December 21, 2015:
May meets with Fury, with a visitor and a request (emits by Aspect)
The Trisekilion
Characters
![class="image1"](http://cmbeta.wdfiles.com/local--resized-images//class="image1"/medium.jpg)
NPCs: None.
Mentions:
Plot:
Mood Music: None.
Fade In…
Nick Fury is a busy man. Busy with running SHIELD and busy with more secrets than could fill a hundred conspiracy theories. Even for his senior agents he doesn't casually grant requests for a face to face meeting. Mostly a memo will do. But this had sounded… interesting and unusual. So May and her guest, if present, have instructions to come up and see him. Right now.
Melinda May arrives at Fury's office alone, and with a folder in hand. She knocks twice before stepping into the office, nodding to Fury as she offers him the folder. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Director." She then pulls a non-SHIELD-issue phone from her pocket and sets it on the edge of the desk.
Oracle won't leave the lofty heights of the Clocktower, no matter that they are insecure. Instead a digitally disguised voice emits from the speaker on the phone, one that Fury has interacted with before. "Director Fury. It's been a while since we spoke. At least this time, we're not trying to stop a tricity attack."
"Is this a conference call?" The eyepatched man quirks his one available brow. And then Oracle speaks. Ah, this makes sense now. He's aware that his agent has been in contact with the information broker since before he/she/it joined the JL:A. "Oracle. To what do I owe the pleasure of not meeting you?" Cuttingly to the point as ever.
Melinda May moves to take a seat, then opens the folder that Fury didn't take and pulls a requisition form to set on his desk. It's filled out with near-Coulson levels of precision, and the request is for … the Bus.
"Shall we say, Director Fury, that my accommodation is currently unsuitable. Strangely," if the digital disguise didn't strip all emotion, the tone would be exceedingly dry. "I seem to have attracted the attention of a couple of groups that would rather I not exist any more."
After a brief pause, she continues "I was discussing it with Agent May recently, and she seemed to think she had a solution. Not that she shared what it was." Although, Oracle could well guess … of course.
Fury listens to that and looks over the requisition form. "You want to use the Bus… I presume as a mobile command center. Now, Agent May, if SHIELD still had a formal relationship with the JL:A this might be possible but as it is…" He pulled SHIELD out of involvement with the JL:A and that would have been the only way he could justify handing over such expensive and expansive access to an unvetted, unknown hacker. May knows something about unvetted, unknown hackers this being the second she's brought to his attention.
"So I'm going to have to hear more on this. May. Oracle. Explain."
"This would be a temporary situation only, Director. Until Oracle's resources are able to either adequately secure the current accomodation, or a new accomodation can be located and properly secured." She leaves Fury to explain exactly what the Bus is, since he named it first.
If Oracle knows what 'The Bus' is, she's keeping quiet on the issue. "I'm looking into several options, Director Fury. However, as the groups targetting me have got close, going mobile in the shortterm seems like a logical solution." She's hedging that, that she can't use her legs can't be known … it's too defining. "And I will point out, Director. That I've been working with SHIELD longer than I've been a member of the JL:A. However, your point is taken and understood." beat "I still have the issue of my anonymity to consider as well." the digital voice adds to the concerns.
"If I sanctioned the use of SHIELD resources for a group that we have cut formal ties with and withdrawn resources I'm going to have a hard time ramming it down the Security Council's throat. Even I have to answer to people, Agent May." That said, Nick Fury does support these 'heroes' and Oracle does a lot of good work for them. "So I'm going to have to deny this requenst. Now, May, I have a new assignment for you. SHIELD has lost its metahuman support and with the Avengers Initiative on ice it's just you and your WAND agents as our heaviest hitters." He may mutter something under his breath about losing agents to his own medical department but that's neither here nor there.
"So, what I want you to do is draw up plans for a state of the art tracking and command system that is less expensive than a Bus. Consult experts in the field, have it prototyped if you need it just don't let anything classified leak." Of course, if nothing classified gets into the prototype… then SHIELD won't really want it… right? "Understood?"
Melinda May takes a second longer to acknowledge the new assignment Fury's just dumped on her. By doing it with Oracle still on the line, she's guessing that this is his way of sidestepping any kvetching that the WSC might try to make. "Understood, sir."
"I understand, Director Fury." Oracles voice filters through. The redhead in the Clocktower leans back in her chair listening to the second part of Fury's last statement, a small smile touching her lips.
Seems like she and May may have some work ahead of them in the very near future. Particularly if she wants to stay alive.
"If that's all Agent May I think we're done here. Don't you have a city full of weird shit to keep from cluttering up my disk with nonsensical reports?" That's about as much a dismissal as they're likely to get from Fury. Good luck on that one. They have work to do. But in the end they'll be able to build what Oracle needs so long as the budget stays reasonable and no proprietary SHIELD tech gets in there.
May moves to stand and collect her phone. "Don't forget nasty, sir." Yes, she's referring to that play on WAND's name that she's sure Fury has already heard about. She's already got some ideas about the mobile tracking and command system for Oracle. A normal surveillance van is just too cramped. A full 18-wheeler might be too much. Maybe one of those mid-sized moving truck type things? Hm. Possibilities.
There's little else for the Information Goddess to say. "May, I'll be in touch. Director Fury." She won't say it's a pleasure … "Oracle out." and the connection goes dead.
There's already images appearing on her screens… potential vehicles to suit her needs.