7300/Cityfall: Best Laid Plans

Cityfall: Best Laid Plans
Date of Scene:	22 April 2019
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Kate takes the Defender's plan to SHIELD and discovers SHIELD has a counter offer. The plot thickens.
Cast of Characters:	Hawkeye (Bishop), Melinda May

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Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate had actually put on a nice looking outfit to attend the Triskelion - nothign too expensive or fancy, but something that smacked of business forward, and decent, and said she was here on an official matter rather than showing up off the streets like a foundling. Truth be told, it gave her a boost of confidence - while the young woman usually didn't have a problem with that, lately things had been topsy turvy in her life and anything that left her feeling like she had just that tiny bit of an edge was a bonus.

That, and SHIELD was pretty formal, if an agency that didn't truly represent any 'offical' governmental policy.

In fact, if it weren't for the casual arrival of Agent May at Fogwell's, Kate would likely have never thought of this idea in the first place.

She arrives mid-afternoon at SHIELD, divest of most of her weapons. Not all. Just most. Notably, her bow. A few gadgets and knives remain on her person, even if security is going to find them and put them in a nice holding box until after this meeting is over.

"I'd like to speak to Agent May, please? If you could tell her that Kate Bishop of Bishop Publishing is here to speak to her?"

Yes. Kate just did throw down names hoping her father's influence gets her through the door faster - May was Assistant Director after all.

Melinda May has posed:
The guard/receptionist at the front desk confirms Kate's appointment with May, and after indeed claiming those previously concealed gadgets and knives shows the young woman to a conference room just off of the lobby. Where she's left to wait.

And wait.

Finally, the door opens and May arrives. She's moving at that brisk 'I'm in a hurry but I don't want to look like I am' pace that Kate might recognize from either college or her parents' business. She's dressed in black on navy, what is clearly a SHIELD uniform of some sort or other and ... really not all that different from what she'd been wearing at Fogwell's. But less denim, more some sort of kevlar-ish fabric.

"Ms. Bishop. I apologize for the delay."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate manages to be zen about the whole matter only because she's done this whole routine before. It was literally her life before she broke the mold and went off the reserve (according to her father's thoughts anyway) and take up her own path in life. She had been >< close to exactly that kind of college, and still oversaw enough official charity fundraisers that Kate could take this all in stride, even if it bored her to tears inwardly.

"Oh, it wasn't so very long," Kate lies, and convincingly. "I had a few things to tend to anyway, so I kept myself busy."

She holds up her phone as if to confirm this, but it's totally a lie, and the surveillance tapes will show Kate doing no such thing as keeping herself busy on her phone with the usual, but instead checking out the room she was in.

"I won't keep you long, but I did want to talk to you about some matters." Still with the facade that this has to do with her father or her father's business, or all the official.. "Might I ask, how secure is this room?"

She could be asking for a totally innocuous reason, but she isn't. It's not that SHIELD wouldnt' get involved in something like this, but she'd already accidentally dropped the ball on a few things and Kate would really hate to blurt out more than she needed to without at least asking.

Melinda May has posed:
And right behind May comes nosing a big German Shepherd. She's got a bright pink service vest on, and a big grin. Eyes bright, tail wagging - she's designated herself the welcome wagon. May pauses, she sits right down at her side. She's May's service dog?

May looks over at the door when it seemingly opens again on its own, then down at Lili as she sits ever so primly. With her eyebrows drawn together in a faint frown, she looks back at Kate before moving to take a seat at the table. She puts her hands on the table as if to imply she's not hiding anything. "Who do you need this room to be secure from?" She's guessing not SHIELD, as she's HERE, but...

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
It's all too obvious who Lili is, Kate grinning, "Ah. So you're Lucky's girlfriend. Hi Lili." Forgetting for the moment that May might not have any clue about her connections to one Agent Clint Barton. "Sorry, no treats with me today. In my other business suit."

She's only distracted for a moment before remembering business. "Oh. Well, not your people, I suppose, but this is my first time doing the contact the secret spy agency, and I guess now is when I admit I'm not here on behalf of my father, or with any super secret industrial espionage information to offer in trade. But I do think you may be interested?"

Actually, now that she was here, Kate had realized the awkward none of them had thought about: They all knew who Agent May was, and why she might be interested; she had no clue who they were and why they'd be approaching her, and SHIELD, without Kate admitting at least some of their secrets. Or at least hinting very strongly at them.

Melinda May has posed:
Where is Barnes, if his doggo is here? Lili is missing her Emotional Support Human. Though she doesn't seem worried. This isn't her pulling a Lassie - has Bucky fallen down a well, girl? (Other than a possible well of vodka.)

But not long after the dog's appearance, there's Barnes. Civilized enough, in dress shirt and pants and glove over the metal hand. He kind of appears behind May, with no explanation as to why he's there, or what he's doing. Kate gets a pleasant expression but no greeting.


May simply raises an eyebrow as Kate greets Lili but doesn't otherwise comment on it. She's honestly seen weirder, and honestly fears the day that someone has to take Lili for a vet check. She can already guess how well that would go over with the GSD's Emotional Support Human. Oh, and speaking of...

"It depends on why you're here, Ms. Bishop. Have a seat, Barnes." She never even turned to look at the man that seemingly appeared from nowhere behind her.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
It might not be industrial espionage, but it was still business, and secret to boot. A look is spared for Barnes, Kate looking slightly like a deer caught in headlights before deciding this was just how they did things here, and plowing forward.

"I guess the best place to start is to ask how much you know about what's going on in Hell's Kitchen and Gotham these days?"

Okay, it had spread over the borders of those boroughs, but its home was still there.

"We're having a little bit of a ninja problem." So far no mention of the coins, or the corrupt judicial system. "Some.. friends and I were plotting a counter attack, and we were thinking you might want to get involved and help us out and oh gosh that sounds lame."

Kate shakes her head. "I apologize, Agent May. It sounded a whole lot better in my head, but now that I'm saying it, in your shoes I'd be why the heck would SHIELD want to get involved in that. Why did this uppity girl come calling on me about this matter."

Beer and Pizza at Josie's really shouldn't have conferred this relationship status.

Melinda May has posed:
Buck, on the other hand, raises his brows. "Lili, you have a boyfriend and you never told me?" he demands of the dog. Kate gets a grin, as he seats himself, obediently - just as shameless as the dog herself.


May listens to Kate's explanation which started out well enough and devolved rapidly into rambling. About halfway through, she sits back in her chair slightly, her hands sliding off the table. Below the young woman's line of sight, she reaches to put a hand behind the closer of Lili's ears, and nudges her every so slightly toward the just-admitted vigilante. Hopefully the service dog will understand and react accordingly.

"These ninjas. Would they happen to be an organization called The Foot?" She glances at Barnes. This is now officially Serious Business(tm).

"I was given some intel from a source in Gotham just earlier today and we already want to get involved in this. How can we help you and your friends?"

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Well, that there did solve some problems - it sounded like SHIELD already knew more than the average person, which meant so much less cloak and dagger in this conversation.

"The exact same ones," Kate confirms. Buck getting a soft laugh. "You're Lili's owner? That makes you.. Barnes?" She doesn't say Bucky, not knowing him, but Clint had mentioned when he'd come checking up on her and asking if Lucky could have some playdates. "I was told Lucky made quite the impression here."

She shrugs. She'd not really intended to leave him in Clint's hands for quite as long as she had. Ooops. But seeing the man himself, and his dog, she figured things would be okay if Clint wanted to borrow Lucky again.

Back to May, "Not knowing your intel, are you aware of the coins changing hands? We're not sure what's up with them, but we know there's a catchphrase, and that it seems to be doing some sort of hypnosis on people? Judges to be exact. We've heard of several criminals being given pardons or time served and let loose. I think it's possible that once the coin is out of their possession, that they don't remember it all, and that they seem to be back in their right minds, but we're not really your people for finding out about that angle."

ie: they just aren't your magic using sorts.

"What my friends and I were proposing was a little bit of a bad will mission. We go in dressed as Foot clan and wreak havoc. Make things unpleasant for some of the people we know they've recruited and courted. What we were thinking you might be helpful with is arresting us. Make it look good on all fronts."

Plus, they'd get some of the actual bad guys to boot.

Melinda May has posed:
Lili heads back to her human's side. Her expression's much more serious....and now, so is Barnes's. He nods to that question of Kate's, but offers no further comments or questions. The idea of the sting has him glancing to May, in search of her reaction.


Again, May lets the dog talk slide. "Yes, we've been told about coins that are influencing judges." She doesn't reveal that it's been determined to be a magical influence. "I have other sources trying to do something from that direction."

The description of Kate's team's idea of a 'bad will mission' honestly intrigues May. "It's a risky tactic, but certainly one that would go a long way to undermining the Foot Clan's influence with the currently established crime groups." It might even help take some of the pressure off of Gotham. Could this group of friends be convinced to do the same in Gotham? "I think this could be arranged. Though I would want at least one SHIELD agent to accompany your group."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate thinks about Matt - the man who had yet to see a horribly bad idea he didn't like, and makes a wry face. "Oh, I'm positive we can be convinced to do that." Toss Danny and Elektra into that mix, and they'd be there with bells on, asking who they were being pointed at, if not asking 'please sir, can we have more ninja'.

The bit about an agent on the inside furrows her brow a tiny bit. "Uh.. Right. So, what, Barton?" She figures that must be who May means, and that May probably then knows of her connection to the man. "He's a little, well, there aren't many who shoot like him. Present company excepted. Are you sure that wouldn't be tipping our hand a little? I mean, we want this to look like it's actually Foot clan doing this."

She's not saying no, but she is mulling that thought over.

Melinda May has posed:
With a nod to Kate, May resolves to toss this idea past her Gotham contact, at least so that group won't try to interfere with the masquerade in progress. Heck, maybe some of that crew can join in on the shenanigans.

"No. He's too distinctive, and most of the time clan attacks like that rely on easily concealed weaponry." She's sure she doesn't have to tell the young woman that her preferred bow is anything but easily concealed. "I was thinking either Barnes or myself." Or both.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
There's a wicked little grin from Kate. "Oh, I have tricks." Including the collapsable bow that tied neatly to her thigh, and any number of thrown weapons. But May's actual answer has her scratching her cheek in thought, mostly because there was no way May was working with them and not figuring out who was who was who.

"So, what you're suggesting is that when push comes to shove we're all putting our cards on the table." Which was fine up to this point. "I think I can get the rest of them to be on board with that possibility. Or to at least discuss it. But I don't know about an unknown third party?"

Right. So there was that. Kate as much as said the people she represented knew May and had already okayed this little session here, which implied, if the bread crumbs didn't lie, and given that Kate had gone to May's level of contact and not, say, Barton, that May knew them as well.

Barnes was something of an unknown entity as well, but one Kate could research.

Melinda May has posed:
"Would you rather we find out who your friends are by unintentionally apprehending them?" Or worse. "Perhaps it's better to put your cards on the table and avoid any potential future unpleasantness." And there is also that other option if these friends are that unnerved by the thought of May knowing who they are: Barnes could go with them. He'd most definitely be able to ensure their safety and do so while remaining convincingly ninja-like.

"Discuss that with them, and if they cant' give the go-ahead for whatever reason, then we'll go with your suggestion and have SHIELD's involvement only be for the arrest portion." She doesn't like that, but she'll go with it if Kate's friends turn out to be that uneasy about her knowing somethign more about them. She's already got her suspicions about one or two of them.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"Their secrets aren't all mine to tell," Kate says simply, nodding to May's words. "We're a loosely collected group of like minded individuals who, well, for lack of better words, police and patrol that area. We do things you can't. I mean, most of us are pretty firmly on the no killing page." Elektra was one huge notable exception there, and nobody seemed to know where she actuallys tood anymore given the woman hadn't actually taken any overt steps since her falling out with the Hand. "But a lot us have lives outside the Defenders that others might not understand."

"Me, I'm not really one of them exactly. I have some loose connections, and I've been pretty open about who I am." She makes a show of waving a hand, "Hi, I'm Hawkeye." Because she wasn't exactly secret about her secret, and May could go corner Barton at any time and get what she needed there. "That's why I'm here, because I'm the only person who actually wouldn't be putting any card on the table that isn't already there. Some of them it would be really awkward if word got out what they did in their free time."

She's silent and thoughtful, then shrugs. "You know what, one or both of you. Someone has to trust the other. What can I take back to my people for arrangements?"

Melinda May has posed:
May reaches into her jacket and brandishes a business card. She sets it on the table and then reaches under her left sleeve and pulls out a throwing knife of a sort that at least Richard and Danny will be able to place instantly. ( http://tinyurl.com/y5pmm4el ) She sets the knife on top of the card and pushes both toward Kate.

"Take these to your friends. I can be reached on that number at any time. And I speak for both of us that any sensitive information we're given in the process of getting this Foot Clan dealt with will be handled properly." It's her way of saying she will keep any identities that might be damaging to herself. And she knows that Barnes will do the same. It's not in him to go running about spewing gossip, true or otherwise.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
It's an appreciative Kate who takes the items. "I'll pass all of this along. Thanks." A low whistle for the blades. "These are sweet."

They might not make it back to May. And they certainly are likely to be presented as 'gifts she gave me' as well as tokens of goodwill.

What? Kate has priorities.