Participants:
| Scene Title | And The Song Remains The Same |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | A phone call with cryptic information giving forewarning of yet another catastrophe. Of course. |
| Date | July 3, 2010 |
Telephone conversation: Elisabeth's Apartment and FRONTLINE base
It's sometime in the evening that Elisabeth's cellular phone rings; it's whatever ringtone she's assigned to Cardinal's phone, as it happens, and the number comes up as such in her contact list.
She was reading the news on the computer when the phone started ringing and she doesn't have to check who it is. The ringtone is specific — "Carry On, My Wayward Son" seemed appropriate. Elisabeth picks it up and says wearily into it with a faint smile, "Tell me you called with good news or hot phone sex on your mind, lover." She doubts it, but hey.
"Given that the red-scarves have been hitting government buildings by the handful, and Autumn just got assassinated, I suppose that in comparison I have good news?" A wry response from Cardinal on the other end of the line, "I mean, I can't possibly have worse news."
"Anything right now could be considered good news in comparison," Elisabeth agrees with a sigh. "Things here are beyond tense." She automatically encases herself in a silence field on her end to stymie eavesdroppers, trusting that the phone itself is all right. "Kershner's been in meetings practically since it happened; when she's not in meetings, she's got the grim face. So… tell me the comparatively good news. I can use whatever I can get."
"They didn't get what they were after in DC," Cardinal says quietly, trusting to the technopath-installed encryption on the line to keep their conversation private, "In a, uh, related matter there's someone else living in your apartment temporarily, so if I'm not home and you show up, don't freak out."
The relief that his trip to DC was something of a success is somewhat tempered by a horrible notion. "Please…. dear God, please tell me that nothing I've seen in the news was actually you?" Elisabeth asks quietly, sitting up straighter in her chair. "I thought you were doing recon!" Yeah… we all know how recon works for our group, which pretty much renders her query rhetorical. "Oh God…. Okay. Never mind. Who's in the living room? And there's a pull-out couch if they need the bed."
"Niki's brother, actually." There's an interesting statement if there ever was one. "And… no, well, not directly. We were just doing some recon when the red scarves hit." Cardinal's avoiding keywords, just in case there's a tap on the line listening for them. One can never be quite paranoid enough. "Everyone's favorite man from Midtown and two of Claire's ex-boyfriends showed up."
The silence on the end of the phone is stunned. Her what? And then the other shoe drops. Elisabeth has no words. When she finally speaks, she murmurs softly, "Ohboy." With a sigh, she rubs her forehead on her end of the phone. She can't get all the details from him without a face-to-face, clearly. "All right. I'll get home as soon as I can so we can talk, love." She forcibly smooths her features out into an expression of affectionate exasperation in case anyone looks in. "As to the brother…. you better warn Jess."
"I will. The good news is that we got more help than we expected from the other side…" A bit of a chuckle from Cardinal, "…seems that some people still understand we're fighting the good fight here. I think you'll like him. Very serious, to the point."
Elisabeth laughs and says, "All right." There's a pause and she says quietly, "Christ… I'm betting the story of your day is going to be one for the record books, somehow. I'll look forward to the details." She pauses and says, "I'm glad you're all out in one piece. Anything you need from me before I get back the next time?"
Cardinal observes amusedly, "No, the last day in Argentina… that, that was one for the record books. This one was pretty much part for the course." He pauses, "I don't think so. Let me know when Kershner lets you go home."
"I will," Liz replies. "It may be sooner than I expect — it's not as if there's much we can actually do about what's happened, and she's going to be tied up for a whlie to come in the bureaucratic red tape that comes with Autumn's death."
"She's going to accelerate her plans now," says Cardinal quietly, "Be careful, babe."
"Yeah…. that's what I'm afraid of," Elisabeth comments quietly. "I'll let you know if I hear anything."
"Alright. Talk to you later, Liz."