Tuesday night, Dec 8, somewhere in a building owned by The Company
Ever since the explosion, which was to say the day that Nathan had died so that Peter wouldn't destroy New York City, Peter's world was four walls. He had a toilet, and a bed, and a sink. The colors that he saw, from his room to the clothes that he wore, were variations from grey to white.
It matched his mind. He didn't want to think, he didn't want to feel. Not since Peter had been told that Nathan hadn't survived in spite of Peter taking him to a hospital. Any thoughts or feelings were filled with guilt, loss, and agony. It was a pain infinitely worse than going nuclear had been. Peter could've dealt with almost anything, except the loss of his brother. Even more the loss of Nathan because it was Peter's fault.
Luckily he had pills that made the few details of his world fade away, just like his powers.
Getting them was the only thing he looked forward to, much as he looked forward to anything.
"Knock, knock," Elle called in a sing-song voice as she opened the door to his room. "How are you today, handsome?"
Peter sat up. He looked Elle over to try to guage what her mood was that day. It was easy to do since his hair had been cut short. There were no more bangs getting in his way. "Elle."
"Are you happy to see me today?" she asked with her most adorable grin.
"Aren't I always?" Peter replied, both his voice and expression flat.
Elle frowned at his tone. "You don't sound happy," she pointed out, her own tone turning petulant.
"Am I going to get shocked?" Peter asked, since that was an influence on how he felt.
"I keep telling you that you'll learn to like it," Elle said. "If you didn't fight me every time I tried to do it, that is."
"What can I say? I'm old fashioned." Peter gave her a wry look. "Normally I don't shock before marriage."
Elle tilted her head and considered that. "Daddy might let us get married."
Peter fought down his first response, which was that he was taken. Shoving all thoughts of Sam out of his head - god forbid there was a mind reader around - he instead replied, "That wouldn't be safe for you, remember?"
"You've been taking your pills," Elle reminded him, holding out the small paper cup in her hand and shaking it so the pills rattled. "It would be safe enough."
She moved to sit next to him, completely invading his personal space. "Besides, you're really cute."
Peter knew better than to bother moving away from Elle at this point. It tended to end up with him pressed up against the nearest object with Elle all but draped over him. Instead he tried to form a barrier of words. "I bet I was real adorable when I killed my brother."
Elle sobered at those words. "It wasn't your fault, Peter. The pills will help keep you from hurting anyone again." She held out the cup for him to take. "Daddy wants to help you."
Peter took the cup. He nodded towards the sink, silently indicating he was going to get some water to wash the pills down with if she didn't stop him. "Just have to keep taking them until I die. Whenever that is."
"We're not going to let you die," Elle promised. "With the pills and Daddy's help, you'll be fine. And then we can live happily ever after!"
Peter doubted the word 'happy' was going to be in his future. He didn't have Nathan, he couldn't have Sam - what was left? He got up from his bed so he could take his pills by the sink. "So what is it about you that makes you say things like that to someone like me?"
"I never told you my story, did I?" she asked. "I accidentally set my grandmother's house on fire when I was six. Caused a blackout in four counties in Ohio when I was eight. I spent my ninth birthday in a glass room with an IV of lithium in my arm. I've lived in this building for sixteen years, ever since the shrinks diagnosed me as a sociopath with paranoid delusions. But they’re just out to get me, 'cause I threatened to kill them. I'm twenty-four years old and I've never gone on a date. Never been on a roller-coaster. Never been swimming. And now you know everything there is to know about me. I don't have the luxury of being more interesting than that."
Elle gave him a sad shrug. "You've had a life. And you can have one again. The pills will keep you from being dangerous."
Peter listened to all of that as he swallowed his pills down with a swig of water, then automatically showed Elle the empty cup and his empty mouth to prove he'd taken them. "Do you ever think about leaving? I'm locked in here. Are you?"
"I don't want to hurt people either," Elle said. "Besides, Daddy is here."
"You could take the pills," Peter pointed out. He sat down beside her again, which just went to prove that Peter could go through death itself and still have all the survival instincts of Mac's pet lemming.
Elle rested her head on his shoulder. "I could, but I kind of like my powers. Daddy's been working with me on how to control them." She placed her hand on his leg and let a very light current dance between them.
Peter twitched, but tried to stay in place. "Once you control them, then you'll go out more?"
"Daddy's training me to work for the Company," Elle explained. "I'll be able to help other people like us."
"What about roller-coasters?" Peter asked. "Will you try one out?"
Elle smiled and cuddled closer. "Definitely."
"Who gets to decide when you leave?" Peter asked.
"Daddy, of course," Elle said, as if that should have been obvious. It was pretty clear that she thought the world of her father. Which wasn't all that surprising considering he was pretty much her entire world.
"What if you disagree?" Peter asked, unable to help but wonder what it was like for Elle to be stuck here if she didn't have to be.
"I trust Daddy to know when I'm ready," Elle said.
"But what if you think you're ready and he doesn't?" Peter asked.
The question confused Elle. "I won't think I'm ready until Daddy says I am."
Peter looked Elle in the eyes to try to guage her reaction. "You don't have opinions of your own?"
Elle's confusion deepened. "Daddy knows best."
"Really?" Peter asked. He kept his tone kind, wanting Elle to understand he wasn't making fun of her. "No opinions of your own? So your dad's the one who thinks I'm cute?"
"Well, no," Elle said. "I think you're cute." She ran her hand up his arm to prove it. "But Daddy knows how to handle my powers the best."
"But you do have your own thoughts and opinions," Peter said, wanting to make sure Elle understood that. "Separate from your father's."
Elle shrugged. "Sure, I guess. About some stuff. I don't think my dad would like roller coasters."
"So you might disagree with him about your powers," Peter said. Because apparently nothing on Earth could stop him from being the kind of optimist who thought she might say yes.
"Why would I disagree with him about that?" Elle asked. Because she was still blindly loyal to her Daddy. For now.
"Stranger things have happened," Peter replied.
His questions made Elle frown and she stood up. "I think I should go and check in with Daddy now. Want me to come back later?"
Peter knew his next dose wasn't in question, so he decided to answer her by asking, "Do you?"
Elle gave another shrug. "I'll have to see what Daddy says. Bye, Peter."
Peter watched her go, then settled back down on his bed. He wasn't sure what to make of all this, but at least it gave him something and someone to think about besides himself.
[ooc: with thanks to marsheadtilt for playing doppelganger 8) ]
It matched his mind. He didn't want to think, he didn't want to feel. Not since Peter had been told that Nathan hadn't survived in spite of Peter taking him to a hospital. Any thoughts or feelings were filled with guilt, loss, and agony. It was a pain infinitely worse than going nuclear had been. Peter could've dealt with almost anything, except the loss of his brother. Even more the loss of Nathan because it was Peter's fault.
Luckily he had pills that made the few details of his world fade away, just like his powers.
Getting them was the only thing he looked forward to, much as he looked forward to anything.
"Knock, knock," Elle called in a sing-song voice as she opened the door to his room. "How are you today, handsome?"
Peter sat up. He looked Elle over to try to guage what her mood was that day. It was easy to do since his hair had been cut short. There were no more bangs getting in his way. "Elle."
"Are you happy to see me today?" she asked with her most adorable grin.
"Aren't I always?" Peter replied, both his voice and expression flat.
Elle frowned at his tone. "You don't sound happy," she pointed out, her own tone turning petulant.
"Am I going to get shocked?" Peter asked, since that was an influence on how he felt.
"I keep telling you that you'll learn to like it," Elle said. "If you didn't fight me every time I tried to do it, that is."
"What can I say? I'm old fashioned." Peter gave her a wry look. "Normally I don't shock before marriage."
Elle tilted her head and considered that. "Daddy might let us get married."
Peter fought down his first response, which was that he was taken. Shoving all thoughts of Sam out of his head - god forbid there was a mind reader around - he instead replied, "That wouldn't be safe for you, remember?"
"You've been taking your pills," Elle reminded him, holding out the small paper cup in her hand and shaking it so the pills rattled. "It would be safe enough."
She moved to sit next to him, completely invading his personal space. "Besides, you're really cute."
Peter knew better than to bother moving away from Elle at this point. It tended to end up with him pressed up against the nearest object with Elle all but draped over him. Instead he tried to form a barrier of words. "I bet I was real adorable when I killed my brother."
Elle sobered at those words. "It wasn't your fault, Peter. The pills will help keep you from hurting anyone again." She held out the cup for him to take. "Daddy wants to help you."
Peter took the cup. He nodded towards the sink, silently indicating he was going to get some water to wash the pills down with if she didn't stop him. "Just have to keep taking them until I die. Whenever that is."
"We're not going to let you die," Elle promised. "With the pills and Daddy's help, you'll be fine. And then we can live happily ever after!"
Peter doubted the word 'happy' was going to be in his future. He didn't have Nathan, he couldn't have Sam - what was left? He got up from his bed so he could take his pills by the sink. "So what is it about you that makes you say things like that to someone like me?"
"I never told you my story, did I?" she asked. "I accidentally set my grandmother's house on fire when I was six. Caused a blackout in four counties in Ohio when I was eight. I spent my ninth birthday in a glass room with an IV of lithium in my arm. I've lived in this building for sixteen years, ever since the shrinks diagnosed me as a sociopath with paranoid delusions. But they’re just out to get me, 'cause I threatened to kill them. I'm twenty-four years old and I've never gone on a date. Never been on a roller-coaster. Never been swimming. And now you know everything there is to know about me. I don't have the luxury of being more interesting than that."
Elle gave him a sad shrug. "You've had a life. And you can have one again. The pills will keep you from being dangerous."
Peter listened to all of that as he swallowed his pills down with a swig of water, then automatically showed Elle the empty cup and his empty mouth to prove he'd taken them. "Do you ever think about leaving? I'm locked in here. Are you?"
"I don't want to hurt people either," Elle said. "Besides, Daddy is here."
"You could take the pills," Peter pointed out. He sat down beside her again, which just went to prove that Peter could go through death itself and still have all the survival instincts of Mac's pet lemming.
Elle rested her head on his shoulder. "I could, but I kind of like my powers. Daddy's been working with me on how to control them." She placed her hand on his leg and let a very light current dance between them.
Peter twitched, but tried to stay in place. "Once you control them, then you'll go out more?"
"Daddy's training me to work for the Company," Elle explained. "I'll be able to help other people like us."
"What about roller-coasters?" Peter asked. "Will you try one out?"
Elle smiled and cuddled closer. "Definitely."
"Who gets to decide when you leave?" Peter asked.
"Daddy, of course," Elle said, as if that should have been obvious. It was pretty clear that she thought the world of her father. Which wasn't all that surprising considering he was pretty much her entire world.
"What if you disagree?" Peter asked, unable to help but wonder what it was like for Elle to be stuck here if she didn't have to be.
"I trust Daddy to know when I'm ready," Elle said.
"But what if you think you're ready and he doesn't?" Peter asked.
The question confused Elle. "I won't think I'm ready until Daddy says I am."
Peter looked Elle in the eyes to try to guage her reaction. "You don't have opinions of your own?"
Elle's confusion deepened. "Daddy knows best."
"Really?" Peter asked. He kept his tone kind, wanting Elle to understand he wasn't making fun of her. "No opinions of your own? So your dad's the one who thinks I'm cute?"
"Well, no," Elle said. "I think you're cute." She ran her hand up his arm to prove it. "But Daddy knows how to handle my powers the best."
"But you do have your own thoughts and opinions," Peter said, wanting to make sure Elle understood that. "Separate from your father's."
Elle shrugged. "Sure, I guess. About some stuff. I don't think my dad would like roller coasters."
"So you might disagree with him about your powers," Peter said. Because apparently nothing on Earth could stop him from being the kind of optimist who thought she might say yes.
"Why would I disagree with him about that?" Elle asked. Because she was still blindly loyal to her Daddy. For now.
"Stranger things have happened," Peter replied.
His questions made Elle frown and she stood up. "I think I should go and check in with Daddy now. Want me to come back later?"
Peter knew his next dose wasn't in question, so he decided to answer her by asking, "Do you?"
Elle gave another shrug. "I'll have to see what Daddy says. Bye, Peter."
Peter watched her go, then settled back down on his bed. He wasn't sure what to make of all this, but at least it gave him something and someone to think about besides himself.
[ooc: with thanks to marsheadtilt for playing doppelganger 8) ]