1970 Agents Of Shield Series 3

1970 Agents of Shield series 3

Episode 1:

We start with Magneto receiving a distress call from Mystique. He is not happy that she has found him, as this means the government can find him too. She says she has no one else to turn to. Charles is falling apart after losing his ability to walk, being betrayed by his best friend, losing his fiancée (Moira) and most of his young charges being drafted for the war. The Brotherhood is gone and everyone else is dead, drafted or after her. He reluctantly agrees and clandestinely goes to her location, a nearby dive bar. When he meets her, she charms him into momentarily letting his guard down. She immediately clamps a hidden power dampening collar on him. A squad of government enforcement agents with plastic rifles and rubber bullets cram into the bar followed by Dr Valerie Cooper.

Mystique: Did we pass?

Cooper: You apprehended the most dangerous mutant on the planet without bloodshed…you will be an asset to the team. Welcome aboard Raven.

Erik Lehnsherr, I am arresting you for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy…

Magneto (while Cooper continues): Why did you betray me?

Mystique (quietly): Erik, everything I said is true. You will be much safer where you're going.

Cut to Peggy in discussion with her team, which now consists of:

Howard Stark - R&D (and science)

Hank Pym - science (and R&D)

Jacqueline Falsworth - demolition, espionage

Brian Falsworth - combat, espionage

James Braddock - pilot, combat, espionage

Having been made aware of mutants through their battles with Fenris, Xavier's X-Gene theory and the events of First Class they are urged to look into the disappearance of Evangeline Whedon, a noted human rights lawyer who is secretly a mutant. She had been working for the U.N. when she vanished. The urging came from Moira McTaggart who has seen a number of her mutant contacts disappear.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. team head to the U.N. building in New York. They are interviewing building staff and diplomats and investigating Whedon's office. Stark and Pym have found singed carpet fibres in an otherwise immaculate office. The interviewees remember Whedon arriving that day but no one saw her leave.

Suddenly Valerie Cooper marches in with her men, and demands to know what they think they're doing. They explain who they are and why they're there. She tells them that the matter they are investigating is a matter of national security and is highly classified. Jacqui asks if that means they knew where Whedon was. Cooper repeats that it is highly classified and forces them to halt their investigation. Braddock goes to call Peggy. Stark and Pym get in an argument with Cooper's men who are trying to confiscate their gathered evidence and equipment. Forge, all suited and booted, tries to reach a compromise where the evidence is confiscated but not the equipment. Cooper is not keen.

In all the commotion, Jacqui is pulled aside by a diplomat and is told that he saw Whedon being taken away by Cooper and her team. Jacqui tries to encourage them to come forward but they are very reluctant and manage to break away and go round a corner. When Jacqui catches up there is only a young woman coming towards her.

Jacqui (to woman): Have you seen a gentleman come this way? Older gentleman, grey hair?

Woman (pointing to the stairwell): Oh, I saw a man duck through those doors there.

Jacqui (hurrying to the doors): Thank you Miss…?

Woman (calling after her): Darkhölme, Doctor Darkhölme.

Raven smiles to herself and goes to join Forge and Cooper.

The next day, Peggy is in a debrief with the team as Val is with hers.

We switch between them:

Peggy wants to know what happened to the mystery diplomat. Jacqui is still surprised that he was sprightly enough to get away from her.

******

Val, meanwhile, is telling off Forge for undermining her while she was trying to control the situation. Forge insists he was trying to calm things down so that they could get what they needed and leave without conflict. Val snaps that he shouldn't back down to a rival agency when there's so much at stake.

*****

Howard informs the team that the singed carpet fibres did not match the carpet in the office (he knows as the analysing machine had already finished before the samples were confiscated). And Brian had informally charmed Whedon's secretary and she confirmed that the office had been completely redecorated the day she disappeared.

*****

Forge: Would it be so bad if S.H.I.E.L.D. found out? We could cooperate, share resources…

Val: No. We cannot risk mutants becoming public knowledge. Not until we have the situation under control.

Irene Adler: Miss Whedon, you have been very quiet. It is you they're looking for after all.

Evangaline (now revealed as part of Val's team): Val, you know my feelings on the matter. I'd much rather go home.

Val: NO! You cannot go home. Not until we have-

Raven (interrupting): When will that be!

(Meeting descends into chaos)

*****

Peggy wonders if anybody found out what agency they were with, as they didn't show their badges. James believes, from their uniforms, that they were CIA. Peggy resolves to talk to President Nixon about it.

Pym is irate that his technology nearly fell into the CIA's hands. “Your technology?” queries Howard. They bicker over whose technology it is. (Meeting descends into chaos)

*****

A man wearing a dark green suit and glasses, and sporting a crop of bright orange hair enters the fray.

It is Henry Peter Gyrich.

Gyrich: Enough! Agent Cooper answers to me and my answer is also no! No one is going home, we are not cooperating with anyone and we will deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. when the time comes.

Now, more importantly, you have your new target.

Raven: Magneto isn't enough?

Gyrich: Oh Magneto was just the beginning…

*****

Peggy: Moira McTaggart has had a tip off about another target. We believe this man, known as Azazel, is next. He is known to S.H.I.E.L.D. from an attack on one of our U.S. bases in ‘62. Very dangerous, killed several agents. Also believed to have been part of a mutant terrorist organisation known as the Brotherhood. Believed to be hiding in Germany.

Howard (looking at his photograph on the projector screen): Shouldn't be too hard to spot.

*****

Gyrich dismisses everyone and reminds them that they will receive their assignments from Agent Cooper separately from now on and that information will be given on a need to know basis only, no more leaks! And vows that they will find the traitor, with warnings of dire consequences for them. Dr. Darkhölme does not leave and sits staring at the image on the projector screen.

Val: Something the matter Dr. Darkhölme?

Raven: I thought, as Miss Whedon is staying on base, I could complete her profile. I haven't had a chance to speak to her yet.

V (crouching next to Raven's seat, speaking quietly): I know you were once…close…with Azazel. But he's one of our most wanted. Very dangerous. And we can't bring him in without you.

R (also softly, looking down): I can't.

V: The deal was for the Brotherhood. All of them. So if you want that pardon…

Gyrich (noticing the furtive conversation): Problem, Darkhölme?

R (standing): No problem.

(Shoots Val a dirty look before she leaves)

Flashback to around a year earlier. We see Raven in an off the book, makeshift maternity suite. She is close to giving birth. The ‘doctor’ has the ‘nurse’ mop their brow. The medical team look nervous. An anxious Azazel paces the room.

Azazel: Is there a problem with the delivery?

‘Doctor’ (sweating and shifty): No, no problem.

A (to Raven): I don't like this, we're too exposed.

Raven (tersely): Where would you have me do this? Mm? On the stained linoleum floor of that crappy ‘safehouse’ apartment? The neighbours would have heard me screaming and called 911 on us.

A: This doctor seems nervous. What school did you say you graduated from anyway?

‘Doctor’ (shakily): I've been very honest with you. I told you I dropped out of medical school, but I can deliver babies. I've done it successfully 14 times.

A: How many times have you done it unsuccessfully?

R: Have you considered they may be nervous because there's a man who looks like a demon angrily questioning their credentials?

A: …

R: What normal hospital would let you stalk around the delivery room? I told you to disappear before we got here…

A: No way. I'm not leaving you. Not here with these Sapiens.

R: …and it's not like Eric gives us health insurance. I should never have reached out to you in the first place.

There is a disturbance down the hallway. Raven tells Azazel to go as she can pass as a Sapien but he obviously can't. He wants to take her but she doesn't want to risk teleportation with a baby still inside her.

He bampfs away just as Val Cooper and her agents burst into the room despite the protestations of the staff.

Val (brushing off a ‘nurse’): May I remind you that the only reason you aren't all being arrested for running an illegal maternity hospital is the information we were given.

I am pleased the information was good. But where is the demon?

‘Doctor’ (sheepishly): He left.

Raven (glaring at the doctor as she is cuffed and has a power dampening collar fitted): Azazel was right. It was you.

‘Doctor’ (sighs): Yes. They offered me a medical license and funding for a legitimate community clinic.

V: Do remember, there are to be no more mutants here. That was the deal.

‘Doctor’: Do remember that we are delivering a baby here! You were supposed to wait outside.

V: We couldn't risk an escape…do what you need to do.

The staff, trying to ignore the armed agents, and Raven successfully deliver the baby. The baby is blue, marked from birth as a mutant. Cooper offers to take care of the baby. Raven is having none of it and calls for Azazel. He bampfs in and grabs the baby, he tries to get to Raven but is met with lots of gun barrels pointing at him.

Kayla, a nurse, grabs Cooper by the back of the neck and tells her to point her own gun against her head. She is compelled to do so by Kayla's touch as she is a mutant too.

As Azael reaches out for Raven an agent sneaks up behind Kayla and snaps a collar on her. Cooper is released and lowers her weapon. In the confusion Raven screams at Azazel to leave with the baby. Reluctantly he does so.

Raven (both devastated and furious): You are lucky I still need medical treatment, otherwise I would have wiped the floor with your agents and dived through the window.

Val (to Raven): We'll make sure you get the care that you need.

Val (to ‘Doctor’): Any other mutants in here I should know about?

Our deal is now off, by the way.

Val (to agents): This nurse may be of interest to Stryker. Take them away.

1970 Agents Of Shield Series 3

More Posts from Sonofcoulson