001; VIDEO;

[dunhaming]

[ The feed pops on to show a redhead with a smile on her face as if she's not really sure why she's playing along with people on drugs or something, but is doing it anyway. Sort of amused and wtf at the same time. ]

This is really cute. Sort of like giant Disney World. [ Her smile widens a bit like she's enjoying her own joke. ]

So. The "in between of life, dreaming, and death," is it? Really hope I'm in the life part, death isn't really my thing and I was in the middle of doing something so I hope I'm not dreaming. Do we get a ticket or something here? "Welcome to the In Between, guest number seventy-five! You're part of the Alive Group, have a great stay." [ Clearly joking; funny voice, air quotes, and all. And a tiny bit of an eye roll. She obviously thinks this is ridiculous. ]

I'm Fringe Agent Olivia Dunham so I'm not completely... unfamiliar with this sort of thing. If you don't have Fringe Division here, or don't know you do, we deal with events which are out of the ordinary. I'd say this counts. Of course I don't have a solution for this particular problem, but at least I'm not going to fly into hysterics. [ Actually, the thought of her in hysterics is funny. Olivia gives a small snort of laughter and seems to be about to end her feed when a thought comes up and she visibly straightens and lights up with the question. ]

If this is an alternate universe, do you have coffee? I'll drink almost anything, but I have a Starbucks rewards card.

Comments

[imaginate]

Oh, uhm. [How does he talk about clones.] That's better discussed in person.

[Something about his tone suggests a very serious topic.]

[dunhaming]

[ The transformation from joking and light to a more serious tone is instant and smooth. She does that transition all the time with Lincoln and Charlie. ]

I don't have much doing right now, when are you free?

[ She keeps up on her people. And as strained as her relationship with Olivia has been in the past, she likes her other self quite a bit. And Astrid goes without saying, she's really one of Olivia's people. ]

[imaginate]

[He rubs his chin thoughtfully.]

I'm a little tied up right now - our clinic just got badly damaged - but you can come by, everyone here is trustworthy. WA-1A.

video; 100% encrypted → action

[dunhaming]

Okay, I'll be over as soon as I find my way.

[ She doesn't even stop to get coffee on the way, that's how important she's treating this.

Olivia shows up and knocks on the door after pausing to glance around and make sure there's nothing overtly suspicious is going on. Not that she'd necessarily be able to recognize what that is in this strange place. She left her big gun hidden in her apartment, but her pistol is definitely (and obviously) in the holster at the back of her waist. ]

action;

[imaginate]

[Kyle greets her at the door. He notices the gun but he has no overt reaction to it. She's armed, just like he's armed with his ring. He looks noticeably more tired than he did on the network, and he's wearing his green and black shirt with the Corps' insignia on it, one that matches his ring. However, his eyes are bright, and his smile reflects his cheer.]

Hey Olivia. Great timing. Come in, I'm almost done with today's patients.

permaction;

[dunhaming]

[ She flashes him a smile and nods as he invites her in, but is far more reserved than her laughter over the network. They're going to be talking about Serious Stuff probably and she knows when is the time to joke and when isn't. Now? Isn't.

She walks inside and closes the door behind her, stepping aside and looking around. She's a Fringe agent, she's been trained. Checking exits, places where someone might be hiding to get the jump on her. Granted, she did arrive here in the middle of a sniper battle and it's making her a bit more paranoid and cautious than she might be. ]

Don't worry, do what you need. I'm not going anywhere.

[ Probably. ]

[imaginate]

[Kyle's always tried to lighten the mood when somebody else is being extremely serious, and so there's a bit of bounce to his step. It's not that he's not considering all the implications, it's just that one shouldn't get mired in them. He raises a curious eyebrow at her caution but doesn't question it (#Batman), and he waves to a smaller room next door. This is his house and he hasn't completely finished converting it, so the room is filled with paintings, some half-finished, others torn, and a few that looked like he's tried to burn them.]

We can talk here. [Firm, but not overbearing. She's not one of his, he doesn't need to give orders.] Any spies, my ring will take care of it.

[A beat, and then he takes out a notebook. It's sealed with a forcefield, which he taps, and it disappears. He hands it over.]

This is the most detailed map anyone has of Keeliai. I haven't gotten to the palace yet, but everything else: it's all there.

[He sits back, lets her study it until she's satisfied, then he'll continue.]

[dunhaming]

[ She glances around the room they enter, taking in the paintings in silence. When he presents her the map she takes it and studies it carefully. Olivia spends minutes pouring over it, trying to etch in the most important details. If she were her counterpart... but she's not, so she just has to brute force the memorization. There's no possible way for her to learn the whole thing, but she does a pretty good job with the most important parts. Astrid would be able to do well with this, if she's here.

Still looking at the map: ] You said Astrid is here? Has she seen this? [ At this point she looks up from the map to see him respond. ]

[imaginate]

Not all of it. [His voice has a quiet intensity.] It's highly likely we're clones, and people who vanish from here might not go home like the Emperor says. A few months ago, she disappeared, and I made inquiries. Recently she came back with no memories of where she'd been in the intervening time. You can understand why I'm wary.

[dunhaming]

[ Olivia leans back from being bent over the map, but still holds onto it. She looks to the side, biting her lip, and then glances back past him and to the other side, her expression sort of transforming into a bit of a lineface. Especially when she's under pressure she fidgets, and it's an unconscious habit to scan the area around her when she's thinking. Finally she focuses back on him. ]

So you're saying that Astrid might not be Astrid.

[imaginate]

[He's perfectly still, to balance her fidgeting.]

I've scanned her. Genetically, she's exactly the same as she was when I first met her here. But [he shrugs, and looks helpless] I have no way to confirm. Clones are generally bad news, where I'm from. Even us, we could have some... programming or whatever.

[dunhaming]

[ Man this is getting more and more messed up every second. Lincoln is not going to like this. And without Broyles here, it's going to fall on him to make the call on how they should treat Astrid. ]

Has this happened with anyone else? How common is it? And when you said "we're clones" you meant like [ she gestures between the two of them ] we are clones.

[imaginate]

People come and go all the time. Some remember being here, some don't. There's no discernible pattern. [Trust him, he's been observant. He sighs.] I'm not sure about us, exactly, since biologically there's no difference. I can't scan people's brains to check if there's anything wrong with them in terms of memory modification.

[YES, HE IS VERY FRUSTRATED.]

Cloning facility: found and destroyed a few months back. I've forwarded that intel to Captain Lee already.

[dunhaming]

[ Oh my god, she's been dumped into a mess. A huge mess. A disgustingly convoluted mess. Seriously, like are you kidding her, bro. Olivia just looks sort of lineface-y and annoyed. Lincoln is up on this though, so they'll work through it. Somehow.

She tosses her hand out to the side and shrugs her shoulder. ]

So where does that leave us? I mean, do we just not trust anyone?

[ Cause she's done that before, and it sucks. She would really rather not deal with that again if possible. ]

[imaginate]

[The only reason he's not mirroring her expression is because he's had time to get used to it.]

Oh, my colleague does that, I don't recommend it. Use trust, with caution.

[Like he's doing now, with her. Astrid is a friend of his and he knows Olivia cares about her too, which is why they're even having this conversation.]

[dunhaming]

[ The question of why he was sharing this with her if that was the circumstances had crossed her mind. She thinks about his response and then nods, satisfied. ]

That sounds reasonable.

[ She glances down at the map still in her hand. At this point she's thinking about too many things to successfully absorb any more from it, so she holds it out for him. ]

Thanks for letting me look at that.

[imaginate]

[He pushes it back towards her, gently.]

Keep it. I can make another. If one of us vanishes at least the intel isn't lost.

[dunhaming]

[ Oh hell will she keep this. She and Lincoln will pour over it until they have it etched into their brains. Of all the people here... she has to trust Lincoln. She doesn't know what she'd do if she couldn't. ]

Thanks.

[ And the she gestures to the paintings. ]

Yours?

[imaginate]

[He looks sheepish.]

Unfortunately, yes.

[dunhaming]

[ Olivia takes a bit to look over them. She's sure that a profiler would be able to say a lot about him based off of these, but she's no profiler so they just look like art to her. It doesn't escape her attention that the ones further back are darker, and makes a small mental note of it before turning and looking at him with a genuine smile. ]

Why unfortunately? I like them.

[imaginate]

[What did you do Liv, he's blushing. He rarely ever gets compliments, and even rarer that they're genuinely meant.]

I've... been out of practice for a while. Job takes up most of my time.

[dunhaming]

[ Kyle. Kyle. Don't be so cute, okay? ]

Well, I can't wait to see what they look like when you're in practice. [ Points a finger at him. ] And don't go destroying any more of them.

[imaginate]

[n o p e he's turned a deep crimson now OLIVIA STOP he's just going to melt into a tiny puddle.]

Moody and temperamental comes with it, I'm afraid.

[dunhaming]

[ Grin. You, good sir? You are her friend. And she does not let moody and temperamental last for long if she can help it. ]

I take moody and temperamental as a challenge.

[imaginate]

[He gives her a look: half-exasperated, half-amused, but all fondness. She's earned her way into his good graces, which he means won't turn her down.]

I'm doomed, aren't I.