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Jean-Luc Picard (tea_earlgreyhot) wrote in marinanova,
@ 2013-10-28 12:58:00

Current mood:	blank
Entry tags:	helen magnus, jean-luc picard

[ day 242 ] backdated - closed to Helen
Jean-Luc no longer has the presence of mind to control anything the one wearing his body is doing. He tried for awhile. But until his crew intervenes, Locutus is the one in charge. And Locutus has been throughout the dome in search of the tech to repair himself so that he can begin assimilation of the inmate population at large. Seven’s regeneration alcove has been tampered with, even if his attempt at modifying the tech was a futile attempt at best. There are clean cuts on the right side of his own face where he had tried to begin repairs on himself. Dried blood coats his skin on that side.

At the moment, he is standing still near the edge of the dome in Sector Five as he contemplates his predicament and considers what the next logical move should be. He’s heavily leaning toward repairing the other malfunctioning drone within the prison. A lone drone isn’t nearly as powerful as two or more. Being a malfunctioning one of none is very… lonely. Assimilation is the only path to take.

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lifelines
2013-10-28 03:03 pm UTC (link)

Helen hadn't been outright looking for Jean-Luc. In fact, she'd stopped consciously searching for him after their encounter in the clinic, when she'd realized that something had changed in the man she had come to care for. That didn't mean she wouldn't keep an eye out for him, just on the off chance she would run into him while going about her business in the dome.

That appears to be the case today, as she's on her way... somewhere; her exact destination is gone from her mind the moment she sees him and she stops short. Her eyes take in his state of being, from the look in his eyes to the way he carries himself and right down to the injuries she can see. Her medical training wars heavily with the caution she knows she has to uphold, but it doesn't stop the emotion from showing across her face. She's worried about him. And she looks like she's been through hell herself these last few days. Sleep hasn't come easily to her in the midst of all of this; she's been too busy worrying about him, worrying that she's going to lose him or that something else will happen to him.

It's been far too difficult lately and now being faced with him like this reminds her of other times she's had to face the people she's loved, the surprise of Ashley when they'd found her after the Cabal had taken her, of John after the darkness had taken over him and he'd become one of history's most notorious serial killers. She has a habit of losing the people she cares for, but she isn't yet prepared to let go of Jean-Luc. Not yet. Perhaps not ever.

She could turn and run; she knows that well. It would, perhaps, be the most prudent course of action, as it wouldn't allow him to turn to see her or respond to her presence. Seeing as how she has no idea how he'll react to her presence, that would be the best thing for her to do. However, it's the last thing she wants to do. Helen's biggest weakness is the people she loves and she has come to care enough for Jean-Luc that she was beginning to entertain that idea, that one word, in reference to him. She isn't going to run from him, not when he so obviously needs her.

So she takes a deep breath and calls to him, despite her better judgment. "Jean-Luc!" Becuase it will always be his true name that comes to mind first, not whoever this Locutus persona is.

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tea_earlgreyhot
2013-10-28 03:39 pm UTC (link)

Beneath all of the cold void of the Borg persona, Jean-Luc absolutely needs her. He needs his people. As much as he had fought for years against needing anyone, his crew had become a necessity in his life. And here within the prison, Helen had slipped into that necessary category as well.

Upon hearing the name, however, it isn't Jean-Luc that turns to look at her. It's the detached Locutus that stares back at her. He tilts his head almost mechanically, seeming to register her presence and what she means to the other sentient being occupying his mind.

"I am Locutus of Borg." And he expects to be addressed that way. "Captain Jean-Luc Picard, designation human male, has been assimilated.

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lifelines
2013-10-28 04:02 pm UTC (link)

Helen had been expecting that persona to shine through and had steeled herself for this encounter the moment she'd made the decision to call for his attention, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. Her eyes harden as she breathes deeply and pushes aside the heartache she can feel bubbling dangerously up under the surface.

In her own stubborn way and as a direct attempt to raise the ire of this persona, she refuses to address him the way he wants to be addressed. This body, this person, will always be Jean-Luc Picard to her and she wants both people inside to know that. Helen shifts her weight only slightly, just enough to more evenly distribute her weight should she need to defend herself.

"Perhaps you believe he has, but I don't. I know he's still there. And he's fighting you."

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	tea_earlgreyhot 2013-10-28 04:11 pm UTC (link)
	"He will fail." This time. Jean-Luc has bested him before. And he won't allow that to happen again. If her words have any affect on him, he doesn't show it. Instead, he focuses his attention on her, on the memories and knowledge that the Captain has of her. "Doctor Helen Magnus, designation... unknown." Interest piqued, he takes a curious step toward her. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

lifelines
2013-10-28 04:25 pm UTC (link)

"I very much doubt that."

It's so strange to hear his voice in that cold, detached tone, but she's ignoring it. This isn't the first time she's heard a voice she knew so very well speaking in a tone that was not their own.

Helen doesn't give him the satisfaction of a step backwards. Not yet. She does, however, lift her chin a fraction of an inch in defiance, a small smirk crossing her face at his words. "You don't know much about me, do you?" Either because Jean-Luc was hiding things or because they hadn't really had the Human-Abnormal talk. She hadn't yet truly explained about the Source Blood or the full extent of her Abnormality, but she doesn't know what Jean-Luc has put together of his own accord. She is curious, though, and hopes her words are giving him the strength to bear this until the others find a way to fix the problem for good.

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tea_earlgreyhot
2013-10-28 09:56 pm UTC (link)

"His ability to keep some thoughts from me will not last long past my repair and regeneration." Locutus still feels as if he's malfunctioning. It's the Borg version of being sick. And he's still certain that he will find a way to repair himself. His thoughts drift back toward the other drone within the prison, but only for a moment. Because his being disconnected from the hive leaves him to think for himself, free to his own curiosities. And he wonders over this human, her belief in the human he has assimilated, and why Picard is so fond of her.

"He wants to protect you. He will fail." Said as matter of fact as possible. "You will be assimilated."

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lifelines
2013-10-28 10:21 pm UTC (link)

Malfunctioning, being sick... whatever it is, Helen will take it and run with it. At his observations, she folds her arms over her chest, in as much a defiant manner as it is to protect herself.

"And yet you tried that already," she comments, as though they're simply having a discussion about the non-existent weather in the dome. "You tried to assimilate me in the clinic, but it didn't work, did it? I wonder why and I certainly wonder why he's successfully hiding things from you? Could it be that perhaps he's stronger than you are? Or perhaps you've underestimated him. He should know--" And here her expression changes ever so slightly as she gazes directly into his eyes, as though she can see past Locutus and into the eyes of Jean-Luc buried beneath. "--that we aren't giving up on him. I will not give up on him."

She takes a few steps closer, being careful to remain out of his reach, a clear challenge in and of itself for him to refute her claims. "He is not alone in this. You, however, are and it is you who will fail."

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tea_earlgreyhot
2013-10-30 11:36 am UTC (link)

Locutus stands very still, watching Helen for several moments of silence. It's a length of time that would be awkward or uncomfortable for most humans. But to the Borg, it's just an amount of time it takes to consider Helen and the words she said and to come up with a response that is outside of the token Borg answers. The latter of which is easier said than done to a drone. Even a drone who had been given a name and individual thought in order to communicate with humanity before they were inevitably assimilated.

Inside, Jean-Luc heard every word. He understood that she was speaking to him and not to Locutus. He screamed and railed and lashed out angrily even though Locutus was cool and collected on the outside.

Locutus deduced that because he couldn't yet reach some areas of his mind, that this human didn't think that he knew enough about one Jean-Luc Picard. And so he began to rattle off information to prove her wrong. Each piece of information is spoken as if reading out a file. "Jean-Luc Picard, designation human male. Born in Earth year 2305. Lebarre, France. One of two belonging to Maurice and Yvette Picard. Attended Starfleet Academy in Earth year 2323 through Earth year 2327. Starfleet serial number SP 937-215. Federation security clearance Epsilon 793. Commanding officer, USS Stargazer NCC-2893 in Earth year 2333 through Earth year 2355. Commanding officer, USS Enterprise NCC-1701 D and E in Earth year 2364 through current Earth year. Current rank: Captain."

He isn't done. "Present at Battle of Maxia against Ferengi in Earth year 2355: Victorious. Captured and assimilated by Borg in Earth year 2366. Present at Battle of Wolf 359 against Federation: Victorious. Prevents Klingon Civil War in Earth year 2367. Captured and tortured by Cardassian Empire in Earth year 2369. Present at Battle of Sector 001 against Borg: Victorious. Master of diplomacy. Has made first contact with over thirty alien species."

He pauses at that, head tilting. "He was a logical choice as intermediary between the Borg and the Human race. Respected. Our Queen chose him. Had he cooperated, he could have been her equal."

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lifelines
2013-10-30 01:09 pm UTC (link)

She's more than willing to wait him out, her arms still firmly in place across her chest and her chin still lifted in defiance. She hears every word he says, making note of the specific references he's giving her, particularly the years. This is more than Jean-Luc has given her and while she's interested in his history and background, she would much prefer to hear about it from him. And even after all of this rattling off, she still has the gall to laugh derisively at the information he's supplied her.

"You sound like an encyclopedia entry," she responded, her voice nothing short of a sneer. "Oh you certainly know his history from top to bottom, but you don't actually know the man you claim to, do you? You don't know what makes him tick, why he would choose to thwart you like this, why being like this could never have satisfied him. I don't think you understand humanity at all and that is your greatest weakness."

Her voice softens just a little as she continues, once again speaking for Jean-Luc's benefit and not Locutus. "History alone does not make a man. Experiences do. You may know what happened to him, but you will never know what he truly experienced and because of that, you will never truly know him." As she hopes to one day know him. Perhaps this experience will be enough to help them move forward with whatever is between them. Helen refuses to believe she won't get him back.

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tea_earlgreyhot
2013-11-04 01:20 pm UTC (link)

"Irrelevant." A token Borg answer, of course. But he does seem genuinely curious as to why his knowledge of Picard is not on equal scale with her own knowledge of him. Facts. Moments. That is what makes up the life of every civilization the Borg had ever conquered.

Thusfar, he looks nonplussed with her goading him. Merely emoting a detached curiosity. "Humanity. Is inferior." It's said simply. But the unasked question is why he would want to understand an inferior race.

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lifelines
2013-11-04 02:38 pm UTC (link)

"As I said: your greatest weakness is underestimating and being unwilling to understand those who are different from you is why you will never succeed. It's why Jean-Luc won against you once before and why he will again here."

Helen is being as positive and hopeful for Jean-Luc as she possibly can be. This conversation hasn't been a simple conversation between Helen and this Borg persona for a while; she's been speaking for her friend's benefit. (Friend, potential romantic interest, whatever he is or was to her.) Normally, she might be a little more reserved in such a situation, but she's trying very desperately to give Jean-Luc what Seven gave her:

Hope.

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