InsaneJournal

Current mood:	indescribable
Entry tags:	au inquisiton plot, jenny lowe

Dopplegangers
There was an odd silence surrounding a particular individual the morning that Jenny Lowe had decided she was going to take a wander near Lincoln Park. She had yet to go out there, having been actively discouraged by strangers because of the news and the stories of monsters that lived behind the wall. She had been compelled there, an odd buzzing sound in her mind that had meant she was drawn towards it, if not just to find the source of it, but she was distracted by the silence and she'd walked towards it, helpless to fight as she came face to face with... herself.

A version of herself that was slimmer, had longer hair and was emitting silence.

"This is..." Wasn't she supposed to die now? Or disappear or something?

Jennifer Lowe, fugitive, had turned on the spot when she had sensed a chaotic mind coming towards her, filled with the thoughts of others but barely any of its own. What she saw when she turned was pretty surprising. It was herself. She tilted her head, so did the other. They both lifted an eyebrow at the same time before a soft laugh escaped.

"How come your mind is so loud?" she asked and Jenny looked confused for a moment before she realised that the silence was coming from a point of control.

"How come yours is so quiet?" she challenged, a part of her longing to have that kind of control over her powers. What she wouldn't give to be able to just shut out the world.

There was a moment when the two women just looked at each other, as if they were sizing each other up, trying to determine whether or not a conversation was a good thing before Jennifer's head turned sharply. Jenny looked confused, frowning before she was tugged out of the way as what seemed to be a ball of electricity shot towards them along with a cry of "Stop fugitive!"

Jennifer took hold of Jenny's arm and started running, her voice echoing inside her double's mind, whatever you do, just keep running and stay with me.

How're you doing this? I can't do this.

I'm guessing you can, you were just never taught how. If we get out of this alive, I promise I will teach you.

Their feet pounded on the pavement, ducking another shot as it was fired at them, electricity crackling past. It caught Jennifer's upper arm as they turned the corner and Jenny felt her pain as clearly as if it were her own, letting out a startled cry.

Jennifer pulled her into an alleyway and covered her mouth to indicate she should stay quiet. Seconds later, the man who had been pursuing them - who looked weirdly like Alec's housemate - appeared, slowing to a halt to look around. It appeared that the women had just vanished. He knew better than that.

Tobias' keen eyes scanned the surrounding area before he turned, facing the alleyway.

"I know you're there, mind-reader," he announced, "Submit or be killed."

Jenny bit her lower lip, she didn't quite understand what the man that looked like Toby meant by that, and she wasn't sure the much cared to. Jennifer lifted her hands, two fingers touching her temples as she looked directly at the Inquisitor, slowly messing with his mind. It was a delicate process and she hated to doing it, but needs must.

A noise, right in front of you. Clattering. It's just a cat. It is just a cat. You can't see the fugitive in there. They are not there. There is no one in the alley. You do see her turning the corner though, running away on the opposite side of the street after slinking out of an alleyway on that side.

Tobias turned his head, eyes narrowing a little as he yelled "STOP!" at someone that only he could see and headed off on a run after the invisible fugitive. Jennifer sank back against the wall, rubbing at her eyes.

Jenny just stared at her for a moment. "How- I- what did you just do?"

"Made him think we were over there." The answer was tired-sounding and Jennifer pressed her knuckles into her eyes, her vision having blurred a little. Tobias was strong-minded, it was always harder to bend them to he will.

"How? I can't do that, I can't- I can't even make it all shut up so I can think straight!" Jenny leaned against the wall beside her double and rubbed her fingers across her face. Her double did the same thing.

"It's- It'll be easier if I just show you." Jennifer said, glancing out to see if the coast was clear again before she lifted her hands, moving to stand in front of Jenny. She looked a little nervous.

"You look like you're about to get me with the Vulcan mind-meld," she muttered, laughing at the confusion that crossed over Jennifer's face.

"The what? I'm sorry, I am not familiar with that term."

Jenny lifted an eyebrow, "No Star Trek where you're from? Sucks. Hey, were are you from?"

Jennifer mimicked the eyebrow lifting. "If you'd be quiet, I'm going to show you."

Sheepish, Jenny looked down, letting the other her approach carefully, closing her eyes when she felt fingertips against her face. In a split second, she was inundated with images and knowledge.

Another world, steam and cogs, whirring and hissing instead of micro-processing, radios instead of cells. The world that could have been if the technological revolution had happened in the Victorian Era. Inquisitors, dedicated to the eradication of the Supernatural. Emotions: fear, anger, disgust... Avery, Kris, Cassandra, Reuben, Jeb, Sonya to name a few of the others... Alec...

Jenny was thrown with the warmth that came from the mention of Alec in the other woman's mind. Genuine affection and something a whole lot more than what Jenny herself felt towards her own counterpart Alec.

Running, years together on the road, gentle touches for reassurance. Strong arms around her as she sleeps...

Sorry. That's- that's why we're here. They came after us. They wanted to hurt us, kill us, take our powers away. We can't let them.

I- I can't- There are Slayers here, maybe they can help?

Maybe. I'm going to show you how to control your gifts. It's nothing to be afraid of, Jennifer.

More pictures, broken but they made sense to the receiver, breathing controls and walls in the mind, images of a great dam against the voices, tiny cracks, exercises in control.

The message was quick but packed, a split second before the connection was broken. Both women looked around, Jennifer having thought she had heard something. It left them both feeling dizzy, breathing a little heavier than before. Jenny rubbed at her eyes, Jennifer just took a slow breath, looking around, on high alert.

The throbbing in her upper arm was getting harder to ignore and she just pressed a hand against it, the tear in the fabric of her hoodie revealing the skin of her arm, the burn from the electric pulse weapon standing out in the gap in the blue fabric. She would be alright, she had to be.

"This is a good world," she said finally to her double, "Make the most of it. And never be afraid of your gift. It makes you beautiful."

Jennifer offered a small smile before she frowned again, seeing Inquisitor Bryson returning.

"Damn." She let out a breath and looked at her counterpart before she gripped Jenny's shoulders. "Pay attention. You need to run. He won't know which of us is me until I let him know, but you have to run, okay? Don't let him catch you, he'll treat you like a fugitive, and that's- that's not something you want."

Jenny nodded, curling her fingers around Jennifer's wrists, feeling oddly emotional at letting the other woman go. "I- Are you gonna be alright?"

She was rewarded with a grim smile. "I'll do my best." It was a weak promise at best but there was little more that could be done now. They couldn't run anymore. Wherever they went, the Inquisitors would follow. "When I tell you, you run."

Jenny impulsively pulled Jennifer into a hug and held her tightly for a few seconds. "I always wanted a twin," she admitted quietly before she let go. "Be careful."

Jennifer just smiled at her and touched her face again, cupping her cheek and then looking back across the street. Bryson was coming across the road. "Remember, when I say run. Not before."

Jenny nodded, feeling fear twisting in her gut again and she took a couple of deep breaths to coach herself through it. She watched Jennifer slide out from the alley and cock her head.

"HEY!" she yelled and Bryson stopped in the middle of the road for a minute. "Looking for me?" she asked.

"You made the right choice, young one," Bryson said moving closer to her, weapon brandished. "Submission is the only way."

Jennifer just watched, waiting until he had passed the mouth of the alley before she turned on her heel and fled, a resounding Run! echoing in Jenny's mind. Bryson went to follow Jennifer before heard movement behind him and turned, shooting out of instinct and the blast shot past Jenny's head, making her scream and speed up.

Deciding that the one that screamed wasn't his quarry, Bryson quickly turned to pursue the fugitive mind-reader. Little did he know that he would lose her soon enough. She hadn't survived for so long without being able to escape.