'd like to keep this a nice, tight little unit. But with different skill sets and different mission profiles, that's going to difficult to manage."

"That's why Batman's provisos are what they are: Secrecy, Loyalty, and Courage. He has a pretty good business model, even if it's pretty much restricted to Gotham City."

Quake has posed:
"To answer your question, yeah, I wanted to tell her." Skye gives an easy shrug, as though the matter isn't a make or break deal for her in terms of breaking her heart if she can't be the one. "You already know her. She works with you. Well, the family, at least. She introduced me to Red Robin. He was.. understandably pissed about some of the shit that went down with the Rising Tide mission. I'd kinda hoped to meet up with him again and hand off a full Index File as sort of an apology."

Full sans two files, notably her own.. and one Agent Melinda May's. Because May's story was her own to tell.

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon listens, nodding slowly at the mention of Red Robin. It's a fair bet that she's on a first-name basis with all of the Bat-affiliates. "Definitely talk with her, then. But I think, for the most part, I'd like to keep the Bats out of this team. I don't want to dilute Batman's resource pool."

She owes him THAT consideration, at the very least. Nevermind he doesn't know she's even pulling the team together in the first place.

"I think, with perhaps an exception or two, you might want to consider the same approach with SHIELD. We're not looking to form 'SHIELD-lite', here, just because we don't like working for Director Fury either. SHIELD is bound by rules the same as Batman's people are bound by rules. We're not."

Quake has posed:
"Your call, really. It was just a thought. And you kidding me? I work with those people. Love some of them, but don't want to drag them into my downtime as well. But I'll feel her out if you want. Or not."

After all, there's a lot of inherent.. possibility of issues if May knows about this little matter Skye has thrown her lot into. Skye was known to be somethng of a rebel and a renegade, but there were limits, and if May were part of the deal, she wouldn't be a ranking Agent over the young woman, she'd be an equal partner in crime so to speak. It would mean some adjusting. And.. a whole new level of trust.

Oracle has posed:
"I trust your judgement in this, Skye. You know these people better than I do. All I can do is check the data." Barbara takes another sip of her beer, then. "Just make sure she's okay with the terms. I'm not Nick Fury. If she can't take orders from Oracle once she discovers I'm a 20-something redhead with freckles, then don't ask."

After all, Natasha Cranston only agreed to work *with* Oracle, not even technically *for* her. Small steps.

Quake has posed:
"If I recall, she's taken orders from me, so I think she can abide by that. But let me talk to her and feel her out. It might not be her thing overall."

A grin.

"Then again, it just might."

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon raises her glass again, offering a crooked smile of her own. "Alright, then. I look forward to meeting her. I'll want to do a call as Oracle with some of these prospects, depending on the risk. But we'll take those on a case-by-case basis."

"Oh, I'll get you a key card as well as an earpiece. I don't want to keep hacking your SHIELD gear."

Quake has posed:
Skye winces. "Yeah. About that... probably better if we kept the hacking to personal devices. And by hacking, I mean, I can give you some of my old secure back doors. I kept a few of my connections when I left Tide. They've come in handy. And despite you and me rummaging in SHIELD, there are still too many eyes there. Much better the other way."

The wince is replaced with an impish grin. "But I do like the idea of a key card and an earpiece. Looking forward to getting things rolling."

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon chuckles at that, nodding. "Deal, on the hacking. But *my* tech is off the grid, so we won't need to do any hacking. Except in emergencies, of course." And is that a wink? "Even back doors collect fingerprints, after all."

Babs raises her glass again. "Welcome to the team, Agent Skye." She considers for a moment, then adds. "We'll have to work on a codeword for you as well. I don't like using names over even secure channels."

Quake has posed:
"Well, some of my backdoors were meant to collect fingerprints. But generally if you found it, you were invited, or I'm damned impressed and want to meet you anyway." Skye's lips purse in amusement. "And having them in case of emergency, or in case we actually want someone to find information we can't give out legitimately.."

Ever so innocently said. After all, is't not like SHIELD doesn't have back doors for just that reason. Nope. Not at all. Couldn't be. /sarcasm

"Well, I went by DarkSky on the darknet. Though that might be a little obvious now that I've been a internationally wanted criminal. Any suggestions?"

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon looks thoughtful. "I agree with you on DarkSky; it's too well-known to all the wrong people. On the other hand, I do like the idea of keeping those contacts, so let's not flush the alias just yet."

Babs smiles again. "Besides, you'd have to be crazy to use it, right? Let's revisit that one before your first mission."

Quake has posed:
"Oh, never going to drop that alias. She's got connections. That's a known name in places I need it known. Just might not be the best name for this little group. Can we sit on this for now?"

Skye's request comes with a grin and a swallow of beer.

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon nods to that. "Sounds good to me. DarkSky stays active, and we'll table the subject of a codename." Refilling her glass, she sets the empty bottle down and adds. "When we get the group assembled we'll need a team name as well. I've got a couple of ideas, but I want the group's input as well."

Quake has posed:
There's a slow nod from Skye who nurses more of her beer. "Fair enough. I'll admit I'm curious what your thoughts are, but I can wait. I have a metric crap ton of other things to keep me up at night at this point in my life." Almost literatlly.

Oracle has posed:
"Then I've already taken up enough of your time, Skye." Barbara replies. "Thanks for being open-minded with this." She rises, then, reaching into her back pocket to slide out a plain plastic card. "This will get you into the tower as well as the elevator. I'll make another one for myself. I'll get you an earpiece once I've had a few made."