6843/The Framework: Race Against The Machine

The Framework: Race Against The Machine
Date of Scene:	08 July 2021
Location:	The Island of Ogygia... and elsewhere
Synopsis:	As the world of the Framework begins disappearing all around them, all of the agents trapped within its twisted version of reality fight to hold on to what matters most and finally escape to the real world.
Cast of Characters:	Melinda May, Daisy Johnson, Peggy Carter, Lance Hunter, Dottie Underwood, Bobbi Morse, Leopold Fitz, Daniel Sousa
Tinyplot:	The Framework

---

Melinda May has posed:
It's taken some doing. But the determined band of SHIELD agents from outside the Framework has managed to gather all those who initially fell prey to its nightmare and gather them in one place -- the Playground. There's an evacuation happening around them. Gonzales and his people are pulling out, trying to get refugees to safety before the big confrontation with HYDRA's forces they know is coming. This is not how they envisioned their fight ending. Then again, they also don't realize it is the end.

Upon discovering that the broom closet door in the rec room had somehow been transformed into the door to the TARDIS, Daisy and Jemma started laying plans for an actual escape. May was sent back to the Triskelion, though the TARDIS, to collect Dottie Underwood -- who surprised everyone by going into the simulation after Peggy Carter. Against her better judgement, she brought back Leopold Fitz, too. That he actually came willingly has made her very nervous about all of this. For all she knows, he's been implanted with some sort of tracker Madame HYDRA is using to paint the Playground as a target.

Then again, she doubts Fitz would set himself up as so expendable.

Holden Radcliffe, who arrived with Daisy shortly after May, Morse, Jemma, and the Carter-Sousa family did, has been retrieved from Vault D and brought to join the ragtag group intending to escape this mess before AIDA can do anything worse. Now, they all stand within the confines of McLaren's TARDIS, preparing for the final race to... well, wherever Radcliffe's hidden back door may be.

"I needed to put it someplace I didn't figure AIDA would think to block," Radcliffe tells Daisy and the avatar of McLaren. "So, I put it on Ogygia."

McLaren blinks. "In the Antarctic?"

Radcliffe look plainly surprised by that assertion. "Antarctica? Of course, not! It's in the Carribbean."

McLaren arches a brow, squinting out of one eye. "There is no island called Ogygia in the Carribbean."

"Sure there is," Radcliffe replies. "I put it there. Just off the coast of Burmuda." A beat. He gives the young man a disdainful sniff. "I *did* create this world, initially, you know."

"You made yourself a Carribbean island?"

"Why not? Great weather, tropical beaches. Perfect place for work and play."

McLaren sighs. "Great. So, what are the coordnates?"

"To the island?"

"No, to Santa Claus!" It's possible the hacker has had one too many Red Bulls and spent way too much time programming and playing video games, now.

"Alright, alright!" Radcliffe's hands flutter as he pulls back from the other man, whose arms have flown out in completely unintentional mimicry of the Tenth Doctor... or maybe Kermit the Frog. "Keep your trousers on, man." A beat. He looks at that big center column where the main consoles are in the TARDIS. "Where's your nav?"

"Oh, for cryin' out loud!" McLaren grabs Radcliffe by the shoulders and pushes him along to a fairly simple keyboard and screen. "Just type in the damned coordinates."

Radcliffe squawks, but then pulls himself out of McLaren's grip and straightens his green jacket. "Fine," he huffs, muttering imprecations under his breath. His long fingers are quick on the keyboard. He presses 'enter' with a dramatic flare.

Green light ripples up the central column, flashing out along the support struts curving the walls. There's a deep hum as whatever pass for engines in this place warm up and ignite. Then, the light fades and the hum recedes.

McLaren moves to check readings on another console. Then, he straightens, tugs on his jacket, and gestures to the door. "Well, hell. There's land. So, I guess you're good to go." Of course, he's staying here. He's not trapped in the sim. He's just playing a video game on a console.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Woah, woah, McLaren. Don't fall to the dark side." Daisy tells him as he starts going off on Radcliffe, even if she also rolled her eyes when Holden said about having programmed an island in the caribbean just for him. Of course he did. And she had sort of been there already. It almost felt real.

A look is given to the others, then focuses on Jemma. A nod. "Ready?" the duo seems to stay together for now as they get ready to get on the other side. It's that Neo and Trinity vibe! Ready for action.

Peggy Carter has posed:
While in her younger days Peggy would have been at the front of the line, it's been a long time since she was a front lines fighter. Now, she's towards the back of the group, her children as physically close to her as possible, standing between her and Daniel. Well, Melly is standing, Lily on her hip. Michael still needs minded, so the baby is tightly bundled into a sling across Peggy's front just in case she needs both hands. She's staring at this all with wary, uncertain eyes. The size of the room around them should be impossible. All of this *should* be impossible, and yet here they are. Maybe the other world they talk about is actually real.

She swallows back tightly, dark eyes narrowing on that other door as it opens to land. "...And what do we *do* there? Just... walk out into this other world, supposedly? Leave this all behind? I'm sorry. I can't, not unless they are coming with us." One hand reaches over to brush against the back of Melly's hair, the other keeps Michael cradled against her. She looks up and over to Daniel, brow furrowed, the silent question behind her eyes. Did his promise stay? Then her gaze flickers back to Melinda and Dottie, "You *understand*. I can't leave them." She implores the other women, women who have helped care for her children almost as much as she has. She begins backing towards the door back to the Playground.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel lets out a low whistle as he steps into the room behind Melly. "Wow. This place has way bigger storage space than I remember," he remarks before his attention goes to Peggy and he reaches out a hand to rest on her shoulder. "I'm not leaving either," he says. "Not without the kids, so, we may have to figure out how to get my body in the other world into one of those pods."

Dottie Underwood has posed:
From what she's seen, bringing a construct through to the real world is impossible. So Dottie doesn't say anything, yet. She stays behind the family as they're shepherded toward the door. She going make sure they get out. One way or another.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    "Come on girl, I knew I could sense there was still good in you," Trip said to Bobbi as they were all preparing for the final exodus. He holds out the SHIELD for Bobbi and continued, "I love it, don't get me wrong, this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. You were right, it almost took off my head."

    Bobbi raised her now good eyebrow at Trip and tilted her head. A smirk and she gave the guy a hug. "Dork. You were always one of my favourites before SHIELD fell," she replied and they patted each others back. Taking back the shield she looked over to Lance, "I'm ready." Trip dashed off to join in the evacuation of the SHIELD base proper.

    Gonzales approached and awkwardly offered a hand to Bobbi, Lance, and May. He looked conflicted about everything taking place right now. The impossible is happening but in his gut he had a feeling these are the people he must put his trust in. "God speed," he said gruffly, then headed back to finish the evacuation.

---

    Now, Bobbi has entered the TARDIS and she peers around like she's entered an alien world.. murmuring softly to Lance about Radcliffe, "He really does love to hear himself talk. I always skipped Monday team meetings because of this.." she motions to him, ".. whatever it is psychologists will call this years from now."

    Her eyes fall on Fitz though and she says, "Whatever the plan is from here.. he's coming with us." She stares at him, wondering how it is he decided to come peacefully. She suspects treachery.

    A glance over to May.. the three of them can handle him, hopefully. Because despite what Jemma and Lance have said to them both, May and Bobbi know this world, know this Fitz. She does not trust him as far as she can throw him - which is now quite far.

    Fitz can see that somehow, miraculously, Bobbi's ruined eye has been healed and like May her clothing sports SHIELD eagles now instead of HYDRA octopii. Not to mention the vibranium shield with a big SHIELD logo on it too. Her posture has changed too, she was once a young capable fighter and matured in to something deadly. Now she looks to have that youthful spring back in her step, but the deadly didn't go away either.

Lance Hunter has posed:
As Bobbi talks to Trip, Hunter takes a moment to speak with Mack. "I'm telling you mate," he says nodding to the big man's shotgun. "Shotgun-axe, you got to make it happen, the Mack from my world loves it," he says before clapping the man on the shoulder. "Give 'em hell," he says knowing there was a lot of fighting left to be done here. Then he's stepping into the TARDIS smirking to Bobbi about Radcliff and nodding to Fitz. "Good to see you with us Mate," it's likely a minority opinion.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
One of these things just ain't like the others. One of these things just doesn't belong.

At the best of times the motives of the Doctor can be inscrutable. Hard to read and even harder to understand. But whatever his reasons for voluntarily agreeing to come along for this particular ride it seems to be a safe bet that he has not somehow seen the light. Nor is it particularly likely that he is playing sacrificial lamb for anyone. He might be a true believer, might pride himself for being instrumental in bringing about the the utopia of this virtual world, but he has never seen himself as some mere lackey, to follow the orders of his betters.

He has no betters.

So while those icy, dead eyes might flicker around this unique construct that he finds himself in, just a hint of a smile rests carved on his features.

Nothing is ever by chance with Leopold Fitz. Nothing is ever less then deliberate, methodical and plotted out. And whatever it is that he sees himself accomplishing here, chances are it is not to the betterment of anyone but himself.

Melinda May has posed:
May doesn't really know how to react to all this. She's already had her mind blown by the interior of this place. But Peggy's heartfelt plea and Daniel's staunch refusal to leave his family leave her in a bit of a quandry. "I don't know," she tells them, in answer to Peggy's first question about just what they're supposed to do. But, she totally understands Peggy's reluctance. Part of her shares it. "No one's saying you have to--" She stops her words. People *are* saying Peggy has to leave the kids. And that doesn't sit well with Melinda, either. Her lips press together in a tight line.

She's clearly becoming upset, despite the fact her stoicism hasn't disappeared. But there are too many strong emotions in this place. Some of which are stronger than others and, thus, harder to block out. She closes her eyes a moment and takes a deep breath to center herself. "We'll figure it out." She tries to reassure Peggy. She knows it's not working.

Nevertheless, like Bobbi, she's not happy about having Fitz along and doesn't trust him a bit. That's why she made sure his hands were properly ziptied before she brought him up from the Vault. Thus, Hunter's acceptance of the man gets an audible snirk. She takes a moment to check her weapons, ICER and .45 on her hip and rage staff across her back, before she marches toward that door. "Let's see just what we're dealing with," she says to them all, shoving it open.

Beyond the door, tropical breezes blow. There is a beautiful terraced lawn surrounded by palms and cypress. Well-tended gardens blossom with brilliant colours, flowers waving gently in the breeze. The sun is bright above the horizon. White clouds scud across a light blue sky. In short, it's paradise. At the far end is a white pavilion, draped in gauzy fabric. Beyond it is a luxurious manor house with a wide, round fountain burbling in front of it.

Slowly, May steps out and looks around. Her expression is cautious. She glances back over her shoulder at the door, finding it fitted into a small garden shed tucked behind one of the lines of trees. "Looks safe enough," she calls back. A beat. "For now..."

---

"No offense, Daisy," McLaren grumbles, turning away from the console, "But Skye Starr has shitty taste in men..." He'll wait until everyone else has exited the TARDIS to switch its destination over to the in-world Sphere. It's got to be a surprise attack, after all. They all know they need to keep AIDA busy while the others escape. And then insert and activate a new back door there where Daisy and Jemma will be. But for now... Need to get the others on their way. Kids or not.

He frowns and looks down as if viewing something in front of him -- likely in the real world since there's nothing immediately in his line of sight. "Shit," he whispers. He turns to glance over his shoulder. It quickly becomes evident that he's not responding to anyone in this room, but to someone else beyond. "How bad is it? Okay... Gimme a sec." He turns his attention back to Daisy. "AIDA's begun wiping the server. You need to hurry."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Skye certainly does." Daisy confirms back to McLaren with a small nod before looking at Holden and lifting her shoulders in a brief shrug, "Don't take it personally." it's sort of personal though! But she is through, a pause to look at the others, as doubts start to creep in. She can barely imagine how it must feel, giving up something they felt as real. She is a touch surprised with Daniel though, blinking and looking at the man a moment. So that's what love is about. Not that she comments, not her place to do so.

Instead her focus goes to what McLaren says next, "Wiping the..." she takes in a breath as if to take it all in. "Okay, it's time to *go*, or else everyone here is getting fragged. With no respawn." nerd.

"Get the coordinates in for the sphere and we will go, hopefully it will distract her and it will give you an opening." A glance to the others here, "I trust the rest of you will handle it. I will be counting with you, and good luck."

She and Jemma step somewhat to the side, prepared. Phones come out and she starts inserting the cheat codes. "Oh, did you get me the crystals?" she then asks Jemms. "I will use it as a surprise."

Peggy Carter has posed:
As Daniel affirms he's not going, a little breath of relief escapes Peggy's lips. She instinctively hugs Michael a bit tighter, her frown tightening as he mentions getting his 'body' into a pod. "If this works... if you all go, do that for him? Find him a pod. Give him a chance here, will you?" Peggy implores the team quietly. Especially May, as she sees the sympathy in the woman's eyes.

Melly's silent, but clearly terrified, a tear escaping her lashes as she leans a bit closer to her father and wraps her lanky, free arm around his waist. She doesn't understand why they are talking about her father's body, but she's not letting him go without a fight either. Lily, however, is staring at things in wonder. Her dark eyes go wider as the door opens onto a beautiful place, slightly squirming against her sister. "It's *pretty*...is that the closet world? Can I go?" Like a child who has read about the fantasy land in the closet, this place seems magical to her. She squirms in Melly's arms, trying to get free to go run in the sun.

"No, love... I think we... We need to go back. Help Mac and Mr. Gonzalez." Peggy seems quite unwilling to take another step towards that door, even if there is no other way out. Her eyes turn back, staring at the oddly quiet Dottie. The look in the woman's eyes doesn't seem like her old friend. There is something cold, determined... Different. She instinctively takes a step away from Dot and closer to her family, into the corner of the too-large room. It conventiently puts her farther from Fitz as well, whom she's always been keenly careful to keep her body between him and the children. "You can send us back to the Playground, yes? Make another door?" Her voice edges on panic as she hears the commentary about everyone getting 'fragged'. Surely the place isn't just... Disappearing?

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"If I've got to go out and come back to do it, I'm game but please, get me in a pod so I can stay," he says to the others from the other world.

His arm wraps around Melly as she holds on to him. "Don't worry, Mum and I aren't going anywhere, we're just going to make sure I can stay for good," he says.

As Peggy asks about a door back to the Playground he nods, "Whatever we need to do to stay, just tell us what to do."

Catching sight of Dottie's look he frowns memories of two Dotties warring in his head. Instinctually he steps between Dottie and Peg, turnin Melly as he does so.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"Come on now, Peg," Dottie says. "You should let Lily go through the pretty door. Let her feel the sand between her toes. Go on and play at happy families. Isn't it time for a vacation?" Her tone tempts the child, but sounds almost threatening to her mother.

She leans down to look the little girl in the eye. "Would you like to go on an adventure, Lily?" Dottie holds out a hand. If she can send Lily through to the island, the others will follow. And they're running out of time. Best to make her last memory a happy one.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    "Home stretch," Bobbi says to Lance and then looks him in the eyes. Level, because they're the same height. The corner of her mouth twitches up in to a smile and she says, "Don't die." For her it's a callback to young adulthood. The nostalgia is appreciated.

    A hand ungrips and regrips the handle of the shield on her arm. She turns it over to look at the SHIELD logo, the proud eagle and the symbol of protection. She remembers vividly the indoctrination she went through and how strongly she felt SHIELD had failed the world... at the time.

    Once she had killed Lance, there didn't seem to be any reason to question anything Garrett told her, or the indoctrination had made her believe. She just.. went with it, it was a reason to keep fighting. But it wasn't _her_ purpose.

    Her eyes look back to Lance and she feels a stirring inside herself. The life she chose, the purpose she picked for herself. Things stripped away from her by Garrett and HYDRA. These thoughts flash across her face and she makes a small hmph-grunt like noise of revelation to herself.

    "Move it Heir Doctor," she says in a warning tone as she draws out her machine pistol and keeps it hidden behind the shield. Following May she then exits through the door way too. "We'll scout the area, find the safest path for the family," she says quietly back to the occupants of the TARDIS.

    With SHIELD up, Bobbi advances along the garden line, circling around toward the main building. The tropical air is hot after the cool of the Delaware underground SHIELD base. It's been a long battle to get this far.. just a little further to go. She's placing her bets on a basement, safe room, or ornate altar to Radcliffe somewhere on the grounds that'll take them out of this hell.

Lance Hunter has posed:
Hunter grins back to Bobbi, "Don't die," he echoes meeting her eye before he's stepping into the tropical island. "Bobs," he remarks as he scans the place for threats. "Don't know if you remember about me going on about wanting a Spanish villa, but scratch that, I want my own bloody island," he says finishing his sweep but keeping his pistol at the ready all the same, just behind and to the right of Bobbi. He'd fought beside Cap before, he knew the drill to make the best of the shield if it came to a fight.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
His is not a reassuring presence. But then it is not meant to be. Comfort, reassurance. It leads to nothing but stagnation. A willingness to settle.

In that at least it would seem that the Doctor is more then willing to play his part and make everyone around him uncomfortable. Or at least almost everyone. Hunter's easy acceptance seems to almost -- almost -- amuse him, merely arching a brow ever so slightly and the unaccustomed familiarity.

On the other hand Peggy's reaction is more what he is used to and while he might not take any pleasure in it he never the less lets that gaze linger on the woman and her children. When he does finally pulls his gaze away he says in a conversational tone, not actually addressing her, "You don't know who your true enemies are."

He rises at the prodding from Bobbi, doing so as if was entirely his decision, the Doctor murmuring "Weak," as he steps past her though otherwise not resisting the direction, falling into his place.

Melinda May has posed:
"Hey!" Radcliffe shouts, as the others start to head out that door. "Wait for me! You're not bloody leaving me behind. We had a deal!" He glances back over at Daisy, brows dipping a little as she and McLaren effectively diss him. "We had a deal," he repeats to her. "I show you the way out, you get me a body." He jabs a finger at McLaren. "You better not botch it, lad." Then, however, he's out on the lawn and looking around. "This way," he announces, striding confidently down the center toward the pavilion and the house beyond.

That Leopold is here is, in fact, a surprise to Holden. Well, it was a surprise when they ended up sharing a cell in Vault D. Now, it's... He was so fond of him. Brilliant man. Far more brilliant than even Alastair realized. It's disappointing, really. But he's definitely Alastair's boy. The man's fingerprints are all over the lad. For better or worse. Holden isn't sure he's the best fit to be released back into the wild, so to speak, but it won't be on his head. As long as he gets his body, he doesn't care about anything else.

---

May lingers by the door as the others emerge and begin crossing the lawn. She pauses to look through the door at Peggy. "It's nice out here," she notes. "Might not be a bad place to wait out the storm." It's not that she wants to lure Peggy through the escape hatch -- though a small part of her does. It's that she doesn't want to leave the family behind with strangers. "I'll go check it out," she tells her. "Just in case."

It's only then that she starts moving, following the opposite flank to Bobbi. She has her .45 in her hands and Bobbi's long coat on again because of its built-in kinetic barrier technology. In true video game fashion, though she hasn't noticed, it fits her perfectly.

Good thing, really, since the shot comes out of nowhere. She can still be seen through the TARDIS door when the bullet strikes her right between the shoulderblades, sending her pitching forward into the grass with a yelp of surprise and pain.

"I'm going with Aunt Dot!" Lily exclaims excitedly, squirming well out of Melly's arms. The trouble with allowing a pre-teen to be the babysitter, she doesn't quite have the strength of her parents. The toddler dashes full speed towards the door. And then she sees Auntie Mel go down. Hard. She screams louder and bolts straight for her, "MEL!" The screech of a terrified child is ear piercing.

In the sky above, AI driven quinjets decloak. HYDRA storm troopers emerge from between the trees. Alastair Fitz walks at steady pace up to the fallen STRIKE Commander as she rolls awkwardly over onto her back. No, the bullet didn't breech the barrier, but the knockback still hurts. His gun is raised for a second shot. "You're a traitor and a monster," he tells her. "And you took my boy." He fires again, hitting her in the shoulder.

Again, the barrier shields her from any harm more severe than a bit of bruising. Growling, she raises her .45 and fires back. He's moving, even as she does. Her bullet strikes him in the arm on the side he holds his gun. He shouts, to the troops already closing in. "Free my boy! Kill these traitors!"

And May springs to her feet, diving forward to put herself between Lily and Alastair Fitz. "Lily!" She tucks the child under her coat, scoops her up, and begins to run for cover.

---

The moment the family bolts out that door after their precocious toddler, McLaren activates the nav console again. The door closes. The engines hum. The lights flash. McLaren looks at Daisy. "Go," he tells her. "I'm gonna dump this rig and work from the outside. Text if you need something." Otherwise? He's going to try to save everything he can long enough to let them all escape.

And the door opens into the bright, Apple Store sterility of AIDA's Sphere.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"LILY STOP!" Peggy's voice cuts loudly, just as terrified as Lily but in a different way. It's the roar of an over protective mother bear. It's also enough to jar Michael into starting to wail in the bundle against her chest, but everything's turned to chaos. A crying infant isn't going to add too much. Peggy can't rush into the action, still protecting that baby, but she does move forward and spill out of the door, immediately sinking low to the side and pulling out her gun to shoot back at anyone who dares threaten her child. She's hunched over Michael, trying to shield him with her own body while taking sharp, vicious shots at the HYDRA storm troopers appear from the forest.

As she hears the man commanding them, Peggy's aim shifts. She's going for the head, unapologetically, her marksmanship far better than a five year housewife has any right to be. Maybe it's adrenaline. Maybe it's the real Peggy stuck somewhere deep inside.

Lily's sobbing as well, letting herself be scooped up by May as she gasps out, "Y-you're...hurt!" And then ducks instinctively closer to her Aunt, crying in her coat. Suddenly, the beach isn't so fun. Melly's run out after them all, but she stays close to her father. As if trained, she sinks back much like her mother does, but she's looking at her dad and then Dottie. Someone who would have more than one weapon on them who is close. "Give me a *gun*." The terrified 12 year old says in a voice far too mature for her age. She's so very much their child and has trained for this.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel is right after Peggy as Lily rushes forward. When May goes down he lifts his pistol, one of his favoured Colt 1911's he got from the Playground aiming it at the man seeming to be in charge.

Melly's demand it met with a second of consideration before he draws an ICER with his free hand and hands it to the girl. "Stay close to me and aim for where they don't have armour."

Dottie Underwood has posed:
Dottie nods with approval when Daniel gives his constructed eldest a weapon. They need the numbers. That it is an ICER is a kindness she had never been afforded. Dottie was younger than Mel when she was first bidden to kill.

But she is right behind them, weapons drawn, already firing. She's getting Peg out of here. Daniel too. They're all getting out. And if she needs to drag their unreal children to the edge of the portal and push their parents through, so be it. This world is ending. And Dorothy Underwood doesn't intend to end with it.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
As the attack starts right outside the Tardis Daisy reaches instinctively for her ICER, eyes going wide as one of theirs gets shot down. "No!" she takes a step as if to walk out but then the doors are closing. She hits her fist on the door after, teeth gritted together but resignedly takes a step back. Their mission was somewhere else.

A nod goes to Jemma. They were ready. And as the doors open she takes in a deep breath and takes a first step out onto the sphere.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    "Uh huh, a whole island. I'll get right on that. Top priority," she says with a smirk to Lance. The smirk disappears instantly though. Weak. It's a raw nerve. One put there by HYDRA and one she has not yet learnt how to control. One little word from Fitz, sowing discord in to her mind. Bobbi turns on Fitz and pushes him up against a tree with her shield, then places her machine pistol to his temple.

    "I could pull the trigger right now Doctor. And you know what? It'd be easy. I'd enjoy it. It'd make this world and the next a better place." Her tone becomes accusatory. "I watched you cut in to those Inhumans for years. Children, Adults, All alike. Just meat on your table, a puzzle for you to pick at. Hell some of them weren't even Inhuman or Mutant, you just wanted to see what made them tick."

    "And what did it get us? nothing! not even a cure. You joked when people ask you about it.. suddenly I'm Inhuman and the first thought I had was.. it's okay.. Leopold has the cure. But you don't do you. No, you are too busy playing god. You actually like mutilating people. And I'm realising that it hasn't made me weak, quite the opposite, I don't even want a damn cure anymore."

    She bares her teeth with malice, "You don't even know what strength looks like." A small look is given to Lance. Despite everything, he kept believing in her. He has also told her several times that this isn't who Fitz is in the real world. But the rage on her face is palpable. She is totally sure of herself that removing him right now is best for everyone, in every world.

    "Strength is not pulling the trigger," she lowers her gun and shoves him against the tree again. "Psychopath."

    But suddenly: the sound of a bullet hitting May is hard to miss for anyone who has been in the field as much as them. Bobbi turns around in time to see Fitz's dad and a whole host of HYDRA storm troopers. The anger inside of her has a new focus now. "Lance! Flank them!," she commands. May needs cover.

    Bobbi charges out of the tree line with vibranium SHIELD glinting in the sun, a silvery reflection of the eagle splashing across the green tropical grass. She slides between May and the advancing HYDRA soldiers to give May a path to retreat with the child.

    The bullets dance off of the shield with loud tinks and tonks, blurs of steel deflecting and flying back toward them as much as they go in to the ground or up in to the air. Bobbi presses her lips together as she remains kneeling, curled up behind the shield. She taps the tip of her machine pistol against the back of her shield and smirks dangerously, "My turn."

Lance Hunter has posed:
"Woah, easy Bobs, he's programed to be that way just like you were," he warns her as she puts the gun to Fitz' temple. "He's a good guy same as we are, just trust me on this."

Then the time for talking is over HYDRA is here, Hunter calls out. "On it," when Bobbi gives the order to flank moving behind a stone planter box for cover as he lays into thre HYDRA troopers with quick bursts from his autopistol.

"Definitely need one of these and an island when we get back," he calls to Bobbi.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
As a general rule the Doctor isn't one for psychological games. They have their place, as any tool does. But they are... inexact. Anyone who believes they can pluck the strings and get exactly the tune they desire each and every time is lying to themselves. Unlike science, with all of its precise rules. It's order. Everything with its own place.

But he is a little outnumbered here, Sometimes one uses the tools that they have at their disposal.

But psychopath might apply. Or at least sociopath. He does not seem particularly concerned when he is roughly thrown up against a tree, shows no concern when that pistol is pressed to his temple, those icy blue eyes displaying nothing both cold, rigid control. And perhaps just enough contempt to egg her on.

"Look at you. Out of control. Undisciplined. No longer aware of your place," he counters lowly. If those eyes are dead, he manages to inject contempt into the chill tone of his words at least. "A little stroy, a few setbacks and how quickly you abandon everything. How quickly you try to pretend that you did not eagerly kill anyone that John Garrett wiggled his little pinky at. Pretend that you weren't a monster long before they turned you," he says.

And then there is gunfire, and hidden reinforcements and his dear old dad. Come to the rescue. "How fitting. The cavalry," he murmurs, and as attention turns away from him the lattice work of metal and circuitry cover his hands uncloaks as he casually slices through the bonds keeping him confined.

Melinda May has posed:
The blue door on the garden shed has gone away. In its place, the regular old metal door sits, complete with a small padlock on its face. They have passed the point of no return. There is no leaving Ogygia by unconventional means, now.

Radcliffe lets out a yelp as soldiers appear and start moving in on them. He ducks as bullets start flying, weaving his way toward the trees as chuckles of sod explode beside him. The quinjets have come in to play, now, too. Their 20mm cannons chew up the previously pristine landscaping. He makes a beeline for that pavilion, running serpentine across the grass, arms up to cover his head as he goes.

It's not obvious at first, when a vase disappears there. Or a statue disappears here. Or even when a tree is just gone in the middle of being shot into smithereens. Not obvious at all that the landscape around them is being altered not just by the conflict itself, but also as a consequence of whatever AIDA is doing there in her Sphere... where Daisy and Jemma now fight a battle few would ever have thought the two capable of -- in the real world, anyway -- with powers that make Superman look slow.

---

McLaren yanks off his VR headset and tosses it aside, along with his gloves. He steps out of his rig and runs across to his console, where he slides into to his seat and nearly falls over with the force of his momentum. "Oh, c'mon baby," he croons at his monitor, fingers flying over the screen. "I worked real hard on you. Don't go two timing me with that two-bit, tentacle faced floozy..." He's trying to slow the file deletion.

"We've got vitals all over the place," Sarah reports, scrambling to try to stablize one and then another. "Carson said he thinks AIDA put a worm in the pods systems. There's something going on beneath their skin."

"Interface wires?"

"Yeah. Carter, May, Morse, Fitz... All of them. The network density is increasing."

"While she's deleting everything..." It's more a mutter to himself than anything else, but Sarah comes to look over his shoulder, concern etched all over her face. Mark glances up at her. "You need to start stimulating them," he tells her. "Wake them up. Don't ask me how. But I think AIDA intends to take them down with the Matrix. She's gotten all she needs from them. They're garbage to her, now."

"But their minds are still trapped."

"Let me worry about their minds. You just get their bodies ready to pull out."

"God, I wish Jemma were out here instead of in there."

"Yeah. And Fitz. Guess it's our turn, instead."

Sarah says nothing in response. She's too busy revisiting the pod bio protocols to have time for a comeback quip.

---

"I'm fine," May tells Lily, heading toward Peggy and Daniel with her, keeping low. She holds the child tightly to her. "See my shoulder? Not a scratch. The coat can protect us both." She smiles tightly. "It's the eagle on it, now, see?" It's sorta true, right?

She's keeping the child away from the worst of the fighting, but her gun is still in her hand, firing expert shot after expert shot to keep their way clear. One arm holds the girl tightly, which means she's not got either manoeuverabilty or full range of motion. It's never stopped her before, however.

Alastair Fitz has no chance to respond to anyone, however. Peggy's shot takes him right between the eyes. The back of his head disappears in an explosion of grume and he pitches backward, open eyes staring blankly at a flickering sky.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Oh hell..." Peggy breathes out as she realizes the door is gone. However she thought they were getting back to the Playground, it's not happening that way. She's not yet noticed the flickering out of trees or flowers across the way, her entire focus is on cutting off as many heads of HYDRA as possible. Starting with Alastair Fitz. While she rarely celebrates her kills, the British woman hisses in the Scots' direction: "Stay down, you fuck."

As the gun is handed to her, Melly gives the smallest of nods to Daniel and a little smile in Dot's direction. "I practiced." She assures them both, having been to the range more than once in her life. Then she's turning and opening fire on HYDRA herself, trying to keep down behind any sort of cover like she was taught. She's not half bad. While she's got an ICER in hand and is taking a few surprisingly decent shots at HYDRA, Melly cannot help but stop just a moment as she hears her mother curse like that. "MUM." She gasps out, before taking another shot. She looks a little ill at the sight of the suddenly missing skull from the elder Fitz, her gunshots slowing, but she takes a shaking breath and shoots on, sticking close to her dad.

Then there's Lily. She seems reassured by the fact May is talking and her special coat. "I'll stay in your cape." She reassures the older woman, trying to sound strong through her own tears. It's easier when she can hide from the world next to her Aunt, and hide she does.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel's heart sinks as the door vanishes, well so much for that idea but there's no time to worry about it with bullets flying. As the Scotsman goes down Daniel's eyes sweep the HYDRA troopers for who steps up to give commands. One does, and gets a .45 cal slug in the face for his troubles.

Attention snapping back to his daughter beside him He gives Melly a proud nod as she takes down HYDRA troopers on her own.

His eyes go to the quinjets. "Morse? Anything that shield can do about those guys?" he's seen Cap in action, he knows those things don't follow normal rules. Suddenly his and Melly's cover vanishes and he dives to tackle her out of the way of return fire. "Something's happening, stuff is just vanishing out here!" he shouts to the others.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"We need to move," Dottie says. "Follow Radcliffe. I'll bet he's off to save his own skin. And if we want to save ours, we better be with him. Before everything disappears."

She starts the to push the ascent to pavilion. But first she spares a moment for Melly's nerves. "Don't worry. Your gun won't do that. It's just a game, kid. Like capture the flag."

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    The Doctor's words still sting in Bobbi's ears as the shield hummms with the beating of bullets against it. Suddenly that weight increases as a quinjets 20mm cannon starts firing directly at her. He wasn't wrong though. For whatever Lance thinks she is, she knows she is a killer. She's been doing it most of her life now.

    Garrett was who he was and he put the gun in her hand but she's the one who pulled the trigger.. every time.. eager to hear the 'atta girl' and feel his hand slap her on the shoulder. There's a nod to Daniel Sousa and she says, "On it." But to herself she says, "Careful what you wish for Doctor. Am I out of control am I? Assuming direct control of the situation in 3.. 2.. 1.."

    She shifts her body and the shield and the cannon fire deflects back where it came from and rips through one of the quinjets. As the gun fire starts to hit the ground when the quinjets nose dips, she bolts for it and jumps up on to it. Throwing her shield across at another quinjet, cutting right through the engine, then running and jumping over to a third as she catches it in mid air and tumble rolls in to the open hanger door.

    There's muzzle flashes inside the quinjet followed by a HYDRA storm trooper falling out of the quinjet and hitting the ground hard. The pilot canopy flashes as two holes appear splattered with blood in the windscreen.

    Bobbi yanks the pilot out of the chair and takes a seat. She's just in time to see the first and second quinjets crash to the ground in flames. Swinging the quinjet around and blasting the 20mm cannon at the HYDRA troops on the ground she vents her frustrations and anger. "Undisciplined," she shouts at the world, "Know my place?!?"

    With a *click* Bobbi switches to side winders and lets them loose toward the HYDRA soldiers coming out of the trees. She beats her hands against the controls and feels a tear fall down her cheek, "Fuck!..." because she knows everything Fitz said is, in some fashion, true about her. It's then that she starts noticing little things here and there down below... disappearing.

Lance Hunter has posed:
Hunter curses as his cover vanishes. "Bloody hell," he shouts rolling out of the way as HYDRA troopers try to take advantage. Coming up on his knees he drops one then another, before he gets to his feet diving for more cover as a stream of 20mm rounds come his way. They miss and the gun falls slient, rising to peek out from behind his cover to see why for himself, Bobbi was wrecking the damn things with her SHIELD; he grins, pouring on fire at the ground troops to give her cover. "She is definitely never going to let me forget this!" he shouts to the others, but honestly he doesn't care, it's a bloody good moment.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
It is hard to imagine that the Doctor's gaze could grow any colder, that those eyes could get even more lacking in emotion, in life. But as his father's head all but explodes that is exactly what happens, the blue of those eyes pure ice.

It was, perhaps, a mistake to tell Leopold Fitz the truth of things. He did not disbelieve the possibility that they are all in some construted reality. Some computer program. He gladly embraced the possibility, full convinced that reality, virtual or otherwise is what you make of it. In some ways it is incredibly freeing, it provides the answer to so many equations, opens the door on so many possibilities.

Freeing a mind like the Doctor's is not necessarily a good idea.

Another man might rage, or lash out at the individual who murdered his father. Not the Doctor. It is doubtful that it will ever be forgotten, anymore then the promises he made to Peggy Carter about her fate and that of her children. But it doesn't serve him right now. Instead he reaches over and taps at that circuit glove that has sprung into existence around his hand and wrist, that construct beginning to grow, crawling up along his arm like a living creature. A moment later a shimmering golden field springs up around the man and begins to expand out from him, creating a field of force that seems to lock everything into place, to resist any effort to change. And within that growing bubble? A shape begins to form. One that looks suspiciously like a door.

"I appreciate the lift here," he says casually. "I suspect that AIDA has plans for you all, but fear not. I will take... good care of your bodies in this other reality that you are so fond of."

Melinda May has posed:
Radcliffe reaches the pavilion, flattening himself against the deck when the roof over top is clipped by the wing of a crashing quinjet. The roof goes flying like a frisbee and then bounces and rolls across the field toward the house while the plane creates a deep furrow in the rich grass and stops at the base of a tree.

In the brief quiet that follows, he raises his head and peeks. Deciding it's as safe as it's going to be, he scrambles forward and shoves a hand knotted rug out of the way. Pushing to his feet, he jams his fingers into a knot of wood. The center, inlaid hexagon of the pavilion pops up. He hefts, and the concealing door pulls away. He tosses it like an oversized discus. Beneath, shimmering like the surface of a rippling pool of water, is indeed a gateway to another world.

---

Out in the real world, Sarah Collingwood stares at the line of pods trapping agents she calls friends. "Screw this," she mutters to herself. Looking around, she finds a crowbar that was used to uncrate some equipment. Picking it up, she starts smashing the glass windows over the face of the pod on the nearest end -- which, to her, is Fitz's pod. It's dangerous, yes. But as the glass cracks, rather than spintering or shattering, she jams the end of the tool in and starts prying off the seals that keep the glass in place. She doesn't even notice the jagged pieces that scrape her palms as she pulls the pieces out.

Then, she's turning away, grabbing the stimulant injections that were supposed to go in the external induction ports. With a viscious jab, she stabs the first one right into Fitz's heart -- a jolt of adrenaline and a stimulant she and Jemma hope will counteract the sedative the pods are using. "You better have Fitz's mind ready," she shouts to Mark. "Or we're going to have one braindead superscientist."

"Mind?!" Mark calls back. "He's trying to co-opt Radcliffe's fucking portal! If I don't get it shutdown, he'll trap them all in there!"

Sarah looks sharply to him, depressing the plunger on her needle. "Let him use the portal! He can help us when he gets out!"

"Are you crazy?!?!!"

"YES! DO IT!"

Mark groans and shifts his counter attack against Fitz. The expanding field pauses in its growth, just before it overtakes any of the others. The door in front of Fitz solidifies quickly, sucking in the energy from the golden forcefield to power itself and giving him his way out.

It simply doesn't stop the others from continuing their fight.

"This better work," McLaren warns his partner.

"Just get ready to transfer that energy back to Radcliffe's portal!" Sarah growls in return. "We just need to get them out! This will get him out!"

"One portal jump... standing by." Mark replies. Then, under his breath. "God help us all."

---

May stumbles as a planter she paused behind evaporates. "Shit," she swears, heedless of the child in her arms. She ducks her head as a smattering of HYDRA bullets rattle across her back. Her arms wrap tightly around Lily and she starts running toward Peggy and Daniel. "Move!" she calls out to them. "To the downed quinjet! She won't take out her own damned quinjet!"

AIDA might revive the pilot and repair the hull, but May is certain she can fix the pilot. And then fly the damned plane. Portal or no portal, that quinjet looks like their best hope to her. Morse isn't the only ace pilot here.

Even as she's running with Lily, however, the cries of the baby screaming against Peggy's chest just cut off. He doesn't stop to take a breath. He simply stops existing, fading into utter nothingness.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Confusion flickers across Peggy's features as she hears her husband yelling about things disappearing, "What??" But then, sure enough, the large decorative rock she was hiding behind herself goes. She curses loudly again, trying to dash more to the side to avoid the bullets of what HYDRA is left. Still, she keeps her body between the enemy agents and the wailing baby in her arms.

Melly looks up to Dottie with wide eyes for a moment, ever trusting, and she gives a little nod. "It's an ICER. It doesn't do that. I know." One of the first weapons her parents trained her on, she liked them better. She never wanted to kill people, but she'd certainly stop them from killing others. She turns and snaps off another shot nearly pin point perfect to a HYDRA soldier's neck. He goes down. She's so incredibly her mother's daughter.

Peggy's reaching out, trying to get them all together, she dashing for Daniel and Melly's side when suddenly the cries against her chest go quiet. It's not just that. The weight is gone. One moment there, the second... nothing. Just an empty sling. And then that is gone too. "...Michael?" She breathes out, suddenly hitting her knees. She didn't even register that her legs went out from under her. She's stopped shooting, one hand clawing at her breastbone, where the child should lay, "MICHAEL!?" Glassy eyed panic tears across her features, frantically looking around. Maybe she dropped him. But there is nothing... Nothing.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel nods thanks to Dottie for the words she gives Melly, before he's reloading his weapon. Not that many rounds left he had to be careful. "Good shooting but it's time we-" Peggy's cry cuts him short. His head whips around towatds his wife expecting to see his son shot or worse... and it is definitely worse, he's gone. Instinctively he reaches out for Melly as he continues to look for his son. "Peg!" he calls. "What happened, where's Michael?"

Dottie Underwood has posed:
Damnit. They're still too far from the escape hatch. Dottie had hoped that the children wouldn't start disappearing until after they'd made it off the beach. She's at Peggy's side, pulling the woman back to her feet. "Get up, Peg," Dottie hisses in her ear. "You have to keep going. It's not over yet."

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Bobbi's grip on the controls tightens as she draws back a sniffle trying to take in the fact that things are disappearing down there. She banks the quinjet around and sees the HYDRA soldier just a little too later with his plasma cannon on his shoulder.

    The beam rips through the quinjet and the jet alarms start blaring throughout the cockpit. The quinjet erupts in to flames and begins to spin around in circles. Bobbi scowls, "Shit!" She unclips herself and runs for the hanger door, getting thrown about in to the walls as the quinjet gains in angular momentum.

    Bobbi manages to throw herself free of the plane. It careens off toward the water and hits it with a large splash. She lands on one knee with the shield held away from her, classic super hero landing pose style, and then quickly lifts up the shield again as the plasma cannon fires a second time.

    The plasma beam hits the shield and slices through the ground leaving a trail of molten fire. The shield itself is scarred, slightly melted. She looks back at the HYDRA soldier who shot it. There's a look of shock on his face as blood oozes from his body, the tail end of the plasma reflection having taken a chunk out of him.

    "Lance!," she calls out as she sees the force field expand around Fitz. "...Sunnova!" Well there's nothing she can do about that now. Her eyes scan the field and she spots Radclaffe, "Over to the Director, let's go!" she continues her call to Lance.

    Beaten and bloody and aching and tired, Bobbi starts an exhausted run toward the portal that Radcliffe has revealed. The ruined shield lifting up to block bullets and her machine pistol returning the favour from the few remaining HYDRA soldiers standing. That's not to say they might not come back alive.. but if Jemma and Daisy are doing their thing, AIDA won't have time to worry about this battlefield.

Lance Hunter has posed:
Lance is up and moving swapping magazines in his machine pistol as he goes. It takes a second to gather Bobbi means Radcliffe when she says director, but that way he goes, grabbing him before he can dive through the portal. "Wait here," he tells the man, before crouching to secure the portal for the others. "Bobs! We're good to go." He's not leaving before she's through.

Leopold Fitz has posed:
That creepy suit of circuitry continues to crawl over the Doctor like a mass of living electronics, soon shrouding his entire form. The golden field that projects from it continues to spread until it stands about ten feet in every direction around HYDRA's foremost genius, a bubble of inertial energy that appears to be holding back even AIDA's changes to the nearby changes, locking them in place while he siphons off the energy from Radcliffe's portal to power his own.

As that shimmering golden door manifests he steps forward, that the golden dome of energy moving with him. If locking his own surroundings in place makes it that much more chaotic outside his protective sphere, well so much the better really. He reaches out, little sparks arcing from his hand to that shimmering, almost translucent portal of energy, a portal that seemingly throws itself open by his thoughts alone revealling the strangely flickering world beyond.

For the first time in who knows how long Leopold Fitz's eyes actually show a glimmer of life. Of triumph. And he steps towards that portal. Starting to enter.

Which is when McLaren initiates the protocol on the other side. A flicker of uncertainty crosses the Doctor's features, brow furrowing ever so slightly. And then he frantically begins to tap at the control panel on his strange suit. The energy of the portal he stands in surges, that golden light flooding from it becoming almost impossibly bright, like a second sun right there on Radcliffe's island. And when it fades there is no sign of either the portal energy he was siphoning away, nor of the Doctor himself...

...but in that pod, in the other world -- the real world -- Leo Fitz's eyes snap open, wide and full of confusion. Above him he can see his fellow Agent cracking open the glass enclosure he lies within, chest heaving as he tries orient himself, to get some sense of what is going on. For a moment those blue eyes go icy, hands balling into fists. But then he slumps back in the pod, weakly trying to help push it open.

Melinda May has posed:
Radcliffe is about to risk diving through his exit when Hunter stops him. Just as well, really, since the 'water in the pool' disappears, leaving them looking at gravel underneath the gazebo structure. "What the bloody hell?" The HYDRA head looks around in surprise as his portal winks out -- only to reappear in the doorway Leopold has built for himself. "What the hell are you doing?!" he yells at him, hands waving in a manner not that dissimilar to McLaren's outburst in the TARDIS.

But then that suit is encasing Fitz and the portal in front of him is glowing brighter and brighter, until Radcliffe is forced to throw his arms over his eyes and look away. When he finally pulls his arms away, he looks down to see his portal has returned, it's watery surface swirling in the hole of the gazebo floor. "It's back!" His relief is palpable.

---

There are fewer and fewer HYDRA soldiers, now. Bobbi has taken care of so many of them. There is space to run and a good chance of not being shot, now.

May's head snaps around as she hears Peggy call Michael's name and, worse, feels the spike of terror and panic lance through her. It's enough to catch the breath in her throat and tighten a vice around her chest. She grips Lily tightly, the coat wrapped around her, and pivots towards the girl's parents. As she reaches their side, the light of Fitz's portal finally grabs her attention and, like Radcliffe, she closes her eyes tightly against the glow.

One hand presses against the back of Lily's head, pushing her face into her collar to protect the child's eyes. She shelters in place for just a moment. But opens her eyes in the fading light, when the shifting of Lily's weight feels wrong. "Lily?"

Her eyes grow wide as she watches the child just fade away in her arms, hands holding nothing but empty air in between one heartbeat and the next. "No! Lily!" She looks over at Peggy and Daniel, expression entirely stricken.

---

Sarah moves in with firm hands as Fitz struggles in his pod. "Easy!" she tells him, trying to pry the lid off the thing. "Easy! You're still attached!" And he is. Wires are pulling out of his skin, the blue etched lines of circuitry all over his body fading as the technology that powers them retracts and withdrawns from him.

She turns away from him for just a second. "Carson! I need a transfer cart! STAT!" Because they need him out of that pod, but they don't need him lurching around on his feet just yet.

"Easy, doc. I got you..."

McLaren, meanwhile, has worked his magic and is stabilizing the portal in the gazebo. "I can't hold the world much longer," he tells Sarah. "You need to hurry..." So do Jemma and Daisy.

As Carson collects Fitz, Sarah moves to the next pod and starts doing the same thing. Morse, this time. After her, it will be May. Then Peggy. One at time. Fast as she can... In case of emergency, break glass. Inject. Repeat. Free them all.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Frantically, Peggy's head shakes back and forth, in near panic as she looks at the empty ground then up to her husband. "G-gone... he's gone. He... I didn't d-drop him. He's gone." Few things in the world can break Peggy Carter, but this seems to be one of them. It's only the fact that she's halfway to shock enough that she doesn't have full control of her body which allows Dottie to drag her back up to her feet, stumbling forward on the woman's arm. "I can't leave him, Dot. I have to *find* him!" She raggedly breathes out to the woman, but her feet are vaguely moving her forward at the other woman's behest.

She's slightly wincing against the light of Fitz' portal, but her eyes are mostly down, looking for a child that no longer exists. They only lift again when she hears May's stricken tone, tearful, dark gaze looking up to her old friend and the now empty coat around her. "No... no no. This can't be happening... no." Peggy begs quietly. She tries to stumble out of Dottie's grasp towards Daniel and Melly, her hand reaching for her last remaining child with shaking fingertips. "Melly, Mel... Mel, talk to us. Stay with us... I love you... I love you so much, Melly. I love you." She stares up at Daniel over Melly's head, her expression sick and shocked with grief.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel's eyes go wide. Gone? How could he be just gone? He knew how but he'd made himself forget. His children were part of the Framework. "No," he shouts as Lily goes too. Part of the Framework or not they were his children he wouldn't have being a father ripped from him again! He turns to Melly and meets Peggy's eyes over their last child's head, his own eyes full of grief and anger. Reaching out he pulls Melly into a tight hug and then reaches past her to try and pull Peggy to them. "We've got you Melly, we've got you," he soothes in a heartbroken rasp, as he desperately clings to his eldest child.

And a moment later she's gone...

Dottie Underwood has posed:
And that's Peg and her husband's last connection to this world gone. Sighing the sigh of the truly imposed upon, Dottie watches as the two of them fall to pieces. And then, taking careful aim, she raises her ICER and shoots Daniel Sousa.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Bobbi rests a hand on Lance's shoulder and places the shield down next to the portal. She stares at the impossible swirling vortex. So this is it. The truth of it all. The real world awaits her on the other. Another life she doesn't remember to leave this false life behind?

    She stares at Radcliffe a moment, then looks back to Lance. "See you on the other side cowboy." The look on her face is one of fear, vulnerability, and near panic. This is a big deal for anyone who thinks they've lived their life in this world.

    Bobbi grabs Lance by the lapels of his jacket and yanks him forward, that super strength practically yoinking him off his feet. She pulls him in to a kiss, lets him go, dusts his shoulders, winks, then jumps backwards in to the swirling vortex.

    That claustrophobia comes back almost instantly as she finds herself trapped in a pod with wires underneath her skin. There's SHIELD there, breaking the pod door open and trying to get her out. But also, the very very confusing mishmash of memories. A whole double life lived in a handful of days.

    Her heart rate starts to jump all over the place as more drugs are pumped in to her by the team. She can't even find words to describe the confusion as lights are shone in her eyes and she finally feels hands pulling her free of the pod and setting her down on a stretcher.

    The panic of confinement is not quite gone. She's down in the damn sphere and she knows it. And Fitz.. "Fitz," she croaks as she tries to warn them all of the monster that might have come through. The drugs kick in and her eyes drift shut.

    Bombarded with the two different lives, the different choices, the different father figures. Gonzales and Garrett.. what a world of difference the two made in her life. And Lance.. her on again off again paramour in this life, dead in the other. Her eyes jump around like in REM sleep as she tries to sort through the mess that is now her double life.

Lance Hunter has posed:
Hunter returns the kiss enthusiastically his feet dangling in the air before he's set down and he has a moment to catch his breath. "See you on the other side," he calls as she jumps. Relief washing over him as she vanishes. He did it. Now it was his turn. He turns giving Radcliffe a jaunty salute and the dives headfirst into the vortex.

In the Sphere his eyes jerk open and he sits up in his chair, blinking at the dim light of the room. They'd made it.

He gets up pulling off the headgear that connected him to the Framework as he rushes towards Bobbi's pod.

Melinda May has posed:
"Easy," Sarah says to Bobbi as she struggles against the recovery her body so desperately needs. "We know. We know about Fitz. We know about everyone. We've got you..." Then, Lance is there, desperate to see his partner is alright, and the SPOT Commander is being pulled away on a stretcher, away from those damnable pods and left to sleep enough that her mind will recover its cohesion... to some degree, anyway.

McLaren continues to monitor what's happening in the matrix, but a lot of it is now out of his hands. The best he can do is keep that portal stable as other agents come through -- Piper, Davis, Nolan... others who found their way through to the fight and out the other side. Finally, it's all down to Underwood, of all people, to get the others out.

He's probably not the only one deeply uncomfortable with that reality.

---

Too many emotions. Overwhelming grief springing out of unconditional love. Depths of confusion like she's never felt before. Anger. Pain. Loss. Hope -- such a small part of the tidal wave threatening to pull her out with its undertow. May staggers on her feet, the gun dropping from her nerveless fingers. Desperate for some way to channel it all, she reaches back over her shoulder.

The rage staff burns in her grasp as she pulls it forward, out of its sling. Its runes glow red, raising brief welts on her skin, her eyes glowing red as all of it crashes down against her. In a heartbeat, she relieves it all -- Bahrain. The Cambridge Incident. The Fall of SHIELD. All the times she was forced to betray her friends. The first loss of Melly. The Death of Daniel Sousa. The threats the Doctor made. The loss at the Silo. The loss on this battlefield. All of it, all the anger and outrage she's held so deep inside her bubbles to the surface.

But it's in a form she can now control.

Dottie shoots Daniel and May spins on her, lips drawn back in a snarl. She almost swings at her... *Almost*. But the manor house has disappeared. More and more things around them are disappearing. Trees, bushes, the railing of the gazebo. The fountain in front of the house. Planters. Statues... Even the bodies of the fallen HYDRA troopers, the crashed quinjets, and the corpse of Alastair Fitz. And she realizes, they're quickly running out of real estate.

She looks back to the portal where Radcliffe stands and realizes that Bobbi and Lance are gone. Either they've disappeared like the children, or they've followed Fitz. Perhaps even successfully. So, instead, she holds the staff tightly in one hand and uses it as leverage when she gets her other arm around Daniel and hoists him up as if he weight nothing. The staff has always improved her strength and speed.

She gives Dottie a brief nod. "There's nothing left here," she says to both her and to Peggy. "We should go... if it kills us, we're no worse off." If it doesn't?

They're still no worse off.

She hefts Daniel over her shoulder in an awkward fireman's carry -- he's taller than she is, after all. (Everyone's taller than she is.) And strides toward that portal where Radcliffe is even now moving to step into it. She doesn't care what happens to him. Maybe he'll survive the trip. Maybe it's suicide for him. Good riddance, if it is.

Standing over the portal, finally, she drops the staff and then gently lets Daniel's body slide into the watery event horizon and disappear. A moment later, she follows...

Peggy Carter has posed:
As Daniel's arms close around nothing his eyes widen in shock and horror seeking Peggy's. "Peggy..." he murmurs stunned. "No..." his expression one of abject horror and loss. "No..." he repeats before his eyes widen again and he stumbles forward a step meets Peggy's eyes one more time and collapses into the grass. A few moments later, he's scooped up by Melinda May, a ragdoll heavy weight in her arms as he's brought to the portal and tossed through. On the other end, his vitals start to go wild as his body fights to wake up even through unconsciousness.

The absolute betrayal of Dottie shooting her husband is the icing on grief drowning cake. Peggy stares, her knees going out from under her again, as she keeps shaking her head back and forth in utter denial of what she no longer sees before her. Then, from no where she really understands, there is a moment of bubbling rage in her chest. It's better than the numb shock and overwhelming grief she was feeling. She turns towards Dottie, her eyes wide with rage and betrayal. "You BITCH! After all this, to betray us AGAIN?!" Peggy looks like she's ready to claw Dottie's eyes out. But she's definitely NOT ready to go through that portal.

Of course, Dottie still has her gun. And, for whatever reason, Peggy still can't bring herself to shoot Dottie even in her rage.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"You're welcome, Peg." Dottie says, smiling her particular smile. Then she shoots the kneeling woman, watches Peg collapse, unconscious. Peggy's body relaxes as the rage is replaced by darkness.

For just a moment, Dottie thrills to see Peggy Carter at her feet. It is a visceral joy, a feeling that almost rivals the rage and grief and betrayal that swirls around her. This should be what victory feels like.

But she hasn't won yet. Peggy Carter is at her mercy, so Dorothy Underwood picks her up, and cradling the woman to her chest, she carries Peggy through the disappearing landscape up to the portal. Gently, Dottie places in the soft blue shimmering light. It's almost like a water burial; it's almost like a baptism. "Remember," she whispers as she lets her go, "there's no place like home; there's no place like home; there's no place like home."

When the way is clear once more, Dottie swan dives out of the Framework and back into reality.

Melinda May has posed:
As the last of the trapped agents begin to awaken, the blue circuitry fades from their faces, leaving behind faint red welts that will temporarily scar but fade within days. The nanowires in their muscles and at the base of their skulls retracts, leaving behind a light rash of micro pinholes in their wake. Those, too, will fade in time. The lines supplying nutreients, voiding waste, and managing all their essential bodily functions withdraw. Strong hands pull them from their pods, set them on stretchers, and begin the process of stabilizing them... and giving them the time they need to return to normal consciousness.

Nevertheless, in the moments before Melinda May awakes, there's not a soul in the pod chamber who doesn't feel the weight of all the grief and anger and loss she has endured -- not just her own but that of the others as well. In the midst of the transition from one reality to another, her power is out of her control... if it could ever have been said to be in her control. Unconsciously, she projects all of it into the hearts of everyone around. All of it. Including the unconditional love that makes SHIELD the family it truly is. Rage, yes. Hate and pain and loss, inevitably. But deep and abiding love, too. Though it is the first of the fleeting emotions to fade from consciousness, drowned by so much else.

Still, when those heartbreaking heartbeats pass and everyone can breathe again, the empath lays quiescent on a stretcher, slowing coming back to herself.

McLaren stays at his post until Jemma and Daisy finally defeat their foe and manage to awaken as well. Collingwood supervises a small team of medics who help stabilize everyone -- whether they awaken from a pod or from a SHIELD VR rig. Even Daniel's mind and body are reunited, though, like Peggy, like all of those who were trapped in the the pods, he requires sleep to truly reintegrate.

And Holden Radcliffe? Well, he finds himself sitting on a beach, on an island of his own making, a glass of scotch in his hand. The sun sets over the ocean and he lets out a heavy sigh, raising the glass in a silent toast to the uncaring universe. What's real? What's not? He doubts he'll ever know.

---

Deep within the basalt rock surrounding the Sphere, high above the heads of the agents in the pod chamber -- near the top of the Sphere, in fact, in a secret chamber SHIELD's radar has yet to penetrate, dark brown eyes open. A woman listens to her own heartbeat for the first time, sees the real world from her own eyes for the first time, takes a breath of actual air for the first time.

And smiles.