Tom's Last Stand

[too_late4tom]

The past couple of months have not been good to Tom

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[dr_schreber]

Schreber is happy and smiling with his girlfriend and a friend, but he's also a little tired. The fair was a lot of walking around and his leg aches just a little. As they go up the boardwalk back home he shoos Orwell off to fly, he needs some excercise after all that fair food. He has Sarah's hand in his but he's pleased Thorn didn't run away after all. "That was a success, I'm sure we'll do... it again next year."

[janitor_thorn]

He may not have fled, but Thorn is all too glad to be going home. Keeping him from leaving the Fair early may have involved bribery in the form of food, and he's beginning to feel uncomfortably full. The experience was somewhat overwhelming and he'll be glad for a quiet smoke on the back porch, sitting down. "Wos ok-k-kay."

[sarah_branigan]

Sarah gives Daniel's hand a small squeeze. "The ferris wheel was wonderful," she says dreamily. She clearly had a wonderful time. She gives Thorn a warm smile. "I'm really proud of you for sticking it out, Thorn. Maybe next year you'll like it a little more. If we're lucky, the City will be comfortable with the Nexus by then and Belle can join us."

((Tom will make an appearance again once they actually enter the beach house. By the way, Mel and I would love it if you came on AIM. ^_^))

[dr_schreber]

Schreber leans his head against Sarah's and grins. "We'll work on it. I wish we could just put... the city down on an earth and fit right in. We'd have sur...rounding farmland that way. Fairs are supposed to have... more produce, aren't they?" Schreber goes up the front porch steps hand in hand with Sarah but has to let go to look for his keys. He's looking forward to sitting down too, and maybe some cuddling. Schreber opens the front door without really looking. "It should be longer too."

[janitor_thorn]

Sarah's compliment makes Thorn blush, embarrassed over his own mulish behavior. In the end there were no curses, no freak show, no strange powers to give him cause for fear. "M-m-maybe. Um. 'M s-s-sorry. And th-they d-d-do but F-fairs aren't... um. E-e-even when th-they're n-n-not c-cursed 's not a-all g-g-good stuff." He's well aware this is an earlier and more innocent time, and worries the outside influences will draw the city into the age he's grown to know, where everyone locks their doors, and Fairs are full of exploitation and cheating.
Because it is still an age where they only lock the door when they're away for hours, Thorn pays no attention now. He is behind the couple, on the steps, considering mint tea and a smoke.

[sarah_branigan]

"There usually is more produce," Sarah agrees. She's about to add, 'and animals' but she knows that won't endear Thorn to any future fairs.

She looks back at Thorn as Daniel opens the door. "There's always a trade-off," she agrees. "We just have to hope that people chose the good influences over the bad ones."

She steps inside, also considering tea and cuddles.

[too_late4tom]

There's a man sitting in the living room. Schreber will recognize him as Dale McKinley.

He has a gun. When he catches sight of the trio, he levels it at them.

He doesn't say a word. He's too afraid. He needs to keep control.

[dr_schreber]

Schreber only knows what he has read about Fairs, and what he's seen today. "It was a very good start th-oh..." Schreber limps into the house and freezes and then kind of tries to push Sarah back out without turning around. Suddenly his heart is trying to go a lot faster and skip and jump and there's a little soundtrack that goes around in a loop in the back of his head, 'I can't run...' Only this time his pacemaker keeps his heart steady and there's somebody else at stake besides him.

[janitor_thorn]

Shorter than the good doctor and lagging behind on the steps, Thorn can't see what the fuss is about, but he does catch on quickly that something is amiss. With a frown his gloved hands fly to his pockets, seeking a spanner or some other useful object that could become a weapon in an emergency.

[sarah_branigan]

Sarah sees the gun first. It fills her veins with ice and clouds her vision. For a few seconds, it's all she can do to remember to breathe.

Then, she sees who is holding the gun. No... no, it can't be who she thinks it is.

It can't be.

She makes a small, strangled sound in the back of her throat, like she might scream but can't find her voice.

[too_late4tom]

Tom just stares at Schreber, for a few seconds. He's too far gone to even take pleasure in the other man's terrified expression. He wants him to do something, give him something to react to.

He stands up to better see what Thorn is doing, and aims the gun towards him. "Hands where I can see them!" he demands. This is more familiar territory. "Don't scream," he adds, almost as an afterthought. He cocks the hammer on the pistol and looks at Schreber again. His face is drawn and pale, but his eyes burn. "You. I saw you with her. This was all a trick, a setup. You wanted to trap me. I know that now." He licks his lips. "You're going to fix this. Now."

[dr_schreber]

Schreber is definitely trying to get Sarah behind him and out the door. He is holding his cane instead of using it, but he's afraid if he drops it the noise might startle Tom into shooting. He kind of backs into Sarah but holds both his hands out in front of him to show he's only got the cane. "I've never wanted to trap you but I hoped we could... find you to help you..." his words all come out in a rush with a little gasp for breath in there.

[janitor_thorn]

Catching sight of a strange man and a gun, Thorn removes his hands from his pockets with deliberate care and raises them, but his expression is intent and angry. He moves slowly up the steps to be closer to the doorway, beside Sarah or the doctor if at all possible. This man is threatening the two who have protected and housed him, and he intends to do something about it, although he's yet to work out precisely what.

[sarah_branigan]

It occurs to Sarah, despite her terror, that Daniel is in danger, too. And Thorn, to a lesser extent. That seems to override part of her impulse to remain rooted to the spot. She doesn't let Daniel push her back and stands closer to him, if at all possible.

"Please," she half-whispers, looking at Tom. "Please don't."

[too_late4tom]

"Help me?!" Tom's voice is far more loud and hysterical than he had planned. He swallows, the gun wavering a moment before he brings himself back under control.

"Ume told me everything," he informs Schreber. "About you, about John, about this city. But I get it now. She wanted me to find you. So you could... I don't know. Use me. Well, I'm not letting you get away with it, you hear me? You need to fix what you did to me. And if you can't... then you need to pay for it."

He doesn't pay Thorn much mind, but he does glance at Sarah briefly. Of course she wants him to stop, but... there's something about her expression...

[dr_schreber]

"...Ume..?? What?! She was... a murderer. Mr. Mckinley please, I don't want... you to do anything you'll regret. I don't want... to use you in any way..." He is not going to touch the fixing him part yet because 'I can't' is not the right answer! Schreber is still trying to kind of push Sarah out with his back but he knows she's watching over his shoulder and that makes her a target still. He can probably survive getting shot he's survived all kinds of things but Sarah needs to not get shot. Again.