realityshifted

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under the dome (d2) linda esquivel

[003]

[Linda's appearance on the Plane today is a great contrast to how she looked immediately after Duke's death. she's still in her deputy's uniform, but there's no blood this time, and she's calmly sitting at a table in the library. the table is covered in books--history books, specifically, but from a variety of periods and worlds. the one she has open in front of her is about the Drashani Empire, and she's pouring over it like it's the most engrossing thing in the world]

[though there's nothing about her to make it immediately apparent, she's been at this for a while. ever since she found some chocolate sitting out in the kitchen, all she's wanted to do is learn about things--places and people in particular. she hasn't consciously connected this sudden new hobby to her snack, though. as far as she's concerned, she's just in an odd mood, and anything is better than concentrating on the dome anyway]

[despite her current obsession, she wouldn't object to an interruption. after all, people are full of things she can learn, too]

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[So far, Wash hasn't touched the chocolate--he has to be in the mood for sweet things, and he often isn't--but he's been wondering how Linda's been ever since they parted ways after she came to the Plane all covered in Duke's blood... Thankfully, that particular thing is far from his mind; he just fed the other day, so he's set for a bit. He's actually at the library to find something to read when he comes across Linda.]

Linda? [He diverts from where he was going to head and goes over to her instead. The amount of books on the table is...surprising.] Are...you taking a class or something back home? Or maybe you're bored?

[Being trapped behind an impenetrable barrier, he can imagine things would get that way pretty quickly--well, before things go to hell, anyway.]

[she looks up in surprise at the voice] Oh, hey, Wash. [when he mentions the books, she looks at them too, as though she's surprised to find so many there] No, I just...thought they looked interesting. [her tone is slightly quizzical, but she leaves the topic there, quickly focusing in on him instead] How have you been?

[He gives her a small smile in return, not thinking anything about the change in topic.] I've been all right. Putting off going home, though.

What about you? [He pulls out a chair, taking a seat next to her. His tone turns hesitant as he adds:] How...have you been after what happened?

[she frowns at that] Why's that? Is something wrong?

[but at that question, her face falls, and she looks down at the books again] Since yesterday, you mean? I'm...okay. [glancing back up at Wash, she adds:] Jim found his will. He...left me everything. [she bites her lip, keeping the emotions at bay that are still too fresh for her]

["Oh, you mean aside from the fact that I'm a vampire, can change into a bat, and am stuck in the middle of an intergalactic and domestic war and neither fronts are going too well?" is what he'd like to say. Instead, he says:] Something's come up back home. I'm supposed to undergo a medical procedure, but the thing I was supposed to get was taken by a colleague. So I'm getting another one. I just...wonder if I'll have any luck with it. And I'm not sure about getting the surgery in the first place.

[His eyes widen.] Wow, really? That's...yeah, that's a surprise.

You're getting...a thing...in a medical procedure? [sometimes she wonders if he'll ever start a conversation with information that makes sense. and maybe under normal circumstances she wouldn't have asked in exactly that way, but...today, she doesn't seem to be able to restrain her curiosity]

[she nods] He always treated me like a father, but... I didn't expect that. [her words are quiet, her emotions mixed between being stunned and her sadness that is still so strong]

Edited 2015-04-03 02:10 (UTC)

[He nods.] Yeah, um. Back home, I'm a soldier, which...you've no doubt noticed. I'm going to have a neural implant installed so I can be equipped with an artificial intelligence that'll help me run my equipment better in combat. And...I'm nervous. It's an easy surgery, but... [He trails off. He can't finish that sentence.]

He was looking out for you. The Director's kinda like that for me--a father figure, I mean. I trust him. Always has our best interests at heart.

No shit. [she smiles--but the expression quickly fades as he explains] Wait, back up. You're getting...a computer put in your head? And that's an easy surgery?

[she's silent for a minute, still biting her lip as she fights back her emotions, and her tone remains quiet when she speaks] Rusty will be surprised. Duke...left me his house and everything.

Sort of. It's not quite like the computers you have in your time. The main part of the surgery is getting the neural implant itself; kind of like a computer port. The AI itself is what will live there. It'll be like having another person in my head, but it'll help me run different systems in my armor and keep an eye on things for me in combat. Neural implants are becoming something of a standard for military personnel these days. Mine's going to be something of a special version of the port so it can accommodate the AI.

[But that's not why he's nervous.]

[His eyes widen.] Whoa, really? ...Is it inside or outside the...whatever it is.

[unfortunately, that explanation really didn't make it any clearer for her] What do you mean another person? Like that I, Robot movie or something?

Duke's house? It's inside. [she pauses for a beat before she adds:] But...Rusty isn't. I'll have to tell him once this thing is gone.

[He, unfortunately, has never heard of this movie so he just looks momentarily confused.] Um, not exactly. It's another mind on...[he trails off, trying to think of something that'll make sense to her.] Think of it like a flash drive, and that flash drive is where the AI is housed. That's what's going in my brain.

...Oh, your...fiance, right? He's not with you?

[she's insistent today--certainly more curious than normal--as she asks:] But what do mean another mind? How does that work?

[at that question, though, her expression darkens. she shakes her head] No. The whole fire department was over in Westlake for a parade, so they're all outside.

It's all data. You have hard drives for computers, right? They store information. But these artificial intelligences are just...bigger information stores, and they'll be providing my brain with that additional information when it needs it. I'm basically the computer in this equation.

Oh... [The fact that the whole fire department is housed outside is worrisome.] It's a good thing there haven't been any fires yet.

[she's still struggling to understand] But...is it alive? Like it's really going to be somebody in your head telling you what to do?

[she frowns at that] We'll have to be careful. It hasn't rained in weeks, but there's also no way to get any fire equipment now.

Alive in a sense, but it won't be controlling me if that's what you're worried about. There are things, algorithms or something, in place to prevent that from happening.

[He frowns.] Be careful, Linda. I hope people will keep their cool until that thing comes down.

So it just...what, does what you want the equipment to and...gives advice?

[she nods] We'll do what we can to keep people calm.

Yeah, something like that. The equipment can run safely with the AI maintaining the power output and general operational systems. Without it... [He just shakes his head.] We've lost people in the early testing phases. Good people. But...we all knew the risk when we joined the program.

[she frowns at that] I'm sorry.

But...if it's safe now, why are you putting it off? Just because it's surgery?

[to be fair, that's a reason she could understand, and if it weren't for her current state, she probably wouldn't ask that question at all. still, right now, she wants answers too much not to probe the subject]

Thank you. [That's all he'll say to that.]

Because... [He trails off, his expression torn. He hasn't told her yet about him, and while it was easier with the others, Linda's from...a normal world. Well, invisible dome aside.] I'm...afraid of what they'll do when they discover a secret of mine. Having this surgery is an important part of the project. I need to have it, but...

[she's quiet, frowning, trying to think of what he might mean by that. after a moment, she says:] Do you really think they'd kick you out of the program now for...a physical difference? Or even a deformity? I mean, if they're giving you this AI thing, doesn't that mean they need you?

[A deformity? Oh, he can't help the small, slightly bitter laugh he lets out when he hears that.] Trust me, it's not a deformity. I wouldn't have made it into any special forces in the UNSC if I had any that'd prevent me from performing even the simplest of tasks. My whole reason for being in the project is to get my AI and use it to help stop the war.

But... [He's quiet for a second, then regards her quite seriously.] Linda, there's something you should know about me. I've been this way for...[he pauses, trying to think about how long it really has been and while he knows how long it's been compared to time back home, staying on the Plane greatly skews this timeline.]...well, long before we met. And I've put off telling you because I didn't want to scare you, not when things were so bad and weird for you back home. Hell, I'm still not sure if it's a good idea but just about everyone else knows. It's only right that you do too.

[But he still hesitates...]

I don't understand. [she doesn't know what else to say. clearly he's made it all the way to special forces despite whatever secret this is. but if it's something that's been invisible to them all along, something like a mental illness maybe, why would it be discovered now?]

[and his words about it, while they don't quite scare her--she doesn't know enough for that--do worry her] Wash...what is it? [there's a note of hesitation in her voice. but she has to ask. even without her current heightened curiosity, this is something she would still want to know, after everything he's just said]

The last time I saw you, after, well. After Duke. We were in the mansion and you caught me with a mug. I noticed your look, but didn't want to explain.

[He opens up a side panel on his leg armor while he talks and pulls out a thin, small canister. Ever since the huge attack months ago, he's been...cautious, to say the least. He figures there's enough in there to get him by if something happens.]

[He sets it in front of her.] Open it. This is what I had in that mug. And...hopefully you'll understand what I am.

[Linda frowns when Wash offers the liquid to her. she lifts it, part of her already knowing just from the color what it must be, considering all the fuss he's making. but her conscious mind isn't quite ready to believe it. so she sniffs it--and her expression grows horrified. she quickly sets it down and pushes it back toward him, so hasty that she nearly knocks it over in the process] No. [the word is short but forceful] Is this...some kind of sick joke?

[It's not unusual for the Doctor to haunt the library on the Plane. After all, there always seem to be new books he's yet to read, about worlds he's never seen or been to, and might not ever see unless he meets the people they "belong" to. He'd been reading a book about organic "sacks of air" called Huragok that love to take things apart and put them back together again so they're in perfect working order. Sounds like the kind of species he'd both get along with and hope they never find their way onboard his TARDIS. (After all, if he wanted the old girl to run as she did on factory settings, he'd've fixed her up like that ages ago.) He's on his way to putting the book back, walking past a pile of books on one of the library tables when the titles of them catch his eye.]

"A Brief History of the Repeated Rise and Fall of the British Empire, volume 3". Not exactly light reading. [He whips his specs out of his jacket pocket, peering at the book titles on all of the visible spines for a moment before speaking again.] None of these are... Either you're really bored or all of the good books have scarpered. Oh, and I'm the Doctor, by the way. I almost thought you were a friend of mine--she's usually here but perhaps she's off with her fiance. [Or she's arrested someone again.]

[Linda looks up at the sudden unexpected voice, frowning at this strange and surprisingly forward man] What doctor? [because it sounded to her like he expected her to know]

[when he mentions a fiancé, there's a flicker of sadness in her expression, but it disappears as quickly as it came. and she finds that the curiosity that has kept her at all these books is now making her wonder about this man] You don't sound like you're new here. Have you been coming for a while?

[from her uniform and ring, he can probably tell that having a fiancé and arresting people are traits that she and Menzies share]

Me, I'm the Doctor. That's my name. Hello! [He takes a seat across from her, noticing her own ring. (He's long since noticed the uniform; it isn't hard to miss.) He doesn't notice her reaction to her words, though; he never sees that kind of thing.]

[He sits back in the seat, kicking his feet out in front of him as he relaxes.] Oh, well, I've been coming here for years. Forgot how many, though. Lost track of time. So what's your name?

[she gives him a look for seemingly being difficult] Doctor what?

Years!? You've been coming for that long, too? [her incredulity is clear. Wash also gave her an answer like that, but she still can't imagine dealing with this place for so long without something changing] What keeps you coming back?

[for an instant she considers the idea of withholding her name since he's being so cagey about his, but in the end she's really too nice for that--not to mention the name badge she's wearing gives away her last name anyway] Linda. Linda Esquivel.

[Oh, he shouldn't be surprised another police officer doesn't believe that "the Doctor" is his name.] Really, it's just "the Doctor". I'm not trying to pull a fast one on you, Linda Linda Esquivel. [Meaning, "don't try to arrest me for that and being impossible about your name--and mine."]

Well, the company mostly. [He sniffs casually.] I've been able to meet with old friends I haven't seen in centuries. Plus you can't argue with free food, and it's the only place I can find certain drinks from my home.

So how do people know who you are? [because it seems to her that there are too many Doctors in the world for that to work well]

I guess I can see that. [after all, it was the people more than anything that kept her in Chester's Mill even when her parents left. but her curiosity is bubbling up more than ever now, so she asks:] But where's that? [and she wonders why he would have to come here to find drinks from it. she assumes he must have moved away]

Well, they usually don't. [He smiles, his eyes twinkling mischievously.] Not until our paths cross, that is. After that, well, I'm pretty unforgettable.

Where, well, um... [He pulls a face, adjusting his position in his seat.] Well, by now, you know that people aren't all from the same place, namely Earth. I'm one of those people. I'm a Time Lord from Gallifrey.

If you say so. [she's clearly not impressed]

A Time Lord? [she raises an eyebrow. between the name and race, his description of himself sounds really made up] What does that mean?

[He does say so!]

That's what I am. Like you're a human and I'm a Time Lord from a planet called Gallifrey in the constellation Kasterborous. We may look the same; ten digits and toes, two eyes and ears, two arms and legs. But internally, we're different. I've got two hearts and my brain can process a thousand thoughts at the same time--minimum--and that's just for starters.

[she stares at him, unable to come up with anything to say to that outside of one question] You have two hearts?

[He nods, and reaches into his coat for something.] Did you want to hear? I've got--hang on... [He pulls a myriad of objects; a ball of string, several colored paperclips, various writing utensils, a couple bouncy balls, a wind-up mouse, and finally, a stethoscope.] Ah haaa, here we are! [He holds the stethoscope out to her while he's stuff the other stuff back into his pockets.]

[she watches the strange (and unbelievably large) assortment of items that inexplicably seem to be able to come out of his small(?) coat pockets with consternation. uncertainly, she takes the stethoscope when he offers it, looking from it to him, at a loss] You're serious?

[He beams] Absolutely! It's not every day you get to meet a bipedal with a binary vascular system! Well, I can if I look in the mirror, but you! Ohhh, not you. I'm of a rare sort!

[she snorts] Modest, too.

[but she's too curious to resist, so she puts the stethoscope on, offering the end of it back to him to position for her] All right, show me.

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[003]

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