Participants:
| Scene Title | Vindictive Much? |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Jessica finds Liz in the Library. She offers a sympathic ear, then Liz shares 'the secret' with Jessica. |
| Date | August 29, 2009 |
The Library
Living in the library is … sort of like camping. Elisabeth has been somewhat avoiding the people who are staying in the building, although when Cardinal's actually *in* the building, she's been something of a shadow. The best part about camping in a library are the books… the worst part is that it's freakin' MASSIVE and sounds echo. And it makes Elisabeth extremely twitchy. She's carrying a small flashlight everywhere with her right now because the majority of the building doesn't have power. On her way back from browsing some of the shelves of books, she's paused in one of the large foyer areas to look at a series of pictures of the construction of the building through the years.
Bored. Jessica is plenty bored at the moment. This library thing is starting to drive her up the wall. Not that she has to stay inside, and she hasn't, but really.. all these others staying here. It's like a frickin' commune. She walks down the stairway and into the foyer where she spies Liz looking at the pictures on the wall. The woman has been through quite an ordeal, she's been told, so she lets her foot scrape as she move so she doesn't completely started the cop. "Are you as bored as I am?" Jessica asks as she reaches the floor and starts towards Liz.
The scrape alone sends Elisabeth whirling around to see who's coming up behind her and backing up several steps. When her brain catches up to the panic response, her shoulders slump a bit. "Bored isn't exactly the word I'd use," she replies wearily. She hasn't been getting much sleep, that's for damn sure. Those blue eyes are wary on Jessica — because she can tell the difference between the two women already. "What's up?"
The shrug is nonchalant as she leans against a table that's pushed up against the wall with a few books on it. Her fingers curl under the edge of it as crosses one leg in front of the other. "Nothing. Was wandering around and saw you down here." Jessica's not a stranger to the effects of torture, having been on both sides in her lifetime. The giving and the receiving. She lifts her chin as she watches Liz. It's not like they 'talk' or anything, but there is a touch of compassion perhaps in Jessica. "How are you holding up?" Seems like a safe enough question.
There's a long pause and Elisabeth admits quietly, "Not good." She looks wiped out — clearly not sleeping. Or if she is, it's not well. At least once she's been heard screaming — one would assume a nightmare, given that she shattered a couple of the glass cases in the next room.
"Look. You and I have never really seen eye to eye on a lot of things, but that doesn't mean that this is something I'd wish on you or anyone else." There's a brief pause before she remarks with a smirk. "Okay, maybe there are a few I'd like to see this happen to. But we're not talking about that." Jessica admits as well. "I've been there. Where you were. So I might have a little insight on what's going on with you. Of course, I've always handled that sort of thing better than most would under the circumstance, but I'm certain I've gone through the same emotions you've gone through."
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you wanna talk or something, I might be able to help." Maybe.
There's a hesitation there as Elisabeth turns the offer over in her head, maybe examining it for loopholes. Maybe just sort of surprised. "Thanks, Jessica… I appreciate the offer," she finally says quietly. "I don't… " She looks away, her eyes restlessly skimming the hallways to either side of them in spite of the fact that her own hearing would tell her immediately in these echoing halls whether anyone were near. "Mostly, I think it's just a matter of time." She smiles a little, finally looking back at the woman. "That's what I always told hostages when I interviewed them. A matter of time. That's supposed to make it all better, right?" She shoves a hand through her shorter hairstyle. It looks like she's been doing it a lot. "Guess I get to live with my own advice."
For Jessica, it's more like time and payback. Payback is always a plus. She tilts her head to side, letting some hair fall away from her eyes as she watches Liz. She has a feeling it might be the same for her. "Time's nice, but getting your hands around the bastard's throat would be far more theraputic, I think. Too bad you can counsel others to that." Perhaps there's a tiny bit of jest in her voice, but it could be mistaken for a hint of insanity as well. I think most who actually know that it wouldn't be simply payback. Retribution, is probably the word.
That brings a faint smirk. "Oh, hands? No…. but I'd sure as *fuck* love to put those guys right in my line of sight and vibrate every bone in their body to a fine, pulverized powder. I think that might be doable without augmentation. *With* augmentation, it's a fine red mist …." Elisabeth ponders that image and nods slightly. "It's over too fast that way. Bones is far more painful."
Now they're talking the same language. "Sorry, there's nothing like the feeling of watching someone's face wrapped in fear as you squeeze the life right out of them." Jessica has to grin. "I think you way might be getting them off just a little to easy. I want them to know they're going to die and I sure as hell want them to know it's me who is doing it."
The faintly feral grin Elisabeth gives in response might surprise Jessica. Or maybe they've worked together enough times that maybe it's doesn't. "We aren't as far apart as either of us might like to think, Jessica," she says quietly. "Personally, I don't care to ever let them get CLOSE enough to put hands on me again. A bullet to the brain or a pulverizing of bones from afar is quite enough for me, thanks."
Pushing herself back up from the table, so she's standing now, she turns to start up the stairs from where she came. She turns and looks back to Elisabeth and after a moment responds. "Don't knock it until you try it."
Elisabeth watches the other blonde and says quietly, "Hey. Niki already knows that it goes both ways. I heard you ran into someone who's met your … twin? Clone? Whatever the hell she is."
Jessica was about to walk away and leave Liz in peace when she mentions her encounter with Magnes. "Oh, the nerd kid? It's no big deal. He confused me for someone else and was a persistent little shit. Had to put his annoying ass in place." Jessica shrugs. "Yeah, I get it. There's someone out there that looks like me. Everyone has someone like that, right?"
Elisabeth sighs. "If you're ever ready to actually listen to what I have to say about all that, let me know." She's not going to push it; she's already tried to tell Jessica what she knows. "I have a wealth of information that you're choosing to flat out ignore. And that's your right. But there's more to it than 'everyone in the world has a twin'," she says flatly. "You have two of them, both of them with ties to Linderman and the Company. Think on it and get back to me." She turns to head the other way.
There's faint recollection that they've discussed this sometime before. It wasn't Jessica however. "You tried to tell her about this before, didn't you? Then all that Micah/Linderman stuff went down." Jessica moves back down the stairs and crosses her arms across her chest, as if she needs to take a defensive posture for whatever it is that Liz may be about ready to tell her. "So, tell me who this is and what she's supposed to mean to me, and I why I should give one shit about her?"
Elisabeth pauses, still a good distance from Jessica, and nods. "I did. She didn't want to hear it." Ther'es a tilt of her head. "I don't know if there's much in there that requires you to give a shit except in the realm of 'what the fuck'. Tracy Strauss is the PR face of the office of the President of the United States. She's also a dead ringer for you. And I do mean a 'dead' ringer. Not just looks a little like, not just looks a lot like. She's identical. And when I went to California, I found yet another ringer for you. She had ties to the scientist who worked for the Founders that I was trying to track down. Her, I was never able to actually trace. As for the give-a-fuck….. Cat's belief is that the three …. no.. the FOUR of you… were probably siblings separated at birth and experimented on by the Company. Possibly even, like Cat herself, made Evo by virtue of that formula they're trying to perfect right now. We know that there's been at least one success — Cat herself."
"So, you're saying not only do I have three of me on the inside, there's two more on the outside?" Jessica's no dummy, but probably most who would hear this story would take some time to process this information. Tracy. Tracy is the name that kid called her. "And one of them works for the President. It's like something out of a science fiction story, really. Unfortunately, life in general these days seems like something out of a science fiction story. She's mostly just reiterating what has already been said as if perhaps there's something she's just not getting.
Elisabeth's mouth twists into a wry smile. "In this day and time… having seen what YOU have seen… you're really going to quibble about the whole science fiction thing?" She shrugs. "I don't know that there's anything to actually DO about it. But it is something I think you should be aware of. And I think Linderman may have those answers for you, too."
"Tracy Strauss, you say? I may have to look her up and see just how much of a dead ringer she is for me." Granted, Linderman may never get the chance to talk if she ever comes face to face with him. Maybe she'll squeeze that information out of him before she tosses him out of the nearest window. "Gives me a reason to get out of this depressing library." she smirks. "What do you know about Strauss other than she words for the President?"
Elisabeth shakes her head slightly. "Nothing, at this point. It was not a priority on my plate when I got hit with two serial killer cases."
Jessica nods, then uncrosses her arms and starts up the stairs, finally back from where she came. As she reaches the top she turns back and gives Liz one more glance. "I'll find her. And get to the bottom of all of this." She slips out into one of the other rooms.