Participants:
| Scene Title | A Seer's Plan |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Eve gathers the resistance to inform them of her plan. Things go a little off script. |
| Date | March 3, 2018 |
Basement of a Bombed Out Building - A Resistance Base
The bombed out building barely functions as a base of operations. There’s no external lights, no electronics. Nothing that would set it apart from any other bombed out building from the sky or ground. Even the sentries kept at specific distances do their best to stay out of sight. Approaching people are brought in in small groups, under the cover of darkness. Some covered more than others. But this is the first time in months that this many people have been in one place.
And it’s the old storm shelter that had once been in the bombed out building that has been set up for them. There’s even folding chairs, as if someone thought the dozen or so people brought to this place might wish to sit down, while soft electric lanterns give the dark space some light.
Most of those gathered are veteran members of the resistance, both evolved and non, those who had lost everything and fought to get it back. Including one teenager who is without his usual companions. For some reason, the precog only asked for one of them for this specific mission. Rounding out the group are some newcomers, from other worlds. But not nearly as many as had arrived months ago.
Two Eli’s stand near the entrance, where the dozen or so were brought in, while a third is up near the front, where a table has been set out with maps and other things.
In the stark light of the electric lamps, Peter Petrelli looks more tired than ever. Dark circles hang under his eyes, his beard has gone a few weeks without a trim, and his clothing holds a few more bullet holes in it than it did before. In spite of this, he seems not too worse for wear physically. Emotionally may be another thing entirely. Hands resting palm-flat on the table, his posture is hunched and his expression distant.
Counter to Peter, Woods is a frenetic mess. Pacing back and forth, one hand at his chin and eyes downcast to the floor. His heels thump across the concrete underfoot, blue eyes flicking back and forth in thoughtful consideration of what’s going to be laid out here. The only thing he can hope is that Eve doesn’t get lost in the Alice in Wonderland allusions again. If only he’d understood just how literal her references to a Looking Glass were.
Sitting on a crate not far from Peter, Robyn Quinn looks like she woke up on the wrong side of someone else's bed this morning. But then, Quinn being grumpy is hardly a change from the norm. Hands folded into her lap, she cranes her head back so that she's staring up at the ceiling, and hums quietly to herself. It's an improvement from the unwelcome looks she was giving to the travelers that have decided to join them today, at least.
Thomas Cooper moves his feet out of the way of the pacing Woods, forced to actually sit up else he trip the other man up. “Woods.. Buddy, sit down before you fall down.” He’s curious what could be so important to get drug from his van where he might have already been working on a good buzz. The resistance’s smuggler, scratches at dark hair that could use a trim, along with the scruffiness of his face. Normally, he wears a beanie, but it was starting to get a little warm for that. Even if Cooper is working his way to a few sheets to the wind, pale eyes squinting across the the lantern light and observe the folks that Eve has gathered there.
Standing with her feet shoulder-width apart, Elisabeth Harrison looks perhaps far more like her local counterpart than she did when she arrived. Four months have wrought changes — her hair is blonde again instead of the raven-dark color she arrived with, it's short and scruffy around her ears and face, and she has the same slender, wiry countenance that most of the residents of the world have; the effect of not enough food, too much stress, and far too many horrors seen. For those who haven't actually laid eyes on the woman since the travellers arrived, it might be a little surprising how much she resembles the other woman now. She has her arms crossed over her chest and her blue eyes are watching the group with a neutral expression, taking in who has been asked to be present and their demeanors. If Quinn's glances bother her, it doesn't show. What may be evident to certain others in the room is that she's listening. Though her attention is on what's happening here, there are momentary glances upward or sideways that indicate she's stretching her ability far and wide to make sure that if something's coming at them, they get some warning.
Dressed in all black, save for the slate grey of a knit cap pulled over head, Kay Damaris stands at the front of the room, looking over some notes on the table set up there. Hers is an unfamiliar face around here for the newcomers, but she was greeted with familiarity by Eli when she arrived. Pulling the cap off her head, she rakes her fingers through short dark hair, worn longer on one side and watches the others beginning to gather with a neutral expression. Her gaze keeps coming back to Woods and his pacing.
Cassandra has spent the past half year learning the rules of this world, and the lessons learned have been etched into her skin and reflect in her eyes. The cheerful, bubbly Cassandra that first arrived here has been replaced by a more reserved, considerate one, the soft edges sharpened, the gentle curves made lean by too little food and too much hard work. Same as everyone else. She's been lucky, able to find food by scavenging some out of the way places, supplying those with what she can find, keeping some back for Aurora and Elisabeth, going hungry if it means they can eat. Those two are the closest to family that she has in this world, and god help anyone who might want to take them away.
Dressed in patched and worn surplus military gear, she stands near Elisabeth, quiet, her usual backpack and rifle left in the safety of Aurora and her babysitter, pistol still at her hip. It's hard to not be armed, even among companions. She watches as the crowd mills about, seeking a place to sit near the puddles of light, a few faces not very well known. If they're here, they've been vetted by Eve and her visions, so that's good enough for her. There's a chair open that she drags over and claims for herself, waiting for the show to begin.
Atop a storage crate that someone’s shoved into a corner to make room for the meeting, Lance is perched in a squat; arms resting over his knees, a ‘butterfly’ style folding knife in hand that he’s idly toying with back and forth, although the usual click-click is muffled in absolute silence. The teenager’s dressed in urban camo pants (a stain of blood along the side suggests they were taken off a soldier) and a stained, ripped grey hoodie, the hood shadowing his features.
Not pleased to be separated from his cell-slash-family, there’s a frown upon his lips as he waits for the meeting to begin — whatever mission they’re here to get a briefing on, that is. He doesn’t have the details, but he came nonetheless.
At least someone has some kind of a plan. He hopes.
Soft footfalls sound behind Eli-and-Eli at the entrance as Veronica comes from a trip outside of the base. She murmurs something to him before slipping past him, then turns to look at the assembled group, her expression unreadable as it scans the faces and takes in the maps suggesting this is a serious briefing. The presence of the teenager is noted, and Lance’s frown is met with a subtle frown that mars Sawyer’s stoic expression, before she moves to slide into a seat next to Cooper.
“Looks like I have terrible timing,” she murmurs under breath to him. It’s a known fact that Vee prefers to work independently as often as she can.
The next person to enter is Magnes, wearing his black coat over a standard rather thin armor vest, his curly hair pretty much down to his shoulders at this point. He nods to Elisabeth, then to Quinn, taking a seat and crossing his arms.
With pretty much everyone inside now, one of the Eli’s at the door nods to Sawyers murmur, a hint of a grin on his lips before he slides outside, possibly to let the last person they all are waiting for know she can make her grand entrance. Because if there’s one thing that Eve tends to do, she tends to make it bigger than necessary. Even those new among them, and who don’t usually go with them on these kinds of things, know that much.
There's a snapping heard as footsteps echo from above the group and a high pitched whistling follows as a rasp sounds singing, “All that I want is a piece of your heart… body and soul.. body and soul..” the snapping becomes more frequent and a stomping foot can be heard on the ceiling as the figure of Eve Mas lays on the rafters above. “Oh hello.” How long had she been there? How did she.. “Thanks for coming, busy schedules and all.” A snort from the redhead and she swings her legs as she ponders the group assembled below her with wild brown eyes. A wink and fingerguns at Eli, hey boo.
“I have—” the seer almost falls over the rafters and gives a whoa before catching herself and pausing to look up at the ceiling, “Fine.” Scrambling along the rafter like a monkey Eve comes to a post and slides down with a, “Wheee!” Landing near Lance with a thud of her bare feet the pale woman ruffles the teen's hair and winks before walking forward passing her friends as she speaks, “We have had visitors, they have been most helpful and One Tribe helps those who helps them.” As she passes by Cassandra the older woman gives her a nod and a look up and down, good. “Some even have joined us before.. helped our cause.”
Circling behind Woods with a poke to his lower back and a snicker, Eve is downplaying what she's about to say next or attempting too. Once she gets near Peter she lays a hand on his shoulder and squeezes lightly. “I have dreamt, I have sought after and swam along the current.” The dark circles around her eyes evident it's a wonder she's even able to stand much less climb up the rafters of a place. “And the pieces have laid out, as much as they will. I'm not a precise one no no,” shaking her head she pauses again, “There is one who has inside her beautiful brain the answers to what you seek,” a look given to Liz and Magnes, “And so, we are going into the wretched Dome and we are going… To liberate my Sister Seer Tamara.”
Eve’s just suggested suicide.
“She holds the key to the door that you need and..” well there are other motives that Eve has but best to lay it out one at a time. The crazy woman knows she can be overwhelming. “I have team assignments woo!”
Eve’s cheer a lone echo among the group in front of her. There's a tension in the back of her neck and she finds her finger twitching, a nervous tic. Her face shifts from enthusiasm to the mask she's adopted for her role as a leader. “Trust me.”
The dead silence holds Elisabeth still. Her eyes skim the others, wondering if Eve's plan is exactly as bad as Liz thinks it probably is. Because it sounds like it's a kamikaze run. And she clears her throat, asking in a steady voice before the stunned silence can give way to a roar from the potentially pissed-off people in the room, "And…. why do we specifically require Tamara badly enough to risk everyone's life to go in there?" She doesn't say anything about the answers that are being offered there — sure, Tamara would be great! But… Eve's not going to risk her own people on something like that. Would she?
In the time that Cassandra has been with the Resistance, one of the universal truths that was followed by 100% of the people that they ran into was ‘stay away from New York.’ The patrols, as one gets closer to the walls, get more numerous and the robots get more advanced. Why spend the money putting the good bots out on the fringes when you can use the older ones to soften up the enemy a little. A perfect one-two punch. Eve gets a full three-second stare, Cassandra looking away to Elisabeth, to Eli, to any other recognizable face, her expression asking wordlessly ‘you hearing this, right?’
“Troops, patrols, scans, negation gas, and robots aside.” That’s a lot to put aside, but still. “Just getting past the dome is going to be practically impossible. The few memories I’ve found of the initial attacks on the dome had stories of ICBM’s hitting it directly. With no damage. That means we either go through one of the gates - the heavily guarded, armored gates, mind you - or you have a way to crack that dome like an eggshell.” Cassandra looks around again. “If there are any other options I’m missing, please speak up, because, love you as much as I do, Eve, you’re asking us to walk into a wood chipper, and that seems…um…counter-productive.” She sits down. She didn’t even realize she stood.
“It's not a wood chipper.” Comes from Peter, arms crossed over his chest. “And this isn't just about you all. It's… a component. But getting inside the dome is important to ending this conflict one way or another. You want to get home, we want to break the wheel of oppression.”
Starting to pace around the table, Peter levels a quick but supportive look to Eve. “Tamara Brooks is one of the most powerful precognitives in the world. Her ability to foresee events is unprecedented, but she's currently being chemically negated inside a relocation facility. With her aid we could turn the entire conflict around. That? That's worth dying for.”
But then, Peter looks to Kay. “As for getting in… we've got some options.”
Giving Veronica a half-hearted smirk, Cooper offers her a drink from the flask he has produced from the black leather jacket he’s wearing over a hoodie. “Looks like back into the fire.” If there is one thing he has going for him, it’s being non-evo unlike most of them.
Of course, the former agent’s attention is pulled from the woman next to him to the newcomers. Eyes narrow slightly. “You all are forgetting one thing.” Cooper points at Eve, with a smirk. “She’s a seer. Pretty sure she has a plan. And she’s the reason we’ve lasted so long. So before you start nagging on her and getting all judgey, hear her out?” So, the former agent might have a protective streak over his friend and leader. He glances at the others in the resistance group, before taking a swig from the flask and capping it again, “Getting in is the easy part, it’s getting you all out again that gets tricky.”
Kay claps her hands together when Peter indicates she has some information. In part, this is so the people who don’t know her yet, will. This is possibly the biggest job Eve’s asked her to take part in, and it’s beyond a doubt the most dangerous. It’s a huge risk to take on, but they need the edge in this war. “We have two really terrible ways to get into the Outer District,” is perhaps not the most inspiring way to begin her portion of the information dump, but she’s not one to sugar coat.
“Option one, we sneak you in, you get yourselves some fake identification, avoid the checkpoints, and just keep your heads down. It sounds glamorous and super James Bond, but it’s just going to be a panic attack waiting to happen.” Just in case anyone had any doubts. “Option two, is to let yourselves get caught.” Kay holds up a hand to ward off any fussing. A sharp look says I’m not fucking finished yet when the first grumble rises from the crowd.
“By being captured, you suddenly belong in the dome. You’ll still have to be smart about what you’re doing – and it’ll get trickier – but it means you don’t have to hope the neighborhood watch turns you in because they don’t remember your face.” Lest she be admonished by Eve for leaving out the pertinent details, Kay continues. “Anyone captured will be negated via surgical implant.” If they aren’t outright killed. Fingers crossed! Surveying the gathering, she sighs. “I guess it’s Q&A time now.”
Veronica takes the flask from Cooper, but doesn’t take a drink for a while, simply holding it — perhaps to keep it out of his hands during an important meeting. It’s only when the talk of letting themselves be caught starts up that she finally tips the flask back, closing her eyes at the burn at the back of her throat, focusing on that. When she’s through, her look is a skeptical one — after all, her face is a familiar one to the powers that be, fugitive and turncoat as she is.
She doesn’t speak to give voice to those doubts so visible in her expression, but hands the flask back to Cooper wordlessly.
“Question,” Woods finally asks, raising one gloves hand into the air. “How in the flying fuck are any of us getting out once we get in? That big bubble’s more Hotel California than bloody bed and breakfast.”
"Y'figure somethin' like that, it's built t'withstand somethin' from th' outside, right?" Quinn looks up at Woods, and then over to Eve. "Mebbe not so much somethin' from the inside." She offers a small little shrug, leaning forward a bit. "Not like it's easy t'know without tryin', at the very least." Maybe a joke, from the way her lips curl up in a smile.
Lance watches Eve for a long moment as she lays out her plan — if it can be called a plan — and then when there’s a pause in the general hub-bub of questions he hops off the crate, the impact of his boots soundless on the floor. He straightens up slowly, and then breaks that silence as he speaks in words both quiet and sharp-edged, “I can get into the Dome.”
“This implant. Can it be removed later?”
“Yes!” Kay responds to Woods’ call out and nods along as she listens to what he has to say. “Great question, Woody.”
And then she promptly moves on to Lance. “I’m glad you asked. Yes it can! But that’s the tricky part I was talking about. Eve, would you like to explain?”
"I guess this explains some things I've been told." Magnes crosses his arms, sitting back. "Edward Ray in the world we came from, I had him augmented so that I could learn everything I needed to find my daughter. What I know about the dome is that the forcefield is kept up by an Evolved person, they can be killed or negated. John Logan knows someone who can remove the implants, so if we're captured, finding him should probably be a part of the plan." he explains, staring at Eve the entire time, expecting to get weird looks from others.
"Also inside the dome is a prisoner, the prisoner is who makes these robots. I was told he'd be willing to help us if we captured him, but capturing him will have severe consequences as far as the backlash we'll receive. So…" He shakes his head. "I'll leave that part up to all of you, obviously. This is your world."
Eve watches and she listens as everyone puts in their two cents, Cassandra and the others all individually get a momentary stare from the seer and then she's spreading her hands to grip the back of one of the chairs around the table and she lifts it to slam it down on the ground, “Spoiler Alert! John is taken care of. Don't worry your pretty little head on that.” A look given to Magnes before moving on. “This day was coming whether our travelers were here or not. We’re going to end this everyone.”
Learning forward over the chair she nods at Kay and Cooper, “These two live and operate in and out of the City. They are our point people on that matter. Kay is right there are two ways to get inside. The second..” she shudders. “Sneaking for now might be the best option. Nobody wants to get killed.” Though sneaking in leaves them open to get killed as well. “Once we find Tam, we get the Doctor. Remove the implant, poke her brain. Get the other answers I haven't seen.”
“As for getting out..” Eve gives a look over to Peter and then Kay, “We’re taking everyone out of that goddamn place.” As for how, “We’re taking that Dome down. From the inside. I have a plan. But first, we need to iron out other details. Lady Zeus and Luther will remain out here and secure safe passage for us,” Eve tightens her grip on her coat and widens her stance, “This is a huge risk, I know. But the greatest reward will come of it.” Will. “Once we’re inside.. we’ll be immediately looking for Sister Seer,” and their way out. “If you try to remove the implant, you die.” That's cheerful. “We’ll need a doc once we've secured sweet Tamara.”
Looking over at Magnes again, “That will be decided.” The killing of the Evolved responsible of the Dome when they found them. Eve didn't like the idea of killing their own but if they couldn't get them to bring it down.. Eve swallows, that would be a hard choice soon to make. “Any other questions?” There were bound to be loads and Eve had more answers to give.
Elisabeth glances at the group. She's given Eve all the information she can remember about the Dome back in their world — what could pass through it, what couldn't, etc. — but none of them are even sure it's the same man. Still, it's potentially useful intel. She pulls in a slow breath, considering the list of questions she has in her head. "I'll try and bullet list these for simplicity," she comments wryly. "1) Do we have a way to actually communicate once we're inside? Or a meeting place? Or a dead drop that needs checking on a timetable?
"2) Will they do anything to us immediately upon capture besides the negation implant? Sterilization or other horrors that I can't even imagine?
"3) Do we have a decent idea of how many people will be willing to actually come with us if we're breaking them out? Because I'm all for taking this shit down, but I also don't want to be standing in a group of people too fucking terrified to get the hell out of Dodge when we tell them to go." Liz pauses. Then she simply nods — that's enough to toss out there for this moment.
Cassandra rubs her forearm unconsciously - the same place that she saw the surgical scar on this world’s Elisabeth. “It’s a plan. That’s for certain.” She glances to Elisabeth and Magnes before she continues, looking back at Eve. “Getting captured could work. I mean…I could just walk up to the gate and surrender. I don’t know for certain if they’d negate me, once they found out about my ability, though. Put in prison, sure. Sterilize, sure.” She swallows gamely at that utterance. The thought of that petrifies her. “Even torture in order to break me down, sure. But negation? I can’t say that they would. I would probably be more of a liability to this group than an asset if I got captured. Any object, I can pull a memory from and show it to people, without edit.” She picks up a chunk of plastic from the floor. “Even something as small as this, I could get something out of. Show all of this to anyone who asked…”
She pauses, fishing a small thumb drive from beneath her shirt, gripping it tightly in her right hand. “Even then, I’m trying to think of how we’d coordinate it at all. Is there some kind of timetable for getting into the interior of the dome? Do we have weeks or months? If we could coordinate some attack from the outside when the dome fell, it would do a lot to get attention away from us. Maybe give us a chance to make for the hills with this Tamara person. If we’re really lucky, we might find a use for this.”
The thumb drive is held up. “I know a few of you know that I’m one of the travellers. The data on this is how I managed to land here.” Cassandra shrinks back into her seat. “Maybe….maybe someone could do something with it in there. Time has Momentum, a wise woman once told me, so there might be an device in there that could help with all of this.”
"Okay, I didn't think I was going to have to explain this, but it seems as though this is some of y'all's first rodeo." Kay raises her voice to be heard above the quiet din of the crowd. "We don't share every single detail of the plan with y'all. And that's for a very good reason. If someone gets caught, the rest of us are fucking dead when they spill the beans. Those of you who need to know a detail will be told that detail. Those that don't, will not. This is for all your safety."
Yes, she is annoyed. She has been since Magnes started speaking.
"This is the boss lady telling y'all we have a plan. This is not y'all telling us you have plans. We don't actually give a fuck what y'all who don't even come from here think about how it's best to deal with the place you ain't never been." Kay then turns to face Cassandra and address her solely. The fury fades out of her expression, softens into something like quiet astonishment. "But you… You might have somethin'."
Kay crosses the space between herself and the younger woman, her hand held out. "Please," she says, glancing at the drive in Cassandra's hand. "I'm sure we can put this to good use.”
Eve’s eyes take in that flash drive after Liz’s questions. “There is a meeting place, Kay has secured such a place that if and when we are successful in getting inside by however means.. we will be going there immediately.” That answered the oracle looks again over to the group of people around her and she ponders the second question, “What they do once we are in their custody I cannot control. Perhaps they take some clippers to our hair? And make us as bald as Bruce Willis, but the negation is the worst of it. And ya know, death.” Let's not forget that.
To the last question, Eve begins to circle the table, leaning against a nearby post, “The people don't want to be there. They will join when they see hope. Yes I'm being very Morpheus.” Trust her.
Once Cassandra is coming forward, Eve eyes her protege as she rambles on. Stomping her foot she gives the young woman a look before stalking forward.
Oh shit. When the drive comes out and Cassandra tells what it is, it forces Elisabeth's hand. Reaching sideways with her hand out, Elisabeth smiles faintly as Cassandra puts the drive in her palm. She closes her fist tight around it and looks at Kaydence with cold blue eyes. "We don't actually give a fuck what y'all who've never jumped timelines think about how best to use information that pertains to a place you ain't never been to and sure as fuck ain't ever going on my watch." She's not going to be the cause of someone in this world salvaging the information somehow.
The pale woman comes to a stop short of Cassandra and Liz. She doesn't look at the others, her eyes are only for that things. Her jaw working back and forth as her body shakes, “That abomination. Science Fairies tearing the fabric of all into two on a whim.” Eve’s tone grows venomous and her eyes flare wider. “That will never be the way. Ever.” She growls out as her hand twitches.
“And I won't allow it to stay in my world. I won't allow the monsters..” Eve chokes back a noise and looks to the side, “That have killed so many of us.” Gillian. “Have this. Not this.” Shaking her head from side to side the pale woman holds out her hand, “It must be destroyed.” Liz hesitates a long moment, weighing Eve's words, and willingly hands it over. The precognitive holds it as if it was Pandora's box itself, ready to unleash horrors on the world. “Our gifts.. they are natural. Most of us.” Looking briefly at some in the room, “The tech that people make inspired by our abilities, like this. Seeks to remove us, make evolutions choice obsolete.” There's no look of apology to her friends in Kay and Cooper, they know she loves and respects them.
She backs away a step and brings the flash drive to her heel, stomping on it a few hard times before she pulls her handgun out and fires a few bullets into the cement floor. Brown eyes wild as her mouth opens in a grin, “It should have never been born.” Eve sweeps the pieces over to a side door and follows after almost closing the door after herself, “A moment.”
The next second the sound of water hitting the floor can be heard. A few seconds later Eve comes out of the side room adjusting her clothes, zipping up her pants and quickly closes the door behind herself. “Okay well that's that.”
While all the Elis have been pretty much silent since things had begun, now all three of them laugh out loud at Eve and her shenanigans. Cause he knows exactly what happened behind that closed door. “I’m not cleaning that up.” The one closes to the front states. Just so everyone is clear.
The two near the doors grin at each other and one of them says, “Good thing we move bases so much.”
All Cooper can do is watch the cat fighting, what they are talking about make no sense to the man. He does note to himself that the flashdrive sure has their interest. The gunfire does makes him grimace and duck his head. He might need another swig from that flask to understand and deal with half of what is going on. Which he does while Eve slips outside to do her business.
When Eve returns from her bath room trip, Cooper lifts his flask to Eve. “Eve… May I say, on behalf of us all and from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for not ‘showering’ us with your golden gifts.” Okay, so… the former agent might be a little drunker than he thought. He looks at the flask with a furrow of his brows as if that was the reason for his saying out loud what he’s thinking.
The resistance understand his bad day, with all the kids in camp, it’s a little worse than normal… but… The newcomers not so much. Oops.
When a second twang snaps back at Kay, Veronica’s dark eyes look up from where they’d been studying the toes of her boots. She glances at Cooper, maybe feeling the burn of his eyes on the flask she’s holding, but she makes him wait a moment longer, taking another swallow.
“This won’t work if we turn it into an us versus them thing on either side, unless the only them we’re talking about is the government,” she says, husky voice quiet in its admonishment of all those bickering with one another. “It’s a good ops strategy. No one team has all of the information. We’re all safer that way, like Kay says.”
When Eve comes back from her sudden need for relief, she tips her head up at the seer. “They know my face. Let me know what you want me to do,” she says, before pressing the flask back into Cooper’s hand.
Woods pulls out a gun.
You know, slowly.
“Alright, okay.” He chimes in, waving it around casually — safety on, he’s not a lunatic — “Now that’s we’ve all got t’shiw ‘ow big our ovaries are,” he turns the gun around and sets it down in the middle of the table. “Either start fuckin’ shootin’ each other or…” he looks to Peter, who just stares blankly back at him. “Alright I din’ have a follow up for that so.”
“The point— ” Woods motions to the gun. He's forgotten the point by this point, looks to a vacant spot ahead of him and seems to find it again. “The point is tha’ — we’re the one who came t’rescue your asses when y’tumbled inta’ this mess. We didn't have t’reacue you, maybe you’d all be happy with half’a ya back inside the Harvester an’ the other half negated an’ shot by robots?”
Woods brows raise, and before he can ruin a somewhat salient point, Peter steps in.
“Jesus,” is all Peter mumbles at first, fingers pinched at his brows, fingers curling around something small in his other hand. “Okay,” brown eyes flick to Elisabeth and then over to Kay, then slowly moves one hand up in a woah raptor motion to both. “Woods is mostly right. We came to save you, because Eve’s seen enough to know how this shakes out.”
Peter motions one hand away from Kay to himself. “I sure as shit don't have precognition anymore, and neither do the lot of you. A lot of us have survived way longer than we should because of her, and this plan? It's been in the works for a bit. But we can't do it alone.” Peter glances at Kay, then back to Elisabeth and lowers his hand that was in her direction, pointing at the table. “We’re all in this, right now. Either stand together or walk away.”
“We’re probably your only shot off this rock,” Peter says with a look to Magnes, Elisabeth, and then around to others in the room. “But you all know things we don't. You came at this war from another direction, another… another time… and we can both learn a lot from each other. That's why we’re here. Eve’s got the big picture,” he motions to her, “Kay knows the Outer District better than anyone in the Resistance. And she's put her ass on the line for that.”
“You all,” Peter motions to Cassandra, Magnes, and Liz. “You've got perspectives. Right now we need to focus on that. Eve’s laid out the big picture, Kay's got the details covered on our end of things. Now,” Peter spreads his hands.
“Maybe we can discuss this like peers, and not— ” Mid-sentence, Peter looks down at the gun on the table and closes his eyes, exhaling a breath and rubbing one hand at his brow. “Not like enemies.”
"Eve already knows she has the help of my people where she wants us. I suggest that we get back to laying the actual plan out." Blue eyes flicker over the assembled. "The sooner we know where we're going and what we're doing, the sooner we'll be out of everyone's hair. Since you apparently didn't want the information Magnes had out in the open," not that Liz had either but that ship sailed, "what information or perspective do you need from us in this plan?"
Magnes stares at Veronica for a moment, mostly because he hasn't seen her in years, and for months whenever he's seen her he just sort of stared. It's weird to see such a familiar face that's just been gone sort of forever. But Eve is a bit of a shock, and he can't help but rub the back of his neck.
Is Eve always like this?
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes. I know that I have no choice but to go into the dome, I knew we were going into the dome before we even came into this world, so I have no intention of backing out of whatever plan we settle on." he states very firmly, crossing his fingers on the table.
“We need volunteers. If anyone would offer to be captured and put through the negation process, that way we can ensure at least someone gets inside to get the job done.” In case sneaking in goes horribly horribly wrong. Eve doesn't like to put all her eggs in one basket. “One way or another though, we’re getting into that Dome. If nobody wants to try to join the community,” Her snarl evident, “The official way then we all sneak in.”
Yes she is. Always like this.
Turning her head to stare out a dirty, clogged up window Eve’s eyes stay outside though they have guards, patrols. “Kay has the information on how to remove the implant. As safely as we can.”
“Lance,” calling the teens name softly over the buzz of people in the room. “You said that you could get in?” The woman pulls at the edges of her coat and begins paces back and forth.
“I'm going.” Peter says without hesitation, jumping over whatever agreement or disagreement Lance has. This is personal to Peter, and Eve knows the threads he's hanging on to.
The back and forth is watched in silence by Lance. He’s not the most verbose of people in the Resistance, after all. At the question, he tips his head in a slow nod towards Eve. “My…”
He draws in a slow breath, then exhales it just as slowly, closing his eyes briefly. When they open, they’re hard, flat, hiding any emotion as efficiently as his steady voice does. “My sister is in the District. They have her on the radio, sending out propaganda broadcasts. If I showed up with a handful of people to surrender, they wouldn’t think twice. They’d consider it a massive public relations win on their part. They’d probably throw me a fucking party.”
Well, maybe not a party.
“So yeah. I can get in. I hope this is one hell of a plan, though, because I don’t want to change my forwarding address.”
Kay’s stare is hard when Elisabeth throws her accent back at her in mockery. “Liz Harrison would have trusted me,” she says icily. “I don’t know who you are.”
Eve makes a convenient distraction from what might have been an impending dustup. She takes the opportunity to turn back and head back for the front of the room. Woods’ arm gets a brief, assuring squeeze as she passes by.
When Lance shares his in, Kay isn’t surprised. She’s heard the broadcasts. Her ear is to the ground. She can only imagine what he’s going through. “We’re going to do our best to make sure everyone who goes in comes back out again.” And then some. “To do that, we need to find someone who can remove the implants. There’s a trick to it that… we haven’t figured out. We made an attempt with Eric Doyle and—”
Brown eyes hood, Kay needs a moment to compose her thoughts. There’s regret that flashes, traitorous, before she gets her emotions in check and makes her expression passive again. “He had a reaction and died. So, we need a doctor. One that’s worked with the implants before. We know they can be removed safely, because they need to be replaced every five years. Once we secure that knowledge, we’ll be able to make sure everyone gets back to full working condition.”
"And Kaydence Delacroix-Damaris would never have asked. You're demanding things that have no pertinence to you or your world as if I should simply hand them over with no questions asked while making quite certain that I'm aware you don't give a shit what it might mean to us and that we owe because you followed Eve's orders," Elisabeth retorts quietly. "You don't know me and I don't know you either — and yet I'll still go into that hellhole with you and liberate your people. Not because I owe you a damn thing, Kay, but because it's the right thing to do."
Liz flicks her eyes toward Eve and just rolls them. "I'm in, but I can't be among the surrender folks. Anyone they don't have records for, surrender can be framed as just finally deciding toeing the line is preferable to being hunted down like dogs. But it won't work for me — they already had your Liz and she's already been implanted. It will bring a massive amount of attention down on us for them to realize I don't have that implant."
“Your Liz Harrison is, as of two months or so ago, on her way to Portland or somewhere out west. She's got her son Joshua in tow, with an implant in the some stage of going out and taking her with it when it can't be replaced.” Cassandra says this to Kay, then looks to her Liz, reaching out to touch her shoulder. “This fighting between ourselves isn't going to do anyone any good. Hell, the people inside that dome are probably counting on all opposition just leaving them alone and letting them come out when the time is best for them and starting over. It's like those vaults in the fallout games…fucked up experiments included.”
The small brown-haired post-cog looks to Eve and the gathered group, standing again. “I'll be wherever you need me to be.” Cassandra finally says with conviction, looking away for a second toward the room where her thumb drive went to get extra destroyed. “Even if I'm not a part of this world, if there's a chance that we can stop this. Even if the united states falls, I think it's worth it. This world is very sick, and what we’re planning could be the first shot it has at getting well. I've made my thoughts clear on where I think I should be and what a danger I could be to everyone unless I forget all of this.” She blinks when the realization hits her. “I almost forgot I can do that.”
“That's also assuming the me of this world isn't in that dome somewhere, too.”
Quinn looks around at the people bickering and arguing and purses her lips. "Y'know, I remember day where we woulda just blindfolded people that argued this much an' dropped 'em off in Brooklyn somewhere," she notes sarcastically, hopping up from her crate. "Don't like the idea a' bein' negated, but fuck it, I'll do it if it'll get me away from this."
It's not just her tone that's sarcastic, her body language follows suit. "What'a y'need me t'do t'get everythin' ready, Eve?"
“I’ll go and be negated,” Veronica says. “My ability’s not one that is of as much use as some of yours are, and they already know who I am. If you could maybe look,” she taps her temple with a glance to Eve, “to make sure you see me coming out again if that’s at all possible, and not just black holed, I’d appreciate it.” Because being black holed is a definite possibility, given her resume and the fact she’s supposed to be working for the other side.”
“I should be able t’slip in with Kay,” Woods chimes in after looking distractedly at the corner of the room. “I've got a good handle on what things might be about in there and as a human,” hyoo-man, “I'm not going to go tripping any alarms or anything. Last records they'd have on me is my Company profile.”
“Yeah, but, what about the whole—” Peter starts to say.
“Irrelevant,” Woods snipes back at Peter. “You're going t’need folks who don't ping inside and I'm not completely unhelpful on this.”
“Fine,” Peter assents, hands slowly raised in defeat. “Okay, if no one else is sneaking in I'll go solo. I'll swap out some of what I'm doing right now for your Lance’s power and… is Nichols still here?” Brown eyes flick to Woods.
“No, I think her and the other wee imp took a break. I think she's with Detective Demsky.”
“Okay, so no invisibility. Liz,” Peter looks over at her “if you're fine with it? I'd like to copy your ability now and get familiar with it. I think it'll help with running silent. I might need Kaylee’s telepathy too. That'll max me out, but between those and telekinesis I should've able to move in and out alone. Whenever you figure out how we’re getting past the dome I'll slip by at the same time.”
Woods gives Peter a flat look, but doesn't say anything. Instead, he just crosses his arms and looks over at the corner of the room again, then back to Eve.
There's a frown over Hailey’s role in the government but if it's going to give them a good way to get in.. “That's excellent Lance, I'm happy you’ll be reunited with Doolittle.” Flicking her gaze between Kay and Liz the older woman cares to not comment on their words for each other instead flashing Quinn a wide smile. “Just be your usual charming self Quinnie. Lights on.” The messy business of the implant gets a hard stare from the pale woman, “May Puppet Man Rest In Peace.”
Cassandra, gets a clap on the shoulder. “Padawan, you will go with Lance and the others to surrender in peace, one goal.” She whispers the last bit into Cassandra’s ear and squeezes her shoulder.
Peter and Wood’s exchange gets a tilt of her head and Eve leans in as she tiptoes around them, “Hmm. Mmmhm. Ahh.” Dark eyes searching before she opens her hands, “You’ll have to make that two my mosaic friend.” Clapping a hand on Peter’s back and grinning wildly. The same grin she gave him when they met beneath the Ruins. “This redhead is a face of the Resistance. They might not just let me walk in and live uh… peacefully.” Plus they might search her and confiscate her weed. Leaning in to whisper in Peter’s ear rather loudly, “I've been a baaaddddd girl, man, and they aren't keen on my little face.” That strikes her and she pinches at a thread of red hair. “This might need to change.” Muttering to herself with a shake of her head.
"Count me in too," comes a voice from the back of the room, most familiar to Woods. The short blonde steps to one side so she can have a clear line of sight with Peter and Eve. "We don't need invisibility. Between the two of us," she tips her head to indicate Peter, "we should be able to move undetected." Odessa's not too keen on the whole surrender-and-negation notion for herself. Sneaking in? That she can do.
And protecting the face of the Resistance? That's also a priority.
A hand goes up slowly from the crowd and fingers wiggle a little to catch attention, Thomas Cooper’s been quietly listening, but now he actually has something useful to offer,. “Um… don’t forget. I got the Magic Mobile. I can smuggle at least a pair of you in under the bed.” It’s probably what it was made for.
“I should warn you though,” Cooper sounds a little apologetic here, “It’s cramped, smells like cheap whiskey and maaaaybe gym socks…” His head wobbles a bit as he thinks, adding, “and you might have to spoon, but it’ll do the job. Of course, out is much tricker.”
Elisabeth nods slightly to Peter. "Sure. If you want to work with it before we head in there, we can have a training session. Conrad's lessons on sound itself were hellaciously useful over the years, but there are some interesting aspects that could be advantageous for you to have access to." She has spent the past five years learning everything she possibly could about her power, but sometimes the old standbys work best. She smiles faintly. "Vertigo is an audiokinetic's best friend sometimes. Are we about split down the middle on the sneaking versus just walking in?"
She turns to look back toward the door when Odessa pipes up and her smile widens. Having Dess and her ability in play is definitely of help.
All the sympathetic looks and comments are met with a stone face from Lance, whatever he’s feeling about this locked away for the moment. “Sure,” he says with a tip of his head towards Peter, making the cynical observation, “Someone might as well get some use out of it, since I won’t be getting any.”
He leans back against the crate again, flicking that butterfly knife open and closed, gaze falling on Cassandra when she’s directed to come with him. A slight nod, and he turns his attention back to Eve, falling silent once more.
Literally, even the click of the knife disappearing despite its continued movements.
Being told you’re going to walk into the lion’s den earns Eve a wide-eyed stare, followed by a short nod and a look toward her Elisabeth for support. After a second, Cassandra sinks back down to her seat, unable to speak anymore, apparently formulating some response from the thoughtful expression she holds. “After this meeting, Eve, I need to tell you something.” is all she says before lapsing into silence.
“After yes.” Is Eve’s swift reply to Cassandra. Taking the time to pace slowly around the table and the group in a loose circle she hums, “No,” Pointing at Liz and then Magnes. “You’re with us.” A twinkle in her eye she smiles a sharp smile before looking over at the others. “Our go betweens are Kay, Woods, Donut and the lovely time fairy. Easy access for them. Burrow right through them, not a whiff of smoke.”
Looking over to Lance and the others standing around him. “For the team that surrenders, Quinnie shall lead them. Coordinate with young Lance if you please.” Gathering her strength the pale woman leans against one of the chairs and closes her eyes before they snap open wide. “Speak with each other, get familiar if you're not. Let's get a move on people.” Slamming her hand on the table to inspire movement amongst the group. Time to plan, time to pack, time to go. “My sweet,” calling over to Eli.
“Are we clear?” A look up to him, she needs a nap but she won't take it. Not yet, “I've got rivers to dive in.”