Participants:
Scene Title | Not My Problem |
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Synopsis | Abusing her contacts at the Brick House, Colette gets herself a fresh set of clothes and prepares to head out and distance herself from the humiliation of being unable to protect herself or rescue her friends on her own, while at the same time learning the fate of Dr.Sheridan. |
Date | February 16, 2010 |
The sound of a zipper in the dark is a noisy one, metal teeth clicking together up a long length of leather. A tiny jingle comes when the zipper is let go, then the rustle of cloth as dark denim fabric is pulled down over the calf-high tops of zippered boots. Cloth rustles in the dark, heavy and stiff, the buttons closed up one by one make no noise, just the scraping scuff of boots on a concrete floor, then the thump of footsteps closing in on a door.
It's with a creaking push that the door of the ticket office of Grand Central Station opens up out into the terminal platform, construction floodlights on bright yellow stands illuminating the subterranean passages. Tucking the front of her red scarf into the collar of a black denim jacket, Colette Nichols emerges from that ticket office, dark circles under her eyes and hair only somewhat combed down from its more messy appearance just a little while ago. At the very least, she's washed up from the other day.
"Well look at you, all betta' already?" The words come from a man leaning against the tiled concrete column across from the ticket booth entrance, arms folded across his chest and head angled down with a furrow of his brows. "You know when you tol' me t'bring you your backpack from m'safehouse, I thought you had medicine or food or somethin' in'nit." Andy Rourke offers a speculative squint of his eyes at Colette as she tugs ona pair of black wool gloves, looking down at the floor quietly as she does.
"I gotta' go." Colette offers in quiet explanation, flexing her fingers before she tucks them into the front pockets of her jacket, green eyes coming up to meet Andy's far darker ones. "Thanks for my stuff." Andy's brows furrow at the sentiment, huffing out a snort as he leans off of the column.
"So, what, y'gone an' traded yourself fer me an' Else, is that what you think it is?" The Operator's eyes narrow as he tilts his head to the side, considering Colette. "Else can stay down 'ere if she wants, but I've got a bloody safehouse t'run girl, I can't just go flippin' off 'cause you wanna' go topside. There's people t'take care of."
"Not— really my problem." Colette admits, brushing a lock of dark hair from her face as she moves over to one of the green painted benches near the railway access, a place where — before the bomb — people might have waited to connect to a subway train bound for lower Manhattan. "Say g'bye to everyone for me, I gotta go."
"Not your bloody problem!?" Andy raises his voice, circling around the pillar and coming to stand on the opposite side of the bench from Colette. "I think it bloody well is your problem, you're the one who wanted t'rescue everyone outta' that place and now you wanna //jet? It doesn't work like tha'!"
"Fuck off Andy!" Colette grouses with a sharp tone of her voice, slapping down a borrowed iPhone onto the bench so that it could be easily found, as if she didn't even intend on returning it to Kaylee herself. "Okay?"
"'Ow's about you fuck off, you made me think the Doc needed tha' bloody backpack!" Andy slams both of his gloved hands down on the back of the bench, "I wouldn'ta driven all the bloody fucking way out here if'n I knew I was jus' bringin' you clothes! I've got's t'be back here in four hours t'help Megan!"
"Whatever." Colette offers in response, fishing around in her pocket to find a set of keys, checks the series of keys ont he ring, then tucks them back into her pocket.
It's shaping up to be a wonderful afternoon.
"Just let her go, Andy." It's a quiet word from one of the other benches not far from them, where Eric Doyle's been seated silently - for once, the big man not terribly obstrusive to his surroundings. His hat is missing, thick arms folded on his knees and head dropped down a bit to gaze at the marble flooring. An empty soft drink cup sits beside his shoes, and - oh, there's his baseball cap, resting on the bench beside him. "If she wants to go just… just let her go."
The puppeteer's bald pate lifts back up from his quiet thoughts, though he doesn't actually look over at the pair, "I'll cover your shift, or… whatever."
"What…..?" That confused question come from not far away from Andy or Colette. Kaylee stands there with a bowl of soup that's been the normal staple since this whole fiasco started. Clearly this bowl was meant for Colette. Eyes narrow slightly at the teenager. "What's going on here?" She could find out on her own, but she did make promises after all and that means getting information like everyone else.
At least today, she doesn't look like she's going to fall over. There are butterfly stitches on her grazed cheek, her eyes still look somewhat dark from the little sleep she's gotten. Kaylee's long blonde hair is held back loosely at the back of her neck. Tactical gear has been replaced with a pair of jeans and a gray sweatshirt, at least she looks more herself.
Glancing at each person in turn, Kaylee slowly steps closer, brows dropping into a frown as she studies Colette. "Leaving, huh?" She finally asks, arching a brow.
Andy exhales a tired sigh and brings a hand up to his forehead. A look over his shoulder at Eric wordlessly asks what without so much questioning punctuation. Both of his hands come up, and the darkly dressed man takes a step back and away from the bench Colette is at with both hands raised and a shake of his head. "Fine, y'know what, 'ave a bloody blast kid." His eyes narrow, "Me? I'm gonna' go see if the Doc needs me t'pick up anything while I'm out, you know— since I get t'bloody ping-pong back 'ere in four hours." Walking backwards away fromt he bench, Andy passes by Kaylee then turns around sharply and starts walking away towards where whoever's on medical watch is taking care of the patients.
Colette's eyes first lift up to Doyle, then more guiltily turn over to Kaylee. Her throat tightens, posture stiffens, and the young teen takes a hesitant step backwards away from the bench as if afraid it were going to bite her. "I— " her voice catches in the back of her throat, because how do you say I was trying to leave while you were gone without sounding like an asshole? "I— I have to go." It's not said with much conviction.
Eric picks up his baseball cap, considering the Yankees logo on it - a few drops of crimson staining it from when he was tackled by a bloodied photokinetic - and then sliding it onto his head with a sigh, eyes closing as he pushes himself up to his feet slowly and laborously. Although he's lost weight lately, thanks to all the little incidents.
The garbage cup is lifted up as well, and he tosses it heartlessly into a trash bin as he steps around the bench. "See you around," he says quietly, pacing across the floor as he heads at a slow, shuffled walk in Andy's wake, hands tucking into the pockets of his jacket to pull it more fully about himself.
A weak, almost apologetic, smile is given to Andy as he passes her. "Andy… I'll cover some of your hours so you don't have to rush right back… Since… I'm here all the time." Kaylee slowly moves to sit on the other end of the bench. Blue eyes continue to study Colette. "Eric…. Don't go anywhere."
"So….." The young telepath starts slowly. "Why?" She asks the Photokenetic the question simply. The bowl of soup is carefully set on the bench next to her, so that the telepath can carefully pick up the cellphone. "Why do you have to go?"
"I gotta see my sister." Colette's using it as an excuse, it's admittedly a valid one but it's not the full length and breadth of why. "Her boss got killed last night," she motions to the iPhone Kaylee picked up, which she's apparently been using to catch up on things. "She… she needs me." There's a furrow of dark brows, teeth pulling on her lower lip as she scuffs one booted foot on the concrete floor. "My dad's probably got half of the Department out looking for me too, I gotta' go see him, make sure he doesn't flip the city upside down looking for me…" green eyes wander across the floor, she can't maye eye contact with Kaylee. "You know I— I've got things I need to do."
Without you, goes unsaid.
"I um," Colette clears her throat and hunches her shoulders forward. "You know, I— I'll be back and stuff, I just…" her eyes stay focused on a crumpled up candy bar wrapped on the ground. "You know, like, I have stuff to do. I gotta— my family— " Colette's green eyes, looking a little more gray under the fluorescent light, level on Kaylee finally. "I'm sure nobody'll miss me. 'Sides, frees up my room for somebody to use."
It doesn't appear that Eric heard the call from Kaylee - or perhaps he's just decided to ignore it, since he keeps walking without looking back. Soon enough, he's vanished into the depths of the Station to go lend a hand to anything Andy might need.
Slowly nodding, Kaylee just kind of stares at the phone in her hand, thumb running over the smooth screen. "Your family does need you…" She agrees softly, glancing up ahead of her. "…both of them." She adds after a moment, her voice strangely calm . "If you think nobody will miss you?" Finally, Kaylee's blue eyes cut her way finally, "Then you are wrong."
"I wanted to go right back in after you that night," Her gaze goes back to staring straight ahead. It's almost eerie how calm she's being, hands rub along the sides of her legs. "I have only two people I can claim as my best friends. You are one of them, even more so then Eric really. Didn't hardly sleep for nights worried about you.. constantly checking my phone for a new message." Finally, all hand rest on her knees, fingers gripping, the only sign of her stress. "I think last night was the first real sleep I had in a long time. "
She goes silent for a moment, before she climbing to her feet, pocketing the cellphone, seems she's not going to stop her. Now she started to sound sad, "Do I want you to go? Hell no. But.. if your family needs you…" And clearly she doesn't think that's the case, "..they need you." Kaylee starts to move, but then pauses.
"If I could make a suggestion? At least go see Joseph? He was really worried about you when he heard where you were. He deserves to see you are safe before you flit off." That last is insisted on by Kaylee. "Don't leave… but definitely, don't leave without seeing him."
"I…" Colette's voice trails off, brows furrowed, "I stopped in, he was— sleeping." It's a lie, of course. "I'll come back," green eyes wander to the left, eyeing the railroad tracks and the gravel beneath them. "It's— I just need to see my family for a little bit, talk to a couple people about— about some things— you know." Furrowing her brows, Colette clears her throat and looks back to Kaylee, watching her pointedly for a moment, before asking the one question that she hasn't had the nerve to yet, because she's terrified of the answer.
"Is she dead?" Colette doesn't need to specify a name to that, doesn't need to append a title or a description. Kaylee knows the full extend of exactly what Colette's asking. Is the woman that did this to us dead?
It doesn't take a psychic to figure that out.
Fingers curl into fists at that question, the telepath's whole body goes rigid. "No." There is so much venom in that one word. Her whole body seems to slump in defeat. "She got away from us." It's something that's bothered Kaylee since that night, especially as she watches everyone struggle with the results.
"I'm — I'm sorry."
The words come out strained, "I don't know what happened with her after I stopped to take care of Joseph." Flint and Eileen went after her. Turning suddenly, Kaylee gives her a warning look. "Don't go looking for her though. She's Company… this wasn't some two bit operation." The telepath looks worried suddenly, "Promise me… if your leaving you won't go after her."
Dark brows furrow, and Colette's head quirks to the side, one brow rising. There's an immediate tension in her body on the realization that Bella's still alive and out there somewhere. "The… Company?" Colette's green eyes narrow and she takes a step closer to Kaylee. "What the Company?" //Oh God. "Who— who are they? Where are they?" There's a sharp, almost stammering quality to her voice as she advances on Kaylee, green eyes wide just enough to make her look somewhat manic.
"I— I'm not going after her, I don't know where to look." Yet, "But if you know something about her, I— please." The young girl's throat works up and down in a swallow. "If you know who she worked for, tell me. Please."
"There are plenty of people in this network that can tell you all about them." Kaylee turns back to look at Colette, "Their the boogie man for anyone like us. You want to know how dangerous they are? Talk to Eric." She gives a jerk of her head in the direction Doyle left. "He knows first hand what they are like…" Her voice drops into a hushed tone,"He's scared of them. Think about that if your thinking of revenge."
"I'm kind of scared your gonna go after them.. So you want the information.. talk to Eric.. McRae… or any number of people that know about it. That's where I learned." Kaylee's eyes sadden some as she studies the young girl. "Be careful out there? We just got you safe again." Her hand starts to lift to settle a hand on Colette's shoulder, but stops letting it drop again, remembering the reaction last time.
Swallowing tightly, Colette offers an anxious smile back to Kaylee, looking to her shoulder where the hand had almost come to rest on it. "None of us are safe…" the teen says in a quiet voice, "not with her still out there." Furrowing her brows, Colette looks up to Kaylee with a wavering stare, then takes a step back and away from the blonde. "Keep— Keep an eye on Joseph, okay?" There's a reluctant nod of her head to those words, everything about her posture seems like she isn't sure of anything about herself. "M'not going after anyone, I just— I need space."
Colette turns, halfway, then looks side-long at Kaylee in hesitance to walk away from her fully. "I'll be careful," she finally says, quietly. There's a moment of awkward silence between the two, and Colette just finally turns away and tucks her hands back into the pockets of her jacket, walking over to the edge of the platform before hopping down off with a crunch of the gravel under her feet. She stops, there, looks back up onto the landing platform at Kaylee, and turns to head towards the orange hazard lights of the southbound tunnel.
The telepath is completely at a loss as she watches Colette walk away, but Kaylee can only stand there and watch her do it. It takes everything in her not to yell 'stop' or even make her stay… but then she wouldn't be a good friend.
Once the young girl is out of sight, Kaylee's eyes shut against the surge of painful emotions. Breathing in and out slowly as she tries not to start crying again, the other patients don't need it. Oh god… // Blue eyes snap open and she glances over her shoulder in the direction of the ward. //Dr. Brennan is not going to be happy. Her cheeks puff out briefly before she sighs. Great.
Glancing upwards, Kaylee studies the ceiling as if she could see past it to the sky beyond. She does something she's never really done since she was very little. The words are soften spoken softly, "If your really up there?" Eyes drop to look at the tunnel Colette went.
"Watch over her….. Please?"