fissionmailed | We're Strange Allies With Warring Hearts

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We're Strange Allies With Warring Hearts

[A year.]

[Gray Fox had been in a relationship for an entire year. The thought was almost depressing. He'd been involved with Elisa for a year but how much time did he honestly spend with her? The existence of Ursula immediately cut that time in half, coupled with the long stretches of time he'd gone with barely speaking to the young woman, the end result was not the most desirable. This, however, wasn't the only thought that plagued his mind.]

[Another Naomi had found herself in the Nexus. One from a time Fox didn't want to fathom; a version of his sister that had come here after facing her own death. She appeared no older than any other Naomi he'd encountered in his time here - to think that every one of them may have been suffering in silence, to think he couldn't be there in her time to care for her as he'd done when she was a child.]

[It was almost too much for him.]

[Tonight, however, was about Elisa. He'd asked the girl to meet him here at this restaurant tonight. He had to swallow his feelings and push these thoughts to the back of his mind. He'd canceled engagements with Elisa all too frequently; their anniversary dinner was something he knew he couldn't put off. Clad in his dark green suit, he idly paces at the entrance, glancing out down the hallway now and then as he awaits her arrival.]

(ooc: for [Bad username or site: elisula title=Elisa @ livejournal.com])

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[Giving another nod] ...It wont happen again, Frank.

[Thankful for him not giving up on her, Elisa cuddles just a bit closer to him and tucks her head under his chin; closing her eyes. It's been a long time since she's simply allowed herself to simply listen to the rhythm of his heartbeat, so she hopes that he doesn't mind this contact at least.]

[The warmth of her body feels nice in the air of the cooler storage room, this is something he can tolerate. Unfortunately, it serves to remind him all the more of his dear sister in her youth; curling up with him on the couch, clinging to him, falling asleep. It's a bittersweet memory of sorts, Naomi is no longer a six year old girl. She's a woman well into her thirties, a woman tat loses her struggle with cancer.]

[A grimace breaks through his stoic visage for only a moment before he turns his body a bit, bringing an arm around Elisa.]

...This is fine.

[It feels nice; being this close with him, feeling his warmth... but with the added contact comes added awareness, even in her inebriated state. She can feel that there's definitely something wrong with him, but even though she's concerned... the girl doesn't want to risk driving him away again by prying.]

[So she'll ask once, and only once...] Frank...

[She speaks against him, one arm draped around his waist.]

...Is there anything... you'd like to talk about?

No.

[His response comes quickly, shaking his head a bit. His grip against the back of her dress tightens a little as he draws the girl closer to his body.]

...I'm fine.

...Okay.

[Of course, if she really wanted to know, Elisa could just read the information off of him. -But that's not the way she wants to be. Frank is allowed to have his secrets. ...Just as she should be allowed to have hers. All that matters, right now, is finally sharing a truly intimate moment with the man right now, after an entire night of awkward distance.]

[The girl cuddles closer and places a gentle kiss to his collarbone. This is nice. Her eyes close once more and she relaxes greatly; thankful for the warmth that Fox's large body brings.]

[Turning his head, Fox presses a light, appreciative kiss against Elisa's forehead.]

...Just keep talking to me, Elisa.

Oh- um, alright. I'm not the most entertaining talker in the world, but...

[Elisa trails off as she tries to think of a topic, but comes up short. She figures that Frank would probably not want her rambling any more about Null or work so... what else is there?]

...What... do you want to hear?

Anything.

[He needs to keep his mind off of Naomi right now. As much as he cares for the woman, he needs to improve his mental state.... Even if many of the topics Elisa's knowledgeable on are things that would serve to remind him of his dear sister.]

...hm. [Elisa pauses, for a long time. She doesn't want to go on about the usual subjects again. He's already heard her thoughts on pretty much everything already, before. Well... except...]

[She sighs.] ...Alright. [The girl chooses to delve into a topic that she actually hasn't spoken a whole lot about- surprisingly.] Then I'll talk about... me.

You already know that I was born in East Germany. My parents were nuclear physicists... [She sighs] I suppose that's where I got my love of science from. My memories of them are a little foggy, but I still remember a lot. They were kind people; I know that. But ultimately, it was their work that killed them. I think I told you of that briefly, already... It was an explosion in the Ural mountains- we moved to Russia due to my parent's line of work, you see. I was about 3 years old or so, at the time. My body was hit with intense radiation... But as you know, the effects of that radiation were... unusual. I didn't understand it. I couldn't understand it. What was happening to me? I started to hear voices... It took me a while to realize that they were actually thoughts of people around me. ...It was scary. I spent a little while just... wandering aimlessly; watching as the people of Snezhinsk fell to radiation sickness and depression. I thought that all I could do nothing but sit and wait my turn... until people finally came to help us. People from other countries. I was found, taken to a facility and stripped of all my clothing, then thoroughly washed and scrubbed by people in strange suits. They said it was a miracle that someone my age survived such heavy radiation, and that I should be very glad and thankful to be alive. ...I wouldn't.. say that I was "glad" at all. But I was thankful. Thankful that I was found and fed, and given a bed to sleep on- even if I was never actually able to sleep at the time.

They asked me why, and I told them that I kept hearing voices and seeing visions. At first no one believed me, but then I proved it to them. I told them their own thoughts and secrets. After that, not many adults wanted to deal with me. Soon after, I was taken away from that facility and brought to one in Germany. I thought that I scared everyone in the old rehabilitation facility too much for them to want to be near me any more. But the men in military suits assured me that I was only going to a better place, suited to my unique needs. One 'closer to home'... They spoke German, and that made me feel better... -knowing that I could be away from the scene of that accident and closer to my old hometown. I was told that I could be around other children like myself; ones that were going through the same things I was.
When I got there, I quickly learned... that I was only told a half-truth. And when the officers mentioned that I would "get better"- they weren't talking about making the voices go away. They were talking about becoming even more powerful in what I could do.

The 6 long years that followed... were filled with nothing but a series of experimentation and forced training. But none of it really amounted into anything spectacular until... Ursula came. I was around 10 of so. My so-called "caretakers"- the scientists in charge of strengthening me, specifically- were getting frustrated. I wasn't responding to anything they did to me like the other children were beginning to. So one day, they decided to... intensify things. The sort of "shock therapy" that followed was meant to loosen the part of my mind that was resisting their experiments so fiercely. They said that I'd be able to 'handle' it; that my endurance had proved to be pretty high from the fact that I didn't die from radiation poisoning alone. This is going to sound strange, probably, but... when the shocks began, it actually hurt so much that I... didn't feel it. I can hardly remember the sensation. I do remember screaming though- and my hair standing on end. Eventually, their attempt to prod me into 'letting loose' succeeded... but I can't remember the moment, exactly. Actually- I passed out completely from the pain in the middle of it. While I slept, Ursula woke up for the first time... to protect me. For that, I was thankful. Even if I was scared because everyone in that room had been killed... part of me... was relieved...

[At that, she looks guilty] ...Ursula was sedated and thrown into a cell-like room of the facility for what she had done. Ever since then, she was the one they experimented on- not me. I felt so bad... they were much worse to her than they were to me. But Ursula told me it was okay. She said that she was there to protect me, and that one day she'd use the powers given to her to free us both. No matter how much she tried, though, that day never came. She was given a lot of power- but even with their "training" it could only do so much. She didn't know how to control it properly or focus it on a single thing at a time. Both of us got really down a lot; but we kept each other's spirits up. And Ursula never let me stop believing that we'd get out of there one day.

In the end, she was right. It took 10 years of being in that place... but eventually, we got our freedom. It was the CIA. They raided that facility, and it was then that we met an American man who we called "Mr. Viper". Ursula and I gladly went with him to America. I was so happy... We had been rescued; and no one would ever force us into using our powers for them again. -Or so I thought.

[Shaking her head, Elisa gives a sigh.] On the outside, it looked like everyone just wanted us to be free. But that wasn't the case. No; the CIA didn't save us for nothing. In the end, it didn't matter where we went. Whether it was the communists, or the Americans... they only wanted us for our abilities. To use us for war. We were just shiny new weapons to them, and nothing more. But I... didn't want that. It was then that Mr. Viper... Gene... came to us with an offer, which we gladly accepted. So, once again, we ran away with him instead. He never forced us into anything... and best of all; I wouldn't have to fight. I could just be a doctor... I could help people. Ursula chose to fight, and Gene taught her to become a soldier. He also helped her to control and focus her abilities. He... gave us both an objective. A purpose. Kinda... made us feel special, even. We weren't guinea pigs anymore; we were people. People capable or great things...

[The girl exhales slowly, and trails off- leaving it at that. Frank already knows the rest of how that story goes. She doesn't say anything at first, but eventually she lifts her gaze and manages a small smile]

....

Oh.

[She laughs a bit] ...Gottschalk... is my last name, by the way.

My name is Elisa Gottschalk.

[Fox's eyes remained closed as he listened to her story. It wasn't an issue to get Elisa to open up to him, she'd always seemed to speak freely to him. Having been subjected to torture on numerous occasions throughout his own life, he understands the difficult life the girl had growing up.]

[He lets out a bit of a disbelieving snort and lightly shakes his head, eyes cracking open as she finishes.]

Together for a year... And this is the first time you tell me your last name.

[The girl just laughs; slightly embarrassed by that realization]

I know, I know.. it completely slipped my mind, honest! But really- I don't even like my last name. I always tell my staff- "Miss Elisa" or simply "Chief" is just fine with me. No need for... Ms. Gottschalk.

[She speaks the name in an exaggeratedly dreary tone that emphasizes her dislike of it.]

[Momentarily distracted from his thoughts by the girl's words, he cants his head slightly to the side. His tone has a faint sense of genuine curiosity to it.]

Is it your real name or... One you later adapted?

[Nodding]

Well, I'm kinda sure that's my real last name. About 70% sure. I remember one or two adults calling my father "Mr. Gottschalk". If not that- it was something that sounds similar. I can only assume that my parents were married.... Don't know my mother's maiden name.

[She shrugs] So, Elisa Gottschalk it is. Probably. It's what I've chosen to accept as my name, anyway.

[Fox gives a slow nod.]

...Did you ever wonder what the boy's name was? I recall you said you were unaware of my name until you encountered another version of myself here.

You mean, the name you were given by soldiers as a child?

I did wonder what you might have been called before "Null", yes. I didn't think delving into your mind for that myself would turn up anything, since I had doubts about you remembering yourself...

[He goes quiet for a moment, caught up in somber thought.]

...Did you ever name him? As in... Imagine a name you would give him, were he no longer... [He just clears his throat, unable to bring himself to say the 'name' he'd once been known as.]

[Elisa shakes her head] No, honestly... I could only imagine what your true name was, and... hope that one day, you'd actually be able to use it.

[Fox begins to shift his body, sitting up a bit and leaning over Elisa's body. He presses his weight against her as he leans over the edge of the cot, idly fumbling for something underneath the makeshift bed. He soon sits up, procuring a bottle of rum from beneath his bed. He moves again, sitting a bit awkwardly with his back against the wall yet still leaving enough room for Elisa. He inspects the contents of the bottle - there's about three-quarters of the liquid remaining inside - before bringing it to his lips and taking a long, greedy gulp.]

[He lowers the bottle, resting his head against the wall as he waits for the alcohol to take effect. He needed something harder than that wine tonight.]

Hnm... I'm sure you would've chosen a good name for him.

oh- [Elisa blinks as he suddenly presses his weight against her, and it takes her a moment to realize that he's only reaching for something under the bed.]

[...More alcohol? He finished that bottle back at the restaurant...]

[Clearing her throat] ...I'd like to think so.

[She smiles] Well. "Frank Jaeger" suits you quite well, at least.

When Jack first adopted me, I offered to take his name. He told me no; not because he didn't accept me as his child but because my name was the only bit of my past I had left. Whether I liked it or not it was my identity, one of the few things I truly remembered about myself and my existence prior to entering his care.

[He takes another long drink of the rum before offering the bottle in her direction.]

Hm. I can see why he refused, then... But you were young; did you understand? Were you disappointed when he refused?

[Elisa shakes her head with a small chortle] No, no... I think I had enough for tonight.

And something tells me that, whatever's in that bottle, is a bit different than peach wine.

It's rum. [With that, he takes the bottle back and allows himself another long drink. He caps it afterwords but keeps it in hand, not prepared to return it to its rightful place just yet.]

...And I did understand his reasons and I respected them. It didn't make me any less his student and his son.

Yes, right, of course not. It's only a name...

But I admit; as much as I dislike the way my last name sounds... I'm glad that I can remember it. [Laughing] Or almost-it. And what do you think of your own name?

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