6940/Dollhouse: The Chief is Crashing

From Heroes Assemble MUSH
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Dollhouse: The Chief is Crashing
Date of Scene: 15 July 2021
Location: The Lab - Playground
Synopsis: Peggy is rushed in to emergency for immediate attention. Collingwood is read in to Peggy's unique medical history and a sad discovery is made. There's no saving Peggy this time, she's dying. Except if they had an untainted sample of her blood from.. say.. 1949. A plan is put in to motion to infiltrate the Triskelion and retrieve the blood sample May brought back with her from 1949.
Cast of Characters: Bobbi Morse, Jemma Simmons, Melinda May




Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Peggy dropped so fast. The flash of lightning took everybody by surprise. The flash of light, the intense sound and the still lingering smell of ozone. Another team is handling the would be assassin while the job of saving Peggy's life is put to the two best doctors in the building - Simmons and Collingwood. The on duty emergency nurse has wheeled Peggy in on a medical gurney and Bobbi is not far behind.

    Their chief Peggy has electrical burns in her chest that have penetrated right in to her body with electrical surge burns in strange lightning light patterns all over her body and her heart is tachycardic. Even with the classified infinity formula in her veins this is a lot to recover from. Collingwood has yet to be read in on the specifics of Peggy's special medical situation - the infinity formula is a well kept secret.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
There was a moment of relaxation. A fraction of joy, of comfort. A minute of relief.

Shattered in an instant.

Now? Now it is all business. Jemma Simmons is on the heels of the medical gurney, with the only reason why it arrived before her is due to her need to don the appropriate sterile attire, which does not take long at all. "Get her on the monitors now. We need to stablize her arrhythmia immediately." This is directed to the nurse, although Jemma doesn't expect the nurse to do it all alone. She is swooping in, assisting in getting Peggy established. If the nurse isn't quick enough, Jemma might do it all herself, with the way she is moving.

It has been some time since the sense of urgency has been displayed...and even more since Jemma has been seen in the labs/medical shared space at the Playground. Yet, with the way she is flowing, it looks as if she never left. "Get all non-essential personnel out of here, as well. We are going to need the space." Why the evacuation? Probably due to that special medical situation. Not that it is something that normal people would know or worry about...but then Simmons isn't exactly in that group. She knows well what hoops were leapt through when Director (now Chief) Carter made her return. And...the less people that know of that particular issue, the better.

Sarah Collingwood, however, is singled out. "You stay here."

Melinda May has posed:
If Collingwood is considered among the best -- field medic and S&R expert that she is -- the Playground is understaffed, tonight. At least, that's her opinion. That said... she learned a helluva lot in the Sphere. And not just about how to work with weird tech or revive mindshocked agents. She also learned how to work with Jemma Simmons in a crisis.

All she knows, as she responds to the emergency All Hands call that goes out, is that Peggy's been attacked and is in trouble. That's enough to bring her running.

When Jemma starts barking out orders, Sarah is complying. She aids the nurse. Monitors are hooked up. They start spitting out information. She's about to retreat when Jemma makes it clear she should stay. So, she nods. "Whatever you need."

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Bobbi finishes donning the appropriate protective-wear and enters the emergency space. She makes sure not to get in the way as she is not a medical doctor. But she can read Sarah in to the particulars and without Fury here to stop her, she's going to.

    "Sarah," she says, "The following information you're about to receive is classified Level 10 with special circumstances exemptions. Peggy Carter received a prototype of a drug called the infinity formula. It enhances healing and extends life considerably."

    Normally this would be good news, "But the prototype was flawed. Chief Carter began deteriorating when she was Director and by the 80s she was so unwell they had to put her in cryo-stasis hoping someone in the future would have an answer."

    "When the chief's cryo-stasis chamber failed, Simmons rescued her and together we formulated a temporary solve for her proto-infinity formula. We spliced our own DNA in to hers and used another classified project to distribute it through her cells, filling in the damaged gaps. It was a stop gap and would have been fine so long as the formula was never put under pressure."

    "Today it's being put under pressure. Please execute as you see fit. I need a blood sample so I can run analysis on the side while you and Jemma... save her life," she says with a nod to Jemma.

    Bobbi moves a seat to a corner of the room and pulls up a terminal. With a tap of her codes and a scan of her eye a screen comes to life titled PEGGY CARTER: INFINITY FIX. All the notes left the way they had them when they saved her the first time.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
If Bobbi can dish out the goods...then Jemma can as well.

As Jemma gets about to the business at hand, she provides a few extra details for Sarah. "The other classified project was something I worked on. It was specifically designed to introduce foreign DNA into a subject and incorporate said matter with a greatly reduced chance of rejection. It was extremely cutting edge...and also highly classified as well. The delivery system had worked previously, so I modified it to suit our needs for Chief Carter at the time."

At least Jemma didn't mention precise details. That isn't something that Sarah needed to know for the moment.

"Please, start an intravenous drip for Chief Carter. When doing so, you may use the opportunity to get that blood sample for Bobbi." Even as Jemma asks Sarah for the IV, she is shifting towards the drug repository, pulling out specific compounds in a calm but certainly brisk matter. Should Sarah be watching, she may even recognize the specific components.

For Jemma has used the same combination before. In the Sphere, while monitoring Bobbi Morse. It is the same cocktail that Jemma concocted to prevent Bobbi from having her heart attack upon Bobbi's discovery of the truth. A medicinal tincture designed to bring the heart rate down, with a little extra to make it as unobtrusive as possible. "Once we establish a regular rhythm, we can proceed from there."

Melinda May has posed:
There's not an agent in SHIELD today who hasn't guessed there was *something* weird in Peggy's past that allowed her to step out of a cryochamber a year ago, looking like a 30 year old bombshell. The truth of what it is, however, is enough to raise Sarah's brows. "Copy that," is all she says in the end.

It's a lot to absorb. And it's nothing she'll be able to tell Mark. So... nothing more to say, really.

Instead, she gets to work, pulling out a saline drip and inserting a catheter into the back of the Chief's hand to accommodate the IV. When that's done, she sets about getting that blood sample Bobbi wants. She's quick, efficient, and careful. Not a surprise, no doubt, to Jemma, given what she knows of Sarah's work over the last few weeks. Bobbi's the one who hasn't really observed the L6 up close and personal.

She passes Bobbi the vial, once it's sealed and labelled, returning to monitor Peggy's vitals and make sure that drip is working right.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    "Thank you Sarah," she says and slides the sample in to the analysis machine. Peggy's burns are deep and terrible. They should have been fatal. The answers to whether or not Peggy is going to pull through this are in her blood. The machine takes a long moment to run the analysis because they don't have the supercomputers they once had at the Triskelion to aid them.

    "I miss the quantum computers," she murmurs to herself and begins to type and look at the data. A frown grows. "It's failing," is her first words. She types a lot more and says to Sarah, "Another blood sample please. I need to determine the failure rate."

    "Jemma the formula is tearing itself apart and bonding in random ways to the nearby DNA. It's tearing her apart. I don't think we can fix it the same way we did last time. Even of we put in known DNA where it's damaged, the infinity formula will just tear it apart again. Unless we come up with some way to retrain the formula to protect the good from the bad, ... which doesn't yet exist. The only other option is a clean slate, which would require..."

Jemma Simmons has posed:
With the drip in place, Jemma gives an affirmative nod towards Collingwood. Yes, Jemma knows exactly how Sarah is in a crisis, which is part of the reason that she told Sarah to stay. Bobbi just reading Sarah in on Peggy's medical secrets simply made it easier. It meant that Jemma didn't have to fight. As it is now, the two have had enough time together to know generally how each other operates. Nowhere near the almost-mythical levels of the FitzSimmons gestalt, but certainly better than most.

A traumatic series of events tends to be an effective icebreaker, to say the least.

The mixture of pharmaceuticals, measured by sight and weight, is introduced into the bloodstream via the shunt in the IV drip...and already that irregular, extremely rapid heartbeat is slowing down. Not quite to the levels that Jemma would like...but it is getting there, which is the main thing. In the meantime, Jemma shifts to the electrical burns, her gloved hands hovering over the focal point of the burns. "so close to the heart. It is simply astounding that she is still alive at all, regardless of the formula within her."

But...then Jemma listens to Bobbi. And...draws her own conclusions. Jemma takes the liberty to finish Bobbi's thought. "....an untainted sample of Peggy's biological essence. An example of her genetic makeup pre Infinity Formula." A sigh escapes from the doctor. "Which would be nearly impossible, given the circumstances."

Hands busy themselves, dressing the wound while an eye is kept on the medical monitors. And yet, Jemma is still thinking...still working on plans. "It could be possible to retrain the formula, as you say....but it will require intimate knowledge of the inner workings and untethered access to the classified information. Which I sincerely doubt would be granted. A clean slate would be more manageable...but that would require a sample from Peggy from the nascent days of SHIELD. That would be, what, just after the war? any sample taken from that long ago would be completely disseminated now."

Melinda May has posed:
Sarah moves to retrieve a second vial of blood from the ailing Chief and pass it over to Bobbi. At this point, she's listening to them talk and learning as she goes. This means she's not asking a lot of questions just yet. Her specialty has everything to do with stabilizing trauma in the field and almost nothing to do with genetics or DNA. So, she's perfectly capable of addressing some of those burns and trying to address the woman's most immediate concerns.

It's really the best thing she can do to help, since it frees the scientists to actually do the necessary science. Thus, she aids Jemma in tending those wounds, concentrating on the opposite side.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Bobbi takes the sample, "Thanks." She inserts it and waits for the results again. The waiting feels agonising. She types and looks over the data. "Well.. that's. Not good. I think the core of the formula saved her from death but she's not going to fully heal from this. We're officially racing for time."

    She frowns and shows two graphs overlaid on the screen, "At this point in about four days, the infinity formula will shift from healing to harming in a not insignificant way."

    She presses her lips together tightly and hmms, "We have a little over a week to save her." She turns on her seat to look at the two doctors. "More classified talk. Agent May was pulled back in time to 1949. While she was there I instructed her to get a sample of blood from Peggy. I had a gut feeling one day we might need it."

    She lifts up a finger, "One small problem. It's still in the Triskelion, surrounded by Talbot's team. Talbot, the stubborn mule he is, is not going to just hand it over to us. We're going to need to go in and get it. And assuming we can pull that off without getting caught.."

    "It will mean the end of Peggy's infinity formula. She's going to end up reset back to the way she genetically was in 1949. No super healing, no long life. Still.. it's not like we have much of a choice if we're going to save her life."

Jemma Simmons has posed:
As Bobbi waits for her results, Jemma does not. She is examining the point of entry with the electricity while also monitoring the heartrate. And...it does seem that the chemical compound is doing its job, bringing the erratic heartrate down to acceptable levels. At least, acceptable for Jemma. When it comes time for the dressing of the wounds, she is willing to step aside to allow Sarah in to do so. It does free up the biochemist and geneticist to take a moment to look over Bobbi's findings.

And, what Jemma sees does not make her happy.

"Really, this is why we do not inject ourselves with beta versions of previous untested formulas without extensive testing." An....oddly specific lament from the doctor. Yet, to Jemma's credit, she does not cast sidelong glances towards Bobbi when doing so, at least leaving that bit a mystery still for Collingwood. Jemma chews on her lower lip, looking over the graphs as that frown just grows deeper and deeper. "As much as I hate to admit it, but you're right, Bobbi. I don't see anything there that would indicate that leaving the infinity formula in place, with it overtaxed as it is, is going to be of any benefit whatsoever."

Then...more secrets are given. And...this one catches Jemma off guard. "Wait. You mean there was time travel...and I wasn't involved?" Jemma may have more to say on that, but it is still classified...and it was not for her to know. Not that she let that sort of thing stop her before. Still...the revelation that there is a sample of uncorrupted DNA for Peggy is a godsend.

Until Bobbi states where it is at. "The Triskelion?" Jemma shakes her head in disbelief. "So, you are suggesting that we go to the Trisk, knowing that we are wanted by the government, and reclaim this sample without Talbot none the wiser?" There is a soft laugh that escapes Jemma. "Well, you certainly believe in making things difficult. How do you suppose we do that? Regrettably, entering a cheat code into a smartphone is not going to benefit anyone this time."

Apparently, Jemma isn't even going to discuss the loss of the infinity formula. In her mind, it is already decided. It is the only way to save Peggy. It simply has to be this way.

Melinda May has posed:
Collingwood was part of the team that was deployed to the Mojave site. She's actually familiar with Agent May's trip back in time. Or, at least, she's familiar with the fact it happened. She has very few details of what might have happened back then or what might have returned with her. "I don't know the Chief that well," she admits, speaking for the first time really, since this began. "But I don't think she'd consider the loss of imortality and superhealing a bad trade for her life. She's got her husband with her now... Family. That's everything to her." That's the voice of someone who spent a *lot* of time in the Sphere, monitoring what was going on with the agents stuck in there. She can probably make some uncomfortably accurate guesses about Bobbi's motivations, too. Despite Garrett's conditioning.

Nevertheless, she continues to tend to Peggy's wounds, once the two scientists begin their comparisons. Taking care of the chief's immediate, physical needs is something Sarah's more suited for, anyway.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    "I'm sure there were good reasons at the time," Bobbi quips back to Jemma. There's always good reasons. They're up there with taking a bullet for your team to get the mission done and save lives. As Jemma reacts to the news about time travel Bobbi raises an eyebrow and peers at the younger scientist. "Welcome to level six, you get to start knowing about these things now," she says. Staff meetings also. "Collingwood can tell you how thrilling staff meetings are later. And also about the Mojave operation to retrieve May."

    "Actually, I'm suggesting we go to the Triskelion, knowing that we are wanted by the government, and reclaim the sample -and- the machine we used to do the initial therapy on Peggy without Talbot none the wiser."

    She tilts her head. The 'how' wasn't the thing she was immediately thinking of. "We don't have time for a months long project to reprogram a 50s era longevity formula that's lost its marbles."

    "We'll go in as military. If we avoid looking important we can avoid Talbot and we can avoid Hale if she's there. In, to the med, grab the stuff, load it on the truck, drive away. Plan A is always the simplest."

Jemma Simmons has posed:
Oh...that quip does get a sidelong glance from Jemma. Still, she doesn't seem too angry. If this was any other circumstance, it might have been good-natured ribbing. Still, the welcome to more responsibility is not touched. There is other things to worry about. Though, time travelling shenanigans will make for a good story later.

Now, it was brainstorming to save the life of an icon and a personal hero to all British girls everywhere. Again.

"Well, It just so happens that I have had some practice in infiltrating an occupied Triskelion held by opposing forces. So, fortunately, it is not completely out of the realm of possibility." Hey, at least Jemma's time in the Framework was good for something more than grading school papers and convincing others she isn't completely insane.

"Though...I agree. Without having the research used to create the formula in the first place, we do not have the time at all. Even with the research, it will take longer than what we have to correct the errors." The two geneticists in agreement happens more often than not...but usually behind closed doors with no witnesses. The whole inclusion to Level 6...is going to take a little getting used to.

As Bobbi details going in as the military, Jemma offers a nod. "That makes sense. Just go in, get out, and get back here to perform the procedure. If you are looking for volunteers, I am going. It's my machine, anyways."

Well, maybe not exactly Jemma's machine. But, it is definitely her research that it is based on. And...that seems to be enough to claim ownership. Besides, it's Peggy. Bobbi knows full well what lengths Jemma will go to in order to save those she holds dear.

Melinda May has posed:
Sarah snirks softly at the comment about staff meetings, but says nothing more about it. Indeed, as the two talk, about the only thing that has any real impact on her is the idea of infiltrating the Triskelion under Talbot's hairy nose. "I spent some time in there before the Sphere," she notes. "I can help..."

No, she's not embedded in there now. But her cover should still be good enough to make it work. "You're going to need someone in there to ease the way and if I'm compromised, it will have less longterm implications than one of the others." The agents more deeply embedded, she means.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    "Get captured is not a good plan," Bobbi replies bluntly about Jemma's recent incursion in to the Triskelion. Now bringing an army of AI controller quin jets - that is an incursion plan. "But a Plan B if we do get captured is. Our best bet might be to lean on Talbot, try and turn him. Sway him to our side and convince him to let us go with the sample. But.. we've been studying him, he's a hard nut to crack. Simply telling him what we know isn't going to convince him - it'll have to be something he already knows or thinks he knows."

    "Okay Jemma. We will split in to three teams. Team A will get the blood sample. Team B will get the machine, you're on this team Jemma. I will ask May to lead it, you'll be mission specialist. Team C will run interferences if thing get dicey, Collingwood you're on this team. But we do this clean. If we drop even one body it'll be all over the news. Hale will have a field day painting us the villains again."

    Bobbi looks over her shoulder back to Collingwood and Peggy, "How is she? is she going to survive another two days for us to pull this off?"

Jemma Simmons has posed:
A meaningful glance is cast over towards Collingwood. Jemma knows that Sarah has seen exactly what Jemma had done in the Framework...which her and Daisy's infiltration of the Trisk. She actually tips a wink to Sarah, with just a hint of a smile touching the corners of Jemma's lips. She listens to Bobbi, nonetheless, nodding as she discusses the back up plan.

Then...on to business. "Okay. It's possible. It would be a trip to the medical wing. Relatively simple, unless additional checkpoints have been added." Which...is almost certainly a possibility. "Yes..this could work..."

THen...a shift back to Sarah. A glance over towards the medical monitor. Vitals seem okay. But, Sarah has been tending to Peggy more recently. She will know Bobbi's answer.

Melinda May has posed:
Sarah returns Jemma's look with a small smile. Yeah, she knows. Jemma's former reputation as a hopeless liar and terrible field agent (despite being a kickass scientist) is no longer accurate. She can handle herself, and Sarah knows it.

"There was that infiltration a while back," Sarah notes. "Just before you all went into the Sphere initially. I was still on site that day. It was in your lab, Jemma. A woman broke in, broke the high security lock and escaped with a piece of tech... I never found out what. But it caused a shitstorm." She gleances between the two women. "They'll have beefed up security, by now, I'm sure. Our best hope is that it's been just long enough since then--" It's been about 6 weeks after all-- "That there's been time for people to adjust to the new routine." Which means time for them to grow sloppy.

She finishes with Peggy, now, and steps back. Her eyes fall briefly on the little TARDIS + Trinity figure on Jemma's desk. It takes a moment before she registers it. Then she actually has to swallow a laugh.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Bobbi taps a key and the terminal shuts down. All the data stored away for Peggy Carter's special clearance only project. And by project.. life. She stands and says, "It's things like that, Sarah, that will give us the edge. We know the Trisk like the back of our hands. They don't know all the little quirks."

    She takes a breath, "There's nothing more I can do here now. Not until we have the blood and the machine." She nods to Jemma, "At least one of us has to make it out of the Triskelion with both pieces to save Peggy's life." That's a dire way to put it.

    "I'm going to head off and prepare the mission and select the personnel. Right when I decided it was time to take a holiday. Bucky was right, I jinxed it." She looks back over to Peggy and then to the two medical doctors, "Good luck. I'll send a page when it's mission briefing and deployment time."