4997/More Introductions

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More Introductions
Date of Scene: 24 July 2018
Location: Unknown
Synopsis: Summary needed
Cast of Characters: Oracle, Quake, Shadow




Oracle has posed:
It's not exactly an easy thing to arrange, considering the level of privacy of the parties involved. After all, just because Oracle and Skye are acquainted and Oracle and The Shadow are acquainted doesn't necessarily mean that Skye and The Shadow won't try to kill each other on sight.

That's hopefully the worst scenario, but there are other possibilities that could be almost as bad.

It's still a work in progress, and to that end she puts a placeholder event in Ms. Cranston's calendar again. This one is for a private wine tasting, by invitation only. Very exclusive.

Quake has posed:
The meeting with May had gone surprisingly well. Not that Skye had really expected differently. Okay, so she was a little disappointed May wasn't more surprised, and the admonition to watch herself had gone without saying...

As it was, it was with a slight smugness that Skye used the usual method (backdoors and scrambled channels or course) to ping Oracle:

DarkSky >> Made contact as promised. Got a firm yes on the interest and a brow lift on the taking orders. I think she was insulted I even had to ask. Care to set up a meeting? And, yes, I plan on being there.

Skye sits back and waits for the answer.

Shadow has posed:
    One of these days Natasha really needs to discuss a more formal way of setting up meetings between her and Oracle, but in the interim this one is elegant enough - something she'd credibly enough be invited to, and she suspects that unless someone explicitly and physically checks the 'event' will stand up to scrutiny. She clicks on the event, signalling her acceptance, then leans back in her chair for a moment before resuming her work.

    Later that evening, near the proposed time, an utterly unremarkable cab drives down the streets of Gotham, slowing down very briefly about a block or two away from the Clocktower, looking for fares to make quota...

Oracle has posed:
Oracle is at her computer, as it so happens, waiting for her evening appointment. Something about a wine-tasting. Then the message comes over from DarkSky and she speaks softly aloud to herself.

"Yes, I've made contact as well. Someone who you need to meet and who needs to meet you. Except how to arrange it...?"

Oracle >> Outstanding. Any blackouts for family holidays? Will arrange through you, and you bring the contact along.

There's a pause, then.

Oracle >> Are you around for long right now?

Quake has posed:
Family holidays? Skye chuckles. Little did Oracle know.

DarkSky >> Just got back from vacation. Hit some snags, but nothing major. Got a few now. What's up?

Okay, she had a few by virtue of the fact that she pretty much set her own hours, and short of someone actually *needing* her right this second, or hunting her down, Skye was pretty much a free agent at SHIELD. It wasn't like she was ever in her office... which reminded her, she probably should find out where they'd assigned that anyway. She might want to hide there sometime, given the break room was pretty much synonymous with being Skye's workstation.

Shadow has posed:
    This entire discussion is lost on Natasha - or rather, on the Shadow - as she makes her way to the base of the clocktower on foot, invisible to human eye and electronic surveillance alike save for her shadow.

    It's only when the door falls shut behind her that she relaxes her will, seeming to solidify out of thin air as she heads to the elevator and uses the keycard she'd been given...

Oracle has posed:
Not even Oracle's surveillance can pick up the Shadow's entrance, at least not directly. Doors that open and close by themselves... the shifting of shadows... Yes, she knows what to look for alright. Smiling a touch when the elevator starts to move, she types.

Oracle >> Have also made contact here. Someone you should meet. Extreme discretion required. Visiting me momentarily, if you can chat.

Quake has posed:
DarkSky >> Sure thing. Virtual mode, or should I be hustling my ass?

Skye was making a guess this was going to be a virtual meeting, but stranger things had happened. That, and she was quite curious - who. Of course it wasn't like Skye hadn't spent most of her career - as both an Agent and as an Hacktivist, 'meeting' with people over keyboards. It had its advantages and disadvantages.

Privacy and discretion ranked up there. But then again, so did the creation of false personas.. Or course, Babs was backing whoever this wass. That bought a lot of cred.

DarkSky >> Tell me where you want me so I can drop dampeners if needed.

She sat back and waited.

Shadow has posed:
    And in very little time indeed the elevator comes to a stop at Oracle's floor, and a now-familiar black-clad figure emerges, hat and scarf firmly in place. "Oracle. I take it you called for a reason?" The Shadow asks.

Oracle has posed:
Barbara is wearing skinny jeans and an oversized sweatshirt with the Bat symbol emblazoned across the chest. She's sitting at the bank of keyboards and monitors, one of which seems to have an active conversation going on in text mode.

Oracle >> Hold one moment. Let's do this virtual for now.

"Thanks very much for coming, Ms. Cranston. And yes, I've asked you to come over for a reason. There is someone I'd like for you to meet, and I thought you might be more comfortable with the introduction through a computer filter." She swivels her chair around, then, smiling at the hat and scarf.

"Would you prefer a voice interface? I use electronic synthesizers to mask any trace of identity, since I know it's as important to you as it is to me."

Quake has posed:
About what Skye expected. And given her setup, she wasn't worried about her dialogue being tapped. However, she could make this whole thing look a hell of a lot more innocuous than it truly was. Paranoia was one of her hallmarks. Mind you, if she had been caught at home this would all be a damned sight easier... However, she hadn't been caught at home.

A few bits of rustling through her pockets later, and a piece of gum is fished out of a crumpled package. A lighter if frowned at, and turned about in Skye's fingers before being set down on the table beside her, and a couple of coins join the mess. It all looks innocent. Even if Skye doesn't smoke. But the lighter is silver, and has what looks to be engraving. It's probably sentimental.

(Really, what it is is a bit of high tech distraction keeping almost all of what Skye is doing off of official records. No, really, there are periodic hiccups to the system. they right themselves easily and fast enough. Almost nobody is the wiser, and those that are know better than to pry..)

Darksky >> All set up on my end. Except for coffee. I'll have you know I feel naked. And this sounds serious. What's up?

Shadow has posed:
    Natasha tilts her head, eyes narrowing briefly, then nods. "Voice or video, as you prefer," she responds. "I hope they won't take it amiss that I don't intend to unmask..."

    With that, she moves to Barbara's side, turning to face where she assumes the cameras on Oracle's rig are.

Oracle has posed:
Video? Barbara's brows lift at that, and she nods. "Give me a moment." Fingers type rapidly through the text interface while she speaks aloud to her system.

Oracle >> You good for a video chat? Initiating with avatar filter before going live.

"Video chat mode." Barbara speaks aloud. "Default avatar: Oracle, Green. Scan for secondary avatar. Source material: The Shadow, 1930's radio promotional material."

On multiple screens a series of images blur, with several likely options freezing into place as they come up. Barbara turns towards her visitor, speaking softly. "Go ahead and pick one, if the theme is okay." Then to the computer, she adds. "Activate voice filters."

Shadow has posed:
    That elicits a brief chuckle that Natasha's own voice filter distorts into a disturbing sound indeed. "Ironically, my predecessor never saw so much as a dime from these... But they amused him." She skims briefly along the possibilities, then selects one that's almost accurate, but emphasizes the Shadow's visible features to something sinister and supernatural, pointed ears and grave-grey skin giving the impression of a vampire.

Quake has posed:
Video is a bit of a surprise, but gadget in place, it won't make any difference to privacy and security issues. Skye spared a smile for Fury and his thoughtfulness in providing that little toy for her.

DarkSky >> Game either way. Not one for primping. My end is secure.

Of course Skye isn't going quite as fancy as the other two. Partly because Oracle already knows who she is, and if she's vouching for the unknown, the unknown has already been vetted to high heaven. That, and in this scenario, Skye hasn't much to hide. She is who she is, both in front of and behind the computer screen since the Rising Tide debacle.

Mind you, if she knew everyone else was coming to the party in a fancy dress avaatar, she might have bothered to have one on hand for the occassion. Video hasn't come up in her line of work all that often, and generally, when it does, Skye declines.

"Testing, testing.. all coming through clear on your end?"

Oracle has posed:
Barbara looks pleased, even chuckling softly at the reaction. "Interesting to know. Switching audio... on." Gesturing to a spot beside her chair and then to one of the screens, she adds. "Stand right here, if you will. That's your camera."

On Skye's monitor, then, a split screen image comes up. On the left is the green, alien Oracle symbol while on the right is The Shadow. Small steps.

The audio reply comes through in a filtered, androgynous tone. "Loud and clear over on this end. Apologies for the mask, but I'd like to introduce you to The Shadow. Shadow, this is Skye."

Quake has posed:
Oracle is familiar. Not even a blip on Skye's weird monitor. Besides, she was just typing at the woman, she's exxpecting her. The other, though? A curiousity.

"Who knows what evil lies in the hearts of men, huh?" Skye nods and grins. "Bet you get a lot of that."

Skye is.. well, Skye. Voice and all. If she's made it past typing, you get what you get.

Shadow has posed:
    That elicits a deeper laugh, made all the more sinister by /two/ voice filters working on it in sequence. "Not as often as you might expect," the Shadow responds. "It has been long enough ago that my predecessor operated that the stories have fallen by the wayside aside from afficionados and the very long-lived."

    With that, she sketches a perfunctory bow. "At any rate, well met. I take it Oracle approached you with her proposal as well?"

Oracle has posed:
"And once you've met the genuine article, you'd expect it to be heard quite often." Oracle's filtered voice continues. "I assure you that the 'Brand' is in good hands, at least from my vantage point." Addressing them both, now, still in Avatar mode, she elaborates.

"You two are the first of a team that I'm assembling. You've both heard the same pitch, essentially, and have both responded positively. I wanted you both to meet, after a fashion. Since you have keys to my place, don't be surprised to see each other in person."

Quake has posed:
Skye's trademark lopsided grin answers the Shadow's question. "You could say that. We kinda met and came to some mutual agreements. And not so much an afficianado as a retro junkie. Always thought that phrase was creepy and ironic, you know? Given the state of the world? And yeah, you don't care, do you." She chuckles and shrugs.

"Haven't had a chance to put the key to use yet, boss, but not a lot of call to yet. Though do have a proposition for you. Maybe both of you to be honest. And you know about the other. We just need to set a meetup time and place."

Skye's glance flicks between the split feed on her screen.

"So. Uh.. yeah. This is me. And I thought I felt naked without my coffee."

Shadow has posed:
    Very little of the Shadow's facial or body language is readable in their costume, but a certain crinkling of the eyes sugggests a smile underneath that scarf. "Perhaps. But it was -- and is -- true. Although these days I'm hardly the only one who could lay claim to it, I suppose..."

    A tilt of the head, made more visible by the brim of the slouch hat. "A proposal? We are all ears..."

Oracle has posed:
Barbara looks from one fo the other, not that Skye can see it, and she considers. Speaking to both, she asks. "I'm guessing that this does this pertain to the other individual you want me to meet." she replies. Adding, after a moment. "Shadow, all three of us know others who could be suitable, either as members or agents of the team. I propose that full members should be personally vetted, while agents can be adopted with limited access."

After a moment, she adds. "I'm working on something as well. A talented individual, who is right now looking for a way out of their current situation. Only they don't realize it yet."

Quake has posed:
Skye considers and makes a wavery hand gesture to the question about pertaining to the other individual. "Actually.. she'd likely be involved too. I kind of need to make someone die and disappear. It's a bit complicated, but the gist of it is a contact has been compromised and there's a tacit agreement in place that if we don't look too hard, neither will their keeper. That's about all I'm at liberty to say without a firmer agreement of interest in place."

She nods to the other, though. "Geez. Lots of that going around, huh? Folks needing to be not where they are."

Shadow has posed:
    Another nod. "I already have something of a network of agents, recruited personally. They are reliable, but mostly serve as support or specialist information sources. Your suggestion has a great deal of merit."

    A pause, then the Shadow continues. "As to the extraction, I believe I can be of assistance. Let me know when and where I'll be required..."