Participants:
Scene Title | Lucy…. 'SPLAIN!!! |
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Synopsis | Anyone who has ever seen "A League of Their Own" might be forgiven for mistaking Liz for Tom Hanks in this moment. |
Date | November 9, 2017 |
Resistance HQ
She gave him until the next day. Assuming he's alive when she goes looking for him, because Ling and some of the others just might have torn him to bits in the night. But Elisabeth has words for her 'little brother' and they're best had both in private and in PRIVATE. So she goes looking for him and crooks her finger wordlessly to invite him to follow her to a secluded spot.
It's not an invitation and the look in her blue eyes tells him that if he dodges this… she might just go full-on banshee in public on his ass.
Once they're what she deems far enough away, she surrounds them with a silence field and says in a very controlled tone, "Talk. Now."
"I want my daughter back, so I had Edward Ray augmented by Tyler. I have a rough cliff notes version of how we're going to get home, but I don't know every detail. Certain things can't be changed or avoided…" Magnes crosses his arms, sighing, clearly stressed. "The world after this is the flood world. But there's still things to do before that. The first step is that I have to talk to Eve Mas."
"What. The. Fuck." Elisabeth drags a hand through her dark hair. "First… you knew we were coming here of all places and didn't bother to fucking tell me?" She gestures back over 'there' randomly. "I've already come face-to-face with my self from here, and let me fucking tell you, Magnes, I needed prep time for that shit." Her voice is a little shaky. "And now you're telling me that you already know we're not going home. You've had MONTHS since Moab to talk to me about this shit. How could you leave me in the dark? Do you not think I would do anything for Addie? I would still be here!! But some of the others deserved the right to decide for themselves whether they wanted to weather the storm there instead of facing this!"
"Elisabeth…" Magnes is quiet for a moment, trying to find his words. "I'm afraid of changing anything. Edward isn't psychic, you know that. I can't start changing things, it might make everything he said useless, it might mean we don't even get out of this alive."
He looks into her eyes, almost pleading. "I'm saying things as I need to say them, as it's necessary. I can't change the course of things if I want Addie back. We won't be here forever, we won't be in the flood world forever. I know the things we're supposed to do, if we just stick to the plan we'll be fine."
"You can't know that," Elisabeth points out emphatically. Her ire isn't the red-hot anger that heralds her shouting at him and then just getting over it this time. It is a white-hot kind of rage that actually goes cold. She's not even shouting, she's snarling. "Edward fucking Ray is not the be-all, end-all. He can only predict what he knows based on the facts he can be given. And guess what? Any facts you fucking well gave him that give you any kind of a path to follow in this world? They're wrong. Nothing in this world — what little you even knew of it — is the same as what we learned from the team that came from 2040. Nothing."
She gestures around them. "Look around you! The war happened here earlier. Cardinal died here years ago because he actually saw what happened in our world and changed his ways. So the path you think you know? It's wrong. And you don't get to decide this bullshit for everyone else. Addie's life is absolutely important. But you don't get to choose for everyone else that has come along with us that you know best. There have been far too many fucking times Edward himself was wrong — right up to and including having Richard put a fucking bullet through my brain. Richard in this world did that. And in our world, Edward fucking Ray realized what huge, massive fucking mistake that was. You and Richard need to stop believing that man knows everything, Magnes. What he knows is useful and helpful. But he has exactly ONE goal. Saving his kids. If he saves yours along the way? Great. If he has to lie to you about what you need to do to save Addie so that it saves his kids? He fucking does it. He doesn't give a flying shit about you or Addie or anyone else." The intensity of her tone doesn't diminish one iota as she comes down on him like a ton of bricks.
"I have to believe that somehow he was able to figure things out, that somehow his information does apply. He knew people would come for us, and they did. He knew that… something would happen with Tyler, but I didn't know exactly. I thought he'd be safe, I didn't…" Magnes shakes his head, and just continues. "I have to follow what Edward told me because it's the only edge that I have to get Addie back, I don't care how much of a long shot it seems like!"
"Edward only asked me for one thing." He holds up a single finger. "He told me to take care of Kaylee. He said she stays behind in the next world, she doesn't come to our world. The things he knew, it was far beyond what could have come from just what I told him. I believe in his ability, because I have to, Elisabeth. So we need to get on the same page, because I'm not veering off course."
"You. Don't. Get. To. Decide. That." Elisabeth's words are punctuated by the fact that she steps closer to him and he can feel the rage pulsing off her in inaudible, palpable deep thrums. "Kaylee is a fucking person, an adult. Fully capable of her own goddamn choices. You have no say. Yes, Edward figures things out. Maybe he's even got some kind of link to one of his other selves, the same way Dessa did." She didn't tell him about any of that. Not really. Only that she'd gotten a message home.
"But let me lay this out for you: 1) People OF COURSE CAME FOR US. Eve is a fucking precog, Magnes. And it was a decent bet if she or Tamara were around, they were going to come for us. Statistically speaking, that's almost a given. 2) The potential for Tyler to get hurt. SOMEONE was likely to. Many someones were likely to. He guesses based on what is most likely to happen. Doesn't mean it will and doesn't mean it will turn out the way he thinks. I am a walking, talking fucking illustration of that."
She shoves a hand through her hair breathing heavily with the power of the words she's leveled on him. "You will sit down with me and you will tell me exactly what you are planning and what you think needs to happen based on Ray's explanations. I will listen to them and we will figure things out."
Elisabeth holds up her hand if he even looks like he's going to object.
"You're either going to do it with me, or I'm washing my hands of you. You made the unilateral decision to keep them in the dark. To drag them into this hellhole instead of home without even a warning. And I'll let them throw your ass out, Magnes. You'll be on your own. Let's see how Edward Ray's fucking statistics work out for you then. I will never give up on finding Addie, but I won't work with you." And it kills her to say it. "This? This thing you just did? It's a betrayal of everything you and I have built between us in the past few years. You put Evie and Aurora into severe jeopardy because Addie's life is apparently far more important than either of theirs… you're willing to sacrifice them. And if you're going to turn into Edward fucking Ray, where anything goes just because it's your kid and everyone else is expendable? That's unacceptable. " She shakes her head and fury darkens her blue eyes.
"You know it's not like that, that I'm not trying to sacrifice people… I guess I just trust that everyone would be okay, I wanted to believe that. But… okay." Magnes looks around, then grabs a crate, taking a seat. "First we have to talk to Eve, or some kind of seer, but I'm guessing Eve. We need her to actually get out of this world. We'll need to know coordinates, timing, all of that."
"There are apparently worse machines than the ones we've seen so far, the person who makes these machines is a prisoner. He might be willing to help us, but Edward said it it'll set off a violent response." Though, of course, this sort of thing is expected, so he just continues. "There's some sort of dome, or a shield, but it isn't run by any machine, it's run by a person. He suggested that might have to kill that person, or at least that we could."
He groans at the next thing, shaking his head. "We apparently have to trust John Logan, against all of our better judgement. It's apparently because we'll need someone to remove an implant, and John Logan will know someone."
"He said there's too many variables beyond that, but that we all have to work together or we won't get out of here. That's all the predictions I have for this world."
"There's something…" He rubs the back of his neck. "He kept saying 'I can see', like, as if he could see the things he was telling me, like a precog or something. It was much different from what I've seen Edward do before."
Gritting her teeth, Elisabeth reins in her anger and moves to sit down nearby when he acquiesces. Pointing out that Tyler died is just beating a dead horse at this moment. And then he starts talking. Her brows are beetled so tight above the bridge of her nose, it's a wonder the outer corners haven't started caterpillaring their way across her face to knot there as well.
In an effort to ease the tension headache that the ferocious scowl is creating, Liz reaches up to pinch the bridge of her nose while she thinks her way through the logistics. "Depending on what they were doing to him in there, it's entirely possible he was actually 'seeing' something happen," she snarls low in her throat. "Goddamn motherfucker. In the end, it doesn't matter. All he's given you is a basic blueprint, which is about the only thing that's going to save you from me ripping your head off and shoving so far up your ass that you can see daylight again." She is still mad.
"There's no fucking way in hell we're trusting John Logan. Using him? That may well be. But trusting his ass? Forget it. As to the goddamned machines, look around. It's a given that what we've already seen isn't the worst of it. The guy who is making them— " She peers at him. "Is it Warren? Or Hector Steel? Did he give you a name?" Then she diverts back the other way. "Implants of some kind in their pet Evos especially are to be expected — this is a world where they track and imprison and sterilize Evos, Magnes. And working together? I don't even understand why you actually think he's told you anything we couldn't have already figured out on our own. Most of this is the worst case of a shyster psychic I've ever fucking heard." Elisabeth sounds a little disgusted, and she's still fuming!
Her tone is a little calmer, though as she grows thoughtful. "The dome reminds me of the guy who had part of the city entrapped for a while a few years ago in our home. I had operatives under it. Give me a little time to think my way through all the old reports on that — We've been gone from all that long enough that the specifics escape me just now." That much, at least, might be hellaciously useful. She has to think on it.
"And you owe Ling, Kain, everyone who didn't have to make the choice to come with us, a grovelling apology," she finally tells him sternly, turning her eyes to him. "Coming after Addie — for me, Izzy, Shaw, that was a given. Going after Manuel, that was a given with Lynette and Mateo and even me. But some of the others? They might have opted right on out if they'd known they'd be landing in hell again. And you owe them an apology, even though it's not even close to being enough reparation for this." She eyes him. "You are as much my family as Aurora is, Magnes. But I swear to God if you ever, ever … " She can't even say more, she's still so spitting mad at him, so she just shakes her head.
"I'm sorry… I've never truly been a father before, I never really understood what it meant. God, I have a father who cloned me a bunch of times because he couldn't deal with loss, I'm probably not the best at handling this either. I just… I was afraid. I know that I was wrong, but I really felt like it was my only chance…" Magnes stares at the ground at he speaks, adding, "I didn't realize how much responsibility it would be to have some idea of what was going to happen."
"And no, he didn't say who builds the robots." he quickly answers, looking up at her again. "We might possibly need a boat for the next jump. He said it wouldn't be dry."
Elisabeth grimaces quietly and looks away at the admission that he'd not understood until now the burden of knowing. "I can't begin to yell at you for being desperate over Addie, Magnes," she tells him quietly. "It sucks when you realize a choice has to be made and your child is part of the price." She sighs heavily. "This is the last you'll hear about it from me." Because in the end, she can understand, even if she can't bring herself to condone.
"If we're going to the flooded world, that would make sense." Liz pauses. "I don't suppose he could promise we'll actually ever make it home, could he?" Despite the idea that Dessa once mentioned, that Richard thought they had a chance at Christmas 2018, Elisabeth is not entirely sure she can actually believe in that given what's happened so far. She has to keep up the facade of having hope, but… it's a thin thread right now.
"Well, there are a few things about the Flood world we should keep in mind, involving us getting home. One thing is, he saw something or someone looking back at him, something that exists in the Flood world. This might be that thing between worlds, so, it seems important to us traveling." Magnes explains, considering the things he's been told… "He said that Ruiz can't get us home in the Flood world, we'll need Michelle's help or we'll be lost there forever. Michelle is a prisoner, they're going to execute her and we have to save her. If we don't get Michelle, Edward said we'll be lost in these splintered worlds forever. He also said that boarding the ark is a one way trip, whatever that means."
Elisabeth's head comes up sharply. "Michelle is alive?" Jesus fucking Christ. Her mind spins over that information. It's a lot of information to take in. She'll let him keep talking, but she comments quietly, "Let's focus on staying alive to get out of here. All of this information is important, but… " Her sigh is heavy. "It's currently irrelevant. When we're getting close to trying to leave, we'll revisit."
Boarding the ark doesn't sound good — given the last ark she knew of was the Arcology.
"In the flood world, apparently." But Magnes just nods, and holds up a finger. "The first step is that we have to talk to Eve about these things. Eve is essential." Then, he walks over to hold his arms out to her. "I'm sorry if I seemed like I didn't care, or… I don't know. I felt desperate, I've never felt so afraid in my life. I literally care more about my daughter's life than I ever cared about my own."
That, Liz understands better than she can ever articulate. She wraps Magnes in a tight hug, despite the fact that she's still so mad at him. He's still family — the dumb kid brother who still has to get cuffed on the back of the head for things, it seems like. But she can see how far he's come too. "Don't take fucking pages out of Edward Ray's book .. or Ezekiel's either, dammit," she sighs. "That way lies madness and destruction."
When she releases him from the hug, she says, "I have to talk to Eve anyway. If you catch her to talk without me … let me know." Elisabeth just needs to get a feel for the lay of the land here. "I'd like to be there for that, though — before we all have to split into smaller cells to keep off the radar." She sighs heavily. "Go take care of Elaine," she urges him. "I think she'll need a little support to get her feet under her here. She's never lived like this." She and Magnes and the others who were in Virus? This is just remembering older habits.
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