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Dr. Archer | The Invisible Man ([info]sneakingaround) wrote in [info]bellumlogs,
@ 2010-06-24 17:13:00

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Entry tags:invisible man, plot: delta, plot: tempus, van helsing

Who: Aiden and Archer
What: Escaped convicts chillin' out
Where: Outside the jail and into Chicago
When: Day 3 - After the Jailbreak
Warnings: Well they're both crotchety jerks, so I doubt that this log will be full of fuzzy feelings. I lied, the nerds are being totally civil. It's crazy.


After shooting out of the jail and into the morning air, Archer realized that he needed a plan. Initially, he had been thinking in the short term. Basic survival. But both he and Griffin had decided that thinking for the long term wouldn't be remiss. After all, they had no means of knowing when they would return to Bellum Letale, and he was an escaped prisoner. Would it be safe to return to his hotel room? Most likely not. Luckily he was paying on a day-by-day basis, so no money was lost there. But he was now down eight dollars, and he needed to procure more.

If his arrest had taught him anything, it was that being invisible and alone was hard. He couldn't just run out of the shop he had robbed, after all. He needed to put on his clothing lest he freeze to death. It might have been possible to hide his clothing somewhere, but that was no guarantee. And given the fact that he had to leave his money with his clothing, he could be gaining ten dollars only to lose twenty. It wasn't worth it.

"We need Thomas Marvel," Griffin remarked irritably. "I tried to function on my own, and it was ineffective. There are things we must do that cannot be achieved while invisible. Find a man that we can use, Archer."

Now the question was should it be a local or another resident of Bellum? It was difficult to think as he ran through the snow, clutching his coat around his wiry frame, but something jumped to mind. The man that had carried his clothing. He had remembered to hand over his glasses, which was reassuring. It meant that he paid attention to detail. He also hadn't struck Archer as particularly dense or idiotic, which was clearly a point in his favor. Perhaps he would be amenable to such an arrangement.

Glancing about, he managed to spy the man escaping in the opposite direction. Turning sharply, Archer ran after him. "Wait!" he called, falling into stride behind him and giving the other man a clear look at his face. "We need to talk," he wheezed, already getting tired from running. "I have a proposition."


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[info]arcere
2010-06-24 07:24 pm UTC (link)
It wasn't the best kind of hotel, but Aiden had been in worse. He followed Archer up the stairs, coat pulled close, and settled into the second chair once they were in the room. He sighed and slipped out of the coat, then out of the suit jacket; loosened the tie around his throat (though it had already been loosened to the point of falling off) and leaned forward, elbows on his knees, giving the wall his usual mid-level glower.

He was out of jail. That was definitely a positive. He was with someone from Bellum who didn't panic and appeared to know what he was doing. That was also a positive. He was still, however, in 1920s Chicago, with no idea how to get back home and very little potential for survival unless he hid from the police and stole to make a living, none of which was at all what he'd hoped for in visiting the city. (Though he'd never wanted to visit it.) What the hell was he supposed to do?

"Yes, probably." Somewhere away from these particular cops. Lucky for him, he didn't have a particularly memorable face. It's just the personality people are bound to recall, hm? "Move, get a new room, wait for sunrise to get new clothes." Or however early the stores opened. "And then figure out what year it is." If he knew that, he could place activity, action, what they could and couldn't do. He took a moment to consider that before looking at Archer again, one eyebrow slightly raised. "You said you were a doctor. Medical, or is your PHD in something else?"

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[info]sneakingaround
2010-06-24 07:32 pm UTC (link)
Aiden's proposed plan of action sat very well with Archer. "Excellent," he said, nodding. "We can accrue some currency over the night and use it to acquire our new clothing." He was currently in possession of 24 dollars thanks to his robbery of the candy store, but he knew that wasn't terribly much. Luckily, things were less expensive for the time being. That was to their advantage.

As he mentioned the year, he leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. "The year is 1929. The month February." He paused, trying to recall the current date. "When we arrived, it was the eleventh. This is two days later, so yes, the date today is the thirteenth." He nodded in affirmation. "I must admit that my knowledge of history is quite limited, so to me, this is just another day." He shrugged.

At his question, he smiled just slightly. He appreciated that Aiden thought to ask, because too many people simply assumed that he was a medical doctor and then expected him to treat their coughs or examine their repulsive rashes. "I recently obtained my PhD in molecular genetics." He was so proud of it. "You seem to be more aware of scholarship than most. Are you in possession of a PhD as well?"

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[info]arcere
2010-06-24 07:43 pm UTC (link)
February 1929. Aiden reached into the recesses of his memory, all the time and effort he'd put into his study of the past, and rooted around. It took him a moment before it clicked: the Great Depression was still a few months off, the Valentine's Day Massacre was literally just around the corner, bootlegging was a crime ... no wonder they'd been arrested at a party. He was lucky to have gotten away. Though the fact that none of them were quite normal really attributed to that.

He didn't say anything about it, though, eyes focusing back on Archer at the mention of PHD in ... molecular genetics? Well, there had to be a niche for everyone, he supposed. He'd never been outwardly fond of science, but it had its good points. Sometimes.

"No, I never went that far with it. I've got a master's in history and one in philosophy, not that spending that kind of money has been overall a brilliant idea." You got those kinds of degrees typically under the impression of becoming a particular scholar or a teacher. Since Aiden really had no desire to limit himself in either way, he was now writing textbooks for the latter. It was agonizing, some nights, but for the most part he managed to enjoy what he did. Hell, he'd gotten away with more word puns in the last draft than ever before. What a life. What a life.

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[info]sneakingaround
2010-06-24 07:52 pm UTC (link)
Though Archer had no personal use for philosophy, he had to respect the man for attaining two master's degrees. He didn't have a PhD, but he certainly had dedicated himself to his field. Many research scientists looked down on those who weren't scientifically minded, and though Archer had such tendencies, he could respect the pursuit of knowledge in any field.

Science was just a little bit better than the others.

"Oh yes," he said with the slightest humor in his voice. "Student loans are absolutely horrific." He still had them, of course. He was paying them off in the tiniest increments possible, securing himself with them for much longer. However, it meant he could allot suitable funds to his research. "But you attained a degree in history. What do you know of our current situation?"

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[info]arcere
2010-06-24 08:03 pm UTC (link)
No kidding. Aiden was still working on paying his off, and figured he'd probably be doing it until the day he died. Every dollar he had to hand over to them was long-suffering and bloody, he was absolutely sure. But it had gotten him through graduate school.

Admirable pursuits! I myself was a doctor and a lawyer, as I'm sure you well know, among many other noble professions ...

Aiden ignored the sudden arrival of Van Helsing's not-particularly-interesting history of jobs and thought instead on Archer's question. So. What happened in 1929? In Chicago, or at least in America ...

"We haven't hit the Depression yet, so that's at least one thing going right." His eyes fixed on something invisible on the floor. "Most of the really interesting stuff happened in Europe and the Middle East, but ... there's going to be some problems happening, here in Chicago." Aiden gave Archer a careful look. "Let's avoid the gangsters while we're here, shall we?"

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[info]sneakingaround
2010-06-24 08:07 pm UTC (link)
As he was absolutely horrible at reading people, Archer took everything Aiden said at face value. "Alright. That is a good plan." He had no desire to mingle with such ruffians. Though he had no qualms about stealing, he found violent men to be the most repugnant. After all, violence was simply what a man did when he couldn't achieve his ends intelligently.

After a moment's pause, he gestured to the bed. "I'm sure you're exhausted after your stay in jail. Would you like to rest? I can wake you at noon so that we can relocate to another hotel. After finding a few businesses that are doing well so that we won't cripple them, I will sleep for a few hours before awakening. Then, we can get to work. Is that reasonable?"

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[info]arcere
2010-06-24 08:21 pm UTC (link)
No outcries? No sudden memory? Nothing? Aiden gave Archer a long look as the man just let the mention of the gangs go by without a second thought. Well, fine. If he didn't have a problem with it, then who was he to bring it up further? It would be fairly ridiculous if it turned out that Archer had no idea what he was talking about, but he'd met people like that before. They didn't understand the value of history.

"For a while, why not." The jail hadn't exactly been comfortable; the prospect of sleeping on a real bed was more than tempting. He nodded at Archer in a brief form of thanks before shedding his shoes and heading for the bed. He didn't know if he could trust him, but so far, he hadn't been too threatening. He was a thin man in glasses with a PHD in biology, of all things. What was the worst he could do?

Steal your clothes and money and disappear, invisible, into the streets of a city you hardly know, said Van Helsing, more amused than really warning.

Aiden pressed his hands over his eyes and tried to sleep.

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[info]sneakingaround
2010-06-24 08:37 pm UTC (link)
When Aiden laid down on the bed, Archer began to converse with Griffin. "I will expect your aid in these endeavors," he thought.

"Of course. I recall seeing another hotel several blocks away from the police station. We can investigate it."

"We'll need new aliases," Archer mused, stroking his chin. "I don't think it wise to re-use Michael Scott."

Griffin's voice almost held a sense of humor. "Thomas Marvel for Mr. Shepherd."

Archer smirked, shaking his head. "I know little of history, but I have read your book. It was published before 1929, that might seem suspicious."

"It can't be an uncommon name," he said.

"Still." He tried to think of names he had heard in conversation, or names of his old colleagues. "I can be Jake Bauer, and he can be Christopher Schultz."

"Acceptable names," Griffin agreed. "And you will sleep after arriving at your new hotel?"

"Yes. I need to rest so that I'm very aware. But first, we'll scout the area to choose a few stores."

Though Griffin was exasperated with this idea, he grudgingly allowed it. "Of course."

Archer knew that Griffin had fully robbed those he stole from, but he didn't want to arouse too much suspicion. If he left something, it was likely that the store owners wouldn't notice that they had been robbed. "And then I'll rest before we begin our job." It was a perfectly acceptable plan.

They continued this way for some time before the clock on the wall was nearing 12. Standing up from his chair, Archer walked over to the bed. He wasn't sure what the acceptable thing to do here was, so he tapped Aiden smartly on the shoulder. "Mr. Shepherd," he said, not wanting to take liberties by calling him by his first name. "The clock is nearing noon. We should depart."

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[info]arcere
2010-06-24 08:50 pm UTC (link)
Unlike Archer, Aiden had nothing to discuss with Van Helsing; the man let him pass into a fitful sleep, one without dreams. He was out cold when Archer woke him up with 'Mr. Shepard', which was strange enough to drag him out of his sleep blinking into the light, running a hand through his hair automatically.

"Mr. Shepard is my father," he mumbled sleepily, sitting up and putting the shoes and coat back on. "If you can't use my first name, leave off the 'Mr'." It made him uncomfortable, that prefix, though he wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe it was just a style thing. Some women, he knew, when absolutely berserk when he referred them as 'ma'am', but he'd stopped doing that when he was in high school, so it really wasn't that relevant any more. "You know where we're going, then?"

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[info]sneakingaround
2010-06-24 08:58 pm UTC (link)
When Aiden expressed discomfort at the use of "Mr. Shepherd," Archer frowned. "I apologize," he said, backing up to give him room to stand up and prepare to leave. "I didn't want to assume a more intimate relationship by using your first name." To Archer, this was perfectly reasonable. "But I will refer to you as Aiden from now on," he assured the other man.

At his question, he nodded. "Yes. There is a hotel several blocks away from the police station. We can investigate it. If we approve, we can stay there for a night. Then, we will patrol the area to find stores that seem to be doing well. If we steal minimal amounts from several shops, we will arouse less suspicion and harm each individual location less while still gaining the appropriate amount of wealth." It was logical. "Are you amenable to that?" He waited to open the door, not wanting to speak of their future work out in the hallway where somebody could hear.

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[info]arcere
2010-06-24 09:07 pm UTC (link)
Amenable? Fancy words for a biologist. Aiden pulled the coat closer around him, assuming it would be just as freezing now as it had been before, and buried his hands in the pockets again.

"Fine by me." The less immediate damage they did, the better, and Aiden doubted that anybody in this time period or his own to stop a man who could turn himself invisible. Sure, the money wouldn't be, but hiding that only required putting the hand holding it behind the nearest convenient wall or whatever else was available. He might have objected more if he wasn't still half-awake, not being particularly good at surviving on mostly-bad sleep. "It shouldn't be too hard to find a thriving store or two. People are still confident in each other."

It was strange that Bellum didn't decide to dump them here post-crash. Or still in New York, post-crash. It would have been so much more difficult to live in that kind of situation.

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[info]sneakingaround
2010-06-24 09:15 pm UTC (link)
"Not at all," he remarked as he opened the door and walked down to the lobby with Aiden. "Business in Chicago seems to be doing very well, I must say."

They made it to the lobby and checked out with little incident. After settling his bill for the room, Archer lead Aiden out of the hotel and across several blocks. The entire time, he was fairly quiet, conversing largely with Griffin as they debated landmarks and navigated. Finally, they reached a hotel several blocks away that was at about the same level of luxury as the one they had just left. They went inside and obtained a room, though they didn't go to inspect it.

Instead, they took the key and went back out onto the street. "Alright," he said to Aiden, glancing to him. "It's time to explore. I believe we should stay together for this, so that we may discuss strategies."

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[info]arcere
2010-06-24 09:21 pm UTC (link)
Van Helsing dragged Aiden back from the world of half-sleep to the fully waking world, though the cold certainly helped, and as they proceeded peacefully through the streets the two of them spoke. Helsing wasn't fully in favor of the theft, so he kept away from the topic. They mused over the topics of the city itself, of staying hidden, of how this had all happened. There were no really good answers but the conversation didn't turn into an argument, so he wasn't excessively irritable when Archer took them back out to the street.

"Fine." This was the most agreeable he'd been in a while. He blamed Helsing fully for it. "Outside of breaking the lock and getting in, I doubt there's much strategy to it." Though ... Archer had been in jail. Aiden narrowed his eyes. "Did you ever mention why you wound up in the prison?"

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[info]sneakingaround
2010-06-24 09:27 pm UTC (link)
Well, that question was uncomfortable. Archer decided to skirt the fact that he had been caught outside a candy store, because frankly, they hadn't arrested him for robbing it - they had no proof. "I was out late," he said, starting out on a street with his hands in his pockets. "And I was approached by three officers." He shrugged. "I don't think there is a curfew in Chicago. Is there?" He tilted his head to the side as they rounded a corner. "Either way, they beat me," he said, gesturing to the scrapes on his face. "And then arrested me. I suppose I didn't help the situation with my outrage, but...it was wrong."

He huffed, irritated at the memory. "I believe I saw your arrest the night we arrived. You were at the front of the house, is that correct?"

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[info]arcere
2010-06-24 09:39 pm UTC (link)
A curfew. No, probably not, but who knew, what with the situation around this time ... still, Archer was definitely leaving something out. Aiden really wanted to know what, but Helsing reminded him that if he wanted to keep up this partnership (as much as the man himself seemed to disapprove of it), he probably shouldn't ask questions that clearly irritated people. For once, Aiden was reluctantly inclined to agree; he shifted his coat up higher, the collar covering more of his face, and followed Archer.

"Yes. Unfortunately. We were just about to leave when the riot started. Going out the front door was ... a bad idea." If he'd gone out the back, well, who knew what would have happened. History was history, he supposed, and it wasn't like he was still in jail.

Well. For the moment. If he was recognized, or if anybody caught them in the act, it was right back to jail, and he doubted Archer's invisible shenanigans would save them a second time.

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[info]sneakingaround
2010-06-24 10:23 pm UTC (link)
Archer nodded as he mentioned the riot. "Yes, I believe I witnessed your arrest. You and a girl with red hair." He recalled it because her hair had been so incredibly vivid that it stuck out in his memory. "When I saw that the police were arresting people a the front door, I slipped out the back. There was chaos there as well, an armored car pulled up for a man to enter." He recalled it because the car had looked so unusual.

As they walked along, they passed a few shops. One of them was a clothing store that was booming, another was a butcher's shop. Archer noted them all casually, especially how many people were there buying things. "What do you think?" he asked, gesturing towards a shoe store with expensive wares and many customers.

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[info]arcere
2010-06-24 10:41 pm UTC (link)
Anya. He wondered for a moment how she was - if she'd found someone else to stay with after running out of the jail, or if something else had happened, if she'd gotten recaptured. He hadn't stopped to see where she went after they all got out, so desperate to get away as he'd been.

Perhaps you should have helped her, chided Van Helsing, but Aiden refused to listen to him and focused on the buildings around him, the people passing by - in case any were police officers - and what Archer eventually said. He looked at the store with his head slightly tilted, unable to really comprehend the power of shoes, but certainly able to comprehend the prices therein. Inflation notwithstanding.

"Looks fancy. I'd say it'd be a good one." He glanced over to the store two doors down, one doing a busy trade in yet more clothing. Specially tailored or something, he supposed. "What stores wouldn't expect this kind of thing? Obviously I'd say avoid anything expensive." Jewelery stores. Watchmakers. Really high class stuff. They were likely to hire cops or muscle to protect their goods. But clothes? Shoes? Even food? Who would want to steal the cashboxes from those?

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[info]sneakingaround
2010-06-24 10:49 pm UTC (link)
At Aiden's input, Archer nodded. "I agree completely," he said, walking past the shop so as to not look suspicious. "Smaller places that are prosperous would be much more advantageous than any shop that deals with expensive goods. And as I said, we only need take a little. Hotel rooms are four dollars a night, and food is equally inexpensive. We simply need to build a nest egg so that we are not worried or wanting." Also, they needed new clothes and a razor. Archer had yet to buy one, and his jaw was beginning to grow a bit of light stubble that looked hilariously out of place on him. He disliked it.

They rounded a corner, finding a quiet place without much foot traffic. Breathing into his hands, Archer glanced up at Aiden. "We can operate this way," he said, gesturing to where they stood. "I can get undressed here, and you hold my clothing while I go and get what we need. You wait a few minutes, then go to meet me so that the money cleanly changes hands. Then accompany me here so that I can get dressed."

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[info]arcere
2010-06-24 11:23 pm UTC (link)
Aiden shifted his foot along the snowy ground as Archer spoke, imagining what people would say if they ever saw two pairs of footsteps but only one man. It was enough to make him crack a faint grin, glancing up at the doctor and then back out at the street. It was as solid a plan as any, and if it meant he didn't have to be furtive and hide himself any more, then all the better. Theft or not. It wasn't as if they were going into a bank to clean out people's accounts.

And yet you don't know what your own consequences will be.

"All right. Tonight, then?" Hidden in the dark, he might still be easy to see, but it wouldn't be as easy. Aiden wasn't overly good at hiding perfectly in the darkness but he had, in the past, been able to go unnoticed in certain dark places. Museums, mostly. Libraries. Occasional ruins.

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[info]sneakingaround
2010-06-24 11:29 pm UTC (link)
"Yes, tonight," Archer said with a nod. "For now, I need to rest to ensure that I'm sharp. So I will go back to the room for now. Would you like to accompany me back so that you may possess the key and venture out on your own for a few hours?" This was before multiple keys for one room, especially one room with a singular bed. And he wouldn't want to leave his new accomplice out in the cold without access to their mutual room.

"You're doing well, boy," Griffin said. "But don't forget that you'll have to cover your tracks. And if the police arrive, ensure that they find him so that they're deterred."

"We'll see," Archer replied aloofly.

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[info]arcere
2010-06-25 05:29 am UTC (link)
"Why not." It wasn't as if he was going anywhere else, for the time being; spending too much time outside raised the potential chance of getting noticed, but it was still fresh air, and it helped to clear his head. The biting cold did that to him. Straight into his lungs, he could breathe clearer; straight into his brain, he could think properly. "I'll see if there's anywhere else on the other side of the street that might be useful." But he'd stick to the area. He'd keep low.

For a man with so little criminal expertise, you certainly seem to know what to do with a situation like this.

Blame the internet, he thought as they made their way back down the street. And everybody he'd ever spoken to in the past with an even slightly mutable criminal record.

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[info]sneakingaround
2010-06-25 05:52 pm UTC (link)
"Alright," Archer said, inclining his head. "Let's be off then." They made it back to the hotel, and the moment they reached the room, Archer handed the key over to Aiden. "Please return at nightfall," he said, removing his jacket. "Wake me and we will get to work." He paused, a hand on his tie. "Have a pleasant afternoon," he said.

After Aiden left, Archer laid down, closing his eyes and letting the tension sink from his body. It was surprising how easy it was to calm his racing brain as he sank into the bed, feeling as if he were falling in slow motion. In the back of his mind, he worried about Isobel, where she had gotten to. But he couldn't worry now.

"Good," Griffin said quietly. "Focus on what you can control, not what you cannot. Go to sleep, boy."

He wanted to say something in return. He wanted to retaliate. Instead, he simply eased off into sleep.

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