Participants:
| Scene Title | J'Adoube - Meeting |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Endgame has a quick meeting to lay out information. |
| Date | Mar 11, 2010 |
It's snowing.
Of course, it's always snowing lately, even as the season begins to creep towards its end… still, the snow falls, an endless drift of white that's accumulating steadily as time goes by. There are portions of the library that are unlivable now, drifts of snow having poured through the windows and doorways to chill the air even without the touch of the bitter winds.
The winter was predicted, although they didn't know quite how bad it would be, and all the supplies and operations for Endgame have been moved to the underground levels; acres and acres of tunnels, storage and shelving loaded with books, parts of which have been converted into usable space for the group. One of those used to be an AV storage room of some sort, the equipment all cleared out to turn it into a meeting area - a podium up front, a screen hanging on the wall, an assortment of desk and folding chairs filling the room.
Standing at the front of the group, Elisabeth is wearing the black-on-black military-esque uniform that is her FRONTLINE non-armored gear. She had to come straight from the base to get here in time for this. Her blonde hair is braided and pinned up out of the way, and for those who've only ever seen her in jeans and sweaters that she tends to wear around here it could be something of a surprise to see her strapped with a weapon at her hip and looking… pretty damn businesslike. She has a small stack of file folders in her hands, and when everyone has drifted in and taken a position she hands them out. Inside are pictures — some of them not of the best quality — for her part of the presentation.
The pale screen is covered at the moment with a fluttering lattice of shadow — all that remains of the group's leader, Richard Cardinal.
Much like Edward Ray, death doesn't seem to have stopped him from guiding them.
Angelina wasn't too thrilled with the idea of being around a bunch of people, some she doesn't know, but she's here! Of course, when she walks in, she does slip off to the side, and do her best to make herself unnoticed.
Bundled in a a heavy coat flaked with snow, Gillian had showed awhile ago, expression sullen and quiet, distant even, as she looks through the folder that's handed out by the uniformed woman. There's a bag sitting next to her legs, stacked with clothes, a laptop, and short versions of her own research, in case they weren't gone through originally. It's not as if she'd found much to go on. Even in the warmer underground, she leaves the coat on, sitting close to the one member of this group she knows the best, her former unoffical roommate, Peyton.
"I don't think I'll be able to make it back to Staten tonight in this weather. Going through fucking Jersey is hard enough as it is without this snow."
"We can stay here — there are extra sleeping bags and bed rolls I brought in a while back," Peyton tells Gillian. She too is bundled up in her wool herringbone coat, with red crotcheted hat, gloves and scarf she hasn't taken off yet. It's still cold in the library. "Or we can go back to the apartment. At this time of night, I think it's probably best to stay, though." It is true, and yet, Gillian probably knows why Peyton would rather stay put. "I liked your dress uniform better," Peyton says to Liz, teasing a bit, since the officer was the only one of the squad to show up in full dress at the gala. She smiles to Angelina when the woman skulks off to the side.
Alia arrives a touch late… or maybe more than a touch. After all, her mode of transport is completely grounded, thus she is stuck walking from the nearest still functioning subway. Bundled up with full winter gear including hat (A facehugger plush one), gloves, scarf (Embroidered with tetris blocks), boots, wool overalls, and a big warm jacket. She sits down, digging out her own laptop, which she sets on her lap, as well as a pair of spare batteries. Strapped under the backpack is a sleeping bag. She also digs out a large thermos of hot cocoa… then a second one. Seems like she thought ahead enough to share.
"I suppose you're all wondering why I've called you here…" Why I've called you here…
A stir of dark humor from the living shadow, as Cardinal admits after that whispering echo of voice, "…sorry, I've always wanted to say that. There's some information we'd like to disseminate tonight, some priority projects and situations we're going to be focusing upon, and we'll be taking ideas, questions, and just about anything you all want to say when we're done." When we're done…
"First on the agenda… most of you know of the Vanguard. They were a terrorist organization led by a man named Kazimir Volken that tried to release a virus that would have wiped out almost ninety-five percent of the world population. Then they would move in… and take over. They were international in scope, with groups all over the world. Their major plan was stopped here, in New York, by Phoenix and others. There were other groups, though, in other countries. Recently, some of us were involved in an operation to stop their backup plan - we hit Argentina, where they'd been torturing and branding Evolved. Madagascar, where they'd staged a coup and were trying to cleanse our kind from the planet. Russia, where… things got messy." Messy… "Liz, can you take over from here?"
"Now that you know a little about the Vanguard in general," Elisabeth says, after a worried glance at the dark, tattered shadow spread over the board, "I need all of you to familiarize yourselves with the names and images in the folders. Their names are attached to the photos. These are known Vanguard personnel, the first three are of specific interest to me because they have targeted and killed family members or loved ones of the team that went to Russia. They are also targeting children from Washington Irving high school — which they blew up about eighteen months ago and tried to pin on Phoenix. That action is what first brought me back to the police force and into Phoenix, and the action that pissed them off so bad in Russia as to make them come after us here was mine. So I have a very personal stake in all of this as their primary target. Sasha Kozlow is an Evolved healer of sorts — he can close wounds, but it leaves scarring as if the wound were not stitched up. Information from the Ferry has come through that he attacked one of theirs, and she may have infected him with the Evo superflu."
She sounds less than concerned about that possibility — if it kills him, it takes one concern out of her way. "Carlisle Dreyfus is non-Evolved, but he is deadly; the same goes of Feng Daiyu. If you see any of these three men, you need to contact the phone number at the bottom from a throwaway phone or a pay phone and report their location. That is a direct line to Agent Lancaster of Homeland Security. In addition, you need to text or phone me immediately so that I can also activate my squad as necessary."
Cardinal's been pulling himself back together, growing more solid and steady while she spoke, and here he speaks once more, "These… Vanguard assassins are important, but largely incidental to our purpose. There are two projects that we're working on right now. One is still in the development stages, and that is the takeover of the Linderman Group. Those of you involved already know about it - Alia, I'm going to need to speak to you about pushing this forward. The other… is even more important." Top priority….
"There are a number of… individuals who have gone missing into the arms of the government. Doc Carpenter, a man who can copy a mind from one body to the next. Dmitri Gregor, a butcher that was trying to transplant parts of Claire into other people, and who was burning SLC-positive babies to death in furnaces. Lewis Zimmerman, the man who invented the Formula - for those of you who don't know, it can grant a normal human Evolved abilities. There are… others. I don't think I need to tell you how much damage such men could do, working together, under this administration. They must be found, at all costs." At all costs… He trails off, perhaps needing to draw himself together again.
"The last things on tonight's agenda before we open the floor to comments and questions are the Evo superflu and the weather," says Liz. "For those of you who weren't aware before tonight, I'm on FRONTLINE's second squad. We are on-call 24 hours right now to help with snow-related problems and Evo issues similar to the problems we faced last year. People desperate for food, for heat, for anything. It means I may not be as available as I'd like, but you guys have my cell's number — it's one of the last encrypted phones that I had, so anything you send me to it should be mostly safe. Just be cautious how you word things you send me. I need to understand what you need, but it needs to be innocuous enough that if my CO looks over my shoulder, it doesn't give anything away."
Elisabeth glances around. "Coming and going to the library is dangerous at best. With the amount of snow on the ground, our tracks are clearly visible, and we're going to have to be very careful about covering that people are staying here. To that end, I've asked Bones to start looking into the lower levels of the building to see if we can come up with an access to the old subway tunnels or the catacombs beneath the city to at least travel over to some other building where we could just make it look like squatters coming in and out without compromising us. Richard and I've been pulling together a list of supplies — including non-perishables, fuel for the generators, propane stoves, bottled water, and for those who know how to use them, snowshoes and skis would be great to have here.
"I know some of us are working jobs and some of us have no money at all, and that's fine. Claire has control of a lock box that will cover any expenses the group has. I've put money into it. Anyone else who can afford to — I don't know how long I'll be able to afford to bankroll us, but for right now…. let's just say FRONTLINE is being pretty damn generous, so while it may not be a fortune, we won't go hungry or cold." Liz's tone is brisk. "That said — keep your wits about you on the streets. I was mugged the other night by a guy trying to feed his kids. Included in your folder is a list of places that people you know are in tough straits can go to; random non-Evos off the streets, the regular shelters can help. Evos, though — especially those you suspect are not Registered — send them to St. John the Divine up near St. Luke's Hospital. It's a primary triage station for the Ferry. Just remember there are children in those places, and if you think they're sick with Evo superflu, be cautious."
Elisabeth sounds serious. "This flu is ugly, and there are already rumors flying thanks to Rebel about quarantine camps. I can tell you that I've been informed the CDC is seriously considering them, and if you're of a bent to believe Rebel, there are already some out there. I'm not sure there's a damn thing we can do about this situation except keep our wits about us and stay away from anyone you think is sic
sick. I've included surgical masks in the supplies that I've already brought in, and if you start to feel ill, you need to head to St. John's or let Claire or Gillian or me know immediately. We have contacts in the Ferry and can get you to their safe house where they're handling the flu victims."
"That's about all we have in terms of information. I know it's a lot to take in," the blonde officer ties it up. "As far as what our next moves are… we are currently working on some of the big-ticket items. But the realities of *living* right now also mean that we have smaller goals. If you see a place that you can help with weather-related problems, people who need it… *do* it. Put yourself out there if you have to for other people, guys. Because there but for the grace of God go we." Elisabeth looks at them. "The floor's open.""
Technically, she's probably not supposed to be here. Technically, Tamara Brooks is no part of Endgame, no initiate of their passcodes and safe-ways, and shouldn't even know this room exists.
In practice… whole 'nother story.
The door stands open in the wake of Elisabeth and Cardinal's opening statements, the figure of a young woman within its frame, long blonde hair spilling out around the edges of her raised hood. Eyes which are both cornflower blue and something indefinably darker glance sidewise to Claire, a moment's smile given to her in greeting. Only a fleeting smile, before the seeress turns her face forward again. A dusting of snowflakes falls from her coat's dark-brown sleeves as she lifts her hands, pushing the hood's confines away from her face. "Everyone needs all the grace they can find," Tamara observes, her voice carrying clearly through the room. "Winter's breath brings none." Her lips curve in a warm smile that fails to reach her eyes, the damp soles of her sneakers squeaking faintly as the girl walks forward. "Caution on the ice is more than wise." For all that she herself is evidencing none in the way she comes up between chairs to the middle of the room, summarily dropping into a chosen seat.
Angelina listens, of course, pale eyes going from the shadow, to Elisabeth, and back again. Her brow begins to furrow towards the beginning of the speech, and slowly that frown becomes more and more pronounced. but when the time comes for people to speak up, she just leans back into her little corner, and keeps silent. She does, however, glance to Tamara when she speaks, but there's no surprise since Angie doesn't know several others here.
"It was PARIAH that was framed for the bombing, not Phoenix," Gillian speaks up at first, though she's mostly silent and broody for a time. There's a lot on her mind, the mentions of Argentina aside. Missing guy who could inject people with abilities? She's one of those who benifited from it, whether they know it or not. Bad weather? It's annoying the hell out of her as it is. Whoa, newcomer. There's a frown as she tilts her head. Something about the woman is familiar… Didn't she stab a guy with a syringe once?
She doesn't ask outloud, just looks questioningly at the shadow, before adding, "I'm not sure how much good the Ferry houses will be for us, though. They're sometimes jerks when it comes to outsiders getting into their houses. They made Peyton wear blindfolds more than once, even when she was helping them. We might have to take care of our own if they come down with the evo flu."
It takes a few moments for the technopath to absorb all that… she then ponders. "I… will see what… Surech Center can… 'spare'." Her words are clipped. She doesn't talk much in general, and crowds aren't her venue… this is showing greatly. She pauses, then looks through the pictures again. "Still tracking… orgins of flu. Someone's… covering tracks."
There's a lot of information — luckily, Peyton's been explained some of the matters already in smaller meetings so she's not utterly overwhelmed. Her eyes flicker to Cardinal when he seems to scatter and weaken more than usual, scowl furrowing her brow as she rakes her lower lip through her teeth with worry. She raises her eyes at the footsteps of Tamara, smiling to the seer even if she doesn't understand much of the cryptic words Tamara says.
Eyes lift from the floor as she listens to what Elisabeth and Cardinal say. Her head nods slowly, her expression still somewhat distracted. The entrance of Tamara and her cryptic way of speaking, pulls the ex-cheerleaders attention and she straightens, suddenly alert. There is no shot gun in Claire's hands at least, so she doesn't go with instinct of pointing it as the stranger. She may have met the woman before, but a shot gun blast later, the young blonde has no memory of her.
Tense, Claire watches her move up to drop into a seat as if she belonged there, eyes shifting from Tamara to the groups leadership to see their reaction.
Elisabeth nods to Gillian's comments. "I'm sorry — you're right. PARIAH. At one time, they were the same group. But as to the Ferry dealing with our ill… it may come to that," she agrees quietly. "Though we haven't got the resources or the medical personnel to handle it if we get more than a couple. I'm told that this flu removes people's powers — no one's been able to say whether that's a permanent state of affairs, so … best no one catches it, yeah?" Her response to Tamara's unexpected entrance is a split second of tangible alertness, readiness to fight, but she relaxes visibly on noting the seer's identity. Then she looks at the group and says, "Honestly…. no one's got questions? Comments? Thoughts on the infodump?"
"Tamara. Good to see you…" You… A shadowy whisper from Cardinal, though he seems pleased to see the precognitive, at least. Otherwise, he keeps quiet for the moment.
Another smile, then, given to the living shadow. "Me," the girl agrees, bobbing her head once. She crosses her ankles, props her elbows on her knees and rests her chin on her hands, gaze drifting over the various attendees in somewhat of a silent echo to Liz's words. Tamara doesn't say anything more herself, leaving the space for others to speak up in.
Angelina shakes her head. "I'm still not sure what the hell is going on. So for right now I'm just gonna sit and listen," she admits in a soft voice, seeming to hate speaking up even that much.
"Yeah, I guess I can pull a few Ferry strings…" Gillian doesn't sound thrilled. "Nobody get sick or I'll bop you one," she adds on, a threat to each of them, even if she doesn't really know half of them well. "At least Card is safe. Shadows don't get viruses." Or so she'd hope.
"Actually I do got one question. I get why everything else is an important deal. Sasha's a douche bag. The virus is super bad. Missing scientists is scary too, considering what they've done in the past… But I don't understand why Linderman is up there as a top priority. You had me look into stuff they own as well as the government on Staten, and I knew already one thing they helped fund, the Lighthouse, but there's other things they fund too. And then there's good ol' Abby who's actually dating one of their guys…" She trails off, making a 'Hmm, was it okay to mention that?' expression, before she continues, "But why are they such a high priority threat among all these doomsday scenerios and personal dangers?"
Alia chuckles slowly. "Give time to sort. Lots at once is hard to… digest." She pauses and considers. "Linderman's… group." She looks for words. "More subtle."
"She's okay, Claire," Peyton assures the other girl when Tamara's presence brings nervous tension. "I'm guessing the Linderman project is part of Ray's roadmap?" she adds to Gillian's question, but her eyes flicker over to the tattered blackness that is Cardinal for confirmation. She does have other questions, but not about the various things on tonight's agenda. Wendy's murderer and the threat of Danko weigh heaviest on her mind.
"I have no plans of getting sick," Claire offers in reassurance. "I don't even know if I can get it, but I don't plan to test it, especially if what I heard about loss of ability is true." Her eyes drift to the shadow, of all the people in the room, that tattered remnant of Cardinal, is one of the few who has seen what happens. "With what I'm carrying in my blood, that is a total death sentence, but I'll do what I can to help if some of us go down."
Her eyes move to Elisabeth, her expression still neutral. She's relaxing again, now that she knows the new arrival is not a threat, she nods to Peyton in thanks, a small smile going her way, so doesn't offer much more though, not much for her. What she has to do, is later down the line.
"As Alia says…" A low, echoing whisper from the darkness of Richard Cardinal, "…they're subtle. They aren't a direct threat, Gillian, but they represent resources that we can co-opt… that we may well need in the future. Linderman put Petrelli in the White House. If you're going to fight the establishment then you need to fight it at its roots. We live in the basement of a ruined library, for Christ's sake. Personally, I think we'd be able to carry out all these operations a lot more easily if we had the backing of a billion dollars or so." Or so…
A pause, then he continues, "…in the future that the — older Ray came from, Linderman was brought down, and hard, and he took Petrelli with him. The man in the White House'll be ready for that this time, so we can't repeat it again, but we can try to bring about the other half of that future. Kain Zarek took the Group over — he purchased all of Staten Island, invited FRONTLINE in, and cleaned the whole place up. Right now, a corporation can't do that… but that's exactly what our new mayor was talking about legalizing in her radio interview. We might have lost most of the good things from Arthur's would-be fascist utopia, but we can still try and salvage some of them." At least one of them…
As an afterthought, Cardinal adds, "By the way, Alia, Kain needs his money back. I don't care where you get it from, particularly. He won't play ball until then." Arrogant bastard…
Alia blushes, though it's not really noticable under the scarf. She taps her fingers on the edge of her laptop as she thinks… then she grins a little. "Hmm. Need time. And access to Linderman systems." She has an idea alright. Cardinal might even really LIKE how this one works in the long run.
Elisabeth slants a look toward the tattered shadow that comprises the head of this little ragtag fleet of… no, wrong movie. But she shuts up to let him make the answers. And smirks faintly at the whisper. Her ability is enhancing the soft volume of his voice so he doesn't have to try hard to be heard, but it also means that all the softer internal whisperings that slip out have to be heard as well. She looks at the group and says quietly, "So many of the things that are huge are just out of our reach in terms of fixing — we don't want you guys looking at the agenda and going 'what the hell are we supposed to do about that'. It's not just about the big world-changing events, it's about the smaller ones. How to make our own little corner better."
The chair creaks faintly under a shift of Tamara's weight; sneaker soles scuff against concrete as she rises to her feet again, despite that she hasn't been seated for very long at all. She looks to Elisabeth; nods once, expression solemn. "Try," the sybil agrees, her voice quiet now, grave in its affirmation. "Cautiously. The old guard is never so ambitious as the new; and the stars do move with the sky."
Angelina falls silent after her one outspoken moment, tucking her hands into her pockets and watching others while they talk. But it does seem as though she's listening intently.
"I— actually think she has a point," Gillian says, looking at Tamara. "Though admitedly I can only barely understand her, but— what you're talking about is a huge change in an organization that happened in a future that we helped destroy. We don't know how this all came about exactly. Ray might have told you, but his future self sent someone to kill me. And you know what his big agenda was on top of the Pinehearst Building. And his pre— god this sounds stupid. I'm sorry, I know you trust the old dude, but I sure as hell don't. And I really really… I mean Staten isn't as bad off as you seem to think. It has a new hospital. It has an army base that's up and running. Sure the reconstruction will be slowed thanks to the snow, but I imagine FRONTLINE will already be sent in there to clean it up. How do you know what you want done isn't already being done? I mean if all you want is to have your hand in the man's money book, that's one thing, I think you put too much faith in Edward Fucking Ray, considering he tended to keep his own agendas to himself and think everyone would act exactly as he predicted."
"How much do you owe Zarek?" Peyton asks quietly, eyes moving from Cardinal to Alia and back. "If it's keeping him from helping us, I can front Alia the money until she pays it back, however she got it." She remembers something about a donation, and given the fact Alia a technopath, Peyton's guessing the girl pulled it electronically. "I'd rather not, but if it's necessary. And I can help bring more supplies, just give me a list," she adds to Elisabeth. She usually brings in supplies or food with her every trip into Midtown as it is.
Alia frowns as gears click inside her head… and her eyes widen as she mutters "new… hospital. Army base. Somewhere hard to get." She resists the urge to flip open that laptop and turn it on and try to find a cellular signal. But the look in her eyes says that there might be something there.
Tamara's words bring Elisabeth eyes back to the precog, and her brows furrow. "Tamara…. have you seen something specific that you're worrying about?" Sometimes talking to a seer is an exercise in futility, and sometimes they have a moment of clarity and offer useful, clear comments. It's worth asking. As an aside to Gillian, Elisabeth says softly, "I'm not going to sit here and defend Edward Ray. Certain aspects of what he did are … questionable, at best." She considers. "But I will say this much. We know by altering what happened… the future we're now facing is not good. If you don't want to take part in what we're doing, you're always free to go. We're not holding anyone here, Gilly. I think it would suck. I think you have a lot to offer. But you have to do it in whatever ways are right for you."
A low, whispered chuckle from the shadowmorph. "You'd also be dead right now if he hadn't sent me on Apollo, Gillian… most of you would be. He's a heartless bastard but that doesn't mean he's wrong… and in the long run, I think that we all might be better off if he's succeeded on the roof of the Pinehearst Building." Two hundred and forty-five thousand Evolved…
"In any case, Ray didn't tell me to do this. I decided to. Because I think you're wrong, about Staten. I think that's what we're supposed to think, Gillian. Rebel's people seem to think… there's something very bad being planned… and given his resources, I'm not about to doubt him. Peyton— I don't think you have six hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars hanging around, although if you do, I suppose that'd be easier." Always about money…
There's a few moments of silence as Cardinal pulls himself back together, as if realizing that he was starting to fragment a bit there— twists and curls of darkness pulling back in upon itself, still fluttering as if in a wind, "I do need you to bring Colette in, though, soon. I need her to convince her sister to help us…" Help us…
Having finally been able to get himself unstuck from whatever dark and forgotten place he managed to get himself in to, Bones jogs in while gnawing on a powerbar and shaking his head, holding up a hand. "Sorry, everybody. Sorry I'm late. My carbineer broke and plunged me down a storm drain I have been trying to find for a year now and on the way down I broke my headlight, my maglite, and my mini-mag and was forced to find my way out by /pen/ light… But I'm good now!" he says, holding his powerbar between his teeth for a moment while he takes a hair tie out of his pocket and pulls his dreadlocks back as he walks to take a seat. Somewhere. "Mmmguff." he repeats more quietly with the nutrition bar still held between his teeth as if reassuring himself just hot good he is at the moment.
The seeress pauses in her turn towards the door, head swiveling to bring her face where it is visible in profile, Elisabeth's form caught only in the edge of her vision. "The creeping vine hides its nature until the prey is wrapped in constricting coils," Tamara remarks. "Some might escape when the pillars start to fall; leave the axes where they lie. Better is everyone's work."
She glances to Gillian, to Alia, to Claire, and to Peyton in turn. "It's not what got out of the box that's scary, in the end; but they never tell you that part." Finally, Tamara looks to Cardinal and Liz once more. "And it is scary," the sybil concludes softly. She folds her hands together, brusing fingers across the silver ring on her left hand. "Take care of her," the girl adds, before turning and walking out the door, a nod given to Bones in passing.
"I know you saved the world, Cardinal," Gillian says, still seated despite being given the invite to leave whenever she wanted. "Twice, even. But I think that was more you and less Edward Ray… But if the Linderman thing isn't even cause of him, then okay…" But she doesn't get much further as she looks at Tamara for a long moment, frowning and not seeming to understand a word— even if it kinda sounds like those Chinese Proverbs on fortune cookies, or things people might get tattooed on their backs…
"Uh— Okay… How about, uh— next time someone hears from Rebel, that they ask him to give actual details on this camp shit. Cause I did poke around as deep as I could, and all I found was a few homes, a hospital and that base. Now if you want to send people into that hospital to see if that's where they're dragging flu victims to, go ahead, but I ain't going." She picks up her bag a bit, then looks up— and up— at Bones. "Huh. You must be that big guy people keep mentioning… Tall, dark and handsome. In a rugged and long haired kinda way." Just sayin'. She's not really flirting, just saying what she thinks without filter.
"I probably should stay out of this. I kinda just want to focus on not mind-breaking danger for a while. But you guys know where to find me." In a building that was funded by Linderman, no less.
"No, not that much," Peyton says with a low laugh when Cardinal gives the amount owed to Kain. "I'd help if I could, though." Her dark eyes take in Bones' entrance, and she gives him a nod before her brows knit with confusion at Tamara's cryptic words and exit. She looks at the others to see if any of them understand what was said, then shrugs. "Gillian, wait, it's too unsafe to go by yourself," Peyton says. Like Peyton can protect Gillian, but she picks up her bag too, shouldering it to prepare to walk out with her friend.
The young blonde listens for a a few moments more, when Bones arrives, there is a flash of guilt that passes over her features. It's only there for a fraction of a second, not long enough to be be readily caught. Pushing off the wall, Claire calls out. "Liz.. Boss… You need to talk to me, you know where to find me." She gives a small smile to Bones in passing, before she hurries out the door. There is something for her to do, but it can't be discussed.. and it'll put her more them likely on the other side of the line from Liz.
Not a fun thought for the Ex-cheerleader.
Alia sighs, as she looks at the group. ".. .much to do… but no way home tonight."
Somewhere Liz missed the memo on what Claire's up to. In the meantime, she looks at the others and says, "All right. If you've got any questions, let us know. We'll work it out. Alia… if you want to stay here, you're welcome to bunk down." She glances at the shadow behind her. "I have to go back to the base, love. I don't have permission to be off for the night." She grimaces slightly. "Feel like a fuckin' teenager with a curfew. Bizarre."
As the seeress slips back out as mysteriously as she came in, Cardinal is silent for a few long moments. "…someone write that down, please, so we can try to figure out what the hell it means," he whispers then, "I don't have any fucking hands." Hands…
As everyone begins to break up, the shadows spread across the wall, "…I'll be speaking to most of you privately regarding various assignments I want you working on, so we can keep everything organized. Be safe out there, people. And… alright, Gillian. Give my best to Knox…" Knox…
Bones gives Gillian a bit of a wave at her acknowledgement of him and a bit of a grin flashed as well. And there was also a polite nod in return to Tamara but he notices the group generally breaking up, seeing Claire dart out as well. "Damnit. I missed the whole damned thing." he shuts his eyes and sighs, wiping his hand down his face as he gets back up, beginning to start to head out himself.
"Bones," Elisabeth calls. "Before you slip out, would you mind?" She smiles at the towering man. "I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to check in with you regarding the underground questions I asked. But I thought if you had time, you could fill Cardinal and me in on what you might have found?"
"Don't worry, Elisabeth put together some lovely file folders, there's still a few copies left," Cardinal's whispering voice offers encouragement to Bones's words as he slides along over the wall towards him, "And if this weather keeps up… we might well need to do something down here, at least." At least..
"Sorry you had a bad day," Peyton tells the giant sandhog with a smile. "See you tomorrow, most likely," she adds to the shadow that is Cardinal. She and Gillian gather their items and head out into the arctic cold that has encompassed Manhattan, to make their way home.
Bones turns back as his name is called and blinks a little at Elisabeth, looking at her for a moment as though she is crazy, his mind obviously somewhere else completely. "Underground questions? What underground questions?" he asks, his gaze momentarily sliding to the wall where that large shadowy blotch is. "File folders and copies of what?" he asks. Yeah. His mind is a million miles away. Or perhaps just a couple hundred feet away.
"Access to the sewers or the catacombs from here?" Elisabeth reminds Bones mildly. "And the files have copies of the stuff we talked about today, just in case people couldn't make it. If you have questions, by all means let one of us know."