6281/The Framework: Unexpected Developments

The Framework: Unexpected Developments
Date of Scene:	20 May 2021
Location:	A Coffee Shop in Brooklyn
Synopsis:	Dottie Underwood reaches out to Lily Chen. She's learned something from her time in Gideon Mallick's organization. And she feels like sharing.
Cast of Characters:	Melinda May, Dottie Underwood
Tinyplot:	The Framework

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Melinda May has posed:
It's later in the evening. The coffee shop isn't quite as busy as it would be earlier in the day, but there are still enough people here to make it busy enough to cover the not-so-casual meeting.

Lily Chen sits at a small, two-person table in a corner that provides a good vantage of the whole space. She has a cup of green tea at her finger tips and the last quarter of a bagel sitting on a small plate before her.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
Dottie still goes to the counter and orders a coffee before joining the other woman at the table. She's worried. Lily can tell because Dottie is a little too still in her movements, a little too casual. She smiles a warm but not too warm, absolutely meaningless smile. "I wasn't sure you'd be able to make it," she says.

Melinda May has posed:
Lily's brows rise and fall in a bit of a pseudo-shrug. "I'm more resourceful than most people realize," she says mildly, a small, amused smile on her lips. She takes a sip of her tea, and the smile fades. "So... I take it you've got some interesting news?"

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"I saw you. In the footage. Hooked up to that machine," Dottie says, as if Lily knows what she's talking about. She's rambling slightly.

"What a wacky film concept, huh? So very sci-fi," she laughs. The almost jarring conversational tangent is explained as a barista puts Dottie's coffee order on the table. Once he's gone, she continues, "So do you have a twin?"

Melinda May has posed:
"In an manner of speaking," Lily admits. Her expression has turned a trifle more serious, the easy smile she gave the server fading with his retreat. "I take it you saw Melinda May with Peggy Carter. Why don't you start at the top. It's not like I was actually with you to know what you saw..."

Dottie Underwood has posed:
Dottie takes a sip of coffee and smiles too brightly, "Peg and," she hesitates only a fraction of a second as reassesses all of the interactions she assumed were with Lily, "Melinda May are in something called the Sphere. Some other agents too." This last bit of information is clearly an afterthought.

"But that's not really the beginning," she admits. "I made contact with Giyera. I suppose that's the beginning."

Melinda May has posed:
"Mm." Lily watches Dottie's thought processes rearrange themselves. She doesn't react to it, though it is interesting to see. Instead, she simply nods. "Yes. Do tell."

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"That part's actually quite thrilling. There were animated skeleton pirates in the Bermuda Triangle. And I rescued the big bad HYDRA bodyguard. Or Clara Starling did; Giyera was properly grateful and still finds her entertaining, from time to time. He's gotten quite careless. He likes to show off. And so does his boss." This detail is offered in a deadpan tone. Dottie is clearly not impressed.

"But that's not important, really. There are SHIELD agents trapped in the Sphere, which seems to be some sort of artificial reality that they haven't manage to escape." She takes a sip of coffee, despite the urgency of the next piece of information, she can't help milking the moment. "The problem is that they're running out of time."

Melinda May has posed:
Lily's fingers circle lightly on the side of her tea cup as she listens. A brow arches at the description of the pirates. Her lips twitch in subtle amusement at the assessment of Giyera. She's not entirely surprised, based on what little she's seen.

The rest, though? "I haven't heard of the Sphere," she admits. Nor has she heard of the VR it holds. But she can surmise that Peggy and Melinda are trapped in it. Which means... she should reach out to Daniel. "Why are they running out of time?"

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"When I was last with Giyera, I overheard a conversation between him and Gideon Malick. Someone has decided that the Sphere is more trouble that it's worth. They've been given orders. A team is being sent to 'clean it up.' And I don't imagine that they mean giving it a little spit and polish." Dottie takes another sip of coffee. "Which is why I contacted you."

Melinda May has posed:
Lily's expression tightens, though her alarm isn't palpable. She's been at this game too long. "Did you get an idea of when they might be doing this?"

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"Soon," Dottie says. "They're sending someone called 'Carl Creel' with a team of HYDRA agents to deal with the problem. So whatever we're going to do about this, we should do it."

Melinda May has posed:
Lily agrees with a nod. "We need to go see Daniel," she condludes. She gives Dottie a direct look. "You're coming with me. You're going to need to give him this report." She gives a small, tight smile. "I'll vouch for you. But Daniel's our way in." She's already played her 'waltzing into the Playground' card once. She can't afford to overplay it.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
Dottie nods, her face a mask. Whatever emotions she has about speaking to Daniel Sousa, a man who she hasn't interacted with since she shot him in the back in 1955, she's keeping them to herself. "After you," she says.