No Love Lost

Participants:

elisabeth_icon.gif niki_icon.gif

Scene Title No Love Lost
Synopsis There is one more person who could help locate Abby.
Date February 17, 2009

Dorchester Towers, Elisabeth's Apartment


It's a very large city, and there are a ton of minivans in it. And the color 'periwinkle' doesn't even EXIST as a paint color for any of them, thankyouverymuch. Not an official one anyway. So Elisabeth has, in her "copious" spare time, been doing her best to at least attempt to trace stolen "blue" minivans - because she's pretty sure it was a stolen one they used, but she has no other leads to follow. She does, however, have one other avenue that can be pursued. And so she makes the phone call to ask Niki to stop by her place. It's not the first overture she's made (though they've been very few, given the insanity that has gripped the city for a couple weeks now — limited to the odd phone call just to leave a message and see how the MPD blonde is doing), but it *is* the first time she's voluntarily asked Niki back into her apartment. Mainly because…. well… being out in public is far too complicated.

When Niki arrives, Elisabeth opens the door and lets her in, a cautiously welcoming expression on her face. "Hey."

Niki is on the far side of the door. The blonde looks a little nervous, since it has been a while since she's heard from Elisabeth. "Hey there. How's it going?" She doesn't move to come in, not till explicitly invited.

Moving out of the way, Liz gestures. "C'mon in," she says quietly. "Coffee? I've got some on. As always lately." She smiles a bit. She looks tired, but last night she got four whole hours. The cutting back of the curfew is … well, some days it helps, other days not so much. "I'm sorry I haven't called you in a while," she offers. "It's been… pretty busy." As if Niki doesn't already know that.

Niki steps through the doorway, and smiles just a bit, as she looks to Liz. It's a concerned smile more than anything. "I figured. How are you doing? Aside from work, I mean."

Shaking her head, Elisabeth says quietly, "Not sure you really want an answer to that, Niki." She forces a small smile as she closes the door, automatically enclosing her living space as far out as she can push the silence bubble. Though she's not as good at hiding it right into the walls, it's getting damn close — she's getting a lot of practice these days in making sure her home is soundproofed. As she leads the way to the kitchen, she adds in something of a facetious tone, "I don't have much of a life outside work, I'm walking a very fine line of 'ohshit HomeSec or the fuckin' Company are gonna chuck me in jail at any second,' my lover got killed, and the guy I love — the one that's always far more complicated — is most likely in the same boat. How about you?"

Niki smiles wanly, looking a little guilty. "Honestly? Things have been great. Getting settled into my new place, buying furniture…feeling like a normal person for a change."

That brings a truly sincere smile to Elisabeth's face. "That, lady, is the best news I've had in a month. Seriously." She pours coffee into mugs already prepared for it, pushing one toward Niki and gesturing to a seat. "Cuz God knows, good things gotta be happening to *someone*, right? And you've already had far more than your share of bad stuff. So that makes me happy."

The tall blonde laughs. "Well, but it doesn't help to feel like I got it when everyone else's life is going to crap. She moves into the kitchen with Elisabeth, looking back to the police officer. "And I'm really sorry you lost someone close."

She doesn't exactly wave off the sympathy, but Elisabeth doesn't seem able to really accept it, either. She's in that stage that Niki will probably recognize as 'denial' — just … bury it and don't deal with it right now. To be fair, there's plenty of stuff going on out on the streets to give her that excuse. "I'm okay, Niki. Thanks." She settles into the bar stool next to Niki and says quietly, "I wish I could say that I had just looked you up for a social visit." They both know that is still a little ways off still, what with the situation between Jessica and Liz. "I wanted to see you, to see how you were doing…. but I needed to ask you a question, and … well, *maybe* a favor."

She looks back to Elisabeth worriedly. And then there's talk of questions, and favors. She nods. "What can I do for you?" She sits on the other stool, looking back to Elisabeth, just a BIT hesitantly.

"Don't look so worried… if you can't do it, you can't." Elisabeth smiles a little bit. "Before I even ask the favor… I need to know if you, or rather Jessica, are still working for the Company. Because the favor — which is not entirely for me — could put you in conflict. And I won't go further with it if that's the case."

A slight shift in posture and a larger one in tone. "Working with, more than working for. I'm not what one would call an active employee. What's going on?"

Nodding, Liz says quietly, "Abby's been picked up by an unidentified group of someones. I've spent the past week tracking license plates - stolen - and unable to track the vehicle - which I'm assuming was also stolen, frankly. A contact tells me some members of Vanguard have been spotted on Staten, and after some discussion… the probability that someone either from Vanguard or someone who really needs a healer on tap on a regular basis has taken her to Staten is pretty high." She shares a look with Niki… no, with Jessica, because she knows to whom she speaks. "That girl is the kidnappingest person I've ever met in my life. So one, I thought you'd want to know. And two, I wondered if you might be willing to take a trip to Staten to go look around. Rumors of an underground Evo cage-fighting ring are filtering out, and according to those rumors, not all of them are there voluntarily. But it's as good a place to start looking for her as any, honestly."

Jessica thinks about it a moment. "I do want to know. And a trip out there…" She considers. "Depends. Am I doing this for the NYPD, for Phoenix, or for Elisabeth?" she asks, as she looks back to the police officer, expression hard to read.

Elisabeth lifts her chin and says quietly, "That, you're doing strictly for Abby. I don't care who finds her, so long as she's found. The part of the favor you might do for me while you're doing it is this: If you happen to pick up any names of people in the cage-fighting circle, either as organizers or as people in the fights, especially the unwilling ones, I'd like them. People are being snatched off the streets in this town left, right, and center. Some by Homeland and some by these assholes. I want to do what I can to return as many as possible to where they belong. It's nothing to do with the cops, with Phoenix, or anyone else… none of them even know about you."

Jessica nods. "And I should be doing you a favor…" she lets that hang a moment. "Because you blew out my eardrums? Or because you had me arrested? Or maybe because you screwed up my work with Niki?" Someone isn't all THAT pleased about all that still.

There's an easy shrug. "Then don't," Elisabeth replies, turning around to sip her coffee. "Go after Abby and ignore the rest. I'll do the rest myself." She slants Jessica a look. "And let's not talk about blowing out eardrums… considering what *you* were doing to *me* at the time, you're damn lucky I didn't just resonate your bones into powder." Her tone is not in any way threatening, it's a mere statement of fact. Elisabeth's gotten far harder on the inside in the past months.

That actually gets a smirk from the blonde assassin. "Touche." Backing down from her never engenders her respect, even if sometimes it's the wisest course. "I'll see what I can find out. No promises, though. You're still at the same cell number?"

Nodding slowly, Elisabeth studies Jessica. "Yeah, I am. Until they haul me away in chains, at least." She grimaces and sips her coffee. "Besides… you and Niki seem to me to be doing far better lately."

Jessica replies "Things are…a bit bumpy, from time to time. But right now, cooperating seems to be working well. All right. You have any information about the situation there that might be useful to me?"

Elisabeth blows out a breath, holding her hands around her cup. "Not really. The news out of there is sketchy, at best. I know there are still a lot of good people stuck out there, but that the lawless elements are pretty much taking over. I know that there *are* law enforcement officials going in undercover, so you may see some familiar faces — though whether they'll help in a jam, I haven't a clue. I've been working on talking my captain into letting me go, but well…" She grins a little, humorlessly. "I'm not exactly who they want to send in there - I'm squishy, I think were the words he used the last time I asked." She shrugs. "But I don't have much that's in any way useful, no. Abby was picked up in a van described as 'periwinkle', and you might be able to locate the boat they used. There are a lot of them, though."

Jessica smirks just a little. "I don't know, you can take care of yourself, as far as I know." And she has cause to. "All right. I'll go see what I can find out, and if I can find out Abby. One catch. If I need to get out with Hostage Girl in tow, I may need a fast evacuation. If I'm going to do this, you have to promise me that you'll pull what strings you need to to get a boat there to get my ass off the island."

Elisabeth nods immediately. "If you can get me word that you've got her, I can do one better. Teleporter on tap." She smirks faintly. "We've been working on setting up an emergency evac pipeline for anyone who needs it."

Jessica looks amused. "Convenient. I won't ask how, since I don't figure you're going to tell me. All right. I'll take a little bit to get a few toys together, and then I'll head out there. Talk to you soon." That said, she stands. Someone's at work now. Or at least in that headspace.

There's a bit of a grin on Elisabeth's face. "It is kinda convenient." And a big risk, to expose Anne to Jessica. But … Jessica doesn't seem to have much love for the Company, either. So… getting Abby out, in Liz's mind, trumps that concern. "Guess I'll talk to you when I talk to you, then."

No, not any particular love there. The tall blonde answers "Hopefully sooner rather than later. Talk to you soon." And Jessica moves to leave.


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February 17th: Dr. Bianco's Drive-Thru Face Clinic
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February 17th: Angry and Disillusioned
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