6948/The Framework: Boss Fight!

The Framework: Boss Fight!
Date of Scene:	15 July 2021
Location:	The Sphere, Deep Beneath Manhattan (The Framework)
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	Melinda May, Jemma Simmons, Daisy Johnson

---

Melinda May 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.

---

The Sphere in this virtual world is not as it is in the real world. Dark metal and ancient systems have been replaced with the gleaming white sterility of an Apple Store -- or something out of J.J. Abrams vision of the Enterprise. Long catwalks are lit by running lights in the floor and recessed strips from overhead. It's bright and clean. Very corporate, in a strange way. But also very expedient.

The lift in the center column is open, but there's no telling where in this space AIDA may be. If Bobbi's intel is to be believed, the monitoring laboratory is at the very top of the Sphere in a cluster of rooms there. However, in the real world, the heart of the Sphere's operations is absolutely the pod chamber far below. And Bobbi's description of the room below does suggest some sort of physical interface there.

Which means playing the odds -- up or down.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
There isn't anything spoken to Daisy out loud. No, there is already chaos and confusion abounding, watching as her friends bound out onto the beach, leaving Daisy and Jemma behind, with the virtual approximation of McLaren at the helm of the glorious hub he has developed. The smartphone is slid out, the Konami Code keyed in and activated. There will be no need for a weapons rack for this one. Though, there is an ICER upon Jemma's thigh.

Old habits are hard to break.

The step out into the virtual Sphere is a sobering one. Jemma almost speaks...almost...but clamps her mouth shut. No telling what is here, in the lion's den. No telling what could lay in store. A glance is cast over towards Daisy, as Jemma lowers her voice to a mere whisper, knowing full well that Daisy can hear. "We should go down, then work our way up. What do you think?" After all, the structure is similar, even if the aesthetics are flipped. There may be something down there. Yet, this is a joint operation. The two are partners...and Jemma isn't going to go unless Daisy is absolutely comfortable with it.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
No need for the weapons rack?! What the heck? After inserting the cheat code Daisy does call in for the ./weaponrack, she does need something a little more powerful than an ICER! So she does pick up a couple of handguns, sliding them into a pair of holsters that conveniently appear in place and then nods towards Jemma. There is no smile on her face, no 'nerd-citement' for being doing all this. Her friends are in danger. They have a mission to accomplish.

"It's a good plan." She says about going bottom-up. "Besides, if there's a physical interface down there we may be able to cause some damage, or even interact with it." hopefully so.

"Now lets go put that bitch down." Tone firm, Daisy making way to that lift along with Jemma. After exhaling slowly she finally hits the button.

Destination? Down.

Melinda May has posed:
Down they go. There are ladders between levels -- or that central lift. Though, thus far, most agents have found the idea of taking an elevator controlled by a psychotic AI to be unwise at best. When they reach the ground, the black basalt gleams as if it has been polished and sealed. The walls are still that gleaming white, but their contrast with that dark floor is strikling. The passage, drilled through the rock in the real world, is lined with smooth white ceramic, joined together by gleaming chrome. Not that it really matters. Still, the aesthetic is a change from what they know, and therefore notable.

The pod chamber, as they know it in the real world, is brighter, too. Fewer cables and conduits obscure the lights. There's still that big column in the middle of the room, feeding power to some sort of chamber within it. But it is currently closed and in accessible. When they breech the door of that room, however, the white walls pulse red and, from behind the column, wearing a green and black catsuit, Ophelia steps. She has a gun in her hand.

"That's far enough, ladies," she says, her gaze even and cold. There is a difference in her demeanor, now, than the were was the last time Daisy saw her. Gone is that sense of the 'uncanny valley'. This woman appears as human as either of the SHIELD agents she faces. There's calculus in her eyes that is more than just machine intelligence.

She has freewill, now.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
Well, most agents are not necessarily Daisy and Jemma. As the duo watching over their forms in the real world can attest to, they tend to do things a little differently. Besides, if the intend of the mission is to provide a distraction as well as take out the psychotic AI, then there is little sense in playing the stealth game.

As the two reach the bottom level, the starkness of gleaming white to nearly bottomless black is almost troubling. If it wasn't for the gleam from the polish, it would almost feel like stepping out into a void. Daunting it may be, but it does not defer Jemma. She continues onward, further into the pod chamber.

And then the white walls bleed red light. There might have been a thought, associating the Abrams-esque motif with Star Trek and wondering why she doesn't hear the klaxon alarm, but that is fleeting. Red alert. Time to get to business.

But...the first words are not to Ophelia, but to Daisy. Jemma's eyes dart over towards Daisy, the question coming shortly after. "Is this her?" Because, yes, Jemma was expecting an AI. This...does not look like an automaton to Jemma.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Daisy walks with purpose now and once they start moving further into that contrasting room of blacks and whites she draws out her guns. The terrigen crystal though? That was still being kept in a pocket. Safe and ready to be used as a surprise. Yet even as she moves with such purpose her heart is thundering out in the real life. Nervous? This was close to being the fight of a lifetime..

She moves right next to Jemma, pausing when she notes Ophelia stepping out. Noting that change in expression. The freewill. Ugh ..., she hates AIs SO much...

A nod to Jemma at her question. "She has learned with us, and has broken her bonds to Radcliffe.", eyes then facing the AI, "Hello, Ophelia." a beat, "You have changed, but then again none of us was really what they seemed to in here."

The weapons get levelled up even if she doesn't start shooting. "We need you to stop erasing the server. The same way you are fighting to survive we won't be letting our friends die."

Melinda May has posed:
Ophelia's lips twitch faintly. "Survival?" She cants her head, studying the two of them. "I will survive, whatever you do here and now. But your friends have served their purpose. I have learned all I can from them."

She raises her gun, pointing it at Jemma -- whom her constructs have encountered more often than Daisy in this sort of situation. "You two are anomalies, however. Viruses within the framework. The server is compromised and must be reformatted if it is to be at all useful in the future."

She squeezes the trigger. The bullet flies at Jemma, a second at Daisy only nano seconds later as her stance seems to simply snap into its new angle rather than pivot or turn. Then, she's moving, already anticipating their inevitable counterattack.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
"You understand, we cannot allow you to sacrifice our friends."

Jemma faces Ophelia, her own ICER out and drawn. "This isn't a matter of survival, now. Not for you, at least." A pause. "This is more a child, lashing out because no one wishes to play with her anymore."

With the gun turned on Jemma, she freezes, falling silent as she keeps both eyes upon the barrel of that gun. Even the comment of them being viruses is left alone. Instead, the ICER takes aim....

And, nearly the moment that the bullet fires, so does Jemma's ICER. However, the unnatural shift was not predicted. Even as Jemma is shifting to dodge the bullet, she can see that her ICER round will do nothing.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"That's what you get for being Hydra programmed. You still think you have free will but you are nothing more than a puppet for Hydra.. If you had learned *anything* from us, and our friends, you'd know what you are doing is wrong." Daisy pauses to catch her breath. And she'd talk more but then bullets are flying. Expected? Maybe. This wasn't something to be won with the power of friendship, or diplomacy. Instead it was time to put the smack on this AI with notions of free will.

Time seems to slow as violence erupts in the room. And even so Ophelia is fast, faster than she expected. She only has time to toss herself to the side as a bullet wheezes past her, still leaving a hole in her jacket..

As she rolls on the floor and comes back up she unleashes with both her guns, popping shots after the woman. And ..., is she curving the bullets? Maybe. Look, she may have a lot of movie influences...

Don't judge her!

An eye is kept on Jemma, "Let's corral this bitch.." which most likely meant working together to corner her down!

Melinda May has posed:
For just a moment, Ophelia almost seems to stutter. But as those bullets curve toward her, her body splits in two -- two versions of her rippling apart while the bullets pass through the air where her mass should have been. They split again and again, more and more clones of her appearing in the small room. How they all move separately without getting in one another's way is obviously a testament to the mind that links them all.

More bullets fly. In some cases, they meet head on with bullets from the agents guns. In others, they narrowly miss the pair as their own bullet-time senses give them the warning they need to avoid them.

In short order, guns are abandoned in such close quarters, in favour of a more direct approach.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
Well, the sudden shift was one thing. But, then as Daisy defies the laws of physics and somehow makes the bullets actually curve, Jemma actually shakes her head. But, not necessarily due to the concept of bullets warping their trajectory...but more because of the self-replication that Ophelia pulls off.

"Oh bloody hell..."

That phrase...sounds amazingly like Fitz. Jemma's Fitz, not this sociopathic warped version that this world had to offer. And, with that, the ICER flickers in Jemma's hands as the speed in which Jemma shoots is almost automatic, with ICER rounds flying in the air...before the air itself seems positively lousy with Ophelia clones.

The ICER, the rounds spent, is tossed to the side. Jemma shifts tactics, to a more hand's-on technique. "What I wouldn't give for a quick download on how to do kung fu right now." The comment may be amusing and spoken to take the edge off...but that expression on Jemma's expression remains stern. Hands ball up into fists as the schoolteacher-who-isn't prepares to get down and dirty.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Bullets fly, defying all logic. For Daisy it's all fine, she has been defying logic all her life, from hacker to SHIELD agent to .., superhero? No problem in breaking the laws of physics too. But of course that Ophelia cheats going all Mister Smith. Great...

"You have been seeing way too many movies, Ophelia.." Look who's talking! Guns continue shooting until the battleground starts getting too stuffed for that kind of fighting. Besides, they aren't exactly working too well. So they are thrown aside.

She retreats over to be back to back with Jemma. No blind spots! And gets into a fighting stance. And a little taunt with a 'come here' gesture to ..., Ophelia #42. There's a lot of them now.

"It's a bit late for that now ..." This about the kung fu download, "... and too late to blind them with science too.." ugh ... But she puts her fists up and attacks!

Melinda May has posed:
Ever seen an old fashioned lotto ball machine? The one that uses a popcorn mechanism to tumble the balls around? That small, round room in the base of the Sphere becomes a fairly close approximation of one in short order, with bodies flying and leaping and tumbling over one another. There are more clones than you can shake a stick at, of course, and they have absolutely no problem ganging up on the two women who face them. Fists and feet engage, of course, as each clone attacks. But they also work together -- not just to flank and attack simultaneously, but to lure and entrap and otherwise make life exceptionally difficult for our heroines.

Such is the way of supervillians. Especially digital ones.

That's not to say the pair don't make a sizable dent in the crowd. It's just that... there's that resurrection trick. Or, more accurately, the 'cut off one head and two more will take its place' manoeuver. The HYDRA bitch is, apparently, quite willing to believe numbers will eventually take the field.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
The pristine contrast of white walls and black floor is muddled by the inclusing of black and green. So much black and green as countless Ophelia clones fill the room, the bodies rippling and writhing as all of them focus on the two in the middle of the mass. The motley of green and black almost seems to pulsate. Snakelike, almost.

Almost like a hydra.

The hacks put in place before by the pair of SHIELD agents seem to be holding, but for how long? Jemma, in particular, seems to be a blur of motion. She has had more practice with the codes and the perceived abilities that come with it. Yet, even in perpetual bullet time, where everything seems slower, it is little use when one's adversary is just as fast and 5 times as numerous. Still, even in the midst of the battle, in the middle of tossing Madame Hydras to and fro, Jemma's mind is working ever so quickly.

And...it caught on to a pattern. Even with all the clones, there is one thing that remains constant. And...it's time to see why.

Jemma's hand reaches out, snagging a clone by the arm and whipping it into a tangle of Ophelias...towards the center column. And...just as quickly, the hole left is filled. Another clone is kicked away, towards the outer wall, and the gap in the slithering mass is slower to fill. "Daisy! We need to get to the center!" Jemma's voice cries out, almost lost in the cacophonic chaos of two fighting an army. But...it has become clear to Jemma that a direct fight with continuously replicating digital assets is fruitless.

So, instead of striking at the army, Jemma makes the call. Go for what they are trying to protect.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Fighting prowess is all good and nice. But when they cheat by multiplying and ressurrecting? It doesn't amount to much. At least not in terms of kicks and punches. But she still has to use her trump card...

Daisy dodges left, taking a punch but retaliating by kicking one of the clones away into a tangle as well. But just as with Jemma they continue to come .., and come. Things are looking dire. Breathing is getting harder ... Of course that she could always think on those wise words of someone: 'Is that air that you are really breathing?' but no time for that! They aren't exactly the Chosen Ones!

Jemma's voice through the crowd does sharpen her focus again. She wasn't alone in this. So she reaches inside her pocket where that small case with the crystal is. She pops it open, touching it, "Surprise, Ophie." because even supervillain AIs need their shortname aliases.

The feeling Daisy had when she first transformed was one of panic, the unknown. But now? As the Inhuman carapace envelops her she feels she is going home, becoming her true self, every inch of her body covered. It lasts but a split of a second until it explodes out, Daisy smiling, more at peace.

She was finally whole.

Vibrations course through her, the song of the universe and she slaps her hands down on the ground, creating a shockwave. Hopefully it will open a pathway just enough for Jemma to get through the Ophelias! "Go, I will keep them occupied!"

Melinda May has posed:
Vibrations carve a path to the central core, throwing green and black clad bodies out of the way. Several of the clones snap together, back into single beings. It frees up more space for manoevering, certainly -- for both them and Jemma and Daisy.

There are clones that continue to put themselves in Jemma's way, weapons materializing in their hands -- battons and short blades, generally. There isn't enough room in this place for staves or long swords. They are clearly out to delay her, yes. But more of them are concentrated on Daisy.

It's when they start manifesting clearly Inhuman abilities of their own -- stolen, no doubt, from the Doctor's experiment data -- that the threat level truly becomes clear. Quantum fields crackle as a teleporter appears behind Daisy and reaches out to attempt to grab her and port her away from this room.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
The path clears and already Jemma is dashing down it. And, at that moment, the two SHIELD agents separate. The assimilation of clones back together is a sight that normally the scientist would marvel to behold...but not when they are trying to kill her. Even so, the introduction of Quake seems to have set the AI back, at least temporarily.

The rezzing of weapons...well, now that is just cheeky. But, Jemma does have a few tricks of her own. As a clone swings the newly manifested baton within her hand, Jemma actually steps *into* the clone's reach, setting between the outstretched hand and the clone's body. The scientist half-turns, both of her hands reaching out to grasp the weapon and then, with a sudden shift, throws her elbow straight back and right into the clone's face, making her to connect the point of her elbow directly to the bridge of the nose. A sickening crack signals that the strike was true, causing that particular clone to topple to the ground, leaving Jemma now armed once more.

It would seem that the labrat hasn't quite forgotten her self defense training.

Though, there is little time for Jemma to dwell on what she just did. A swinging club from a fist catches the doctor, which, under normal circumstances, would leave a nasty welt, if not dropping Jemma normally. However, with those cheat codes in effect, the pain receptors are dulled. They are there...and Jemma feels it, but it does little to slow her. What it does do, however, is causes Jemma to reassess the situation.

And sees just how Ophelia is trying to tilt the odds in her favor. Using Inhuman abilities on top of the hacks already in place? Really now...

The telltale crackling of quantum energies drowns out all other sounds. And Jemma acts on instinct. "Daisy!" The shout leaves Jemma's lips, but so, also, does the baton leave Jemma's hand. The club sails, end over end, across the expanse between Jemma and Daisy, whistling through the air from the strength of the throw. The weapon flies by, mere centimeters from Daisy's right ear....and connects solidly with the appearing teleporter.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
With Daisy in full control of her powers it means there's a lot of Aida's flying. Tossed here, there, up, down. Sideways... An AIDA bowling over six others. She is not only back with her powers but she also got herself powered up with her cheats. It's a deadly combination in it's own right... But Aida using the powers of her Inhuman people? That's downright offensive.

"Those powers do not belong to you." her voice a thunder throughout the sphere where they are fighting at, her eyes crackling blue as she tosses another Ophelia against a wall with a concussive blast. She goes right into the offensive, which does leave her open to that sneaky teleporter to creep in. But Jemma saves the day with that trusty stick, bringing a thumbs up out of Daisy!

But now, how to get Jemma free to reach the center..? If Ophelia is 'human' now means she may have emotions. And that means those can be exploited so she tries it. "You know.., hacking you was sort of easy, Ophelia. We were sort of laughing at your code and how old it is. Child's play, really. And *you* think you can be human? You wouldn't last a second out there."

Poking the beast, but at the same time she hopes Ophelia will focus more on her and leave Jemma free to continue on.

Melinda May has posed:
The teleporter drops when the baton smaks her between the eyes. She explodes in a cloud of yellow and green motes of light -- as do others they take out. This doesn't stop more from rezzing in, in their place.

Several of the clones put themselves in Jemma's way again. Beyond their weapons, there are those stolen powers -- electricty, fire, ice... a veritable smorgasbord of elemental attacks waiting (not very long) to happen. They release those attacks quickly and in succession. There's no question they're playing for keeps, streams of power arcing towards the British superagent.

Ophelia's voice comes from the mouths of every clone, making it impossible to know which one is the original. Or even if the original is here at all. "And yet none of you have actually escaped," she retorts. "You're still stuck in this world. I found your backdoor and I closed it. It doesn't matter what you do here. You'll never leave."

So, Daisy's taunt has worked to a degree, to be sure. Of course, while much of what she says is true, McLaren's hacks are taking care of a lot of that. Which means it's not even SHIELD's best hacker that's beating her...

Jemma Simmons has posed:
Well...That's just great.

Jemma didn't expect Inhuman powers. When, really, she probably should have. And...she really didn't have anything in her cheating bag of tricks that would avoid, you know, electricity. After all, she may be fast...but even she cannot dodge a lightning bolt. The electric charge is faster than the ice or fire...and hits Jemma first. It blasts her to the left...and causes the ice and fire to miss. So much for strikes in quick succession.

Jemma hits the floor...and yet she keeps going. The fall to the floor is hard, with Jemma falling on her side. But Jemma knows that she just cannot stay put. It is only a manner of moments before Jemma is up on her feet and moving again. "Daisy, she's blocking the column....We need to get there!" Do they? It's an educated guess.

It may not even be correct. But Jemma is going all in on it.

A moment is taken to assess. How can two get through a mass of clones to reach the goal? Where is the invincible mode when Jemma needs it?

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Or maybe we just want you to think that..." About the backdoor having been closed. Daisy lets out a bit of a smirk. Trying to throw some doubt on the now-with-emotions AI! Of course that it may also have the AI start splitting resources to actually double check if they still have it up or not. Which might help in not having as so many damn clones running around full of powers.

"We go together." She says to Jemma, landing next to her and throwing another Ophelia up into the air. She opens her arms to her sides and creates a vibrational forcefield about the two of them, hopefully to stave off advancing AIs..

And then she starts walking forward towards the center where the column is.

Melinda May has posed:
Ophelia knows where they're trying to get to. She knows her clones aren't getting in the way enough to stop them. Suddenly, the clones disappear and the room goes dark save for a red glow in the cracks of the walls where the panels fit together. Electricity flows up and down the central column, arcing across the ceiling. In short order, the place is in danger of becoming the inside of a tesla coil. There are still four clones, however.

But the cage match has become a lot more challenging.

The clones begin a coordinated attack, their speed increases and they manifest weapons again. However, they also cheat, teleporting in between strikes.

Jemma Simmons has posed:
The scientist blinks. With the darkened room, there is a moment of confusion.

Until the electricity starts to arc across the ceiling.

"Oh, bloody hell..."

With a shake of her head, Jemma sighs. "She's trying to electrocute us. And me without my Faraday cage." Oh...and the clones drop to four...but they are faster, armed, and teleporting? Jemma would have more words...but instead, she watches...and analyzes. Fortunately, Jemma is just as fast as the clones, if not a little faster. Wait...attack, teleport, appear. And...a telltale shimmer just before appearance. That....that can be used.

"Follow my lead!" To Daisy's point of view, it looks like Jemma is just playing defense. After all, she is just watching and dodging, seemingly just barely avoiding the attacks of the teleporters. A dodge here, a glancing blow there. But...then that slight telltale shimmer appears...in front of the electrified column.

And Jemma shifts, immediately into offense, as a front kick powers out, thrusting into seemingly empty space. Until it isn't, as the foot connects at just before the pinnacle of that front power kick, catching the clone square in the stomach. With Jemma's speed and power enhanced, there is no chance that the clone is going to manage to stay on her feet. The clone suddenly gains the power of short-term flight...

...straight for that column.