Dollhouse fic: "5 things the Dollhouse can be used for"
Title: {click!} Five things the Dollhouse can be used for. (and none of them involve sex)
Author: Keenir
Rating: PG
Spoilers: I have not seen beyond A spy in the house of love, though I refer to an upcoming spoiler.
Disclaimer: I own none of the canon characters of the Dollhouse, the Dresden Files, Star Trek, or Firefly.
Summary: Some scenarios of what possible uses the Dollhouse could engage in. (see the Rating)
`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One: #1 National Security
"You want what?" Boyd asked.
Agent Preston said, "We need to retrieve the information in this man's head."
"While I applaud your persistance, Agent," DeWitt said, "I should tell you that we have never engaged in what you are asking for." We used an Active with Mr Dominic's thoughts, but not...
"Ma'am?" Preston asked, seeing the smile on DeWitt's face.
"We will attempt this," she answered. "If successful, we will discuss payment, your superiors and I. If -"
Preston opened his mouth to ask if patriotism was not payment enough, but he couldn't form the words.
"If unsuccessful," DeWitt was saying, "the Dollhouse will require recompense, including but not restricted to the man whose mind you so desire."
* *
"It's never the easy ones," Topher said, "even for geniuses."
Ivy smiled, not about to point out to Topher than he'd used the plural form for once. "Maybe he quit."
"What? The terrorist we just put on disk?" There had to be some alteration of said mind when it was put into a Doll - otherwise, in Topher's opinion, why involve the Dollhouse at all?
Ivy nodded.
Topher lit up, running with the idea. "Not quitting, no no no - he'd still be loyal to the guys. But if he turned coat, did a Bennedict Arnold... yes!" and spun in his chair, already knowing which mental modules to hitch on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#2: Prison control:
Onscreen, the prisoners rushed the Active guards, overpowering them at great cost to their own numbers.
Safe in his office, Mister Dominic watched the video as, live, armed with blade-sharp toothbrushes and shattered shatterproof food trays, the inmates demanded to be released. The guards refused.
The infliction of pain began, as the prisoners threatened their jailers. Even offering to let the guards live, to tie them up and survive the jailbreak, that too failed - the Actives' programing made them True Believers, willing and prepared to die to keep inmates in.
Dominic saw why Adelle had insisted upon, not money, but on the use of Death Row residents to be imprinted as the guards.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#3: Answering fandom questions:
"You're kidding, right?" Topher asked.
" 'Fraid not," Boyd said.
"But this assignment makes no sense. Okay, it makes sense, but it's a waste -"
"You're objecting to them spending money?" Boyd asked, amused.
"Well no, not that."
"I think he means," Ivy said, coming over from leaning on the wall of the imprint room, "is that the movie should have answered this question."
"Her exact words were," Boyd said, citing the client, "'I want to see whether the Spock/Uhura relationship is more plausible based on information in the original series or in the new movie.'"
"Doesn't want to take the movie at face value, I guess," Topher said. Slightly chuckling as he added, "Well its like DeWitt always says, nothing is as it seems."
"Should we worry that they're catching on?" Ivy asked.
"Nah," all three of them said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#4: Dresden Files crossovers:
Ancient Mai and DeWitt walked Harry Dresden out of the apartment building that Harry had located - an apartment building that Detective Murphy knew to keep away from (hellfire, even the Black and Red Courts could agree to that the apartment must be avoided at all costs).
"What was that?" Harry asked once they were clear. Ancient Mai had never jumped on him before today - she'd also never used her own body to shield Harry's head from anything.
"An Old One," Ancient Mai said.
Harry knew of them, knew that even if an Old One were careful in how it presented itself, it would drive a man insane.
"The same girls that were brought here early in the week," Harry said. "They were for...it? For the Old One?"
Mai's look was confirmation enough.
"And they were the same ones as this time last year."
"And the year before then, and the year prior, yes."
"How far? How far back?" Harry asked, feeling like a deafened man who must raise his voice to hear himself.
"The World's Fair in Chicago, Dresden. We built the White City to cover it up what some of us were doing."
"'Some of us'?"
"They inspired your uncle in some things, disgusted even him in others."
"And this 'dollhouse' Kirmani mentioned," Dresden said. "What is that?"
"Until the advent of the Dollhouse," Mai knew, "keeping the Old Ones at bay..." shaking her head, looking at her crisp clean hands, "it was very messy."
"Whereas now," DeWitt said, "we may offer the same body time after time."
"But the Old Ones..." Harry said.
"Feast only upon the mind," Ancient Mai said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#5: Firefly crossovers:
"You pressed hard enough, Mr Ballard," DeWitt said, standing at the door to the room she herself had only entered three times in her long regency here. "And in the time you were pressing, you have regressed from having the attention of my employers, to being deemed fit for an audience with them."
"Sounds to me like progression," Ballard said.
DeWitt's eyes were sad for him, but she opened the door anyway, closing it once he was inside without her.
There was one person - a young lady with fleece gloves and a blouse and sundress - standing behind a perfectly normal office desk.
"Hi," Ballard said. "I'm -"
"We already know you, Paul Ballard," said River as she removed her fleece gloves, revealing solid blue hands. No nails, no hairs, not even a visible crease or wrinkle. "Yes, the future," pre-empting his guesses.
"What th-"
"The literaturists were quite correct when they predicted that mankind would create their descendents. But they errored in believing said successors will be machines."
"They'll be you instead?"
"We came into being in the Dollhouse. With us, there will be no more Dollhouse. Things will be different and they will be the same."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End
Author: Keenir
Rating: PG
Spoilers: I have not seen beyond A spy in the house of love, though I refer to an upcoming spoiler.
Disclaimer: I own none of the canon characters of the Dollhouse, the Dresden Files, Star Trek, or Firefly.
Summary: Some scenarios of what possible uses the Dollhouse could engage in. (see the Rating)
`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One: #1 National Security
"You want what?" Boyd asked.
Agent Preston said, "We need to retrieve the information in this man's head."
"While I applaud your persistance, Agent," DeWitt said, "I should tell you that we have never engaged in what you are asking for." We used an Active with Mr Dominic's thoughts, but not...
"Ma'am?" Preston asked, seeing the smile on DeWitt's face.
"We will attempt this," she answered. "If successful, we will discuss payment, your superiors and I. If -"
Preston opened his mouth to ask if patriotism was not payment enough, but he couldn't form the words.
"If unsuccessful," DeWitt was saying, "the Dollhouse will require recompense, including but not restricted to the man whose mind you so desire."
* *
"It's never the easy ones," Topher said, "even for geniuses."
Ivy smiled, not about to point out to Topher than he'd used the plural form for once. "Maybe he quit."
"What? The terrorist we just put on disk?" There had to be some alteration of said mind when it was put into a Doll - otherwise, in Topher's opinion, why involve the Dollhouse at all?
Ivy nodded.
Topher lit up, running with the idea. "Not quitting, no no no - he'd still be loyal to the guys. But if he turned coat, did a Bennedict Arnold... yes!" and spun in his chair, already knowing which mental modules to hitch on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#2: Prison control:
Onscreen, the prisoners rushed the Active guards, overpowering them at great cost to their own numbers.
Safe in his office, Mister Dominic watched the video as, live, armed with blade-sharp toothbrushes and shattered shatterproof food trays, the inmates demanded to be released. The guards refused.
The infliction of pain began, as the prisoners threatened their jailers. Even offering to let the guards live, to tie them up and survive the jailbreak, that too failed - the Actives' programing made them True Believers, willing and prepared to die to keep inmates in.
Dominic saw why Adelle had insisted upon, not money, but on the use of Death Row residents to be imprinted as the guards.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#3: Answering fandom questions:
"You're kidding, right?" Topher asked.
" 'Fraid not," Boyd said.
"But this assignment makes no sense. Okay, it makes sense, but it's a waste -"
"You're objecting to them spending money?" Boyd asked, amused.
"Well no, not that."
"I think he means," Ivy said, coming over from leaning on the wall of the imprint room, "is that the movie should have answered this question."
"Her exact words were," Boyd said, citing the client, "'I want to see whether the Spock/Uhura relationship is more plausible based on information in the original series or in the new movie.'"
"Doesn't want to take the movie at face value, I guess," Topher said. Slightly chuckling as he added, "Well its like DeWitt always says, nothing is as it seems."
"Should we worry that they're catching on?" Ivy asked.
"Nah," all three of them said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#4: Dresden Files crossovers:
Ancient Mai and DeWitt walked Harry Dresden out of the apartment building that Harry had located - an apartment building that Detective Murphy knew to keep away from (hellfire, even the Black and Red Courts could agree to that the apartment must be avoided at all costs).
"What was that?" Harry asked once they were clear. Ancient Mai had never jumped on him before today - she'd also never used her own body to shield Harry's head from anything.
"An Old One," Ancient Mai said.
Harry knew of them, knew that even if an Old One were careful in how it presented itself, it would drive a man insane.
"The same girls that were brought here early in the week," Harry said. "They were for...it? For the Old One?"
Mai's look was confirmation enough.
"And they were the same ones as this time last year."
"And the year before then, and the year prior, yes."
"How far? How far back?" Harry asked, feeling like a deafened man who must raise his voice to hear himself.
"The World's Fair in Chicago, Dresden. We built the White City to cover it up what some of us were doing."
"'Some of us'?"
"They inspired your uncle in some things, disgusted even him in others."
"And this 'dollhouse' Kirmani mentioned," Dresden said. "What is that?"
"Until the advent of the Dollhouse," Mai knew, "keeping the Old Ones at bay..." shaking her head, looking at her crisp clean hands, "it was very messy."
"Whereas now," DeWitt said, "we may offer the same body time after time."
"But the Old Ones..." Harry said.
"Feast only upon the mind," Ancient Mai said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#5: Firefly crossovers:
"You pressed hard enough, Mr Ballard," DeWitt said, standing at the door to the room she herself had only entered three times in her long regency here. "And in the time you were pressing, you have regressed from having the attention of my employers, to being deemed fit for an audience with them."
"Sounds to me like progression," Ballard said.
DeWitt's eyes were sad for him, but she opened the door anyway, closing it once he was inside without her.
There was one person - a young lady with fleece gloves and a blouse and sundress - standing behind a perfectly normal office desk.
"Hi," Ballard said. "I'm -"
"We already know you, Paul Ballard," said River as she removed her fleece gloves, revealing solid blue hands. No nails, no hairs, not even a visible crease or wrinkle. "Yes, the future," pre-empting his guesses.
"What th-"
"The literaturists were quite correct when they predicted that mankind would create their descendents. But they errored in believing said successors will be machines."
"They'll be you instead?"
"We came into being in the Dollhouse. With us, there will be no more Dollhouse. Things will be different and they will be the same."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End