Re: Peggy Carter and Victor von Doom and OPEN
Victor was not in poor shape. Though he was slender, he was very fit for his age, and his tall frame and long legs helped him take the stairs fairly quickly. He couldn't hold a candle to Peggy's well-trained physique though. But he didn't try, or seem offended by the fact. He simply strode up the stairs and let her take point, as if this were the natural order of things.
"Peggy," he repeated with a polite nod, though the informality felt awkward on his lips. He found he did not mind her using his first name, but he did not feel comfortable being so familiar with her.
He was glad she immediately agreed with his conclusions. Though she was clearly well-trained physically she seemed reasonably intelligent as well. And he heard the anger in her voice that matched that in his heart. If the two of them found the one responsible for this he felt certain they would make quick work of the fool.
As they reach the top of the building, Victor steps out into the open air, feeling a certain satisfaction at finally being above it all. Or at least part of it, the dusty, decaying city below him. "If we were fleeing some event there would be no reason to remove our memories," he continued as they emerged, working through the situation rationally, his anger fueling his mind rather than clouding it.
"Nor would this be a location to flee too if there were any choice. It seems we are being marooned, but what purpose could there be in doing so rather than simply eliminating us? Someone capable of sending us here and tampering with our minds certainly must be capable of murder. Technically, but perhaps some compunction stays them. Landing near this city in what appears to be a desert seems unlikely to be mere chance. Yet it seems to offer very little benefit to us. What reason could our tormentor have for placing us here? Does its meager shelter offer some relief to our tormentor's conscience, or is there more here than meets the eye?"