Scott and Laura Backdated
May. 2nd, 2018 09:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ax_main Scott goes to find Laura to ask some questions about Essex.
Scott was feeling a bit nervous about trying to start this conversation. This had gone so wrong for him when he'd spoken to Alex, not to mention Tommy and Fatale. But now that he knew the connections between the Right and Weapon X, and knew the connection was one Nathaniel Essex, he also knew that he needed to get to the bottom of it all. So he waited, patiently, just outside the DR. Laura had had it reserved, so at least she'd been easy to find.
If Kitty knew he was copying her stalking methods, she would be so proud, Scott was sure
Laura scrubbed at her face with her towel, the heat coming from her cheeks enough to cook something on she was sure. She slung the towel over her shoulder and reached for her water bottle, taking a deep breath to get the faint scent of Scott Summers. She frowned when he did not come in like last time and made her way to the door while gulping down most of her water bottle.
Laura poked her head out the door and watched the boy for a second before raising an eyebrow. “Did you need the Danger Room?"
Scott shook his head 'no.' "Wanted to talk to you, actually," he said. "If you're free, I mean."
Laura blinked, a little surprised to be honest but nodded. “I am available right now. What did you want to discuss?”
Scott was quiet a moment, contemplating how best to go about this. After all, his conversation - for lack of a better term - with Alex (and Tommy and Fatale) had not exactly gone well. Who the fuck knew how badly he could mess this up? But she wasn't a former Right inmate, and her perspective from the Weapon X side would be invaluable. Not to mention he was hungry for any scrap of information about one Nathaniel Essex. "Would you mind if I asked you a couple questions about Weapon X? About your experiences there?"
Laura turned a surprised look at him, wondering if she had heard wrong but she knew she had not, and gave a small nod. “You can ask me what you want, I have no desire to keep their secrets.”
It was, Scott thought idly, how very different each and every person had responded to their sub-optimal life experiences. "Thanks. Uh, how many people were there? At the facility?"
“Daily?” She asked, more to herself than him. “I am not completely sure how many were actually there at all times. If I was not needed for experimenting or training I was kept locked in my room. I only knew about a handful of doctors since few had the clearance to be near me,” she paused to think about it. “But when my mother told me to escape, there were at least seventy people in the building.”
Scott nodded thoughtfully. "Do you know the names of any of the doctors?"
Laura took a deep breath in through her nose as she thought back to the faces of her creators. “There was my mother, Sarah Kinney, then Martin Sutter, Zander Rice, Jones, one they called Brooks...” She pushed herself to remember the blurry name tags of the ones who had latched her down to the tables. “Dennison....Lutz....”
She frowned when all the others blurred together, a mix of doctors, nurses and assistants too many to remember completely. “I am sorry. Those are all the main doctors I can remember, I am sure if you looked at the information Kitty was able to obtain they could show you more.”
She was quiet, a little disappointed she could not be of more help before one specific face moved into her head. “Ah, Wait. There was a doctor, but I did not see him often. He had been there a few times when I was really young and when the put me under radiation...after that he only showed up every three months or so...”
Scott frowned in thought as he filed those names away. He'd look into them further once he'd reviewed Kitty's notes on what they'd found. "Do you remember his name? Or his face?"
Laura’s frown deepened as she recalled back to the tall man. “His face, it was white, but not like Caucasian or European. I mean, his face was extremely pale, and he had very dark hair, black I believe, that was long and hung down over his shoulder.”
She looked up at Scott intensely. “Yes. Long black hair. I thought it was odd since all the other doctors had to tie their hair back if it was too long, but he never did when watching.”
"Essex," he murmured, mostly to himself. It wasn't a surprise - his name had been in Weapon X's files - but it still frustrated Scott that the bastard was mixed up in all of this. Was still out there, fucking with people.
“Essex?” Laura asked, tilting her head slightly as she watched him closely. “Why is this important? Have you found that man?”
Scott shook his head 'no.' They hadn't found him. Yet. "His name came up in those files you guys got, and it appears in both the Right and Weapon X's records," he explained. Information for information, after all. Besides, it wasn't like Shepherd, Fatale, and Alex wouldn't tell her, and he hadn't asked them not to. "Do you know anything about him?"
Laura hummed, turning to look down at her hands as she flexed her claws a little. In and out. In and out. “I am sorry to say I do not know much about him. He was there to observe and watch my tests, but I was never left alone with him or talked to him. I believe he was interested in what the Facility could make, but other than that I am not sure.”
He nodded slowly, thinking that over. "So no direct contact," he murmured. Which was also a interesting piece of the puzzle, considering.
“Not that I can remember.” Laura concluded. Most of her early experiments she was delirious with pain, but she could not remember that man ever speaking or touching her directly. “I apologize that it is not much information.”
He shook his head a little. "There's nothing to apologize for," Scott assured her.
“Are you planning on looking for him?” Laura asked.
"There aren't really any good leads," Scott said, hedging rather than giving her an outright answer.
“That will stop you?” Laura asked a frown on her face.
He looked at her for a long moment, silently. Weighing his options. "No," everyone knew that. "But it means it will take longer."
“Mmm.” Laura hummed in agreement. She thought about it for a second before moving to place a hand on his shoulder in what she thought was comforting, though the squeeze might have been a little tight. “Let me know if I can be of help. If you want him dead, I will help with that as well.”
He appreciated the gesture, particularly given Laura's uniquely unusual manner of communication more generally. "Thanks," he said. "Are you looking for any of them?"
“Most of them are already dead.” She replied quietly, all the doctors and scientists who had been in the lab she had destroyed. She could not be sure about everyone, but most of them were no more. “Unless you mean the others who hurt your brother or Fatale.”
He'd left it open to interpretation on purpose, to keep himself from accidentally cabining in her answers. "I meant either," he said, nodding. "Or both."
“I have not tried looking. Not since being here.” Laura answered then frowned. “My mother wanted me here, wanted me to have a normal life.”
She was quiet, then gave a small shrug. “But I do not think I can have one, not after everything. Putting an end to them would be...good.”
He held up his hands slightly, a conciliatory gesture, maybe, or maybe just regular awkwardness. Even Scott couldn't have said which. "I'm not here to try to sell you on extracurricular vigilantism," well, beyond what X-Force already did. He wasn't trying to recruit anyone for his self-assigned mission of finding Essex and stopping him or anything parallel to that. "I was just curious."
Laura hummed softly and nodded. “Alright. Then, was there anything else you needed? I should continue training.”
"No, sorry. Thanks for, uh, taking the time," Scott said, gesturing for her to go ahead and get back to it. "Sorry I interrupted."
“It is alright.” She looked down for a minute and as he turned to leave she raised her voice a bit. “If you find him or have a lead on him, I would appreciate it if you would let me know.”
He nodded. "Back at you."
Scott was feeling a bit nervous about trying to start this conversation. This had gone so wrong for him when he'd spoken to Alex, not to mention Tommy and Fatale. But now that he knew the connections between the Right and Weapon X, and knew the connection was one Nathaniel Essex, he also knew that he needed to get to the bottom of it all. So he waited, patiently, just outside the DR. Laura had had it reserved, so at least she'd been easy to find.
If Kitty knew he was copying her stalking methods, she would be so proud, Scott was sure
Laura scrubbed at her face with her towel, the heat coming from her cheeks enough to cook something on she was sure. She slung the towel over her shoulder and reached for her water bottle, taking a deep breath to get the faint scent of Scott Summers. She frowned when he did not come in like last time and made her way to the door while gulping down most of her water bottle.
Laura poked her head out the door and watched the boy for a second before raising an eyebrow. “Did you need the Danger Room?"
Scott shook his head 'no.' "Wanted to talk to you, actually," he said. "If you're free, I mean."
Laura blinked, a little surprised to be honest but nodded. “I am available right now. What did you want to discuss?”
Scott was quiet a moment, contemplating how best to go about this. After all, his conversation - for lack of a better term - with Alex (and Tommy and Fatale) had not exactly gone well. Who the fuck knew how badly he could mess this up? But she wasn't a former Right inmate, and her perspective from the Weapon X side would be invaluable. Not to mention he was hungry for any scrap of information about one Nathaniel Essex. "Would you mind if I asked you a couple questions about Weapon X? About your experiences there?"
Laura turned a surprised look at him, wondering if she had heard wrong but she knew she had not, and gave a small nod. “You can ask me what you want, I have no desire to keep their secrets.”
It was, Scott thought idly, how very different each and every person had responded to their sub-optimal life experiences. "Thanks. Uh, how many people were there? At the facility?"
“Daily?” She asked, more to herself than him. “I am not completely sure how many were actually there at all times. If I was not needed for experimenting or training I was kept locked in my room. I only knew about a handful of doctors since few had the clearance to be near me,” she paused to think about it. “But when my mother told me to escape, there were at least seventy people in the building.”
Scott nodded thoughtfully. "Do you know the names of any of the doctors?"
Laura took a deep breath in through her nose as she thought back to the faces of her creators. “There was my mother, Sarah Kinney, then Martin Sutter, Zander Rice, Jones, one they called Brooks...” She pushed herself to remember the blurry name tags of the ones who had latched her down to the tables. “Dennison....Lutz....”
She frowned when all the others blurred together, a mix of doctors, nurses and assistants too many to remember completely. “I am sorry. Those are all the main doctors I can remember, I am sure if you looked at the information Kitty was able to obtain they could show you more.”
She was quiet, a little disappointed she could not be of more help before one specific face moved into her head. “Ah, Wait. There was a doctor, but I did not see him often. He had been there a few times when I was really young and when the put me under radiation...after that he only showed up every three months or so...”
Scott frowned in thought as he filed those names away. He'd look into them further once he'd reviewed Kitty's notes on what they'd found. "Do you remember his name? Or his face?"
Laura’s frown deepened as she recalled back to the tall man. “His face, it was white, but not like Caucasian or European. I mean, his face was extremely pale, and he had very dark hair, black I believe, that was long and hung down over his shoulder.”
She looked up at Scott intensely. “Yes. Long black hair. I thought it was odd since all the other doctors had to tie their hair back if it was too long, but he never did when watching.”
"Essex," he murmured, mostly to himself. It wasn't a surprise - his name had been in Weapon X's files - but it still frustrated Scott that the bastard was mixed up in all of this. Was still out there, fucking with people.
“Essex?” Laura asked, tilting her head slightly as she watched him closely. “Why is this important? Have you found that man?”
Scott shook his head 'no.' They hadn't found him. Yet. "His name came up in those files you guys got, and it appears in both the Right and Weapon X's records," he explained. Information for information, after all. Besides, it wasn't like Shepherd, Fatale, and Alex wouldn't tell her, and he hadn't asked them not to. "Do you know anything about him?"
Laura hummed, turning to look down at her hands as she flexed her claws a little. In and out. In and out. “I am sorry to say I do not know much about him. He was there to observe and watch my tests, but I was never left alone with him or talked to him. I believe he was interested in what the Facility could make, but other than that I am not sure.”
He nodded slowly, thinking that over. "So no direct contact," he murmured. Which was also a interesting piece of the puzzle, considering.
“Not that I can remember.” Laura concluded. Most of her early experiments she was delirious with pain, but she could not remember that man ever speaking or touching her directly. “I apologize that it is not much information.”
He shook his head a little. "There's nothing to apologize for," Scott assured her.
“Are you planning on looking for him?” Laura asked.
"There aren't really any good leads," Scott said, hedging rather than giving her an outright answer.
“That will stop you?” Laura asked a frown on her face.
He looked at her for a long moment, silently. Weighing his options. "No," everyone knew that. "But it means it will take longer."
“Mmm.” Laura hummed in agreement. She thought about it for a second before moving to place a hand on his shoulder in what she thought was comforting, though the squeeze might have been a little tight. “Let me know if I can be of help. If you want him dead, I will help with that as well.”
He appreciated the gesture, particularly given Laura's uniquely unusual manner of communication more generally. "Thanks," he said. "Are you looking for any of them?"
“Most of them are already dead.” She replied quietly, all the doctors and scientists who had been in the lab she had destroyed. She could not be sure about everyone, but most of them were no more. “Unless you mean the others who hurt your brother or Fatale.”
He'd left it open to interpretation on purpose, to keep himself from accidentally cabining in her answers. "I meant either," he said, nodding. "Or both."
“I have not tried looking. Not since being here.” Laura answered then frowned. “My mother wanted me here, wanted me to have a normal life.”
She was quiet, then gave a small shrug. “But I do not think I can have one, not after everything. Putting an end to them would be...good.”
He held up his hands slightly, a conciliatory gesture, maybe, or maybe just regular awkwardness. Even Scott couldn't have said which. "I'm not here to try to sell you on extracurricular vigilantism," well, beyond what X-Force already did. He wasn't trying to recruit anyone for his self-assigned mission of finding Essex and stopping him or anything parallel to that. "I was just curious."
Laura hummed softly and nodded. “Alright. Then, was there anything else you needed? I should continue training.”
"No, sorry. Thanks for, uh, taking the time," Scott said, gesturing for her to go ahead and get back to it. "Sorry I interrupted."
“It is alright.” She looked down for a minute and as he turned to leave she raised her voice a bit. “If you find him or have a lead on him, I would appreciate it if you would let me know.”
He nodded. "Back at you."
