Participants:
| Scene Title | Everyone Is Here |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Sierra and the Wolf come to pick up a late night cargo shipment, entirely illegal, but not all of it inanimate. |
| Date | October 26, 2008 |
Exactly where land gives way to water at this point of the island's edge is uncertain - first because of the saltgrass growing everywhere, both on dry earth and in the shallows, giving the illusion of solidarity; second for the structures visible in the distance, drawing the eye away from the deceptive ground, suggesting its reach extends beyond its grasp. Even if the structures are still recognizable as ships, and nothing that ever belonged on land.
There are a multitude of them, abandoned hulls of salt-stained wood and rust-pitted steel, dying slow and ungraceful deaths as wind and water claim their dues. Some still appear to rest upright, braced upon the debris of older, lost relics below; others list to one side, canted at an odd angle like someone who just struggled to the surface in search of a desperate breath. There are no hands to pull these hulks from the water, no ropes to save them from drowning; each has been surrendered to the sea, left to the ravages of unmerciful time.
At low tide, some of the closer ships can be reached - not without getting soaked, but such is the price of daring. Never mind that the rotting metal and splintered wood are the stuff of nightmares for any germophobe, definite hazards to the unwary. The more distant ships are distant indeed, beyond the reach of all but the most bold - and are all but submerged besides.
The stars shine brightly above, it is a late night and the only sounds that can be heard here are distant and soft. A foghorn from a ship, the water crashing up against the rocks gently. The thing that betrays the relative silence is the hum of a Zodiac skipping across the water towards the shore.
The only thing that betrays the darkness however is a pair of headlights from the sleek black car awaiting shore side. They point out towards where the incoming boat is. A single man stands at the front of the vehicle, leaning against the hood. A cigarette is stuck in his mouth, and his hands are tucked into his black coat pocket as he looks out to the sea.
The Zodiac beaches, and the Portuguese man aboard begins to unload the crates and boxes that were assigned to be dropped here. The Wolf, however waits for the most important piece of cargo to be unloaded. His cold eyes move up to the Zodiac, waiting for something, or someone.
Within that car a woman sits, her eyes peer out of the dark window for a while. Whatever the man outside is willing to wait in the cold for, dose not move from within the car, instead she rolls the window down a crack to allow for some air in which she can smoke. Her demeaner calm and watchful, quiet for the moment as she observes the Wolf in his element.
Sierra just looked at you.
They had more than enough English between the two of them to make themselves understood, the Portugese sailor and the Chinese soldier. As a result, they hadn't said much at all. Took shifts driving, cleaning, and shared a few harsh laughs in the port at Charleston. Watching him rake handfuls of dead hair off his own head, some burly, flannel-garbed man had stepped up and told him where the nearest hospital was. I'm not sick, I'm starving, he had answered. Deadpan, gaunt-faced, leather hanging off him like the ragged feathers of a carrion bird, he'd done an altogether persuasive job.
Days later, and they're here. Finally. The boat bellies gently in the surf, rocking against groaning rope and drilled metal pins. A shadow steps over the railing, cuts past the lances of electric light, then leaps ashore in the sudden, stop-start blur of a cat. Coalesces in terra firma with a seeming weightlessness that is belied the next instant by a /clink/ of glass, bottles knocking against one another within the long-panelled recesses of his coat.
Ropey black hair swings away from a tanned face, suddenly visible; Wu-Long raises an arm in greeting, waving, though his elbow is crooked out of habit, almost a salute.
"Thank you Matthew." Comes the cockney accent loudly over the hum of the Zodiac's engines to the Portugese sailor. A very helpful man who had not too long ago deposited himself in this location as well. Black shoes make little to no sound as Ethan crosses the distance between the black car and the newly-arrived boat. Reaching up to his mouth the wolf takes out his cigarette, letting out a long exhale. "Wu-Long." He murmurs, looking up at the man. Raising his hand up the sturdy man goes to shake the hand of his newly arrived compatriot. "It's about time I've got you here. How was the voyage?" The British man asks, surveying the Chinese man slowly.
Sierra watches the boat come into port, as the smoke is exhaled from the vehicle, the sweet smell of clove drifting off into the night air. She sighs softly her attention flickering slightly fully aware of her surroundings she opens the door to provide just an extra person behind her boss. Better late then never to support the Wolf, her eyes are covered by mirror shades and she quietly observes the meeting
Wu-Long holds his end of the handshake with characteristic strength, claps the other man across the shoulder once, almost affectionately. "Smooth," he says first, succinct shorthand for 'no Federal interference.' His smile reaches his eyes. "One storm and I caught a shark with a tumor instead of a right eye." He doesn't have much of an accent anymore and certainly doesn't hesitate to pick words, but it's there, consonants that don't quite sit right and a choppiness to his cadence.
Under Ethan's scrutiny, he is healthy. Could use a haircut and a shave, but all that haggard and swagger were marketable parts of his image, temporary, and superficial, Ethan can tell. He's in good spirits. Which indicates his wife is stable and he didn't run out of booze. He gestures at Sierra with his eyes rather than looking at her, just yet. "You will make introductions?"
Ethan grins slightly as Wu-Long greets him. It's good to be in company of old comrades. Releasing the hand shake, Ethan claps Wu-Long on the shoulder before turning on heel to make back to the car. The Portuguese Matthew has deposited a few cases and bags on the ground in front of the Zodiac. It is these containers that the Wolf motions Sierra to get and take to the car. "Wu-Long this is Sierra Heart. A new entrant." The man says as he then motions Wu-Long to his black Town and Country. "Go ahead Wu-Long, get in. Have you made any arrangements for accommodation or do I need to find you a place?"
Introductions are always a rough point for the rookie of the group. She offers him a little nod of her head a small greeting. Her eyes pass over Long before she moves to the side and starts to collect the cases that Wolf motions her for. She makes no argument as she assumes the manual labor. For now the rookie is just that a rookie trying to earn herself a place amongst established friends. Quietly the cases are gatherer and moved slowly byt efficiently to the vehicle.
"I have nowhere," Wu-Long answers simply. It's much less dramatic when you aren't fluent, but altogether true. "If you have time, I'd appreciate that, or I can look into real estate over the next few days between what you have going on. Fresh off the boat," he glances back at the Zodiac. Admits, "Terrible pun. I threw the shark back," he adds, wry reassurance despite that he and the other man both know he hadn't needed any. He meets Sierra's brief and silent stare with one of his own, assessing her posture and behavior in a few short seconds. Meeting his eyes is somewhat like sharing a handclasp with a cold knife. He looks back at Ethan, nods, and walks toward the vehicle, accepting the division of labor without remark.
"You will stay with me tonight. Tomorrow, we have a job." Ethan states coldly, Sierra might notice that she was told nothing about this 'job'. Seems she hasn't received the Wolf's favor yet. "I hope you have a suit." The Brit says, regarding the man. "I have a briefing written up for you. I want you to read it over ten times. We will begin the mission tomorrow." Says the Wolf. The bit about the shark is ignored, as he opens the driver's seat for himself, motioning Wu-Long to take the shotgun seat. Then the man will wait for Sierra to load the rest of the equipment and get into the back.
The emotions are cold all around, Sierra herself simply loads the vehicle and she moves back to her place in the car, her shoulders back and she seems confident enough that her time will come. She says nothing when she gets into the car keeping herself silent and watchful, certainly this group is different then the one she left, still there's a reason shes here with Wolf, which means she has some skillset that could be good.
Though never one to be presumptuous, Wu-Long had called shotgun before he was pointed there. He opens the door with an easy jerk of his arm, steps in and shuts it behind him, fastening his seat-belt with the methodical alacrity of a cyborg. "I have a suit," he answers first, simply, and then an straightforward acquiescence for the briefing: "Sir." Dark eyes swivel through the evening and the window, its translucent, overlapping puddles of light, Matthew's figure crawling the loading dock like a beetle in the distance. He's thirsty, he realizes absently. He isn't sure what for. Abruptly, he reaches into his coat, pulls out a rubber-band and begins, deftly, to tie his hair into a short ponytail at the base of his head. "Who else is here?"
Restarting the ignition, the car begins to hum as Ethan kicks the vehicle into reverse. The car lurches off and soon the Town and Country is leaving the boat greaveyard and rejoining itself onto the streets of the more traversed New York. With one hand on the wheel and his elbow poking out the window, the man takes another drag of his cigarette before tossing it out the window. Not until after they have a fair distance between them and the boat graveyard. Never can be too careful. "Everyone is here. Wu-Long. Everyone." The car slips off into the darkness of the night, pioneering its way back to Ethan's apartment.
 October 26th: Sister |
Previously in this storyline… Next in this storyline… |
 October 27th: We'll Be Seeing You |