Familiar faces.

[too_late4tom]

It's been a while since Tom has made his presence known to Schreber. He's been too busy watching the man and his strange family to actually bother talking to him. He's been trying to figure out who the weird guy with the bad skin is, or why none of them seem to leave the house for very far or long. The girlfriend, she actually drives to the city

Comments

[dr_schreber]

Schreber has actually come and gone some that Tom didn't see, pinpointing to the labs and back to tidy up and putter around and water the plants he keeps there. Sometimes he visits Harley to check in and sometimes Rat visits him but they're both busy with the garden in the city some. Most days Schreber stays home and drinks tea and works on paperwork for the city. He takes a walk once every morning and sometimes in the evening but he's always on the boardwalk and nodding to neighbors and never anywhere Tom might be able to get him alone

[dr_schreber]

"...A few." He puts his glasses back on and still looks nervous. "A very few, but you're one of... them, now. And we will get you a pinpoint..." He shuts his eyes and sighs but when he opens his eyes again he looks straight at Tom. "Yes, if she wanted that. There's... a lot of things I would give... her if I could. I don't have any past at... all, don't you think I want that back? A lot of things are... possible out there, but you also have to be care...ful what you wish for."

[too_late4tom]

Tom appears tremendously dissatisfied with that response. Who the hell is Schreber to tell him to be careful what he wishes for? It's his fault he's like this in the first place!

His and John Murdoch's. It suddenly dawns on Tom that he's wasting his time here, talking to Schreber. This mousy little nervous man has answers, but no solutions. Maybe John could give him what he wanted.

Maybe he could make John give him what he wanted.

"Are you the one that's running everything now?" He knows Schreber won't answer him honestly, but he's curious what sort of reaction the other man will give.

[dr_schreber]

Schreber goes still for a minute. He wants to protect John and Tom is not giving off 'I'm okay with this' signals at all. "I... do much of the beauracracy. Since They were destroyed a lot has to be... done just to keep the city running. The truth won't do pe...ople much good if they're starving when they hear... it, or the city is falling down around them. Every...one who knows the truth does their best to help the city, to keep things run...ning and subtly prepare everyone for the reality of things."

[too_late4tom]

Tom's mouth turns into a flat line. Liar, liar, pants on fire. Slowly, he sighs, and picks up his lemonade again. So, it's a few people then, all running things behind the scenes. "And when will that be?" he asks dryly. "When are you actually planning on telling everyone? Are you expecting me to sit on my ass and keep having nightmares until people know the truth and stop treating me like a nutjob?"

[dr_schreber]

"I think... you'll find more acceptance in the Nexus. You... could help us. I don't know when. People on the street wouldn't... believe me any more then they would you if I star...ted telling them this. I said before, if you have any su...ggestions how to bring the truth gently let me know." He's kind of worried about what Tom might do but he's alone and not sure how to stop him if he decides to do anything drastic.

[too_late4tom]

"The Nexus?" That gets him off track for a second. What kind of a name is that?

Tom frowns. He doesn't look particularly interested in helping out the city. But he's not about to get up and throttle Schreber, either. He suspects that the man would simply take the beating, and it wouldn't get him any closer to getting his memories back. And Schreber was right -- if he went around telling people the truth, he'd get thrown in the loony bin for sure.

But he was still mad. "No, I don't have any suggestions," he snaps back, then sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "I need to think about all of this. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

[dr_schreber]

"It's... a kind of meeting place. It's where we get pin...points. I... don't know. Do you have any other quest...ions for me?" He's watching Tom anxiously again. Orwell is watching him from the livingroom too. Tom is under intense scrutiny.

[too_late4tom]

Tom just glares at Schreber a moment, before his expression turns blank. "No," he replies. "I need to... I need to think about things." He stands up, but he doesn't step towards Schreber. He's mad (and a little crazy), but he isn't stupid. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Like you said, it's not like anyone would believe me."

[dr_schreber]

Schreber gets up too but it's a little slower and stiffer and awkward. "That's... not what I'm worried about. Please don't... don't do anything to yourself? Please take care of your...self?" He looks pleading.
Orwell makes clicking noises and sways from foot to foot on the back of the chair because of Tom getting up quickly. If he'd stepped toward Schreber he probably would have gotten attacked by the raven.

[too_late4tom]

It's a good thing he didn't step towards Schreber, then, because Tom would have attacked back. "I'm not going to kill myself," he snaps, annoyed. He wants to smack that pleading look off Schreber's face, but he keeps his anger in check. His expression is still oddly blank, like a poker face. "If I think of more questions, I'll call you." He heads out of the kitchen and towards the front door, to show himself out, then pauses and turns back around. "I thought of one more. What did the aliens look like?"

[dr_schreber]

Oh noes! But Orwell is not easy to fight off. Just ask Alfred Hitchcock.
Schreber kind of limps after him and his expression does not get any better. He's too slow to keep up with Tom angrily striding away. "They... looked like people. Ah. Well not really, more like..." He wrings his hands. "They looked like black... squid... things, but they hid in human bodies. Pale... hairless. Why? Do... you remember Them?" Gibbs kind of does so it seems possible.

[too_late4tom]

Tom's face pales. He remembers them... they'd been haunting his nightmares. Floating along the battlefield like angels of death, watching the carnage with a disinterested air.

He swallows hard. "No. Was just curious." His hand grips the doorknob and he yanks it open. He looks like he might say something else, but instead just leaves, slamming the door behind him.

Yeah. That could have gone better.