deadtention | R1 DEADLAND

You -- you came back to life, right? What the fuck are you doing here?

[ One thing at a time, ok. He isn't gonna hit her more than once, he's not an asshole.

Well, except he hears her explanation and that's. Okay. Swell. ]

Well, fuck. Look, I don't know what you and Connor talked about or didn't talk about, but the fact is, you killed him, and I don't care if you kids made up or if you're Asian or not-Asian or whatever the hell.

I'll never forgive you for hurting Connor. End of fucking story.

Oswald Hale killed me. When I rigged his results to avoid bloodshed, he took me by the neck and hung me with his bare hands. You don’t come back to life from that. Nor will the Apprentices he executed today.

[She’s not sorry about the way she has to hiss those words out. But she... she doesn’t want to fight him or anyone here. It’s not his fault.]

...it doesn’t matter. That’s fine, I’m not here for your forgiveness. I just didn’t want the others to see me this way. Not when they’re all so torn up already.

...and there is absolute nothing Asian about the name Vivienne Gallivan.

[She can’t believe you’re even a little confused there.]

Edited 2018-09-16 04:20 (UTC)

What, you think I don't know that? Connor's my partner. That's old news to me, sister. You're not getting any of my damn sympathy when I know you're just as fucking deep into this shitty program than he is.

[ You say Hale like that's a bad thing, Vivienne. You're definitely higher on Hank's shit-list than Hale, incredibly. ]

See you what way? Like the backstabbing bitch you are? Did you just want everyone to forget the shit you did? Gee, must be real fucking convenient!

[ He crosses his arms, face scrunching at her thing. Didn't he hear Gallivan before....... eh, probably not, right? ]

Yeah, but your little robo-pal Megumi's Asian, and that's the face I'm used to, so if you'd have asked me "is Vivienne Asian?" I would've said "yeah, she's Japanese or some shit." Not my fault you've got two faces and two bodies or whatever.

I wonder then why you’re so confused about who is on what sides. Connor, Han and I are fighting to destroy this disgusting program. We may have failed today, but we won’t be stopped by that.

[She’ll take on Oswald herself if she has to.]

Because we may not have long before James and Oswald bleed every last person in that school dry at this rate.

As for Megumi— she was created by my uncle. I won’t be using her forever— but when you’re dead you don’t have a lot of options. But not until I can take a close look at her programming. Whatever my Uncle put in her... hmmm...

You killed Connor when he tried to shut down your robots, lady. And what do you mean you "failed today"? What happened?

[ The trial, he means. No one's told him about the trial. ]

You know Hale's a fucking idiot, right? He's just being played like a damn fiddle because he'll do anything to save his stupid fucking brother.

[ Uh, go Team Hale, I guess? ]

So, what? You show up here when you're not in her? How do you still not know what the hell's going on with her programming if you've been her for like 5 weeks?

We... tried to stop the execution. I’m pretty sure we took care of the robots but— we underestimated the people up top. They intended to force Han to murder both of them in the robots places— but Hale did it instead.

[She hates that there is even one minute portion there that isn’t The Worst when Hale is involved. But... he did at least spare Han that trauma...]

I can come and go when I “sleep” yes. As for her coding, I had no part in making her. She’s not one of mine. I don’t... want to risk it doing anything else I don’t want it to do.

[ Hank..... pauses. ]

Huh. You know what? I'm not surprised, considerin' his whole crush on Han.

[ Obviously. Doesn't everyone know that? ]

Wait, hold up. Go back and tell me about the trial. [ He's back to being in her face. ] How's Connor? Is he okay!? What happened??

[Ugh. She wishes she didn't know. Part of the whole reason she'd been slow to trust Han fell back heavily on that fact.]

...Hank. Connor... he struggled a lot. I won't say he's okay, because he's not. Nothing any of us can do can replace the important thing that he lost.

[Even if she tried to lie, he'd know better. That's just the way the two of them were. Connor... she's not sure what he'd want her to tell Hank. But she wants to tell him the truth.]

He... almost let himself be voted in Alexander's place. They argued about it a bit... who was necessary there and who wasn't...

...but he's doing what he can now. He's... trying to help the others, and the others are making him let them do what they can.

[ Hank knows Many Things about Hale. He's seen Hale naked. Ask him, Vivienne. Ask him. ]

Yeah, I... I pretty much expected that.

[ Hank knows Connor. For all that Hank may have some of the world's shittiest self-esteem, he knows Connor would be devastated by his death. There's a reason he hasn't thought about it too hard -- the moment he does, it'll feel real. And the moment he does that, he'll start really worrying about Connor.

Not that he has to try very hard, considering Vivienne's words. ]

That fucking idiot. Of course he did! He's so... fuck. He's so fucking stupid. How could he ever think he wasn't needed? How -- with all the shit he's done, everything he's been working so fucking hard for... [ Hank deflates, his anger replaced with concern. For now. ] That's just fucking typical, ain't it. Connor's spent his whole existence convinced he's only good if he's on a mission. Least taking care of people... if he can't take care of me, at least he's not alone.

I know... but... no one intends to let him think like that.

[Well, uh-- best not to mention Waver. One person being left out is fine it's-- fine.]

But he's not the only one. Hank Connor and Rebecca are both devastated right now but... they're holding each other together. When one missteps the other is there to catch them. Max, Osomatsu...

There are a lot of things I wish you could have seen... about the people who gathered in that classroom to get justice for you. You meant a great deal to many of them.

They've continued to ban alcohol from their parties. And... and they're doing the best they can because they know you would've wanted that. Even Osomatsu is fighting, though he doesn't feel like there's anything left right now. He's finding strength.

You gave that to them.

They better not. I'll kill 'em myself if anybody plays into Connor's fucking "I'm a machine, machines don't feel" bullshit.

[ Hank sighs again. Of course Rebecca would be devastated too. And Max. And Osomatsu... Fuck, he actually had people who cared about him here, didn't he? Hank's not going to cry, but he can feel a wave of something like sorrow trying to make its way through him. He stubbornly pushes it down.

The gratitude, the faith, the hope he feels in Vivienne's words, now that's harder to push down. He finds himself smiling, despite it all. ]

Shit. All I did was hug a few kids and tell them it'd be alright. Kinda sounds like they're doing all that shit themselves.

Well, I won't say it's not part of their own strength-- they are pretty incredible. But you can't deny the power that just thinking about someone important to you has. Even though you're not there to say it, they know the things you'd be saying. And that's... that's in their hearts. That's something they can carry with them to help when it gets bad.

[She believes in the Apprentices. With out a doubt she believes in the bonds that they've formed-- in who they are, and more than that... who they've become by enduring all this.]

Your warmth and sincerity were just as clear to them as your tough love.

[She has to say, those idiots were fools. He's really proved that he's the Apprentice Father.]

And... should something ever happen, that you feel they're losing their way... if you have a message that you'd like them to hear... I would be more than happy to carry them for you.

Well, guess I didn't fuck it all up after all.

[ Hank laughs. This is pretty rich coming from Vivienne, he has to say. Her whole True Believer bullshit rubs him the wrong way, even if her words are nothing but kind.

Really, Hank is just an old man set in his ways. Apprentice Father? Uh, I wish he was a nicer dad, but he's... well, he's Hank. ]

But I'd rather tell 'em to go fuck themselves than deliver a message with you, Vivienne.

R1 DEADLAND

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CW: talk of strangulation

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