Participants:
| Scene Title | Missing The Obvious |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Cat is accused of over-analyzing while Brian and Helena miss the obvious. |
| Date | December 9, 2009 |
Returning to the library after her activities of the day, Cat is still dressed as a lawyer. Black jacket and skirt, two inch pumps of the same color, hair pinned up neatly off her collar, white blouse buttoned all the way up, and a coat which reaches just a bit past the skirt's hem. The guitar case and backpack aren't on her person; instead she's carrying a briefcase and an urn. Her features are fairly neutral in expression, although there exists a hint of pensiveness.
Heels tap as she walks across the floor on the main level, finds the stairs, and makes her way to the roof. Helena had spoken of wanting to talk bridges with her, she wants to speak with Helena, and if the blonde isn't up there, well, it'll provide a place to sit and think in silence.
She's gotten better of late, no longer troubled so much by the times of quiet.
As it happens, Cat will find Helena as the brunette is en route to the roof. She's in the makeshift med clinic, wearing a tank top so she can rub some kind of ointment onto her right shoulder-blade with her opposite hand.
"Stormy," she greets in that single word as she passes by the clinic's entrance. Cat slows as she passes the entrance to the thrown together clinic and lingers there for a moment before continuing on her way to the stairs and the level they lead toward.
"Did you need me?" Helena calls out in the brunette's wake.
The footsteps stop and she turns, then heads back the way she came. Being followed to the roof seems not the happening thing, at the moment. Seconds pass as the tapping resumes, then she appears in the doorway of the subclinic. Moving inside, Cat sets down the briefcase and the urn, then rests her backside against a piece of furniture.
"You wanted me to find you and speak about bridges," she begins. "And whatever else is on your mind, I would hope." Eye contact is attempted, her own almost at peace.
Helena pumps more lotion onto her hand, continuing with her effort. "I'm okay." she says quietly. "Abby healed my hip, though that's no detriment to Ben doing a good job. It's silly, but I'm kind of worried he'll be irritated for me undoing his work. We can talk bridges, though."
"I sent word to Hana, asking if she can get me missing persons reports to look through and see if any faces match the ones we found in the trailer. They're in safe hands, but I rather prefer we have our own information on their identities and see if we can spot any patterns regarding who they take and from where. I also asked if it might be possible for her to tap satellites and try locating those ships. They could have been adapted as artillery platforms, or who knows what else. If we can get them sunk, it has to be good. There are a lot of variables to defending the bridges. I'm still needing to speak with Elisabeth about the issue as well, and also contact Anne. Checking for charges is a quick task for her, comparatively." Quiet settles in briefly. "I also spoke with Conrad this morning. He says it's in the basement."
Helena nods. "It is, in fact, in the basement." She confirms, and reaches for a tissue to wipe her hands. "Anything up to do beyond what we already know right now?"
"Recon, really, is the job of the moment. Identifying the best places for mortar assaults on bridges, or for mortar use period. That could be anyplace where things could be set up and not noticed. Lots of ground to cover. We know just enough to have starting points, but not enough to take decisive actions yet." Cat's head leans a bit to check out whatever the blonde might be tending on her shoulder. "You had an injury that went unnoticed, Stormy?" she asks.
"Oh, no." Helena actually blushes. "I got a tattoo last night. I'm just following the instructions for taking care of it the first week that were written down for me. I sure don't remember getting it, but it's really pretty, so I don't mind. I wanted one anyway."
A slight smile appears on Cat's face. "You got inked." She moves to get a better look at the artwork. "I'd thought about getting one a time or three," she shares, "but decided to pass. There's too many rocker chicks with ink all over their bodies, y'know? It just would've seemed really cliche to be another."
Silence settles briefly, she looks at the urn and shows that slight smile again.
"I'm bi, which already makes me enough of a cliche in the world of women who rock."
The phoenix on Helena's shoulder is about the size of her palm, and done rather delicately. It really is pretty. "I think you should do what you want and not worry about what people think in terms of cliche." Helena tells her. "I remember Connie saying something about a tramp stamp, but I wouldn't go for that."
Her eyes close, and the head shakes. "Small of the back tattoos. Too hard to hide, if you lean forward and the shirt rides up even a little, it's on display. I never understand why anyone goes for them, but it's their bodies." Cat studies the Phoenix for a moment, then moves away. "Tasteful, that one. Not too large, it decorates you, but doesn't overtake you."
Helena beams. "That's the idea. It doesn't mean I can't ever wear a backless shirt again." A pause. "Not that I really have occaision to."
"Hey if you're not going to wear backless shirts, can I get the one you borrowed from me, back, please?" Brian asks, brows arched. Wearing a white track jacket, the young man has his hands tucked into his pockets and seems to be at a… somewhat decent mood? A little smile rides his lips as he approaches the two. A glance is cast to Cat, wherein he greets. "Xena." A little call is given, most likely Brian's falsetto impersonation of that sound that Xena used to make. He is most likely far off from it, but it doesn't seem like he cares much.
"Most important thing is you being happy with it," Cat replies, the small smile returning. She takes the long coat off and lays it carefully next to the urn, revealing the black lawyer suit she's in, and turns toward the voice when Brian arrives. Her eyes roll, and she faces Helena again. "Yeah, yeah, Heckler," she answers back.
Moments later, she's back on topic, at least within her mind. "There's someone I'd like to speak with, Conrad says he frequents a bar somewhere in Manhattan.
Helena is showing off her new tattoo to Cat, and straightens in her seated position when Brian walks in. Cat's request gets her attention. "A lot of people frequent bars in Manhattan, but given what I sent you to Conrad about, I assume you mean Kain Zarek? He actually runs the club, I think. Or is in good with the people who do. It's called Rapture, and it's in Harlem. But why do you need to talk to him? Conrad has the contacts to get you what you need."
A pointed finger and a clicking sound is made with his mouth as Brian gives Cat a wink. "Good one." He says before putting his hand pistol away. Straightning he glances over to Helena, gives a little bob of his head to her. "Whatya lookin' for?" He asks, nosily, tucking his hands into his back pockets.
"I saw him yesterday," Cat supplies in answer to Helena's question. "He had some paperwork for me to sign. Once I saw it in no way obligated me to Daniel Linderman, or anyone else, I signed it." A quiet smile, with a little coldness to it, comes onto her features for a moment as she speaks. "I just like knowing what he does, where he likes to be, mostly. He was involved in something I ran across before I came to the organization. I think being around me now makes him uncomfortable." By extension, Cat seems to find Kain Zarek's discomfort something to be maintained.
Helena lifts a brow. "Don't harrass him too much, Cat. He's a contact. A smart-ass, slimy, pervy contact, but a contact nonetheless."
"Cool." Brian states at being ignored. He glances at the two girls, then looking at Cat once again, he re-asks his question once again. Though this time obnoxiously loud. "WHATYA LOOKING FOR?" As if Cat was hard of hearing and could not hear the question, therefore Brian is very willing to help her out with her sudden hard of hearing condition.
Helena winces, and looks between the pair, grinning.
She winces at the raised voice, and rubs at an ear for a moment, then speaks to Helena again. "I won't make our arms dealer stop dealing us arms, Stormy," Cat quietly assures. "I may not even speak to him much, if I do it'd be to buy something, perhaps. I just might let him see me a time or two." She holds up her right thumb and forefinger and squeezes them together for a moment. "May I make him cry, just a little, Stormy?"
After she's said that, her attention goes to Brian, and she eyes him calmly. "Quiet tools, Heckler. Quiet tools." A smile follows.
"Deckard?" Brian asks, arching his brow. "He sells weapons." The young man comments though he gives a little grin to Helena. When Cat finally gives her attention to him, he gives a little chuckle. "Are you upgrading to a blow gun now?" He smiles broadly. "I'm sorry.. I just like had an image of you running through Midtown chasing Sylar, shooting little poisonous darts at him." He looks very happy with this thought.
Helena frowns a bit. "It's tempting, but manly men get upset when women make them cry. Try to be good, okay?" She seems content to leave it at that until Brian starts in about blow guns and she snickers.
"Sylar," Cat mutters, a distinctly dark expression showing on her features with the name's mention. It lingers for a beat or two as she eyes the man of many bodies. "Very funny, Heckler. Very funny. Anyway," she adds, turning back to Helena, speaking of people who've heckled me about weapons choices before, I've just been reminded of another. That one called me Arwen."
"So?" Helena asks. "I saw the movies, Arwen was cool. Though in the end Eowyn was cooler. Arwen had better dresses."
Brian arches a brow at Cat's sudden change of demeanor. "Are you really going to call me Heckler all the time now? Wow. Let's see how many times you can use 'heckle' in one day." He says with a little smirk. "Do you want me to call you Arwen? And don't you worry I have a whole slew of nicknames for you. Yes, a slew." With that he idly makes his way over to Helena.
"I was actually thinking about someone who took up residence on Reed Street," Cat replies cryptically. Brian's mockery goes unacknowledged, she perhaps having opted not to encourage him by further attention.
Helena blinks. "Reed Street?" she echoes, completely not getting it.
Brian grins a little as he goes to take a seat near Helena. "Heckle." He repeats to himself with an air of humor.
"You've been there, Stormy, I think," Cat answers. "It's an empty loft, has this big mural on the floor, a few paintings left behind. I did some sewing there once." Her eyes rest on the blonde, as Brian is given no response.
Helena blinks. "Oh, the loft." She reaches out, clucks Brian gently at the back of his head. "Did you meet with Gillian?"
His tongue slides out between his teeth as he tries to stifle a chuckle. Brian doesn't say anything as of right now, though he can't help but laugh a little bit.
"That's the place," Cat confirms. "I haven't yet, but should soon. Hopefully those stitches I did are still in place. I'm also surprised she hasn't gotten curious and come to check the library out." Brian is glanced at briefly, she shows him no visible reaction beyond that.
"Maybe I'll go see her." Helena says thoughtfully. "I think…I think she could help us. I don't know if she'd be willing, though."
"Who's this nawww?" He presents the last word in a drawl that is certainly not his real accent. Brian looks up at the pair of girls. "If we need to make a lady willing, I could always use my irresistible charm. Hmmm?"
"Doctor Ray seemed to think so," Cat replies, "that's the only reason I could think of for him mentioning coming here in her presence, to let it be out there and be her idea if she came to have a look. He didn't deny it when I asked him directly, so…" Her eyes go to Brian as she trails off, seconds later she says "Gillian Childs."
"Exactly what part of your charm is irresistable?" Helena queries, blinking ever so innocently at Brian.
A 'pfft' is given to Helena's question, he shakes his head. "Trust me Hel. If I were to turn it on, all that would be left of you is a broken widdle heart." He says, raising one hand to pat her shoulder consolingly. "It's kind of like a secondary Evolved Ability. So.. Who's Gillian Childs?"
She raises an eyebrow at Brian's question, and chuckles. Her eyes settle on him, then shift back to Helena. "Someone's behind on his homework," Cat states. A hand is lifted to cover snickering at his comment of charm and its results.
"I've already shook my finger at him for not reading the Catabase." Helena points out. She looks at Brian. "Seriously. Send one of you to read the bloody thing." She reaches out and tweaks his nose.
Brian lets out a rather pointedly girlish squeal when his nose is tweaked, one hand flying up to defend himself he rolls his eyes. "Fiiine! I'll read the thing!" Though he doesn't move. It might be safe to assume 'one of him' is moving, somewhere.
Her eyes close, her head shakes, and a quiet laugh escapes. Cat spends a few beats in silence from there, before asking "The Company has the same virus as we're concerned about? If that's so, how did Vanguard get it? If they already have. The Company should be warned to destroy all they have, yesterday."
She scowls. "That whole operation needs to be dragged out into the light of day, let every secret they have be published on the front page of the Times, the Post, and every other paper in the country. TV stations too."
"They have a virus, I don't think it's the same one. At least I don't know that it's the same one." Helena says, and shakes her head. "I'm not prepared to do that. It would cause mass panic."
"Holy crap." Brian says with high brows as if he had just read something that shocked him. "I'm like on every team there is." He jerks his head a bit. "Oh hey Xena, you and me!" He gives a over large smile and a rather corny thumbs up. Before delivering the falsetto 'ayayayayayaya.'
"This isn't the time," Cat agrees, "but eventually, though. Anyway, it may or may not be the same one. The possibility that it could be, also, raises the question of whether Kazimir Volken may have managed to infiltrate their organization and have plans to steal it. Maybe even make it into something else. The safest thing they could do is destroy every bit of it they have, immediately."
And she turns toward Brian, answering "Yes, you are."
"We don't have the means to make them do that." Helena says with a shrug. "And we can only deal with what we can grasp."
"Wait wait wait wait.." Brian throws up his hands, and then for good measure adds, "wait wait….. wait." Looking up at Cat, he looks very inquisitively at her. "I don't follow your logic. Just because they both have viruses.." He shakes his head. "That doesn't really make sense? Volken those guys. All they've done is blow crap up. It's not like they're a bunch of scientists….Right?"
"It's true we can't make them do that, and we also can't prove it enough to inspire them. They were arrogant enough to have and keep the thing to begin with, they can't be counted on to follow common sense," Cat again agrees. Her head turns toward Brian, and she seems confused by his question, the not following of her logic. "He's got hundreds of people around the world, he plans to release a virus, why would anyone think he doesn't have scientists in the fold? To do what he plans, he has to do one or more of two things: Make the virus, or steal it."
Helena stares at Brian. "I thought you were reading the Catabase! Seriously Brian, all this time, and you didn't even know why we're fighting? Why we're going to so far as to leak info to SCOUT and even remotely deal with HomeSec?" She's completely flabbergasted. "They're looking to kill ninety percent of the world's population!"
"God, I get that much. Geeze." Brian says a little defensively. "The whole virus thing. I knew that much, seriously, Hel, I did. You don't understand what I'm saying!" Brian replies, his hands up. "What I'm saying, is," A pointed glance to Helena, "You were talking about changing a virus. I know you're like a superhero lawyer and all, but I'm pretty sure that takes a long time, Cat. Like, years right? I just don't understand why we're linking this Company and the Vanguard at all. Doesn't make sense to me." The last is said in a falsetto as if to be less confrontational.
Her voice is quiet, sounding worn. "I didn't link them," Cat replies. "I'm just brainstorming on information others provided, simply enough. When we met and Doctor Ray outlined his recommendations, the Shanti virus was mentioned, and it was mentioned the Company has a version of it. Following the two conditions for his plan, that he make the virus, steal the virus, or both, it bears wondering if this wasn't the source. As to time, he could've been planning this, working toward it, for years, and is just now finding things are falling into place. He's old. Kazimir Volken was a Nazi during WW2."
A few beats are taken to form her next words.
"I'm running over the various possibilities in my head." She reaches for the urn near her and rests a hand atop it then, going back to silence, as her eyes settle on Helena and silently ask if her path of thought seems that unreasonable.
Helena holds up her hands. "I've had about all the think I'm going to manage on this right now." She admits. "But I do also think it's a stretch. I value your capacity to analyze Cat, but I think sometimes it's like finding codes in the Bible - too much starts creating extraneous links. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know, I don't - " Helena stops, takes a breath.
A slight smug smile of victory tugs at his lips despite himself, though he quickly wipes it off. Teasing is one thing, gloating is another. He brings up a hand and sets it soothingly on Helena's shoulder. "I have an idea! I know exactly how to foil Kazimir's plot and restore balance to planet Earth!" He says enthusiastically, going to stand to emphasize his point.
"Let's go get drunk!"
The voice is still quiet, sounding more worn. "It doesn't matter where it came from," Cat states with a nod toward Helena. "We won't be able to stop him from getting it. What we have to do is stop it from being released, and stop the bridges linking Manhattan to the outside from getting blown. That's a bear enough to figure out. I… forgive me for thinking too big, wondering at ways to keep him from getting the thing altogether, or how he got it. The horse is already out of the barn."
She picks up the urn and holds it against her chest, looking at it, and lapses into silence. Something isn't right with her at present. She's in lawyer clothes, a very rare thing, and holding that container.
"Ow, fucker!" Helena yelps when Brian sets it on her sensitive shoulderblade, and gives him a thwap on his side, though the urn, it makes her blanch, suddenly and hard. "I'm sorry." she mumbles, looking ashamed. "Is that - ?"
Brian can't help but laugh a little bit when Helena gets oh so mad. His hand recoils quickly enough, and he lowers his arm to try and protect himself a little but. "Ow." He comments though his grin and laughter quickly fades at the urn and sudden sad look. Oh F. "Oh.. I'm.. Real sorry."
"That's how I came to be meeting with Kain Zarek," Cat replies. "He came to the apartment while a classmate of mine was overseeing removal of the tree, finally, asking for me. The classmate contacted me, and I met with Mr. Zarek to sign documents related to being executress of the estate. Then he told me where she was. Bones, just bones. Dumped somewhere and set on fire. That was yesterday. Today after I met with Conrad I put on this lawyer suit and claimed her from the morgue, had her taken to a funeral director." Her voice breaks a little there, she closes her eyes and forces herself to keep composure.
"Her parents turned their backs on her years ago, and I won't allow them to be around when I scatter these, at some point. I can't exactly call on classmates from our time at Yale, without explaining what happened. So many questions they'd have. So I came here to find you, Stormy, one of the people who knew her here, to talk about when to do something. A celebration of her life. I need to do the same with Debater too."
Helena is silent and solemn for a long time. Then, "Do you want me to arrange something, Cat?" She asks, gently as possible. "The Dispensary right next to the Atlantic. Unless you wanted to do something here. But if it's a private thing…I mean. Whatever you want."
Brian brings a hand to his chin as he fixes his gaze on Cat. Though he was teasing her not long ago, his face gradually morphs into concern and sympathy. His lips tugged down, his finger taps on his lips. Though he does feel very bad he can't help but wonder if she really is going to call him Heckler for the rest of his life. That would suck. "Yeah. If there's anything I can do, Cat. Just let me know."
Her eyes move from one to the other in silence for a long stretch that may feel even longer by the simple fact of quiet. Cat's face seems a bit stricken. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. To be here, dressed this way, and get mocked for pondering the obvious, while something plain as day is missed. I…" Her voice trails off there, she lets the thought go.
"I haven't decided yet, what to do or when. I think I'll store her somewhere safe until we pull all of this job off, and have a celebration of her life then. I might be able to bring some people from Yale then, maybe. I… I think the thing to do is to beat Kazimir and scatter her ashes from the highest point of a still standing bridge, in a city where people aren't getting sick and dying, where the military hasn't napalmed everything into ashes to stop the plague from spreading."
The damage is already done. Helena flinches like Cat just hit her. "That sounds like a good plan." she murmurs, rising swiftly. "Um. Excuse me." Feeling ashamed and rather terrible, Helena flees for the door.
Quickly taking a step after Helena, Brian throws up a hand at her elbow. He is careful not to hit her sore spot this time. "Hel.." He says a little quietly. Though he doesn't try to pull her back, he allows her to flee. Though he does take a step in front of the path that she just took should Cat think it wise to follow her. His eyes go to the urn then back to the woman. "You want me to help you with something?" He asks, more emotionless than he was the first time he asks.
She speaks quietly, watching Helena go, her features clouding over. There will be no tears, however. Cat did enough of that in front of witnesses at the cathedral on Christmas Eve. "We have to make sure the virus doesn't spread, the bridges don't fall, so people don't die and cause the military to burn the city as a quarantine measure. So go read. Take time to think over the angles and the various possibilities. Consider the information assembled, and ponder what it means. Draw conclusions. Blocking Kazimir's plot is Job 1. If we don't succeed, being napalmed is merciful."
The urn is set down, she dons her long coat and buttons up, then takes the container again along with the briefcase. "We'll talk later. Good night, Brian."
And she walks away.
Eyeing Cat, as she talks, in a fashion he would assume a robot would talk like the young man simply watches her before she goes to walk away. He looks over his shoulder where Helena went then back to Cat his face the definition of bewilderment.
"Fuck my life." Brian says dryly, letting his eyes roll back. He turns to go the way Helena went.
 January 9th: You Seem Familiar |
 January 9th: Even Lesbians Grow Old |