realityshifted

Entry tags:

life on mars (d1) annie cartwright

001

Sam! Guv!

[have an Annie mid-run screeching to an almost halt, looking around herself, confused.]

Wha -

[she stops, looking back from where she came from again]

That was just a shop a minute ago, wasn't it?

[still looking around herself, eyes looking up, then down in confusion]

Doesn't seem to be much of a shop at the moment. Doesn't seem to be much of anything, really.

[turning around herself in a small circle and finally taking a deep breath]

Now just to work out what this is all about. Suppose I coulda slipped and fell back there. Hit my head and now I'm seeing stars [her eyes shift a little, still taking in her surroundings] everywhere. Or maybe I'm still in bed and I never even woke up yet this morning. Drugs maybe? They did bring in those hippies the other night. Really oughta try to keep a better eye on that lot.

Whatever it is, is enough to make you think you lost your mind.

[laughs, rolling her eyes]

And I'm talking to meself now, too. That solves it.

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[holds it nervously, hesitating for a minute, before finally slicing open her palm. and there it is, in all it's black and glittery glory]

That means I've died? [looks at Sam] A person wouldn't forget something like that, would they? [looks back down at her palm again] How could I forget something like that, someplace like this.

[softly]

I don't know.

How? How did I die?

It's not - if you don't...

[his voice is strained]

I don't want to talk about it.

Edited 2009-01-30 23:28 (UTC)

You can't just say I died and not tell me. If it is like you say it is, and it's all some sort of memory wipe, I'll remember eventually anyway.

[laughs]

Oh God. Listen to me. Talking 'bout memory wipes and dying like it's the most normal bloody thing in the world.

It's madness.

[teasing] If it's madness at least I know I'm in good company.

[thinking]

Someone else all ready seemed to know me, too. She mentioned that the Guv, Chris and Ray are all around here as well. I feel like I haven't seen Chris and Ray in ages. They're all right, aren't they?

Yeah, they're... they've gotten... we're all fine.

[lying and not even doing it well, so that even he realises it]

There was a... it doesn't matter. Everything's fine.

Everything's not fine. You're a terrible liar. Now just tell me what it is.

There was a fight with some of the people here. Chris... they're both better now. Chris was just...

[quietly]

...in hospital, a bit.

He what?

[demanding]

Well where is he now?

[actually steps back]

He's fine! I promise, he's fine! We managed to save him in time. He should be around here somewhere.

[isn't backing down]

And this is those Masters and tigers and Prime Ministers you were on about, telling me to keep clear of. They're why Chris was in hospital? Are they the reason you and me and the Guv and all those other people you mentioned died?

No - yes. Just... Chris was in hospital because Ray... picked a fight with a pair of very dangerous identical twins. Nearly killed us all, but Diva bought us enough time for the three of us to get away.

[he tries to speak about himself and Gene, but that is so much harder, and his voice sinks into quiet again, detached and clinical as he discusses deaths of friends and his failure as a police officer]

The Masters killed Hei. Misaki died from Contractors in her reality. A lot of the others were... One of the people here was drugged and put through trauma. She went mad, lost all sense of self and went on a killing rampage. I talked her back into sanity, but not before several died.

Diva, I met her. She said she's a friend of yours.

[puts a hand on his shoulder, looking worried and concerned. she'll let the topic of Sam and Gene's death drop for the moment, but it will eventually be revisited.]

I'm sorry, Sam.

[thinking on his death has brought that prickle of fear up, and he jerks away as her hand nears his neck. When he realises what he did, his eyes flicker up, and he tries to apologise for his behaviour simply by looking at her]

It's the past. They're back. It's done with.

[looks at him and pulls her hand away, even more worried but she'll let it go for now]

All right.

[looks around and grins at him in the hopes of bringing him back from wherever he has gone in his head right now]

So, tell me more about this place? I'm probably going to need someone to guide me around, at least until I can reacquaint meself. You seem to know it all well enough.

[he doesn't directly notice it, but focussing on a job does definitely help him come back from fear]

Right. What have I told you? Time doesn't pass here, you can go back or reappear... the kitchen and the bar both automatically restock themselves, which comes in handy. There's a coliseum, a theatre, a beach, a forest.... you can bring things here if you have their hands on 'em when you appear on the Plane. It doesn't work with people, inexplicably. Sometimes, the Twins will start off on experiments. They change people. Right now, it seems that a lot of people are in bodies not their own. There was a disaster which turned Manchester into a B-Movie horror film, complete with zombie Nazis. I went blind once, but I don't know if that was them or -- you know. Hyde.

[oh look, that just brought the awkward back]

Bits of your world can... mesh with other people's worlds. If you're close to them, seems like. But it isn't just love that brings people together.

[his eyes, at the thought, turn yellow, and when he speaks his lips curl more, almost cat-like - almost like he should have fangs]

Hate is as good at binding people and worlds as love is.

[she would acknowledge all you just said, but - well - what yellow eyes you have, and what big teeth you could have, oh my!]

Sam! Your eyes.

[Sam looks startled, and as the emotion changes, his eyes turn back to normal. Now he just looks ashamed.]

Sorry. It happens when I get angry now.

Oh, Sam.

[almost reaches out a hand again, but pulls away, remembering his reaction before]

Does that happen because of this place as well?

It happens because of the Master. His world merged with ours. You won't remember that; Ray and Chris didn't. All the world outside of Manchester is his Cheetah Planet.

I gave into violence there. I killed him. [his eyes flash again, but he forces the anger back] The virus infected me because I lost control.

Cheetah Planet?

You killed someone? [tries not to react to those eyes, but it's still startling] I want to help you, Sam. What can I do?

I had to. I had to save Gene. It wasn't... wilful murder.

[now he ducks his head so she doesn't see his eyes change again as he thinks, 'Though I wish that bastard would have stayed dead.']

[he's a moment recovering himself, and then he shakes his head]

I'm fine. It's all in the past.

He was gonna hurt the Guv?

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