Participants:
Scene Title | Both Sides Against The Middle |
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Synopsis | Elisabeth shows up with possibly urgent news. |
Date | May 16, 2009 |
On the outside, this sprawling multi-level complex has not seen use in many years, its walls covered in greenery and stone exterior and glass windows showing evidence of disrepair. Surrounded by a chain link fence, a drive leads from the street to a large dock, and around the back one can expect to find more sprawling greenery that eventually leads to a concrete drop off into the Atlantic Ocean.
Passing through the chainlink fence and into the dispensary will reveal that the aged and crumbling outside is a facade. The loading dock is kept clear for the most part of everything save vehicles and supplies, though a section has been quartered off and transformed into an open workshop. The dispensary itself has been transformed into something akin to a makeshift dormitory, complete with common areas, a sizable kitchen and eating area, with various rooms converted into bedrooms for the residence. One room has even been set up as a makeshift clinic, amply stocked with supplies.
The back lawn and garden of the dispensary is surprisingly well tended, green and lush during the right months. Vegetables have been planted in accordance to season closer to the building, though someone has indulgently planted a plots of flowers - notably sunflowers - here and there. Further out, the ground drops a little and makes it to a concrete edge from which opens out into deeper water of the Atlantic.
Morning at the Dispensary - which is sadly bereft of many people. Helena has a lot to do today - there's the meeting with Peter's father, the getting heads together to start pulling Phoenix back together and rising anew, there's still some of the people who need to be dealt with, back at Cats. Helena's in the kitchen, having located her old room and clothes, in a pair of familiar, comfortable jeans and a tank top, the floor cool on her bare feet. She's seated at the table, a bowl and wooden spoon in her arms as she stirs and she…hums.
Outside, two figures make their way up the drive in towards the Dispensary. One of them is Diego, clothes a bit dirty but mostly cared for and a backpack- not just a backpack, but, like, a Backpacking backpack -thrown over his shoulder. At his side is the well known- and, daresay, more popular of the two -form of Capone trotting at his side. As they make the final approach Diego makes a clicking noise between his tongue and cheek and the dog gleefully tears off about the complex, exploring the doggy fineries of Phoenix's new digs. From here, Diego moves inside, setting the backpack wherever its convienent and making his way to the kitchen.
Second time in two days she's been out to the Dispensary — it's more than she's been here since ConEd fell. But Elisabeth has news that cannot wait, and it has to be given to at least Helena, if not also Cat and Teo immediately. She escaped work as soon as she could and made her way out here, and she comes up from the boat jetty at a fast walk, listening for where people are even as she enters the large building. She's barely 10 feet behind Diego as he enters the kitchen proper, and she pauses in the doorway to study him — she's only laid eyes on him the once. "Helena…. I'm sorry to interrupt… have you got a minute?"
"Diego," Helena starts to greet, her huming ceasing as she puts her feet off the floor from the second chair and sets the bowl down. "Yeah Liz, I have time. Diego's one of our security experts, is this something we maybe could use him for, or does it need to be private?"
Diego gives Helena a little wave, but before any words come out Elisabeth is there. He cocks his head to one side, examining her in turn. When the conversation shifts- or, rather, just starts out with - Topics of Obvious Importance. "I was just going to steal some chow. Lemme know if I'm in the way."
Nodding to Diego, Liz says, "Actually, having him here is a good idea." She has the look of someone bearing what may or may not be urgent news. In spite of the security of the building, Elisabeth puts a silence field up so that her words don't carry beyond the other two. "I told you I'd been keeping in contact with some Company people that I thought might be trustworthy… I got some information today that …. makes me think we're going to need to more really fast if we want the Company to actually come down the way it's supposed to." She shoves a hand through her hair. "Minea Dahl was attacked and mindwiped. She's been working for the Company and sharing what information she can as she does so, and she put me in contact with her handler. Who, on a side note, seems to actually be a good guy — one of the ones, like Min, who wants to do the right thing and knows the Company's not doing it exactly right but is trying do the best he can with it. That's beside the point. Agent Denton approached me today to tell me about Minea's mindwipe, and he said it has come from inside the Company. He's been given orders to terminate the person, and he's only been given one name. Based on a bunch of intel Minea gave me regard April Bradley from 2019 and what I know from our own intel…. I think Agent Denton may have been told Goodman wiped Minea."
Elisabeth's words are tumbling over one another in their haste to be spoken.
"So that would make Goodman the target for assassination?" Helena tries to follow up, pushing the bowl of cookie dough away from herself and straightening her posture.
Diego folds his arms over his chest as he leans up against whatever counter space is available for such lounging pursuits. As Liz vomits out the information he seems to nod in most of the appropriate places, but he doesn't really say much. At one point, when news of an assassination attempt comes out, he reaches down and shifts the Beretta strapped to one side.
Elisabeth nods emphatically. "That's what I'm afraid of, yes. My guess would be that someone found out that Minea's playing both sides — whether April Bradley was able to tell them that or someone's been watching Min, I just don't know…. and it's kind of convoluted. But here's the logic: I gave Minea some of the information on the time travelers. The cop stuff that was already in the system, not things specific to Phoenix intel. Between Niles Wight attacking me and Agent Ivanov, Cat's involvement in that, and apparently intel from several other sources, Agent Denton has already been talking about vetting his agents, trying sort the 'good' from the 'bad' for when the Company comes tumbling down. If Petrelli has a Company person take out Goodman… there goes your expose."
Elisabeth adds, "AND he still comes out smelling like a rose…. the Company killed his guy."
Helena frowns. "I don't understand though, why wouldn't Petrelli want the Company taken down? Pinehearst is the opposite side of the board, he wants to checkmate them."
Elisabeth takes a deep breath and calms herself down. "Okay…. let me try this again. Dahl and I've been sharing intel back and forth. She knows that the time travelers have come back to stop certain things from happening — most of what she knows from me has to do with Wight's personal agenda. But April Bradley had already told Minea and God only knows who else about 2019. Minea came to me a couple weeks ago, ASKING about Roger Goodman and Pinehearst. I kept my mouth shut and just watched. But I think when she started poking her nose into it, Goodman and probably Petrelli put out the hit on Minea. And now someone — whether it's Petrelli or someone inside the Company proper, I don't have a clue, though the latter makes more sense — in the Company has told Agent Denton who wiped Minea. And now he's gunning for Goodman." She pauses. "Is that making any more sense?"
Diego continues to just listen to the two women go back and forth. He mutters a few things here or there- like, "Hopping around through fucking time," and other little Notes to Self, but for the time being he keeps away from interjecting until he has something of real value to add to the conversation.
Helena snorts at Diego. "Not like we did it on purpose, you know." She looks back to Elisabeth. "It makes absolutely no sense for Arthur Petrelli to take down the man who's going to blow the Company wide open. But it is within the Company interests to protect itself. So either Arthur's unaware - which I doubt, or it's not him." She frowns. "I don't want to pick sides, but I know which side I wouldn't pick if I had to, and that's the Company. Roger Goodman needs to be warned. I'm going today with Peter to meet with his father, and I can tell him, but someone needs to get the information to the target."
"Yeah, yeah," Diego waves one hand dismissively at the notion of Voluntary v. Involuntary time travel before he goes back to listening. Then, he finally opens his mouth for something potentially pertinent. "Why does it sound to me like that would be more complicated than just walking up to the guy and saying, 'Hey, somebody wants you dead.'?"
Elisabeth grimaces and looks at Diego. "Cuz it's always more complicated than that," she deadpans. And then she half-smiles and just shakes her head. "Yeah, no…. in working through the details so that I could get them out of my mouth in as short a time as possible, I think I confused myself. So… bottom line, yes, I think the whistle-blower is in some seriously deep kim-chee, and I want to know what you want done about it. I may be able to garner some kind of meet with him, but…. honestly, Helena? The only way that works is if they've been watching me long enough to know I'm not a threat to Goodman — otherwise, I can't see how I'm going to get in to see him. Cardinal could, but … he's not in town at the moment, trying to head off other problems."
Helena sucks on the corner of her mouth. "Who else do we have with connections to the Company or Pinehearst, who might be able to get in to see Goodman, or at least reach him somehow? This isn't the sort of thing Wireless would help us with. Who do we know who might know Goodman, if getting to Petrelli isn't soon enough?"
Diego taps his fingers, as they are folded, on their opposite arms. Respectively. Then he unfolds them to pantomime a little square in the air- or is it a square? "What kind of security does this guy have around him, anyway?"
Elisabeth shakes her head and says, "Uhm… Roger Goodman's public cover is as the PR director of Biomere Research. I know a lab researcher over there — though I haven't spoken to her in months. She's ex-US Navy… Evo flier. I don't know if she'd help, but … she might. I don't know what kind of security he has on him, though." She looks at Helena and says quietly, "Are you sure meeting Arthur Petrelli's a good plan? I mean….. we're not going to back either of these horses, we're looking to take 'em both out of the race." She pauses once more. "And there's also the possibility that we could head off Agent Denton by trusting him with a bit more information, too. All I've given thus far has been things I've garnered from being a cop, but…. "
"I have no idea." Helena tells Diego frankly before looking to Elisabeth. "Yes, I'm sure meeting Petrelli is a good idea. Especially if I give him no reason to believe I trust him about as far as I can throw him. We stand to gain a lot of information, especially since I'm pretty sure he's hoping to use Phoenix as pieces in their little game. If I seem openly resistant and defiant, he's going to know where we stand and do you really think we're prepared to face down Pinehearst?"
Diego falls back into silence, though this time he plants one hand on the counter and hops up onto it. He wiggles his butt around a bit getting situated, but otherwise makes little noise. Capone has apparently satiated his curiosity to some degree or another, evident as the pit bull trots into the kitchen and flops down, exhausted, below Diego's dangling feet.
There's another grimace and Elisabeth says quietly, "I don't think we're prepared for any of this, if you want the God's honest truth out of me." She shoves a hand through her hair. "I have no way of knowing what they gleaned from Minea's head, Helena. If they used a telepath, they may know exactly who comprises Phoenix." She shrugs though. "Well, I'll try to get in to see him, if you want me to." She grins at Diego. "You up for a kamikaze run?" And then she winks at Helena. "Chicken Little is back in action."
Diego pulls a pack of cigarettes out the breast pocket of his outer layer, but he just sticks it behind his ear before replacing the small red and white container. "Kamikaze? Sounds like its right in my wheel house lately."
"Do you think the hit would go down tonight?" Helena asks. "Because we've still got to deal with Elle - we may need to sit on her a bit longer, and I'm pretty sure if Petrelli wants the Company out of the picture, protecting the person who's going to bring it down is up his alley. Both things that need to be taken care of today."
Elisabeth shakes her head negatively, "I don't think it'll be that fast. Besides, I have to put it in motion anyway. So let's … deal with that." She has this weird look on her face about Elle, like she's not even sure what to think.