966/Just A Typical Friday Night

Just A Typical Friday Night
Date of Scene:	04 April 2020
Location:	Dane Whitman's Home
Synopsis:	Just another Friday night for Dane Whitman. Oh and he gets a recruitment pitch from one Phil Coulson.
Cast of Characters:	Dane Whitman, Phil Coulson

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Dane Whitman has posed:
A typical evening at Dane Whitman's place, really. At least for a day that hasn't involved any extraordinary happenings. Nice to have those once in a while, and it feels like they've been happening more frequently as he settles into his job at Happy Harbor. For now? He's in his study looking over project proposals for one of his classes. Not so much a graded assignment as a "make sure they're not making something that will blow up the school...or any more coilguns" sort of thing. Not even all that boring, really...or at least it's interesting to see what most of the students in his small class are coming up with.

Phil Coulson has posed:
Coulson parks Lola outside the house that Dane Whitman calls home in Happy Harbor. Shutting off the engine, he takes a moment to run a hand along the steering wheel with a small smile. Then he turns his attention to the house and slips out of the vehicle, smoothing out the front of his suit before glancing around the street to make sure no one nearby is giving Lola any sort of covetous look. Walking around the front of his car, he reaches down and picks up a folder from the passenger seat and then moves to the front door of the house. He gives several loud knocks in addition to ringing the door bell.

Dane Whitman has posed:
Dane isn't exactly expecting visitors, but he's new to the neighborhood and for all he knows it's a neighbor being, well...neighborly. Either way, he moves to the front door with relative alacrity, pausing to peek out the spyhole and seeing the nondescript gentleman in a suit. Huh. Maybe a Census guy? Solicitor? Maybe it's lucky Dane is a generally sociable fellow, as he unlatches the door and opens it, giving the gentleman beyond a mildly quizzical look.

"Evening. Something I can help you with?"

Phil Coulson has posed:
"Mr. Dane Whitman?" Coulson asks as he reaches into a suit pocket to produce his identification, letting it fall open as he holds it up for the other man to see. "Agent Phil Coulson with S.H.I.E.L.D., I'm hoping that I can take up a few moments of your time to talk about S.H.I.E.L.D. and the possibility of assisting our homeworld in the future." He pockets his identification and then slips off his sunglasses and offers Dane a smile. "I promise it won't be too bad. I don't even have any pamphlets or leaflets to try and offer you either."

Dane Whitman has posed:
"Oh." Dane's reply isn't as disdainful as many Phil has likely heard in his day. There's a flicker of surprise on Dane's face, but he steps aside and gestures, "Come on in, Agent Coulson, least I can do is listen to what you have to say." He leads the SHIELD agent back to the study, pushing the student papers aside into a neat pile, and indicating that Phil is welcome to take the seat opposite the desk. "Agent Jones off tonight?"

Phil Coulson has posed:
"Thank you." Coulson nods to Dane as he follows the man into his house and into the study. He settles into the open seat and smiles, "Agent Jones is off seeing to another SHIELD matter for the next few days, but the Jones has kept the agency up to date on some of your activities, and quite frankly, we are quite interested in the skills you bring to the table. While I would like to see you join the agency as a proper agent to bring your skills and expertise to the team, we do hire a lot of consultants to work on certain projects. If I can convince you to become an agent though, I can promise that SHIELD will let you continue to pursue your own independent projects, with the addition of personnel and resources that we can provide."

Dane Whitman has posed:
Dane does look a fair bit taken aback, but more in a surprised fashion than anything else, "Just like that? I had the impression you were keeping an eye on me once Agent Jones started coming around." Dane tilts his head, curiously, "So I'm guessing that means you wouldn't want me to quit my day job? I've managed to piece together that you're at least one of the groups behind the school." He frowns a bit, "But I guess it doesn't really matter. Go ahead and give me the pitch, Agent Coulson, I'm willing to hear it out, and not inclined to turn down a chance to do some good."

Phil Coulson has posed:
"Your impressions were correct, Mr. Whitman." Coulson confirms, "And yes, keeping your day job would be preferable. You're in a good position to help mold future generations here." He opens the folder he brought in and looks down at it. "I see that you earned your Master's in Electrical Engineering and have experience working with Stark Tech. SHIELD has a great deal of technological research going on at any given time, so we can allow you to pick from what's available to work on things that interest you in the time that you can allocate for such activities."

Coulson licks his bottom lip and flips to another sheet of paper. "As for your other activities, we're more than happy to provide you with additional training resources so you can continue to hone your skills. Joining with SHIELD would also provide cover as well as you could state that your business is SHIELD business, and to be quite frank, as long as what you are doing promotes the common good, I don't believe Director Fury or Assistant Director Hill will say too much. As for me? I would much rather our agents be proactive in protecting the people of earth then waiting for permission on high." He glances up from the paper and nods. "Of course, should you need support for such things, you could count on SHIELD support."

Dane Whitman has posed:
"That all sounds good, Agent Coulson. Almost too good if I'm honest. So where are the catches?" Dane queries, having been listening quite attentively to Coulson's pitch so far. "I've got some expertise in other areas, too. What's the division Agent Croft is with? I did an...interesting consultation with her a couple of weeks ago. That kind of stuff is pretty well in my lane also." He adds, "I'd imagine at the very least there's some kind of...evaluation? Orientation? That kind of thing."

Phil Coulson has posed:
"The only catch is that if there is a situation in which all of SHIELD must be mobilized, you would be called to duty. Though those tend to be the types of situations where the fate of the world is at stake. Additionally, you may be asked to assist on a few missions where your particular set of skills will help ensure the success of the mission." Coulson says, all quite matter of factly. "Other than that, no, no catches. You'll receive a regular paycheck, and have access to all of the amenities of the Triskelion should you wish to make use of them."

There's a brief pause and then he nods, "I'm certain that you could work with Agent Croft if her projects are of interest to you. And yes, there is an orientation period. Luckily we have another recruit who is just about to start his evaluation period, so you can probably join him with that. If you are agreeable to joining up I mean."

Dane Whitman has posed:
"Well, I won't waste any more of your time, Agent Coulson." Dane rises to his feet, his expression somewhat vague as he extends his hand towards Agent Coulson, but it's broken by a bit of a grin, "Count me in. Let me know when and where I need to be. I can arrange my own transportation unless protocol requires otherwise." He grins, "Though I can offer a cup of coffee or some iced tea before you go. Probably should've done that first."

Phil Coulson has posed:
"Excellent, welcome to SHIELD." Coulson smiles as he gets to his feet, reaching a hand out and gripping Dane's in a firm grip. "I'll send along some information shortly along with an introductary packet that will include some forms to sign, for the benefits and such." He releases the grip and shakes his head, "No, it's fine, thank you for the offer but I should be on my way. Thank you for the time and for hearing me out. I'm glad to have you aboard and if you need anything at all, please feel free to get in touch." He reaches into a pocket and pulls out a small business card case, slips out a card, and then places it on Dane's desk. "My information is on that card."

Dane Whitman has posed:
Dane smiles more warmly now, returning the firm handshake, then nodding at the card, "Sounds good Agent Coulson. Thanks for stopping by." Has this been a hasty decision? Maybe, but SHIELD does seem like the good guys, and Dane has been a little annoyed at being kept in the dark, so this seems like a good opportunity to be operating more in the clear. "Save the world, and Dental coverage too? How does anyone turn this down?" He jokes lightly, taking up the card and examining it a moment before setting it back down on the desk for now, stepping around to escort Agent Coulson to the door. "Hey, is that yours? Nice car." He notes when he glimpses Lola through the door.

Phil Coulson has posed:

"Vision too, don't forget that!" Coulson says, following Whitman through the house and to the front door. He catches the other man's gaze and nods as he looks towards Lola. "Yeah, something I've had tuned up on what little free time I do have. It's quite a beauty and she handles wonderfully." He gives the man another nod before heading down to his car. "See you soon!" He calls out before departing.