Participants:
Also potentially/tacitly featuring—
Who were just really, really quiet.
Scene Title | Underground |
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Synopsis | A tactical meeting regarding Phoenix's upcoming assault on the Moab Federal Penitentiary. To say that tensions run high is like saying Abby is sweet. |
Date | March 24, 2009 |
Grand Central Station
A room with no Ferrymen beavers in it.
Early evening of the twenty-fourth, and Teo is reeling slightly. Partly because they have crazy shit to talk about, and partly because he is kind of in the mood to gnaw off his arm and let oblivion take it in exchange for the kinds of painkillers you're allowed to take with massive trauma surgery. Growing back a fullset of nerves looks, smells, and feels disgusting.
Fortunately, the littlest Sicilian (not really) is keeping all parts for most purposes safely stowed, his scabby arm in linen bandages, his composure intact and his disquet in private.
He is sitting on the floor, as per habit. They're at Grand Central Station, two stories underground, a Ferrymen project of several months by now. There's a lot more sheetrock up than the last time he saw it, and tarp-covered areas and stray boxes of tools reduced, some dusty panes of glass even up to define hallways and differences in paving and tile walkways. Phoenix was lent a room. It is clean, windowless, empty, and far from the tinkling hubbub of ongoign construction and cleaning.
Kinney's first experience with a Phoenix meeting seemed like more cf a PTA thing. Somethng about the atmosphere and the fact that he knows the backstory that makes it all the more…unsettling.
"I'm going to need to look at that arm again soon. Got a feeling parts of it might be going septic. And we do not want that." Because then Abby would have to re-grow a limb. And that means he'd lose some of those tattoos. Because, you know, that's critical.
Dr. Connor Kinney's got a backpack by his heels and a bottle of water in his hand. He sits on an overturned milk crate. The bottle of water is offered over to the Italian.
She's slipped in early, but then you never have to wonder if Elvis is around. Theres enough cigarette smoke for everyone, and enough malt liqour just for her. You see this is her third strategy meeting thing she's been to, so by this point in the game she knows what to expect. Nobody listens, and bring snacks. Colt .45 was like a snack, right? Alcohol is a food group and some shit.
She's arranged for a portable table or some other makeshift surface to use for displaying that which she brought. Cat holds a thick folder in hand, her eyes resting on Teo, as she waits for him to begin. He's holding the leadership baton, and that makes the initial floor and calling to order of this meeting his to determine. The woman's features show businesslike calm confidence and determination as her eyes travel to settle on and greet people with nods of acknowledgment.
And then there's the men scattered throughout the place. Two by the door, no masks this time. No masks needed when it's all 'friends', right? Most of the men are armed, rifles slung over their shoulders, guns tucked into the backs of their pants, whatever. Call it a semblance of security, Brians are stationed in different areas throughout Grand Central.
One Brian in particular is seated on the ground next to Teo. Arms splayed over his elbows, his chin rests on the top of his forearm his head bobbing a little as people enter, in acknowledgement to new arrivals. This particular copy is dressed in a green jacket and jeans, a military style cap tugged low. His eyes move over to Kinney as he says doctorly things, Brian looking rather uninterested.
Monica leaned against the wall, stretching a bit. She pushed herself forward and grabbed a box to pulled it up in a semi-circle position as she looked around at the others. She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees as she looked tired, but otherwise not so bad. There was so much that happened over the last few days, but that all had to wait while they finally worked out some other things that had been coming up. The fun.
Also against the wall would be Gillian, though she's seated and leaning back against it. There's an iPod in her hands, one of the earbuds sticking in an ear as she looks on. The volume must be low, cause even those sitting near her can't hear it. The knot in the back of her head is kept tightly closed, as she looks around at the group. Her hair is dark again, unlike the reddish highlights she wore to the last meeting. A bag sits at her side. There's moments when he glances to the empty spaced in the room, as if checking for something, or someone.
One of the attendees shows up without walking through any entry. A Japanese man who is familiar to some appears sitting on top of a pile of concrete mix bags, sitting casually with one heel propped higher than the other and one elbow propped on that higher knee. He says nothing to announce his presence, greets no one, but does give brief looks at those assembled as if checking to make sure they're moving and alive.
Another. He may be a late arrival, but at least Diego managed to show up. That's gotta count for something, right? In good ole street clothes and with Capone, no less. Capone being four legged, between fifty and sixty pounds, and with such adowable little puppy eyes… Pit bull aside, Diego's entrance is silent and business like. Even the dog seems somber and subdued.
Accepting the water bottle, Teo makes a face at being told about, you know, the prospect of getting his arm amputated. Admittedly, having Abby regrow a limb kind of defeats the purpose of not going to Abby in the first place, though, so he doesn't throw a whining fit. "Okay." That, and he's supposed to pretend to dignity right now. He's sure it's fine. Bleeding's stopped. Sheesh.
Brian's stoic salutations warrant half a smile, the arrivals of the others complete it; Cat's expectant glance an inward grimace. A'right. Okay. Probably time to say something.
"Hi." Never a bad place to start. "We've determined that Helena and Alexander are being held at Moab Federal Penitentiary, which is a prison built specifically to contain Evolved. They were treated as terrorists though they aren't. Some recon's been done on the place—" he nods at Catherine. Hana lacks a physical avatar to refer to, so he doesn't end up spinning his hands at empty air, either. "And more will be, but it's looking more and more like it's going to come down to an assault.
"Means more recon, preparation, and shit, because while I would die trying, I'd prefer not to. We get to talk about that today." Teo hikes his shoulders up underneath the layers of jacket and sweater that typically shield him from the cold, audibly tightening his breathing under the stretch of muscle for a moment, before he relaxes. "Questions," however unimaginably vague their foundation, "and then Cat?"
Kinney is the new guy, and fairly useless on a frontal assault. So he won't hog the floor and instead listens to the proceedings. He scans the gathered crowd, noting the familiar and the unfamilar. The fact that there are guards makes him a little nervous, but he tries not to let it show.
Monica arches an eyebrow. So finally. A lead. She follows Teo's gaze at the mention of recon having been done and then is concentrating once again. "I'd be happy to help with any additional recon," she offered. She was getting rather good at moving surveillance. "And once we're ready…." Well, the fact that she wanted to be at the fore front shouldn't be surprising. A search and rescue was much more her speed than having to go in guns blazing and hoping for the best.
Leaning over as Teo ends off in a question, Brian mutters under his breath to the elder man. "Diego's back." The young man says hushedly. Several pairs of eyes watching Diego quietly. For this meeting Brian will remain more quiet. Let the others do their thing, go where needed. Argue when someone says something stupid. The replicator turns his attention to Cat.
Elvis works through cigarette and malt liqour alike, before she cares to raise her first question. "How many guards, how are we going to get inside without the guards locking doors behind us? If we throw C4 at the doors, we'll blow up as much people as we do concrete."
Hiro Nakamura remains silent for the moment, listening and watching attentively. For the moment the lion's share of his attention is on Teo, although other speakers get his eyes as they speak up.
No questions from Diego's direction, which is situated a short distance from Teo. He's close enough to pay attention, but not close enough to cause anyone to feel like he's hovering. Capone sits silently once D has taken up his position, weight balanced evenly between both feet and arms crossed over his chest. Diego's attention is primarily on whoever it is that's talking, but Capone's eyes look curiously from one place to the next.
"This," the brunette of five feet eight inches height, clad in operational black, says as the floor comes to her. "Is Moab Federal Penitentiary." The folder in Cat's hands is placed on the table and the contents set out to be viewed, piece by piece.
The first images are of an old highway which intersects with a winding dirt road. There are signs posted which give 'shoot on sight' warnings in unmistakable terms. She's made notations on them indicating the road junction is some fifteen miles away from the site.
The next shots revealed are of the airstrip at one end of the place, where no planes are parked; there are only facilities for refueling present. Two towers overlook this airstrip, each with two rifle-carrying guards and an anti-aircraft gun.
Then the prison itself, surrounded by high fencing topped with razor wire. There are no external walls around the perimeter. It's concrete, with four more guard towers providing a clear view of the prison yard. As with the airstrip towers, there are two rifle-wielders and an anti-aircraft gun.
Next comes a fenced in recreational court area, with picnic tables and basketball hoops, divided down the center.
Then there are shots which show just a white blur and no details whatsoever.
Why there are photographs that show just a white blur and no details whatsoever, Teo has no idea. He ends up peering at those a few seconds longer than they probably deserve. Probably just his way of distracting himself from the unimaginable hazards of entering such a facility, its tall stone and considerable weaponry.
The cast of Teo's face turns slightly quizzical at Elvis' query. At the best, he's offering his best guess. "Teleporters first, clear the area inside and out, C-4 second. We have what we need for that, but I'm open to other ideas." Monica's offer gets a grin. A nod. "So far it looks like we're going to be using fairly unconventional means—" He stops briefly, realizing how incredibly droll his verbiage sounds. "Bird telepath from last year, Eileen Ruskin?
"She's agreed to help us, if Mr. Nakamura would be kind enough to bring her to Utah. I think there's room for other methods, though."
He interlocks his fingers on his lap, linen and callused skin meshing in neat symmetry. "We don't have a head-count for the 'regular' prison guard so far, but we do know from the interrogation last month that there's an Evolved response team working at the facility. At least four operatives: one with superspeed, another with superstrength, a third who can manipulate electromagnetic energy, and the last is unknown despite our efforts so far. All presumably well-trained."
Kinney's expression darkens when faced with the size of Phoenix's task. Well. This…doesn't seem very smart, somehow. But everyone's talking like they feel like they have a chance. The doc's attention skips between people as they talk, but he keeps his mouth shut. He takes a drink from his bottle of water and makes notes of peoples' names as individuals are addressed.
Elvis frowns "is it a drug, or some sort of negation field that keeps the people inside from powering their way free? Is it possible that the last person is there to selectively null everyone out? If we teleport in, and thats the case we're going to end up behind the bars we're trying to break."
"These," Cat says while tapping the photos which show only the blur, "is all I could get of the interior. I tried using infrared, this is the result. There are, at the very least, defenses against phasing into and out of the place using electricity and heat; these obscure the insides against cameras too." She isn't done. Her hands are pulling still more images from the folder and setting them out. The first of these show the grounds immediately outside the location, in which smaller devices are spotted.
Mr. Nakamura nods his head when his name is mentioned, and speaks up with a question. "I can take anyone there. Probably inside the prison itself. When was the facility originally built? Do we know?" The actual question part is directed to Cat since she's most likely to know the answer.
When you stop an all powerful madman trying to destroy the whole human race.. Somehow everything else just pales in comparison. Maybe it's a false sense of security. But it is an empowering feeling. He glances over to Elvis, if this was the first meeting he had been with her, he might be a bit shocked or upset. But he's used to her by now, though her second string of comments gets a nod. "That's a good point. If we're relying on our powers. We're probably going to end up suc—" A sidelong glance is given to Teo. "We'll be in trouble."
"There has /got/ to be some form of defense against teleportation. Its too obvious. Unless we think the people running the place are fucking retarded." Diego finally does speak up- that's new, even when he does show up to these meetings. "My question is, why fight in their house? Especially if there are only four Evo's inside. Take them out of their comfort zone, if you follow me."
Elvis flicks her cigarette onto the ground."Its wrong to assume that they havent used chemical or evolved means to make Helena and Alex talk. For all we know, this is all some overly elaborate trap to make us come to them. If Helena and Alex are there, they could have been copied or something. We would need a surefire way of telling real people, from potential fakes. "
"The defenses were designed by someone from a firm called Primatech, which now partners with DHS. They've been tangled up with Evolved persons for some thirty years already, and have a good base of knowledge. We can neither confirm nor deny any defense versus teleportation," Cat states. "In any case, as Teo says, we need some more recon of the inside. The building, as you can see, is two stories tall. Unless they have areas underground. That's something we need to determine also."
Her eyes travel over to Hiro. "I estimate it's younger than the Linderman Act." Fingers tap the photos showing the grounds. "These objects are found from the walls to about a mile from the building. Monitoring systems, probably."
And she still isn't done laying out photos. The next shots are of the recreation area, and in these people in orange jumpsuits are present. Sixty-seven in all. Most of them weren't looking the right way for their faces to be captured, but some were. One of them is Helena Dean, next to the yard fence on one side of it with other female prisoners behind her, and a gathering of men close to that spot on the other side. Alexander is one of those.
"Teo, should I share the interrogation report?"
A shrug seesaws through Teo's shoulders, and the corner of his mouth threatens to do same in response to Brian's near-accident. It doesn't escape his attention that his lover is giving this thing the whole 'holy shit are you nuts' squint, but he's kind of used to that by now.
"It's a drug that keeps people suppressed. We currently have a theory posited to us by another faction purport— that says they're working against the Company. That Gillian here," he motions toward the augmentory. "Can reverse the effect of the drug in a target as long as she's boosting their Evolved ability. Special case is regenerators, who can completely metabolize the drug if they're boosted. I was thinking it might be possible to ask Claire Bennet for several hypos of her blood so we can completely counteract the suppressant in Helena and Alexander.
"This theory can be tested before we go. If Brian and Gillian would be so kind." He looks at them. Smiles, though it fades the next moment. "It also leaves open the possibility of asking this other group for more intel on Moab. They want Peter out.
"I'll think about that, Elvis," Teo tells the young biker. He then goes faintly sheepish. "Honestly, I'm not too worried about a trap just yet. I think they'd think we'd be fucking stupid to try this. Especially if they've plowed Helena and Alexander's memories." To the best of the weatherwitch and telekinetic's recollections, Phoenix isn't exactly the Justice League, here. Teo shifts his eyes to Diego, considering, but he has no reply to offer that suggestion yet.
Monica is listening attentively. She hasn't added anything and hasn't needed to. She's learning everything she needs to know bit by bit. And watching everyone else is giving her some additional things to consider. She frowns as the details of the drug are given. It certainly explains a lot of things. She glances to Gillian and then bites her lip. She wonders something briefly but decides to hold her tongue for now. Something to ask Victor about later.
"We can test it whenever you're ready," Gillian says outloud, finally speaking for the first time when she's mentioned. She's been watching quietly since it started, adding very little of her own. They know more about things than she does, and she's following their lead. Except in that.
Elvis hehs, only slightly amused. "I dont agree. You tempt any man enough and he'll eventually grab for it, we're no different. Its a bad idea, to expect that they won't be waiting for us."
Though Hiro doesn't say so much, he really wants Peter out too. Gillian gets a significant look from him at her mention before he looks back to Teo. "Can anyone here think of a way to sabotage an area in a way that it can be activated years after the fact?" he asks, eyes down to the floor as he fields that one for the entire room.
After a moment, Teo craps together a verbal response regarding the unknown fourth member of the Emergency Response Team. Or fifth. God knows, maybe there were more? "From my limited experience with power negators, I think enough physical trauma is enough to shut one down." He doesn't know how to say that politely, so he leaves that there. Acknowledges Elvis' cautioning with a nod.
No, not the Justice League. Thankfully, no tights. Kinney purses his lips and gets a distant look in his eye. It's strange for him to be faced with a situation that money can't really help. He folds his hands together and balances elbows on knees. He glances sidelong to Teo, then around at the others who are gathered. He gives Hiro's question some thought, but ends up shaking his head. The only things he can think of invovle biological warfare. Give 'em all the flu?
"Even if they don't expect Pheonix to try something, I wouldn't bank on them thinking nobody would." Diego offers before looking down to Capone as if expecting the canine to offer some sort of helpful advice. His gaze shifts to Hiro and his brow draws down in a thoughtful fashion.
Elvis eyes Teo, downright venomously but she seems to be on her better behavoir. "If my power gets shut down once I get inside, I will die. Abby wont fix me, Cat cant nurse me back to health. I'll be dead before I hit the floor, at which point you'll excuse me if I'm unable to do the negator any great personal harm."
Her attention travels from person to person, mostly moving between Teo and Gillian as it's claimed she can counteract the suppressant, and that regenerators can metabolize it. It occurs to Cat Peter may thus already have his abilities, but she doesn't count on his help or speak of him, given he went to prison voluntarily. Hiro, she thinks, will have to 'port him out bodily whether he likes it or not. Her eyes drift toward the sword-carrying Japanese man while that thought plays out, and she begins to consider his question.
"To be fair Elvis, you're not the only one who fights among us." Brian reminds. "Calm down. We'll be careful, we understand how you work." The young man says, before glancing over to Teo and then Cat. Then he looks to Gillian. "Gilli? Do you know if you can counteract the presence of a negator?" He asks softly, tilting his head at the woman.
"I'll do it for you if I can, Elf," Teo offers. There's a quaver-beat's pause. "Not to say there are no risks. Don't anybody be fucking confused about that, please." The pale of his eyes cuts an arc through the room once, noting faces, even if he doesn't spare the moment to exchange song-worthy stares with any single set of eyes. "People are going to fucking die, and you might be one of them. If you can't deal with that possibility, don't go."
There's another topic hanging around at the back of Teo's head, crucial, controversial to say the least, but he doesn't bring that up— yet. If he's going to be decapitated by a sword or otherwise shouted out of the room, he'd rather save it for last. Belatedly, he answers Hiro, "Most explosives aren't rigged to wait that long, but between your ability to teleport to those hard-to-get-to places and Wireless' capacity to remotely access electronics, that could work. 'S what what you mean?"
"Dying, does not count as a form of martial art you fucking pussy."Elvis's expression immediately drops. One hand threading the delicate aluminum bottlecap back onto her malt, entirely aware of the fact that if she decides to throw her precious liqour without the cap on it'll spill on her favorite jacket.
"No. What I mean is my capacity to physically go back to the day the foundation was poured and fix the site the way we want to fix it so that we have some kind of advantage in this." Hiro specifies, his eyes cutting upward to Teo. And just because they're on the topic he says, "I have killed a power negator before. They usually aren't prepared for a sword."
"I think it would depend on the negator. It didn't work with that one guy who was helping us," Gillian says with a shrug of her shoulders. Every assignment with these guys is a risk to her life, and there's been a lot before that, and there will be a lot more, she bets. Looks like she's not too worried about that. She makes a motion with her hands, "Maybe if they could only partially negate, or just… whatever the reverse of me is. But people don't think it's worth the risk should probably not go, you know?"
"You could," Cat suggests, "see about causing an area of the prison walls to be weaker than expected, and therefore easier to breach with explosives, Hiro. It's probably better to make our own door where they're not looking for one to appear and go in that way than to come through the front door, after all. Or make our own way out, where they don't have defenses ready, so the people inside can be herded out."
And she muses a bit more. "These six towers shouldn't be hard to neutralize so we don't have people shooting at us from them."
"I saved your life you cunt." Brian growls in response to Elvis, his various around the room bristling. The Brian sitting by Teo visibly stiffens, his hand clenching. Dying is a sensitive subject, tapping those raw nerves that he has somewhat successfully suppressed is not a good idea. His brows narrow and he moves somewhat as if going to stand. Gillian, Hiro, Cat, they all go forgotten as his gray eyes zoom in on Elvis angrily.
"Sword, knife, bullet, hand. Pretty much anything that'll kill a person will kill a negator as long as it doesn't involve using a power, right?" Maybe this Japanese guy with the katana isn't out of his mind, after all. Maybe he just likes swords. Capone doesn't seem to be reacting oddly to him, or anybody else really. "Seems like a bad idea to have anybody roll that would be helpless without their power, though, given the lack of intelligence on the fourth - plus member of their reaction team." As to the anger about the room, he ignores that.
"Shut the fuck up and do somethin then you turncoat bitch."Elvis hasnt raised her voice yet, no she's all smiles so far. that half empty bottle of Colt-45 hanging gingerly from her fingertips. "Come on you fucking pussy, Do somethin or I'll do it first."
No comment is made by Cat as Brian and Elvis start to square off. Her head just shakes a few times, the thought in her brain being this is a clinic on How Not To Plan A Prison Break.
Air escapes Teo like a punctured balloon. A thinking sigh rather than a defeatist one. "Maybe getting EMP units installed somewhere would help. The towers especially. I—" This is weird to admit. "There's someone offering to do an air strike for us. Maybe just one pass. It would be good to get the towers out of the way, since the vast majority of us belong on the ground." Insofar as none of them belong anywhere inside Moab Federal Penitentiary, anyway.
Teo stalls into silence as Elvis and Brian pick toward the red zone. His eyes move inside their sockets without him turning his head, badminton match spectatorship. His mouth finds a thin white line. "Stop."
His lips open, but the words stall on his mouth… Breathe. Taking a moment, Brian closes his eyes for a moment. The battle between logic and pride warring in his mind. He looks up, "Bequiet Elvis. Try to act like an adult for once." The replicator urges, his gaze sliding over to Teo. His lips thin, in an accidental imitation of the older man's motions. He lets out a light breath through his lips and his eyes, all ten of them are forced away from Elvis and toward the matter at hand.
The tempers getting out of hand cause Hiro to simply clam up and take a deep breath. He raises a hand casually and pinches the bridge of his nose, muttering in Japanese, «Maybe I ought to do this alone…»
If Elvis had been into sports, it likely would have been baseball. Baseball primarily, because Elvis can -pitch-. She whirls that bottle round her index finger, lifts her arm and lets the oh like 4lb glass bottle hurtle from her fingertips in a pretty damn impressive fastball. Theres no foul language here though, no snide remarks. Just laughter, as she tries her very hardest to bean the Brian who's doing all the talking directly in the face.
And the violence begins. "Fuck woman, if you're this much of a problem just in the meeting, why would we even want to bring you?" Gillian has to say, as she stands up finally, letting the earbud fall out of her ear. Sad part is, she knows she can put the woman down, hard. But without Abby around to bring her out of it, she keeps the knot tied in the back of her head.
"EMP," Cat starts, picking up on Teo's suggestion. "It could be used at the right moment and fry all their electronics, possibly cutting off all ability they have to communicate and disable defenses inside the prison." She pays no further attention to Elvis and Brian. Until the bottle goes flying. Her response is to look at Hiro and show him an apologetic expression, that members of the organization can't keep their heads straight, and a look at Teo that might be a silent recommendation they both be left behind.
When Gillian speaks, Cat raises a hand to her mouth, covering it as she murmurs "Hear, hear."
And since all of his copies weren't forcing themselves to look away from Elvis, the bottle thrusts itself into Brian's face. Blood flies out of his nose as his head is jerked backwards, then crashes into the ground. The bottle doing the same right behind his head, and shattering on the ground behind the now fallen Brain. A surprising amount of blood leaks down his nose and over his lips as his eyes blearily and foggily stare up at the ceiling. No grunts or words are made, though this Brian is vaguely aware of the thoughts of other Brian's in the back of his head. The thoughts mainly go something like this—
What the fuck?!
Four other Brian's are on their feet. Weapons aren't drawn yet, though a few hands twitch. Eyes flick at Teo then back to Elvis. One Brian slowly walks up to the fallen Brian, going down on one knee he stretches out to touch his copy on the skin. And instantly, bloody nose, and injury, and body all together are gone. All that remains is the clothing and the weapon that the copy had on his person, which is quickly gathered up by this other Brian, who then looks expectantly at Teo.
Theres much laughing, and thigh slapping as Elvis rises. Her attention split between the brians, and Gillian. "Relax, the fucker's a god damned turncoat. He tried to send me to kill our own, he's a god damned traitor."Then another bit of laughter, before she waves dismissively to Gillian "sides, it aint violence till I show him the color of his own intestine."
"What the fuck.." Diego gives voice to the thought running through Brian's head. Or, that was running through Brian's head before Brian's head sank into another Brian's head and… ooo that's enough to make anybody dizzy. Diego doesn't even bother looking at the replicator or the biker; his look goes to Teo. "What the fuck is this? I'll risk my ass to save your girl, but I'm not signing up for a suicide mission with a bunch of amateur hour bullshit."
"«Please don't.»" Teo says to Hiro sidelong in the man's native tongue. And then there's blood and objects flying around and Brians being reabsorbed and what. Teo can't punctuate his admonishments with thunderclaps. Instead, he looks— angry, which is neither particularly unusual for him nor a common sight for anybody he tends to work with. He colors. Breaths oddly.
In another life, he'd probably have just gotten up and punched somebody. As it is, the situation is in equal parts defused and ludicrous enough that he stays with words. Irritable ones, granted, but only words. "Yeah, all right, Elvis, or you're a fucking idiot who took Brian's bitch-and-moan session for an excuse to 'turn coat' and murder somebody you work with.
"If you're not going to use your fucking head, do us a favor and at least pull it out of your fucking rectum and get the shit out of your ears before this stupid fucking masturbatory bullshit ends with that theoretical negator's barbed penis writing your epitaph on your fucking cervix. We're not done here. Stop fucking hitting each other.
"Okay?" Teo turns his head between Elvis and Brian. Then squares a stare at Diego, for about two seconds, visibly tightening his jaw against the urge to spew more vitriol of acknowledgment in his direction.
Monica looks between those speaking and then stuff is thrown and she jumps up. This was insane. Really. Strangely, she couldn't sit still, or not so strangely. She still doesn't say anything, but rather, she waits for them to figure out what would be the ideal course. She shook her head and came to stand near the wall. Arms folded. She ground her teeth, her jaw tensing.
That should about cover the violence which erupted. Cat speaks again, her voice raised in volume to draw attention and restore focus. "So, EMP," she calls out. "I like that. Is that the sort of thing you're thinking of, Hiro?" Then she glances back over at Teo. "Air strike seems a good idea too. Maybe…"
Perhaps inspiration just struck.
"Sabotage the towers so they can be taken down more easily when the time comes."
"What the fuck are you talking about Elvis?" Brian growls back. "You're being an idiot. In a meeting. I never told you to kill anybody, shit for brains! What the hell are you talking about?" The replicator brings a hand to his head, feeling the pain that isn't really there but was there just a second ago. An incredulous 'what the fuck did I do' look is cast at Teo. Though he doesn't move, or doesn't say anything further. His hazy focus is given to Cat. Pressing the anger down deeply.
Seeming utterly at ease Hiro muses aloud for Teo's benefit, "I didn't know you spoke Japanese. When did you find time to learn?" He shifts on the bags of cement that are his makeshift seat and points out, "I would like to know what that is about. On the chance that the young lady may be onto something and there are trust issues. Have you had any Company infiltration?" Not that other groups couldn't cause problems. The Company's just one of the most insidious. He adds for Cat with a shrug, "It could be anything. Bombs. Undermining the foundation or construction itself. I can open up several vulnerabilities to the prison that they can't guard against."
Elvis slumps back down to the floor, leaning back against the wall with a satisfied cheshire grin. "Relax Teo, I just needed to get it out of my system."and just like that, she's back to another cigarette. "I think an air strike sounds pretty cool, dont know if anyone's ever done that sort've thing. Lets us sort've blow shit apart and walk in, rather than teleport in. So if shit gets funky, its not as though we cant just step back and look at shit from another angle. I aint afraid a dyin, but I am afraid of failin. They're all square away inside their little prison, so lets crack open some holes and drag the fight outside?"
Diego watches Teo as he responds to the situation, including the jaw workout he's getting in holding back from adding some of his particular flavor of verbal admonishment. Either way, Diego makes no attempt to interject with words of his own- or even a defiant glare. There is, in fact, no form of challenge in his demeanor whatsoever. As the discussion returns to tactics, he adds his two cents. "An EMP in place would be great. An air strike would take care of the towers without having to add any flaws to their structural integrity- even the EMP could be deployed without… time travel." Apparently even in this day and age, time travel is a bit otherwordly to Diego. Then he looks to Elvis and points, "That, that right there. Let them defend their position, and we're wasting our time. Take out their electronics, air strike their fortified position, then draw them out… Knock them out of their comfort zone, engage, and a small team can focus on the smash and grab while the guards are focused on the full frontal from out of nowhere."
Unfortunately, Teo is not so effective a killer cyborg as Elvis; it takes him a few seconds to regain his composure. It helps that there are other people talking, filling in that awkward dearth of noise that had followed his brief fit of snarling. The transition onward to business suits him fairly well. Brian to silence, Elvis to further contributions.
Everybody with their speculations. "If the C-4 is there beforehand," looking at Hiro, "that's less to worry about now. Would be great. How much do you know about demolitions?" Automatically, his gaze shifts over to Diego asking. He knows the ex-soldier's pedigree. Though it galls him to return to subject, he does afterward, reluctantly. "Personality clash thing. Sorry. It's been a rough few months between casualties and capture."
"I can explain it for you later, Hiro," Cat offers simply. "I don't think we've had infiltration. The whole thing is fairly simple." She remembers it all too well, and doesn't find it a thing to take time up with during the session. The odds of Hiro simply freezing the prison in time and going in to take the place apart, simply disappearing with the people held there are considered, but she doesn't mention this. If Hiro could do it easily, he'd say so and suggest it himself.
"It's a hardened place. We need to hit it with everything we can bring to bear."
"A little." After the briefest pause, Diego apparently realizes that his definition of a little and someone else's might be entirely different, so he clarifies. "Enough to put them in place effectively, set them… I can assemble the basics, but nothing too fancy. What do you have in mind?"
The explanation of Elvis and Brian's Titanic Bottle Deathmatch gets a simple nod from Hiro, who doesn't seem to have gotten his pulse rate up at all over the matter. "I know almost nothing about explosives or how to use them properly." he admits easily, "But I can easily bring someone with me who does know. If that's somebody that's here right now, the offer's there."
Elvis exchanges cigarettes"I can build a bomb, pretty easily. I know how to work C4, manufacture explosives from a walmart shelf. I'll go with the swordfighter there, if he wants. I sorta dont understand why we need to bomb shit if we have an airstrike."
"One or the other would be good," Cat replies to the opinion floated by Elvis, "but both are better still. The more disruption and damage we do to the place, the easier our work is." She looks over toward Teo. "Birds could maybe be gotten into the place and tell us where the security team is so we can neutralize them right from the top. In fact, if we know the place in the prison they're likely to be, part of the airstrike can be aimed right at it, since that we can determine at a moment's notice."
"Prisoners, from what I saw, have outside time in the early afternoon. That would be the easiest time for birds to fly into the building."
The bottoms of Teo's shoes grate the floor as he pulls his knees up underneath his elbows, rests his weight. "I doubt one pass is going to get all the towers and entrance points we want, and I don't want the guy shot down either. That's not a bad idea, figuring out where the fuck the Evolved team barracks.
"I know something about both construction and demolitions, but if you have it covered—" Teo's smile goes wan. The illustrious career he led before coming to Phoenix surfaces in all its drab and greasy color. He nods at Cat. "Be good to get Eileen to Moab as soon as possible. I don't know who else to send with. Wireless can keep communication lines open, but having a Brian there could be wise too. And any surveillance equipment Monica could figure to work with. Maybe Claude for invisibility—
A headache has started kneeing him in the head. It's about time to pitch the ostensibly worst idea ever, probably. Teo opens and closes his left hand, its linen-bandaged fingers forming a shape the chapped lips of a dried fish. Idle fidget.
Elvis lifts a hand to rub delicately along her earlobe in consideration "Well, I dont really know anything about air strikes. Is this like a missile thing or does this guy have a plane, I mean shouldnt he be here if he's gonna be blowing shit up for us? We arent like, paying him are we?"
As they talk about the plan, Gillian has shaken her head and withdrawn back to the wall, putting her earbud back in place. She's still listening, just with one ear. She already knows her part, as long as they can keep her alive long enough.
"Security issue," Teo replies easily, shrugging one shoulder. "He doesn't want me telling all of you everything there is to know about him, and your faces and names are more than I want him knowing about any of you." He rubs at his jaw with his knuckles and blinks under the internal pressure of his brain wanting to flee this situation before he has to talk about—
"There's another member of the former Vanguard who may be willing to help us. A few months ago, he worked with Peter. More recently, he turned on Kazimir with Eileen.
"Some of you might remember conveniently forgetting that part of the terms of our relationship with Gillian," he angles his head at the brunette, "was that we don't fire on him unless he does first. Most of you know of him as Sylar." Teo's ordinarily expression hardens over, goes still as cryogenetic freezing; his way of bracing.
Hiro stares.
Diego stares. Blankly.
"Better Sylar than partnering me with a fucking fed again, sounds like a cool plan if he's down for it. "Sylar over Felix, is not a hard decision at least it isnt for Elvis. "and about your air strike guy, is he offering to help us or are we paying him? A mercenary would almost be preferable, because we know if he like drops bombs on us he wont get paid."
And now, Gillian has far more reason to listen. The earbud stays in her ear, but she looks up. This is where things could potentially get bad. She knows it. She knew it when she heard Teo had even considered it. "I think he'll be a good help. If my ability works how it's supposed to, he might even be able to do the same thing." Though she looks at Cat first specifically. She doesn't know a lot of the people here, but she knows how that one might feel about him. There's a scar on her forehead that got sewed up by that woman, after all.
"If Eileen can get birds inside the prison…" Cat had a whole thing lined up to comment on, suggesting those same birds can carry in transmitters and the like, speculation on internal structure, but those ideas vanish. Her jaw drops open. It takes some several seconds to regain her voice.
"I've seen his handiwork," she somberly shares. "I've myself, along with Helena, nearly been thrown into a hole darker than Moab because he assumed her identity and drew attention to himself in her shape. I know he's murdered several people to steal their essences for himself. On one occasion," her eyes settle for a moment on Gillian, "he stopped and the attacked person survived."
Silence comes over her again for a time, she's remembering Dani and the talk she had with Eileen about Ethan and saying she'd give up vengeance.
Hiro isn't looked at when her voice resumes. It's for him to share or not share his personal loss at Sylar's hands. The cheerful looking waitress with the same infallible memory she herself has, so young and lively, her head cut open and brain stolen away. "First let him convince every person among us who has suffered by his actions."
Silently Hiro gets to his feet and dusts himself off. Concrete mix is dusty stuff, even from inside the bags. He looks at Teo and Cat and has a hand in his pocket. It's clasped around the small cell phone that Cat gave him. At this particular moment he would love nothing more than to just toss it on the floor and walk out of here. Every sensible neuron in his brain tells him to do exactly that. Instead he speaks, "I have no agreements concerning Sylar."
That's true. But at the same time maybe there could be one. This prison will need to be broken. Peter must be freed. Hiro holds this to be very important. COULD Hiro do it alone? If not, this is the only other game in town that he knows of. In spite of the fact that very little overt expression crosses his face, it ought to be clear that there is quite literally a war of thought going on in his head right now over this one.
"So why dont we ask our bomber pilot, I know if you have a big enough explosion you don't have to be hit by anything like shrapnel. I dont understand the science, but dad told me about it. Pulls your stomach out through your mouth, maybe we can ask our bomber pilot to keep one on-board in case Sylar acts like a jackass? I mean who cares, if we have to off a few of our own to stop him from tincanning them then so be it. I'd rather be blown apart, than cut open."Simple logic, at least to Elvis. Death with sacrifice, was meaningful.
"More than one occasion," Gillian says, directing her eyes at Cat. "And if I hadn't come along when I did, the two of you might have been carried off by Agent Peter and that other guy just as much. You might as well blame Peter for being the one who nearly brought the two of you in." She shakes her head, not really agreeing with the lawyer's argument. "And I don't even know who you are," she says to the Japanese guy. "But Peter was willing to work with him, and he's the one you're trying to save. Sure it all got fucked up when they tried to help each other, but— shit he hasn't even agreed yet. You'll willing to let that Eileen chick help you, but you're not willing to let him. You'll willing to go after Peter Petrelli, who has far more blood on his hands than Gabriel does, and you…" she shakes her head. "I have just as much reason, if not more to hate him than any of you do. And I think you need him for this. And I know you need me for it."
"There's always an alternative solution, so long as you can realize it when you see it." Diego isn't really helping anything, but Capone seems anxious for some reason.
Capone might be cueing in on the skyrocketing levels of ambient anxiety in the room. Teo's eyes close, open again. "As I understand, he was unable to control an ability that made him kill. A lot like the real Midtown Man. He had a demonstrable change of heart. If he's going to help us, yeah, I figure people need to meet him first.
"And discuss whatever the fuck there is to discuss." His attention moves through the room in saccadic motions of his eyes, minute adjustments of his head on its axis. There's a knot of tension in his neck he can feel worsening, tightening, even as the discourse gradually spins out its various chemistries and equations, subtle and otherwise. He straightens, starts to push his way up off the floor and onto his feet.
"Think on it. Please. All of you." A fraction of a smile for Elvis; he's glad she's already made up her mind, at least, but doesn't begrudge her changing it. "There's time. Not a lot, but some. I'm sure more intel will change shit as we go. We'll be seeing each other again soon as it is."
"We're after a number of prisoners. Peter's just one of them," Cat replies. "And it's true. You were there and helped spare us from being grabbed that day, Gillian. Thank you, again." She can see it coming, the truth of the explosion that devastated this city coming out, it probably has by the enhancer's statement. But it's also in her head that Gabriel is still responsible. He murdered, Peter tried to stop him, and lost it while trying to do that. Her face shows conflict, she wrestles over the span of seconds on whether to make that point. In the end, though, the story of how it really occurred isn't hers to reveal and it hasn't been said directly, yet. She also won't betray Hiro's trust in having shared the story of Charlene Andrews with her, what the woman had meant to him. She can only speak for herself.
"I hate a man named Ethan, with a burning passion. And yet recently I met with Eileen and agreed to let go of vengeance, because she asked, and what she told me in his defense. That was a decision for me. I can't speak for or against accepting Gabriel, Gillian. People who he wronged have to do that, or not, themselves."
Hiro's back is to Gillian, but the way he angles his head to speak indicates that his next words are for her. "Woman. Shut your mouth." It might very well be the rudest thing he's ever said to anyone in mixed company, and his tone of voice implies that he isn't one to merely throw bottles. The rest is for Teo's benefit, "I will consider," pause for that word, "working with anyone if it gets Peter Petrelli out of the mess he has gotten himself into. I do not trust Sylar. I will not trust Sylar. You are a fool if you trust Sylar. If you do not know the disgusting things that he has done and I have witnessed him doing with my own eyes, find me sometime and I will explain them to you. What I saw that man do was nto the result of some 'ability'. He did not kill because he was at the whim of it. But I am willing to THINK about putting that aside for a moment." His eyes go to Cat briefly in that consideration and he asks her outright, "Did you know about this?"
Peers at Hiro, for a long moment. "So, who else are we going to get? I dont mean to belittle anyone, but we dont have alot of big guns. I dont particularly care to work with shifty folks, but I mean shit I dont see a whole ton of options. We cant afford to do this right, we have to settle for the guns we've got."
Elvis peers at Hiro, for a long moment. "So, who else are we going to get? I dont mean to belittle anyone, but we dont have alot of big guns. I dont particularly care to work with shifty folks, but I mean shit I dont see a whole ton of options. We can't afford to do this right, we have to settle for the guns we've got."
"I had no idea Teo would suggest having the assistance of Gabriel Gray, Hiro," Cat replies. "But it is true Gillian's assistance in defeating the release of that virus depended on Gabriel Gray not being targeted by us as part of the effort. I knew that. It's an easy decision in the face of those stakes."
"I value your friendship and your respect, Hiro. I won't speak against your word now."
Gillian does shut up, but she's glaring at Hiro's back, until she grabs her bag and shoves her iPod into it. "Who the fuck is he to tell me what to do? Is he the leader of this whole thing now?" She's not going to attack him, or anything, but she looks at him. She may have managed to stay quiet for a few moments, but now that's not really an option. "Listen to me, I am NOT an idiot. And you can think whatever the fuck you want of me, but I think I know Gabriel Gray a little fucking better than you do. You don't trust him? Fine, don't trust him. I don't trust you. I don't trust half the people here. And without Gabriel… they may not have been able to stop Vanguard at all. How convenient they forget that."
Wrapping his arm around his face, Teo scratches his nose and cheeks against the fabric of his sleeve. By the time he drops it, the room has reconfigured. Augmentors stomping out, space-time manipulator yelling at her to shut the fuck up, and Brian still looks clenched with internal trouble, Elvis calm with thought. It's very odd.
"It's on the fucking table." That statement— reminder— was intended for Gillian, primarily, though he fetches a brief glance at Hiro afterward and shades Catherine a glance. No final conclusions drawn yet. It's been pitched. The reasoning is simple, history in all its loopy progress speaks for itself. People are going to die, and no one in this room wants to be one of those.
"Anyone know how to get in touch with Claire Bennet?"
"Yes." Hiro says to the Claire angle. He ignores Gillian, failing even to bother telling her to shut up again. Then again he really isn't one to repeat himself these days.
Elvis leans over towards Gillian a touch"Relax, sit back down. We're not here to bash on Sylar, you say he's good people and I aint gonna call yu a liar. Stomping out, is only gonna make it easier for him to railroad everyone else into his way of thinking. Actions, not words."Elvis philosophy, it exists!
"I'm not going anywhere," Gillian snaps toward Elvis, but the music is no longer being listened to, that's for sure. She hasn't moved from where she was standing, though, even if she looks angerly at most… everyone here. Nothing else is said, though.
"Gillian," Cat begins with a calm voice, "Gabriel has the same memory I do. It's something he got by killing another person. He took it from a waitress in Texas. I've seen photos of her, so have you, I think. Young, cheerful face, full of life. There were people close to her. You can't expect anyone who knew her to just let that go and embrace working with Gabriel so easily any more than you could stop loving the man you believed he was when you and he first met."
Some few beats later, Cat's eyes settle on Teo. "She might be found at Old Lucy's, and she has my number. I recommended she stay away from traffic cameras. You could also perhaps reach her through Abby."
Cat's words help explain it a little for Hiro. Why this woman irrationally defends Sylar so. He turns and looks at Gillian directly then and stares hard at her. It's an evaluating look, not something trying to convey or tell her anything. It's all intake, no projection. When he does speak to her he says, "He took the people I cared most about from me. I can see that he's still in the business of taking." The overtone to his words is not one of anger, but of profound sadness. As if he's actually sad for Gillian by the time he gives his back to her again and crosses his arms, sighing deeply. "I'm not comfortable asking Claire to be a part of this if Sylar is coming. He's tried to kill her before. Even if he doesn't try it again she is not happy about it. And I will be calling her as soon as we're done here to tell her about this development." He's got her number, see.
"We need Claire's blood first. To make sure Hel and Alexander can fight for themselves. If you could pitch that to her—" And a sigh moves air through Teo's frame audibly. He needs something to drink. Lots of things to drink. He's swearing a lot, in a way that doesn't relegate every curse to neutral, throwaway adjectives or noun in lieu of a word like 'thing.'
He's also forgotten to apologize for himself like fifteen times. That's never a good sign. With some effort, Teo moves his brain thoughts past the insistent whine of his injury and accumulated annoyance. "I'll ask Sylar if he's willing to meet you people and help us get Peter and the others out. I'll see about these other fucks who tipped us off about the suppressant drug. Figure we can leave now, actually.
"Unless there's something else you guys want to discuss? I'm— I am sorry," ah, there it comes, "but personal tragedy and infatuations don't fucking qualify right now. Yeah, we saved the world once. Glad we did it. But attacking Moab Federal Penitentiary is as big a deal in its own special way. As many people and clout as Kazimir Volken had, the American government has more." Someday, somebody will explain to Teo about 'morale.' Until then, this serves.
"What do you need from me Teo?" Is all Elvis has to say. You could easily accuse Elvis of being bipolar, but then again who the hell knew what effect prolonged adrenaline exposure had on your brain chemistry. Never mind a life of exceptional violence. "Do you need me to build bombs, or just stay out of trouble and show up? I want Helena back, more than I want to be right."
Even though Teo's saying they can leave, Gillian has a few things she needs to say to a couple of the people here. Raspy voice, her eyes are emotional, and the emotion makes that rasp quiver a little when she speaks, "He killed my sister. He tried to kill me. But I know— when he attacked me… I was augmenting him. I was boosting something inside him… that made him attack me even when he didn't want to. Sure, he probably killed some people for selfish reasons. Sure, he even cut a Company Agent into six pieces right in front of me. I'm not saying he's never done harm. I'm not saying he hasn't done things that make him dangerous… but I know he didn't want to do a lot of the things you hate him for."
Rubbing her face with a hand, she finally starts to move toward the exit. The knot in the back of her head only manages to stay tightened thanks to the man they're talking about.
"Gillian," Cat asks, as the enhancer begins to make her way out, "where do I find you? We should talk, if you're willing." Then her eyes drift over to Hiro. "I'm sorry," she offers him sincerely. "If I'd known Gabriel would be a topic, I'd have told you in advance." Silence follows, she has other things in her head, but they'll likely be kept for talking one on one with Teo later. Like Eileen's birds and transmitters.
Hiro shakes his head to Cat's apology, "It's all right." he says insincerely. Because it's not all right, but the not-rightness is not her fault nor really the fault of anyone in this room tonight. Having had his say, Hiro walks away into the universe, leaving the room with the impression he's teleported again. Where he pops back into this existence is anyone's guess.
"Teo knows how to contact me," Gillian says before she goes the rest of the way out the exit. Mostly she doesn't want to stop long enough to give a phone number.
Teo pushes his shoe against a nail protruding from the floor. It cuts into the rubber of his sole. Bad for his shoe, good for his temper. He nods at Elvis. "We should work on some explosives. They'll need to be triggered by wireless signal for this to go off the way we want it to. Which is to say, he'll ask Hana real nice.
He doesn't watch Hiro go simply because there's nothing there to watch. When the swordsman winks out of view, his head twitches on its stem to look at the empty space left behind. "Good night. Take care of yourselves."
It's in silence that Cat collects the photographs she placed on the table, returning them to the folder, before turning to exit herself. Being blindsided is never a fun thing. Being in the middle of Gillian and Hiro over Gabriel even less so, especially how she knows the story of Sylar going after Claire the cheerleader who will probably never speak to any of them again now, and the tale of Hiro's paramour being slain. Not to mention the connection she feels herself to someone who had a matching ability.
Near the exit, she pauses and turns partly back. "Come see me soon, please, Teo." Then Cat is through the exit.
Slowly, Elvis rolls to her boots. She lets Teo and Cat slither out as she stands, in the nude silence of a freshly emptied space. Her cigarette smoldering gray ribbons, as she watches after the door where her compatriots had exited. "Christ."
Please note, there is currently an OOC quandary regarding whether or not Claire's blood is an appropriate plot device by staff rule. Please don't take any IC action to pursue this angle until it's been resolved.
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