Jason Bourne (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
brokenweapon) wrote2011-10-23 01:08 pm
brokenweapon) wrote2011-10-23 01:08 pm
040. - "But it was your home!" "It was a place I once lived. End of story." - Open spam/PM/whateva
[Even though this Paris is different - this Paris has changed - it's still Paris to him, and he hates that the Admiral's forced him to be here. He could do without the memories this place dredged up, the ones since his awakening on the fishing boat off Marseilles. Even the ones before then, the dim ones that were half-present, still hurt.
He half-considers visiting his old apartment, visiting what used to be Treadstone's Parisian base of operations, but dismisses the thought. No. He has no need to.
So he walks, keeping his eyes peeled as he inspects the city, and letting the crisp October air clear his head.
He tries not to dwell on the dog-eared paperbacks in his room, the ones that almost make sense but don't quite. He tries not to dwell on the arbitrary capriciousness of the Admiral and the loss of one of his only friends.
And he tries very hard not to dwell on why in the hell he got stuck with another goddamn kidnapping, body-snatching Animorph for an inmate.]
He half-considers visiting his old apartment, visiting what used to be Treadstone's Parisian base of operations, but dismisses the thought. No. He has no need to.
So he walks, keeping his eyes peeled as he inspects the city, and letting the crisp October air clear his head.
He tries not to dwell on the dog-eared paperbacks in his room, the ones that almost make sense but don't quite. He tries not to dwell on the arbitrary capriciousness of the Admiral and the loss of one of his only friends.
And he tries very hard not to dwell on why in the hell he got stuck with another goddamn kidnapping, body-snatching Animorph for an inmate.]
"So you say if you see one more fucking Animorph..."
He's in morph again, this time morphing using a human morph he's never made use of before - the Motorcycle Boy (http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/108242490/34768786), one of the first inmates he ever met. A Barge denizen might recognize him, but an Animorph certainly wouldn't. And that was the idea - all his other human morphs were known to them.
Absently, almost as an afterthought, he pickpockets a harried-looking tourist and slips away into the crowd before he can be noticed. Apparently his idea of keeping a low profile doesn't include refraining from petty theft.
Ducking into a mostly empty alleyway, he begins to change subtly. Demorphing. By the time he crosses back to the streets, he's himself again. It's a bit riskier than he'd like, but the reduced morphing clock left him with little choice.]
Oh you. <3
Oh, what fresh hell. One quick glance is enough to let him know that it's his least favorite Barge denizen. He keeps walking, for all intents and purposes ignoring his former inmate. If the kid follows him, then he must be suicidal.
Still. Paris is a large city and absolutely everyone has been kicked off the Barge. Not unusual to see someone he knows.
He's not happy with how he's been acting lately. He's more distant than usual - which is saying quite a lot. A lesser person would call it depression. To him, it was a slightly-worse-than-usual state of affairs. He'd spent a lot of time processing the events of the past few months.
And with a sudden click, it falls into place. He's tired of fighting all the damn time. He's done with it.
Bourne deftly excuses himself from the flow of traffic, leans against the side of a building, and checks his item for news of Rachel; to anyone else, he's checking a text message on a phone fifteen years out of date, but retro sometimes was cool. No news. She must still be out cold.
He didn't relish having to make progress with another inmate. Or make progress at all. And as he appeared to be texting, he kept a weather eye out for David.]
I aim to please. xD
Of course, he's also on the lookout for other Animorphs. That might also have something to do with it.
David continues heading in Bourne's direction, blissfully unaware of that inconspicuous texter's identity. His thoughts are elsewhere. He reaches into his pocket, pulling out one of his pilfered wallets and rummaging through it for any stray Euros. Maybe he's got enough to grab a bite to eat.
What Cassie said... no, he's not gonna think about that now. Maybe later. Right now he's more focused on his regrettable lack of monies. Annoyed, he tosses the wallet into a gutter. Looks like he's gonna have to get more Euro-cash the old fashioned way.
Hm. Guy on his cell phone, easy target. He doesn't try to get a look at the guy's face; why would he? As he passes, David does what he's done half a dozen times since getting here - deftly moves to slide his hand into the man's pocket, grabbing whatever wallet is there and disappearing into the crowd before he knows what happened. A pity this isn't the ordinary tourist.
Are we still on the Euro in this fancy future timeline?
The wallet goes into the gutter - oh David, you really should be more careful with the property of others - and David keeps walking forward. Bourne knows that look, that carefully affected apathy that usually happens just before someone notices something of theirs is missing.
He realizes he's the most accessible target right now and curses the capricious god who thinks this is funny.
So when David, all teenage suaveness, tries to slide his hand into Bourne's pocket to steal his shiny new Euros, the warden says mildly,] "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
[He doesn't even bother saying it in French. He knows it's David, and David should damn well know that he knows.]
If we're not, David doesn't know the difference. :P
So when his unwitting mark turns to face him a millisecond before he would have made off with his cash, he's rattled. No, shocked might be a better term. Shock and awe - this particular man's specialty.
Bourne. Fucking Bourne. Why not?
He takes a step back despite himself, scowling.] "What are you doing here?"
[Suddenly he wishes he hadn't given Will the slip. The other warden would be mighty useful right about now.]
Fair point. :P
"Checking my item," [he says, even though he's not obliged to give the kid any more than the cold shoulder.] "So are you pickpocketing just for kicks, or do you have a specific goal in mind?" [Bourne's careful to keep his tone neutral, as well as his face. His expressionless gaze could rival a certain hawkboy's. It's plain to see he's not amused - but he's not exactly mad either.]
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"No, I'm just pickpocketing for the fun of it." [As usual, the sarcasm's doled out like it's going out of style. Complete with eye-rolling action!] "Texting your buddy?" [There's no neutrality in his tone, and it's clear he hasn't quite dropped the suspicions he levied at Bourne the last time they talked. Little does he know...]
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zombiegirlfriend, tyvm, David!]no subject
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"When I was assigned to her, she was in Zero - obviously she needs supervision." [If he smoked, right here was where he'd pull out a cigarette and light it, but he relies on his lungs too much.] "Anyway. I think I've figured out who attacked you in the CES."
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"Is that so..." [All interest in Bourne's inmate, whoever she might be, evaporates. Not for a second does he think to connect the two scenarios - mostly because his attacker was a he, while Bourne clearly stated his inmate was a she.] "You gonna keep me in suspense?"
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"You're not going to like this, but...motive and opportunity both point to my new charge as your attacker," [he said, cool as a cucumber.]
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"No," [he whispers, the blood draining from his face as the truth begins to dawn on him.] "No, no. Not her. No."
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And he finds that he doesn't want to gloat. For the first time in a while, he's seeing his inmate as a scared kid. An interesting perspective.]
"Rachel Berenson." [He says the name quietly.] "Looks like the Admiral thought I should try my luck with her, since I did such a great job with you." [The sarcasm is clearly evident, but its barbs aren't directed at David.] "When I was assigned to her, I realized the connection. Your attacker was barefoot. You can't morph shoes." [He shakes his head.] "I'm going to keep a close eye on her. I won't let her attack you again. It's not good for...it's not good for either of you."
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"... how long?" [David's voice is thick with anger, but surprisingly, there's little of it for Bourne. Bourne at least had the excuse of their history not to tell him. But Will? Tim? if Rachel was here, they knew. They had to know.] "How long has she been here?"
[He flashes back to that last conversation he had with Tim, how evasive he'd been when he asked him about his suspicions. Now he knows why. That fucker was keeping it from him the whole time. Will probably, too. Why? That was easy - they didn't want him going after her. His fists clench at the thought of being deceived, by people he trusted no less. At least with Bourne the threat had always been right in front of him.]
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[That's the David he recognizes, there's that anger he knows so well. Privately he admits the kid's resourceful and ruthless - traits he would have encouraged when he was his old self. David's almost like a mirror of how Bourne had been, but younger, and driven by anger.
Perhaps that was why they never got on well.]
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[Now that he knows, he's thinking in overdrive. Clearly, this is something he's gonna have to handle on his own. Will can't be trusted anymore. And Tim definitely can't be trusted. They were just playing him, the whole time. Well, two can play that game.
He'll go after Rachel. Not now, not with her comatose. There'd be no point. No, he'll wait until she's awake and thinks she's safe again. This time he'll hunt her down. He'll take the fight to her, like he did before.]
"That's... that's good to know." [Slowly David unclenches his fists, his fingernails bloody. He's starting to calm down, but if anything, he's even worse for it. The last time Bourne saw him like this was right before he'd come after him with Hoffman and Slick in the CES.]
[Private. Video.] - left like a voicemail so he can reply whenever.
[Private. Video.] - a couple hours after the David thread
How are you?
[Private. Video.] - Going to say this is post Pink thread but pre Jesse thread.
[Private. Video.] - Fair enough!
Good to hear you're making progress.
[Private. Video.]
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Regardless, I'm going to do a better job with her. I'm not going to...exacerbate things...like I did with David.
[Private. Video.]
I'm always here for you, you know. If you need help. Cassie seems like a decent person, maybe you can reach Rachel through her?
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Thanks, Claire.
[Private. Video.]