[More silence, as she walks back over to her desk, grabbing a vial of something and twirling it idly in her fingers, looking anywhere but at Saul.
It's the fear gas antidote, she's been experimenting with the objects her suit supplies.]
There's a man in my world, Jonathan Crane, calls himself the Scarecrow. He made a toxin that induces hallucinations of your worst fears. Then there's Sinestro and his Corps, they wield power rings that can create anything you can think of, and it's all based on instilling fear.
And that's not even touching on Batman, everything about the Bat is made to scare people. [She shrugs, setting the vial back down.] Fear is kind of the business I'm in.
That's cheating. Useful, but cheating. Where's the subtlety?
[And the skill. If Saul or any of his associates had something like that at their disposal — hell, he could hire anyone with enough hand-eye coordination to stab someone with a syringe and be done with it.]
[As a.. concept. There's never such thing as a fair fight, and she's not going to lose because she thinks she should 'play fair' or whatever all that nonsense is.]
It's a gas. He wouldn't even know he inhaled it, and the dose can be altered to vary the type of hallucinations.
[but - a shrug, because she's not being entirely serious, just tossing ideas around.]
What, you want an ace up your sleeve?
[Sort of... teasing, but her tone is still too terse for it to really work.]
[Saul looks skeptical, but not because he doesn't believe her. He looks skeptical because he sometimes forgets that she's from a world he — up until his arrival here — only knew as fiction.
And then moments like this one turn up.
It freaks him out, a little.]
I always have an ace up my sleeve.
[Even now. There's no plan for it, but it's there.]
If it's a gas, wouldn't we run the risk of screwing with more than just one person? Unless we isolate him. That's doable.
[She raises an eyebrow at the comment about having an ace up his sleeve, but leaves it be for now, figuring he's probably just talking shit.]
He'd have to be isolated, I wouldn't risk hurting anyone else.
[Are they actually considering this as a possibility? She doesn't even know what Bruce or Babs would say to this, and the thought makes her scrub her hands over her face.]
God, I feel like my father.
[More generally she feels like some supervillain, but the comparison works.]
He almost asks about the dad comment, but thankfully has the good sense not to. Something tells him that would open up a whole can of worms he'd rather not open, let alone have to talk about.
...unless she wants to. And people, he's found, generally don't mention things unless they want to talk about them. So instead of asking, he'll leave it up to her to elaborate or not.]
So let's suppose we scare the shit out of him. Then what? Where do we go from there? I don't know what that gas does, and I'd rather not find out firsthand, but...
[He trails off, thinking. Scared Walter is just as bad as Not-Scared Heisenberg.
After all, one led to the other.]
I think we can come up with something better. Or we can just, you know, clasp our hands together and pray that he doesn't show up at all.
Last time I got hit with it I was fighting with Crane, but instead of seeing him kicking the shit out of me, I thought it was my ex, then me. It wasn't fun.
[Sometimes she worries about her subconscious.
But she sighs, scrubbing her hands over her face again, because this is just one more thing piled on top of everything and she wishes she had someone to turn to. It's just her, though, and Saul, and they need to figure this shit out.
After a steadying breath, she forces herself to stop angsting and just think like a Bat.]
You're a lawyer, right? Your good with files? 'Cause I want everything you have on this guy, even if you might not think some details are important, I need everything you can tell me. The more I know, the more I can do.
[He glances over at his laptop. Of course there's nothing incriminating on there — those files are all back in his office, in the safe in the wall, for the most part — but he's still hesitant. She'll probably have questions.
And then there's all the information on Jesse. He could take some time, move things around...
If only that weren't impossible. There's no way to separate the two.]
If he shows up. I'll give you the files if he shows up. Whatever action we take doesn't have to be immediate — as long as I know he's here before Jesse does and can intercept him before the two make contact. That's all I want you to focus on for the time being, okay? Just be my eyes.
[For a moment, it seems like she might argue that, demand to see the files, but eventually she just nods.
From the way he's acting, she guesses those files already exist and are on that laptop, which won't be too hard to hack into if she needs to.]
You know that's not gonna be easy with Jesse doing the whole cookie thing. [She might not have actually partaken in any of the free cookies, but she pays attention.]
[Somehow, he'd forgotten about that. He buries his face in his hands for a moment, pressing the heels of his palms against his eyes. There's no way Jesse would stop, and Saul wouldn't ask him to just because of a possibility.
When he moves his hands away, he sees spots.]
Okay. Okay. That's — I can stick with Jesse at the tent. All the new Transports come from the same place, right? The Hold. I'd need you stationed right outside.
[She just shrugs, the most casual of gestures, as if this really isn't a big deal at all. It is, and she'd kind of hate it, but serving as a bit of a distraction wouldn't kill her.]
I've only got PTSD, I'm clear on everything else.
[Answering his question as if it's a legitimate question.]
[That's not exactly how he meant it. Poor word choice.
But since she's asking...]
Or you'll put all of us in danger. Me, you. Jesse. Jesse's friends. You said you have mutual connections, right? If Walt shows up and decides he needs Jesse in the same position he was in back home, he'll go through anyone and everyone to make that happen. We can't take any risks.
[And now she's angry, just staring at him in silence for a moment, her jaw tense.]
Talk to me about risks again, and we're done. [She doesn't need to be lectured on that.] I will listen to you because you asked for my help, and because you know this situation better than I do, but don't for one second think that means you can give me orders.
[He almost continues with a line about vigilantes and how the hell is he supposed to trust anyone if he can't trust her, she who is supposed to be on his side, but doesn't. Whether she likes it or not — and he's not exactly keen on the idea, either, for the record — he trusts her. And she's an adult, right? So she can deal with it like one.
He nods at her reassurance, only half-convinced.
Maybe they'll get lucky. Maybe she won't have to prove that she knows what she's doing, because maybe Walt won't ever show up. Maybe the cancer will get him and he'll drop dead before the Initiative has a chance to pick him up in their little lottery. Maybe everything will be okay.
Saul can dream, right?]
Anyway, I'll take your word for it. And I'll give this whole thing some thought — we can reconvene closer to the beginning of next month.
[Somehow, that actually makes her feel better, and she gives him an apologetic smile, though it only lasts for a moment before it's gone.
Then she just nods.] Normally I'd stop using this place once someone knows where it is, but I'll leave it for now. It's safe, if you ever need somewhere to go.
[If he doesn't feel safe in the housing complex, for whatever reason, Walter related or otherwise.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
controlledvariable) wrote2014-02-02 07:59 pm
no subject
Everyone's scared of something.
[And she just - gives him a look about leaving things up to him, because really, Saul.]
no subject
And I know him better than you do. What's your go-to threat? Death? Torture? It won't work. I know what buttons to push. Don't underestimate me.
no subject
It's the fear gas antidote, she's been experimenting with the objects her suit supplies.]
There's a man in my world, Jonathan Crane, calls himself the Scarecrow. He made a toxin that induces hallucinations of your worst fears. Then there's Sinestro and his Corps, they wield power rings that can create anything you can think of, and it's all based on instilling fear.
And that's not even touching on Batman, everything about the Bat is made to scare people. [She shrugs, setting the vial back down.] Fear is kind of the business I'm in.
[Don't underestimate her.]
no subject
That's cheating. Useful, but cheating. Where's the subtlety?
[And the skill. If Saul or any of his associates had something like that at their disposal — hell, he could hire anyone with enough hand-eye coordination to stab someone with a syringe and be done with it.]
It's better if he doesn't see you at all.
no subject
[As a.. concept. There's never such thing as a fair fight, and she's not going to lose because she thinks she should 'play fair' or whatever all that nonsense is.]
It's a gas. He wouldn't even know he inhaled it, and the dose can be altered to vary the type of hallucinations.
[but - a shrug, because she's not being entirely serious, just tossing ideas around.]
What, you want an ace up your sleeve?
[Sort of... teasing, but her tone is still too terse for it to really work.]
no subject
And then moments like this one turn up.
It freaks him out, a little.]
I always have an ace up my sleeve.
[Even now. There's no plan for it, but it's there.]
If it's a gas, wouldn't we run the risk of screwing with more than just one person? Unless we isolate him. That's doable.
no subject
He'd have to be isolated, I wouldn't risk hurting anyone else.
[Are they actually considering this as a possibility? She doesn't even know what Bruce or Babs would say to this, and the thought makes her scrub her hands over her face.]
God, I feel like my father.
[More generally she feels like some supervillain, but the comparison works.]
no subject
He almost asks about the dad comment, but thankfully has the good sense not to. Something tells him that would open up a whole can of worms he'd rather not open, let alone have to talk about.
...unless she wants to. And people, he's found, generally don't mention things unless they want to talk about them. So instead of asking, he'll leave it up to her to elaborate or not.]
So let's suppose we scare the shit out of him. Then what? Where do we go from there? I don't know what that gas does, and I'd rather not find out firsthand, but...
[He trails off, thinking. Scared Walter is just as bad as Not-Scared Heisenberg.
After all, one led to the other.]
I think we can come up with something better. Or we can just, you know, clasp our hands together and pray that he doesn't show up at all.
no subject
Last time I got hit with it I was fighting with Crane, but instead of seeing him kicking the shit out of me, I thought it was my ex, then me. It wasn't fun.
[Sometimes she worries about her subconscious.
But she sighs, scrubbing her hands over her face again, because this is just one more thing piled on top of everything and she wishes she had someone to turn to. It's just her, though, and Saul, and they need to figure this shit out.
After a steadying breath, she forces herself to stop angsting and just think like a Bat.]
You're a lawyer, right? Your good with files? 'Cause I want everything you have on this guy, even if you might not think some details are important, I need everything you can tell me. The more I know, the more I can do.
no subject
And then there's all the information on Jesse. He could take some time, move things around...
If only that weren't impossible. There's no way to separate the two.]
If he shows up. I'll give you the files if he shows up. Whatever action we take doesn't have to be immediate — as long as I know he's here before Jesse does and can intercept him before the two make contact. That's all I want you to focus on for the time being, okay? Just be my eyes.
no subject
From the way he's acting, she guesses those files already exist and are on that laptop, which won't be too hard to hack into if she needs to.]
You know that's not gonna be easy with Jesse doing the whole cookie thing. [She might not have actually partaken in any of the free cookies, but she pays attention.]
no subject
[Somehow, he'd forgotten about that. He buries his face in his hands for a moment, pressing the heels of his palms against his eyes. There's no way Jesse would stop, and Saul wouldn't ask him to just because of a possibility.
When he moves his hands away, he sees spots.]
Okay. Okay. That's — I can stick with Jesse at the tent. All the new Transports come from the same place, right? The Hold. I'd need you stationed right outside.
no subject
I can be inside the Hold.
[A thought occurs to her, then, and it's kind of obvious by the way her expression sours and then hardens.]
You said he's got a family, how devoted is he to his wife?
[It's--
She hates that she even has to make that suggestion, but if they need a distraction, nede a way to lure Walter away from Jesse, well.
Batgirl isn't really useful, there, but Steph could be.]
no subject
Absolutely not. No. Are you crazy?
[No, really. She's kidding, right?
He rubs his eyes again.
This is too much. Never mind the fact that it wouldn't work, he just — Stephanie. No.]
no subject
I've only got PTSD, I'm clear on everything else.
[Answering his question as if it's a legitimate question.]
no subject
I don't want you interacting with him directly.
no subject
'Hugpunch' really was accurate.]
Okay. [Another shrug, but she's a little relieved, except:] You're not my boss, though.
[Her pride demands that she remind him of that fact. She's deferring to his expertise with Walter, that doesn't mean he can give her orders.]
no subject
That doesn't mean you can get away with not listening to me.
no subject
[It's not... angry, not really, but there's an edge to it, if only because she's so damn sick of men thinking they can tell her what to do.]
no subject
But since she's asking...]
Or you'll put all of us in danger. Me, you. Jesse. Jesse's friends. You said you have mutual connections, right? If Walt shows up and decides he needs Jesse in the same position he was in back home, he'll go through anyone and everyone to make that happen. We can't take any risks.
no subject
Talk to me about risks again, and we're done. [She doesn't need to be lectured on that.] I will listen to you because you asked for my help, and because you know this situation better than I do, but don't for one second think that means you can give me orders.
no subject
I'm trusting you with this, Steph.
[So don't fuck it up.]
I need you to be as careful as possible, okay? That's all.
no subject
[She regrets it as soon as it's out of her mouth, visible in the way she winces, eyes closing.]
Sorry.
[She rubs at her brow, like trying to dispel a headache, before finally looking back at him.]
It's gonna be okay, Saul, I know what I'm doing.
[It's her way of saying that she'll be careful, that she'll listen when she neds to.
She's not as reckless as she used to be.]
no subject
[He almost continues with a line about vigilantes and how the hell is he supposed to trust anyone if he can't trust her, she who is supposed to be on his side, but doesn't. Whether she likes it or not — and he's not exactly keen on the idea, either, for the record — he trusts her. And she's an adult, right? So she can deal with it like one.
He nods at her reassurance, only half-convinced.
Maybe they'll get lucky. Maybe she won't have to prove that she knows what she's doing, because maybe Walt won't ever show up. Maybe the cancer will get him and he'll drop dead before the Initiative has a chance to pick him up in their little lottery. Maybe everything will be okay.
Saul can dream, right?]
Anyway, I'll take your word for it. And I'll give this whole thing some thought — we can reconvene closer to the beginning of next month.
no subject
Then she just nods.] Normally I'd stop using this place once someone knows where it is, but I'll leave it for now. It's safe, if you ever need somewhere to go.
[If he doesn't feel safe in the housing complex, for whatever reason, Walter related or otherwise.]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)