Participants:
| Scene Title | Do You Have Any Idea What You're Doing? |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Hello, Pot, it's me, Kettle. |
| Date | May 16, 2009 |
Undisclosed Safehouse Location
Trask has just checked on Elle he closes the door to the bedroom quietly, and comes out to join his visitor, who is already settled onto the couch with fajita left overs. As he tiptoes from the sleeping form in the other room he thinks on Cam and smiles to himself a little, "Kinda a switch of roles, no?" He smiles a little lopsided, although Liz, this Liz, his Liz, would have no idea what he is talking about.
Elisabeth left with the others, giving Norton and Elle privacy. She called later to ask him for a few minutes to talk. Being here with Elle in the other room is more than a little uncomfortable. She paces the living room, keeping her peace until he comes back in. And then she looks at him from the far side of the living room, keeping her voice pitched low. "Do I even want to know what the hell you're thinking, Norton? Not that I can afford to cast too many stones here, given my own bad judgment in men lately, but …. seriously. You went ten years in the future just to get laid by a Company agent?"
Trask blinks, he was looking forward to a tearful welcome home, not this. He sighs softly and gives Liz a look. "It's not like that…It's not like any of that." He settles into the couch. "I was regreting going over this scene again, but I will say at least you were more understanding the first time around, but then you were there the first time and understood how it happened.
"Look…." Elisabeth bites her lip. What he just said indicates that at least she's not dead in ten years. Not in that future anyway. "I'm the last person to get all high and mighty about finding comfort somewhere, Norton," she says quietly. "But you're seriously taking your life in your hands with that one. And we don't even know she can be trusted. You went to the future, where from what I can gather all kinds of information is available. Has it occured to you that she can fuck every one of us sixteen ways from Sunday? We could all wake up back in Moab the second she gets away from all of us!"
Trask sighs, "There were some uncomfortable truths in he future…truths I don't think you want to know." He looks at you, "I will tell you if you ask." He closes his eyes, "There were also some really good things about it, things that I may never get over losing by leaving there." He touches his breast pocket, "Me and Elle wasn't a comfort issue…She, she was lost and alone in a world where she was public enemy number one. She needed a friend not someone to put her on a leash and keep he locked up. If I had tried that she would have likely killed us all. Instead I tried some honest and heart felt compassion, and now we /might/ have a new allie out of all of those. Your right maybe I am playing Russian Roulette, but…" He sighs and looks at you, "You, the other you, said I might be losing my edge, but I have to follow my gut on this one.
There's a shift of expression to one of thoughtfulness. "Well, I have to admit…. I'm starting to wonder where Sergei went in all this, cuz Norton's playing a huge role." She shoves a hand through her hair, considering. "Look…. I'm not going to harp on who you sleep with. God knows, it's not like I've been interested in monogamy. But I am going to point out that in this case…. sleeping with her and having it go south is exactly what could totally screw everyone you know. She's got names, information now… she's dangerous. And if push comes to shove, I hope to God you can put a bullet in her brain before she compromises everything." It may even be a jarring juxtaposition for him — Liz of ten years from now has mellowed considerably. Current time Elisabeth has seen too much recently, been faced with too many dangerous Evos and too much conspiracy … she's willing and able to go ahead and take Elle out of the picture if it looks like she's a threat. "I just hope you know what the hell you're doing. And that you know very firmly where your loyalties lie. Helena said you hesitated before the trip home because your new squeeze was late to the party."
Trask says, "That's not quite true… there was a battle going on when we were leaving, most of us had made it to the roof, There were sounds of combat still going on in the stairwell, and only one of us was missing. If it had been Alex, or you, or Teo? Helena would have given the order to make sure to get them out of there. Why should it be different with Elle? She was fighting to get us all out of there, were we just supposed to leave her behind? Is that how we work now?""
She'll concede the point by putting up both of her hands in surrender. "All right, Norton. Fine." Elisabeth moves to wrap her arms around herself and walk the apartment restlessly. "I'm glad you made it back, Norton," she says softly as she moves. "It's been… pretty crazed around here, what with people from 2019 on the loose here doing stuff." She glances at him. "But you should maybe keep that bit of intel to yourself for now." She's not sure what Helena's told him.
Trask nods, "My lips are sealed." He sighs softly, "Anything else I need to know? Be caught up on?" He looks at the tv, "Do I even have a job anymore?"
Elisabeth grimaces at that. "Honestly? I'm not sure how," she admits. "Your captain contacted me, but there was nothing I could tell him except that you'd had an emergency of some kind. But since I didn't have a cell phone number for you or any way for him to contact you…" There wasn't much she could do to cover for him this time. She looks at him and says, "I kept paying the bills — turned off the electricity and phone to save you some money, just kept paying the rent electronically." Since she had the passwords and what-all still from back when he was shot. "You might be able to convince your captain it was a valid absence, but…." She doesn't look terribly hopeful.
Trask nods, "And the longer I'm here babysitting, the less likely I am to be able to cover. Well it looks like that is that." He sighs and closes his eyes, "Thank you Liz, for what you could do. I am sorry to do this to you…again.
Finally she moves to sit next to him, seeming uncertain of her welcome. "You didn't…. I had faith this time. Once we figured out people'd been chucked through time, it was just a matter of… waiting for you to reappear. Took a little longer than I'd hoped," Elisabeth admits with a smile. "But I knew you'd show up somewhere."
Trask smiles, "I am glad you had faith…though I know you didn't expect me to come back like this." He shakes his head, "I am going to have to figure out what I will do for a living…I'm not exactly going to be the fountain on information for Pheonix I use to be any more. And Helena has doubts about my trust now…."
Elisabeth slides her hand into his. "Can you blame her?" she asks quietly, looking at him. "If you're attached to Elle Bishop… well, if she turns out to be an asset, Helena will settle. The trouble is, I have a feeling that the amount of infomration all of you were exposed to is pretty problematic when you take into account who was exposed to it." She shrugs a little. "Hell, working in the cop shop's not likely to give you a fountain of information to work with anyway — not unless you're willing to dance with the Company in big ways," she grimaces.
Trask says, "And yet Lucretia, who was a member of Kazimirs group, and Jessica…who we don't even want to get into, were allowed to just wander off with the same information, and a lot more freedom to get it then Elle, who was kept under watch the whole time."
Elisabeth blinks and stares. "Lucrezia was a Vanguard member? I thought she was Teo's aunt….!" And she smirks faintly. "Jessica was let loose because she's a damn sight more trustworthy than someone hard-core Company. Jessica hates the Company almost as much as she hates everyone else — her loyalties are to Niki and Niki alone," she murmurs. She pulls her hand out of his and shakes her head. "And don't go defending your Company girlfriend to me, please. If you can't see why Helena's concerned — why I'm concerned — then it's already too late. Your objectivity is compromised." She leans over to kiss his cheek and moves to stand. "I need to go. I'm willing to give her some benefit of the doubt, considering all that everyone's said she's gone through. Let me know if I can help in any way, okay?"
Trask says, "I didn't say I don't understand why she's concerned, I am saying that she is running double standards, personally I think all of them should be locked up, otherwise we are just letting it out there, and really once you have a leak, what is the point of stopping more from happening?"
Elisabeth shrugs. "I think they're letting those two walk without because ultimately they are highly unlikely to report to the Company, Norton," she argues back. "Never mind. I'm not having this fight. I'll see you later." She looks both frustrated and puzzled by his attitude, thoroughly flummoxed to see just how much Elle Bishop has gotten to him. And she's not even sure why it pisses her off so badly. She heads for the door and says quietly, "You know the number if you want to talk."
Trask says, "Liz…Don't go yet." He rises and moves over to where she is by the door. "I am not campaigning for Elle's freedom, or for everyone to trust her, I am just saying we need to be more careful in general. I just came from a world where Sylar was one of your best friends and partners on the police force, it made me realize that ANYTHING is possible, and also my perspective in that world made me realize that the company is /not/ the only enemy. We need to watch our backs more now then ever.""
Elisabeth stops and turns to look at him, both eyebrows shooting up. "Sylar was… what?" She looks more than a little stunned. Her eyes searching his face, Elisabeth nods slowly. "You won't get any argument out of me there. Cat and Hana are of the opinion that both the Company and Pinehearst need to be brought down, and … at this point, I'm in agreement with that idea." She shakes her head. "I'd say it seems like too big a goal, but… I've seen what this group of people can do when they all pull together." She smiles a bit. "Now we just have to find the right way to pull together."
Trask smiles and leans in to kiss you, hard and hungry, a kiss of someone who has been gone too long, if she resists he pulls back almost immediatly.
She has a split second to decide whether to respond or not. And Elisabeth opts to return the heated kiss, though when he does finally pull away, she smiles up at him. "New ground rule, mister — I don't expect monogamy, but you don't get to literally hop from her bed to mine in the space of minutes. At least take a shower first," she chuckles softly.
Trask shakes his head, "It's not like that…and I wouldn't do that to you."
Elisabeth nods slightly. "All right," she replies softly. "I'll definitely take your word for that." She hesitates and studies his face, asking softly as she reaches up to lightly stroke his cheek, "I didn't ask you… if you're okay. The things you must have seen, the things you know now… are you going to be all right?"
Trask says softly, whispering, "I don't know…time will tell…"
"You said it wasn't all bad… I'm glad." Liz bites her lip and then smiles. "I'm choosing not to ask about a lot of details… but if there's something you need to tell me, you can."
Trask shakes his head, "I lost someone there…and…there are questions on what happened to everyone we left behind…whether they still exisit…or winked out of existance the moment we left." He touches his pocket again, "What I brought back with me maybe all that exists of them."
There's a sadness to him that she's never seen before, but Elisabeth nods slowly. "I'm sorry," she offers quietly.
Trask smiles, "It's not your fault…if anything you are the reason we got as much time together as we did." He strokes your cheek with the back of his hand, "thank you Liz….now…I think you were storming out?"
Elisabeth rolls her eyes at him. "Yeah… lemme go back to that," she murmurs with a half-grin quirking her lips. Leaning up to kiss him once more, she says, "Call me. You know the number, it's secure." And then she lets herself out.