Winifred "Fred" Burkle (i_figure) wrote in we_coexist, @ 2009-01-27 00:15:00 |
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Entry tags: | pietro lehnsherr, winifred burkle |
Won't someone help me....(Fred, Pietro)
The City was so strange. Fred still didn't understand how she could have met two brothers when they were nowhere near each other. She didn't understand how she had stumbled on Angel, or how Wesley had stumbled on her with Angel, not that she was really with Angel, but she was around him, so she could be considered with Angel. It had even let her find Sam again. Yet, it had managed to help her avoid, well, not avoid because she wasn't looking to miss him or pass by him, but it had somehow managed to allow her to not see him - him being Pietro, this time. Of course, she hadn't really seen Norman either, so maybe that was a sign. Or maybe chance hadn't worked in a way to let her see them, not that she fully believed in chance. Yet, probabilities were bound to take place. She really needed to find something more to do than look for her friends, or acquaintances. She couldn't be defined by those she knew, right? She shouldn't be...
She was out purchasing a new clipboard. She thought of getting one of those hand held personal organizers, or whatever they were called, PDA? Public Displays of Affectation? She smiled as she took a few notes on her clipboard, well, the paper on the clipboard. She had a list of questions that needed answering; she'd check in with Wesley, Angel, Sam, and maybe Veronica later to see if they'd come up with anything. Right now she was busy working out how time evolved, or devolved. It just didn't work properly, or normally, actually properly and normally in respect to her usual sense of time, which meant that it really wasn't the only way time could work, but she had to wonder about the effects of relatively abnormal time.
So, there she was, sitting where snow once piled high, a cup of coffee in one hand and a busy pencil in the other. She looked to be very much in her element, sort of. If she were in the library, it'd have been much more her element. Or maybe a lab, or behind a desk with books upon books.
Though he'd been intending to find Fred after the zombie attacks, Pietro hadn't had much luck. He didn't think much of it - it was hard enough to locate people when the terrain didn't change on a regular basis - but the intent to track her down stayed there in the back of his mind. He wasn't exactly worried, persay, but he was certainly 'slightly concerned.' She'd been decent to him upon his arrival, and he'd seen what the undead hordes had done to the City. He just wanted to make sure that she was alright.
He was not, for once, on a delivery. This trip out was actually about food: he hadn't eaten in a little over two hours and he was hungry again. When he emerged from the diner - good grief, steak and green beans and home fries, the cuisine was so much better than home - it was with two doggie bags in tow, one in each hand. Okay. So maybe he'd ordered some take-out for later, too. He was too busy juggling the sacks to notice Fred at first, until he was practically on top of her and had to come to a sharp halt. Plastic rustled as the doggie bags swayed in his hands.
"I'm sorry," he began, tone brusque as he tried to shift his grip on the food, but he cut off when he spotted the woman he'd almost trod upon. "OH." He said, surprised, "I found you. What do you know? Hello, Fred."
Fred blinked up. She'd been found? Someone was looking for her? The smile was genuine when she realized who it was. Not that Fred made with fake smiles, but this one was fairly close to beaming. She stood, dusting herself off and tossing the empty cup into the trash.
"Pietro! I found you!" She moved quickly and gave him a hug. Yes, a hug. She'd been a little concerned, and he seemed safe enough to hug. it didn't seem as if he'd mind. She hoped he wouldn't mind. "Well, you found me, but still, you were lookin' for me? I wasn't really lost, but I wasn't exactly where you saw me last either, at least I dont' think is where you saw me last." There was a pause as she looked around; no, this was not where they had last seen each other.
"You're not a zombie!"
"You're not a zombie either," Pietro observed. It was easy to be flippant when the danger was passed. There might've been more concern/sympathy, though, if he weren't so busy being surprised that she'd hugged him. People generally didn't hug him. He must not have minded, though, because after a moment to get over the surprise, he swung an arm around to awkwardly pat her on the back. Well - 'tap' was a little more accurate, as his hands weren't exactly free.
"I was worried that the zombies might've gotten you. I'm glad that you're still in one piece." He frowned and took a minute to check. Yep - one piece. "So yes - I was looking for you. I just wasn't sure where to look; I make deliveries now and I've been keeping my eyes open. You're really alright?"
"I've been okay. I've been lookin' for you and a few other people I know. I didn't think you'd really get zombified 'cause they'd have to catch you, and it's not like you're exactly slow. They were very very slow." She gave him another small hug; Fred was a hugger when she could hug. Some people just didn't give/get enough hugs.
"I'm in one piece. Gettin' food? Food is good. I ate something recently." Not that he was offering to get her food, but he probably was one of the few people who understood the need for food. "I'm glad you're okay," said as she stepped back, the clipboard pulled close to her.
"Yes." Pietro said, hefting one of the bags. "Takeout for later - the snow seems to be slowing down, but I'd rather not venture out if I can help it." He noticed the clipboard, then, and he squinted a little. Clipboard? "Are you gathering signatures?" He'd seen people doing that sort of thing since he'd come to the City, but he wasn't sure what Fred would be petitioning about. Then again, he really didn't know too much about her at all.
Fred looked down at the clipboard, then up at him. There was a slight smile as she wasn't sure if he'd like or get what she was talking about. There were more questions and equations than anything, nothing overly exciting. It was just mishmash to anyone who didn't understand Fred notes. Sometimes even to some of them.
"Oh, no. No. I wonder if gettin' signatures would do much for what I'm workin' on. I guess I could get signatures of people who say they were brought here, look them up, look up their timelines, and see if anything comes of it, but I don't think that'd go very well. I guess, I'm just trying to figure out how the City works, but that's probably not gonna happen anytime soon, not without some divine intervention, or some huge epiphany. But, I'll keep working on it."
"I've been wondering how the City works, myself. It's a much better place than home, but I'm shirking my duties by staying here." Yes, they'd killed Apocalypse, but that didn't mean that his world didn't need the X-Men. Pietro frowned, fully prepared to follow that train of thought, but he caught himself. It wasn't productive, and it was rude to Fred. So, he exhaled through his nose and got back on topic. "I wish you luck: I haven't been able to find any pattern, and I think I've seen the whole of the place, now. Haven't talked to many people, though."
"There has to be a pattern. If the City is living as some have hypothesized, then it has to have a pattern. The human body seems chaotic I'm sure by something inside it, but there's a pattern. There's always a pattern." Fred was going to hold to that theory for a bit, and she had to hope that things would prove her right. Then again, she wouldn't mind being proven wrong; she would then go to her next idea, her next theory.
"Pietro, what was your life like? I know a little about Wanda and Magneto; not that you have to tell me, but I am curious."
The change in demeanor was immediate; Magneto wasn't such a touchy subject, but Pietro stiffened at the mention of his twin sister. He didn't cool, exactly, but he was certainly more stiff, more guarded. He considered whether or not to answer the question, but with his sister gone, telling the story couldn't do much harm. Besides: Fred had meant well, he was certain, and she'd been nothing but helpful to him when he'd needed it.
"Wanda is dead." He said. "There was an attack on the X-Men base years ago, in the early days of the war. She died defending the others from Nemesis." It still bothered him, but Pietro's resolve didn't waver. He kept talking, tone matter-of-fact. "After that, it was nothing but warfare. Apocalypse took over all of the United States and most of the rest of the world, too, then proceeded to live up to his name. We resisted him." He tried to cross his arms, but with the bags of take-out it was hard. He gave up after the first attempt. "My father married Rogue. They had a son. And then Bishop arrived."
"He told us that we could change things; that the world was supposed to be otherwise. What could we do but try? And I think we succeeded, but... well, it was chaos at the end, and then I was here."
Fred's smile faded, softened. She hadn't meant to bring up something bad; actually, she'd hoped that it would be something good. Then again, when ever she asked about siblings, it didn't go so well. Well, atleast it hadn't with Dean, Sam was a little easier. Still, either way, it wasn't a good happy feeling. She reached over and lightly rubbed his arm; yes, she'd asked with the best intentions, but usually best intentions went horribly wrong, didn't they?
"I'm sorry. I didn't know. The last I knew you and Wanda were with the Avengers, and Magneto...well, he was a bad guy. Don't think he'd ever end up with Rogue, but you aren't exactly from the group I know, are you?" She patted his shoulder softly and reached over to take a bag, if he let her. "I'll help you carry this home; not that I can move as quickly as you can, and you probably can carry these and a few other things without any trouble. Hmm...maybe I should let you do it yourself, which sounds really lazy, doesn't it?" She was trying.
"Avengers?" The name seemed to confuse Pietro, but he didn't pry. There were more important things to address, specifically Fred's reaction to the news about his sister. The mention of her name had shaken him, but it was obvious that Fred hadn't meant anything by it. "It would be faster for me to run these home, but I can walk with you. That way, you'll know how to find me the next time there's a zombie attack." It was probably a joke. Probably. His voice had that joking tone to it, but Pietro didn't smile.
"I don't think I'm the Quicksilver you know," he agreed. "Someday you'll have to tell me stories about yours." Hey. If there could be multiple timelines, even where Pietro was from, he was willing to accept that there were multiple versions of himself.
He still wasn't sure about the whole 'book' thing, though.
"Oh, I don't know him that well. Actually, I mean, I didn't read many of the comics, but I could do some research for you. It'd be better than sittin' round waitin' for somethin' to happen. I don't really do that, but I feel like I do. I need to get out there and do somethin'. I will definitely do some research for you. Compile a report. Then again, maybe you shouldn't see that information. For all I know that becomes you in some weird future, and then that'd really mess things up, wouldn't it? If I tell you stuff that's from your future? It's not good to know your future." So maybe she'd slipped from talking about Pietro to talking about herself.
"I have a weird question for you. If people acted strange when they see you, people who should know you. Not people who came from a different dimension, but who probably come from your future and they know you in that future, and they act weird when they see you. They seem to think they, with you, are now in some sort of afterlife or hell or they call you by a different name. Do you think that something strange is going on? Would you ask or would you leave it because knowing your future might cause some rift in space-time?" It was a strange question to ask, but the only other person she felt might be able to handle her strange questions probably wouldn't be able to handle this one. Pietro was an X-man; he ate strange/bizarre for breakfast.
"If we succeeded in the mission I was on when I was brought here, Fred, my future won't ever occur. Our job was to destroy our timeline - to revert it to a different, better world. A world where Charles Xavier never died and Apocalypse never rose to control the world." It was funny, thinking about dying... or, technically, ceasing to exist. It should bother him more, Pietro knew, but part of him honestly didn't mind. Some things were worth the sacrifice. He shifted his grip on his bags and moved his weight from his front foot to his back. His expression grew thoughtful.
"If it were me, I'd ask. Knowing about an alternate future - or past - actually helped us to save our world." By ending it, technically, but he glossed over that detail. "Even if it wasn't something I'd want to hear, I'd ask. At best, I might be able to avoid whatever it was, and at worst, I could prepare myself for whatever was coming. Provided we ever get to leave the City, of course." He paused, frowning. "Why? That's a very strange hypothetical - has that actually happened to someone?"
"Me." Fred realized he was probably getting uncomfortable standing in one place. "We should probably get that home before it..gets..cold?" She laughed awkwardly, not sure how to explain any of it. "Wesley and Angel, my friends. They act strange around me sometimes, like I'm not me. But, I donno who else I'd be if I wasn't me, and I think that might be the problem, which sorta bugs me cause I don't want them thinkin' I'm not me, when I really am me."
She settled in beside him as soon as he started walking. Fred knew she was probably a little slow, but anyone compared to the Quicksilver was probably a little slow, except maybe Flash or Superman, which was slightly a moot point seeing as they existed in two different comics. Then again, she was pretty sure Batman types were around, so why not Flash or Superman?
"I want to know what happened that made them act like they do. But, if I know, and I end up going back, will that change what happens in the future, and will that change how things happen? Angel's a human now, and I don't want to change that for him. Wesley was dead, but now he's alive; would that change, would he not die? Would he die earlier and it'd be my fault? What if I change things for the worse." Fred sighed softly. "I'm also wondering if I really should find a way back. Things are sorta better here. Sam, he's not from my world, at least I'm pretty sure he's not. He seems to be better here, but he prolly wants to get back to his world. His reality."
"Things are better here for me. If my team, my father, Storm were here, I'd be perfectly content to stay forever. But I do worry that they needed me back home - maybe for a few minutes, until the timeline could change - and I wasn't there." Who knew? Maybe the City would see fit to deliver his family and friends. Maybe not. "You might change things for the worse, but you can't know that. Do you think they're protecting you, or themselves? And if it's you, do you really want to be protected? I think those are the questions I'd be asking myself instead."
"I don't know." She snuggled into her coat a little more, clipboard held awkwardly. Her head bowed forward as she watched her feet; she didn't like not knowing. Sure, she liked mystery, she liked discovery, but she didnt' like not knowing. Could this be something she really needed to know? Were they hiding things from her? Could this help or hinder? "I just want things to be good, happy. It's impossible, I know, but that's what I want. I want them to be happy and safe. And not dead. I don't want them to keep acting as if I'm going to break. Maybe I should ask."
Fred looked up at Pietro and gave him a smile. "Thanks. Of all the people I know, I think you're probably the one person who could understand this. okay, you were going to undo your whole future? That would mean in most situations, you probably as you are wouldn't exist. But, that's saying that you can undo futures, which I don't think you can. If you undo a future, then you remove the reason to go back in time, meaning that you wouldn't go back in time, meaning that you as you are would have happened. Of course, you could create a new future, a new time line, a new reality, but you wouldn't be able to go back to your own time because you were now on a new timeline. I've thought about this a little."
"Exactly?" Pietro wasn't entirely following. "We sent people back to ensure that we'd cease to exist." But, as Fred described the situation, it sounded like it wasn't even possible. That wasn't heartening. "So if changing the past starts a new timeline, wouldn't knowing and trying to change your future also create a new timeline? So, by that logic, if you knew whatever it is that your friends from home know, any changes would create a new timeline." Or not. Honestly, the whole mess confused him a little. It wasn't that he couldn't process the information, but that he wasn't certain he had all of the paradoxes right.
"Knowing does affect the time line, but how much, I don't know. It's like saying it's possible to be totally uninvolved in observation. You can't be. And observing an act changes that act. It filters it through something else." She stopped and looked up at him, her lips making a small oh. Her brows furrowed, and then her lips pressed together. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you think that I think you didn't change the future; I just don't know if you made yours stop existing. It's the time paradox really. If you go back in time to fix it, that means that loop always exists. If you don't go back in time, what you went back to change happens. But it has to happen for you to go back in time to change...it's such a fun ball of mess. I guess it isn't if you're hoping to change your world, but you can look at it this way..." Here Fred took a moment to consider her words.
"We have many dimensions and realities meeting here, in the City, yes? Well, just the fact that this place exists, that so many different time periods, realities, dimensions of those realities can be brought together, even suggesting that they exist separately of each other, means that the future that you're trying to prevent or the present you're trying to prevent did indeed get prevented. Somewhere you and your sister are very happy. Probably not perfectly happy, but happy. You probably had a hand in it somewhere, or maybe you didn't, but you probably did."
"As long as someone gets to enjoy the benefits," Pietro said. It didn't sound as if he were grumbling or upset, either - it was a genuine sentiment, thrown out there before he moved on. "Left here," he warned, stopping at a crosswalk to make the turn. "So what do you think you're going to do?" He asked, turning the topic (or attempting to do so, at least) from his sister and his future. "About your own problem?"
Fred looked around, wondering how the weather could change so quickly. It was yet another sign that a great deal of power was being used. It had to be a clue, but what kind of clue she still had to decide. She needed some way to gauge the power, some way to find a source. She'd talk to Wesley and maybe Sam about it later. Perhaps someone at the Institute would be of help; it'd give her an excuse to talk to Bruce Banner. She focused on Pietro again, smiling slightly.
"I'm not sure. I need to talk to them. I really do. My friends. I'm just not sure what I should say. 'Hi, Wesley, Angel, I was wonderin'; did I die or somethin'?' or 'Hey, look, fellas, am I some big freak monster thingie that tried to kill y'all?' It's not exactly something that rolls right off the tongue, is it? I mean, I don't really think I could just work up to that sorta thing. I'd talk with Sam bout it, but I think that might bug him. And I'm talkin' with you, but you donno the whole story, neither does Sam, and apparently neither do I. This isn't easy at all, but I do thank you for bein' so helpful." She gave him another slight smile; yes, whatever was going on in that scientist's head, it was certainly troubling her.
"I don't know what I'd do if the people I knew were here, and behaving strangely." Pietro had handled a lot of things in his life, but he wasn't sure he could manage that. "I suppose, in a way, I'm lucky; I may be alone, but at least I have the memories." He strolled along in silence for a few seconds, then turned and offered Fred a smile. The conversation had taken a melancholy turn, and he didn't intend to leave it there. "Aside from the problem with your friends, are you alright? I find myself wondering what the City will throw at us next - zombies, then snow, and who knows what's around the bend."