Panic At The Cafe

Participants:

elisabeth_icon.gif lawrence_icon.gif minea_icon.gif

Scene Title Panic At The Cafe
Synopsis Minea calls up Liz to pass over some of the files that she's gotten from the Company. It's all going well. Till bullets start flying.
Date June 17, 2009

Greenwich Village

In a time that seems long ago, Greenwich Village was known for its bohemian vibe and culture, the supposed origin of the Beat movement, filled with apartment buildings, corner stores, pathways and even trees. There was a mix of upper class and lower, commercialism meeting a rich culture, and practically speaking, it was largely residential.

Now, it's a pale imitation of what it used to be. There is a sense of territory and foreboding, as if the streets aren't entirely safe to walk. It isn't taken care of, trash from past times and present littering the streets, cars that had been caught in the explosion lie like broken shells on the streets nearest the ground zero. Similarly, the buildings that took the brunt of the explosion are left in varying degrees of disarray. Some are entirely unusable, some have missing walls and partial roofs, and all of the abandoned complexes have been looted, home to squatters and poorer refugees.

As one walks through the Village, the damage becomes less and less obvious. There are stores and bars in service, and apartment buildings legitimately owned and run by landlords. People walk the streets a little freer, but like many places in this scarred city… anything can happen. Some of the damage done to buildings aren't all caused by the explosion from the past - bullet holes and bomb debris can be seen in some surfaces, and there is the distinct impression that Greenwich Village runs itself… whether people like it that way or not.


Minea told no one where she was going. Only one person even knew what she was doing. It shouldn't be sunny for this kind of day. For this kind of event. It should be overcast, and raining. Clandestine meetings should never be done on bright sunny June days.

Elisabeth had been called, partly because she didn't want to have to deal with Cat again. She'd be doing that soon enough. Elisabeth was called because Minea knew her, trusted her and to a degree could predict the woman's actions. So It was set. Meet her in Greenwich, in front of a cafe. Come in your uniform, whatever that may be. She had things for phoneix. Minea was in her uniform. The tailored tan chord jacket, jeans, t-shirt. The usual number of weapons on her and her ever present blackberry. A large handled portfolio was also beside her. The kind Artists use to carry about work. There's a tiny cup of espresso in front of her, occasionally turned this way and that, lifted to her lips and sipped from.

Elisabeth's uniform is pretty general these days — having her shield means Harvard doesn't give her shit about not wearing the blacks anymore at all. Gray slacks, light-green top, a lightweight gray blazer to hide the holster in the back of her pants. She heads to the cafe with a vague sense of confusion, wondering what Minea's got that's so important. "Hey," she greets the agent as she slides into the chair across from her. "What's up, lady?" It looks like two women having coffee….funny how even secret meetings can look so innocent.

"Bubble up will you?" When Liz shows up and parks herself down. "Important" The other woman is not smiling. Not in the least. "You manage to talk to Cat recently?" There's a hope that it's a yes.

Immediately, the silence field pops into place. "I've talked to her… but about what in particular?" Elisabeth asks as she settles in, looking concerned.

"I got files. Took me a bit. But I got em. What she asked for and more" Minea's brown eyes stay pretty much on Elisabeth's blue ones. "Enough to blow them out of the water, and then some. I also found some other stuff, that I don't think that they ever wanted me to see" Minea's hand forms into a fist, tapping her knuckles on the table top with an unhappy look.

There's a blink. And Liz's eyes go wide on Minea. She's kidding, right? Holy shit. "Min… you need out?" she asks immediately, bluntly.

"I might. I might Liz. I told folks that my Mother was going in for a biopsy. But I don't know how long that's going to fool the upper ups. Liz… Len .. was in on it. I'm so fucking sick to my stomach. I don't want to get mind wiped again. I don't think my head can take it. I'm already fucked up in a few ways thanks to what Goodman and Len did. But.. Shit. The stuff they did. I mean, there's more than even I knew." She reaches down for the portfolio, fishing out a file for Liz and passing it over. "Goodman and Len, ordered my mind wipe"

Elisabeth blinks and stares at Minea, her face going pale. Oh God… "Oh God, Minea," she says, her own stomach turning. She trusted Len Denton with information. Not much of it, but … Christ. "Denton's working with Goodman, so he's working for Pinehearst?" Her brain can't quite wrap around it, and she reaches to take the file Minea offers. "Let's get the hell out of here," she says, glancing around with an effort to make her expression neutral and make her glance seem casual.

It's at this point that a bullet bursts against the brick wall about an inch left of Minea's head. It's followed by another thwwwwip-thwwwip as a second bullet impacts the wall by Elisabeth, and a third for Minea again. There's a sniper somewhere.

"I don't know whether he's working with Pinehearst, but the information I uncovered, before i even started down this.. it could have been harmful to the company. I knew too much going in" She looks around too, but not seeing anyone. She hadn't seen anyone tailing her. The portfolio is taken up, a couple bills from her pocket wedged under the cup for the waitress. Then the bullets are coming and Minea's eyes widen. What the fuck. What the fuck! That's not feigned fear on her face. In a few moments, her own gun is out, looking around for possible nests from which someone is shooting. "Get INSIDE!" Yelled to other people, hoping that Elisabeth's bubble's been dropped as she starts moving for cover.

In truth, the bubble had NOT been dropped in that first split second of shock. Elisabeth's instincts react quickly though and by the time Minea's shouting, it's gone. "NYPD! Everyone get inside, now!" Elisabeth grabs Minea's jacket and shoves the other woman — we're not turning this into a firefight in the street. "Go!" she says, her push urging Minea toward the street, so as to cross it in a hurry and maybe stymie the shooter's angle.

Lawrence raises the rifle again, brow furrowed, lips pressed together. Bracing himself in his little rooftop nook entirely too far away for anything but a military sniper - or him - he squeezes the trigger again. A red spurt of blood bursts from a fresh graze at the side of Minea's skull. It's a near miss. A very, very near miss, and a messy one.

"Fuck! I'm.. I'm hit!" Shit. That's the second time she's been with Liz and been shot. What the hell. Pinehearst? There's a stray thought that she's dead, that pain in her head, that's two minutes until whatever function she has is going to stop and she's not about to drop the portfolio. "Liz!" Even as she's heading for across the street so she can dodge into an alley as her thoughts co-incide with Liz's. Get out of view even as blood starts to trickle down from the bullet graze.

Holy SHIT, they are not playing around! Liz has time to think, but she's too busy hustling Minea around the corner and shoving the other woman down the alley as fast as she can go. Calling in backup right now may just take too long. Instead, she aims the two women toward the far end of the alley and out onto the next street. "Move," she urges Minea quickly. "Flag down a cab!" She keeps her body between Minea and the back end of the alley… if they're going to shoot again, if they're in position, she's the only target they've got.

Lawrence watches the women go; there's panic at the cafe, Minea's bleeding, and it's all around a job well done. He starts packing up to leave, moving methodically, hands barely shaking. He just did what needed to be done.

Yeah, cause, you know, Taxi cabs will totally stop for bleeding homeland security agents carrying secret pilfered files.

Leonard might have, if he was still driving. As it stands, Minea closes her eyes tight for a moment before opening them again. Gun is shoved away so she can stick two fingers in her mouth and whistle. A whistle that makes a taxi stop, it's number lit above on it's roof, ready to take people. "Liz!" Fuck, her head.

Hey — cabbies in New York have seen just about EVERYTHING in their day. All of 'em. Elisabeth keeps her eyes behind the two women, and as soon as the cab stops, she is hot on Minea's heels clambering in and yanking the door shut behind her. "DRIVE!" she orders the cabbie. Only when they're in motion does she check Min's head, and tell the driver, "Upper East Side." More because if we're being tailed or something, they already know Minea's with Elisabeth and it gives Liz time to get on the phone and make arrangements as necessary.

Hit, but not in. The bullet missed. Half an inch more in and Minea would have been dead. The brunette doesn't object when Liz is pushing hair aside, just gritting her teeth. "Fuck" Hissed out under her breath. "Shit. Dead?"

"Damn," Elisabeth murmurs, making sure they can't be heard by the cabbie. "Fuckin' close, lady. I'm thinkin' you need to lay low." And she considers the options. "Let me grab Cat and get you put up in a safe house. Okay? Then we'll look at what you've got."

The Company agents is panting slightly, adrenaline coursing through her body. "Okay. Okay" Licking her lips and fishing in her purse for a Kleenex, something to put to her head. "Fuck. FUCK" Fuck. That hadn't been part of the plan.

Elisabeth doesn't even have a handkerchief on her either, so the graze is going to have to make do. Liz pulls off her jacket and says, "Here, use the arm. It's not too bad, scalp wounds just bleed alot. Christ, Min…. they goddamn near took your head off," she whistles softly. "Whatever you've got in there, I hope it's worth it."

"You wouldn't fucking believe what I have. You're all gonna cream in your goddamned panties" The jacket is taken, portfolio passed over as she trades it for the jacket. Tucking it under her arm, save for what she's pressing to the side of her head. "Gonna need stitches" Gonna need to do a lot of stuff. Fuck. Fuck. "I'm so screwed"

With a nod, Elisabeth pulls out her phone and makes the call to Cat. "I'm bringing Minea Dahl in, Cat… we're going to need a safehouse, like … now. They just tried to take her fucking head off. She's got intel with her. I'm just bringing her to the apartments. We can move her later if necessary." She hangs up and waits until they get to the Upper East Side, hustles Minea out of the cab and down the block before hailing another cab to take us back to Greenwich Village. Might be roundabout, but hey…. "Stitches are the least of your worries," she comments. "We'll tape it up when we get there. Abby can't help."

"Abigail's with you guys? The restorationist?" With the ebbing of adrenaline, comes shaking. But back in another taxi cab, the agent seems to curl in a little one herself, half paying attention it seems to what Liz is telling. "Don't.. Don't tell me right now. I won't be able to remember anything. God I'm so fucked" Brown curls matted to the side of her head.

Elisabeth glances at Minea. "Abby's not *with* anyone — she's a healer. Think of her like Switzerland. She asks no questions, wants no information because she's already been tortured for information in the past, and is absolutely off-limits when it comes to being leaned on. She won't fight for herself, and a good number of us will cross any boundaries to get to her — she's one of the truly good people left in the world." Even if she won't or can't keep secrets all too good.

Minea lifts a hand, to ward off Elisabeth. "She helped kitty a couple times, called in by a doctor I know." There's another quietly muttered fuck and she closes her eyes, screwing them up tight. "Just get us wherever. That's only a small sampling of the files. I hid the rest. I can't about to cart them all out to you"

There's a nod as Elisabeth blows out her breath. "We'll be to Greenwich soon. There's a place there you can stay til we find something better." She grimaces. "But if Arthur Petrelli wants you dead, Minea, I'm telling you right now we can't hide you from him. He's got a Evo power to locate any Evo in the world, so far as we know right now… just … wants them and knows where they are." She glances at Minea.

"Fuck"

Was it Pinehearst? Was it Company and someone didn't know? Was she a pawn now in the game instead of one of the more important pieces? "Just get me some place and some sugar. And we'll.. figure shit out"

Elisabeth grins a little. "You sure know how to do it up right, Mouse," she teases gently, checking on Minea's head one more time to see the bleeding. She'll keep a careful eye out behind them until they get to a club in Greenwich, where she has the cabbie drop them. And she doesn't walk Minea around the block to Cat's building until he's out of sight.


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