12024/A Bird In The Hand=The first step in building Birds of Prey

A Bird In The Hand=The first step in building Birds of Prey
Date of Scene:	18 August 2020
Location:	Archie Goodwin International Airport, Gotham
Synopsis:	And the Birds are born!
Cast of Characters:	Lady Blackhawk, Oracle

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Lady Blackhawk has posed:
The Archie Goodwin Airport is mostly known for its passenger service into and out of Gotham. There is also an air freight terminal, which accommodates the occasional private aircraft. If you know who to talk to, that is. Today, amidst the large cargo carriers and the occasional private jet, an unusual plane is taxiing in.

To begin with, the plane is painted bright red and blue with the logo of a black-headed bird. It looks like a vintage P-51 Mustang, at least initially. Aircraft afficionados would notice the enlarged engine cowling, the higher-pitch whine of a turbocharger, and the low-frequency thrum-thrum-thrum of the contra-rotating propellers.

Definitely NOT your stock Mustang.

The plane taxis around to a spot on the tarmac, then the engine begins to wind down. The bubble canopy is pushed back, and a woman climbs out. She looks like she stepped right out of a history book, with vintage leather jacket and khaki flight suit with multiple patches. The leather cap is pulled off and blonde hair spills free, to be tousled as she steps over to begin a very loud conversation with one of the ground crew.

Oracle has posed:
The redhead leaning back against one of the mechanical tables watched the plane come in for a landing with thoughtful green eyes. There is genuine appreciation for the aircraft reflected in her expression, but it's the pilot she watches intently. Weighing the situation as the blond lays into the mechanic, she decides waiting is the better part of valor here and prudently waits until the flustered man runs away from the gesticulating blonde before approaching the pilot herself.

"Captain Blake, I presume?" Because the pilot of the aircraft is also its captain, right? Barbara can't quite remember, but she offers the honorific easily along with her hand. "I was wondering if I could buy you a cup of coffee and talk about a job."

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
The pilot may have the face of a model, but her stride and bearing is 100 percent military. As the noise wanes, the tone of her conversation adjusts accordingly. And as the redhead approaches, the thick Georgia accent cuts through everything. "No, no it still ain't right. Ah ken feel her pull to the right in a wing-over. 'Cept she ain't supposed to DO that. Ah think the back prop is still laggin'. Take a GOOD look at it."

Drawing a deep breath, she looks around as the mechanic escapes. Spotting the redhead, Zinda smiles brightly and accepts the offered hand in her firm grip. "Zinda Blake, at yer service." she replies. "Haven't gone by 'Captain' in a real long time, though." She looks Barbara over, down and then up again, before she nods. "We ken start with coffee, but Ah ain't opposed to somethin' stronger, neither. Got a name, missy?"

Oracle has posed:
Chuckling, the redhead observes. "I do, in fact. A couple of them." The enigmatic response is followed up with "Barbara." For the moment, she leaves off the surname, if only because there are things they're about to discuss that if Zinda Blake doesn't want in on, she doesn't want *too* much information out there as yet.

Pivoting on a heel, Barbara gestures. "Lead on. I think coffee's the better option at this hour, if you don't mind much." Keeping night hours *and* day hours means that the woman practically mainlines the stuff.

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Lady Blackhawk nods to that and keeps the bright, poster-worthy smile aimed at her new friend. "Barbara. Call me Zinda, then." she replies. Gesturing towards the terminal, Zinda strides in that direction while she folds up the pilot's cap. Reaching into her jacket, she pulls out a pair of mirror-lensed aviators while they walk.

"Ain't a lotta folk even -know- about this terminal, much less know to look for a Captain Blake." she offers. "But if you're lookin' to talk about a job, then Ah'm guessin' you ain't one of them autograph hunters."

Inside the terminal is a small cafe/bar for the cargo jockeys and crew. Zinda walks right in and waves to the bartender. "Couple of coffees, Jack."

Oracle has posed:
"Definitely not," Barbara agrees easily. After shaking Zinda's hand, she walks with the flamboyant pilot to the little cafe, and once coffee shows up she takes a seat at a small table. "So, Zinda... just to put it out there, I do know a good deal about you. And your story obviously is an interesting one, but I'm more interested in your future than your past," Barbara begins. "Your business is doing all right, although not fantastic. I think your skill in an aircraft is wasted cargo hopping, and I have a proposition for you. An unorthodox one, to be sure." She doubts *that* will bother the blonde. "Not *technically* legal ... although not *illegal* either. But I'd like your word that regardless of whether you choose to take the job I'd like to offer you, the conversation is confidential."

The redhead seems willing to take Zinda's word for it that if she says she won't talk about all this, she just flat won't.

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Lady Blackhawk lifts a brow at the mention of an unorthodox proposition. "Honey, if y'all know ANYTHING about mah career then ya' know there ain't anything *orthodox* about it. Leastwise not so far." And apparently the thought of doing something questionably legal doesn't phase her either.

The coffee arrives, a couple of cups, and Zinda remains quiet until Jack steps back to the bar. "But you got my attention, Miss Barbara. An' Ah promise you, either way, mah lips are sealed just like we were talkin' government secrets."

Oracle has posed:
Barbara laughs quietly. "Well, we sort of are," she admits. Wrapping both of her hands around her coffee cup, the redhead leans forward onto the table. "You've seen what the heroing gig looks like around here. Lots of people throwing high-level powers and stuff around. I work with a lot of those people," Barbara tells her candidly. "And my role has begun expanding recently into... what amounts to a central dispatching office. The more data I've collated, the more I've realized that there's a gap, though. And I think I know how to fill it. Starting with you."

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Lady Blackhawk takes her coffee black, sipping slowly while watching Barbara. There's a little lipstick on the cup when she pulls it back, and the blonde chuckles softly. "Well Ah hope you ain't thinkin' about puttin' me in tights an' a cape." she replies. "An' Ah ain't got no superpowers. Leastwise none that Ah'm aware of."

Oracle has posed:
Now the redhead laughs. "As much as the guys would *love* to see that, no." Barbara's smile is thoughtful. "No. I want to build a lower-powered team. There are bits and pieces of information that I come across on a semi-regular basis that are... not really things you'd send someone like Superman to deal with, but they do need to be dealt with. And those bits of information are not always American in origin. I want to put together a team that could be contacted to travel at short notice to anywhere in the world to handle problems of a less world-ending nature than some of the capes and such deal with. ANd I think you'd be the ideal candidate to be part of a team like that -- not merely for your aircraft skills but your fighting ones as well. The kinds of things like... a hijacking of a pleasure yacht in the South China Sea. Things that are smaller in scope but equally important to have dealt with. " She tips her head and offers, "I have a great deal of resources at my disposal, so transport options are... going to be fun." There's a faint tone of cajoling as she puts out that small temptation.

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Lady Blackhawk keeps her blue eyes fixed on Barbara, shifting to lean back a bit in her seat as she puts the coffee down. She looks interested, but the moment Barbara mentions resources and transport options, the blonde's grin returns. "So... what kinda 'transport options' are we talkin' here? Ah got a pair of PC-24 jets, nice and fast and comfortable. Rich Corinthian leather." Wink.

"But if we're talkin' somethin' to handle a hijacking, or terrorists, or anything more than just drivin' an expensive bus..." Her voice trails off and she shifts to lean in closer again. "Let's just say Ah can go through a whole lotta 'resources' on military-grade hardware."

Oracle has posed:
"Hmmmmm," Barbara offers in return. "Well, there are definitely places to obtain military-grade options." She toys with her cup. "I definitely would like you to be more than a glorified bus driver. Terrorists, hijackers, gun runners... there are a great many situations out there that would benefit from both quick resolutions from unexpected quarters or a quiet touch. I take it you're interested?

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Lady Blackhawk nods. "Hell yeah, Ah'm interested." she replies, quickly. "And Ah know a lotta places to FIND military stuff. Just ain't as thick on the 'resources' side as it sounds like you may be." She takes another sip of coffee. "Sounds like we're gonna need a chopper, maybe more than one. Blackhawk, if we can. They're fast and versatile. And with most folks goin' to newer tech these days, we should be able to pick up a good used one."

Oracle has posed:
Now Barbara starts to laugh. "You make a list. I'll make sure we get what you think we need. Just don't go too crazy, hmm?" She sips her coffee and then says, "I've got a few specific people in mind for this, but as soon as I know we have a small team ready to move, we'll have a meet and greet, okay?"

There's a long moment and she offers her hand again. "Barbara Gordon, Gothamite." It might explain why she's a bit more secretive than some. The firm grip speaks to someone who does a lot of something with their hands that requires strength. She's not just a computer geek, although 'Dispatch' is the descriptor she's offered for her own role. "We'll be able to keep in contact via both commlinks and cell. I'll make sure an encrypted phone is delivered to you. And welcome to my little experiment, Zinda Blake."

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Zinda lifts a brow at the last name, and she even chuckles a little. "Alright, Skipper." she replies, accepting the hand in her own. "Not sure what you're lookin' for in this operation, but there's an old Blackhawk base in the North Atlantic. Might wanna use it for staging, depending on how this little experiment goes." And no, she's not anymore specific than that.

"But Ah'll be on the lookout for your package. Pretty sure you'll be able to find me."

Oracle has posed:
"Just looking for people who want to help other people, Zinda," Barbara replies honestly. "The smaller things get lost in the bigger concerns at times. I just feel like there are enough people out there handling the big things, but the smaller ones are just as important -- maybe more to the people involved." She shrugs a little. "We all do what we can, hmm?"

And then she nods. "I'll definitely look into the location. It sounds perfect," Barbara agrees.