The Dead Savant

Deleted User - 819397

Giles hated having his power active for this long. It made each moment stretch and since they were just walking down tunnel after tunnel, it was dull as all getout. Talking would have been odd in the echoing chamber too, especially when he’d be able to keep track of each echo, and he didn’t want a headache, so he kept largely silent. This was Toby’s show, and he seemed happy enough, so for now he was content to just walk, though as they went he got more and more skeptical about their final destination.


The former aristocrat’s patience was wearing thin after an hour passed, his power starting to tick him off, and his mind screaming to see something other than blank tunnel walls. He was daydreaming a little to try to stave off insanity when he saw some movement, and before he could react he and Toby both had guns to their head, a demanding voice telling them to raise their hands. He complied, furious with himself for not having paid more attention, though as he thought about it even had he been half asleep he’d have had time to react in a normal situation with his power up. So that meant...


“Forgive me if I’m disinclined to give my name to someone holding a gun meant for long range fire to my head,” he started, emotions clashing in his voice. “I’ll assure you I’m not DPRS, or whatever they’re called, nor do I have affiliations with any military style group. I’m also fairly confident if you’d have wanted to kill us without talking you would have done so rather than move in and awkwardly hold large guns to our heads. You would’ve picked us off and had done with it. As for why I’m here, I don’t really know myself, we’re here on a good feeling and because my friend’s wanted to see the unused paranoia tunnels for a while.” He chuckled softly, then added, “if you’re going to kill one of us, make it me. I’ve been living a half life for a while, wouldn’t hurt to send the rest of me after the dead part. Let the kid live though, he’s not a threat to anyone. Of course, if I’m right about you not wanting to actually pull the trigger for now, why don’t we all back out of these increasingly uncomfortable positions and talk it out like civilized beings?” Giles was only half bluffing...he didn’t have any strong qualms about dying, but he was acutely aware that Rachel would never forgive him if his second trip in a year finished the job the first one did. At the same time...if they did shoot, at least he’d be back with...
 

DeletedUser28032

Upon hearing English's objection to sending Trixie on a suicide mission; pointing out that the place was built like a nuclear bunker Dante would give a low growl of frustration before replying "you see English that's the kind of crap I need to know!" he responded irritably, annoyed that his plan to stick it to Raypool by planting a bomb in his own backyard had been defeated so easily. Turning to face Trixie he'd offer the girl another one of those unfriendly smiles he had seemingly perfected just for her before speaking in a sarcastic voice "well it looks like you're off the hook, now be a good little girl and stand over there until the grown ups have finished talking" he said pointing off to one side before speaking to Ashley once again "in which case I'll need your people to arrange some distractions...shoot up some check points or something, again no powers and no collateral damage, the media already hate's us enough" he said rolling his eyes and wondering how he'd wound up in a position where public opinion was important "...unless of course you have some more secret intel you'd like to spring on me that is?"
 

DeletedUser31931

Toby
The young man stayed quiet for the moment, sensing it was probably best for him to do so as the gun remained held to his head. For Giles’ part, the tone of the voice behind him softened for a second. “Look kiddo, we’re holding these to your head because if you’ve got powers, this is the best way to stop you using them. You’re right in that I don’t want to kill you, but I will if I have to. Now then, I’m going to politely ask you to come with us and I’m afraid you don’t have much choice in the matter. I need to check is that you’re not DSRP agents like you say. I presume you don’t have a problem with that. If not, walk slowly down the corridor, and just remember that if you try anything, I will shoot you.”

Dante
As Dante growled his retort at Ashley, the operative had to bite her response of “Well that’s why I told you about it”, knowing that insulting him wasn’t exactly the best course of action at this precise moment in time. As he suggested his secondary diversion, Ashley tilted her head for a second, running through plans in her head before she nodded slightly. “It shouldn’t be that hard to do. If I put out some feelers locally, I’m sure we can organise an anti-DSRP protest from one of the alt-right groups in the area, they have a surprising amount of hatred for one another. All it takes then is a small nudge and the ensuing firefight should pull DSRP attention. I’ll get on organising that as soon as we’re done visiting Nicole. Anything else you’re going to need?”
 

Deleted User - 819397

The man with the gun to Giles' head seemed to become a little more amicable, which he was glad for, though he was still annoyed by the whole thing, especially since he couldn't risk getting rid of his sword piece at this point, meaning he had to stay on high alert. He was starting to get a headache from it at this point...he hated leaving it on this long unless he was training, where he needed the reflexes. "Sure, I'll come along, but for future reference I don't think you can possibly ask politely when you're holding a gun to the other party's head. Just a thought, don't know why it popped into my head," he responded, tone irritated. "Can we at least put our hands down? It's going to get uncomfortable holding them up if the walk is any distance." When given a threat-filled ok, he lowered them with a sigh of relief. "Thank you...at least one positive. Well, that and your gun hasn't shot yet." The former aristocrat made a tired face at Toby. "Sorry, I don't have an answer to this one. Granted, I've not exactly been full of answers in general lately, so I guess that's par for the course. All right then, my not-quite-trigger-happy captor, let's go."
 

DeletedUser28032

Pausing to run down a mental checklist of the things he'd need to pull off this daring rescue mission he was trying to organise, Dante would shake his head before making his reply "Don't think so...I'll let you know if I think of anything else but if you can arrange that distraction then we should be all set to go" he said, knowing that if he wasn't careful that he would be obsessing over every detail and everything that could go wrong all through the night with him no doubt keeping Tonya awake as a result, which ironically would make for a novel change.

It was with these thoughts running through his mind that he would turn to look at his poor long suffering girlfriend, quietly wondering what if anything he could do to help her "I'll leave you and Siri to figure out the logistics, I think I need to have a quiet word with Tonya…kiss and make up as it were" Dante stated before gently placing an arm about Tonya's shoulders and leading her a short distance down the corridor so as to afford them a small measure of privacy without fully leaving the group "Are you alright Tonya babe? There were a lot of tears back there" Dante gently asked her, still worried that she was on the verge of having a complete breakdown “also you do realise that you’re strictly the get away driver in this little escapade right? I don’t want you getting involved in the ambush unless you really have to, and before you say anything, no, it’s not because I don’t trust you…I need you to safe, I need there to be still a Tonya inside that head of yours when this is all over because if you’re not around then this is all pointless”
 

DeletedUser31931

Toby and Giles
The pair slowly proceeded along the corridor, relative silence being held. At one point they turned left, a section of wall opening up before them as they stepped into what appeared to be a security post. With a metal door on the far side of the room, it was otherwise populated by two desks with computers, one of which showed what appeared to be camera footage of the tunnels that Giles and Toby had just been walking through. “Now then, we need to test that you’re not under the control of the DSRP with a bloodtest and if you’re not then I can stop pointing a gun at you”. The pair placed their hands on a pad on the table and Giles felt a warmth against his hands. A few seconds later and the results flashed up on screen. The pair were clear. As the gun was pulled away from his head, Giles could hear the guard behind him apologise. “Sorry about that but unexpected visitors aren’t exactly the norm round here. Anyway, welcome Giles Anders to… Wait...” The guard furrowed his brow for a second as he read Giles’ name off of the screen and then, before Giles could react, he pulled out a comms device, speaking into it. “Jeffords, fetch the Commander. Tell her Giles Anders is here”. He stared at Giles for a second, as he switched the communicator off, not quite sure how to react. “Sorry about that, but I’m under orders to let one of my bosses know if you ever showed. Welcome to the Resistance Headquarters Giles, there’s someone here I think you’re going to want to see, but I’ll let the Commander tell you about that”.

Ashley and Co.
Ashley nodded as Dante headed off with Tonya and she turned to talk with Ash and Kasumi as the pair went a little way away. As Dante asked his question, Tonya nodded slightly and said, quietly enough not to be heard by the others “I understand, and I’m sorry, it’s…” Whatever Tonya was going to say never found its way out as someone rounded the corner on the tunnel they were in and, spotting Ashley, shouted out. “Commander Walters! Commander Walters! I’m sorry to interrupt but it’s Giles Anders. Apparently, he’s just arrived at one of the tunnel network entrances.” Ashley looked over, surprise clearly registering on her face before her expression changed, her work face on. “Take me there now.” She began to run after the person. “Dante, you coming?”
 

Deleted User - 819397

Things continued as they had been for a while, no major updates to the scenery or their position. Giles felt like he was about to scream from boredom when they finally reached something interesting, though his interest dulled as camera feeds showing more of the same were displayed along the walls. The guards mentioned the blood test again, then a moment later it was done and they were proven to be clean. Which...of course they were. Toby was too eccentric to be useful to the BSNP and Giles knew he didn't have any affiliation to them because he loathed them. However, the "blood test" apparently also came with a free DNA scan and recognition software, because despite the boring hair and purposely worn-looking clothes, the damn computer registered his name. The former aristocrat froze, eyes hardening as he waited for the reaction, glad he hadn't de-materialized his sword hilt, even if his headache was worsening with the new turn of events. Affiliated with the YMCP or not, he was one of the more highly-sought "prizes" at the moment, and they'd make fine money turning him in. They recognized the name, which was bad, but they didn't seem to hold any immediate hostility. Instead, they relaxed, and told him where they were.

Anger flashed across Giles' face, as he scowled and half turned towards Toby. This was no better than the DR people. Well, slightly better, but it was very much a rock versus hard place situation. He wanted nothing to do with them, nothing at all. And Toby had led him here. But...of course, he hadn't known. he couldn't have. This was another coincidence, but how the actual hell was this supposed to help him feel better? Still...it wasn't worth anything to get mad at him. Instead, he fought it back, adopting a blank mask, though his eyes still smoldered. Now he couldn't get rid of his sword hilt, he couldn't let his guard down for an instant around these people. Realizing he was more or less expected to have some sort of verbal response, he simply responded in a tight voice, "Alexander. I lost the rights to my father's surname a while ago." With that, he would go silent, very much ill at ease with his surroundings and working to fight through the headache to pay attention to everything around him...he was not going to let anything get the drop on him. He'd learned his lesson dealing with people like them all too well.
 

DeletedUser28032

With their tender moment interrupted by the arrival of a soldier shouting that Giles Anders had arrived Dante would give Ashley a surprised look before replying "Giles? Wait Emerald’s here! What the hell is he doing here!" he said clearly stunned that not only was Emerald still alive but that he was a part of the resistance which was something that Dante would never have even considered as being a possibility, especially after what had happened to Harper and who the main members of the resistance were "I'll be right with you English!" Dante called after Ashley’s running form before offering Tonya a smile "come on babe let's go meet a guy that has hair that's possibly even brighter than yours" he softly said, gently caressing her candy pink hair before moving to follow Ashley with hopefully Tonya in tow.

It had been a long time since he'd last seen Emerald and other than Marcus he'd been the only guy there he'd actually liked so he was curious to see what he'd been up to these past couple of months "I think you'll like Emerald, Tonya babe, last time I saw him he was an all round nice guy which considering I'm saying that is certainly saying something!"
 

DeletedUser31931

Toby
With the young man shuffling nervously, silent due to the fact that he still had no idea what he was even supposed to say to his travelling companion. He hadn’t realised that this was what was down here, and had he known he probably wouldn’t have come, but then again it made sense that he wouldn’t know. Still, he just had to hope they didn’t realise who he was, or rather who he’d been, and things would turn out okay…

Ashley
Running as quickly as she dare through the Resistance Base, Ashley led the group through a twist of tunnels, following the messenger until they eventually arrived at a large security door. Ashley placed her hand on the handle and took a deep breath, pulling the door open to reveal two men, one a relatively tall and lanky Asian man with jet black hair and the other a man with crisp blonde hair and a clean and tidy beard. “Giles?” Although Ashley knew about his power, she’d never seen him outside his usual self whilst he’d been with the FBI. Still, there wasn’t time to ponder that, not when he was standing in front of her. “Look, I know you’re probably pissed at the FBI and, by extension, the Resistance over what happened, to put it lightly. I’m sorry. We got careless and got played by someone with better planning and resources than us and that led to things being the way they are. We’ve brought hurt to you and I don’t know why you’re here, but if you’re willing, I’d ask you to give us a chance. I’m not asking you to sign up for the Resistance, or even to stay here if you don’t want to, but I just want to help you and to make up for what we did wrong. To that end, we have someone here who we think… we think she’s your sister, Nicole. Her memories and her powers are being blocked by a bracelet that we can’t figure out, but she managed to escape Raypool’s base, and she broke out Killian here when she did.” At the mention of his name and realising that he was standing face to face with the brother of his saviour, Killian nodded his head to the man, who he felt a vague sense of déjà vu from. “Look, I can’t promise you certainty, I wish I could, but that’s not possible with Savants and powers. That said, her genetics are a perfect match and I just… if you’d like to meet her, I think that with Ash and Kasumi’s help we might now be able to get that bracelet off”.
 

Deleted User - 819397

They weren’t kept waiting long, which was one blessing at least. Ashley led the way in, followed by several others including Killian and, more surprisingly, Dante. Giles wanted to acknowledge the latter, as he was relieved that the man had survived their ordeal as well, but now wasn’t the time. As he was correctly identified, he allowed his appearance to shift, his worn turtleneck, t-shirt, and jeans returning to looking like he’d just got them off the shelf, his beard retreating, and his hair lengthening, shifting from yellow to white, until he looked his best approximation of how he might have appeared if he didn't have his powers. If they were going to use him for who he was, he may as well own it.

The former aristocrat kept up his stony silence throughout Ashley’s speech, not quite glaring at her but not relaxed or pleased to see her either, though he couldn't help but start a little as Nicole was mentioned. When she finished, he shook his head a little. “Can’t say I expected you to be the type to move into Quill’s job of smoothing over blunders and pacifying people who have every right to be angry, Ashley. Though I’m glad you’re alive, none of us deserved to die that day.” Ok, he was glaring now, he needed to back off. He looked over at Dante, expression clearing, and in a much more genuine tone added, “glad to see you’re still kicking too, Dante. Hope you’ve had a better three months than I’ve had.”

Giles sighed, then looked back to Ashley. “Now then, it seems like history is repeating itself here, don’t you think? This isn’t the first time there’s been someone you think is Nicole here. Turned out she wasn’t her at all. Forgive me if I’m a little skeptical this time around. Besides, you and I both know, I was brought in so the one person from my family whose whereabouts you knew could be monitored in case I led you to the others, and if I went crazy, then you’d have all the proof you needed to move on them all. Same deal this time, I’m sure. Except now you know two of our statuses, since Dylan’s dead. Meanwhile there’s at least one Nicole lookalike for whatever reason, meaning there could be more, and in general the rest of them are in his control. I’m the odd one out. And governments don’t like to have loose ends, even if they're recently under the radar government."

Giles took a deep breath, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Look. I want to believe you have my sister here. I want to believe you have the means to rescue her fully. But the last time I trusted you everything fell apart, I lost two people I cared about, even if one of them tormented me for years, and I got to experience firsthand how the homeless live for three months. There’s nothing left to trust. And even if half the stories and news reports about what you do here at the Resistance are true, I want even less to do with you.” He looked around at the rest of the group. “So if anyone has a reason I should stay, let me know, because otherwise I think the two of us are going to go.” Yeah...if only it were that easy to ignore a possibility of helping his favorite sibling. Not that he was going to tell them that...
 

DeletedUser28032

“Oh yeah it was a hoot, I’ll tell you all about later it over a beer or six” Dante drawled as he rolled his eyes at the memory of his time in exile “Anyway, it’s good to see you again” he said offering the guy a genuine smile before deciding to make good on his promise to introduce Tonya to him “So Emerald I’d like you to meet my beautiful if long suffering girlfriend Tonya, Tonya this Giles Anders one of the only people from my time with the FBI who I actually gave a crap about which is kind of saying something” Dante said, slipping an arm about Tonya’s slender waist as he introduced them to one another; glancing down at the petite Asian girl with a look of pure adoration on his face as he did so making it clear that he was more than a little fond of her.

With Emerald obviously unimpressed with English’s hollow apology and overzealous recruitment drive, not to mention her blatant attempt to coerce him using his sister again! Dante would give the resistance fighter a disgusted look before simply levelling with the guy “you want a reason to stick around?” Dante drawled with a lazy smile “…well how about this…After we’ve rescued Adriel, that’s the first girl they claimed was your sister, Tonya and I are going to hunt down and kill Raypool…these clowns can fight their little rebellion, all I want is Adriel safe and the chance to kill the guy who hurt my girl” he snarled gently rubbing Tonya’s arm in a soothing manner “So what do you say Emerald? How does vengeance sound?”
 

Deleted User - 819397

Dante spoke up first, greeting him with a surprising amount of warmth given his gruff personality, and it almost made Giles smile. As it was, his eyes softened quite a bit, his expression becoming far more neutral, and he finally chose to allow his sword hilt to fade. He needed the headache gone and from the sounds of it he could relax, if only a little. He nodded at Tonya as she was introduced, glad that they seemed happy with each other. In their current situation, any happiness was to be celebrated. He looked over at Toby who looked rather uncomfortable, and made the choice not to introduce him at this point...something was up, and he wasn’t going to call him out to everyone.


Instead, the former aristocrat listened to Dante’s idea of why he should stay. Apparently the girl they’d thought was Nicole before was named Adriel, and they were planning on rescuing her. This was all well and good, but then the revenge mission came into the picture. He found himself shaking his head before the mercenary could finish his proposal. “Last time we went against him, we were obliterated without a chance. Scooped up, thrown aside...changed.” Giles shuddered violently for a moment before continuing. “And that’s not even the worst part. Not...not all of us made it out. And that was at a throwaway base. Also before he had a damn government agency at his back, geared toward fighting...us. Going against him now would be suicide...and if I wanted that...I’ve had time to.” He shrugged. “You said it yourself, I’m not a soldier. I’m a civilian who wanted to help where he could, and with a bit too much confidence about his capabilities. I know better now. Going against that ass would mean my death, and...I can’t imagine I’d be making anyone happy with that.” He sighed, grimacing in what he hoped came across as an apologetic manner, before adding, “if that’s all...”
 

DeletedUser31931

As Giles looked at Ashley, delivering his scathing speech about her simply being the new Quill, the woman slumped slightly. Dante stepped forward and, in characteristic fashion, said that the only reason he needed was that they were about to go kill Raypool. As Giles rightly pointed out that going against Raypool when they still didn’t have much on him was just as risky a move as it had been last time, he made as if he was going to leave and, her mouth moving before her brain, Ashley spoke. “Look, Giles. I’m sorry about Harper. And you can think I’m saying that because I just want to keep you here to keep an eye on you, but I truly am. I don’t like it when people die, no-one does, and I wish I’d been able to stop it. I’ve failed you before, and I can’t make up for that. You don’t want to stay and I get that, and if you want to walk out of that door then go for it, and I’ll scrub you from the entry records but please, just… we might be about to get your sister’s brain back from Raypool, and I just… I don’t want to be the person standing there having to tell her that her brother just walked out the door because he couldn’t trust me. If you come with me and we remove the bracelet and, somehow, it’s not her, then you can walk out of that door and I’ll ensure that the Resistance never bothers you again but please, don’t let my screw ups ruin the chances of the woman who could be your sister.”
 

Deleted User - 819397

At Harper’s name, Giles stiffened, expression freezing as his eyes darkened. This was the first time he’d actually heard her name in the last three months, and it hit him hard. It was only due to the situation that he didn’t need to struggle to keep himself composed, his tension, headache, and (justified, in his mind) paranoia involving his surroundings overpowering the wave of grief that had flowed through him at her name. Instead, he focused on the rest of Ashley’s speech, gritting his teeth at the argument for him staying. If it had been either of his parents, or Dylan...it wouldn’t have worked. Faye and Ian were neutral, but...Nicole had been his best friend growing up, and...damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it...he hated this. He hated that the enemy was toying with him like this, giving him hope that his favorite sibling was ok and then snatching it away.


“Alright. I’ll stay. I’ll come with you to see her. But not for anyone else but her. If she’s not my sister, I’m gone. If she is...still gone, just with her when she’s ready to move. Regardless of your personal feelings, your higher ups don’t trust me, and I’m sure they’d be happier if I wasn’t here. I will happily oblige them. I’m not of any use to the Resistance. Wasn’t any use to the FBI either. So I’ll avoid wasting everyone’s time and resources this go around.” The former aristocrat signed and ran his hand through his hair. “Lead the way.”
 

DeletedUser31931

As Giles assented, Ashley bowed her head. “Thank you.” She wanted to say more. Wanted to point out that she didn’t see Giles as a resource and that she just wanted to keep him somewhere where he was less likely to end up caught by Raypool, but knew that she’d be wasting her breath right now. Turning around, she led Giles into the tunnel network and started heading down. She consciously avoided the bigger halls of the base, instead opting for the back tunnels and side ducts, she’d rather avoid drawing unnecessary attention to both herself and Giles, who was currently in the process of growing out his hair and beard again, something Ashley decided not to comment upon. As the rest of the group trailed along behind, Ashley rounded the final corner, nodding at the guard. “Commander Williams, down here to see the patient again? She’s not much better today, she’s doing some reading alone.”
“I’ve told you Daniels, Ashley will do. Anyway, I’ve got someone here who I think might be able to help. I’ll do the report for you as well, don’t worry.” With a chuckle, the guard opened the door, letting the group step into the warmly lit hallway. “It’ll be a bit of a tight squeeze if we all go in there, so it’s probably best if just Giles, Kasumi and I go in.” Slowly opening the door, Ashley let herself in to the room, letting Giles and Kasumi in after her. The lights were currently dimmed, enough to see clearly but not so bright as to be harsh, they held a warm glow, similar to some of the larger tunnels that they’d passed through. The room itself was a relatively minimalist affair, though well decorated. Against the wall was a desk on which sat a computer and a journal, with a pen sitting next to it. The other side of the room was a double bed, seemingly built out of the wall. On the same side, in the corner, was another door, presumably to a bathroom. At the fair end of the room for the door they had entered stood a small bookcase, the top half packed with novels and the bottom with non-fiction, organised by the surname of author. In front of the bookcase, in a comfortable looking green plush chair, sat the woman who Giles had seen before, standing in front of him in a street in Boulder. The spitting image of Nicole. Around her wrist was still clamped the black bracelet, the miniaturised power suppressor. “Nicole, it’s me, Ashley. I’ve brought someone who we think can help with your bracelet. Is that okay?” Nicole closed the book, sliding it back onto the shelf, and nodded. Kasumi approached the woman and knelt next to her chair.
“Just give me a moment, it’ll be off before you know it.” Kasumi opened her hand out and a small circle opened in her palm, with what appeared to be a USB drive sliding out of her hand. She slid it into the bracelet and the light behind her eyes went out temporarily as she and Ash raced through the programming of the bracelet. To them, this was child’s play. They disabled the protective algorithm, stripped away the basic protocols, downloaded the software into their memory banks and began a sub process breaking it down to look for further vulnerabilities, before removing the lock protocol and then disengaging. Kasumi returning to her head, she ejected herself from the bracelet which, with a hissing sound, unlocked, falling from Nicole’s arm. She looked around the room, her eyes filling with confusion as she stared at her surroundings, her head filled with memories upon memories upon memories. Her eyes rested upon Giles, staring at him with a sense of familiarity, as if she knew the face but not the rest, the beard and hair that Giles had grown out en route to the room confusing her further. “I need some time alone. But... could you stay with me?” Her voice was breathy, a hint of pleading contained within, but sounded exactly like a mature Nicole should. With her question asked, the room awaited Giles’ response.
 
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Deleted User - 819397

The group walked down the hall in silence, and Giles took the opportunity to decide how to appear. If this was a trap, looking like something that anyone considered possibly him would be a bad idea. So...a beard again, which was...wonderful. Wouldn't hurt to clash with his outfit either...jeans fit with all hair colors, but his green turtleneck was perfect...his hair shifted to bright red as he let it grow out until it was shoulder length, with a neatly trimmed, but large, beard to match. His clothes faded too, looking well-worn but treated kind all the same. A little too lumberjack for his tastes, but he wasn't expecting to hold onto this disguise for long, one way or the other. Once there they were told that only a couple were going in, which irritated him. If this went south there would barely be anyone ready to help. But still, this wasn't a time to argue. Instead, the former aristocrat steeled himself for the sight he knew he'd see within, regardless of who they really were.

Inside was nice enough, although it felt a little sterile for Giles' liking. On the chair was the promised Nicole...or a very convincing double. The same one that had run into him in Colorado, if Killian's presence was anything to go by. As Ashley introduced Kasumi and the cyberpath went to work, he opted to lean against the wall next to the door, arms crossed, watching intently. It only took a few seconds to complete, and the reaction was almost immediate, a clear shift in personality occurring as whatever the thing had been doing to the woman who looked so much like his sister ceased to function. She requested time alone, which made sense...if her memories had truly been suppressed, this had to be overwhelming her a little. He moved to go, only to have her ask him specifically to stay. Well...if this was a trap, it was certainly well-designed. He could feel his heart breaking, and his answer would have been the same even if he was convinced it would lead to his death. With a nod, Kasumi and Ashley departed the room, leaving the former aristocrat alone with the woman who could easily be Nicole. Leaning back against the wall to hide his tension, as if this was a trap it would spring in any moment, he cocked his head a little. "Why did you ask me to stay?" His voice was soft, tentative. "Not even a thank you to the pair that freed you from that thing...but you want the one who just watched to stay. Why?" This was going to be the moment of truth...he wished his heart would stop beating so damn fast...he almost felt as though his power was active though it wasn't, things felt so sharp. His headache was intensifying as he waited for a response, the heightened blood pressure causing it to pound. Come on...say something...anything to break this...
 

DeletedUser31931

Nicole winced as Giles questioned her, closing her eyes and rubbing her forehead. She was feeling steadily more disoriented, nothing was making sense. “I… I don’t know,” she said discomfort putting a whine into her voice. “I… I don’t trust them, I don’t know why, Ashley’s been perfectly nice to me and that other woman just helped me, but I don’t…” She rubbed harder, pulling at her hair, with one hand “I can’t be in the same room as them right now, I can’t trust them. I can’t trust them. You’re fine, for some reason, I can trust you, why can I… Why are you…” Nicole blinked at him, mind clearly working hard. “Giles? When did you…” She was starting to feel dizzy, nothing was making sense right now. And having someone else in the room wasn’t helping that, why did she ask him to stay? It was Giles, wasn’t it? She recognised his voice, but he didn’t look like… What was going on?
 

Deleted User - 819397

Nicole was disoriented and in obvious distress, and despite the voice in his head telling him he needed to be careful, that this still could be a trap, Giles felt his resolve crumbling. It didn’t matter who it could be pretending over there, he saw his sister in discomfort, and that was not ok. When she eventually identified him, he broke, moving off the wall and heading towards her, reverting himself back to his white haired, clean-shaven self. He knelt next to her and gently pried the hand pulling her hair off of her head, holding it gently. “It’s ok, Nicole...I’m here. You aren’t alone, I’m with you.” He would move to comfort her however she indicated she wanted him to, working to keep himself from crying. He needed to show strength here for her. Even if it wasn’t his sister he was comforting, it would have been cruel to not come to her aid and watch as she became more and more distressed. His desire to help people was too strong for that. A small voice told him that was exactly why this was an excellent trap, but he pushed it away. It didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was making her feel better.
 

DeletedUser31931

The touch helped, the words helped. Nicole closed her eyes and squeezed Giles’ hand tightly, rubbing at her forehead with her other hand. She had an anchor, a spot from which she could watch some of the jumbled pieces fall into place, but it wasn’t quite enough. There was still a thick haze around some things and others just didn’t make sense. Giles… Some thoughts on Giles were so solid and sure, some were… conflicted, to say the least. And there was still that sensation of spinning, that she was missing something important, something that she needed to figure out. She hummed to herself briefly. Do. And then again. Re. She knew music, she knew that beyond any of the confusion, and the humming helped, gave her another anchor. She opened her eyes, trying to get the spinning to go away, meeting Giles’ eyes. And that final piece clicked. Nicole scrambled to her feet, letting go of Giles’ hand and dashing to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet in time to avoid being sick all over the floor. It took a little while for her to finish throwing up, but Giles was there to make sure her hair stayed out of the way. And then she was done. She remembered. Not everything, but more than enough. She spat and flushed with a tired movement and slumped down next to the toilet, looking up at Giles with tired eyes.

”Hey there, Pretty Boy,” she rasped.


(OOC: And with that, I would like to welcome Autumneverlast back to DS)
 

Deleted User - 819397

It wasn't helping much, but Giles' presence was helping. He knew that much. So he stayed, right up until she made a mad dash to the bathroom, almost knocking him over as she went. He followed along to hold her hair back for her and rub her back...it was the least he could do. He had no idea what the bracelet had done to her, and as he watched his sister suffer, he felt himself grow furious at the circumstances. How dare anyone mess with his family like this. How dare they toy with them, use them as they will. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all, and he wished he could do something. But he wasn't strong enough. Wasn't good enough. The last time he'd tried to help proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt. All the former aristocrat could do was comfort the woman retching into the toilet as best he could. It was small, but it was something. And sometimes that was enough. When she was finished emptying her stomach, he gently pulled away, moving to go sit down on the other side of the room, which while small, was large enough to accommodate two people so long as they were talking and not trying to use the place at the same time. Of course, his plan to sit down was interrupted by a phrase that didn't belong. Not in this place, not from his sister, not from anyone he knew who was still around.

Giles' hand missed the countertop and he stumbled to the ground, barely catching himself in time to save his head from knocking into the wall. He turned around as he slumped to the floor, eyes wide, face as white as his hair. "No...no, this is...this is a trick...it is, isn't it?" This wasn't his sister in front of him, that was certain. But the emotional conclusion the sentence had evoked in him was equally incorrect. "You can't be...you can't...I saw...I saw you...I..." This wasn't right, the trap had been revealed. Surely now was the time to strike him down, while he couldn't handle the revelation? How had the ass known the nickname? He couldn't have, but the truth was sitting in front of him. "You...you...you..." he was tearing up now, he could feel it, but at the same time everything felt numb. "You died, I...I watched it. Watched you fall. You...can't be here...you can't...but...if this was...but..." This didn't make sense, none of it did. He couldn't process this, his limbs felt impossible to move. His hair was out of alignment and his clothes were rumpled from the fall, signalling that the shock had knocked out his usually passive powers of appearance. "How...how...h...h...Harper?" The last word felt like a plea. He knew the answer. This wasn't Harper in front of him. It couldn't be. No one could take what she did and live. This was another cruel trick. Just like the first Nicole had Faye's name in her brain as a substitute for Angel, this one had been conditioned to rattle him further. It was the only explanation. But all the same, he couldn't help but hope. Hope that he'd been knocked out by the goop he'd been injected with and had imagined the rest up until waking up on the park bench. Hope that the shapeshifter he cared so much about was alive. Even though there was no reason to, he couldn't help but hope. Even if he knew that he was about to be sorely disappointed.
 
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