Participants:
| Scene Title | One Big Walking Human Error |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Harper may have told Elle to stay away from Warren, but he never told Warren to stay away from her… |
| Date | September 28, 2010 |
This morning, while it is pleasant and somewhat on the warm side…it is also raining lightly. Normally, Elle can't stand rain, and avoids it like the plague, thanks to its ability to completely neutralize her ability. However, today certainly isn't a normal day. Not in the slightest. Today, Elle is a bit on the depressed side, as she has been the past several days.
Last night she dyed her hair back to its normal blonde; after a super hydrating treament this morning, she's decided to go out into the rain, to enjoy some of the amenities of this lovely apartment building. She stands on the walking trail that runs along the edge of the property, leaned against the fence that separates the walkway from the water, staring quietly out at the city skyline with a faint frown on her face.
No umbrella today. Elle doesn't seem to mind the drops that soak her blonde locks, that have ruined what little makeup she put on today before deciding to take some time to herself. She wears a simple outfit, a pair of slightly faded and worn jeans, and a simple dark blue t-shirt with a magnet and little lightning bolts all over the front, and a pair of suede slip-on shoes.
Elle looks miserable.
Wearing his usual black suit with the jacket open and black tie hanging over his white shirt, Warren is confused. He saw the pictures, he read the note, but he's still perplexed. He has a red and white mini-umbrella strapped around his head with a belt, continually poking the snowglobe with a little spike that sends a charge into the bottom. What could it all mean? He starts walking down the walkway as well, not really looking up as his silvery eyes continue analyzing the sphere. "I definitely built it." he mutters to himself just as he's passing Elle.
Elle doesn't quite notice Warren's approach. At least, not immediately; she's far too busy staring out at the city and looking sad and feeling sorry for herself. Now who is going to remember her birthday? Now who is going to be that little rock of stability in her life? There's nothing constant any more. Sure, she has Odessa…but that isn't the same as a warm chest to curl up against after a rough day.
That's why, as she hears Warren's voice right behind her, Elle lets out a shocked squeak, whirling around to stare at the man with wide eyes. "Warren—" She cuts herself off, clapping a hand over her mouth as her mask slips, revealing that depression she's been bottling up for the past four days. A brief glance is cast toward The Octagon, before she turns back to stare at Warren with sad eyes, her back pressed up against the fence.
Warren turns his head when he hears his name, apparently that little outburst enough to grab his attention. He stares, then approaches, slipping the globe into his jacket so he can reach forward with both his white gloved hands, then tug at her cheeks. "Real." He reaches for a lock of her hair, rubbing his chin whie giving it an inquisitive stare. "Blonde." Then he looks down, and back up to her eyes. "You're the girl from the pictures, Elle B."
Elle remains frozen as Warren tugs at her cheeks, peeks at her hair, then looks into his eyes. She looks horribly sad at the attention, her eyes flitting between the apartment building and him. Then, the fingers of the hand over her mouth curl, and she makes a soft 'shhh'ing motion. A silent request that he keep his voice down.
Then, she's whispering to him, leaning closer, with one hand raising to touch his fleshy arm. "Yes…I'm the one in the pictures." She glances toward the apartments again, before looking back to Warren. "I'm not technically supposed to be anywhere near you, on Harper's orders…" After another moment of nervous glances toward the apartments, she relaxes.
Fuck you, Harper.
"But to hell with him…are you…are you okay?" It's Elle's turn to reach out and touch his face, a tender gesture that ends with her thumb trailing gently over his cheek bone.
"Well I am now, Elle B." Warren smiles a sort of smile she's possibly never seen before. A smile without Mortimer's sadness under it, or insanity behind it, he just seems carefree and easy going. When he notices he looking up, he raises a finger to press something in his umbrella, which makes it unfold a bit more, to the point of obscuring them both from the windows. "So who are you, Elle B? I thought 'I have a secret admirer!' But then I realized the snow globe is my work. Not to mention I'm in the pictures, the pictures were a good hint that something strange is going on."
It's horribly difficult, hearing him talk to her like he's never met her before. That smile, though…it's wonderful. Her hand lingers on his cheek, blue eyes trailing over his face sadly. His question seems to snap her out of it, and she blinks a few times, her head tilting to one side. While her hand slips down to rest gently on his shoulder, she offers a sad smile of her own, pushing back the tears that threaten at the backs of her eyes
"I'm Elle Bishop." She peers up at him quietly. "And you're Warren Ray." She glances to the umbrella that obscures them from view, then back to Warren, relaxing a little. "And before they brought the Haitian in to see you, I was your girlfriend." Her hand reaches up, fingertips trailing over his forehead. "They fixed you, I think…do you remember anything about Mortimer or Alex?"
"Vaguely familiar names of people in the past that a man told me about a long time ago, but nothing to do with me anymore." Warren crouches down, then moves to scoop her up into his arms, intending to carry her. "Memory wipe, that explains a few things. But you shouldn't worry too much, I'm in control of the situation. People are trying very hard to control me, which is always the first mistake, but I always have a way out." He gives her a comforting smile as they head down the walkway, then shakes his head. "Don't be sad, Elle B, I don't know you right now, but I'm not dead, so that's something. Dying is when all your options run out."
Elle squeaks as Warren quite literally sweeps her off of her feet, blinking a few times as her arms flit around his shoulders. For a time, she simply stares at him with slightly wide eyes, her cheeks coloring slightly. Then, she rests her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes as she simply…enjoys being close to Warren. She was so worried that Harper would find the package she left for Warren…thank God he didn't.
"They are trying to control you. I watched it…Harper erased me from your mind, completely, and had the Haitian fix you. You— you had multiple personality disorder." Her hand raises, cupping his face once more. "They fixed you…you're not crazy any more…" She sounds…awed.
"I wouldn't say that. I've been knocking a design around in my head for a transforming car. I'll call them… Transfigurators, Motorized A.I Controlled Droids in disguise." Warren has little hints of the other personalities, mashed together in a mostly sane but very eccentric manner. "I know Harper wants to control me, but I hold all the cards, I always hold all the cards." He walks out into the rain, holding her a bit closer to protect her from the water.
They keep walking until they reach the interior garage, then he opens that red 1969 Cobra Jet Mach 1, and opens the passenger side for her. "Do you always have a surprised look on your face? I'll have to make sure I show you my inventions." For some reason, he doesn't seem entirely bothered by what she tells him was done, because a part of him isn't surprised. He certainly needs a meeting with Cardinal.
Elle keeps her head against his shoulder, huddling closer to him as they walk through the rain. "Not like you were. You're not…scary, any more." She tilts her head to one side. "I'm the one who made them fix you. Harper…he said it was my fault, that he had to erase me from your mind. I'm not supposed to even be talking to you, let alone letting you put me in a car. I could get in a lot of trouble for directly disobeying orders and talking to you." Not that this is going to stop her. She slips into the car, fastening her seatbelt once settled.
She tilts her head to the side, watching him quietly. "I've seen a lot of your inventions. You made an electric sword, inspired by me." She leans back in her seat. "You were the only person who ever remembered my birthday…not even I remembered it. And I was terrified of you, but…" She frowns quietly as she remembers the last words that Mortimer said to her. "You loved me…and I loved you."
Warren walks around to his side of the car, removing that umbrella hat to close it and throw it into the backseat, then slams the door shut as he sits behind the Speed Racer-like wheel of his car. He presses a few buttons, silvery eyes looking over his interior. "They're still not stupid enough to try and bug my car." he points out with a hint of amusement, then reaches over to take Elle's hand. "Elle B, I may not remember being in love with you, but that just means you have to love me enough for the both of us, for now. When I see your face, it doesn't remind me of any feelings I had, or memories, but… your face is a comfort."
Warren takes his hand back to turn the key, then placing both hands on the wheel, the car begins to rumble through the driveway. "Everything will be fine, just remember that I have it under control."
"It's Bishop. Elle Bishop. You can just call me Elle." She tilts her head to the side, running a hand through her freshly bleached locks. She leans toward him slightly, offering a slow nod, though her face is sad upon hearing what he has to say. She squeezes his hand, smiling sadly.
Once the car is well away from the Octagon, she finally speaks. "I don't know if I should be part of the Institute any longer. They took you from me…they took my father from me…they took the life I used to live from me. And they aren't showing the employee appreciation that Harper advertised." Not in the way she would like, at least.
"We're going to a man named Richard Cardinal. I'll update him on the situation. And if I am a new person, maybe it's good that I don't remember you." Warren smiles, turning the radio on. The song Across the Universe is playing, covered by Laibach. "Doesn't that just mean I get to fall in love with you all over again?" he suggests as he looks on the bright side of the situation.
Elle's face brightens considerably, and she offers a nod. "I know Cardinal, he's…I guess you could call him a friend. This is actually a good thing. I was planning on going to see him, anyhow." Her expression brightens even more as he points out the bright side of things, and she finally seems to relax. "That's— that's true." She smiles faintly, reaching over and and placing a hand on his arm, fondly. "And…if you're a new person, I'm sure I'll fall in love with you all over again…"
"You're an adorable woman, Elle Bishop." Warren idly says as they begin to cross the bridge to Queens after showing their registration cards. The rain seems to be checking up, and he lowers the windows so the breeze can blow over the two. "How serious were we?" the question carries a great deal of weight, countless implications, and about a million ways to answer.
Elle smiles faintly at his first remark. However, the stop at the bridge is met with a bit of nervousness. They're going to know that she's with him. Harper will know. She's pretty much dived right in to this choice to leave, without initially realizing it. She either joins with Endgame today, or she goes back and faces the wrath of one Desmond Harper for directly disobeying his orders. It almost makes her flinch. Whatever conversation they have with Cardinal today will force or still her hand, in either case.
Then, his question comes, and she offers an owlish blink to the man, her head tilted to one side. Such a heavy question, that one. It takes her a while to ponder the answer, her eyes alternating between his face, and the road ahead of them. When she does answer, it's in quiet tones. "We were as serious as the circumstances would allow." Vague, but only at first.
"You had multiple personalities, and would switch between them with me. One of them was crazy, and I was terrified, but I still liked the person he was at the core. The other was the sane one. I loved him. I— I trusted him, which is not something I can do very often, or very easily. He was the one who made that snow globe." Elle turns to stare at the road. "And you…they…were obsessed with me. You told me, so many times, that you would follow me anywhere…"
"Despite having an apparent dislike for Richard Cardinal, I do have this inexplicable open-mindedness to cooperating with his group." Warren sighs, taking a deep breath of the air as they finally enter Queens, listening to her explanation of the personalities with marked interest. He pulls into an alleyway, parking the car, then presses a button as some sort of thin metallic sectional shell rises to cover the windows, and a small light switches on in the car. He seems like he needs a moment, reclining in his seat. "I feel like a new born, in a few ways. It feels like my first day on Earth, but at the same time, I feel great."
"That's from me." Elle tilts her head toward Warren as they pull into the alley. "Before they erased me from your memories, I told you that I was considering working with Richard. I— well, I really don't have any choice now. I'm pretty sure that, after going through the gate, Harper probably knows that I spoke to you, after he ordered me not to. Even if I wanted to go back, it could very well be to a fresh memory wipe like you just went through." She tilts her head. "They're just like the Company…worse than the Company."
She then turns, leaning back in the seat to peer at him quietly. "You are like a newborn, kind of. They merged all three of your personalities together…got rid of the insanity." She unbuckles her seatbelt, now that they're not moving. "You're so…different…yet you're still the same in so many ways. I see pieces of Mortimer in your personality…" She tilts her head to one side, watching him thoughtfully. "Remember the strawberries by the bed, after you woke up?"
"I don't think the Company would have left itself open to so many vulnerabilities. Harper is one big walking human error." Warren closes his eyes, the seat moving back so that it's laying on the back seat. "I tasted the strawberries in my mouth when I woke up, I remember. And I wanna rest here before we meet Cardinal."
"We were eating those strawberries together while we waited for Harper to come." She tilts her head to the side. "At one point, I adored Harper. I would have followed him anywhere. These past few weeks…he's been doing quite a bit to earn my disloyalty. I can't even stand to look at him right now." She sneers. "He didn't even care." She shakes her head slowly. "I'm leaving the Institute…hopefully as soon as we speak to Cardinal." She glances over to him, before reclining her seat, laying back next to him and reaching for his hand.