View source for 4677/If that don't take the cake...

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2021/01/10
|Location=New York SSR Office, NYC, 1949
|Synopsis=What starts as an effort to pump May for information about her training techniques turns into a revalatory meeting of the minds as Peggy brings Rose and Daniel into the know.
|Cast of Characters=727,196,2570,1382
|Tinyplot=Times That Bind
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:727|Melinda May (727)}} has posed:'''<br>1949. The Bell Telcom building that houses the SSR isn't as large as the Triskelion will one day be, but it is still sizable enough to include training facilities for its agents. True, they're not nearly as extensive or versatile as what SHIELD will one day require -- the athletics portion being little more than a boxing gym and weight room, with a pool down the corrdior -- but that doesn't mean they're not effective.<br><br>Left with little to occupy her, while Peggy continues to corral the personnel, research, and experiments gathered on the Washington Heights rade, Melinda May takes the opportunity to poke around the building and see just how they've set things up. She's been careful to stay away from clearly restricted areas; no sense wearing out her welcome. But the athletic facilities aren't on that list.<br><br>When she entered the gym, it was empty. So, she removed her shoes, tired of the pinching t-straps anyway (how the *hell* does Carter survive in these ALL the time?), and found an empty bit of floor away from exercise machines, punching bags, and boxing ring. Breathing deeply, she begins working her way through a slow tai-chi kata, allowing the familiar movements to calm and focus her. The pantsuit she wears isn't particularly suited to vigorous atheletics, but it was good enough for the raid. So, it will do now. Besides, her tac suit is still hidden underneath the long sleves, high collar, and trousers of the ensemble. It will absorb and filter what perspiration it needs to.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:196|Daisy Johnson (196)}} has posed:'''<br>Now that the mission was done and the troops were back in the place the LA pair was still down in NYC. For what reason though? Well, for one Rose had been looking over the files that had been brought from the raid, cataloging, helping get it all organized before the great revolution that had been the introduction of computers to this kind of work. No digital meant great care had to be taken on making sure files didn't get lost, all was alphabetically ordered and color coded! Colors were certainly important... Beyone all this though she imagined Chief Sousa had his own reasons to wanting to hang down in New York for a while longer too. But this was no type for gossip!<br><br>Breaks had to be done though, and besides she still had to catch up with the elusive Agent that had helped on the mission. From Canada? Yea, right! There must be a story behind it but she was willing to wait it out. Yet her contacts had told her she'd be out in the gym so she had coaxed her boss to come for some training, stretching and all that. "You know Chief Sousa. I do hope you meant it when you said about training up with our Canadian counterparts. Did you see how Agent May was moving?"<br><br>Rose is walking down the hallway that leads to the gym, her voice heard in the distance, dressed in a training outfit and holding up a small box in her hands.<br><br>"She looked as if she had wings! Dear me, it even got me all sweaty watching that. But anyway, have you been able to catch up with Agent Carter again?" So casual on her change of subject. <br><br>She opens the door to the gym. "Agent May! What a surprise!" it's not a surprise.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:2570|Daniel Sousa (2570)}} has posed:'''<br>Rose wasn't entirely wrong, Sousa might have had some personal reasons to hang around New York, but there were professional ones as well, mostly surrounding the Mojave situation. Taking a break from the files along with Rose he wanders into the gym. "I floated the idea to Agent May," he says of the training. "Sounds like it's a very specific skillset" he observes. "And yeah, watching her lay out those guards was something," he agrees before gently teasing "And not a baked good in sight." <br><br>There's a cough at the surprise bit, he's been around Rose long enough to know she knew exactly what she was doing. "Yeah, it's weird too, Rose here was just talking about you," he says giving an amused look in Rose's direction.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:727|Melinda May (727)}} has posed:'''<br>May glances over as the pair interrupt her kata. She relaxes her form, however, rolling her head and shoulders briefly before arching a brow at the words she directs at them. Somehow, she doubts it was a surprise at all. Or a coincidence. "Was she?" the SHIELD agent says casually, crossing a few paces towards them. She gives the redhead an evaluating once over, noting more the keen intelligence in her eyes than that fact she's not on the surface what anyone would think of as agent material. And that is, May realizes, the woman's strength.<br><br>She can respect that.<br><br>"I simply needed some quiet," she says by way of explanation. "Everyone else was so busy and Agent Carter prefers that I concentrate on my own area of expertise, rather than unnerve her team with an outsider's presence." Which is a very nice way of saying Peggy doesn't want her accidentally screwing up the timeline.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:2570|Daniel Sousa (2570)}} has posed:'''<br>Nodding Sousa glances back at the door, "We can leave you alone if you want to get back to that quiet," he offers politely. "Right, Rose?" he asks his agent, clearly still amused.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:196|Daisy Johnson (196)}} has posed:'''<br>"Yes, I was!" Rose says cheerfully, adjusting her glasses with one hand while the other keeps along with the small box, she wandering towards a small table near the entrance. "Also that you look so skinny. All skin and bones! Which is why I got the 'Rose Special' made for you." she opens the box, revealing a cake. It's not big, but it's very chocolate, with chocolate rips sawed atop it. "Finding you here saves me from having to go around looking for you, Agent May. Or maybe I can call you Melinda? You know you can just call me Rose." then a glance to Daniel. "Chief Sousa is Chief Sousa though. You know, rank. But the chief deserves it."<br><br>"Unnerve? Oh no no. In fact, they are very excited about your skills already." Most likely due to a certain gossipy tongue. "Besides, what kind of Agents would we be if we didn't show some of our old fashioned hospitality, mmm? So none of that nonsense of staying away. I will talk with Peggy."<br><br>A look to Sousa and she blinks before looking back to May. "Sure, Chief Sousa. If you wanted to be left alone..." she assures but then bites on her lower lip. She clearly wants something else!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:727|Melinda May (727)}} has posed:'''<br>"No, it's fine," May says as to the interruption.<br><br>She raises her brows, though, as Rose chatters on like a force of nature. It occurs to her in that moment that, just in order to hold their own, all the women of the SSR must by necessity be personalities to be reckoned with -- from Carter's sharp British reserve, to Heat's effusive enthusiasm, to Rose's... Roseness. Something about that amuses her as she glances down to the cake and she finds a faint smirk settling on her normally stoic face.<br><br>"It's nice to meet you Rose," she says slowly, trying to find something safe to say. "That's, uh, quite the cake." She pushes a smile more fully onto her lips -- Carter didn't warn her how exhausting the SSR office was going to be! "Thank you. It's lovely." Guess the Brit is rubbing off on her.<br><br>Just a little.<br><br>She manages not to grimace at all the talk about her skills, but it's a near thing. It's not like she didn't know it was coming. "Yes. Agent Heat seemed quite excited by my training, as well. I don't want to disappoint either of you, but I don't actually recommend you pursue training up North. You'd be far smarter to develop something using resources right here in the States." Now, the faint hint of a smirk touches her lips. "The key is to think a little outside the box." She glances to the boxing ring. "Broaden your cultural horizons, so to speak."<br><br>So says the Chinese woman (actually from Philly) standing in the midst of White Bread and Apple Pie America.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:2570|Daniel Sousa (2570)}} has posed:'''<br>"I meant both of us leaving Agent May alone," Sousa says with good humour but he ends that line of thought when May says things were fine as they were. He settles in leaning on his cane. "It definitely made an impression and got you quite a few fans," Sousa says of May's skills with a nod to Rose. Though her advice is taken to heart. "Outside the box? I can see how you and Peggy got to be friends," he remarks. "And that's a good point about building a training program like that from scratch," he says glancing back to Rose again. "Up to taking point on something like that, Rose?" Like he had to ask.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:196|Daisy Johnson (196)}} has posed:'''<br>"Oh it certainly is!" This about the cake, Rose then continuing. "But better than looking lovely you will see the wonders it will do to put a bigger smile on your lips. One can never go wrong with chocolate, am I right, Chief Sousa?" is this some kind of innuendo that Sousa should try chocolates to appease a certain someone? Well, Rose is certainly relentless apparently.<br><br>"Agent Tessa. She is such a perky little thing. Oh, she just seems eager to please, such a heart on that girl, and not afraid to use her gun either on the mission. And the trick with the grenades to get that doctor arrested? Marvellous." a beat, "Now, she could use a little training on her typewriting skills. I saw her trying to write down a report." she shakes her head a bit. "But I will get my hands on her soon enough."<br><br>But then when May suggests thinking outside the box she looks towards the ring as well then back, looking at May more closely and then up to Daniel, thoughtful. "Like getting into that ring...?" she fans herself with one hand. It's quite the unheard thing, as in this time and age boxing was still very much a man's sport (as most others).<br><br>"I would certainly be up to that, Chief Sousa. Though nothing like getting some pointers out of Melinda though? Do you want to show us a bit of your training? A move or two?" she asks, infectious smile on her lips.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1382|Peggy Carter (1382)}} has posed:'''<br>The sound of voices, and not the NORMAL voices she expects from the workout room, catches Peggy's notice as her high heels click down the hall, headed towards storage to attempt and find something Howard needs for his continued research. She slows her walk for a few heartbeats, listening outside the door just a moment "Oh hell..." She breathes out under her breath, weighing how much she should intrude.<br><br>Finally, in defense of the timeline, she decides it best that she does. At least to keep a monitor of things.<br><br>Peggy quietly swings into the doorway. She doesn't walk the rest of the way into the room and doesn't even announce her presence. She simply leans there, hip against the door frame and arms crossed over her chest as she watches the trio of agents, waiting to see who might notice her first. She's not dressed for training, in her T-strap heels and pencil skirt suit, but that's never really stopped her from getting into a physical conflict before.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:727|Melinda May (727)}} has posed:'''<br>Hey, May likes chocolate as much as the next woman. But without plates and utensils? "We should take it to the break room, I think," she suggests.<br><br>Then Rose is pivoting toward a more practical training session and May finds herself put on the spot. It's one thing to talk that poor probie Connors through a few techniques to counter an attack like the one she meted out on him when she first arrived. It's quite something else again to expose Carter's friends to advanced SHIELD takedown techniques.<br><br>Then again, if Leviathan agents are coming at them with full martial arts training?<br><br>"I... have seen Agent Carter at an everlast bag a time or two," she admits. Because there is one at the mansion. "So, you really shouldn't discount boxing." Her eyes dart towards the door of the room, since she's facing it and -- let's face it -- she's paranoid. "But, I do recommend you broaden your horizons if there are any more agents like Underwood out there. Her training is a little more extensive than just boxing."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:2570|Daniel Sousa (2570)}} has posed:'''<br>Sousa glances back at the sound of those heels hitting the floor giving Peggy a faint smile while the conversation goes on, an invite to join if she wishes. "What do you recommend?" Sousa asks May. "I've done a bit of Judo with Starks's man Jarvis, or well, he threw me around a bit by the pool for an afternoon, so any advice would be welcome there."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:196|Daisy Johnson (196)}} has posed:'''<br>"And his left hook is a killer. They always underestimate the cane." Rose says up to Sousa when he talks about his training, nodding a couple of times. Judo though? Rose wrinkles her nose a touch, "Isn't that the one with all the throwing around? It sounds painful for my posterior..." she murmurs. The talk about Underwood has her sighing, "The world is changing, and you are right. We need to ..., keep up with our enemies if we want to keep the US safe. It's what the SSR is all about. Posteriors are a fine sacrifice."<br><br>She follows Sousa's look to the door, finding Peggy there and grinning wide, "Peggy, what are you doing hawking like that by the door? Come join us, we have cake. And Melinda is talking about giving us her a rundown on some of her techniques."<br><br>She looks Peggy up and down. "Have you been training with her? Is this your secret? We go just a 'few' miles away to LA and then there's secrets between us!" though her tone seems as if it's teasing rather than being serious.<br><br>"But the Chief is right, what would you recommend?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1382|Peggy Carter (1382)}} has posed:'''<br>"I haven't been *training* with her. Canadians like to keep their secrets and I respect that..." Peggy states flatly, there being a strange bit of stubbornness behind her voice which, if it was ANYONE but Daniel and Rose, they might not notice. But it's her oldest friends and colleagues in this country. There's something else going on here and Peggy seems genuinely a bit worried about May training them for no clear reason.<br><br>"...Cake? Mm, Rose, I have missed that, but maybe we should all just retire to the break room and enjoy. Thompson will never let us hear the end of it if he catches four of us treating this room like a picnic area." She smirks.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:727|Melinda May (727)}} has posed:'''<br>"I could do with some cake," May says, taking advantage of Peggy's opportune interruption. "It's been a long day, don't you think? And we missed dinner." She moves to where she took off her shoes and puts them back on, making just a little grimace as she does. Seriously... how *does* Carter handle these things 18 hours a day? When she gets home, she's absolutely introducing the woman to Dr. Scholl's. Or maybe Sketchers. Or at least a good brand of insoles.<br><br>She does eye Peggy briefly as she says to Rose. "Like I said, though. Broaden your cultural horizons. Look at where your enemies are getting their training and figure out what you can do to match it." Hey, that's not giving away any secrets. That's just good agent thinking. "That's how you'll best determine where to spend your training budgets, trust me."<br><br>In other words, people, read between the lines. Agent May isn't just a skilled female. She's a skilled minority... From China.<br><br>"The War's over. Hydra and the Third Reich aren't the only threat, now. Take advantage of what you know, what new techology you have, and learn to build on it. That's what we did back at... home." In *Canada*.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:2570|Daniel Sousa (2570)}} has posed:'''<br>"I do alright," Sousa says of Rose's compliments. "And yeah, that's the one," he says about Judo. "I can confirm too it's hard on the posterior," he says with a self=deprecating smile. The smile vanishes quickly though as he catches Peggy's tone, his eyes cut to her trying to catch her own in a wordless question: 'what am I missing?' <br><br>Still he backs the distraction with a nod, "Cake does sound good, and Rose's shouldn't be missed, unless she's got sleeping drugs in it," the last given with a touch of a smile. <br><br>There's a nod to May as well as he limps towards the door to hold it open for the ladies, "Rose if you want to find us some teachers when we get back home, I'll pull what I can on Leviathan's training programs." Mind already going into Chief-mode.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:196|Daisy Johnson (196)}} has posed:'''<br>Oh no, you don't! Rose can sniff deflection and secrets like noone's business! Specially when it comes to an old friend like Peggy. And then the fit Canadian Agent gets in on wanting 'cake' after all the talk about training and thinking out of the box. Nuh-uh! So Rose adjusts her glasses in that 'I am not buying your shit!' kind of way she often does. At least it's a movement that Sousa and Peggy will know well. There is a shared look with Sousa for a moment, one asking 'You noticed what I did?'<br><br>Yet now it seems she's in the minority. Everyone wants cake! The wizard's magic has been turned against her. "Fine then, cake..." is she a bit grumpy. Oh, yes. But this isn't the last they have heard from Rose. Oh no. She will be sure to get to this bottom of this mystery..<br><br>She walks to get the cake from the table and her smile quickly returns. She was happy to spend some time down here with her friends in however manner it was. "I will start looking. It will most likely mean broadening our recruitment reach too. Find people we hadn't considered before. But it's a brave new world out there now that the war is done and we can't be left behind."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1382|Peggy Carter (1382)}} has posed:'''<br>There is a momentary flicker of worry across Peggy's dark eyes as she realizes Daniel and Rose *definitely* know her too well and she's given up the game that something is up. Granted, once Howard figures out how best to get that machine to make a portal, any agent on that mission will probably know. But that's still a time away. Peggy is silent a few heartbeats, her eyes weighing heavily across May as she debates between honesty or deflection.<br><br>"Cake. No matter what, cake." She's talking to herself mostly there. Then she turns on the ball of her foot and leads the way out of the room, smoothly moving on her high heels like it wasn't an impossibly long day and her feet should be killing her. She's just forever used to her heels and skirts. Walking down to the little break area buys her some thinking time. It's a tiny shared kitchen area, four person table, and two old couches which Peggy's slept over night on more than a few times. As she goes, she murmurs to Melinda behind her. "...Getting you back to Canada might end up... complicated. These two I trust to help more than anyone..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:727|Melinda May (727)}} has posed:'''<br>"Your office, then?" May says in response to Carter. "Or a conference room?" The look she offers the Brit in return is telling. One that suggests she may know something of these two and their integrity, herself. Something of their fates -- though that really doesn't need to be shared. Regardless, it's clear. She trusts Carter, and she's willing to trust them, too.<br><br>So, some place more private than the breakroom would seem to be in order.<br><br>Thus, when they enter the kitchenette, she pauses a moment to help Rose collect a handful of forks and suitable small plates. And, of course, a knife with which to cut the cake.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:2570|Daniel Sousa (2570)}} has posed:'''<br>Sousa's look back to Rose confirms he's seeing the same thing though he keeps quiet about it. "Sure, wherever works best," he says about where to eat the cake, hanging back and trying to get a scope on the situation as best he can.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:196|Daisy Johnson (196)}} has posed:'''<br>Rose is scoping out too, that's for sure. She places the cake down on the kitchen table, fetching plates and forks along with a knife without missing a beat, gesturing here and there when May moves to help. Things are still mostly all in the same place as when she used to call the offices here in New York her home. "You know, there's nothing like conspiring...." this about all the murmuring going on about May and Peggy, "...., than with some cake. The place shouldn't be too important. Unless you have something to tell us? Mmmmm?" she drives the knife down on the cake to cut a slice without looking at the cake, just to them. Rose knows a thing or two about intimidation!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1382|Peggy Carter (1382)}} has posed:'''<br>Oh god, they're ALL quietly staring now. Peggy turns back to the group, her jaw set for a moment as she flickers a gaze between Daniel and Rose. And the knife. She arches a single brow at Rose, certainly not THAT intimidated, but she sees what the woman is doing. Finally, she exhales a quiet huff of breath. "Fine. Fine. My office for *cake*. Means Thompson won't come in here and try to steal it all." And stick his nose in it.<br><br>With that, Peggy leads the small parade of her most trusted friends and officers back out of the room. Instead of the front stairs that would take them through the bullpen and more wondering eyes, she uses the back emergency stairs that come out right next to her little back office they finally deigned to give her. She walks purposefully casual, not trying to look sneaky, as she moves into the room and keeps the door open for the trio. "...Shut it behind you." Dark eyes settle on May. "...do you want to start or shall I?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:727|Melinda May (727)}} has posed:'''<br>May lets Rose and Daniel precede here into the office, taking a moment to close that door behind them all. She arches a brow slightly at Peggy's question to her. She's highly tempted to see how Peggy spins it, and is therefore tempted to let her do so. But in the end, she gives a mild shrug and moves to stand near the desk.<br><br>"By now, I know, you've both been alerted to a place of interest in the Mojave Desert." It's one of the reasons they're here, after all. "I know you've had your fair share of weird missions involving that tract of land. Unfortunately... they're not over."<br><br>She glances to Carter, trying to decide just how much more they need to know. Finally, she decides to take the hint Peggy first gave her. This is going to get complicated enough as it is. She might as well simplify it as much as she can.<br><br>"Early in December," she says with a bit of a sigh, "an anomaly appeared at the site of the Nitramene explosion at the Roxxon Oil plant back in '46." She gives a wry smile. "Not to get overly scientific because I am really *not* a scientist, but the anomaly was a bridge between times. Specifically, this time -- *your* time -- and... *my* time."<br><br>She watches the pair of them closely for their reactions, knowing Peggy will back them up.<br><br>"My name is Melinda May, but I won't be born until 1963. And the organization I work for is the successor to the SSR. We call ourselves SHIELD. You... *all* of you... play significant roles in its founding. And, I have to say... it's actually an honour to meet you."<br><br>Not that it really matters.<br><br>"I know what I'm saying seems impossible. And up until a month ago, I'd have told you it was." She gestures to Carter. "We *both* would have. So, if you don't want to take my word for it, I'll understand. But, you know you can trust Agent Carter. So, take hers."<br><br>She rolls her shoulders again, hating to make speeches. "At any rate, the anomaly here in New York disappeared sometime just before Christmas. We've since located it in the Mojave desert, at the same location as where you closed that rift in '47, Chief. And the weird machine we took from Hydra earlier today? Yeah, it's the basis of the technology that's going to let me return home."<br><br>"In short," she says, an uncomfortable expression on her face, "I need your help."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:2570|Daniel Sousa (2570)}} has posed:'''<br>Sousa looks stunned. "Time travel? Like in HG Wells?" he asks, sounding skeptical, eyes glancing around for what he assumes are the inevitable spectators to this little gag hiding away to have a big laugh at the end. Though, they're not there, and he read what reports he'd had the clearance to read about the Mojave site. He lets out a breath trying to pull together the tattered threads of his thoughts. "Okay, ignoring the hundreds of questions I have which would probably be really bad to get answers to, what do we do to help?" he asks focusing on the details while his mind tries to process the implications.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:196|Daisy Johnson (196)}} has posed:'''<br>Cake is brought into the office of course. Little plates for big slices. Because that's just how Rose rolls. They wanted cake. They will have it. She is already taking a little bite on a piece when they arrive at the office, a look around. "At least you got a window." she says of the small place.<br><br>The mojave desert mention has her nodding just so, looking up at Daniel. The knowledge was mostly with him, but she had heard a thing or two. And that had made her just the more curious on what there'd be to find in that large piece of sand...<br><br>When there is mention of time travel Rose almost drops her jaw. Almost because she has cake in her mouth and it would look unseemly to just throw it all up. So she remains quiet for a bit, just taking it all in. Of all the explanations.., that one takes the cake. Literally!<br><br>"I ..., mmm, what?" Rose looks at Peggy for confirmation about all this. "I *know* I didn't put anything funny on the cake so, is this all for real? I mean this is sounding like that thing in '47 that was all over the news. Roswell?" she followed that thing avidly! Aliens? That would had been something if it was real... And now people are talking about time travel.<br><br>With Chief Sousa then taking it in stride and asking what they can do to help Rose is quick to nod after. "Well, if the Chief is willing and you clearly have Peggy on your side then you have me too of course. What can we do?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1382|Peggy Carter (1382)}} has posed:'''<br>Peggy isn't laughing. There's no abrupt revelation of a joke or cameras pulled out to get their faces. In fact, she looks serious as death, her lips set into a quiet line and hands resting calmly on her hips. As Melinda tells the story, her head dips in quiet affirmation to it all. A half smile cuts over her red lips, something bittersweet and strange about it. "I wish we were jesting. I...wish I had better answers and didn't feel like this is partially my fault for leaving not cleaned up messes from Nitramene and Zero Matter all over the world, but I don't. Agent May originally came through where the first Nitramene explosion was and I just happened to be there investigating a few strange things... But that is why we've been so dodgy about her service. Anything we learn about the future might damage it. We want her to have her own reality and timeline to return to when this is all done."<br><br>Then she's looking back to Daniel as he finally seems to accept this is possible. Her smile warms a bit as both her old colleagues jump on board. It felt better to have told them, to have them both there. Peggy lets out a bit of a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding for a month. "Hopefully...if Howard figures out the machine we've taken from HYDRA... we protect the site and May until we can activate it and get her back through."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:727|Melinda May (727)}} has posed:'''<br>May actually stares at the pair for a moment. Because, seriously... who just takes a relative stranger's word like that in a *spy* organization? The look she gives Carter, perhaps, has a slightly stronger veneer of respect to it. She has always known the woman was a force to be reckoned with. She's always known the loyalty the woman instills in her people. Hell, she feels it, too. She grew up in the agency with it -- even when Carter was on ice. But to see it firsthand?<br><br>Yep. May's impressed. Seriously impressed.<br><br>She very carefully says nothing about Roswell and aliens, however. Because... yeah, the world's not ready for that, yet. And she's still got a timeline to try to preserve.<br><br>She gives Rose a small smile. "I'm sorry I can't train you," she says softly. "But, my training won't be available for another few decades. Still... make some friends in Chinatown. Trust me."<br><br>May's body actually seems to relax some, now that she's accepted their trust in Carter and their willingness to help. "Since I arrived here, I've been attacked by both Hydra and Leviathan. It's safe to assume they know about the anomalies and are trying to take control of them. We already know that Leviathan has made an open play in my time attempt to commandeer the Mojave site and send information back that will help them now. So, this is classifed as both an 0-8-4 and as Top Secret Eyes Only." She glances to Peggy. "Or whatever the SSR equivalent is." A tight almost-smile touches her lips. "Regardless, when you head back to L.A., we're coming with you."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:2570|Daniel Sousa (2570)}} has posed:'''<br>How in stride Sousa is taking things is up for debate. He's got the look of a man who just got told time travel is real but he soldiers on clinging to details and solid plans to deal with it, existential dread can come later. "Right, won't mention a word, plus, who'd believe us?" he offers the humour falling a bit flat given what he's trying to process. He pushes his hand through his hair trying to think. "Sounds like we'll get a chance to clean up those sites properly after Agent May is safely home in her own time," he says to Peggy. "And we should, because I'm no scientist but if time travel is possible that means nothing is ever finished, right? People could go back again and again if they're not happy with how things turned out? That's too dangerous and too much of a temptation to let just be out there."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:196|Daisy Johnson (196)}} has posed:'''<br>"Well, I hope in the future they all aren't as skinny as you are. I don't think I could handle it as being in our future. A girl's gotta feed herself. Now have your cake, will you?" Rose suggests May, as if perhaps in the future they don't have chocolate cake anymore. One never knows! The talk about Chinatown ... Yea.., that was one of the places she had thought about, nodding about it.<br><br>But ooo boy, she does have so many questions about all this. Chief Sousa does have point though, and really, she knows how .., uh .., digressing she can be when she gets going so she is mostly about reinforcing Daniel's questions. "I can start having the boys back in LA get ready. How big of a team do you want to send out to the desert, Peggy? And Howard..., ooo boy, if I know him he will have this ready by yesterday. Such a bright mind on that man.."<br><br>Then she looking up to Sousa, "I believe this might be Agent May's first rodeo on this." but then she looks to May to confirm. "Is time travel a thing back where you come from?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1382|Peggy Carter (1382)}} has posed:'''<br>"I do not think time travel is possible... or, routinely possible. What pulled Agent May back here was a mix of unfortunate events which are proving incredibly difficult to recreate. And, even if we DO manage to recreate them enough to get her back through to the other side, then the machine will be destroyed and all records with it. On *both* sides of the timeline. I'll... see to that." Peggy states in a flat tone that sounds stubborn enough that she seems to genuinely think she'll be capable of doing this on both sides of the timeline. Which implies that somehow she's on the other side. But surely not?<br><br>She does pause then to dive into the cake. She missed dinner as well and has never been one to turn down food, happily savoring the familiar comfort of Rose's baking which she didn't realize how much she sorely missed until this moment. Or the woman herself. Peggy's silent a moment, looking back to Rose with suddenly slightly softer eyes. "...I've missed you a lot, Rose... quite a lot, if I've not said it." She offers with a tone that is almost tender. This is as emotional as Peggy EVER gets in front of people, so Rose must be special.<br><br>"And I'd like to keep the team small as possible as to not risk more of this information getting out, but... we need to assume they are going to throw a lot of people at us. So, at least half a dozen. Your most trusted people.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:727|Melinda May (727)}} has posed:'''<br>"With time travel?" May says to Rose. "Yes." It's her first rodeo in that regard. "With weird interdimensional rifts and cross-reality interference? Not so much." Two words: Chitauri Invasion. And, she's been in SHIELD for over 30 years. (That's a scary thought.) Most of those years spent chasing down 0-8-4's and playing 'Welcome Wagon' to various power people. Yeah, weird shit doesn't really throw her, any more.<br><br>It irritates her.<br><br>"Agent Carter is right, though. Time travel is not common." She waves a hand almost dismissively. "Something about the arrow of time moving in only one direction or some such thing." She shakes her head. "My specialty is hitting things, not tinkering with weird super science. But they assure me this shouldn't have been possible. So, I guess we're all learning something new."<br><br>She sees Peggy's affection for Rose and adds her name to the short list she's been compiling: Howard. Angie. Jarvis. Ana. Daniel. Rose... And they are good people. No doubt.<br><br>"From what I can tell, though, I wouldn't sit here heaping guilt on yourselves about not cleaning up past messes properly. We've had... a huge number of reality altering events in my time in recent months." Okay. Years. "This could actually be a side-effect of that and nothing you could do anything about, anyway. The best thing we can do, now, is get that machine figured out and get the desert site locked down before Roxxon or Hydra or Leviathan or anyone else comes calling."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:196|Daisy Johnson (196)}} has posed:'''<br>"Seems like it's exciting, no matter what. Maybe even more than the Ferris wheel!" Rose and heights? They don't go well together. But now she is eating on the cake, because cake soothes it out from all this talk of dimensions and time travel. She is no brain either, more the heart and the organized mind. But talk tech? She nopes right out. The implication that Peggy may be on the other side has Rose blink. Did she hear it right? But she doesn't question it, no messing with the timeline appears to be a thing...<br><br>Yet the warm smile that appears on her lips when Peggy says she has missed her is one that could melt the Titanic's iceberg even, "There are things you do not need to say for others to know are true, Peggy. You know that. But now we will have this big adventure! It will be fun.." she says, "And after we have Melinda back in her time you will have to get some vacations down on LA. The sun will do you good.." is she saying Peggy is too pale?<br><br>"I will start rounding up the people with Chief Sousa. There's a few good ones here too, like Tessa and Malcolm."<br><br>A look then to May. "You know, I will have to get you my recipes for you to bring with you." she says, followed by a wink, "Even the ones with a little extra.."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1382|Peggy Carter (1382)}} has posed:'''<br>At least there is the start of a plan now. And two more people who genuinely get what is going on so they can respond more protectively (and proactively) than before. Some of the tension that has been in Peggy's shoulders for weeks is already easing. "...That all sounds like a good start. While I love catching up, we've got plenty more work to do and if we stay in here much longer, the other boys are going to start asking questions. You're all dismissed. You know the next steps. We'll meet again as soon as I know how far Howard's come in making that machine. And... so far, Howard doesn't know. Keep it that way until I say, yes?" Peggy asks them all with a half smile. Once she gets agreements, she shoos them towards the door. "Dismissed!"<br><br>And then Peggy is sinking down into her desk chair, one tired hand dragging across her face. Maybe she really did need some vacation.<br> <br>
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