Participants:
| Scene Title | Redbird Reunion |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | The associates of Redbird Security Solutions happen to gather at their home office. Monica and Niki are reunited and Cardinal reveals that he has news for his hitter. |
| Date | August 6, 2010 |
Redbird Security Solutions Office
"Alright, I've got it, I've got… it… I don't got it I don't got it— " There is a sign, with the company's name and logo on it, that's currently being hunt up behind the receptionist's station, and Richard Cardinal is getting the help of one Peyton Whitney to hang it up on hooks so that it can be properly screwed into position.
It isn't going so well, evidently.
The office is almost decorated. It seems that it won't be long before Redbird Security Solutions is ready to be opened. In the meantime, it's a good place to be meeting.
"You know… any other time, I'd be standing here with a digital camera just to take a picture of this. No one would ever believe it," comes Elisabeth's voice from the front door. She looks vaguely amused. "And yes, I am playing hooky and not going back to DC until the morning," she adds to the commentary, because she was supposed to be gone as of last night and it didn't happen.
"I know I'd claim photoshopping," Monica says as she steps in after the blonde. But, she looks at the sign, her head tilted a bit to the side. Considering. "Well. I like it. Classy. You two need some help?"
The operation is watched curiously by a pair of brown puppy eyes as Von sits watching his mistress and Cardinal wrangle the sign onto the wall. Peyton stands, holding the sign to the wall in the middle, glancing up at Cardinal.
"I got it — I'll hold it like this while you …" there's just no good way to finish that sentence and the clairvoyant's cheeks color a touch, before turning to glance over her shoulder at the sound of the door opening and Liz's and Monica's jocular greetings. "You tell 'em, sister. There's coffee on in my office, if you want some," she says cheerfully. The sign slips a touch. "Shit. Hold on. I got it." Maybe.
Niki Sanders may not be gifted with superhuman speed, but she is apparently gifted with a sense of good timing. Gently, she nudges past the women in the doorway without a second glance, but at least with a murmured excuse me, and jogs around the receptionist's desk and up to Peyton's side where she reaches up to steady the sign attempted to be hung there.
"I got it." Niki grins to Peyton, giving her a wink. Then she glances back toward the door. "Hey Li— Monica?" She adjusts her grip on the sign and blinks several times at the young woman.
"Oh, thank god, someone who can hold this goddamn sign," Cardinal mutters under his breath, pointedly ignoring the quips and barbs of the more amused women near the door. Once the sign's taken over by Niki, it's soon hooked up onto the hooks and he drops back a step, shoulders dropping and hands brushing against one another. Now, they just need to screw it in.
Oh, right. She hadn't seen Monica yet. "Oh, we recruited your cousin," he offers with a grin, then, head tilting over in the direction of the young black woman, "And someone else you're gonna want to meet too."
Stepping sideways out of the way of Niki as she enters, Liz grins at the other blonde. "Woman, where the hell you been?" she demands good-naturedly. "'Bout damn time you showed your face." She's glad to see Niki — and she narrows her blue eyes on the woman just to assure herself that it is Niki and not Jessica. Sometimes it's really hard to tell. "Hey, Monica," she greets belatedly. And she leans against the window at the front, thbting at Cardinal. "I'm not on the payroll and I painted your damn basement with sound-dampening paint. And I got you a line on ceiling tiles like they use in recording studios too. I can laugh at you while you hang pictures," she teases.
As he walks into the Redbird, Aric looks around and closes his eyes as he extends his senses out to their maximum range. He makes a flinching nose as he looks upwards sensing five sets of thoughts. He blocks them out looking for the stairs that lead towards the loft. He is dressed in a pair of loose capri khakis, a muscle shirt, and flip flops. Aric takes a deep breath and knocks softly before he calls out in a Spanish accent, "Housekeeping."
"Hey, you actually do know her. I was beginning to think it was all a lie to lure me to your cause," Monica says half to Cardinal and half to Niki. "Hey Niki," she says, coming to lean a hip against the desk, "So I'm in town…" She turns to give a nod to Liz in greeting, smirking at her reply to Cardinal. "Yeah and I… stand around and look mildly tough. So." That's her license to mock, apparently. When the next body comes strolling in, Monica looks that way… and then looks again. New face. "I hope you remember mints for the pillows."
"Thanks!" Peyton says with a grin at Niki — or Jessica or Gina, she never is totally sure who's at the helm, though the hair style doesn't look like Gina's. She moves away, hopping down from the desk, which brings the puppy scampering over to her, before Von turns and begins to investigate the other newcomers with sniffs and licks. He's too short yet for noses in crotches, which is always a bonus.
She smiles at Monica, who she's met, before glancing toward Aric coming through the door. "Someone we know?" she asks, dark eyes peeking at Liz through their corners.
Niki makes sure the sign isn't going to collapse and re-kill Cardinal before she finally lets go of it. She rounds the desk and approaches Monica, wrapping her arms around her in a warm hug. "It's good to see you. This must be family reunion week." She rests her hands on Monica's shoulders, looking her up and down quickly, assessing. "You look good. Real good." Her smile is tinged with uncertainty, however, as she lets her arms drop to her sides again. "What are you doing here?" A look is shot over her shoulder to Cardinal. It's somewhat Not A Nice Look.
"Oh, come on, she was a part of PARIAH and Phoenix, it's not like she's in any more danger with us," Cardinal points out in rather dry tones as he gets that look from Niki, his hands spreading just a bit defensively. That done, he hops up on the receptionist's desk, hands falling to fold between his knees as he watches the cousins catch up with an easy smile.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Liz…" Then the building's front door opens, and he looks up, brows raising, "Aric! Hey, c'mon inside, meet some've the others."
Elisabeth giggles softly at the look. That's a Jessica look. So now she still can't tell who it is. She wrinkles her nose at the shadowmorph again and moves away from the door, because now Aric's coming in and she's gonna get hit in the butt if she keeps standing there. She perches on the other corner of Peyton's desk. "Hey, Aric. Peyton, your puppy's adorable," she adds with a smile. "Wow… the gang's mostly here. Amazing."
Aric walks in taking a brief pause at the door before seeing Cardinal. He walks over to him and extends his hand out to the man in greeting before he looks over at Liz. He smirks softly bowing his head at her. "You still at mad at me Liz?" His eyes moving around the faces he doesn't know in curiosity.
And now that she's not got her hands full, Monica comes to meet her for that hug. "Hey, you look good, too. Real good. Takin' care of yourself, aren't you?" That look she gives her cousin is something of a motherly one, a hand even going to her hip.
She does have to chuckle at Cardinal's reply, though, and she nods before she looks up at Niki again, "I'm just making myself useful, is all." That smile she gives the other women make her demeanor shift from worried mother to kid with her hand in the cookie jar.
"His name's Von, and he's our super scary security guard dog mascot," Peyton says, reaching down to scoop the puppy up, though at probably thirty-plus pounds, the half-grown pup is a bit big for a lapdog. She sits on the other side of the desk, and smiles at the newcomer, eyes curious as she gives another wave. "Hey, I'm Peyton," says the socialite-turned-security-business-associate, as she settles the dog on her lap and swings flip-flop clad feet crossed at the ankles.
Niki can't really seem to argue with Cardinal's logic. It isn't as though Monica is helpless, either. She comes from good stock, after all. "I do what I can," she murmurs in response to taking care of herself. "I suppose the fact that you came to us instead of…" She shrugs. She knows of one other place Monica may have ended up from the two organisations, but, "I'm glad you're here. Really."
Slender hands clap together quietly before fingers lace in front of her and Niki smiles to Cardinal. "So. Who else am I supposed to meet?" Her gaze drifts toward Aric briefly in askance.
Cardinal reaches out from his perch where he's sitting on the edge of the desk, shaking the offered hand firmly, "Good to have you here. That's Monica and Niki." Peyton already introduced herself, so he doesn't need to take care of that. In turn, he tilts his head, "Aric's a telepath that's shown sympathy with our cause."
One presumes he doesn't mean the security business.
Then there's the question from Niki, and he hesitates for a moment before raising his head in a nod to her, "Your brother. Your — well, half-brother, if you want to be technical about it."
"Nah, not a bit," Elisabeth says with a grin at Aric. Her temper appears to be usually one that's relatively short-lived when it blows. She's dressed in summer casual at the moment herself — khaki shorts, a string-strapped tanktop, and sandals. It's looking like a freakin' party in here right now, honestly, instead of a business. But that seems okay with the blonde.
The half-brother comment makes Elisabeth grimace slightly. She's not sure who Cardinal's referring to off the top of her head, so she eyes him curiously.
"As the man said…My name is Aric. I am a telepath. Please I know…stay out of your head." He makes a Boy Scout motion and says, "I will stay out of your head as long as you or anyone around you is safe and I need to go in. Most of the time I will ask before I go in…and what comes through…well I will keep to myself." His eyes move towards Liz as he smiles before giving Peyton, Niki and Monica a wave. "A pleasure to meet you all."
"I'm glad you're here, too. it's good to have family around," Monica says, giving Niki's arm a pat before she turns her attention to the telepath, too. She waves a hand as her name comes up, and adds in, "Nice to meet you, Aric," in a voice tinted with a southern accent. At his promises, she seems… a bit amused. So turns to Cardinal with a lifted eyebrow. It's a look that only turns a bit questioning at the mention of Niki having a brother.
There's the slightest frown at the news Aric is a telepath, though Peyton knows that will be useful to them in their "mission." She gives him a broader smile and gives a nod. "I understand. I'm sure people have the same sort of reaction to my power," she offers, ruffling the fur of the little red puppy that sits in her lap. She doesn't add to the statement what her ability is, figuring he either knows or, well, he'll find out. "Nice to meet you." She then shifts her dark gaze to Niki, waiting for the reaction to the news the blonde has a brother. Sudden family members appearing is something she can relate to, after all.
Niki would smirk at Aric and say something about how she's a difficult read, or that she has a propensity to throw telepaths through windows, but all that is left unspoken in favour of addressing the bombshell Cardinal's just dropped. "You found my brother?" She asks with wide eyes and an astonished voice.
She doesn't seem surprised that she has a brother, oddly enough. Niki tears her gaze away from Cardinal so she can pull out her cell phone and start frantically typing up a text message. Her blue eyes flit up to him once with a sort of gently demanding look. "Tell me more. What's his name? Where is he?"
"You knew about him?" There's surprises all around, today, as Cardinal sits up a bit straighter and raises both eyebrows up past the edge of his shades, "Yeah, we had to break him out of government containment, but… who're you calling?" Caution, of course, wins out. Paranoia's best in this sort of game, and of the people present, he might be the only one who knows how important it is to keep the man they're discussing safe.
Well, …. crappity. Elisabeth looks entirely flummoxed by the whole conversation, frankly. Niki hasn't ever mentioned a brother — hell, the woman doesn't hardly acknowledge that she has a sister. Maybe even two of them. She always says she'll follow up on the Tracy angle and never has. So it comes as a surprise to find her interested in a half-brother.
Aric cocks an eyebrow as he can see's Niki's reaction as he steps to the side. He runs a hand through his long locks before he says, "Did I come at a bad time Cardinal? Can I help with anything?" He pulls out a peppermint patty from his pocket and throws it towards Monica gently.
Monica, too, looks a little puzzled by the conversation. She blinks and turns her questioning look to Niki, then back to Cardinal. "Just no looking for my brother," she says, teasing just a little. And hey, she actually does have one, too! A hand snakes out to snatch that peppermint patty out of the air before the girl really seems to notice that it's coming her way what with her attention firmly on the family drama, but when she opens her hand to look at it, a wide smile comes over her face. "Okay, you I like."
"Mine neither. I'm supposed to meet him sometime, though," Peyton says, looking with amusement as the candy goes flying through the air to get snatched by Monica's hand. The puppy is very curious too and whines a little, looking for treats for himself, apparently. "No chocolate for you, Von," Peyton says softly, before letting him down. The little red foxy dog goes scrambling over to Aric to investigate him, sniffing his shoes and pants, clearly in search of edibles.
"I'm not calling anyone," Niki murmurs with quiet annoyance. "Trust me, Richard. Just tell me what I need to know. Who is he? I need to know if he is who he says he is." Perhaps there's a little too much coincidence for Niki's tastes. She flashes a small grin Monica's direction. "Yeah, we should definitely leave your brother out of this. Nana Dawson would have a fit." Her askance glance is sent back to Cardinal. I'm waiting.
"Yes, well, people who can see what you send on that little cell phone have already tried to kidnap him…" There's a rather wry note to Cardinal's voice as he points that out, gesturing with a hand to it, "…I mean, Messiah will know we have him soon enough, but I'd rather they have have too many details. Not to mention that he's wanted by at least three governments. And don't be ridiculous, Aric, it's always like this. Our lives are completely insane - pull up a piece of wall or something, since we haven't gotten chairs yet. I might have some work for you soon, vetting some possible recruits."
A hand lifts, drawing the shades off his face and dropping them to the desk, rubbing against his eyes. "Niklaus Zimmerman. He's the only legitimate child of your biological mother. You, Tracy, and a third girl - Barbara - were part of an experiment. Her husband, Jonas Zimmerman, is the man who invented the Formula."
Elisabeth adds quietly, "I told you about the picture of the third girl, Zimmerman's daughter, that I saw in California. I didn't know her name, though." She shakes her head slightly. It took her a moment to realize she did know who Cardinal meant when he said brother, she just hasn't been thinking about the man in that way. It slipped her mind in all the rest of what's been going on. Niklaus is not exactly…. well, he's just kinda strange.
Aric 's eyes look down at the Puppy as he smiles. He opens his pocket and pulls out a half eaten roast beef sandwich. He smiles, "Why hello there." He pulls a few pieces of roast beef off and places it in his palm. He looks up towards Cardinal, "Well my place is there for you use as long as you don't use your talents to scare off my guests. You can use my apartment upstairs." He looks back down at the puppy.
"Oh don't worry. Nana and Damon are so far out of this, they're on the moon." There's a firmness about that statement. Like she's put a lot on the line to make sure that's true. Or stays true. She lifts and eyebrow as the brother is revealed, but she takes a bite of that candy instead of commenting.
The tall brunette just watches, listening and watching, smiling a touch at Aric's kindness with the puppy. "Roast beef he can have. Just no chocolate. You always carry food on you? Saving it for later just in case we freeze over like we did this past spring?" Peyton asks, voice soft so as not to interrupt the more serious conversation going on amongst Niki, Monica, Liz and Cardinal.
"That's my son you're alluding to," Niki warns Cardinal in a quiet voice. "I didn't get this far without being careful. Give me some credit?" She turns her gaze back to Monica, "The moon is a good place for them in all this craziness." She snaps her phone shut and slides it into her pocket again. "It's fine. I'll tell you about it later, okay? Once I have something concrete."
"If it was just Micah, I wouldn't be worried," Cardinal says in quiet, serious tones, looking back at her, "It isn't. I don't trust the others in there further than I can throw them, and I seriously doubt that he has much control over the others. He might just be monitoring you for your safety, but the others?" A breath's taken in, breathed out, and his head shakes, "Anyway, Niklaus is with us now, and he's been looking forward to meeting you. I haven't located Barbara yet — Tracy's easy to find, but she's in Nathan's pocket."
Elisabeth could have told Cardinal to tread carefully on that bit of ground. Messiah, and especially Rebel and his place within it, are touchy subjects for Niki. And rightfully so. "Not sure there is such a thing as a good place," she comments mildly to Monica, but mostly she just sits on the desk near Peyton and listens.
Aric smiles petting the puppy. His eyes move to look in Peyton's direction as he says, "No. I just tend to not eat as much as I should lately….who knows why. Besides…little guy is happy I didn't finish it." He falls silent once again listening to the conversation unfold before him.
Monica frowns as she looks over at Liz, but those words get a little nod from the mimic. But her gaze flicks back to Niki and Cardinal there, and she comes over to put a hand on Niki's arm. But she looks over at Card. "So Rich… when can she meet him? Is he okay? You said… you have to break him out of some place?"
The puppy is indeed happy, and once the sandwich is done, curls up upon Aric's feet, clearly having decided the newcomer is a friend, even if Peyton's a little wary of having a telepath in the office. She smiles. "His name's Von. I think he likes you," she says, glancing to Monica and then back to Cardinal.
"We'll be fine," Niki assures, grabbing herself a piece of wall to lean against finally. But not before checking to see if there's wet paint on the walls. That would be her luck. "Tell me about Niklaus. I don't know anything about him except that he exists."
"We've got an upcoming operation where we'll be working with them anyway - I'm hoping you'll be up for it, since we're basically going up against the modern version of Doctor Fucking Mengele," Cardinal says with a tight shake of his head, "Anyway, we'll be holding a meeting to discuss it…" A faint smile, "…he's a criminal, not that this makes him much different from most of us. Bank robbery and retrieval, mostly. Very to the point, very polite, very German." He chuckles, "He's a mean hand at baking, too. He's pretty aggressive and blunt sometimes, too. Reminds me of Jessica."
"Can't wait," Monica says in regards to the meeting and their personal Mengele. She lifts her eyebrows at the mention of the bank robbing, but it's true, it's not a far cry from the rest of them. Even Monica's got that whole… ignoring the Linderman Act thing going on. Which'll be fun later.
The youngest of the group's eyes knit together and she grimaces at the thought of them going into the Institute — even though she wants the people there rescued. She gives a shudder as well, thinking obviously about all the horrible things she's seen happening within that building. "Just be careful. I don't want to have to see you guys in there, along with the others," she says softly, eyes darting to each in turn, lingering just a touch longer on Cardinal before dropping to watch her dog — sleeping, now, curled at Aric's feet.
"Then I suppose they'll get along famously," Niki muses. She reaches back into her pocket to pull out her phone once more and sends off a reply. This time she keeps the phone in hand. "You know I'm up for whatever needs to be done to…" She lets it trail off. Cardinal knows why Niki's willing to do things these days that normally would fall squarely into Jessica's territory.
Her phone buzzes in her hand again and Niki stares down at the screen solemnly. "I should go." Her gaze tracks back up to Cardinal. "Unless you need something."
A drop of Cardinal's gaze looks to the phone, then back up… and he nods slightly, pushing himself off from the desk's edge. "Alright. We'll talk later? We'll get you and Nick together so you can meet, I know he's been looking forward to it…"
"Good to see you, Niki," Peyton tells the blond woman who had brought her in to Cardinal and this group in the first place. She moves to find a leash for the puppy. "I'm going to go walk the wonder dog. Back in a bit." She moves to the dog, clipping the leash to his collar — it's only then he wakes up, instantly full of wriggles and wiggles at the prospect of a walk. At least Peyton doesn't have to spell around the deaf little dog. She gives a wave to the others, and slips out the front door.