Participants:
| Scene Title | Talk To Dalton |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Cardinal approaches Ryans' for his help and isn't exactly told no, but it's close to it. |
| Date | December 27, 2010 |
Redbird Security: Main Lobby
The world is tipping toward evening, shops starting to lose down for the day as the orange shades of sunset filter into the west facing windows. A man steps quickly along the sidewalk hurrying to a certain destination. The collar of his jacket flip up against his neck with the ends of his dark hair brushing it. A giant's baseball cap is pulled down far enough to keep distinctive blue eyes shadowed.
Benjamin Ryans is on his way to check on his youngest daughter again before heading back out to Pollepel Island. He slows a short distance from Redbird, tossing a quick glance about before slipping into the security business.
As soon as he's inside, the hat is pulled off his head, fingers combing through the messed up hair underneath. Looking immediately to the front desk to see if Jo is there.
The receptionist isn't there this evening. No, instead when Benjamin Ryans walks in through the door, Richard Cardinal is sitting there at the desk with both booted feet resting up on it and the chair's back tilted back at a severe angle. His head lifts as the door opens, regarding the man over the edge of his shades.
"Seriously?" A mild question, "A baseball cap? That is your disguise?"
"Richard Cardinal." It's spoken blandly without any real emotions for the much older man. He looks at the ball cap, scratching fingers along the scruff of his jaw. "Would you have me wandering around in my duster and fedora? Might as well put a target on my back." The hat is tucked into the brown jacket he's wearing, while studying the other man.
"Short of having my face changed, I'm working with what I have." A glance goes in the direction of the door that will take him to his daughter's body. "Is Brian down there still? Any change?" Past brushes are not forgotten, but he has a much more important matter.
"I'd lend you my fedora," Richard replies in mild tones, "But it was a gift from one of your former employers, and quite possibly the only one that was worth a damn, so you'll have to find your own. Besides. It's winter, a lot of people're wearing trenchcoats. I got one for Christmas, myself."
A foot falls down from the desk's edge, then the other. "No change. We're going to be moving her, to let you know, and the government's eyes might be swinging towards the building — so I wouldn't come back here for awhile."
There is no real reaction to the fedora comment, just a hint of narrowing at the corner of Ryans' eyes. "I prefer my own, anyhow." Which he left behind, obviously. The jacket is unzipped in the warmer building.
The news on his daughter is not surprising, but he still gives a soft sigh as he loses that little bit of hope he had been holding on the way there. "Alright," he rumbles out softly. "Mind if I…?" He jerks his head that direction. "I will not be overly long. It's my last visit this trip, so you won't have to worry about my visiting for awhile."
"I'm hoping that she'll be up and about soon enough," Cardinal says with a slight shake of his head, "So hopefully she'll be able to come to you pretty soon, Agent Ryans…"
There's a pause, and for a moment it seems that he's just going to let the former Company agent head down to see his daughter, before he leans forward abruptly and folds both hands on the desk's edge, "Maybe you can help me with something, actually."
"She has in dreams, but so has the Institute." A touch of disgust in Ryans' voice, before pressing lips together in a fine line. A touch suspicious there is a moment of hesitation before he says, "Depends on what it is, exactly." But it's a clear invitation to tell him what needs to be done.
Another glance in the direction of the door, he takes a step closer and just in case Cardinal wasn't sure Benjamin motions him to it.
As the other man steps towards the hallway that leads to the stairs, Cardinal's lips purse briefly before he pushes himself up to his feet and moves along in the direction of the hall, his head shaking just a little.
"I need any actual documentation you have," he says quietly, "From your Company days. I also wouldn't mind either a written or preferably a video interview explaining the government's complicity in the Company's activities." Oh. Is that all?
That stops him, making the old man turn towards Cardinal with a mild look of shock. A small smile tugs up at the corner of Ryans' mouth. "What?" The question sounds a touch surprised, like he isn't sure he heard that right.
"Why would you want that?" Ryans asks looking suspicious again, but at least Cardinal has him stopped for the moment. "What are you up, too? It's one thing when I talk to my family about it all now that it is out in the open, to explain all those times I was absent in their lives. It's another to put something like that into your hands." Trust is an obvious issue.
"How could it possibly hurt you?" A question, for a question. Cardinal meets the older man's gaze steadily as he looks to him, "You're already being hunted by the government. All've the Company agents that didn't sign on with the new management are, and don't think any of you are going to be seeing a fair trial, either. They're going to winnow you away one by one, just as they're doing to the Ferrymen, just as they'll do to us, eventually."
The last with a sweep of his hand across the room, falling back to his side. "We keep to the shadows, and they stand in the light, denouncing everything we do. There's only one way to turn this around."
"Me? I don't have as much to lose, beyond my family." One of which course be endangered if someone digs to deep into the past. "But you are also asking me to put nails in coffins of people I once called friends." Ryans points out, even as he turns to continue. "Stepping out into the light is also more difficult since I took up as co-head of the Ferry's Special Activities."
The door is opened and held for Cardinal, emotionless blue eyes focus on the shadow man. "I want those bastards to go down just as much as the next man, but I have to be much more careful about it. As for paperwork, you'll have to hunt down my former boss, Sabra Dalton for that and try to convince her. I kept the Institute looking at their left hand, while she and others made sure there was nothing left but breadcrumbs in the right."
"Special Activities, eh? Give my best to the King of Swords." One gloved hand lifts to scratch against the side of Cardinal's jaw for a moment before it falls down to his side. "All the running and hiding in the world isn't going to protect any of you forever, Ryans. Until the people behind this are exposed and removed from power… the best you can hope for is to keep a step ahead of them. And how long is that going to last? They'll find you — all of you — eventually."
There's a steel glint in his eyes as he regards the other man over the edge of his shades, "I'm not going to let Roosevelt Island be remembered along Dachau and Auschwitz, Ryans. That's what it's going to be, though. If you won't speak out, then send me people who are. I need enough voices that I can make sure the public won't just dismiss it as some crank."
A smirk, then, "I'll talk to Dalton."
There is a short nod of his head, he's quiet for a moment, then says, "If she — " not Cardinal ask her and then tell Ryans. He wants it from the woman himself. " — tells me I can talk, then I will discuss it with the Ferrymen and see if they are okay with me taking that sort of risk." It's not a total no, but probably close enough. Seems some loyalty remains in the old agent for his old employers, even as he takes some consideration with his newer affiliates.
"If you do manage to talk to Dalton, let her know I'm alive and well and would like to hear the same from her in some form." Ryans allows a little of his worry to seep through. "There is few of the old guard left in the world." Even if he doesn't look it, he feels each of those years. "I miss our occasional lunches."
That said he slips passed Cardinal and down the stairs intent on seeing his daughter.
"You might be surprised, Agent Ryans," are Cardinal's final words with the departure of the other man, a chuckle stirring through him as he turns away from the stairs, "You might be surprised."