5924/The world needs SHIELD

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The world needs SHIELD
Date of Scene: 12 April 2021
Location: Director's Office - Playground
Synopsis: Peggy Carter finds herself in a strangely familiar role as she is promoted to Chief and May accepts the invitation to become Commander of STRIKE. SHIELD isn't the only one rearranging their assets. Dr. List has recycled an ally from Whitehall in to his own employ.
Cast of Characters: Nick Fury, Peggy Carter, Melinda May




Nick Fury has posed:
    For a change, it's Fury who is late for the meeting. Scheduled in the director's office at the Playground but somehow no Fury. Usually he's there well before he needs to be. Bobbi Morse stands in the corner of the room leaning up against the brick walls as she taptaps on her phone.

    "Fury is running late. Something to do with the weather over Zambia," she explains not really explaining much at all. "So he said to make yourselves comfortable. He won't be long. His quinjet was very close last I checked," she says and then stares off in to the distance for a longer than normal moment, shakes her head and looks back down to her phone.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Once upon a time, this was *her* office. It's been decades, but it's strange to be in there and not behind the desk. Peggy at least had cleaned it out mostly properly, though her little quarters in the Playground weren't ever totally cleared out. It's like walking back in time again. She steps into the room with a tray of tea, fairly certain they all could use it and she needed something to do with her hands while waiting. There used to be a whole tea cart in here, but that's long gone with the disuse of the base.

"Well, there's tea while we wait, at least. And it's kind of him to come to us, for once." Peggy mutters with a bit of a wry smile, remembering the last time she had a private meeting with Fury and just how far she had to range to get there.

Melinda May has posed:
May isn't surprised Fury's coming here. She is surprised he's not here already. However, though she leans lightly against one of the chairs in a casual way, she's mildly anxious to see him. Now that she's had time to consider his request, she'd like to speak with him about it so she can get down to work.

She moves toward Peggy as she brings in the tea, clearing off a spot on a table to accommodate it. "I wonder what he wants, this time." It's never something anyone expects.

Nick Fury has posed:
    Bobbi grins a touch and says, "You brought tea? Thank you Peggy. I think Coulson was meant to be here too but it seems he's also unavailable. Fury and his secret meetings and missions..." Bobbi had been the care taker for setting up The Playground for over a week now. It was physically and mentally draining for her to turn a disused SSR facility in to a working SHIELD base of operations.

    The screen suddenly turns on and Bobbi is half expecting to see Fury there to do this meeting at a distance, but instead of it's Commander Hand. "I see I'm not too late for the meeting," she says. Glasses, suit, a lock of her hair died red for style points. The background and large seat she's sitting on suggests she's on the bridge of the Helicarrier.

    Bobbi smiles and says, "Commander." to Victoria. "You remember Agent May and of course Agent Carter," she says motioning to the agents in the room with her.

    Fury rounds the corner and enters room. He doesn't look up to see who else is here yet, but sits down at the big desk with a briefcase. "I am sorry that I am late," he says with spaced words as if his mind were elsewhere. He finally looks up and says, "But thank you all for joining me. Where's Coulson?," he ponders for a moment and then says, "Oh right... right." A distant look for a moment is given and then he looks back to the ground more seriously. "Make yourselves comfortable," he suggests.

    Bobbi does just that by acquiring some of the offered tea and then seating herself on a wooden chair in the corner of the room. This meeting isn't about her, after all. Hand reaches off screen and her hands return with a cup of coffee and she relaxes back in to her big chair.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Silently, Peggy scoops up a cup of tea for herself, half the reason she brought it. She needed tea for meetings like these and didn't care to be rude to be the only one having it. She doesn't look quite so exhausted as she did a week or two ago, but there's still a hint of tension around her eyes and a bit of baggage beneath them. Sleep debt takes time to pay off.

She blinks at the screen as it comes alive, certain surprise on her fearures. "Commander. Lovely to see your face." She tilts her head respectfully towards Victoria. And then Fury's coming in the corner and a professional, if warm, smile crosses her ever-red lips. "Director." She greets him curiously. She shares a momentarily confused look in May's direction, really not having expected this many people here to talk about May's heading up STRIKE, but here they are. She then shifts to settle into one of the seats across from the desk, tea cup nursed between her hands.

Melinda May has posed:
May also grabs herself a cup of tea, moving back toward one of the two chairs on the near side of the desk. She glances up to the screen as Victoria's image appears. She nods to her in greeting, as Bobbi indicates both her and Peggy to the Helicarrier commander. She does the same to Fury as he enters, before lowering herself into the chair.

As Peggy gives her that confused look, she offers her a small shrug. Don't ask her. No one's given her an agenda for this meeting, either. That said, she's just as happy to have Peggy in here with her, whatever the case may be. If she's going to build a new STRIKE from scratch, she'll want Peggy's support.

Nick Fury has posed:
    Fury rests his elbows to the desk top and leans forward, "Right then. Let's get down to business. First piece of business - Agent May, have you considered my offer to be Commander of STRIKE?" Bobbi pauses mid-sip and peers at May over the rim of the cup. Hand seems to lean in a little more in her seat as she waits to hear this too.

    The screen splits in two as another video feed opens up to a dark basement. A man in a suit wanders in. "Sorry I'm late Director," Commander Felix Blake of dark operations smiles and gives a small wave to the other gathered agents. His hands get stuffed in to his pants pockets and he rocks on his feet staying quiet. The contrast of dark basement and bright helicarrier gives the split screen an interesting motif.

Peggy Carter has posed:
A flutter of confusion flickers across Peggy's features as Blake comes on the screen, very much getting the feeling there is more going on here than a simple confirmation for May. But she doesn't nose in right now, she simply gives Felix a gentle, respectful tilt of her head in greeting. "Commander." She greets quietly. Then she's looking back to May over a sip of her tea, that motion helping hide the faint, anticaptory smile on her lips as she waits to hear what she suspects is going to be her friend's answer.

Melinda May has posed:
"Yes, sir," May says, answering Fury, ignoring the sudden uptick in scrutiny she feels -- those spikes of curiosity in the immediate room, which she can extrapolate just from body language on the screens. "I think I know how I want to proceed. So..." She glances around the room, "I guess the short answer is, 'yes'. I'm in." Not that it's really a surprise.

She glances about the room once her answer is given, but remains as outwardly relaxed as she's ever managed. In the first place, she knows these people. She's not intimidated by them. The job ahead of her is huge, but she's got something of a game plan in the back of her mind, now. In the second... she's a top flight agent. She's not in the business of letting other people see her sweat.

But, wow. Seems like the gang's all here. All but Couslon. That strikes her as a shame.

Nick Fury has posed:
    The screen splits a second time with a third caller joining in. It is Agent Hill wearing what looks to be a doctors coat, stethoscope and a mask over her face. She is definitely in a hospital. The noises and other people walking around. Hill is absolutely not a doctor, so she must be on some kind of mission. Her video is a bit shaky suggesting she's holding up a phone for this call. "Director," she says.

    Fury nods to Blake and Hill, "Good of you both to join us." The tone suggests he's not pleased they were both late to connect in to the meeting. As May says 'She's in' he smiles and tosses a new lanyard over to her, "We will delve in to the specifics later Commander May. Welcome to the staff meeting."

    Then Fury's eyes turn to Peggy and he begins, "The world needs SHIELD. Now more than ever. Threats from other worlds, threats from other times, threats from other realities, threats from within our own world and a mirror darkly letting us see just how bad things could get if we drop the ball."

    "We cannot afford to drop the ball, for the sake of our planet. Carter and her team took out enough of HYDRA that they got worries. Scared. So scared they pulled the pin on one of their biggest weapons - they revealed they were in the white house. And thanks to Carter's team we were able to root out the festering stench of HYDRA from our ranks.."

    "We are entering a new era for SHIELD, one where the structure and operation is different than any time before in its history. The challenges are different, the teams are different, the personnel is different. But one thing remains the same - the core beliefs SHIELD was founded on."

    "I need someone to run The Playground, the headquarters of this new SHIELD. Someone who has proven they understand the core beliefs of SHIELD through and through... and who may be had a hand in writing them down in the first place. SHIELD is ...big, the spies - our agents - are the corner stone of our operation. Without them we are blind and fingerless."

    He looks to Peggy as does everyone in the meeting because presumably they suspected this was coming, "Agent Carter, I need you to be Chief Carter, Level 9. I need you to run this section of SHIELD. There isn't a person in this world I would trust more with this difficult job. You can, of course, say No. I'll be disappointed but I'm a grown man, I'll get over it. But I really hope you're going to say Yes."

Peggy Carter has posed:
When May officially accepts the position, Peggy lets her tea mug fall away as she doesn't need to hide the smile. She's clearly proud of the woman, and completely supports her stepping into this position. She gives a gentle tilt of her head towards May, "Congratulations. And...this is quite the staff meeting. Hill." Peggy greets the other woman who pops on screen, a definitely surprised to see her. "I can step out and give you all some priva... Ah."

Clearly, they intended her to be here. Fury is going on now about the various missions they've been on lately. Her smile falls away rather quickly as Fury mentions her actions did spur on HYDRA to take the steps which have hurt SHIELD so horribly now. She doesn't express sorrow, but any trained spy would be able to see the guilt on her face. She considers that a rather miserable failing on her part.

But, apparently, they don't. Dark eyes go a little wider as she actually comprehends what is being offered to her. She blinks around the room, a little, almost amused laugh escaping her breath before she lands eyes on May and then Bobbi -- did they know? Her head tilts towards the pair before she's finally looking back to Fury.

"Ah... I... Of course, sir, if you really think I'm ready. This is still a very different world than I left. And... I never meant to bring HYDRA down on our heads and must admit that yes, our actions probably prompted them to move quicker. It might not have been the right course. But... we are here now. I'm not going to stop fighting them. If... if this is how you think I can best fight them, I'll always serve where needed."

Melinda May has posed:
To be fair, May didn't know this was coming, no. That said, it's not a surprising choice. Of course, it now means she can't tap Carter as her 2IC. Damn. Maybe Sharon... she's due a promotion, right?

She listens to Peggy give a very British, roundabout answer that eventually boils down 'yes'. "Pretty sure you've forgotten more about running SHIELD than the rest of us will ever know," she murmurs.

So, yes. She's happy with this choice. Peggy is a station chief she can support quite well. And she conveys that with a satisfied smile and small nod to the woman.

Nick Fury has posed:
    Fury nods his head, "They had that weapon in their arsenal for who knows how long. It could have come at a worse time - when they were ready to use it, rather than when we forced them to use it Peggy. They're on the back foot and think they've just won a big victory. We may be used to working in plain view of the public but we're still spies at heart and in the dark we work just as effectively."

    He nods his head and looks to Blake, Hand, Morse, and now also May, "And you Commanders, do you accept Agent Peggy Carter as your superior?" He then looks to Hill, "Do you Agent Hill accept Agent Peggy Carter as your peer?"

    Bobbi coughs a bit from sipping her tea and nods her head, "Oh heck yes I do. I'm ready to hand this base over to _someone else_ yesterday." There's a nod from Hand and a small shrug from Blake. The latter two live in very different worlds to the Playground. Hill lowers the mask she's wearing and reveals the big grin on her face, "I wouldn't have it any other way Director."

    "And even though Phil isn't here for the meeting today I'm sure he'll get used to the idea of working for someone he considers a living legend.. some how I'm sure he'll come to terms with it," Fury says wryly on Phil's behalf. Everyone knows he's a huge fan of OG SHIELD and SSR.

Peggy Carter has posed:
A half wry smile is given in May's direction, "I... suppose this means I won't be joining STRIKE. Sorry about that, Commander. Though if things are quiet here, I'm always up for field ops, you know that." Then her dark gaze looks back to the array of commanders before her before fully resting on Fury. "That is...if I'm still allowed in the field. If this is going to permanently tie me to a desk, I may have to reconsider, you understand. I... never wanted to retire to a desk and still prefer to keep my own skills sharp." Even as a Director, though it was rare, Peggy took field time. Granted, back then, there was no one else above her to say no. Now there is.

Bobbi's comment about wanting to hand the base over gets a little sniff of a laugh, Peggy still smirking, "Hope you didn't rearrage things TOO much. I had it just the way I liked it the lat time we used this place. Getting rid of the dust, though...That helped." She smiles softer at the other woman.

Melinda May has posed:
Oh, like that's even a question Fury needs to ask. May gives him one of her patented 'Looks', a brow arching dryly. Her hand flips, palm up, as if to say, 'Really? You have to ask?' "Of course," she says aloud, just in case he insists on a verbal.

She shrugs lighly, a wry expression on her face, as Peggy acknowledges what they both know: Peggy can't be her 2IC. "I'll cope," she tells her. "I don't think anyone could keep you out of the field, even if they wanted to." Which works for her. She trusts her.

Nick Fury has posed:
    "However you think things will work best Peggy. I trust you will keep your sights on the bigger picture whether you're in the field or not," Fury says levelly.

    Bobbi grins at Peggy and says, "Well it was my first time setting up a whole SHIELD operation... Chief. I hope I did a good job."

    Fury stands up and sets the brief case down on the table. He opens it up with a finger scan and a code. Inside is a finger scanner and he steps in front of it, "Peggy, please scan your finger and enter your personal code so that you can gain access to level 9 clearance. Then.. the base is yours."

    "Commanders this meeting is adjourned for now. Please give Chief Carter time to settle and adjust and fix up all of Morse's mistakes," he adds that last bit just to keep some levity in the room. "You're dismissed."

    Bobbi lifts the tea cup up in salute to Carter and then gives May a grin, "Commander..," she says and heads out of the room to get back to her normal job duties.

Peggy Carter has posed:
As Fury gives her blessing to operate as she sees fit, Peggy's shoulders slightly drop in relief. That was far easier than the debate she thought it was going to be. "Excellent, then. I'd like to talk longer, at some point, about what we consider the... Mission of this base to be, exactly. But getting everything organized and running shouldn't be too hard. Morse here really has done all the work already, and done it well." Peggy's been watching, even if she wasn't here the first night. She doesn't miss things and she knows Bobbi's managed the really hard part.

The everyone is being dismissed. Peggy gives them all sharp, respectful nods before moving to stand up herself. She smiles to May, "You care to operate out of here as your back yard? I'm certain we can rearrange some things for your team, and I'll put in a good word to make certain the Chief gives you whatever space you need." While some people might be nervous at being given such a large promotion, she's technically skipping several steps here and she knows it, it's as if Peggy's back on solid ground again. She understands leadership. The world makes a bit more sense now.

Melinda May has posed:
May gives Bobbi a nod as she grins at her, her own smile smaller and still wry. But she appreciates the sentiment. "We'll chat later," she tells her. Because they have things they need to coordinate, now.

As Peggy finishes getting herself setup as Chief, May rises, but keeps her tea in her hands. Taking a sip, she moves a little towards the tray, pausing when Peggy asks her question. Glancing back over to her, she chuckles dryly. "Wouldn't have it any other way," she admits. "There's room enough for what we need to start. I'll work with Bobbi, though, to figure out a starting roster." Because, as far as she's concerned, anyone Garrett vetted is going to need to be vetted all over again. No one can just assume they're in STRIKE, any more. They need May's stamp of approval, now.

Nick Fury has posed:
    Fury smiles and motions to the seat, "I believe this is yours Chief Carter." With security clearance updated, he places a new lanyard down on the desk for Peggy too. The other commanders disconnect from the video feed and Fury shuts the doors behind May and Morse.

    "And yes, we have a LOT to discuss." All business once more, Fury walks over to the wall and touches his lanyard to a false brick. The room locks down dark and the holographic projector opens up to reveal a vast wealth of intelligence, "Now.. let's begin."

    --- Elsewhere

    Dr. Helmet List walks slowly around the Inhuman standing before him at attention. Their eyes front, hands by their sides. Standing near by is Sunil Bakshi with his arms folded comfortable. "Most impressive Mr. Bakshi," List complements. He points to a pile of wood on the far side of the room and says to the Inhuman, "Burn it."

    "My compliance will be rewarded," the Inhuman says and holds out their hands, squeezing the air until suddenly the distant pile of wood bursts in to flame.

    Dr. List walks over to Sunil Bakshi and offers him his hand, "I gave you three days to show me what you could do and I have not been disappointed. Consider yourself welcome in my employ Mr. Bakshi. Whitehall never truly appreciated your work - but believe me, I will."

    Their eyes glance out through a window at a long bay of beds filled with people connected to medical drips keeping them asleep for now. Each one an Inhuman they have so far captured. "And you have a lot of work ahead of you, Commander Bakshi." With an amused little smirk Sunil Bakshi says, "Their compliance will be our reward."