Participants:
| Scene Title | Needles in a Haystack |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Sawyer runs (literally) into newly returned Agent Lu, then brings him on her errands around the facility; namely getting information on Hana Gitelman and the Founders murders. |
| Date | October 28, 2009 |
Multitasking: Veronica, a child of the '80s, was born to do it. She's on her Blackberry, talking to some contact that is clearly not Company by the fake and cheery and gratified sound in Veronica's voice. "Thank you so much, I really appreciate it." Must be another agency, one that it's best to use the 'honey rather than vinegar' approach with. In her hand is a file folder and she's reading it as she walks, turning the corner of the corridor until she bumps right into … her partner, whom she hasn't seen for weeks.
Curt is leaning against the wall right around the corner with a smug expression on his face as if he knew she was comeing down the hall and would run into him. "Boo." he growls out, chomping on a pistacio. He offers her one from his cupped hand. "Nut?"
"Well, look who's back from the trenches," Veronica says, rubbing her shoulder with a bit of a grimace. There'll be a bruise, where normally there wouldn't be, since she took on both his damage as well as her own. "How goes it, partner?" She's not unhappy to see him, though their last couple of meetings were tense and a bit argumentative — though they usually are.
Curt shrugs, "I'm in a spectacular mood. We were attacked by morons, I got to be a big damned hero, got electrocuted, which I don't care what anyone tells you is never fun, killed some bad guys, bought new clothes, came home. I skipped the boring stuff for you. Now I'm starting to get bored again. Wanna entertain me or we gonna work?" Curt… tact was never his thing.
"You bought new clothes? I'm impressed. Something made this century?" she teases him, and nods down the corridor. "I get to go get files from archives that little children like me don't normally get to play with." She slips the phone into her pocket and hands him the file. "Looks like this is our man," never mind it's a brunette woman, "on the latest of the founder murders, Pratt's. Didn't fit the same MO as the other Monroe murders, or at least not Amman's." She frowns a little as she realizes he was out of town for most of that, and worse. "Shit. Curt…" She uses his first name, which should be an omen. "Did anyone tell you Dahl… she … Dahl's dead."
Curt eyes the pic, "Cool. We got anything on her more then a picture?" he asks as he falls into step with Vee, munching the nut she refused. He glances her way, "Didn't hear. Shame. Bet she looked pretty fine naked, was gonna see about seducing her eventually." his dry tone is sarcastic enough to etch glass. He's used to people dying, his reaction isn't exactly overt. At least this one wasn't his fault.
Vee's getting used to people dying — the agents lost in the explosion of the old facility. Kat, though she turned out not to be dead after all. Minea now. But it's not something she is numb too. Her brows knit and she scowls at his comment. "You're a pig. If you think that's supposed to be … I don't know, sympathetic or complimentary and respectful…" well, she doesn't need to end that sentence. "I don't know a lot. She used to be an agent. She's a technopath. Going to go get the file, hard copy, since I guess they were worried she'd tweak the computer files."
Curt nods his head, "Tricky bastards the techies. It's why I rock it old school. Can't trust an electronic footprint as much as a real one these days." he eyes her, "She was an agent. She died. Hate to break it to you but unless you're Monroe that's the last stop for all of us, even me." he winks.
Rose pages: Your counting seems off. Shouldn't it be 'lucky number one'?
"Some people get out. Retire. Live happily ever after." Maybe it's a fairy tale, but Veronica really doesn't want to give her life for the Company. One day not long ago she might have found honor in it; less and less these days. "And as far as we know, it wasn't even on a case." She doesn't know the details, hasn't been let in on the secrets, but she is fairly sure it was sudden and unexpected. "She deserved better." Tears glimmer in the otherwise set face of the female agent, her jaw clenched tight as she tries not to let the tears fall.
Curt gives her a reason to adopt anger instead of grief. He reaches out and ruffles Vee's hair, "Cheer up Princess. I'm back and now you'll be to busy taking shit from me to worry about other crap." isn't he helpful?
Veronica rolls her eyes. "Why did I think I missed you? Seriously." She sticks out her tongue. "Oh, right. I've been running around on this wild goose chase. You going to stick around and actually help me or are you going to go shopping in Europe again, leaving me to do all the dirty work, you prima dona?" They approach the Archive desk, where the archivists, with high-clearance but no street smarts, sit behind glass walls. "Denton should have called to give me access to a hard copy on Hana Gitelman?" Sawyer tells the geek behind the glass, who goes to retrieve the folder and makes her sign for it.
Curt eyes her tongue, "Careful with that, you'll make an old man think dirty thoughts." he says in that same deadpan way he usually does when he's giving her shit. "Hey, I'm just the muscle and the beauty, you're supposed to be the brains in this outfit." he waits while she does paperworkfoo.
She takes the folder, thumbs through it, hands it to him. "Next stop, Isotope Techies. See if they can tell us where she's at, and maybe get them to track back and see what we can see back on the date of the Pratt murder," she murmurs, more to herself and to him. She turns to head back down the long corridor to the tech room, on the far end of the facility. "Why do they have to put the resources in different time zones?" she mutters.
Curt shrugs, "Keep all you lady agents on the slim?" he suggests, "You know, this way you don't have to diet or buy stupid infomercial crap while worrying about that extra two pounds or whatever." He follows along, "So what else has been going on while I was away?"
"Been horrible couple of months here. Humanis First has kidnapped like four or five people; they're totally out of control. Then there's some crazy guy over on Staten Island making earthquakes to make a point, or something. The city's at a boiling point. It's bad." She frowns. "You picked a good time to be away, but not sure about your timing coming back. I'd probably would have tried to find a way to stay over there, if I were you." Her husky voice is solemn, her eyes narrowed with anger.
Curt nods his head, "So… we killing any of these fuckers or what?" he asks, munching on his chosen snack again. "Or we just sitting back watching it all happen? You'd think an earthquake guy would be easy to find and take out."
"Earthquake guy not my case. I'm sure someone has it." Who, she doesn't know. "I'd love to kill Monroe, but he's a regenerator. And he has some allies that I think have pretty strong powers. Help me plan something, and we'll get to it. There were a couple of undercover types," she doesn't say who, "that had or have something in the works, but I'm not sure we have that kind of time. Soon he'll be coming for the founders that are still with us, and obviously we don't want that to happen."
Curt nods his head, "Gotcha. Heh. Regenerator. Wonder how that'd work with my power. He stabs me, but stabs him, and round and round we go. Heh. Would be fun." he offers Vee another pistacio, "So. Basically we're only slightly better of then when I left. Excellent. I didn't miss much /and/ got to have my fun."
"We're down an agent," Veronica says somberly, though she accepts his pistacchio this time. "I don't think we're much better off. But I guess we know more." And their feet have led them to the Tech office. Time to turn on the cute-girl charm for the boys with the toys who like to play know-it-all to the girl in the tight pants.
"Hey boys… I got some work for you!" she says with a dimpled grin.
Curt leans over Vee's shoulders and whispers conspiratorily in her ear, "Shoulda worn something low cut, fucking turtle neck just isn't gonna run it, especially not without a skirt. Tsk tsk."
Veronica rolls her eyes. She has learned not to elbow him in the ribs or step on his toes, or else she'd be the one with the bruise tomorrow. Like the one in the shoulder. "I need you to look at these locations at these dates, see where the isotopes lead, if you can see any patterns, if you can tell who the isotopes belong to. On the last date, track any isotopes and see where their current locales are, if you can." This isotope thing is nebulous at times, but while they're still like looking for needles in haystacks, at least one can specify *which* haystack, and the technology makes it easier to sort the needles and the hay.
Curt just smirks, "And hurry would you? I want Taco Bell and she promised to pay. I'm dying here." he nudges her with a hand, "So, no good news then? Not slinky stories about your sorted sex life, no horrible cliched meetings with the boss in a public place talking to informants that don't exsist?"
The more assertive of the two geeky tech guys takes the note and grins what he surely thinks is a cocky, jaunty sort of smile at Veronica. "It'll take some time, especially if you want caught up to now."
Veronica taps the note. "My cel's on there, call when you get the information. I'll bring you doughnuts." She turns to Curt and tugs. "Come on, we'll go get Taco Bell, even if the nearest one is 20 minutes away."
Curt almost smiles, "Excellent. You didn't have anything better to do anyway. I want nachos." he turns to follow Vee out, "I'll take that as a no then. Well you're just boring. We need to get you some goods stories to tell…. Maybe you can get a boyfriend and tell me the dirty details."