InsaneJournal

Tweak says, ""Shut up Clive""

laurajones (laurajones) wrote in genome_project,
@ 2010-07-04 02:31:00

Entry tags:

emma tibbits, july 2010, plot

Who: Laura Jones, Emma Tibbits, Jacquelyn Pierce-Roswell, various NPC scientists
When: Monday night (posted a bit early!)
Where: The pier
What: The long-awaited arrival
Rating: Probably PG, PG-13ish?
Status: Complete

Laura paced the dock, her fingers locked tightly behind her back as she squinted periodically into the oppressively dark night. The moon's meager waning gibbous was barred completely by the army of grey clouds that had hung heavy in the sky all day, and even the ocean itself seemed to be hiding beneath a blanket of shimmering mist. The boat bearing Patient X-1 wasn't due to arrive until 3:30 am, but Laura had been in the vicinity since midnight, busily making last-minute preparations for the newcomer's arrival. Laura knew in her heart that all the preparation in the world would never actually prepare them for what was to come, but at the very least, going the motions made her feel better. She'd made at least seven phone calls to her colleagues on the mainland, and as usual they had been frustratingly vague about all things having to do with Patient X-1's arrival. Of course, now Laura was beginning to understand why - her journal entries had always been curious, but recently they had been downright disturbing, particularly the real explanation for why she'd been delayed in coming to the island. No wonder their superiors were being so vague!

Laura got the distinct impression that Patient X-1 was being sent to the island less for the sake of science and more for the sake of getting her the hell out of her facility, an impression that did little to help Laura's confidence. Nevertheless, Laura's faith in the project well well-nigh unshakable, and if this is what it took for it to continue, she would do everything in her power to help it along. Of course, that hadn't stopped her from talking to Emma and negotiating with her until she'd convinced Emma that the Jones home would be a better place for X-1, at least for now. Although working alone was not exactly an option, Laura had used her situation to her advantage, arguing that a smaller number of people in the house would more closely simulate the environment that X-1 was used to, and less stimulation would theoretically lead to a decreased chance of something going wrong. Although her charge over the patient would likely only be on a trial basis, Laura felt somehow safer knowing that X-1 wouldn't be in the Tibbits household, which held three children, all of whom were blithely unaware of X-1's very existence, let alone the scope of her power. It was a futile effort, Laura knew - it wasn't really where X-1 was on the island, but the fact that she was on the island at all that put them all in danger, but still, Laura liked to think that with Albert and Jamie gone, less people would be in direct danger. Somehow.

"Look!" Laura was jerked out of her thoughts by the sudden crescendo of whispers that spread through the tiny clot of scientists, and Laura's head jerked up to see what she'd been half-dreading since she'd seen that awful journal entry. There they were on the horizon - a dance of dull lights, the windows of the ship. "Here she comes," Laura murmured, half to herself and half to the others. Laura almost spoke to remind her colleagues that it was possible that X-1 would still be under sedation, but she decided against it. Best not to remind anyone of why she was sedated in the first place. The little group seemed to collectively hold its breath, and Laura's throat jumped into her throat as the ship, which, as Laura could now see, was heavily guarded, broke through the mist and slid silently into the harbor.

This is it, Laura thought to herself as the bridge was lowered. This is the moment that our lives change forever. The door swung open. There was no going back.

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pierce_roswell
2010-07-07 03:00 pm UTC (link)

Dr. Karzakoff raises an eyebrow at Laura's last question, but nods in affirmation.

"Indeed. As far as all non official documentation is concerned, her 'name' is Jacquelyn Eva Pierce-Roswell."

Her voice easily drops the inverted commas around the word 'name,' as if the concept of Patient X-1 having an individual identity were alien to her thoughts.

"You have anywhere from ten to thirty minutes before the sedative is flushed completely from her system, but patients often lapse immediately from sedative induced slumber to actual sleep, so your window could be as large as six to eight hours. As for the crate, we will remove it when we depart..."

She glances down at her watch, and smiles faintly.

"...which will be almost immediately."

Karzakoff turns to face the crate once more, waving a hand and drawing her compatriots to her side.

"Pierre? The girl, if you would be so kind."

As the Karzakoff sisters buzz around the crate, the tall man leans over the device, his long arms reaching in and withdrawing once more with the tubes and needles that so recently pumped chemicals into the precious cargo. Laying them carefully aside, he bends down once more, straining slightly as he picks up the motionless girl.

She drapes over his arms, a tiny thing, barely over five feet tall. Her black hair cascades from her lolling head, and her limbs hang limply in her sedative induced sleep. She is clearly of asian-america descent, and, while not what one would call traditionally beautiful, still attractive in a strange, almost alien way. Her entire build is one of compressed power: small, curved, lithe, athletic, and, even in slumber, coiled like a spring waiting to unwind.

Now, however, all that potential lies dormant as the man called Pierre carries her into the waiting assembly of scientists and hands her over to the men gathered there. His movements are careful, like those of a man holding an active bomb. He then retreats quickly, never taking his eyes off the girl.

With that, the three wheel the massive crate back up the ramp, and disappear inside. A minute later Dr. Karzakoff returns once more, holding a large can, which she passes off to Laura.

"Paint. Sky Blue. It'll go a long way towards keeping her in check. For the sake of the experiment, however, have her paint it herself. Without a brush. Remember: encourage her abilities whenever possible, but keep them concealed from the children at all cost."

She walks up the gangplank once more, pausing at the door itself to add an afterthought that has clearly been praying on her mind.

"If it becomes necessary to...well...we will understand."

With so much of that sentence left unsaid, Dr. Karzakoff vanishes into the hold, the door closing behind her. Minutes later, the ship slips once more into the mist, and fades from sight.

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	laurajones 2010-07-07 04:18 pm UTC (link)
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