June 2007, Three Weeks

[ellectrical]

After three weeks, everything had finally come into place. It had rained until late into the previous night, but the sky was clear by morning, and Elle had packed her bag (a large black purse) with what she'd borrowed from X, her map, her gun, even another plastic bag of Girl Scout cookies, before locking the door to her room and heading out to the street.

She gets an early start, making her way to the alley a couple hours before she thinks he'll show up. After double-checking that the employees of the club have really cleared out, Elle checks her surroundings, then moves to the double doors, and sets her purse down on the wet pavement.

About ten minutes later, with the aid of a torsion wrench and bump key, the padlock on the door has slid open. She leaves it hanging on the chain, puts her tools back into her purse, and moves away.

There's a space on the other side of the alley - it gives her cover in the form of the hair salon's dumpster and is kept dry by a short, striped awning that juts out from the wall, over the dumpster and the door on the other side. Elle positions herself, and waits.

Patience is not one of her virtues.

But sometimes, when she wants something bad enough, it doesn't really matter.

Comments

[ellectrical]

"I think I am."

She is starting to sound a little more certain now. "If I don't try to take it back."

[walksthebounds]

Jamie's still not sure he understands it - not intuitively, anyway, not on any kind of gut level. But maybe he can halfway follow, and that's good enough, he supposes.

"So what's your next step? D'you have a list you're running down?"

[ellectrical]

... well, that does remind her.

Elle leans over, shifting under the table for a moment to tug over her bag, and pull something out of it.

In what's probably been the most benign result of this today so far, she reemerges with a piece of paper and a pen. Elle flattens the paper over an open spot on the table, easily in Jamie's line of sight, and marks off London.

[walksthebounds]

. . . well, it's not a long list, which Jamie supposes is something of a comfort.

"At least you're getting a chance to see the world while you're at it," he remarks.

[ellectrical]

She shrugs one shoulder, folding the paper up again.

"Are you done asking questions?"

It's not really too curt - mostly she sounds like she wouldn't know.

[walksthebounds]

"Yeah, I reckon so."

As long as no one's about to come after him for assault - and from his impressions of Invisible Fellow, it doesn't seem likely - Jamie reckon's he's good.

- and speaking of mundanities. Jamie looks down at his grocery bag, which he has rather forgotten is there.

"- I should probably get these things home."

[ellectrical]

But Elle shakes her head.

(It's been on the back of her mind since he showed up - until now, she'd been too distracted to deal with it.)

"No. You have to get out of this world."

[walksthebounds]

". . . what, why?"

Jamie glances over his shoulder, suddenly nervous. "You don't reckon that bloke's going to come after me? I don't live too close to there -"

[ellectrical]

"I think he'll get out of here."

She even flicks a glance at her watch, knowing she should be doing the same.

"But I can't -"

This time, her eyes flicker to the ceiling.

"They can't find you."

[walksthebounds]

"- oh, They're not here," Jamie says, mistaking her meaning. "I've looked round, I do on all the worlds. Part of the job, you know."

[ellectrical]

It takes her a moment to figure out what he's talking about.

But she actually touches her food in the meantime.

"The people I used to work for."

[walksthebounds]

"- oh, them."

It's a lowercase T, now, and Jamie doesn't sound much concerned.

"I don't see why they'd have much interest in me, would they? I mean, I'm dead common - and I've made a good job of it in this world, too. Respectably employed and legally identified and everything."

[ellectrical]

She leans back in her chair again, regarding him.

"Did you learn how to turn on a computer?"

[walksthebounds]

"I can do the one in the shop," Jamie says proudly.

. . . it dates from around the 1980s, but hey, it's a computer!

[ellectrical]

"And you made an ID?"

It's not disbelieving - it still doesn't seem like a risk, anyway, but apparently 'because I said so' isn't going to work.

[walksthebounds]

Matter-of-fact: "Of course not. I stole one."

[ellectrical]

Elle doesn't sigh. But her capacity for sticking to honey over vinegar is limited.

"That'll get noticed. And if you're caught - you're just some kid without anything."

Even she seems to notice the way it sounds, but it doesn't stop her from continuing. "That's not - common."

[walksthebounds]

Jamie's response is amiable; if he's stung by the comment, there's no sign. "Not common, she says to the fellow who's been doing this only for a couple of centuries - look, Elle, I do know what I'm doing. It's been months since I came through and I've had no hassle."

Oh any given world, kids without anything are more common than Elle might think.

[ellectrical]

But Elle's world isn't any given world. She's learned that well enough through her time in the Bar.

She nods, faintly. "Most people'll think it just happens, because they don't know anything else. But we - they look for that."




But something in her manner changes - she looks at Jamie more directly, and any amiable pretense she had is gone.

"Jamie, I don't care. I don't care if you can do it -"

It's not like she'd let X stay too long in her world, either. And her opinion of X's ability to evade capture might, admittedly, be higher than what she has of Jamie. It didn't balance anything out.

"It's what they'd do. One of them could just pass you and read your mind and -"

Maybe someday she'll offer anti-mindreading tricks. But it's not today. "I don't care if it happens. You can risk it in somebody else's world, just - not mine."

[walksthebounds]

Jamie scrubs his hands through his hair, closing his eyes for a second, and then drops them again with a sigh.

"Well - look, I suppose it's not so difficult for me to go on one world over. I'd be moving on in a month or two anyway. I just don't see what you're so worried about me risking that I'd have to go right now - I mean, what, you think someone's going to pass by me and read my mind to figure out where you are? I mean -" He grins. "Elle, I'm fond of you and all, but I spend my time thinking about lots of other things. The odds seem a bit slim."

[ellectrical]

"It's not about me either."

A 'just' might have been in order there, but the bottom line is, Elle thinks she's lost enough to the Company already.

And she's really pissed about having to say it.

[walksthebounds]

"- ah," Jamie says, blinking a little.

He still doesn't think the Company is likely to take much interest in him. More likely they'll think he's mad, if they pay attention; it's the standard reaction.

But he supposes it's not as if it makes much difference, in the long run.

He sighs again. "It just seems a shame, is all. I've got a fair sum of money saved right now; if I'd thought I was leaving so soon, I would've splurged it."

[ellectrical]

The Company deals with everything from precogs to time travelers. And she know a few of them know about Milliways.

Including Sylar.

So 'mad' is not a reaction she thinks they'd have.

Elle rolls her eyes. "God, I'll get you money."

[walksthebounds]

"Oh, money never does any good a world over," Jamie says, waving a hand dismissively. "I would've spent it on something ridiculously expensive - had dinner at the poshest restaurant in London just because I could, or something. You may as well live it up while you can."

[ellectrical]

Still exasperated: "You wanted to come here."

Beat.

"And you can spend in the Bar. Or change it."