Participants:
| Scene Title | Give Me Liberty, and Give Them Death! |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Elias and Amato meet in a symbolic location to refine their plans. |
| Date | January 16, 2009 |
Liberty Island - Statue of Liberty
The time for action is quickly drawing short, and every concerned member of Vanguard knows it. Elias de Luca most of all; he plans to overthrow his tyrant master. And now, they stakes have more than doubled.
Unwilling to chance anyone's apartment, and certainly not willing to chance a public area, he's taken Amato on a 'field trip' again. This time, it's to the observation level of the Statue of Liberty. They won't be able to meet for long, not with security roaming about, but it's as secure a location as they can find on such short notice. In and out, neither one of them missing from anybody's life for more than a few moments. It's dark when the duo appears, the only light coming in from the outside, barely enough to see. A flashlight or even a cigarette would be too easy to notice, and they'll have to do this in the shadows. Suits Elias just fine. "We're going to have to change the plan slightly," he says to Amato, after a quick look around to make sure they're alone, "I think you know why." No place even to sit, the teleporter drops to one knee, minimizing the chance of being seen, should somebody stumble in on them.
"Enlighten me," Amato says with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Assumptions can cost lives, Elias, and is one of the flaws in the 'local' leadership as of late. I am no mind-reader - tell me what has happened." He pauses, pursing his lips in thought. "Then, if it is not what I would have guessed, we shall compare notes."
"Volken's in Sylar's body," Elias replies after only a moment of consideration, "I don't know all the implications of that, but I'm going to assume that means he's in control. Maybe he even has the entire ability package that goes with it, I don't know." His bit said, the teleporter waits for Amato's input. Maybe things aren't as bad as they seem to be.
Amato nods sagely. After all - he's seen this before. "That was the idea from the beginning," he says with a sigh, looking out across the water to the city beyond. "But there is a large chance that Gabriel is still conscious and fighting - a chance that I am counting on. Don't forget your physics, Elias - the same applies for incorporeal beings, such as what makes us think and feel."
"There is another reason we ought to be careful," he adds. "There are new eyes, though I shall attempt to cloud them for my own reasons. Still. Beware the ones for whom two are not sufficient."
Elias doesn't quite know what Amato means by 'physics', but all he can think of is a law that he knows inside and out; no two objects can occupy the same location in space at the same time. Maybe there's something to that hypothesis.
But then, there's the rest of it. "Beware, what?" Elias asks. Is this some kind of a riddle? He thinks about it for a moment, because it doesn't make any sense to him. And then he realizes that it doesn't make sense to him, and he fills in the blank. "The woman in socks?" As if Amato would know what that even means.
There is a pause in which it appears, even in the darkness, that a slightly off-put Amato is collecting himself. "…She sometimes wears them, yes."
Elias catches it, yes. Something about that mention has put Amato off-balance, if only briefly. "Tell me about her," he says, "Everything you can think of." He isn't sure yet, but Elias thinks that maybe, just possibly, he has found a card to keep up his sleeve.
"If I told you everything," Amato says with the sigh of a man who would rather not relive certain events of his life, "I couldn't guarantee that you wouldn't run to her with your heart in your very hands, if only for an evening. She is a passionate woman of the world, who, at her core, is a very dear thing. Our employer recruited strong men and weak women - you'd do well to remember that. Even Dina and Sierra had their flaws by which they were twisted. And each of us at one point allowed ourselves to be collard and leashed, if only to give our lives purpose."
"That's, helpful, Salucci." It really, really isn't, and all things considered, Elias guesses that Amato will pick up on this from the tone of his voice. "And what's her weakness, if you happen to know it?" He also guesses that, whatever her weakness is, he shouldn't count on it to win the war. That, ultimately, will come back down to subterfuge and careful planning. And more explosives than he was originally counting on.
"I'll take care of her." His tone is one of finality. Though Elias may be president of the Judas Club, this is one task that Amato doesn't want to share. "Eileen is safe, but in her care. It's delicate - I'll take care of it. How does the plan change?" Back to topic one on the agenda.
"We assume Volken has access to all of Sylar's abilities," Elias begins. This is probably the most important part of the discussion. "That includes his telepathy and hearing. Can't risk having you deliver a disguised explosive anymore. He touches you, he knows about it. Maybe he even hears the mechanism in the detonator. Maybe he hears your heartbeat, picks up on you being nervous, afraid, whatever. We change tactics. The virus will be finished by the end of this month, that much I'm sure of.
"The question we need to answer, is where is Volken releasing it from? Is there a vaccine we can steal to delay its release? These are things we need to know. I have other pieces to bring into play, and I need to know how. Volken may have more resources than me, but I'm willing to bet my life that I'm smarter than he is." The teleporter may as well bet his life; even if he doesn't, he'll probably lose it anyway.
"If Knutson is worth her word, I can give you two vaccines once they're given to me," Amato adds to the proverbial pile of information. As for launching? "Pop about in Jersey City one night when you have the time, only be careful who sees you. That might answer one of your questions. Anything else?"
"Yeah," Elias says. "Keep an eye out for Holden. I don't know where he is, but you know what his temper tantrums are like when he doesn't get his way. Just avoid him if you can. If you can't, try not to kill him if you can help it. He's unpredictable, but he might still be useful. Same applies for any Phoenix ops. you happen across."
"He's after the two people who caused Dina's death," Amato adds once again, remembering the mission he and Lucrezia were given but have so far gotten no leads on. "It is not his focus, I'm sure - but it is something he wants done. If it was any of your Phoenixes, let them know to hide in their ashes. Those who live by the sword, die by the sword - Dina's death came as it ought."
"Good. Maybe that'll keep him busy until we take care of the rest of this." Elias hopes that's the case, at the very least. "The fewer wild cards, the better. Remember, this is a delicate operation, and with the sudden, changes, is going to depend on every piece falling into place at exactly the right time. I'll take care of Phoenix, and Holden, if it comes to that." And NYPD, and DHS, and every other piece he may eventually need to conclude this game. "The woman in socks is yours. if you think she can be turned, reliably, find out what Volken has that she wants. If not, keep it clean." If not… Lucrezia's necessary murder is only implied, not stated. "Do not let Volken touch you."
 January 16th: Failure To Communicate |
 January 17th: Cangiare |