Participants:
| Scene Title | Moving Forward |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Eileen gathers the two newest members of the Ferryman Council, and they discuss how to go about doing just that… |
| Date | November 12, 2010 |
When the chamber is empty, the torches are flickering and the only sounds that can be heard are the breathing of the three women left behind and the wind whistling through the corridor outside, Eileen rests her hand on the back of one of the vacated chairs and curls gloved fingers around the aged wood, creating a low, creaking noise that fills the room. Although the double doors leading inside have been left open, the shadow of Jensen Raith is visible on the wall outside, its presence an effective deterrent against eavesdroppers who might be lingering around in the false hope of learning more than the network's leadership was ready to share.
"I apologize," she says, and while there's no need for her to lower her voice, she speaks just loud enough for Barbara and Lynette to hear her. "I'd have come to you sooner, but I couldn't risk anyone finding about the appointments before the meeting. Ball still has followers, even here."
"It's alright," Lynette says, waving off the apology, "It's an uneasy time." She isn't sitting this time, but rather leaning against a chair for support. At least her wounds are both on the same side, so she can actually put her weight somewhere. "It was something of a surprise, though," she adds with some lightheartedness in her tone. "But a pleasant one, I think." With that, she looks over at Barbara, her head tilting a bit.
For Barbara, a look is given back towards the door, only looking back between Eileen and Lynette once the former begins to speak once more. There is a bit of a nervous look on Barbara’s face, no doubt, still seeming a bit caught off guard by the announcement not long before. “It’s… alright,” she replies with a weak smile, a nod offered to Lynette. “I understand have been, how they are now. But- yes, I am rather shocked. And curious about… a few things, I must admit.”
"If you don't want to remain on the council, you're both free to resign after the network has recovered to the point where I can find suitable replacements for you, but to be perfectly honest there are less than a hundred of us left, and that includes Ferry operatives who either chose not to evacuate or weren't able to make it to the boats." What Eileen really means to say is: Suitable replacements may not exist. Her other hand reaches up to smooth knuckles across her grackle's back. "I'll answer any questions you have," she says, "and hopefully with more honesty than I could afford the others. The situation is worse than it seems."
"We'll see how it works out," is Lynette's reply on the matter of any future resignations. After all, they have to get the network back on its feet first. "I suppose my first question, then, is how bad is it? Because, frankly, it seems pretty bad already."
“I’m honoured, and I don’t think anything like that will be an issue.” Wanting to resign, that is. Barbara has always been involved in the Ferry to help others, after all. “I suppose Lynette has the right idea. I am also curious, as I asked during the meeting, if there is anything specific we can do, or get people doing, once we start letting people trickle off the island.” There’s a pause as Barbara reaches up and scratches the back of her head. “And I also wanted to know, er… h-how much you know about me. If… Noah Bennet has ever spoken to you about me. There may be something we need to speak about, if I am to be honest.”
Eileen lowers her eyes to the top of the grackle's head, gaze shadowed by her lashes and a few stray strands of brown-black hair that have escaped the knot at the nape of her neck. "Our operatives at the Brick House and those placed under their protection were ambushed while they were evacuating," she says. "Benjamin Knox and Oleander Thespuda of Messiah came to their aid and escorted them to a triage center on Staten Island, where they were shot on sight, and five of our people lined up against the wall and executed.
"It wasn't an isolated incident." The grackle's amber eyes lock on Barbara. "Bennet hasn't breathed a word to me about you, no."
"Oh, wonderful," Lynette says at that news, and she moves to sit down then, a hand running over her face. "What the hell did Ball tell them?" It's something of a rhetorical question, as she doesn't actually wait for an answer. "So, when we continue operations, we're going to have to be invisible. People are going to have to have more legitimate covers, those that aren't known to be part of the Ferry already."
“Jesus,” Barbara replies breathlessly, eyes widening at the news of the execution. “So there really aren’t sparing any quarter, are they…” As if the tank at the docks hadn’t be indicator enough. “And we’ll need somewhat to keep any new safe houses complete out of a suspicious eye, which… might be easier said than done now,” she muses, running a hand back through her hair. A nod is given to Lynette, and then a weak smile is offered to Eileen.
“It… just means I have a story to tell at some point, is all. About before I joined the Ferry. It can wait for now, though. I gather the matter at hand is a bit more important.”
"There's very little you can tell me about yourself that might change my mind," Eileen assures Barbara, a thread of mirth woven through her voice. With a snap of its wings, the grackle flutters from her shoulder to latch its claws onto the back of the chair, giving it a better vantage point of the other two women in the room. "Because the network has diminished in size, we'll need fewer safehouses in order to function. Grand Central Terminal and Pollepel Island can be used in times of emergency, like now, but with only the Garden and possibly the Sweat Lodge left, one of our priorities should be scouting out new locations. Staten Island's days as a sanctuary are limited and with the Reclaimed Zone continuing to grow in size, it's important we look elsewhere. Not counting fallback points, I want no more than five, and a list of Ferrymen who can be trusted to operate them. Benton-Ward is a given. Childs, Fulk, Nichols-Demsky and Oliver are also good candidates. Those of us who don't have paperwork will have to go underground entirely."
"I have a contact, once we're in a position to contact people, who can get new identification. Not for everyone, but for some. I will probably do so myself. Underground is all well and good, but there isn't a Bergdorf's there," Lynette says, her smile a little crooked. "As far as locations… we'll just have to hide in plain sight." She pauses a moment there, before she notes, "And speaking of… if he's still interested, with the current state of things… Kendall has expressed interest in becoming part of the Ferry. And frankly, we wouldn't have gotten to the boats without him. Or even out of Gun Hill. He'd be wonderful for moving people and things around discreetly."
“I suppose that’s good, then. One less thing to worry about,” Barbara says to Eileen quietly, thinking over her assessment. Many of these names are, unfortunately, names of folks that unfamiliar to Barbara as more than just that – names. She would have to make an effort to fix that over the course of the days she was going to be here, and in the time afterwards. “I will have to look into new some sort of identification myself, I suppose. I worry that registration my draw attention to myself, but perhaps something can be done instead…”
Refocusing herself, Barbara takes on a thoughtful expression. “Renovating or buying buildings may attract attention, as might moving a whole bunch of people into a place at once. We need to start soon, trickling people to places as we find them. But moving or doing anything in a group is going to be a bad idea.” Rubbing her chin, Barbara nods a bit. “If we are to hide in plain sight in particular, we will have to be extra cautious. Gun Hill seemed largely to subscribe to that idea, so unfortunately they may think to keep an eye out for such a place.”
"The Cunningham boy?" asks Eileen, even if it isn't as though Kendall is a very popular name. "If he's here on the island, I don't think we've much of a choice. As far as hiding in plain sight goes, that may be our best option. We can get away with renovating abandoned buildings as long as we're discreet about it. The Maxwell Corporation covered Pollepel's reconstruction for us. If the government takes a look at the paperwork, they'll see a public restoration project and nothing else. Unfortunately, this isn't a resource we can tap twice, and we'd be fools to go anywhere near Chesterfield's money. She needs to disappear before they come for her. Beauchamp and Matheson as well."
"He is here, but I just mean… he wants to be useful. And he can be, if we let him." Lynette looks over at Barbara, nodding softly, "A little at a time. Even if it isn't housing, per se, but warehouses and business, something different than we've done before. When I did this for Costa, we basically… employed the people he was hiding, scattered among actual applicants. Everything looked like it was coincidence and chance. It's hard to have a true safehouse when there are the uninformed going in and out, but it's also hard to nail it as a safe house. As for money… My father has always been very supportive of my being with the Ferry. He might be able to set something up, through channels so it doesn't link back to me. But something."
“It sounds like we need all the help we can get,” Barbara remarks, arms crossing as she looks at Lynette. “I’m afraid I haven’t met him myself. I take it he’s evolved? What exactly is it he can do?” She looks curiously at the other safehouse operator. “If he thinks he can be useful in the manner that’s needed at the moment, and he’s willing to make the sacrifices, I don’t think we’re in any position to deny him, if he’s someone that can be trusted.”
Wrinkling her nose, attention is turned back to Eileen. “We may simply have to ask who has money to spare and see what can be put together in a relatively short time, from sources that won’t attract attention. It would work for a short term solution, possibly.” She pauses, and lets out a scene. “So, no word for Catherine, then? Unfortunate. Do we know if anything has become of her building in the last few days?”
"I was hoping we might ask one of our operatives at the Terminal to check in with her," Eileen says. "Nichols-Demsky is arranging an expedition to the Garden so she can perform a head count there. If she and Oliver are able, they can try to make contact with Village Renaissance as long as they can do so safely. In the incredibly unlikely event that it hasn't been hit in some fashion, we should assume that it's being watched at the very least."
"He's an illusionist," Lynette explains to Barbara with a crooked smile. "Turned everyone invisible to sneak past the officers in Gun Hill and then made some sort of dragon appear at the docks. It was quite the effective distraction."
Lynette looks over at Eileen and frowns, but there's a nod as well. "Is it possible for us to set up some sort of check in point? A place to call or leave a note or something. Obviously won't be much help now, for those we haven't found, but for the future."
“An illusionist?” Barbara sounds clearly impressed by his actions, giving a bit of a nod. “To me, that sounds like something I imaginr will be incredibly useful in the near future. If he is up to it, he could really help us out in a few places…” A look is cast over to Eileen, Barbara sighing a bit. “The last time I was there there was certainly nothing I could see that betrayed it as any sort of Ferry building, but her name attached to it alone may be enough. Here’s hoping, though being under surveillance may be worse in the long run.”
"My instinct is to recommend the Terminal," Eileen suggests, "as far as check-in points are concerned within the city limits, but if anyone is followed there, we risk the kind of crippling blow we can't come back from. I'll see what I can do."
Nodding for a moment, there's a pause before Lynette pushes herself up to her feet again, one hand planting firmly on the back of the chair, for support. "Right now, what are the top priorities? Besides not being discovered here. Before we go back to the city, what needs to be done?"
Barbara gives a nod in Lynette’s question; the other woman had stolen her primary question, but she did haave one other in mind. “Do we have an actual census of who’s on the island? It might not be such a terrible idea to take one, look it over, and destroy it. Just in case.” It’s a thought, at least. “As for a check in… we could always set up a second place somewhere in the city. A place that can seem like a hub, in the event people are followed. Give them something to chase after that doesn’t really matter.”
"Raith is in the process of collecting a list of names so we know how many we have, and who," says Eileen. "We'll have a better feel for our priorities once we hear back from the Terminal and can assess the situation on Staten Island. I want to speak with Matheson and McRae. Chesterfield as well, if she can be tracked down. With things the way they are, coming together for a traditional council meeting is out of the question, but Wireless might be able to help us hold one via radio."
"So in the moment, it's just… keep people together, keep them from don't anything stupid while we're here and make sure no one gets cabin fever too badly. It would be fantastic if we could find things to keep everyone busy." Lynette puts her other hand on her hip, fingers drumming a little before she looks up again. "How is Noah doing? Last I saw him, it wasn't pretty."
“Coming together all in one place would be a terribly bad idea, I agree…” Barbara looks a bit off to the side as she thinks. “getting everyone out and helping might be hard to do without attracting attention. At Thompson, even as autonomous as we were, we tried to keep the place from looking too busy for a small little commune. Thankfully, I think we have fewer people here now than we did up nnorth. That should help things a little bit, as… sad as the fact is.” Her voice grows quiet as she speaks, expression down turning at the end. It feels terrible to say, but it’s the truth.
The mention of Noah has her perking up a bit, looking over to Lynette, then to Eileen. “He’s on the island, correct? I think if anyone can help him pull through, it’s Megan and Delia.”
"He'll live," is all Eileen has to say on the subject of the network's founder. Her grackle spreads its wings and flicks into flight, swinging up into the vaulted ceiling's rafters. "Keep people together," she reiterates. "There will be conflicts. It's our responsibility to resolve them. I'd like one of you to seek out the man who brought Delia to us— Vincent Lazzaro. Ask him what became of the Institute coffin we gave him and whether or not he was successful with what he was attempting to accomplish. If he's here, I suspect we already know the answer, but I'd like confirmation."
"He'll live," is all Eileen has to say on the subject of the network's founder. Her grackle spreads its wings and flicks into flight, swinging up into the vaulted ceiling's rafters. "Keep people together," she reiterates. "There will be conflicts. It's our responsibility to resolve them. I'd like one of you to seek out the man who brought Delia to us— Vincent Lazzaro. Ask him what became of the Institute coffin we gave him and whether or not he was successful with what he was attempting to accomplish. If he's here, I suspect we already know the answer, but I'd like confirmation."
"Good," Lynette notes to Bennet's status, before she adds to Barbara, "Megan saved his life. If she'd been any slower…" Shaking her head, the blonde looks between the other two. "We'll track him down. I suppose he's gotten himself into some trouble, if he's here. But we'll find out what happened." And hope for the best, in the meantime. But before she goes on, her crooked smile makes another appearance, "I don't suppose anyone thought to bring a deck of cards… we could have one hell of a poker tournament while we're here."
Barbara grins at the Eileen’s assessment of Bennet’s condition. She nods at Lynette slowly. “I’m glad to hear that, then. I’ll have to see him once he’s on his feet again, whenever that may be.” She quirks her lips to the side, looking back and forth between Eileen and Lynette. “I’ll look around. Perhaps Delia knows where he got off to, if he’s hiding on the island, or around it.” A bit of a nod is given, and finally a bit of a laugh at Lynette’s suggestion. “I’m sure there’s someone who can accommodate. Chips, on the other hand, might be a problem. She lets that bit of mirth ride for a moment before she looks back at Eileen. “I do have one more question for you, Eileen. What… do you make of Richard Cardinal?”
The silence Barbara receives in response to that question isn't of the stunned variety. Up in the rafters, irritation shimmers through the grackle's feathers, and it makes a sound like the metal its plumage resembles under the right lighting conditions. Eileen chooses her next words very carefully, and enunciates them the same. "Richard Cardinal," she says, "is in over his head. But so are we all."
She can't help it. That assessment makes Lynette laugh a little bit, even if it does jar the wound on her side. This is very likely agreement. "At least Elisabeth seems to have a good head on her shoulders," she says, adding her own opinion in there, too.
“Mmm,” is Barbara’s succinct reply to Eileen’s response. “I have been wondering how on the up and up he is. Both… my sister works for him, and he claims by brother does as well, though I haven’t seen the latter myself. Thank you, I had simply been wondering.”
"I question the judgement of someone who thinks they can play both sides for as long as Harrison has," says Eileen, because she's not going to call her Elisabeth right now. "It's only a matter of time until what she and Cardinal are doing catches up with them and Redbird Security meets a fate similar to what those of us who try to have everything can expect. The line between confidence and arrogance is very fine."
Eileen's hand drops to her side, and she curls her fingers until she can feel her nails biting into her palm through the lambskin material of her gloves. "I'll let you get back to your rooms and your lives. We're nothing without enough sleep, mind. I know where I'm headed."
"I question the judgement of someone who thinks they can play both sides for as long as Harrison has," says Eileen, because she's not going to call her Elisabeth right now. "It's only a matter of time until what she and Cardinal are doing catches up with them and Redbird Security meets a fate similar to what those of us who try to have everything can expect. The line between confidence and arrogance is very fine."
Eileen's hand drops to her side, and she curls her fingers until she can feel her nails biting into her palm through the lambskin material of her gloves. "I'll let you get back to your rooms and your lives. We're nothing without enough sleep, mind. I know where I'm headed."
"Well, that much is true," Lynette says, as far as the line between goes. But as Eileen gives the dismissal, she turns to Barbara and nods her head toward the exit. "I figure maybe we could check on how people are doing, just see what the waters are like. There was that trio at the meeting that left a little early? We should give them a chat while we're all here." She looks back to Eileen, for a moment, "We'll all definitely be seeing each other again, this week. So until later." And then she starts to make her way out. It's a little slow, but she manages.
Barbara, on the other hand, has not had the chance to meet this Elizabeth; perhaps, from the sound of it, that might be for the best. “I’ll pass on word, then, should he want to meet with me again.” She rolls her shoulders, grinning as she looks between the two, giving as enthusiastic of a nod as she can, given the situation and the lateness of the day. “I’ll keep an eye out,” she says with a smile as she watches Lynette leave, doing a half turn as she watches. “At any rate, I’ll ask around with whoever see. Get a gauge of how people feel, what they want or can do to help while we’re here, and I’ll get back to the two of you.” A small is wave is gives to Eileen as the postcognative turns the rest of teh way towards teh door, making her way towards it. “Thank you again, Eileen. Sleep well tonight, both of you.”
“We’re all going to need it.”