5297/The SHIELD Liaison

The SHIELD Liaison
Date of Scene:	04 September 2018
Location:	Starling
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Black Canary, Melinda May

---

Black Canary has posed:
It's closing time in Sherwood Florist. Dinah is watering some of the more delicate flowers, hmmmmming softly. And planning her route for her patrol tonight when she goes to don the persona of Black Canary. She's still getting used to the wig but it and the new mask is really disgusing her face now that she's getting MUCH more publicity in her civilian form. (Being the longest-lastest girlfriend of billionate Oliver Queen is getting her some publicity. She actually did an INTERVIEW for People Magazine.)

Melinda May has posed:
A last-minute customer steps into the Florist, a friendly sounding woman's voice calling out (to cover up the sounds of her locking the dead bolt on the door and moving the sign from Open to Closed), "Hello? I'm not too late, I hope."

Black Canary has posed:
Dinah Drake turns to face you. "I'm just getting ready to close," states the simple-looking woman in the cyan dress as she is watering some chocolate mint. "Normally I shut down at 8 o'clock. Welcome to Sherwood Florist." She gazes at Melinda, eyebrow raised.

Melinda May has posed:
"Then I arrived at just the right time." The friendly tone of her voice is gone, and she sounds all business. "I'm SHIELD agent Melinda May. Do you have some time to talk?" She hasn't reached for her ID, keeping her hands relaxed at her sides. But she will produce the badge without hesitation if the shop owner requests it.

While she's standing seemingly idly, her eyes are assessing Dinah with the gaze of a trained field combatant.

Black Canary has posed:
Dinah Drake's pleasant demeanor suddenly changes to something more serious as she stares at you, looking you over, with a similar tactical expression on her face. "You came a long way just to see a flower shop owner," she muses as she moves behind the counter. "Why?" She sets the watering can down as she faces you. "What have I done to attract the interest of SHIELD?"

Melinda May has posed:
May still doesn't move, her hands still relaxed at her sides. "SHIELD has been aware of you since your days with Team 7, Ms. Drake. With your more recent affiliation to the Alpha Flight team, my superiors felt it was time to reach out to you. Your team and SHIELD would both benefit from an alliance, and it was determined that you would be the best fit for a liaison between the two organizations."

Does she need to put it out there more plainly? Because she can try.

Black Canary has posed:
Dinah Drake nods slowly. "You've done your homework. Team 7 was a long time ago - and painful to remember." She ponders. "Alpha Flight - they've been quiet of late. I haven't heard much from them earlier. I've been just spending most of my time here." She doesn't mention her night-time vigilantism as the Black Canary, or the devastating power of the Canary Cry. She just ponders, eyebrow raised, as if testing to see just how much Melinda does know of her recent activities.

Melinda May has posed:
Considering that Gotham is outside of SHIELD jurisdiction for a very specific reason, May is one of the very few in SHIELD who actually knows about the goings on around the place after dark. And even she doesn't interfere. She only delivers intel to whichver Bat-adjacent person is willing or free to meet with her, and then leaves again promptly.

"Must be a refreshing change of pace, selling flowers." She'd HATE it. She knows she would.

Black Canary has posed:
Dinah Drake nods slowly. "It's peaceful. Of course, I have other hobbies I do at night." She sighs. "Why don't you come upstairs. I'll make some tea." She turns off the lights in the shop, heads over to the door, and snorts. "You locked the door the moment you came in here?" she muses. "Clever girl." She goes to the room upstairs, waiting for you to join her, preparing the Earl Grey.

Melinda May has posed:
May nods to Dinah and follows her upstairs, picking a neutral place to sit while her eyes scan the room for exit points and sight lines out of habit. While Earl Grey isn't her absolute favorite, she most certainly won't turn it down.

"Everyone has to have a hobby. Especially if it keeps you from getting too... comfortable in the flower shop." She can guess what kind of hobby that would be, but she has no way to confirm it. There aren't any reports of someone matching Canary's skill set doing any sort of vigilante work in this area.

Black Canary has posed:
Dinah Drake nods as she pours you a cup of tea, sitting down. "Well. Generally I relax and practice singing. I'm going to be doing a performance before the Canucks' home opener with my band. Also, I'm a pretty good voice mimic when I want to be." She is getting the feeling that you don't know that she's Black Canary. "I also do so love my exercise. Anyway, what would you want from me?"

Melinda May has posed:
May accepts the tea and takes a sip of it straight. "Well, I can safely say that working as a liaison to SHIELD isn't going to need your singing or voice mimicry all that much. It's more going to be acting as intermediary between the two groups. When SHIELD has actionable intel on something that Alpha Flight can respond to more quickly and efficiently than, say, the Avengers, you'll be the one to receive the intel and get it to your team.

"Conversely, if your team comes across intel that you feel SHIELD needs to know about, you'd be the one to get in contact with us." She watches Dinah for any reactions to what she's stating. "This also means that if SHIELD resources can help your team in any operation, you'll be able to request it and a local SHIELD office will assist in any way they can and vice versa."

She takes another sip of the tea. "Do you have any questions or reservations about anything I've said so far?"

Black Canary has posed:
Dinah Drake nods. "Very well. I accept." She ponders. "Since you are too coy to mention it, or don't truly know..." She smiles faintly. "I suppose you've heard of the vigilante known as Black Canary?" She is curious that you didn't connect that dot.

Melinda May has posed:
"Good." And then at Dinah's question about the Black Canary, May can only smile back. Yup, she was playing coy. "I have, yes. She doesn't seem to be frequenting Starling City lately, though. Curious."

Oh the sarcasm. It burns us, precious.

Black Canary has posed:
Dinah Drake snorts. And in a perfect imitation of your voice, she states, "So you have heard of her. She's been very busy of late... but the best vigilante is the one you don't hear much about, wouldn't you agree?" She winks at you, wondering how you'd take the mimicry.

Melinda May has posed:
"Well," May says slowly, "there is such a thing as hearing not enough. Though I would never expect it of someone allegedly known for using sonic weaponry."

Setting her tea cup down, May finally reaches into her jacket, doing so revealing a tiny sliver of the inside lining fabric, and what looks like the handle of a throwing knife peeking out of a pocket there. She produces a legal size envelope from her jacket and offers it to Dinah. "The contact information for the SHIELD office here in Starling City. They'll set you up with all of the liaison credentials and security clearances."

Black Canary has posed:
Dinah Drake nods as she flips through the papers. "Oh - I don't use sonic weaponry." She winks softly. "Nice knife by the way." She smiles faintly. "The sonic attack you've heard of is right here," she states, tapping her throat. "I can literally knock a large truck over by screaming it."

Melinda May has posed:
The faint hints of amusement in May's expression disappear completely. "Don't tell SHIELD that unless explicitly asked. Their analysists are convinced you have some form of sonic weaponry, let them keep their misconception." She doesn't explain why.

Black Canary has posed:
Dinah Drake frowns as she states, "Why is that important? This is an important detail - if I am to work with a new team, I will be candid about my abilities and expect the same from them. Mistrust leads to a bad work relationship which leads to people dying. Like Kurt..." She trails off, sighing.

Melinda May has posed:
"Call it Cold War era paranoia on my part. SHIELD is quite progressive in recruiting and working with people with powers, but I'm not overly keen on volunteering every scrap of information to a person or organization I don't fully trust yet." She doesn't have any intel she can think of right offhand involving someone named Kurt, but it does sound like a sore point for Dinah.

She sips at her tea again then adds, "Honestly, the worst that would likely happen if you did volunteer to divulge your abilities would be the R&D people wanting to corner you in a lab for a day or three to see exactly how you do what you do. Probably so that they can try to recreate the effect with technology."

Black Canary has posed:
Dinah Drake nods. "That makes sense. I don't know them well enough yet to divulge that yet." She nods slowly, deciding not to mention that she already HAS devices to replicate her Canary Cry. "How high up are you in this SHIELD group?" she finally asks.

Melinda May has posed:
"I'm a Senior Field Agent. I would be one of the agents in charge of collating intel, getting it into the right hands, and if it's actionable by SHIELD directly planning and executing the mission." Would be. Interesting turn of phrase.

"If you were sent on a joint Alpha Flight and SHIELD mission, you'd likely be teamed with one or two field agents, a senior field agent on overwatch, and if needed one or two strike teams and possibly a support team."

Black Canary has posed:
Dinah Drake nods. "Interesting. That's a lot of support. Alpha Flight doesn't seem to care much about matters on Earth - they are looking up and out. Space has been quiet of late, probably why there's been little call for me." She smiles faintly as she sipsh er tea.

Melinda May has posed:
May ahs and nods. That would explain why she was sent to propose a liaison position. SHIELD has woefully little space presence. "Well, if SHIELD has any involvement in space operations, it's above my pay grade. What I just described would be a ground mission scenario. But, that could well be why SHIELD's extending a hand out to your team. You go somewhere that I'm not sure SHEILD does."

Black Canary has posed:
Dinah Drake glances down at the paperwork. "I'll read this over very carefully. Perhaps there is merit to this. No deicsions yet of course, but if I agree I'll go to the field office that you indicate. Interesting - I didn't think anyting was on that street - it's in the indusrial sector - it never recovered after the recession a few years back."

Melinda May has posed:
May nods. "Take all the time you need. And it's likely that field office has been there since before the recession." Hiding in plain sight and all that.

She finishes her tea and moves to stand. "I'll let you read that over. If you have any questions and the field office can't answer them to your satisfaction, you can reach me here." She offers Dinah a business card that has only a phone number printed on it, then moves to take her head. "Thank you for the tea. I can see myself out."