Participants:
| Scene Title | Shadow on Water, Part VI |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Feng Daiyu finds his options suddenly very limited. |
| Date | March 10, 2010 |
Atop the corrugated metal of a shipping container, the cold of an eternal winter radiates upwards through Feng Daiyu's back. Situated down in the snow, his eyes shut and arms crossed over his chest, the sound of a boat's motor quickly fading away is insurance that neither Eileen Ruskin nor her timely savior Jensen Raith will be aware of his observational perch.
Rolling onto his side, Feng shakes off the snow that settled on his chest and face as he lay there, turning his attention towards the harbor's dim lights and the rapidly falling snow silhouette dark against the jaundiced lamplight. His breath is exhaled hot, a cloud of steam, and cold, gloved fingers fumble for a cell phone in his pocket.
It crinkles with plastic as its pulled out, a phone contained in a plastic bag of matte gray color, a Faraday cage to prevent incoming or outgoing signals. The phone is shaken out of the bag, sending it down into the snow nearby. The bag is discarded, let to catch on the wind and blow away, even as Feng retrieves his phone and flips it open with a shaky hand, dialing up a number from memory.
Rolling onto his back again, Feng holds the phone up to his ear, waiting for the sound of someone else to pick up on the other end. When finally there is a connection, relief crosses Feng's expression. "Sir," he asserts clearly, "I have made contact with Ruskin and Raith. I am going to move on the child of Zhang Wu-Long in order to— "
Feng's brows furrow, something said on the other end of the line causing his brows to pinch together anxiously. "Sir, I— I have them, I can bring you Skoll and the others as well, all— " dark, wide eyes grow as Feng stares vacantly up towards the clouded skies overhead. "No, sir, please. You don't understand, I can make this work. You know it will only be a matter of time before they violate the stipulations of their pard— "
The line goes dead.
Feng's throat tightens like a vice, his jaw unsteadies and a look of haunted worry suddenly crosses his features. He's at not only an impasse, but one where his back is against a wall. No amount of bargaining will put the CIA back in his good graces, they're no longer interested in cooperating to bring the Vanguard back under control. They're no longer interested in Eileen Ruskin or Jensen Raith.
Which, pointedly, means that they are also no longer interested in helping him track down Ethan Holden. Angrily, and without control, Feng pitches the cell phone down over the edge of the shipping container with a howl of anger. It shatters into three large pieces when it hits the side of another metal container with a resounding clang.
Running a gloved hand over his face, Feng stares up at the cloudy, traitorous skies. Now he has to rely on the unreliable. Now the only person left who can get him what he wants is Carlisle Dreyfus.
It leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.