4924/Birds of a Feather

Birds of a Feather
Date of Scene:	15 July 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Skye reaches out to her former SO to recruit her for the Birds of Prey. It goes exceedingly well.
Cast of Characters:	Quake, Melinda May

---

Quake has posed:
Things were hectic. Skye had more on her plate since coming back from China than she'd had during the whole of the Rising Tide mission, which was saying a lot, and fairly impressive to boot. Mind you, much of that was personal, but even of that, some of the personal was SHIELD business.

However, one bit of business that needed to be tended to had nothing to do with SHIELD, and rather sat in a bit of a precarious situation. On the one hand, it needed confronting and dealing with; on the other, it would expose Skye to a co-worker as.. well, all things considered, given it was May that Skye needed to talk to, and knowing that May was fairly savvy about fostering non-SHIELD contacts, Skye was fairly certain that she could count on May's discretion at worst, and her support at best.

The hard part was tracking May down to have this little talk. Or, more to the point, finding May at the Mercy mission, and isolating her long enough to have a private little talk.

Skye comes bearing gifts of hot beverages, and ramen takeout. Yes, takeout. Skye's been too busy to do the real deal again since the dinner she and Clint had held.

Melinda May has posed:
Since the first responders arrived at the Mercy, there has been a regular rotation of quinjets coming and going, bringing additional food and water supplies as well as ferrying away passengers as many as possible at a time -- the injured were the first to be carried to safety. So it's certainly not a surprise to have another arrival, though the ramen is definitely a pleasant surprise.

Having been on the floating platform since this began a couple of days ago, May is particularly glad to see Skye bearing hot beverages. The ramen -- while not home cooked -- is just as welcome. Having her second take over coordination duties, she goes with Skye to sit in the one of the few areas of the platform that isn't constant hustle and bustle.

"Thank you, Skye. Though this does make me want to ask what you've done that you're trying to apologize for with food."

Quake has posed:
Skye does a tiny guilty little start as May asks that, totally recovers and gives a half-grin to her former SO. "Not so much guilty as a few things on my mind. And the ramen is good. Little place in the boonies Clint took me to. Not quite as good as what we had abroad, but better than mine, I think?" Skye shrugs. "I'm working on it. Been too busy to do much of anything of late. Think we've been on the go pretty much since that little dinner party. Annndd, if it were really an apology, I'd have made it myself."

Now Skye grins again, for real, and digs into her food. "Mmm, isn't doctored. I threw some sugar and milk in the bag. Figured you were particular enough that we'd let you tend to it yourself? And how's the mission going, anyway? Been seeing reports coming in, but this is the first time I've had a chance to take a look at what's going on. Up to my eyeballs in a couple of other assignments."

Including the one Fury had cleared her to take as much time as she needed on: Finding out about her own past.

Melinda May has posed:
May takes an appreciative sip of her tea, apparently perfectly content to drink it straight. Then she starts in on the ramen, trying to temporarily set aside the active-mission habit of eating quickly for sustenance and not for flavor. The ramen is quite acceptable, she'll have to corner Clint for the name of the place.

"So if this isn't an apology, it's a request. And that's got me curious. Spill, or I'll have to resort to getting Darcy over here to pry it out of you."

Quake has posed:
Skye laughs, "See? You can't explain instincts like that to people. And fine, a request. A couple, actually." Her coffee is opened, but not sipped from yet; in all likelihood she'll forget she has it. Typical Skye.

"I need your and Nat's input on something - a friend is in trouble, and it needs tending to. Actually affects some SHIELD business, but I need both of you in the room for that so I'm not repeating myself. Drop by later tonight and we can get that done?"

It's clearly not the only matter on Skye's plate this afternoon, but it's her opening salvo.

Melinda May has posed:
May gives Skye a long look, then nods. "I should be back on the mainland by then." This kind of operation insists that its personnel change out at least every four or five days, so that shouldn't be too much of a difficulty. "Is this friend someone with less than ideal relations with SHIELD?" She's thinking it's likely one of Skye's old hacker buddies, and while she has no love for people who electronically disrupt the lives of others just for the fun of it, she's willing to hear Skye out for the younger agent's sake. And the fact that Natasha's in on this as well? Even more reason to give it a good listen.

"What's the other request?"

Quake has posed:
"It's.. an undercover operative. Things just hit the tipping point. You may be aware of them, you're just not aware we brought him into the fold. That was sort of a Fury and me thing. Less than ideal isn't really how I'd put it? Easier to explain it all with both of you, unless you want the pre-rundown now, which I can do for you."

Skye slurps up some noodles. "The other, well, first, want to ask a favour. I'd like to certify for flight. And it's actually what made me think of the other thing, to be honest. However, it's a little tricky as it's outside SHIELD purvue, and will remain that way. Before I can actually talk about it, I need to know you'll respect the secrecy of it all if you're not interested. And if you thnk that's going to be a problem, then we won't talk about it, and we'll eat food and catch up over what I found out in China about my parents."

Melinda May has posed:
Undercover operative. That's enough for May to process at the moment. "No rundown needed. I'll be there when you're ready to explain to both Romanoff and me."

The other has her lower her ramen slightly and give Skye a long, evaluating look. "Flight certification will take up to a year. But we can get you started right away. And when I can't work with you, Rhodes should be able to."

As she says she'd need May's discretion for the second request, the initial response is a raised eyebrow. "Is this side project going to interfere with your ability to do your job with SHIELD?" She doesn't mention anything about the 'keep a secret' part, not yet.

Quake has posed:
Skye first nods to the answer about the mission. It was all simpler if she gave the information out once. The arguments would be fewer and the explanations easier. "I'm okay with the time investment. Unless you're saying you're worried I won't be around in a year."

Skye's eyes twinkle as she says that. Her first year with SHIELD it was very debatable if she'd stay or not. Hell, May herself had offered the girl an out, an out that she would back and explain to Fury. It had been a turning point in Skye's life.

The serious question, though, Skye meets and answers with one of her own, "You know me, May. You tell me if it's going to interfere."

Melinda May has posed:
May gives Skye another searching look then nods, apparently seeing something that satisfied her. "Well, I mostly mentioned that because it sounded for a moment like you wanted flight certification quickly." Which in May's mind, will not happen. You put in the hours or you do not fly.

Now that's she's dodged the serious-seeming topic, she goes at it totally not straight on, just to mess with the younger agent. "Did you know that Batman was one of the first responders out here? How do you think he found out and knew where to go?"

Quake has posed:
Skye doesn't bat a lash as May asks that. Skye knows *full* well how Batman knew. Skye knew a lot of things that May and others might be surprised about. May, as it happens, wasn't the only one cultivating relationships.

"Assuming I know why, your point would be? That you don't snitch? I know what I was like when I arrived at SHIELD, May. I know probably a good 90 percent of the folks there thought I was a prison sentence in the making, or a future wanted bulletin. But I'm not that. I think I've proven myself in all aspects of the job. I'm a good agent. And I know what secrets to keep and what ones to give away. So, cards on the table? Yeah, I know how he knows."

Melinda May has posed:
May nods at Skye's declaration. "Then keep in mind that it's an arrangement that I made with Fury's approval, but only his approval. So, another thing we have in common." She sets aside the remains of her ramen and picks up her tea. "What's this request that you felt the need to question my ability to keep a secret?"

Quake has posed:
Skye nods, acknowledging the common ground. "Then we have a lot in common." May might only have suspected in the past that Skye has her own personal relationship with Fury, but if it was only a suspicion before, it's confirmed now. In many ways, were you to ask the young woman, she'd say Fury has been her SO all along, and the others have only merely taken up minor aspects of her training. That aside, though...

"I've been approached by a group looking for some like minded individuals to work outside what agencies such as SHIELD can do. There are secrets and stories there that aren't mine to tell. But it's pointless if you were just going to walt back to Fury and report. It's the one thing he's going to have to find out about me on his own. Thing is, I think you might be a good fit. So I'm fronting that. My ass is on the line here."

Melinda May has posed:
May raises an eyebrow over her tea. "Even if I did report this to Fury -- which I don't plan to -- I would expect him to give me the same leeway with it that he does for my contacts in Gotham." Of course, she's never told Fury that at least one of them is a teenager. He would /not/ understand.

"You do realize that if you go moonlighting with this group of individuals, you can't take any SHIELD resources with you. No ICERs, no comms, no vehicles, no body armor. Nothing. Because every last bit of SHIELD equipment has to be accounted for, especially if it's damaged or misplaced. And believe me, you don't want to deal with the paperwork involved in replacing something."

Quake has posed:
Skye nods. "I know. I don't do paperwork I don't have to. And paperwork is traceable. So are our items. Not my rodeo. I imagine Fury will find out, and we'll both agree to pretend he doesn't know." Pretty much status quo for some of the things Skye has done - like the extra back doors into SHIELD that she'd put in place and not told him about in case of another Hydra attack like the first that shut down their entire systems banks. She'd barely gotten in under the wire and gained access... through Fury's secure channels. So, yes, she expected that. All of it.

"This isn't me coming to you as an Agent, May. I'm coming to you as a recruiter. I don't need the lecture. I know what I'm doing. I'm asking if you realize those things and can live with them. And taking orders from someone who isn't your class of whatever. If I'm sitting in the crow's nest and tell you to jump, are you willing to jump and forget that when we're sitting in the Trisk it's almost always the other way around? Because it won't work otherwise. I think there's opportunity for you to do good. Both as a teacher, and a leader, and an experienced little a Agent. It's not SHIELD. It's not meant to be."

Melinda May has posed:
"I've lived with those things before, I can do it again. And taking orders?" May finishes her tea before looking at Skye squarely. "It took me over ten years to get to the level you're at now, and not because I'm a bad agent. I think I have enough practice at taking orders to do so again. Besides, it might be a novel change of pace to be the rookie again." Well, kind of.

"I guess at this point it's not a case of 'don't call us, we'll call you'?"

Quake has posed:
Skye gives a low whistle. "Fuck, Clint was right. I was pretty fast-tracked. Huh." She takes that, assesses it, and shrugs.

"What I meant was, you won't know these folks. You'll have to take it on faith that they all know their shit. Or even just faith that we all want the same thing. It was... expressed to me that I might want to bring the point up that you weren't going to rank. Not sure any of us are going to depending on what the mission is. Might be a case of best suited to each particular job."

Skye smirks. "You as a rookie might be damned fun to see. Of course I've been told to expect my ass handed to me, so we'll be in the same boat. But yeah, my contact is.. taking you on faith by virtue of their relationship with me. I'm giving my word for you."

Melinda May has posed:
"Hopefully, the leader of this group knows enough to have the various individuals at least train together a few times so everyone knows what everyone else is capable of before stuff gets thrown at fans." May's going to go with her tried and true adage: hope for the best, prepare for the worst. It's not failed her yet.

"Either way, keep me posted on that." And not just because she's now curious. She's also got her own little private collection of 'useful items' that can't be traced to SHIELD.

Quake has posed:
Skye's lips press together over a mysterious smile. "I believe the leader is well aware of what you speak of. And has every intention of testing everyone's mettle and bringing their training up to snuff accordingly."

The young woman's smirk continues. ""I think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you understand the full of it. However, some secrets aren't mine to give, and the best I can do it facilitate a meeting between yourself and my contact. If you're interested, that is."

Melinda May has posed:
May nods, reaching to pick up the remains of her meal, then instead picking up the forgotten coffee and holding it out to Skye. It's likely gone cold by now, but that's not May's problem. "Then do it. And I promise to keep any and all opinions of the skills of anyone else in that group to myself unless I'm specifically asked."

Quake has posed:
Skye nods. And yes, she did forget her coffee. It's lukewarm - which is a sight better than her usual stone cold. "Oh, heh, Guess I forgot that. Looks like it's not just a coding thing. It's a me doing work thing."

"I'll let my contact know you're interested. They're already intrigued. I think.. no, I know it's going to be a good fit."

The girl's confidence shifts into something more contemplative. "It's weird, you know? I never thought of myself as someone who did these things. And I went from that girl who lived in a van to this person who others are reaching out to and saying we want you to help us do good. Sometimes I don't know if I know how that happened." She exhales, and gives a little shake of her head.

Melinda May has posed:
My nods again, this time actually gathering up the remains of her meal. "The only thing you can truly expect to happen in this world is change." She appears to be about to say something more when the agent she handed off to earlier calls out her name.

"And, that's the end of my break. Since you're stuck here until the next quinjet takes off, there's no end to things that need to be done. Come on. We'll find you something to do."

Quake has posed:
Business done. Food eaten. Coffee cold, Skye hops up from her seat, and wipes her hands off on her pants. "You got it. Use me while you've got me." And with that, Skye joins forces to help with the Mercy mission.