~ two

Mary - At the table, "Need for control, to keep somebody she trusts close to the heart of her inheritance.  You understand in these hard times, and to be honest her parents had hoped to make another heir before passing, if you understand."

~ They laugh as though they know something they don't.

Mary - "But she is a sharp one and she made no mistakes bringing me in.  So how we feelin' ?"  She leans forward stretching her arms across the table with a smile.

...

CEO - "Well.  As the CEO ... I would have the obvious misgivings.  And so long as I have them, my people will as well."

Mary - "Was Alley Dad the ... hands on kind of boss ?"

CEO - "Oh yes.  Very much so.  At least as far as he's ever expressed to me, this was his favorite company."

Mary - "I see.  And ... just to get this out of the way and off the record, how much of this business is about what it says."

Lawyer - "Ah.  Yes."  He stands smiling.  "You are very wise to ask.  He considered this company the buffer, to these other things.  He kept it clean to fall back on if the rest went awry, and I say that without pretending not to know what clearly what we both do."

CEO - "What exists of it can be cleaned out easily enough in the transition, it's good to be clear on this, and will not effect profits."

Vice - "It will probably help the profits.  Let's not pretend he was a man to be missed by the world."

CEO - "Well I knew him as the man who gave me my first chance in the world.  And the rest was just very sad.  And then it was predictable."

Lawyer - To Mary, "Lovely conversation yes ?"  To the rest, "One we don't need to be having since the decision's already been made."

CEO - "Agreed."

Vice - "Here here."

Mary - "Here here.  And you should know that I am the exact opposite of a hands on boss.  I'll be blunt with you.  I like this company, it's very nice.  But Alley and I are only concerned with its profitability."

"His name's been in the news and not in a good way.  This company's stock has mirrored his bad press like a cawing parrot for years now.  But it does always bounce back.  I'd say we stick with what he would have done, anything in the news aside."

CEO - "I like to think this company was his escape from all that.  And I think he respected these employees.  Other companies ... well I can see your concerns."

Mary - "We honor the good things, so well shielded from the bad."  To the lawyer, "Are you the company lawyer or were you his ?"

Lawyer - "Company man."

Mary - "So what's your sad tale then ?"

...

Lawyer - "Protecting assets, even disconnected ones, from everything we don't want to talk about does take it's toll."

Mary - "Indeed it does.  Can I trust you ?"

Lawyer - "Trust."

Mary - "What I thought.  Keep this company safe.  You're the shield and those arrows will fly.  With him no longer actively defending his own reputation and Alley seen as a soft target, even if she isn't."

Lawyer - "Ever met her lawyer ?"

Mary - "Hm.  Well I'm taking a cut in my profits to distribute here, ten percent salary increases because you'll each have to carry a heavier load without him."  She looks at the vice, "And how about you, my disgruntled young friend."  She smiles, "Why did he keep you around ?"

Vice - Laughs looking away ... "He liked that I argued with him, but only when he was wrong.  All these other fucks ... it's  like they've got a switch.  You're either a person who argues with the boss, or you're a person who doesn't argue with the boss.  They can't ... you know.  'Differentiate'.  But I only argue when I'm right."

Mary - "Ah.  So you were his jester."

Vice - "Wow."

Mary - To the CEO, "Was he strangely protected by the boss even though he was constantly pissing everyone off including him ?  Allowed to cross all boundaries no one else could ?"

The CEO and Lawyer look at the Vice, burst out laughing.

Mary - "I want you to continue telling me when I'm wrong, just as you would have him.  And these two as well.  He kept you for a reason.  Can't help noticing the liquor cabinet.  I think this meeting just turned up a hell of a lot easier than any of us though it would."

Lawyer - To the cabinet literally pulling a key from his pocket to open it.  Smiles to Mary, "How about I mix what the old man liked, one last time.  And then we drink something good."

CEO - Here here.

Vice - "Cheers."
________

Alley - Voiced over the party, "Have you decided which one to turn ?  All of them ?  None of them ?"

Mary - (VO) "Have you decided yet ?"

Alley - (VO) "Oh come on, which one you have to tell me."

Mary - (VO) "The obvious one."

~ As they celebrate in clips ~

Geneva kicks open the crashed car door, gun drawn and rolls out into a dash to her back against the nearest wall alongside the alley from which the rocket flew.

~ ! Whoo !  (happy business people are funny)

She kicks off her shoes and runs quietly around the silent block.  From down here it all seems so cubical, so few features in the architecture, only random detritus dropped from above.

But still as though of the same mind as any other development, an alleyway is an alleyway, the empty streets made to be driven, sidewalks for running around to the alley's backside with no shoes on, pistol waving in the air because no one's there to care.

She comes up behind the shadowed figure as it peers around the alley's edge to find her, gun pointed, she clears her throat.  Her toes dig in.

~ ! They cheers !  (totally sloshed, it all splashes everywhere)

Geneva - "Of course.  Rocket launcher.  What is it with you ?"

Mary (XO version) - "What is it with you and not rocket launchers !?"

A wind behind Geneva as Gabrielle descends on her wings, the angels form in from the various alleyways, shadow armors making the shadows themselves.

Gabrielle - "Your control over us ended with our death."  Phone.

Geneva - Annoyed hands it over.  "Gun ?"

Gabrielle - "You may be needing it."

Mary - "The virgin's off limits.  Did you know there's literally, no way, to get up to the higher levels from down here, not even to catch a bus ?"  She turns away and the rest follow.

(credits through Geneva repairing the comm wires in the dash before realizing the car's battery is gone)

Mary (FMK version) - Stumbles home and through the door slamming behind and flops into the bed face down, Parasol gaming.

Parasol - Pew Pew !  "So how was business ?"

Mary - Through the pillows, "Business was drunk."

Parasol - Pauses with suspicion ... "And what were you drinking ?"

Mary - Fist in the air from still face down, "mostly ... Vodka !"

Parasol - "Oh my god I love you."  Throws down the control to black with blood running down the screen.

(onscreen and spoken by Parasol as though introducing the word)


~ fuck ~