6400/The Framework: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

The Framework: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Date of Scene:	01 June 2021
Location:	The Framework: The Carter-Sousa Household
Synopsis:	In the Framework, The Doctor and the Sky Commander pay a surprise visit to Peggy on Memorial Day. They find Melinda May there and lay out some very clear threats. There is no time to waste in getting Peggy and her children out of the country.
Cast of Characters:	Peggy Carter, Melinda May, Bobbi Morse, Leopold Fitz
Tinyplot:	The Framework

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Peggy Carter has posed:
There was still no luck on finding little Melly, life carried on. Peggy kept juggling raising the two children she does have with a seeming insane, highly wanted husband, her best friend hardly ever able to visit her, and a handler who is in an uncomfortable truce about all of it. It's been a hard two weeks. Memorial Day, however, was always important to the Carter-Sousa household. They both served for so long, their friends often are serving in some capacity. Even if no one can see Daniel, they can't grill outside, Peggy's insisted that Melinda come over for dinner. They deserve a holiday. A small celebration.

The grill is going on the side deck with the sliding screen door open. Peggy is the one doing the cooking, or trying at least, because Daniel can't show his face outside. Michael's asleep in the small kitchen table bouncy bassinet and Lily's at the dining room table coloring, looking between her mother and Melinda as she tries to help. Things seem almost normal. "Dinner in five minutes. I think I actually managed not to burn it. Feel free to open a drink, Melinda. Relax. You're still my *friend*. You're allowed to be in my *house*."

Melinda May has posed:
Two weeks, yes. Commander May has been busy. Beyond whatever careful search she's done for young Melinda Sousa -- which has been an exceptionally discrete operation -- she has had a full plate with the new assignment the Doctor gave her. And she's been very diligent at attending to it. Indeed, she's made thorough progress. Enough that, still somewhat against her better judgment, she agrees to come for dinner. If only to see Lily.

Besides, it's not like she's been forbidden to visit. She's just not encouraged to do so. Which, well... that's kinda normal.

Thus, when she turned up, she left her bike parked discretely, but not invisibly. She didn't make a great effort to hide her presence. It wouldn't really do any good.

Thus, she currently stands a little off to one side, watching Peggy attempt to cook and standing by in case someone needs to rescue the meat. May isn't the best bbq chef in the world... but she still trusts her skill more than Peggy's. She glaces over to Lily when she fidgets, and there's a ghost of a smile that touches her lips.

"You want something?" she asks Peggy, pushing off the deck rail. "Sidecar? Whiskey sour? Rum and coke? Smithwicks?" Whatever they've got... she's only guessing.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    It was a silent trip. It's what Bobbi preferred. None of this chatting about stuff. Then again she should probably tell _someone_ a person who looked identical to Lance Hunter turned up at her house and rambled at her like a mad man. Some kind of Inhuman sympathiser, possibly an Inhuman shapeshifter.

    But that's a problem she will deal with herself. She's not weak, she's strong and can handle her own business. The little dots of heat in the backyard of nearly ever home suggests Memorial Day grilling is a common affair in this part of town. The infrared display can be useful like that. The Carter-Sousa household appears no different tonight.

    The heavily modified quinjet glides quietly through the air, cloaked as it is, and lowers down on to the road. The wings fold upwards in to an A shape and two drones shoot out down the streets. They pause at the street entrance and begin emitting an animated light sign that says 'Road Closed by Order of HYDRA' to stop cars turning down this way.

    Quinjet Prime de-cloaks and Bobbi slips out of the pilots seat. The hanger door lowers and she smirks a moment at Leopold Fitz, "After you Doctor." This was, after all, his house call.

    ICER on her hip, she isn't here for pleasantries. Then again, there's very few people in the world that would call time with Bobbi 'pleasant'. Tactical googles on too, she sees the gentle warmth of the motorbike engine still cooling which gives away its position. 'Well placed,' she thinks to herself. "May is here," she comments.. that was their expectation after all.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
While the Inhuman problem might be well on it's way towards being solved -- their back all but broken in the raid -- Leopold Fitz's workload has only increased. For all his diligence in attending to the security needs of HYDRA, it is still science where his heart -- if he can be said to have one still -- truly lies. And with so many captives at his disposal for... examination he has been a busy Doctor indeed.

Like the Commander, he has no need to fill the silence with irrelevant social nicities and instead lingers in the back of the Quinjet throughout the flight, his attention focused on the tablet in his hand, brow furrowed slightly in consideration as he goes over the latest results of his experiments. True and total success might be elusive for now, but it is only a matter of time before the unnatural abilities of the Inhumans can be properly harvested and granted to more deserving individuals. One's with more loyalty and vision.

His vision.

As for this little excursion? While he might begrudge the time away from the lab, there are other matters that are important as well to HYDRA's long term objectives. Things that he must see to personally. So as the QUinjet begins to set down he fianlly begins to flick through the extensive recon that has been gathered by the fleet of drones at his disposal, by the lairs of agents that he has moved on and off this detail, agents not disclosed even to Dottie Underwood.

No one is above suspicion, no one is above observation. Perhaps not even the Doctor himself.

"Thank you Commander," he says, rising from his seat and leading the way down the ramp, the tablet tucked under one arm as he pulls on a pair of leather gloves. "I imagined that she would be," he says, his voice carrying a false note of cheerfulness. "Let us see how things fare with the Carter-Sousa family. And our good, strong right hand."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Smithwicks, please. There should be a case in the fridge." Her taste in beer really hasn't changed over years or worlds, and it's the one comfort drink Peggy lets herself indulge in on a semi regular basis. Especially tonight. "Burgers should be up soon. Lily. you want to try one tonight?" Peggy calls in through the sliding glass door. She gets the answer she expects: "No! Hot dogs. Ketcup. Pickles." It's the same thing she's eat at any cook out for a year now and one of her favorites enough that Peggy has to cook it on non grilling nights. Children. A wry smile crosses her lips as she turns the well made hot dogs as well. She'll keep trying.

Then there is that sound outside. The uncloaking of that craft, the lights of it uncomfortably close. Boots coming down a wrap and clicking on the sidewalk outside the house, echoing through open windows and the sliding screen door of the patio. Peggy's eyes shoot wide. "HYDRA. If you get the door, I'll get him hidden." She whispers too quickly to May, then turns fast to her daugter, "Lily, no talk of your father. *None*. Understood. They think he is gone. You have to be quiet." Peggy orders her daughter almost too fiercely, her voice barely above a frenetic whisper. Then she's running into the basement. A lead lined, well sealed panic room was built in this place when they first moved in over half a decade ago, when SHIELD was still in charge and the world felt normal. It's supposed to stop all scans and completely seal itself. That's now where Peggy puts her husband, ensuring the thing is locked and hidden behind the well sealed, boring wall with the basement flat screen TV hung across it.

Melinda May has posed:
The Quinjet might be cloaked, but a pilot as good as May knows what it sounds like, feels like, even cloaked. And when it uncloakes? She swears. She's moving almost before Peggy's saying anything. "On it," she says. She moves swiftly through the house, her breathing even and heartbeat hardly ticking up a beat. She's used to danger, after all. She's trained to remain steady as a rock during a conflict. So, her feet down the stairs to the front door don't hurry unduly. She's buying time, but judging the timing carefully. Long enough for Peggy to hide Daniel. Short enough not to seem like they're hiding anything.

She opens the door for the Sky Commander and the Doctor -- they don't even have to wait to knock. Her dark brow arches faintly, cooly, as she regards Morse. The scarred woman doesn't intimidate her at all. The Doctor... well, even the Mongoose respects the Cobra.

"Good afternoon," she greets them evenly. She steps back, knowing there's no point blocking them. "Do come in."

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Sky Commander Morse is truly the eye in the sky. All those lovely air ships, quinjets, and drones that the Doctor has made for HYDRA at her finger tips. All that data about May, as requested, sent to the Doctor. It is very hard to hide from HYDRA if you are a dissident. Project Insight remains ever vigilant for HYDRA's enemies too. Almost every target has been eliminated. It's only a matter of time.

    Bobbi tugs at her gloves to make sure they're in place, then she walks confidently up to the house and approaches the front door. This is a sort of friendly, sort of not friendly visit. After all, they know without a shadow of a doubt that Agent Underwood has been covering for them for.. something. What? well some questions need to be asked and answers extracted.

    The desire to simply kick down the door and rush this place with shock troopers is immense. Peggy Carter and her traitorous husband Daniel Sousa. Why these two weren't done away with years ago she doesn't know. Probably just to lure more hiding SHIELD agents out in the open. Her distaste for the duo is high. Sympathisers of Inhumans have no place in her world.

    Her hand up to knock, politely, she then regards May with a tilt of the head. Her ruined eye seems like it is looking through her. "May," she says cordially and steps past her to take up space and survey the room before the Doctor is to enter. It seems.. like a perfectly normal suburban house.

    Bobbi doesn't wait for permission she enters the kitchen and notes.. no one is tending the grill outside. Her eyes scan around the room, expecting .. no .. _hoping_ to find something incriminating. "Your hot dogs are going to burn," she warns.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
There are no fake smiles today, no empty platitudes as the door to the household is opened for them, even before they knock. In fairness, if this was truly meant to be a surprise, if the visit was meant to catch them offguard it is unlikely that there would have been a Quinjet -- even a stealthed one -- anywhere near this home. Circling overhead perhaps, ready to deploy the required ordinance. Or perhaps landing several blocks away. But not this close.

All tech has limitations afterall. Even the Dcotor's personal creations.

If he is in anyway put out by the fact that May is unphased by their arrival there is certainly no signs of it on his tightly controlled features, merely dipping his head slightly in greeting. "Commander," he says quietly, following Morse into the residence.

There are no empty best wishes, or hopes that they are enjoying the holiday weekend. But then there are not accusations or demands for the Commander to explain her presence here either. No, the strangeness, the unspoken threat is in his visit alone. "And where is Ms. Carter-Sousa?" he asks quietly, that dead-eyed stare sweeping across the living room first and then the kitchen.

Peggy Carter has posed:
While there is no one out at the grill, it's not even 15 seconds before Peggy comes out of the lower level's door. It's the area with the garage and some storage, and she's got a handful of hotdog bugs in one hand as well as another six pack of beer in her other hand. A too-pleasant smile crosses her soft, rounder face, the once-steely, muscled Director of SHIELD now a woman who has had three children and gone quite soft in compare to her old days. She looks like a mostly typical suburban mother, no matter how dangerous she was once upon a time.

"Found the hot dog buns, and brought up more... Ah. Hullo. Commander. Doctor. I... didn't realize we were getting more company." Peggy's trying to keep her smile in place, her tone as neutral and pleasant as possible. Even if she's internally screaming. The dinner table might be the only suspicious thing, as it's set for 4 and there's only three people clear in the room right now. Little Lily has pushed aside her plate so she can color, but now the coloring is abandoned as she stares up at two new entrants to the house.

"...are you who made daddy go away forever?" From the mouth of babes. That is what she was told, after all, and Lily can read just how scared both her mother and May are. The words from her daughter get a deep sigh from Peggy, but not much more reaction as she goes to put the buns and beer down before ducking out onto the porch to shut off the grill. She doesn't bring any food in, she's just making certain it doesn't burn. She steps back inside, instinctively closer to where Lily is sitting.

Melinda May has posed:
May gives Doctor an even expression. "Fetching more buns," she says as the woman appears, buns and beer in hand. "I'm sure we can put on extra, if you intend to stay." She doubts this is a social call. She's not about to flinch though. Oh, hell no. She's been at this game far too long for that. Even in the face of the Doctor and Morse. Even in the face of Lily's awful, damning question. She doesn't flinch.

She knew this moment would come eventually.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Bobbi notices the extra plate. Curious. Are they having another guest over for their holiday grill perhaps? She looks over Peggy Carter-Sousa. She does look like quite the housewife somehow. A clever cover perhaps. She wouldn't put it past the former director. The director who made SHIELD soft and unable to defend itself from Inhumans.

    The prize student of John Garrett (who is now one of the board members of HYDRA) strokes a leather gloved finger over the rim of the extra plate. The sound of the young voice hits her ears and she turns. A small smile for the child as she looks at the drawing she's currently making and rests a hand on the table.

    Her long leather coat billows for a moment with the movement and the blonde with the scary eye says, "You must be Lily hm? My name is Barbara. And no little one, Agent May did that." She looks back up to May and stares at her a moment. A curious relationship she has with this household it seems.

    It's like all the playful banter and bitchiness she shares with Lance had been channeled in to a dark conduit of hurt and pain once she killed him. Instead of being fun and taking gently jabs at people.. she cuts right to the bone and twists the knife in as deep as she can. There is little love left in Bobbi's life.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
Does the Doctor also notice that little oddity? Four settings for only three people? Perhaps, perhaps not. On one hand those cold, icy eyes seem to take in every detail and yet there are certainly areas where his brilliance does not extend. Like say, perhaps, the binding ties of friendship and family. For all the respect that he has seemingly invested in his father there is nothing there that speaks to any sort of affection.

If the Doctor is even capable of affection any longer.

That little question is somewhat like a social grenade, isn't it? While he might have toyed with that sort of game the last time he visited, Leopold Fitz does not seem to have a great deal of interest in it this time. Still, he does tilt his head ever so slightly as his Sky Commander gladly pounces on the opportunity.

"In all fairness to Commander May, while hers might have been the hand that ended your father's life, I fear that the only one truly responsible for your father's death was himself," he says quietly, coldly. A simple recitation of facts, even in the face of a child that has lost her father. "I very much wanted your father alive, truth be told. Unfortunately he was a very... misguided man, I fear," he says, shrugging his shoulders. "Misguided, or perhaps selfish and foolish. To put his pride over the good of his family. To leave you and your mother alone. To leave your sister alone," he adds, eyes glinting just a little in the afternoon light.

Peggy Carter has posed:
There is dead silence for a few moments as Peggy just stares at the two intruders to her house and then over to Agent May. Aunt Mel. The woman who has shared so much with them. Who their first child is *named after*. Peggy's mind tries to process this all and then a sick sounding little laugh escapes her lips. It's the kind of laugh that comes when someone finally, simply breaks. She looks back to May and just shakes her head slowly, silently.

Lily is momentarily confused. It's not until her mother is looking at May that she remembers yes, sometimes, she's Aunt May, though usually Aunt Mel. And they were agents. Then the confusion is deeper, blinking tears welling in her eyes. She shakes her head in the jerky way of a kid who is ready to start throwing a fit. "NO. No. Aunt Mel isn't MEAN. NO." But the Doctor just lends more and more weight to the argument. Lily's full on crying now, though there is a level of confusion from her that goes somewhat deeper than being told all these very adult things. As she dissolves into more tears, "No, no, no, daddy will come BACK. HE WILL..." And Peggy could just about die. She watches the coming melt down and scampers forward, scooping her daughter up so her face can bury in her shoulder.

"She is tired, and a child, and does *not* understand. Excuse us while I put her to bed." And, unless she is physically stopped, Peggy moves to disappear down that short hallway where she can tuck the crying child away behind a closed door before she says anything else. The wailing continues. It really is ear piercing. Peggy still can't look May in the eye.

Melinda May has posed:
May doesn't expect Peggy to look her in the eye. She remains impassive. These cruelties are not unexpected. Ill-timed, but hardly a surprise. It's not like she's not pulled the same trick. That Morse is the one angling to take her position is only surprising insofar as MOrse has traditionally been more of an ally to Garrett and Whitehall than Fitz and Radcliffe. Still, opportunity is opportunity. And in HYDRA, you either take advantage of the opportunity, or you die.

However, May receives the not-so-subtle messages embedded here. They know she's searching for Melinda. They know Underwood is covering for her, for Peggy, for Daniel. What they may not know is that Daniel is somehow alive. But she can't count on an easy escape now. It's time for Peggy and the children to go. She'll have to leave that with Underwood, hope the Russian can get them to SHIELD... damn it all. SHIELD is the last place she wants them. But extenuating circumstances make strange bedfellows.

So... no. She doesn't flinch. Not even when Lily wails. Not this time. Maybe later.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Bobbi watches the look on Peggy's face. It was so worth the trip out here just to see the former director's heart break. She looks back to May as Peggy leaves and clucks her tongue, shaking her head. "You didn't tell her? You of all people should know only the truth will set you free."

    Because there are questions that need answering and there are harder ways to get those answers than simply telling the truth to the doctor. Interrogation by HYDRA is not something most people survive unless they wanted you to.

    From her pocket she takes out a photo. Unfolding it she places it on the kitchen table. It's of Jemma Simmons. Not of her at school mind, no, it's of her getting out of her car where she lives. She's sure the doctor will want to ask the question, but she couldn't help but prod May now that the knife is firmly in her back.

    "Cheer up May, one day we will both be laughing about this day," she says making a false prediction. She expects she'll be laughing about it one day. If ever there was concern to be had it might be that Garrett wants Morse closer to the Doctor. Or perhaps they want Morse to gain more favour over Garrett and the board.

    Nothing good can come of the HYDRA board poking in to the affairs of Radcliffe and Leopold. On the other hand, it might suggest that Garrett is afraid of Fitz and Radcliffe.. even when you're having fun you're always someones pawn in HYDRA. As an Agent of HYDRA you have to make your peace with that and be strong enough to survive it.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
Ahhh, the politics of HYDRA. They are such cutthroat affairs.

Certainly many in the upper echelon take a great deal of satisfaction in undercutting their competitors, in rising closer and closer to the top. Of course, it is still HYDRA. There is always another head out there, sprouting from the last, always another foe to deal with. Even when that enemy is part of HYDRA too.

As cold as Fitz might be, he does not take any delight in that sort of infighting. Oh, he has no doubt that his vision, Radcliffe's vision for HYDRA is the only correct one. The ideologically pure one. But that coldness within him is also ruthlessly practical and efficient.

He wanted Daniel Sousa alive not because he cared about the man. Not because he cares about his family. But because of the knowledge he might bring.

It is much the same with Command May in truth. While the Sky Commander might not understand why he has not tossed her aside for the mere suspicion that she is more involved with the Carter-Sousa family then she should be -- which clearly is the case -- the truth of it is rather simple. She is an excellent tool. One he might need again some day.

One does not throw away something like that without very careful consideration.

So while he glances towards that image of the school teacher on the table, he does not immediately comment on it, does not level any accusations. He only stares at her with that cool gaze. "It would appear that we have put a damper on your celebration."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Since she is not stopped, Peggy disappears into the back bedroom. There is still waiting for a little bit Lily beyond upset. But then, the 3 year old lost her father. The people responsible for his death are in the house. It's probably not a surprise that she's a little unsettled. She continues sobbing for a good bit, but Peggy mutters a few words of reassurance, missing the largest amount of the drama over the photo in the room. Or, at least, the reveal.

When she comes back out, it's to almost silence. She's still got bloodshot eyes herself, but the hardened face of a woman who is trying to keep it together for the people around her. May is stared at for a few heartbeats before she then looks around to the table and the photo. A flicker of confusion crosses her features, recognizing the woman, but a hint of protective anger crosses her features a heartbeat later. "I do not know what Ms. Simmons has to do with that. She's not even young Melinda's teacher any longer. Leave the poor woman alone, she's just an innocent *teacher*, for god sakes." There's some of the old fire from Peggy. The sort of woman that would have spent her whole life fighting against this if it wasn't for her children.

Melinda May has posed:
May recognizes the teacher, of course. She's not going to acknowledge it, though... again... she's not surprised when Peggy does. As far as Melinda can see, this whole situation is only going to go from bad to worse. Probably fast. And she sees no reasonable way to stop it, short of killing both Morse and Fitz here and now. And, while May might be able to shoot Fitz before Morse shoots her, she knows she can't guarantee she'll take Morse without a lot of collateral damage.

And she can't do that right now. Her hands are quite effectively tied. So, she settles down inside herself to wait. Body relaxed, expression calm, attentive, but unyielding. It's her usual game face, the one that's won her many different battles on many different battlefields -- both literal and figurative.

The game's afoot.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    What needed to be said has been said without words. HYDRA doesn't know that Underwood is secretly SHIELD.. but they will soon. HYDRA might have guessed they were trying to find Melli, but they probably also took the child as leverage over Peggy to begin with.

    Bobbi picks up the photo and folds it neatly in to quarters, then slips it back in to her pocket. She walks outside to the grill and turns the hot dogs over. She's made herself at home and there's nothing Peggy or May can do about it at the moment.

    The Doctor needs his space to pose his questions and make his decisions.. besides which - now she's hungry. "No onions?," she says almost accusingly. She wanders back in to the house and opens up the fridge to find onions. "Onions are essentially. Cutting through all the layers, the tears it brings, the delicious smells as it cooks."

Leopold Fitz has posed:
It is possibly, even likely that the Doctor gets angry, that as much as he locks himself away behind that icy calm with those precise, clipped words that even he knows emotion. But if so, he does not show any of that now, even with Peggy's outburst. What does he take from the outburst then? That Ms. Carter-Sousa is trying to conceal the importance of this woman? That she is still, in her heart of hearts very much an Agent of SHIELD instead of the middle-aged mother she is to all other appearances?

Leopold Fitz merely turns that cold-eyed gaze towards her, one brow arching ever so slightly. "Sentiment," he says, that Scottish tone clipped back to the bare minimum. No rolling brogue here. Everything precise and in it's place, even in speech. "Is that how you see things? That is what brought the world to the edge of disaster. That sort of misguided thinking by your husband and others. That is why HYDRA is necessary, why only we could bring security and stability to this world," he says, words still soft but oh so intent. "No one is above suspicion. No one truly knows what's in another person's heart. This woman is of interest if I say she is of interest," he notes calmly, that icy gaze boaring into the woman who is the focus of his attention at the moment. "Keep that in mind and you may just see your daughter again, once he reeducation is complete."

Peggy Carter has posed:
The moment the outburst leaves Peggy's mouth, she realizes she's made a mistake. No doubt made it worse for poor Ms. Simmons. She swallows back tightly, her eyes pressing shut against emotions she's desperately trying not to express because it will just make it worse. Melinda has shut down. She knows that iciness from the woman -- she's seen it more than once and it's never good. She can still hear Lily sobbing faintly from behind a closed door, and the sounds of Michael's hiccuping cries, having been woken by his sister. Every part of Peggy just wants to scream and she can do nothing but listen to HYDRA and try not to make things worse.

"None of us like onions enough to make it worth the grocery trip. We keep the rest in the freezer." She responds to the easy thing. The teasing taunts. Though, her stomach has lost all hunger now. She takes one more deep breath and reopens her eyes, staring betwen the two HYDRA officials. "Doctor. Sky Commander. Clearly, you came here for a purpose. Is there something I can do for you to get you out of my house any quicker? I do not wish to waste your evening and my remaining children need attention." Yes. SHe caught that comment about Melly. She's not letting herself give it more reaction.

Melinda May has posed:
The one thing that May will not show, that sits hidden behind her impassive eyes and calm demeanor is the confusing spikes of emotions. It's almost like, subconsciously, she can feel Peggy's fear and anger and agony. But also the dark pleasure in Morse and the icey calm in the doctor that's masking... something deeper. She doesn't understand it. But something in her subconscious is telling her to just ride it. Absorb it. Store it. Use it... later. Somehow.

She has no clue what the endgame is here. She just knows this isn't quite it. No, there's something else here. Some other game afoot.

Despite everything, despite these two... monsters?... facing her in this room... she *needs* to talk to Daniel Sousa again. And in private.

Well. That's going to be an interesting challenge.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Food is food. Clearly they're not going to object as she gets one of the buns and puts a hot dog in. Ketchup is added and she leaves the room. Once in the living room she looks around. The sounds of Lily crying are off putting, but they won't be here too long.

    Eating the hot dog as she goes she wanders down the hall way and takes a look in the main bedroom. Her eyes linger over the bed for a moment, over where clothes are placed. She heads back out of there and heads down to the basement. Her eyes scan right over the wall that hides Daniel away. The construction was well worth the money, it looks like a normal wall. Finishing the hot dog, she heads back up to rejoin the Doctor.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
Amzingly enough, the Doctor almost smiles. There's no levity in the expression and those icy blue eyes are still as hard as ever. But there is an ever so slight upturn to the corners of his mouth. "How refreshingly direct," he says quietly. And while he speaks to Peggy, looks at Peggy, it is not a stretch at all to understand that his every word is as much for May -- Commander May, his strong right hand -- as they are for this middle-aged mother.

"I was worried that there was still too much spy in you. I understand that you cannot lay all your cards on the table, so allow me to do so. I detest games and clearly trying to play one with you has not achieved what I wanted," he says, the words genuine, almost casual. But oh so cold.

"I very deliberately gave you a second chance Peggy," Leopold Fitz says, dropping the formalities as if that makes his words any more... human. "Despite your past, despite your husband's criminal behavior, I was magnanimous. Not, as I'm sure you are aware, because I am prone to acts of kindness. Not for foolish sentiment. But because I foresaw one of two possibilities. You would either be a show piece, demonstrating HYDRA's superiority. A former head of SHIELD who has bought into the system, an example to be held up to others. Or because you would ultimately reveal yourself as a traitor and in turn reveal other traitors to the cause."

"My concern seems to be that you are walking down this second path," he states bluntly. He does not look at May. He does not need to.

"All paths lead to victories for HYDRA. But like anyone else, I have preferences. So, allow me to be blunt about the consequences of your current course of action. I will not kill you," he says, simply, directly, perhaps even surprisingly. "What I will do however is take your children from you. All of them. I will take them, I will foster them with good, loyal families. They will receive the best care, the best education and the best training that we can offer. They will be told each and every day how their parents abandonned them. How they cared more about some outdated ideal then their own children. How they are terrorists and traitors. I will make it my personal mission that they grow up to be the very best HYDRA agents.," he says, hands coming to rest on the back of one of those chairs, the sound of those leather gloves tightening a little the only sound in that instant. "And the last words that you hear in your traitorous life will be 'Hail HYDRA' when your own children execute you," he says, those cold words positively arctic now.

"So, I hope I have made myself plain. You will be watched. You will be followed. And if you are anything but completely and subserviently loyal to this Order, you will be solely responsible for what follows," he states with icy resolve. "Now, please allow me to let you get back to your celebration. Sky Commander, I believe it is time for us to be going."

Peggy Carter has posed:
As Bobbi goes to search the house, Peggy goes absolutely still. The terror could be for a lot of reasons, and she's pretty good at hiding it, but somewhere locked in a room, Melinda May is being flooded with more terror than she's ever felt from Peggy Carter. Mind numbing, soul screaming terror. Especially as Bobbi goes into that basement. The bedroom isn't so bad -- Peggy's expected possible searches. Much like they won't let Daniel leave the front door or go near windows, she's careful to remake the bed every day and only open one side of it, like she's the only one sleeping there. Any trace of fresh masculine clothing is gone, it's just Peggy's night gown and various things, as well as the changing table and a few clothes of the toddler's. There's no sign of Daniel Sousa living in this house. Just the ghostly bits of old clothes and photos that remark he once did.

But the Doctor's words are enough to chill her bone deep. He can see when he's broken someone. In this moment, Peggy Carter is broken. She knows she has no choice but to submit. Her heart thrums hard in her throat, arms folding over her chest, hugging every emotion and reaction back, down into her solar plexus, holding back the anger and screams.

Finally, a very tight smile flickers across her lips. "Of course, Doctor. Sky Commander. I... understand implicitly. You've already taken my husband. I... will not give you reason to take my children." At least, not while she's living and breathing. "I'd say it is good to see you, but... I don't think there is any reason to lie between us."

Melinda May has posed:
And for the first time since this whole encounter began, Melinda May feels her heartbeat begin to race, finds herself silently slipping into combat breathing to control the abject terror that screams through her from someplace so incongruent to this current reality that her waking mind simply can't imagine it -- for so many reasons. It drowns out the cruel pleasure from the Sky Commander and the tight anger beneath the Doctor's icy calm.

There's something wrong with her, but she doesn't know what. She doesn't understand why it's only these people that affect her this way -- not Lily's heartbreak or Jiaying's rage or even Dottie's playful curiosity. No. Only these three people... of everyone in the world. Why?

But she's used to operating in the midsts of terror, used to breathing through it and controling it as much as she does her rage when she holds that Asgardian weapon in her hand. So, on the outside, none of that shows. None of it ruffles that almost casual, sharp indifference that is her trademark.

The doctor says they're leaving. She feels no relief. But she does start contemplating just how long they'll have to do what yet needs to be done. She can't kill their tormentors. Not yet...

But she will. Before this is over, she'll kill them as surely as she killed Katya Belyakov, and with as little remorse.

Or die trying.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Bobbi folds her arms as she listens to the threat to Peggy's children. It's not an uncommon way to control someone in a family. Either they get on HYDRAs agenda or they are sent to re-education. But this one was particularly cold hearted. She raises her broken eyebrow just a touch.

    "Oh May, the strangest thing. I sent one of my agents to follow up on the Portland intel about the Russian," she says as she wipes away a touch of ketchup from her lips with a napkin.

    "His base of operations is already emptied. Almost like somebody knew we were coming. Oh well, a shame. We will catch up with him eventually," she says with an almost cheery demeanour. Her white whale. She likes chasing Vasily Kaspov because she knows how good it will feel to repay him the debt he ows her ten fold. "Whoever made contact with him will be found," she says, glances at the garbage bin for a moment, then back to Peggy. "Have a good Memorial Day," she adds and exits with the Doctor.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
"No, no more need for lies. Good day Mrs. Carter-Sousa. Commander," Leopold Fitz offers for each of them before he turns and strides out the door with the Sky Commander.

He does not look back, does not bother to check and see if perhaps Commander May will come to her senses, come to understand everything that she seems to be on the verge of throwing away. No, the Doctor of HYDRA simply boards that Quinjet, walking up the ramp into the hold. Only then does he break his silence.

"Your Whitehall and Garrett will no doubt look upon this as a great day, Sky Commander," he says quietly, that almost conversational tone lingering despite their exit from the Carter-Sousa household. "It is not," he says flatly. Peggy Carter was so much more valuable to them as an example to point to then a corpse could ever be. Nor is the possible loss of Commander May something to be celebrated. Her weakness might have been revealled before she could truly compromise HYDRA, but there is no denying that she was -- she is -- marvellously efficent at her job.

And the Doctor so loves efficient things.

"I think, perhaps, we should prepare a... special response team. Some of the mutant subjects I have been working on. If they should choose to run, it will take something... unique to stop Commander May I believe. And it is past time that we see just how well our conditioning and control chips work in the field," he muses thoughtfully. Powered agents, entirely under Hydra's control. Under his control, with his vision of HYDRA. Daniel Whitehall's vision, realized by him.

"Obviously include some of our best and brightest should the experiment... fail and have to be disposed of. See to it Sky Commander. Personally."

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Not a good day? It felt like a good day. Garrett's way of teaching revealed to her the delight that can be had in ones work. It's nasty work that needs to be done - so why not enjoy it a bit? John is a particular sadistic kind of guy though. She always knew that. But something in her broke when she killed Lance. She knows that too. She doesn't mourn it.. once it was gone the conditioning sunk in deep.

    She settles in to her pilots seat. The drones return to the ship and the wings fold back down. As they rise up in to the air she considers what he's saying, "As you wish Doctor. I'm eager to see how well they work too... if they run." They'll run. She's a good study of character. They'll cut their losses.. if she's lucky they will try going after Melli on the way.

    Quinjet Prime shimmers as it disappears from the sky and flies away back to the Triskelion. Prepares must be made.

    Hail HYDRA.