4929/A 'mutually beneficial' arrangement

A 'mutually beneficial' arrangement
Date of Scene:	15 July 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Lex Luthor talks to Melinda May in his office about conditions for assisting the Asgardians in their time of need, and is flatly refused. (Side story to Ragnarok)
Cast of Characters:	Lex Luthor, Melinda May

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Lex Luthor has posed:
The call had gone out to Melinda Mays 'official' voicemail; Lex Luthor was interested in discussing a matter of mutual benefit to LexCorp and the Asgardians, and wanted to meet in person to discuss it.

Somehow, he did this literally just as Melida left the crash site herself; the implication of being watched in some way was clear to someone of her intellect. Intentional? Probably. The timing was simply too perfect to be otherwise.

Melinda is given the option of a private charter from the airport via a LexCorp private jet that was already in a LexCorp hangar, if she chooses; Lex Luthor keeps private high speed jets in each airport around the world? Or does he have them flown out near to 'places of interest'? Another set of implications to ponder.

Regardless of if she goes by LexCorp jet or by SHIELD transport, Melinda is greeted by LexCorp security when she reaches LexCorp tower in Metropolis. A towering, sleek design of modern technology and tasteful visuals, LexMall and all the good stuff are in the lobby as Melinda enters into the security checkpoint to the private LexCorp only wing of the tower, and is scanned for weapons and other 'interesting' items. Melinda is allowed to either keep any weapons on her controlled by the LexCorp versions of peace knots... or leave her weapons outside. Whichever she chooses, she is ushered eventually to the private express elevator by the faceless, armored Team Luthor security force.

Lex Luthor awaits.

Melinda May has posed:
To say that May was surprised by the request of a meeting with the owner and CEO of LexCorp himself immediately upon returning from the her first stint out in the Atlantic helping the survivors of the Mercy would be possibly stretching the truth a bit. Inconvenienced might be a better fit. That, and curiosity as to how the man learned that she was the one in charge of the first SHIELD responders to reach the Mercy, and how he managed to time the missive so precisely. But, she'll leave that for the intel people to figure out and fuss over. She's got the dubious pleasure of having quite literally zero down time. Which, she's going to make patently clear to everyone who approaches her.

After quickly debriefing with her superiors, she's back out again, leaving the Triskelion for Metropolis without so much as bothering to run a brush through her several-days-of-salt-air-and-no-showers hair. The private charter jet is very quietly scoffed at, and she flies her own self in her own quinjet to the meeting.

Upon arriving at the correct building in Metropolis, May is completely unsurprised by the security checkpoint's precautions, and completely divests herself of her jacket, its lining not only carrying extra weight from bulletproofing. The security people are given her flattest, most unimpressed stare as she puts it into a security-sealed duffel -- peace knotting or removing everything from the garment would have taken far too long -- and then follows the faceless security drones to the elevator.

The last of her patience got locked into the duffel with her jacket, and it's likely apparent in the stoniness of her Vulcanesque lack of expression.

Lex Luthor has posed:
The elevator goes from the first floor, up to the private office floor of LexCorp tower; which is to say it takes a solid minute of being in the elevator with two Team Luthor security guards to reach her destination.

Once the doors open, the two join the dozen long line of Team Luthor security in the security checkpoint corridor that goes directly into Lex Luthors office. None of them move, except to watch her own movement. Are they standard security for Lex, or were they called up for this meeting? A question for the man himself, if Melinda cares to ask the question.

The door double doors into the office of Lex Luthor open out into a half apartment half office that /SCREAMS/ luxurious indulgence... with some taste to it. A lot of is actually quite practical. The lounge area to her left had a mini-bar with all the recreational alliances one would consider. The very back is a raised platform of at-first-glance spartan decoration. The only real thing that can see on it being the massive private desk of Lex Luthor, and his two (in?)famous bodyguards, Mercy and Hope. Both women stand in a professional hands-in-front stance as they both study Melinda. Dressed in tasteful business dresses of black, they say nothing. Lex Luthor himself is wearing his typically impeccable business suit as he sits in his office. Behind him is the massive window pane wall looking out over Metropolis. Even from where Melinda is coming in, it can't help but give someone the impression of a King looking over his domain from the angle and how high up they are, if one were to be interested in bringing that thought to mind.

"Good morning, Ms. May. Would you be interested in refreshments after your trip?" Lex stands, moving around his desk to meet Melinda halfway, "I apologize for taking some of your vacation time, but I think that you'll find the offer I'm interested in making to be worthwhile."

Melinda May has posed:
May walks through the gauntlet of guards, her eyes not straying from the doors directly ahead -- even if that doesn't mean she's not entirely aware of her surroundings, and exactly how many objects/people around her would make usable weapons in a pinch. That wet bar in particular has no shortage of improvisational weaponry. But, that's not why she's here. And the view, while impressive, holds no interest for her as she's fairly sure the windows are more than sturdy enough to prevent someone from going through them without an excessive application of force.

Stopping a precisely polite distance into the office that easily rivals anything in Stark Tower, she sets the sealed duffel bag on the floor and takes one step past it. "Mr. Luthor. Thank you, but no." She watches the man step around his desk, the two women likely recognizing the assessment in her eyes of a seasoned combatant sizing up a potential adversary. She's likely a severe contrast to the others in the room, with her clothing stained with -- and likely smelling of -- salt from the Atlantic.

"What is your offer?"

Lex Luthor has posed:
Whatever Lex Luthors expectations of the initial conversation of this meeting, his poker face was perfect. Neutral to the point of practiced ease, Lex brings his hands up behind his back as he approached the SHIELD Agent, "I've been monitoring the situation with the Asgardians since they arrived above Earth. The complexities of international politics aside, I was intending to remain neutral as long as they were in orbit. If they were in orbit, they could potential repair their ship and find a new home for themselves elsewhere, after all."

A remote control is taken from a pocket, and a massive holoprojection of the Earth blinks into existence above them. The mapped orbit and crash landing playing out above them, before the 'landing' in international waters, "Being in international waters is an... interesting position to call from. My offer is simple; I'd like to offer the assistance of LexCorp with repair and rescue, and request an audience with Thor myself. SHIELD has the area sealed off, but I'm sure one of SHIELDs best putting in a good word might allow an exception for a man who can, with a snap of his fingers, bring as much relief and technical supplies as necessary to help the Asgardians without a single worry about budgetary concerns or pushing through the usual requisition forms and hoping the accountants will review them positively will bring to the table."

The mans smile is charismatic as he talks. Regardless of his reputation, it's easy to see how the philanthropist has won such support. "Does this sound reasonable for you?"

Back at the office desk, Mercy and Hope remain where they are, their eyes like a hawk on Melinda.

Melinda May has posed:
"Honestly, Mr. Luthor?" May looks at him squarely past the holoimages. They're not anything she's not seen before, after all. "No." She's being as polite as she possibly can, though that really doesn't mean much. "Your ... attempt at generosity is too little, too late. Stark Industries has been working hand in hand with SHIELD from the moment the ship appeared on our radars." She doesn't offer details.

"If you still want to offer donations, I'm sure SHIELD's accounting department would be more than happy to hear from your people." Even if this man weren't blatantly trying to angle for something with this proposal of his, May wouldn't feel right about putting a bug in Thor's ear about anyone right now. He's got enough worries on his plate at the moment, if the snippets of information she's overheard the past few days are to be believed.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"I see." The poker face is impeccable still, "very well." The remote control is clicked again, and it zooms into a long range -if fuzzy- depiction of the crash site. Something anyone with high powered telescopes can see. "I was under the impression that the Asgardians needed all the help they could get, no matter their biases, or yours... but I can tell I've misread the situation." Lex smiles cordially as he looks back to her, "My stance on aliens is well known. I can understand your... lack of trust in regards to that. My interest here is to offer help of situating the Asgardians out of the mire they've found themselves in. Whether that be in a country, or finding their own home in one of their Nine Realms or elsewhere."

Then, he shrugs, "Before I'd be willing to help with any of that, though, I'd need to meet with their King. I want to see him for myself, eye to eye. That's non-negotiable... so if SHIELD and Asgard don't want to allow an audience, I'm not prepared to consider any help. Donations or otherwise."

He turns his back on Melinda as he starts to head back to his desk, "security can see you out. If SHIELD wishes to change their mind, I'm a phone call away."

Melinda May has posed:
May has to mentally bite her tongue to keep from tossing a retort to the man's back that they're doing just fine without his assistance. Instead, She takes that one step back to the duffel bag, picks it up again, and turns with near-military precision to walk right back out again.

Now she feels like she has yet another reason to REALLY want a shower.