6338/The Framework: Explaining the Inhuman Problem

The Framework: Explaining the Inhuman Problem
Date of Scene:	26 May 2021
Location:	Hot Jeff Coffee, Salem (The Framework)
Synopsis:	Skye Starr runs in to Sky Commander Morse at Hot Jeff Coffee. She orders something ridiculous, but pulls off her best undercover work ever trying to pry information out of the Agent of HYDRA without tipping her hand, all the while remembering how she murdered her virtual mother.
Cast of Characters:	Bobbi Morse, Daisy Johnson
Tinyplot:	The Framework

---

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    It's not as though there were any rule, or armed guards, or a sign keeping people away from Hot Jeff Coffee in Salem at this time of the morning every morning during the week. But they did. Because Sky Commander Morse came here like clockwork and the last thing the locals want is to draw more attention to themselves from HYDRA.

    She sits at a table reading the mornings news. Last night's performance by Skye Starr getting mixed reviews seems to have hit the front pages of some websites and online magazines. Curious, but not important to her job.

    Coffee is sipped and the gentle classical music sings in to the air from the music. The owner of the shop stands behind the counter. Originally he was nervous but now he's gotten used to it. He even tries to make small talk with her sometimes but it never really works.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Could it get any weirder? First Daisy gets into what is a damn live concert. Apparently her alter-ego is some kind of pop star. Great. And then APPARENTLY she also has a sugar daddy. Someone high up in .., hydra? Clearly things are different in this world. And while she still had a few more things to figure out about Mr. Radcliffe, who she hoped would be answered with a little trip today she had to take a breather and nothing like going to ...

... Jeff's?

She was sure this used to be Joe's. Not Jeff. But whatever. She moves in sporting a nice little 'disguise' in the form of jeans, a loose hoodie and a cap she takes out when wandering in. No sunglasses at least, those rarely work except to say 'HELLO, I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO RECOGNIZE ME!'

So far it had worked. For why would popstar sensation Skye Starr be having a coffee at Jeff's so early in the morning? Well, she had just jacked back in from the VR stations..

The door rings to receive another patron. Not one of the usuals by the Sky Commander's calculations!

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Jeff looks a little surprised as a customer walks in during Sky Commander time. He actually looks nervous, like someone is holding up the joint. Glancing to the Sky Commander and then back to Daisy. "Ahh... we're closed," is how he tries to get rid of her.

    Morse lowers her tablet and peers back at Jeff, then looks Daisy up and down. Her ruined eye and scar are quite striking up close like this. An eyebrow is raised and she says, "Serve the girl Jeff. I don't own your shop." That was most certainly Bobbi's voice but there was an authority to it that is only ever heard from Bobbi in the real world in the midst of a mission.

    Bobbi clearly hadn't recognised Daisy yet, the disguise is working? she lifts up her tablet again and resumes scrolling and sipping her coffee. Dressed in the black tactical armor of HYDRA with HYDRA logo on her upper arms and over her chest.. but also wearing a long leather jacket and black gloves. She has a slightly menacing quality to her.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
The door stays open for a couple of moments as Skye just seems to *stare* right through at the Sky Commander. Recognition? Something else? For the split of a second it's almost as if she's so similar to someone else. Stubborness and determination. But who would it be?

This is not your Bobbi, Daisy.

She wanders in quietly, closing the door and lifting her hand to greet Joe--- and it's Jeff now? Great. Another little change. It does make her wonder how much these little changes made this world be as it is now. Changes clearly done by this AIDA, or whoever else was pulling the strings. Something to look into. But now she had a chance to actually talk up with the Sky Commander. Yet she'd need to be careful.

Be vapid.

"This place looks great." She tells Jeff, "Can I get a coffee please?" a beat. Seems like a normal request too! ".. dark roasted, only organic and no more than 35 celsius temperature. A small slice of orange on the side dipped with the best bourbon you have on the house." she gesturing vaguely. "Anything with ten years up will do."

Yes, she picked up words and joined them for the most outrageous request possible. Maybe she is still under the no-no drugs.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Jeff listens to that strange order and he peers at her for a long moment and then nods, "UH huh. Take a seat and I'll bring it over to you." Because this is going to take some effort. He disappears in to the backroom to get to work.

    That is a voice she knows. Radcliffe tries to keep his life separate from work but they've all seen him with his plaything on his arm. The popstar.. Skye Starr, whose real name is Mary Sue Poots. A fact that amuses Bobbi a little more than it probably should. If she were named Poots she'd pick a stage name like Starr as well.

    "I thought you did coffee with Radcliffe in the mornings," she says from behind the tablet she's reading off of. The problem with directors arm candy is you can't actually be mean to them, they might tell on you. No one wants to embarrass the director of HYDRA by pointing out his girlfriend is an empty vessel of a person .... still she made good songs.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Mouth opens, then closes. Daisy was ready to just shift it to a normal black coffee once Jeff said he couldn't go ahead with the request. But then he says he will ... Well... Maybe he was scared of saying he couldn't do it. Would Bobbi shoot him or something? But then again he's probably used to serving some outlandish requests out of Bobbi. Unless she is one of those types that does a routine. Ugh.. What did they do to her Bobbi?!

She looks over a shoulder. "Oh, hello Sky Commander!" she beams a smile in her direction. "I barely recognized you there in your ...., usual uniform.." it finishes a bit lamely perhaps. But hey, empty vessel and brainless pop star is what she is! Totally!

She hops out from the bench she had chosen to be in and fearlessly walks to join Bobbi at her table. Brainless often makes for fearless too. A dangerous combination!

"I do. I just sort of decided to break the routine a little today. Had a big concert last night." She slides into a seat across from the other woman.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Bobbi's eyebrows furrow as she hears a chair drawn out at her table. She peers over the tablet as Skye Starr takes a seat with her. There's a hidden frown and then she hmmms judgingly. "Yes, I read all about it," she says and turns the tablet around.

    All publicity is good publicity right? may be not this one. 'Worst performance by Starr yet - has she lost her touch or is she headed back to rehab soon?'.

    Realising she's not going to get the peace and quiet she desires of a morning she sets the tablet down and takes a sip of her boring routing coffee. It's some what comforting that after someone looking like Lance Hunter turned up at her house, she can count on the vapidness of a popstar to ground her again.

    "So are you? ....going back to rehab?," she asks dryly. Her messed up eye moving as her good eye studies Daisy and her responses. She allowed herself to relax at home and that was a mistake. She's not going to relax here in Salem Center.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Reviews are glowing.. I knew you were a fan." Because why else would Bobbi be reading about her? Keep tabs on Holden's arm candy? Most likely! But that's what Daisy would think, not vapid Skye.

The talk about worst performance has Skye's lower lip tremble. She actually tried to sing! Noone appreciates some genuine singing anymore. "Well, I tried a different approach. They will understand it soon enough.." she vaguely gesturing with her hand. It's the fans and critics that are wrong, not her.

A look to the tablet when it's put down with a grin, because she has the Sky Commander's attention now! Yet the talk of rehab has her shaking her head. "Don't think so. Unless Holden thinks it's a good idea, but I have been good to him." 'good'. And ugh, Daisy could slap herself right now. But she has to keep it up.

"He has been very happy with you though. Very happy." She states, fingers rolling the edges of her hair, "Are you happy with what you are doing too?" she cants her head to the side.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Whatever took place to give her that wicked scar that ruined her eye must have been quite epic. She survived though, which is a good thing otherwise they'd have a dead body in a pod already. The curious change of topic to her job makes her let out a soft hmmmm.

    She picks up her coffee and takes a long sip. Would Holden really talk about her and the other staff to his bedroom toy? She could be mean back to Skye, point out how AIDA wants to kill her and likely will at some point.. but that'd be like telling a child they have no friends. There's nothing to be gained.

    The coffee lowers and she asks, "Are you unhappy with what you're doing?" Because goodness knows there's no way Bobbi would ever sleep with Director Radcliffe. "Or are you just worried if he's happy with you?," she says challengingly.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"I asked first..." Skye furrows her eyebrows at Bobbi. "And I am not unhappy. That Aida gives me the creeps though, always lurking. But you know, sometimes you need to tolerate a bitch or two in our lives, mmm?" she says it in a conspirational kind of way almost as if the Sky Commander was her new best friend.

Straightening back up on her seat she rests an elbow on the table and continues, "But wait ..., has Holden been talking about me? What did he tell you?" she then asks.

Is she scared? Maybe looking for some support?

Nah, she just wants Bobbi to open up and reveal more of herself. Besides, she knows Bobbi! Maybe there's still some of the sassy woman of the past that she can get to.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    There is a small part of her that wonders 'is this what we've been fighting for.. Skye Starr and a whole generation like her?' but all that comes out of that is a raised eyebrow. "Good. I'm sure the Director would be utter heart broken if you weren't as happy as can be," she says. That's a bit of low level passive aggressive right there. No doubt she considers Radcliffe's pass times a pointless distraction.

    "Even if he were to talk about his private life, I wouldn't listen unless I was ordered to," she admits. "As for my job? Yes. You won't hear about it on the news but we busted the heart of the Inhuman terrorist organisational structure last night. The bulk of the war is over. That's a big win for HYDRA. The people can breath a little easier knowing we are better than our enemies."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Great win for team hydra.." Skye murmurs, lowering her gaze down to the table and ..., just in time for Jeff to come by with her coffee, with what she asked for too. That's ..., surprising. And relentless! She smiles up to Jeff in thanks. "That was lovely, thank you." then comments back to Bobbi, "Is that why you fight? To silence and destroy our enemies?"

She makes a bit of an airheaded look and asks. "What did those uh.., terrorists even did anyway?" clearly Skye doesn't seem to care too much about what's happening out there in the world. Just the world orbiting around her apparently!

"But you know, a big win like this should be celebrated. Maybe I should get a concert in honor of our Hydra Agents that went on the mission. Lift the morale and all that.."

It's sheer force of will that keeps that 'act' going. That stops her from reaching across the table and try to strangle this Commander who she saw kill her mother. But she has her purpose. It is to save her friends from this simulation. And for that she will do anything. Maybe she is starting to become an actual spy after all. All those lessons starting to rub off on her.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    There is a small nod. At least someone appreciates her work. What she does rarely ends up on the news. May's operations tend to make it to the news because they're often in the cities. They are the last line of defence after all.

    She hmphs, "I fight because I'm good at it and it's the right thing to do. We must be strong to defend ourselves from the monsters of the world." There is quite the eyebrow raise though when Daisy asks what the terrorists did. It figures that a popstar would somehow not pay attention to significant world events.

    "Really?," she says, "You don't remember the Cambridge attack? or what happened in Texas? Our world is being invaded by monsters who call themselves Inhumans. They are each weapons of mass destruction and they don't hesitate to kill. Tens of thousands died before HYDRA stepped up and saved us."

    "What sickens me is that there are still people who try to help them, after all they have done and continue to do. It saddens me that SHIELD wasn't able to be strong enough to stop them, but instead sided with them."

    Yes, Bobbi is full on HYDRA. She smiles a touch at the idea of Skye doing her part for a change. "I'm sure the agents would appreciate a concert," she says trying to be diplomatic.. so long as it wasn't as bad as her last one.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Brows furrow, Daisy's dark gaze on the Commander for a few moments, studying her, more astute for a second there. "Well, we don't hesitate to kill either." she says, smiling faintly. "Or well, you. Someone has to do that horrible job of fending off against those Inhumans, mmm? What will you do now that you have killed them all?" she then asks, quirking a brow up at the other woman. Some aggressiveness on her words there? Eh, who knows? Those drugs were crazy if one is to believe what's being written on the news about last night!

"Why did they start attacking us though?" She then finally asks, almost as if she had been asleep these last few years. But mostly it just appears she wants to relate with Bobbi. Appear interested in her new friend's work! It's important when you are making friends, right? Look interested!

The agreement about the concert does make her clap her hands together and take a sip from her coffee. Ugh horrible. She wrinkles her nose. "Horrible." she says, reaching for the bourbon. Nothing like a 8am bourbon.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    "If only," she says with a small smirk. "We have crushed their operation but there are still more out there, lurking, waiting for their moment to strike."

    The Sky Commander adjusts her posture, relaxing a little in to the conversation about her work, "Mm. Good question. No one really knows. There are details of a mission from SHIELD time when an Inhuman was saved and brought back to the USA. That Inhuman went on to kill.. to be the antogonist of the Cambridge incident. But why did she do it? what driiives an Inhuman to murder?"

    "We may never know, but the good Doctor in HYDRA works on these questions and many more. He's a very smart man and I know he'll get to the bottom of it one way or another," she says.. he'll get to the bottom of it, one Inhuman at a time. She'd care more about the horrors that man inflicts if she weren't totally on board with HYDRA doing what it needs to do to keep the borders safe.

    "My guess is, whatever horrific process they go through to mutate breaks their brains. Much like the old hollywood movies. The grotesque ones always become killers and the pretty ones worse killers still. If you really want to know more, you should search the internet for Inhuman attacks. They're quite well documented. Frankly, I'm surprised you don't know this already.. but I suppose you're too busy with your concerts and parties to care about the common folk hmm?"

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"What drives anyone to murder?" Daisy then asks, thoughtful. Airheaded? Maybe a little, but she is doing the right questions! "Would their motives be so different?" a bit of a smile, followed by a good sip of the bourbon. Now that's better! "Aren't we doing the same by murdering them all?" she has her eyes fixed on Bobbi as she says that. Not accusingly. Certainly not! Yet doesn't she just resemble someone..?

"I just hope it all ends soon..." A wistful little sigh coming out of her lips.

"Well, between my concerts and keeping Mr. Big appeased it's an hard life! I may have missed a thing or two... But I am looking forward to this concert! You know, you could put in a good word for me. I want Holden to be happy with me, and this concert could help ..." Of course the motives for the concert would be all about her!

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    She shrugs her shoulders, "Broken brains? That's not my area of expertise. Ask the Doctor some time, I'm sure he'd be happy to explain what goes on in the mind of an Inhuman." She smirks a touch, "Interesting question. I put myself in harms way to defend people. They.. go out of their way to hurt people. Don't you remember the burning man? set hundreds of people on fire in the subway while ranting about the lyrics from The Beatles."

    "One thing we know for sure is they're no longer human when they make that change. They're Inhuman. It's right there in the name they chose for themselves."

    She chuckles, "You can ask your Holden. I'm sure he'll say yes. Feel free to drop my name if you want. You do good music - when you're not high as a kite." She really is a fan. She sips more of her coffee and then glances at her watch. No heart rate monitor on this Bobbi. "Enjoy your day, our freedom is earned through strength and vigilance Starr. Hail HYDRA," she says and stands up, taking her tablet with her out the door.