Participants:
| Scene Title | Come Clean |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Odessa warns Adam about the watchful eyes upon them, and the two are clear as mud as to where they stand. |
| Date | September 23, 2009 |
Adam's Apartment
It might be surprising to Adam to discover a leggy blonde waiting in the lobby of his building for him. If only because she was a brunette the last time he saw her. The doorman gestures to Odessa, where she's staring intently at the screen of her cell phone. Her head lifts when she seems to sense that she's being talked about.
"Adam!" Four inch yellow heels click loudly on the floor when the woman rushes to greet the man. "I'm sorry, I know I should have called…" Odessa frowns, glancing behind Adam and out the front door of the building. "I need to talk."
Adam blinks for a moment as he notices Odessa. This is…unexpected. He pauses for a moment and then says, "Alright…well…I suppose you should come up." he nods to the front desk and heads to the elevator. Once inside, he turns to her with a frown, "This seems like it must be important, or it certainly should be."
Odessa stays quiet until the doors to the elevator close and they start moving. "I was approached," she says quietly. She glances up toward the ceiling of the elevator - the corners - and then slides a hand over her mouth. "Someone from the Company was following me."
Adam frowns at that and shakes his head, "That was quick." he purses his lips a moment. "Alright…tell me what happened…" he pauses, "Did they follow you here?" he questions, thoughtfully considering a get away.
"I don't think so," she says quickly. "I took every precaution." An orange cardigan is pulled tighter over a plain white tank top. A shiver runs through her. "It's you they're looking at. I'm collateral damage."
Adam hmms a bit at that thought, "Well, of course they're looking for me." then pauses as he presses the emergency stop button on the elevator. He turns to her, "How exactly are they aware that you're working for me? You've only been working for me for a week now. And I haven't introduced you to anyone in my organization."
"I don't know," Odessa admits. "Maybe you've got a snitch." With the elevator stopped, she backs up against the wall slowly. "If I were selling you out, I wouldn't be here warning you, would I?"
Adam tilts his head, "A snitch generally needs information to snitch with. As I said, I hadn't introduced you to anyone in my organization." he pauses, "There's something else you're not telling me. That's what that question was about the other night, wasn't it." he slides an arm along either side of her head, "What. Aren't. You. Telling. Me."
"I swear, I'm telling you everything," Odessa responds with wide eyes. "They could have been watching your other associates, you know. Lola. Kaylee. They could have followed you to my place. I didn't do anything."
Adam watches her slowly, his eyes flicking from side to side as he watches her. It's clear in his mind he doesn't think so. His lips purse slowly for a moment, then he says, "Who is they." beginning with what she can admit to know, "How do you know the Company is watching you?"
"An agent I knew when I was just a kid approached me. He told me to get out before the Company comes down on you," Odessa tells him. Her eyes study his face unsteadily. "Please… I'm telling you the truth."
"What agent?" he questions, "Who is he?"
Odessa's eyes close heavily. Betraying someone who gave her a warning… Well, he did say he wouldn't be so nice next time, didn't he? "Agent Denton." When she opens her eyes again, there's no remorse there.
Adam blinks, a moment of pause. He backs off for a moment, "Denton?" he turns away from her thoughtfully and when he looks back, he actually looks pleased, "Len Denton?"
Odessa nods slowly. "Yeah, Len." She looks a little puzzled by his reaction. "Why? Does that make a difference?"
Adam reaches forward and grabs both of her cheeks, pulling her towards him and gives her a hard kiss on the lips. After letting her go, he pushes on the emergency button and they're back on their way up. She has to know that it's not over for her, but…she's not going to die anyway, yeah?
The blonde woman is stunned, to stay the least. That was not the reaction she was expecting. "Are… Are we gonna kill him or something?" Odessa brings one hand up to brush a thumb over her lips.
"Not yet, no." he says as the doors open and they're on their way into his apartment. Eventually inside, he sits down in a chair and motions for her to sit across from him. "I need you to tell me everything you know about Len Denton. Everything. Leave nothing out." he says, "Personality, looks, likes…is he gay?" he asks. He's discussed Len Denton so much lately with people and now, he'll finally find out who this man is.
Odessa sits down heavily across from Adam. She stares down at her hands in her lap for a moment, taking in what she's just been told. "I don't know if my experience with Denton is typical. I mean, he's known me since I was just… Before I was Doctor Knutson. I had braces." She bites her lip and shakes her head. "Uh, he's… He's tall. Like, impossibly. Unreasonably tall. He's always got this… hat." She makes a sort of encompassing gesture around her head to signify the brim of this hat. "Cowboy. Cowboy hat."
Adam watches her quietly for a few moments, thoughtful. He frowns a few moments, "Tall, cowboy hat.." he pauses, "White? Black?" he questions, "Is he from Texas like you?" he asks. There's another pause, "Is he the hero type?" he questions, "What does he drive…" he repeats, "Is he gay?"
"Black," Odessa adds absently. "Yeah, last I knew, he was still in Odessa." Her face screws up into a wince. "That didn't sound right. You know what I mean." She pinches the bridge of her nose. "The fact that he's here means there's a new facility. The Bronx wasn't the end of the New York presence." Though, she's sure he knew that. She sighs. "I don't know if he's gay. I think he was married once. I don't know if he still is."
The more information Odessa delivers, the happier Adam is. Apparently, Len Denton was already in Adam's orbit, just without a face. He stands from his seat, "Once, huh? Poor guy." but he doesn't seem to mean it. In fact, he almost seems giddy. "I still think you're hiding things, Odessa. But this was good." he says, "This was…" he pauses, "Well, it was good." apparently, it satiates him for now. "Alright, I suppose we'll have to move you again. A shame." then there's a pause and he turns to Odessa, "Alright." he says, "Time to come clean." a pause, "What is it you do, Odessa."
"I'm not hiding anything," Odessa insists. But when he tells her it's time to come clean, she stares down at the floor and it's like her mind is somewhere else. In truth, it's somewhen else. Eventually, she lifts her head again, locking eyes. "What do you think I can do?"
Adam frowns at the question. It bothers him, because clearly he has no idea. "There were plenty of rumors around the level." he says after a moment, "But none of them fit you. It's like…if you had them, you could do just what you hoped. So the truth is, I don't know." he turns towards her and walks to his chair, sitting down in it, "So why don't you just say."
"I was afraid to do what I hoped. I was told the world was too dangerous for me to be out there. Sometimes, I think they were protecting the world from me, not the other way around." Odessa leans back in her chair, brushing her fingers through her freshly dyed blonde locks. "I need to ask you something before I'm willing to tell you exactly what it is that I do…"
Adam watches her quietly and his shoulders slump a moment as she seems to stall, "Alright and what do you need to ask me?" he questions.
"Denton tells me the Company has put a shoot on sight order out on me. So, I need to know…" Now, Odessa leans forward, watching Adam's face intently. "If it comes down to it… Would you leave me behind to die in order to save yourself?"
Adam tilts his head towards one side for a moment as he considers Odessa for some moments, "I'm trying to envision a situation in which somehow leaving you behind would somehow save me. I can honestly say no, but in fairness, I'm not sure how it would benefit me at all." he pauses thoughtfully as if continuing to imagine the situation, "But, I think you're asking if I'll protect you or I'll sacrifice you." he glances back towards her, "Don't betray me and I'll never have need to sacrifice you."
"You can absolutely promise me that you wouldn't set me up to be captured or killed to buy yourself time to get away?" It's obvious Odessa wants to believe him, but she's sceptical. "You hated being locked up. What's one life compared to another thirty years of imprisonment?"
Adam tilts his head for a moment, "They didn't catch me last time, Odessa. They backstabbed me and sent me in. They're not smart enough to catch me." he leans forward, "Frankly, I've come to value loyalty and abhor betrayal. You give me the one and we can avoid the other." he purses his lips, "I don't plan on letting the Company get close enough. You might not know this, but I have a small army at my disposal. And I'm utilizing them. They won't beat me this time."
Slowly, Odessa nods, seemingly satisfied. Not that she's going to just forget about her backup plan involving Peter Petrelli. Or her alliance with the Remnant. She looks about the room curiously. "Throw something at me," she tells him.
Adam shrugs and doesn't hesitate for very long. He reaches over and grabs a book and throws it at her. He actually puts a bit of spin on it. Not so much to hurt, but, you know the bitch could use a bit of a smack.
If he only knew.
Odessa reaches one hand out in front of her as though to catch or deflect the book, but instead it halts in mid-air, a safe distance away from her. "I once did this trick with bullets. But my ability's on the fritz, and so I didn't figure that was such a solid plan right now." She stands up, and steps away from the chair. With a wave of her hand, the book resumes its trajectory and smacks into the back of the chair, bouncing harmlessly off it and into the seat she was just occupying. She sighs. "Do you have a blanket? — It's not part of the trick, I'm just cold."
Adam stands after the book is frozen in the air. He's seen that sort of trick before, from a man he very much dislikes. He tilts his head after the book is released and flies to the chair. "Can you do that with larger objects?" he questions, "People?" not quite a mastery of time and space, but…definitely useful.
"Oh," Odessa snaps her fingers. She disappears from his sight, but then speaks up from somewhere behind him. "Yeah, I can," before he has the chance to turn to face her, she's in front of him again, "do that."
Adam almost turns and then looks forward for a moment. "You're like a mini-Hiro." he says off handedly. But he's clearly impressed, "In that case, what the Hell do you need my protection for? They can't catch you, yeah? I mean…" he claps his hand together, "Time stops, you're gone."
"Unless they've got the Haitian, or they catch me off guard…" Or I'm high. "I used to think I was invincible, but I learned that I can't account for every variable." Odessa frowns. "I'm not like Hiro. Not exactly. I can't teleport, or travel through time." She brings her hands up to rub at her arms, trying to warm herself up. "I'm very difficult to catch, but it's not impossible. That's why I need to know you're going to be here for me. It's not easy running all the time." Her eyes lower to the ground and she admits, "It's not easy being alone."
Adam considers this for a few moments as he considers her gently. He reaches forward a moment and strokes her cheek a moment, tenderness contrasting his previous and continual terseness in interrogating her. "I can be there for you. But I need you to be.." he pauses, "In the shadows, so to speak. I can't have people associating you with me more than they do now.." he pulls her against him now. "In…every way."
Odessa wraps her arms around Adam, "What do you mean, exactly? You want me to just…?" She shakes her head, unsure of how she should finish that sentence. "In every way? What are you trying to say?"
Adam strokes her hair back a bit, "Well, for one thing, they shouldn't think girlfriend when they see us together. I suppose it's a little late to not associate you with my organization. So you're part of the business yeah? And now, you're going to lay low.." he strokes her face a bit, "I don't know, we should get a new look for you, make it a little harder for you to identify. I'll find you a new place and move you out. Won't be hard to sublease the place." and this time, he's going to get all the security measures installed before hand.
"New look," Odessa repeats numbly, eyes flitting away as he brushes his fingers through her hair. And as though the words just suddenly had a new meaning to her, she blinks and asks, "Girlfriend? Is that how you think of me?" Now that's an alien concept. Something she hadn't thought of.
Adam considers that for a moment, "Labels are…hard for me. I mean.." well, he's a bit of a player after all. "In a certain way, yes. Just…secret?" he pauses, "I know, that sounds awful, doesn't it. But it's the way it has to be, for more reasons than one." he sits down again for a moment, "I'm a little confused as to what you thought this was…friends with benefits?"
"Something like that, I guess." Odessa absently brushes a stray hair from Adam's shoulder. "It's not like I've ever dated before. I mean, I can count on one hand…" She shakes her head. "You sleep with me because you find me attractive. It doesn't mean you love me. I'm not that stupid. I mean, I watch movies. People sleep together all the time and don't date. So it never occurred to me that you might think of me as your girlfriend. I'm… not opposed to the idea…" She winces. "That sounds dumb, doesn't it? You're going with Lola, and you're sleeping with me." The situation rings familiar with her, but it feels like a lifetime ago. "Nothing wrong with it. But I'm not going to call myself your girlfriend while someone else is."
"Well, I mean, I wouldn't say girlfriend, but.." he shakes his head, "This is silly. Alright. It is what it is. We'll figure it out another time if we have to. But for now, to any outside observers, it's nothing anyway." his lips purse for just a moment and says, "Meanwhile…we'll get you moved around, out of the public eye, so to speak." he pauses with a frown, "Getting you a new face would be good, but I don't have anyone who could do that. No offense or anything, it's a fine face."
Odessa brings one hand up to touch her face, tracing the curves of her jaw and the lines of her cheekbones. "S- Sure… Okay. If you can find someone like us to do it." The implication being that she won't go under the knife for it. "I… I like Queens," she says quietly, giving him some idea of where to send her. "So, I can't be Odessa Knutson anymore. I suppose Brooke Lynwood's a bust, too. I suppose you're going to whip me up a new identity?" She hasn't the faintest clue how he'd do that. She's never had a real identity that was anything remotely resembling legal, let alone a fake ID that could pass for it.
Adam nods a bit for a moment as he watches her, "I can." he says as he leans forward, "I can make you a new person. I can make you disappear, so long as I find someone who can do the face thing.." he pauses for some moments, "But…only if you want to. If you're holding back…if you're still holding onto vestiges of your old life…the friends of Odessa Knutson or Brooke Lynwood…then there's no point. I don't like wasting my time." he says, "So…I'd need to know that you're willing to let one life die to start a new one."
Odessa breaks away from Adam's embrace, turning her back on him so that he doesn't see her start to cry. "I've barely even lived the life I've got now. It should be so easy to walk away from, but I… I don't have a family, it's not as though I've really got any friends. I…" She brings up both hands to cover her face, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms. "I don't even know who I am now. I don't know the day I was born, and I've only ever made best guesses at the year… I don't know if I had parents, or if I was some sort of test tube child. I should feel like I've got nothing to lose." She looks over her shoulder and sniffles. "But I feel like if I walk away from it now, I lose any chance of knowing who I was supposed to be."
Adam is quiet as she goes over her problems quiet. He frowns a minute and lets her grieve, but eventually he walks forward towards her and slides his hand onto her back, his other on her shoulder. He leans forward and murders, "You didn't like that life anyway." he murders, "I can create you a new one. A better one. A happier one. I can make you new again. Do you want to hold on to the pain or start over again?"
Odessa leans into Adam's touch, eyes half lidding as he promises her a new life, a real life. "I'll always be holding onto this pain," she tells him, wiping the tears away from her face even as fresh ones still spill down her cheeks to spite her. "I'll take the new life, but please… Help me figure out where the old one came from. I need some closure." Surely he can understand that need.
Adam frowns at that, this closure problem. He has possibilities, but no guarantees and says, "I'll see what I can do." he says. "I can't promise you that those answers exist…at least in a way that can be had, but I'll.." he pauses, "I'll do what I can." he reaches forward and kisses her temple gently, "We'll see what answers we can have."
"All I ask is that you try," Odessa says. She smiles faintly and tilts her head to return the kiss. "You gonna make up my new life yourself? Or steal it from some… dead woman?" That's how it works on TV. Right? "Do I at least get to offer some input?"
Adam strokes her hair a bit and nods, "Well, you can offer input." he says, "It's not a quick process if it's done right, so it's not like you won't have time to think about it." he leans forward and kisses her forehead, "If I can find someone to change the face…naturally, I will. But.." he pauses, he's quiet, "You might have to accept that won't be possible." he frowns, "But I'll do what I can. Tell me who you want to be and I'll work on it."
Tell me who you want to be. "I'll let you know who that is as soon as I do." Odessa turns fully and cups Adam's face, leaning in for a kiss. Needy and insistent. "Can I stay the night?"
Adam considers whether that's a good idea for a moment. Lola could come by, but then, not likely after earlier today, so instead he nods, "Alright." he murmurs as he pulls her into the bedroom, "You can stay tonight. Tomorrow we'll get you a hotel, temporarily."
Odessa smiles and follows Adam's lead. "Just tonight," she agrees. "I've got a place to stay for a few days." She musses her hair. It still smells faintly of ammonia and peroxide. "What do you think? Is the new me still a blonde?" One yellow patent leather heel pushes the bedroom door closed behind them.