Participants:
Scene Title | Outside the Box |
---|---|
Synopsis | Elisabeth brings Jaiden and Devon's footage to Phillip…. and a new idea starts to take shape. |
Date | Aug 12, 2011 |
Phillip's Apartment
Coming out into public is of concern, and Elisabeth cannot afford to be identified. A text ahead says simply, I have something for you. May I bring it this evening? This time when she comes to the apartment she is carrying take-out pizzas and a tote bag over her shoulder. Her hair's tucked up beneath a Yankees cap and she's wearing a pair of khaki cargo pants with a white tanktop when she rings the doorbell.
Phillip comes to the door and opens. Today he's also dressed in khaki (cotton slacks) and a blue dress shirt. His feet are bare and his toes dig into the carpet beneath them. His eyes scan over Liz, curious to see what she carries and her overall demeanor. Essentially to make sure she's well.
Behind him his apartment looks a little more lived in than before. A few things out of place but not disheveled.
His lips part and Phillip states in a quiet tone, "Hey.". Which is followed by the clearing of his throat and saying it a little more clearly, "I mean, Hey." Accompanied by a smile of making fun of his initial failing voice.
A tilt of her head as she looks at him, a hesitant smile. Still wary, a little cautious of her reception with him. Elisabeth murmurs back, "Hey yourself." She struggles to try to keep things on an even footing with him, aware that he believes her crazy as a bedbug. She holds up the pizzas. "So, uhm… I brought dinner." Along with horribleness, but hey… no need to dive right in, right?
If allowed, Phillip will take the pizza boxes, "ooh, Pizza. So much better than what I was thinking.". After taking the boxes, he'll move to the side to allow her entry.
Elisabeth's smile blossoms a bit more and she steps in, still carrying the bag that contains a bottle of soda and a computer flash drive. "Good. I remembered how you liked it, and it had just come out of the oven when I picked them up," she offers. She really doesn't know why she continues to offer the olive branch with him, but she does. "I figured if I was going to bring things that will give you nightmares, the least I could do was make sure you ate first."
As she passes, Phillip closes the door with his foot and will follow her toward the kitchen, "Things of nightmares? Sounds promising."
"You have a very odd view of the world, Phillip," Elisabeth observes mildly. "Can we eat before viewing it with you kills my appetite or are you all into the idea of seeing it first?" Her tone is wry.
"Let's eat. It'll give you plenty of time to tell me what's been going on in your life." Phillip says in a declarative tone of direction toward the course of events to be laid out. He sits the pizza boxes atop the range and will open the top box. Plates are above and to the right.
She's grateful, and it shows. Elisabeth moves to the cabinet to set the bag down near him and pull out the bottle of cola she brought with her. The flash drive she sets on the counter as well, but turns to retrieve plates and glasses for the meal instead of dealing with it further. "Not too much, really," the blonde admits. "Rediscovering my piano, keeping a weather eye on the horizon, living day to day. Keeping a low profile so I'm not dragged off to mutant Gitmo." She shoots him a grin. "It's actually surprisingly quiet and normal right now."
"Sounds like you've found a pseudo good place, then." Phillip notes while sliding pizza onto plates for each of them. He's trying not to be to 'open' about things as he's unsure what's about to happen or why she's here. He's erring on the side of caution.
Elisabeth shrugs a little, reaching out to take the plates so that he can get himself a drink as well. She sets them at the table, her movements casual enough. Then she comes back and picks up her drink to bring it with her to the table as well. As she settles into the chair, she says, "As good as it gets for fugitives, definitely." She eyes him thoughtfully. "I'm not going to freak out and start …. hell, I don't even know what you think I'm going to freak out and start doing," she comments dryly. "I brought you footage for the documentary, if you're still willing to help put it out. That's all, Phillip. Not to … manipulate you, not to take anything from you, not to use you. If you don't want to work on the project, that's fine. Say so and I'll do what I can with it from my end."
Returning to the table, Phillip remains quiet. Drink and plate in hand he takes a seat. Instead of commenting on her lengthy statement, he will reach across with the intention of placing his hand upon hers. A sign of understanding - or so he hopes.
She hesitates at the movement, looking up at him with her own wariness. And then slowly, Elisabeth turns her hand beneath his to hold it. "I don't know how to act with you and I keep sticking my foot in my mouth somehow," she observes in a soft, rueful tone.
Phillip smiles knowing full well where she stands in her conundrum but won't share such thoughts. Instead he says with a segue option, "Moving forward with you is always an option."
She squeezes his hand and then slips hers away, quirking a small grin in his direction, a peep of the younger Liz showing through. Tucking into her pizza with an appetite, she asks softly, "Things going all right with you?"
"Pretty good, actually. As far as Manhattan goes, it's been an interesting return. I mean it's not like it was, but I've come across a few old acquaintances. Back and forth from LA at least every two weeks has kept me pretty busy and I was even able to take care of a few things in Toronto. A beautiful city in a very friendly country. They're no where as paranoid as the States."
"I'm not sure anywhere is near as paranoid as the States," Elisabeth retorts softly. "Especially New York." She shakes her head slightly. "I was in Boston not too long ago, and it was like a whole different world." There's a wistful tone to her voice. "Once I finish this documentary, I'm … thinking about getting out of town for a while," she admits.
"Where you thinking? Town, state, country?" asks Phillip curious to know her plans for escape.
There's a shrug as she continues to eat. "It could put you in a great deal of danger to know the plans I'm putting in place, Phillip," Elisabeth says softly. "I don't want you to ever be compelled to choose whether to lie for me or not. Suffice to say that my departure will most likely be international."
"Compelled." He says with a smile, "That sounds dirty." is stated with a rueful tone before taking a bite of pizza. He's obviously glad to see her.
"Well, …. I suppose it could be," she laughs around a bite, covering her mouth. "Dirty mind," she teases, relaxing in his company now.
"Birds of a feather." Phillip states with a grin after swallowing and then taking his glass to help it down. "Speaking of, seeing anyone in particular?" - might as well get that out there.
She's surprised by the query. Elisabeth's drink was halfway to her mouth when he asked and she looks at him in surprise over the rim of it for a moment. Then she takes a slow swallow before answering. "No, not really," she replies in an easy tone. "You?"
"Not really. There was this redhead, but she was distant." Phillip responds reflecting about Megan and her independent streak(s).
"Sorry to hear that," Elisabeth returns. She picks slips out of her seat to go help herself to another piece of pizza. "The dating game kind of sucks," she offers with a grin.
"And our age doesn't really help it at all. We're encountering people with so much baggage and it's a sorting hassle - can you deal with this item or that item? Rather than when we were young and had no clue who we were and discovering ourselves at the same time."
She laughs quietly. "Are you calling me old, Phillip? I mean, seriously!" Elisabeth seems to be taking no offense.
"Old, but not outdated. You've still got some good working parts." Phillip says in a teasing tone.
"Fffft," Elisabeth snorts in amusement. "All my parts are working just fine, thank you very much." She winks at him. "You already found out on your own! And I must admit, age hasn't hurt your bits and pieces a bit either."
"You know the one thing I liked the most about our latest encounters." Phillip says in a rising, elated tone. And without giving her a moment to ask what, he answers, "The fact that I could still make you make that noise."
A brow quirks upward. "What noise?" Liz demands around a bite of pizza. The indelicate snort or the other noise that …. well, you know. Sometimes happens at relly, really intense moments.
"That noise that we learned together…."
Out of breath, the two teens lay together amidst twisted sheets. Their bare forms enertwined with one another as they both pant trying to catch their breath.
After a moment Liz says without regard to the silence of the moment, "Oh my god… you just made me … you know."
Phillip, knowing fully well what she's talking about plays coy, "Made you what?"
Liz reples, "You know
"Ooh, that noise."
Liz questions, "That noise?"
Phillip answers, "Yeah." then goes into the documentary voice, "Sometimes when a man and a woman lay together in the carnal sense. The man finds special triggers inside the woman that allows her to release in what is called, 'the orgasm'. Also known as 'making that noise."
Liz then punches him in the ribs.
"I'm actually kinda proud to be the your first and also to have been able to make you make that noise… plus still have the talent today." Phillip says with a broad smile, about to laugh his ass off.
There is a moment of … deer in the headlights. Elisabeth looks like she might choke on the bite of pizza in her mouth. She flushes a deep crimson, blushing for the first time in years that she can remember. She swallows the bite and rallies, "Wow. You made me orgasm the first time out of the gate? Sounds like you had some serious raw talent." Tongue firmly in cheek. "Or else good teachers. Hope you didn't spend too much money on that training," she taunts. "Not that I'll complain about being the recipient of such learned attention."
Phillip laughs but denies, "Oh no, not our first /time/. That was more awkwardness than anything. It was like the 6th or 7th time…. and then it was all about trying to see how many times I could …" stated while standing up and a broad smile on his face.
"Hmmmm," Elisabeth murmurs, setting her pizza down. "Marathon sex. Now there's something that your age cheats me of," she teases.
"Ouch." he says with a slight chuckle while placing his plate down in the sink. "I've considered those magic pills for the endurance, but I don't want to have an erection that lasts for more than 8 hours and then it falls off."
"Meh. Overrated," Elisabeth opines as she moves to stand and bring her plate over as well. "A man who knows where to put his hands and mouth is far, far more appealing than one who wants to play hide the sausage for hours," she winks at him as she hands him the plate, a wicked twinkle in her eyes.
"Yeah, especially when the ceiling fan is causing a draft." Phillip says from an apparent point of reference and a grin.
A brow goes up and Elisabeth says in a husky, amused voice while leaning her hip on the counter, "Why Phillip Solomon, if I didn't know better I'd think you'd gone back to flirtin' with me."
"Is it working?" He asks in a coy tone while rincing both plates with the intention of putting them into the dishwasher.
"I don't know," Elisabeth murmurs on a chuckle. "I'm trying to decide if you're bipolar or something," she admits. "You're awfully damn cute when you flirt."
Phillip grins at the bipolar comment, "I just may well be. I do have powers and that totally makes people go off the deep end."
Elisabeth laughs outright. "You never did tell me what your ability is," she observes. "I'm pretty sure it's not telepathy, though." Tongue in cheek. "Something more physical, I'd bet. The way you faced down the gun when I came the first time," she tells him with a smile. "Only people with no reason to worry act that way, not normal people. Telekinesis or something?" She takes a stab in the dark.
He remains quiet a moment while placing the plates in the washer and then when she's done with the questions he says, "Come here." in a leading tone (physical and verbal). Phillip walks toward his bedroom.
A brow quirks upward again, and Elisabeth follows him into the bedroom. "It's a unique kind of offer to see your etchings, Phil," she murmurs. But her curiosity is definitely one of the traits that has not changed about her.
Just inside the bedroom door there is an aluminum baseball bat. He fingers the handle, lifts and steps deeper into the bedroom. Once in the center of the spaceous room he flips the bat around and offers Liz the handle side. "Take it and hit me." Then taps himself on the chest with his free hand.
The hand that reaches for the bat falters at the instruction. Even a woman with as much experience with powers and their effects as Elisabeth has can balk at some things. Hitting a man with a bat is harsh. "Uhm…. swear to God that when I do, there is no fucking chance in Hell that I can hurt you," she tells him seriously. "I don't mind the show-and-tell route, but…." She trails off.
Phillip's expression changes somewhat. More focused it seems. His eyes dilate and he seems ready to be hit - if there's an expression for such events. Perhaps she would remember the expression he had when she pulled a gun on him. He says quietly in a soft voice, "It'll be fine. Hit me."
She doesn't like it. It's perfectly clear that she still doesn't like it. Elisabeth bites her lip and then nods. Squaring herself she takes a half-hearted swing at his ribcage.
He doesn't move, flench, or otherwise react to her strike. In essence, he seems disappointed in her swing. He speaks, "You're gonna have to do better than that. I've been shot before."
He's…. what? Elisabeth seems more than a little surprised by that. "When?" she demands. And then since he seemed to have zero ill effects from what she did, she takes a full batter's stance — she played on the PD softball team for a while — and hauls off to hit the crap out of him.
The intertia transfered from her hips to the bat to his chest knocks him a little off balance but he shoes no signs of discomfort.
His answer comes after smiling and seeing her reaction, "Years ago. Right after the bomb. I was here trying to find answers about my parents. Instead I found some kids wanting my wallet. That's when I discovered I could do things."
She's intrigued by his ability. Elisabeth tilts her head. "Is it force dissipation, negation, or absorption?" she asks thoughtfully. "It's not a straight shield, the rebound would have knocked me on my ass."
He shrugs, "I really don't know." Then he steps closer to her with the intention of taking the bat from her hands. If allowed, he will hold it up so that she may see. Both of his hands take the bulk of the bat, squeeze and then crush the metal of the bat as if it were an aluminum soda can. "I may be just resistant to damage and have super strength. I've measured it around 800 lbs that I could dead lift."
Elisabeth gives a theatrical roll of her eyes and swoon, without actually falling. "I think I just creamed my jeans," she whimpers. Absolutely teasing the hell out of him.
Clearing his throat, Phillip looses all matter of concentration on his abilities and any blood in his brain flees to fill other parts. He chuckles and while letting the bat slide out of his hand off to the side he steps a little closer. The freeing hands are interested in finding the softness of her face.
She giggles cheerfully. There is still a hint of the wary, but that's purely Elisabeth these days. Even when she's happy there is a shadow of fear or worry in the background. When his hands cradle her face, she flickers her eyes upward to meet his and murmurs, "It's nice to see you smile again." He's been just as wary when they meet lately.
"I've missed your laugh…" Phillip says softly before kissing her forehead, then continues, "…your smell…" while kissing above her left eye, "…your beautiful eyes…", then kisses her right cheek, "…soft lips…" then will kiss her fully upon the lips, "…your voice…" while kissing her chin then slipping his hands down her face to shoulders, "…and making love with you." then will kiss her neck while lifting her from the ground the the full intention of placing her upon the bed.
Her breath hitches just a bit on those light kisses. She'd been teasing about getting hot after hitting him, but he's got a way with words. Is that what we're doing? she has a moment to wonder. With her lips captured by his, Elisabeth's brain gets scrambled and her arms go around his shoulders. When he settles them on the bed she is lost in the heated kiss. She pulls her mouth reluctantly from his only to trail her lips across his jaw, and she whispers breathlessly, "Phillip… Be sure. Please?"
Another passing of Phillip's lips across hers is followed by, "I've been sure since that first night. Even though I was too young to realize it. Our parents were sure, the house keeper was sure, even Sammy was sure." Sammy was his mother's cat.
Then silence falls once again as his hands withdraw from her back, one rising up to her hair, the other used to shift his weight - but remains atop her. He's warm, still strong, and seemingly direct today.
Elisabeth has to laugh softly. "It must be terribly disconcerting to decide you're sure of a crazy woman," she observes, her fingers reaching up to brush along his jaw. She leans back in to place tender kisses at the corners of his mouth and then nips at him in a blatant invitation to simply shut up and ignore the world for a while.
That lends pause to his actions. He rises up just enough to where they are face to face (inches apart). In a very serious voice Phillip states clearly and directly, "Liz, Elizabeth; You may be crazy, you may be just as sane as the rest of the fucked up world, but really it doesn't matter. Not to me. I've been unable to get you out of my mind since the day we met. Not a week has gone by without stray or intentional thoughts of you. Then when we were reunited after all those years those feelings only returned. If you do not know what's wrong with me by now, whether or not I'm sure, then perhaps you are crazy, delusional, or just too distracted to see. So perhaps I need to explain it to you." then after a brief pause he states, "I'm in love with you. It's just that simple and stupid and amazing all rolled up into one moronic movement that has played in my head since our first encounters." Then he defines it in the Taoist sense, "My Yin."
Blue eyes stare up at him. To say that she's shocked might be an overstatement… but Elisabeth wasn't expecting him to say that either. Our parents were sure. The house keeper was sure. Even Sammy was sure. There's a long moment where she seems to be searching his face, perhaps for the truth of his words … or perhaps for words of her own. "Stupid, stupid man," Liz whispers, pressing her forehead to his. "I'll ruin your life. I always fuck it up. You should take it back and run the other direction," she informs him. But it doesn't stop her from kissing him again.
Phillip smiles and returns said kisses, but he too will continue talking while caressing, "You know what it means to think about someone every day. To miss them. A void that is unfillable. Probably better than I. Though I discovered what fits into that empty puzzle slot. She's in my arms right now."
Elisabeth draws in a soft breath and lets it out slowly. "Personally I think you might be the crazy one," she admits with a huff of laughter. He's complicating his own life immensely. "Whatever else comes… I won't lie to you. The things I feel around you are… confusing. I can't say those words to you. Not yet. Maybe not ever, I don't know." She still hurts. "But I keep coming back. I keep… letting you in." She shrugs. "If you've decided what you want, I find it… very hard to stay away. Even though I worry every time that I'm putting you in danger."
Phillip begins moving down her body while she admits several things. His mouth pressing against the fabric of her clothing, over her breasts then to her stomach where he then pulls the shirt up to expose her belly. His lips are warm as they begin to kiss the exposed skin. There's a light biting as she mentiones that he's in 'danger' and he grins to reply, "Regardless of whether or not you say those words or not, I feel better getting it out. And regardless of whether or not you think I'm in danger - I really don't care. I'm doing what I want, and what I want is you."
He's an adult, well capable of making his own choices. She's given him every out she can think of. Elisabeth's no saint, she's simply as straightforward as she can be. Shuddering lightly under the nip on her belly, her hands roaming restlessly over his shoulders, the blonde with the crazy streaks in her long hair — the blue one and purple one having been joined in past weeks by a hot pink one (maybe it's a rebellion thing) — smiles down at him. Her tone is teasing but there's a hint of the sultry. "Well, then, I think you better stop talking and do it right. With all your attention."
You can figure out what happened from there, more important things to follow!
Later, after a rolling around good time, shower, and then being dressed again (Liz will be pointed to the guest room where clothing for her will be found in the closet). Phillip is found in the kitchen in front of the island with a tray in front of him. The tray will have crackers, cheese, deli meats, and such. He's snacking. He's presently wearing jeans and a red t-shirt. Very casual for him.
Elisabeth didn't take advantage of the clothing, though she did of the shower. She pads back out in the white tanktop and cargo pants she arrived in. The previous accusations still linger in the back of her head. She's braiding her hair when she comes into the kitchen, though, and smiles at the sight of the tray. "That looks good," she murmurs softly, stealing a piece of cheese from in front of him.
The countertops are clear of the standard clutter of any kitchen - sans standard accessories/appliances (and an open laptop with a Win7 background presented). Next to the laptop is her flash drive. Yet plenty of room to sit on the counter if need be. Glasses are out with red wine within. "So I figure it's now the time we go over the business part of why you're here."
Her blue eyes flicker to the computer and the drive, and all the relaxation and sassy flirtation of the past several hours slips away to that sense of tension that she seems to carry with her always. The background hum, the one that simply brushes body hair with vibration that's too low for true sound, slips around him again. She sucks in a breath and lets it out slowly. Tying off the braid, she lets it swing at her hips and then nods slightly. "Okay."
Elisabeth loads it in, gets it set up…. and then turns it to him so he can watch while she sips the glass of wine. The drive holds a bunch of still images as well as video footage. Pictures of the spider bot, before and after the guys started taking it apart. Video footage of the massive horse-headed robot standing over a man's body. That was clearly taken at night, and some of their own battle against the spider bot is also captured. ((http://string-theory.wikidot.com/groundbreaking-technology))
Standing silently while watching the video and then the stills Phillip looks intrigued. "Definitely not, or really damn good CGI." he states from an industry point of view. "So I'm guessing that this is the new threat? What is it, Steampunk tech?"
Taking another swallow from the glass of wine, Elisabeth's voice is soft. "No, Phillip. That's what stalks the night in Midtown. Equipped with Evo-tracking technology and negation gas, among other things. There are three types that we know of. Two of my people diabled one of the small recon bots, the spider-type things, and we have it in our custody." He wanted proof. She can give it.
There's a troubled look on his face for a moment while he speculates internally then finally voices his concerns. "I work with a company that does special effects. They could whip something up like this in a matter of days. It's good quality, and I'm not discounting what you have, just pointing out that the general populace won't believe it until they see it first hand. You have to draw these robots out into the public where 300 video phones will capture the images and post it on youtube. Not just some local with a handi cam."
"Yeah… well, now you see why I haven't been able to go public yet. Because in spite of having a robot in my hands and knowing what's out there, proving it is another thing altogether. I have any number of pieces of information, but … until they put these fucking things out in public, it's abstract." Elisabeth pauses and says quietly, "That said… the people in the city have already seen the AETOS drone at work. My Frontline squad was using it, and it hit the news a few times."
With an agreeable nod, Phillip asks, "Then what's the plan to get it out into the streets in broad daylight?" then takes a sip of the wine which is followed by cheese.
"Working on that. Unfortunately…. to lure it out like that… may result in both the people doing the luring and a whole lot of other people getting dead," Elisabeth says quietly. "Most people don't even know this war's being fought. Not really. And as a business owner or a normal person on the street, if some person went running away from a robot that fired negation gas and bullets or lasers or something… the level of collateral damage would spark outrage. But will it spark the reaction we need?"
"Yes." Phillip says plainly yet with a hint of regret in his voice. Then silence because it's really all that needs to be said to answer that question. Justification would only make it sound worse.
It's an angle she hadn't considered, honestly. Forcing the robots into full-on attack mode. With Alia at her disposal to help with shoving them into that mode, perhaps. Elisabeth bites her lower lip, considering the possibilities. "Jesus," she breathes softly. Reaching up to rub that habitual spot on her forehead. "I, uhm…. I've never deliberately set out to create that kind of chaos," she admits. "I've been the cause of a lot of collateral damage. Including people getting dead. But…." The idea worries her, and it would take a lot of planning.
Sitting down his glass, Phillip nods quietly knowing it's the only way to get it out in the open as everything else is 'he said, she said'.
"You do realize….." Elisabeth moves to lean on the counter across from him, meeting his gaze solemnly. "You're advocating an actual … riot." Because that's what's going to happen. "My technopath should be able to force them to follow… but it means people could die."
"I don't like death any more than you do. But, if we get enough of your people involved, then we might be able to shield the innocents while they film the scene. Also, I'd recommend putting your people in uniforms. Something heroic looking. Red, White, and Blue. Maybe a few flags. They need to be seen as the good guys saving the innocents from the giant robots." Phillip answers with a plan.
The hair on the back of her neck stands up as Elisabeth stares at him. "You're making a movie." And she starts to laugh softly, incredulous. "That… might just work. Dear God…" Her brain is working around the logistics of this. "They've already loosed those robots on some of the Ferrymen. We might be able to bring in some additional operators to get innocents out of the way." It would be a large-scale operation, but … that's what Elisabeth did as director of FRONTLINE. Tactically set up these kind of operations.
"It'll need to be in the heart of downtown in the middle of morning traffic. We'll need at least 10 operatives. 20 would be a better number to keep the innocents safe. Police will also need to be there and when they try to intervene, someone from your side will need to speak to the officer(s) in question, coordinating with them to keep the 'civillians back'. It has to be played off and viewed as if the evos are trying to save the normals. That's when, about a day later, we 'reveal' the truth behind the robots.
"If even a day. Perhaps the evening news will break the story. Then two days later have a tell-all."
Elisabeth's brain is … awhirl with the possibilities. Using Humanis First's bastard robots against them. "I need time to get word to people. I have…. about a dozen kids from the future, some of them are going to be far more experienced at fighting these fucking things," she says quietly, clearly in tactical mindset now. "I have a FRONTLINE squad who… might very well get behind this because most of them hate the robots. That's another 4. I'm reasonably sure that between my group and some Ferry volunteers, we can come up with enough people." She pauses and frowns slightly. "We may even be able to put some cops on this. Or some Feds." Holy shit, this might work.
Her blue eyes come around to him, shocked at the fact that they're talking about this. And Elisabeth's lips quirk into a bit of a smile. "Christ, Phillip…. I've been trying to keep you out of this as much as possible."
"You have a dozen kids?" Phillip asks questioning about her future children and disregarding the rest of the statement especially about trying to keep him out of it. Most of it is just inventory of personnel, the rest is tactical organization.
"No, no… about a dozen of them, including my son, came back," Elisabeth tells him absently. She's still caught up in how to make the idea work. "And it's entirely off the radar, which means Zeke will have zero idea it's coming. Oh snap," she murmurs, having spent a bit of time with Devon lately. "That's a huge plus. We have the documents that Alia stole to prove the origins of the robots, I think. I need to check on that part. Gotta contact one of the heads of Special Activities to see if we can get enough shooters from the Ferry." She's pacing a bit around his apartment now, for the first time giving him a glimpse of the intensity of focus that she brought to her jobs.
Phillip leans back against the counter and smiles. He remains quiet watching and listening to her itemization and considerations. His wine glass is retrieved and he takes a sip and gives her plenty of time to hash it all out.
"Oh!" Something occurs to Elisabeth. "I don't think they actually run during the day — not that all the reports have indicated." She frowns. "Could make it more complex. If this is going to work, we'll need it daytime for clear views. It may mean we'll have to go ahead and work out the plan we were originally working on, sending in a small strike team to get Alia close enough to take control of the programming." Without realizing that she's doing her thinking aloud, Elisabeth picks up her wine glass and sips from it. "Wonder if Cong would be willing to play bait for us." There's a thought. Huh.
"We'll need to work on a better code name for Kong." Phillip states indicating, "It sounds too much like King Kong. Even though people felt sorry for the giant ape in the end, he was still seen as the major Fay Raye threat."
"What?" Elisabeth's confused gaze comes back around to him. Only now does she realize she's been prattling. "Oh geez. I'm sorry. No, he wouldn't work anyway. No one, I promise you, would feel sorry for him… they're more likely to be terrified." She discarded the idea almost as soon as it occurred to her. "I was…. " She hesitates and then offers him a weak smile. "I'm… used to bouncing my thoughts off someone. I'm good at the tactics, but … playing out the full repercussions isn't always my strong suit, so usually… " She shrugs. "I'd start laying it out and someone else would handle the 'what if the crowd does this?' part of derailing it."
"The whole thing will need to run like an action script. We'll want the bystanders to be random and it'll have to look like it was not staged. Saving a cop would also be a good thing. Maybe a little girl, less than the age of 11. Or catching a falling antenna from crushing a baby in a carriage. But you'll need lots of collateral considerations to protect. Hence the need for healthy group, but not so large that it looks like a military unit.
Elisabeth observes thoughtfully, "One incident can be explained away. It's risky…. but if we can make this fly, we'd want to see about making rampages several different times. Not of the same robot types, either. So that it's not just one kind of robot that's been sabotaged. It's a systematic failure of the idea." The blonde grins wickedly. "Which may play right into our other thought… which was to potentially get the programmer of those fucking things and turn him."
Phillip allows her to prattle on, she's in a mode and he's only being disruptive. In all he's pleased to see her mind working like this.
"God, this could work." Elisabeth sets the wine glass down and comes around the island to hug him tightly, nearly vibrating with sudden hope. "Shit, this might actually work." It's a terrifying thought… and exhilirating too.
After taking another sip, Phillip says, "Then you'd better talk to your people and get things in order. If you need help with the uniforms I know some designers."
Elisabeth laughs softly at him, pulling away. "You're totally making a movie."
There's a nod with a smile, "I know some special effects people too, but that would look too staged."
"It would," Elisabeth agrees with a smile. And as she looks at him, she says suddenly, "He would have liked you, I think." It's said a little diffidently. "For thinking outside the box." She leans up to kiss his cheek softly.
Phillip smirks as he guesses of whom she speaks. But he doesn't question and just accepts the kiss on the cheek. "Keep me in the loop, lemmie know what's going down."
"You better believe it," Elisabeth says with a grin. "I better get back…. a lot of phone calls to make and a plan to put together." She pauses and murmurs, "See you soon?"
He'll nod an acceptance of her query and then see her to the door, "Stay out of trouble." is said with a playful tone
"Who me?" Elisabeth's tone holds a clear and wicked amusement. "Never. It's what you like about me." She winks at him as she slips out.