Participants:
| Scene Title | He Fucked With The Wrong Bitch |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Liz might have had sympathy once. Might have taken that job and helped him. Attacking her people was so far beyond the wrong move. |
| Date | Dec 6, 2010 |
Redbird Security Solutions, Elle's Apartment
After the meeting, Elle went up to her apartment, leaving her clothing in little brown chips scattered over the stairs and hallway, and promptly sat in the shower under cold water (something that surprisingly did not bother her) for a good half an hour, at least, mumbling to herself and doing her best to calm herself down. After that, she dried herself off, and had a conversation with Dax, the man she's been seeing. It put her in a much better mood than she was initially in, especially when he called her 'his girl'. That felt nice, and made her happy.
Now, calmed down considerably after her cold shower and a nice talk with Dax, she's gotten herself dressed up to go out, and restuffed her bag full of clothes— just in case. She fully plans on leaving Redbird. There's too much going on here, and she is thinking of going some place that can help her control this ability, rather than just commanding her to push it off to the side with negation drugs.
Maybe this will be good for her.
Her bag slung over her shoulder, Elle makes her way to the apartment door. This time, she's wearing a simple black thermal shirt, the sleeves rolled up. She's still quite warm, as is apparently going to be standard for her; she still can't wear her cute wool peacoat without feeling like she's sitting under the sun on the hottest day of the year.
And when she opens the door, she finds a blonde leaning on the wall. One who looks… both exhausted and with red eyes that perhaps give away that Elle is not the only person beyond upset just now. Elisabeth's gaze is clear as her eyes fall on the woman who opened the door. She was fully prepared to sit out here all night. "Going somewhere?" she asks quietly.
Elle pauses as she spots Liz, her brows raising as a frown forms on her face. "Yes. Going somewhere where I won't kill all of my friends if I suddenly turn into a nuclear bomb." She frowns. "Maybe somewhere I can learn to control this." She frowns quietly at Liz, before turning her blue eyes down toward the ground with a faint sigh, the formerly electric blonde's hand still on the door knob.
She moves to stand up, and Elisabeth asks quietly, "And where do you think that is?" There's no accusation in her tone at this moment, it's simple curiosity.
The frown remains on Elle's face. "I don't know. The crater in midtown? At least there, I won't cause any more damage than what's already been done." She fidgets slightly. "At least there, I'll be less likely to kill everyone." She leans against the doorframe, fixing her bag against her hip.
"So…. you think living somewhere without heat and fending for yourself is somehow going to magically set you up to make things better with this ability you've inherited?" Elisabeth purses her lips. "I can offer a better option, if you want it. My father has a cabin in the Adirondacks that I can set you up in for however long you want that. But I have to tell you something…. more." She studies Elle quietly. "Frankly, I think you may have been the target, Elle. When I first found out who was in charge of the Institute… I made a trip. And I was informed that you were going to be the cause of Endgame's fracture from the rest of the underground resistance — that you were going to kill Noah Bennet."
Elisabeth pauses and says quietly, "You didn't kill Bennet — he was almost killed by a traitor in the Ferry. But you are at this moment still creating the problem that will ultimately fracture things. Time has a way of asserting itself… and I'd really like to fucking ram this timeline down Dick's throat, if you don't mind terribly. I think you could be one of the keys to doing that. Even with an alternate power."
"No heat doesn't bother me. I can't even wear my winter coat any more. Feels like I'm wearing it while I'm standing right next to the sun. Apparently, this ability turns me into a walking space heater." An exaggeration, but she even has trouble with the long sleeves of the thermal shirt she wears, her sleeves rolled up.
Then, Liz is speaking of more things. A frown forms on the little blonde's face as she listens— she had a flash of killing Noah Bennet. "I have no desire to kill Bennet. But what kind of problem am I creating, anyhow? How am I a key?" She frowns, shaking her head slowly and turning her eyes down toward the ground. "And if I'm going to be the cause of Endgame's fracture, or whatever, isn't it best that you guys just shove me off somewhere else, where I won't fuck anything up? Or just plain kick me out, so I don't cause trouble?"
She steps back, then, a silent, begrudging invitation for Liz to enter her apartment as she moves deeper within, moving into the kitchen and opening up the freezer to stand in front of it. "…I don't know what to do right now, Liz. Things were just starting to look good. I found a guy…someone who was in the Company with me. I grew up with him. He left, and they Haitian'd him, too. And now, I don't even know if I can see him without cooking him alive."
"And on top of everything else, I could be a walking bomb. I could get upset and suddenly kill all of the people I've come to call friends here." She turns to peer back at Liz. "I don't want to hurt you, or Peyton, or Aric…"
She accepts the invitation silently, stepping into the apartment. As she does, she holds the geiger counter out to Elle. "You left this downstairs," Elisabeth says softly. "And no… I don't think that it's best to shove you off somewhere. I think it's best to keep you as far away from alternate Cardinal as is humanly possible. His entire plan is to make certain that time follows — as closely as possible — the timeline that he knows. The one he lived. And because he made a point of telling me to get you the fuck out of here, I'm in the goddamn mood to make sure he gets nothing he fucking wants. He chose the wrong bitch to fuck with."
Elisabeth is pissed. "That said, however, in that timeline that's not going to happen now, Endgame's fracture included Richard himself leaving. And the fact that you're in love with the man and treating what we do here and his being gone for a while as a personal spurn by your lover has definitely created a major issue." Her tone remains calm, entirely neutral. "I've already lived through that man's death once, Elle. I don't want to bury him again." She's not entirely sure she'll survive it emotionally. "I need you to get your head out of your ass and stop this. Putting additional stress on our Richard right now is the worst possible thing you could have done. So we need to do something to chill you out. Both emotionally and power-wise. You have got to get control, kiddo."
Elle frowns at Liz's words, turning back toward the freezer. One hand is toying at her shirt hem— it's getting a little warm, but she responds to this by sticking her face in the freezer and taking a few deep breaths. "Nobody fucking looks at the big picture. Nobody seems to give a damn that I just had my entire world turned upside down. I've lost every bit of control I had over my life, it feels like."
She falls quiet for a moment, breathing and doing her best to keep that emotion shoved back. She used to be so good at not feeling her emotions. She wishes she could be as cold and heartless as she was back before she found everything out. It's difficult to get back to that place, though, where she could pretend that it didn't bother her.
"I was scared, Liz. I still am. I didn't— I didn't even want to come back here. I originally just went out there just to tell him what happened, then to go to the crater." She pulls her head from the freezer, turning to peer at Liz. "I— he's the first person who has treated me like a person, and not a tool, and I got upset when he just disappeared. "And then, you tell me that a future version of Cardinal is fucking with everyone, and apparently wants me gone or something." She sighs softly, pulling a popsicle out of the fridge and closing it, setting about eating the frozen treat as she leans back against the . At least she'll never get brain freeze.
"I don't know what to do, Liz. And…strange as it is, I don't want to go on negation drugs. Because then— at least right now, I have a way to defend myself. And if this future Richard wants me gone so bad…wouldn't that just make it easier for him? I want to learn how to control this, Liz. I think…it might be good for me." She frowns down at the popsicle. "But I can't do that around here."
"Yes. You can." Elisabeth smiles faintly though not in amusement, "Elle…. believe me when I tell you I know what it means to have your whole world pulled out. Do you have any idea how many fucking times that's happened to me this year? But we have neither the time nor the luxury of being able to wallow." Her life has been pretty goddamn shitty, especially in the past year. "We've already proven that Dick is not infallible. Because he's looking for Delia and didn't know she was here. Something that will be kept as secret as we can make it. Which means all we have to do is put you somewhere that he won't think to look for you." She considers. "That probably lets out the cabin because I sent Richard up there to learn his armor. But… " She considers. "I want you to move into my friend Alec's apartment at Dorchester Towers. He's been out of town for quite a while and Dick probably barely remembers him. He's got stellar security system, though, and I have the keys to the apartment. It'll keep you close, local, and out of sight too."
"What if I lose control and go boom? That's what I'm worried about…" She frowns, fidgeting a bit. But she's listening. "Why am I so important? Just tell me not to kill Noah, or something. I won't kill him. I won't even kick him in the shin or stomp on his toes like I want to." She still isn't too fond of Noah after what happened with Gabriel Gray, really.
"If I go stay there…can I go in and out at will? Can I still go to the ruins to practice? Or can you find me a place where I can practice?" She suddenly picks up the Geiger counter, holding it pointed at herself with one hand. She motions to Liz to step back. Then, her other hand raises…and a small ball of light appears. It's a brief flash, but the geiger counter promptly begins clicking rather rapidly during that flash. Just as quickly as it started, she pulls it back in. At least she can control that part. When she's calm, at least.
"I don't want to give everyone around me radiation sickness just because I'm trying to gain control of this awful ability." A frown.
"I don't know why the hell you're important. It could have been the Noah Bennet thing, it could be something we don't even know about, Elle." Elisabeth pauses and says quietly. "Look… Yes, if you stay there, you're of course free to come and go. Just use all those mad skills you have from your years at the Company to run about UNNOTICED. I mean, seriously — I want you to learn this ability." Her blue eyes go dark, her tone darker. "If nothing else, I want you to fucking get control of it and then goddamn well fry Dick." Because he was right — the fucking man up there is not her Richard. And she's not about to let Richard become that man. Ever.
Pulling herself back to present, Elisabeth says quietly, "The shit that has come down… the revelations I've given you today … Elle, Richard has spent most of his life not trusting people to do what they say they will. He's busted his ass for two years now to change things for everyone for the better. Damn near lost his life doing it. And every goddamn time we think we've managed to help things, everything just gets worse. If you think you're stressed out? Think about how he feels. It's coming at both of us from all angles here. Just…. will you please trust me? And just do what I ask? And for God's sake…. leave Richard the fuck alone for a while, okay? He'll work through the problems he's having on his own, but he can't handle his own and yours."
Elle nods slowly, watching Liz in silence, rubbing her chin. "You think I'd look good in red hair again?" She asks this quietly. "I could either go with a dye job, or go pay a visit to Julius and let him have fun with my appearance again." She peers at the other blonde for a moment, before reaching into the freezer and pulling out another popsicle, which she offers out to Liz.
Elle slowly nods, biting off a chunk of her orange popsicle. "I trust you, Liz. I— I'm sorry things have happened like this, and I know I'm probably not the most trustworthy person ever." A frown. "I didn't even want the feelings I have for Richard to get out into the open. Didn't even want them to happen in the first place. I just…I missed him. We used to just sit and talk, and I always felt like just talking to him helped me make steps toward becoming a better person than the one my dad raised."
Then, silent agreement. "I'll stay away from Richard. In fact…if Dick is after me like you say, wouldn't it be good for me to disappear off of Richard's map, too?" She reaches into her purse, which is on the counter, rummaging around and pulling out a business card. "I could go see Julius again. Get another new face for a while."
Rolling her eyes, Elisabeth says, "Quit making everything all or nothing, Elle. Whatever your feelings are for Richard, I don't care. Not because I don't care about your feelings but because you know what? We don't get to fucking choose, okay? The heart wants what it wants." She shakes her head. "I'm asking you to stay away from our Richard for now because he's feeling like he can't fucking win. He busts his ass to fix things, people tell him he's not doing enough. He tries to find a way to save his own sanity with a little solitude, and people claim he's abandoning them. Just…. find a middle ground, lady. You and everyone else, Richard's fucking ass included." Because Elisabeth's rapidly reaching the end of her own rope. Right now, there's a knot tied in it and she's holding on by her fingernails.
"We've all got more important shit to worry about, you know? He's right — all of you came on board with this group knowing that there would be things you didn't get told necessarily about what we were doing or why. You each said you trusted us to make those calls. We kept the secret of the head of the Institute for a lot of reasons. It's out now — and I made that call in spite of the fact that it pissed him off. You are a better person than the one I met right after Moab. Norton had faith in you, and Richard and I've both had faith in you. Don't prove us wrong. Just… get a grip and keep in mind that you're not the only one stressed to hell, okay?" She pauses. "A new face might actually be a good idea. At the least, if Dick doesn't have a clue what you look like, he can't do a damn thing to get to you."
A grimace briefly flashes across Elle's features. "It was more of a personal apology to you. I— I don't mean to keep falling for the guys you love." She rubs at her face for a moment, then offers a weak smile. "I'll keep away from Richard for a while. Just for now. When he wants to see me, then he can see me. You know? Just…just to be sure I don't mess up again." The smile disappears as she talks.
"I don't deal with change well. I just got comfortable here, and then this happens, and…I freaked today, okay? I'm still reeling from all of this. Just…take everything I do for a while with a grain of salt, okay? I'm trying. I really am. This new ability, it's tripping me up."
Then, another slow nod comes from the petite blonde. "Well, then I'll get in touch with Julius as soon as I can. Only you, and…well, and Dax, will be privy to who I really am, for now, okay? I mean…the less people who know where I am, the less likely the Institute is to find me, you know?"
Elisabeth apparently at this moment likes that idea a lot. "You, me, and Dax. For now. Keep in regular contact, though, okay?" She pauses and says quietly, "I understand not dealing with change well. I'm having a pretty hard time myself right now. That doesn't mean that I'm going to kick you out or that I think you shouldn't be here. Even best friends occasionally squabble, Elle. Having not had that before, maybe you didn't know." She smiles a bit. "This is just a squabble. Things will level off and everything will sort itself out. Okay?" If she keeps saying it, maybe she can make it true.
Elle nods slowly, watching Liz from over her popsicle with a thoughtful expression on her face. Then, she nods slowly. "I will. I don't know what I'll look like once I'm done with Julius, but…he likes pretty things." She shrugs, finishing off the frozen orange dessert. Then, she offers a faint smile to Liz, nodding slowly. "I hope you're right." She runs a hand through her hair.
"So…I think I'm going to get that taken care of, then. I'll stay here at Redbird until I can get to Julius, then I'll go to that place. Nobody will be any wiser, they'll just think I'm a new neighbor there or something. And I'll stay in touch with you, definitely."
She offers a faint smile. "You should meet Dax some time. He's…really something special. We spent Thanksgiving together, and just a little bit ago, he referred to me as 'his girl'." She runs a hand through her hair. "Definitely a breath of fresh air from Warren."
Warren. Christ. Elisabeth just shakes her head on that. "Just…. be cautious what you tell this guy. I know you trust him from the bad old days, but… that's bitten us on the ass before too," she replies drily. "All right. I'll expect to hear from you soon." She moves to walk back toward the door, her mind still spinning with the fact that Richard Cardinal just walked out. God alone knows how long it will be before he comes back, if he ever does. But from here out, Liz will give him the room he needs. And if he hangs himself — either one of them — in the bargain, well…. the fallout will get dealt with.