(no subject)

[wheelhouse]

WHO: Wheeler, Wheeler & Pinkman (Nancy, Mike, and Jesse, respectively) and now with 100% more Steve Harrington!
WHERE: Heropa & Cape Canaveral
WHEN: Forward-dated to February 10th & 11th
WHAT: Nancy takes a drastic action and it goes poorly for her
WARNINGS: tba if necessary

Comments

for Mike

[wheelhouse]

[ Nancy has maintained an outward coolness so far in spite of her plans, getting through Porter security without a hitch, making polite conversation with the clerk at the front desk of her motel. On the inside, however, she's anxious. This would be a lot easier if she had a partner. Jonathan, she thinks, would have come with her, if he weren't a universe away.

She couldn't even bring herself to ask Steve. Someone has to stay with the kids, anyway.

She unlocks the room and steps inside, sets her bag and coat on the bed, and immediately goes to the bathroom to wash her face. ]

[micycle]

[ Honestly, it wasn't a difficult guess.

A couple of days, Nancy had said. For work. As if she'd forgotten that she worked part-time for a goddamn paintball arena, and them needing her for a whole weekend was laughably unlikely. From there, Mike made the only logical inference - she was going to Cape Canaveral. He had always ranked high in problem-solving, after all. And inference the second - he was going to have to go with her, to make sure she didn't do something stupid and annoying and get herself hurt. So, with barely a second thought, he crept into her room before her late-night departure and disappeared right into her portable radio, like water absorbed right into a sponge.

Nancy's interaction with the motel receptionist had given her location away well enough, so Mike isn't surprised when the bag jostles down onto a soft surface. What does surprise him, however, is the water bottle that rolls into the radio's side, leaking a bit onto the plastic casing. ]

Shit, shit- [ He blurts out the expletive without a thought, and the radio crackles to life, broadcasting his voice to the room. ]

[wheelhouse]

[ Nancy's patting her face dry with a towel when she hears the unmistakable voice of her little brother, and she freezes. Squints. Slowly lowers the towel. ]

... Mike?

[ She tosses the towel aside and grabs her bag, unzipping it and up-ending the contents onto the bed. The radio falls out, and she picks it up. Did she even pack this thing? ]

Mike?

[ Maybe he's doing that thing Dustin does. ]

[micycle]

[ No slapdash covert plan can stay secret forever, and as the radio falls out of the bag, Mike falls out of the radio. He rolls once, then tumbles to the floor, where he lands in a heap of elbows and knees. ]

Shit, [ he says once more for good measure. His expression is grouchy and defeated under the hood of his sweatshirt. ]

[wheelhouse]

[ Nancy reflexively jumps back, and then she just stares for two solid, open-mouthed seconds. ]

What the hell?

[ She snatches said hood of said sweatshirt and pulls him upright (firmly enough to get him to his feet, but not so roughly as to hurt him. It's a fine balance of her power that she's been working on.) ]

What the hell?

[ Oh god, this isn't happening. This isn't happening! ]

[micycle]

[ Mike tries immediately to pull away, but with Nancy's tight grasp he lacks the force and balance. ]

I could ask you the same thing!

[ His cheeks flush with anger and embarrassment. He'd been hoping to at least make it farther than a dumpy motel before giving himself away. Stupid shitty powers. ]

[wheelhouse]

[ She lets him struggle for a second and then lets go, because you don't over-use super strength on your little brother. ]

No, you couldn't!

[ Because she says so. Deflecting! ]

What was that? With the radio? You just-- [ Have a wild arm gesture that is supposed to indicate "you fell out of the damn radio". ]

Did you do that on purpose? Were you following me?

[micycle]

Only so you wouldn't get yourself killed!

[He still isn't sure what her plan is, but he knows it's probably dumb and dangerous. Like lighting-a-monster-on-fire levels of dumb and dangerous, maybe. Nancy doesn't exactly have a history of rational, safe behavior, if you fast-forward through the first fifteen years of her life and straight to 1983, when everything started going wrong.]

and Mike again, at the base

[wheelhouse]

[ She waited out the day in the motel, as planned. With Mike, not as planned. And now he's here with her, crouched in the dark outside of the sprawling military base, also not as planned. She's terrified that he's with her, and relieved, and still a little pissed.

The area looks very different at night, but she has a good memory, and you best believe she was paying sharp attention when she was first ported in. She has an idea of where she wants to go. ]

Okay, [ she whispers. ] You remember the rules. I tell you to get in here-- [ she indicates the small portable radio attached to her belt ] --and you have to do it, right away. No questions.

[ This plan is crazy, but so is waiting around in this world to see what kind of bullshit happens next. ]

for Jesse!

[wheelhouse]

[ Jesse Pinkman, welcome to your new life as a probation officer. It started with an early morning phone call, summoning you to this base, where you were escorted to a room and probably asked to do a lot of paperwork related to your new duties. After that, there's still a short half hour wait before they finally bring you your charge.

Here's Nancy Wheeler, dressed in black from head to toe, dark circles under her eyes, sporting handcuffs and an ankle monitor, at least a foot shorter than the officers on either side of her, and wearing an expression of jut-jawed surliness.

When she sees Jesse, of all people, her mouth falls open in shock. ]

Wait-- you?

[heisenbitch]

[ It's a good thing Jesse never needs to sleep. He would be absolutely physically exhausted after the batshit insane night he's had otherwise. In fact, it's when he's fleeing home, driving his rental car fast in desperation to get to his warded beach house nobody except people he gives permission can see, when his phone starts going off. His face pales so hard when he sees it's a call from the police. He almost doesn't answer, until he realises to himself that the cops wouldn't be calling him to ask his whereabouts. 'You stole an extremely rare and precious mineral, where are you so we can come and arrest you?' Yeah, right. The cops probably don't know jack about what shit is hitting government classified-level the fan right now. He got away scot-free, anyway, with no evidence he was even there. It was by the skin of his teeth that he got away unnoticed, but still.

So, Jesse pulls over on the side of the road and answers with his heart feeling like it's caught in the back of his throat, and the expression on his face grows more and more incredulous as the conversation unfolds. "I'll... be there as soon as possible," is Jesse's distracted answer, and he hangs up in perturbed bewilderment.

And so, half an hour later he's at the base, and an hour, maybe two hours later, after going through all the paperwork with his mind reeling in bemusement while trying to shut the heist clusterfuck out of his head and sinking bitterness at a teenager being put on probation when she didn't even ask to be in this world in the first place, Jesse is walking out into the waiting room to collect Nancy.

In response to her stunned shock at being assigned him - Jesse just raises his brows, like he's already had it up to here with this shit, and they haven't even left the station yet. ]

Yeah. 'Fraid so.

[wheelhouse]

[ This is... Nancy can't tell what this is. On the one hand, she's relieved her probation officer is someone she knows. On the other, how mortifying. She presses her lips together tightly, trying to wipe any emotion--vulnerability--off of her face, and holds out her arms so that one of the officers can remove the handcuffs, keeping eye contact with her new probation officer and trying to read his whole take on the situation. Red marks stand out on her wrists, evidence of the number of times she tried to snap the cuffs herself, hoping that her strength would magically come back. (It did not. Somehow they took that away from her.)

Once her hands are free, she turns away from Jesse and says-- ]

What about my stuff?

[ This request (though her tone of voice says demand) prompts the officer to produce a clear bag containing everything Nancy brought with her on this daring venture: one cheap pocket radio, which she snatches from them like the radio is air and she hasn't been able to breathe all night. Immediately, she looks at Jesse again. ]

Okay fine, I'm ready to go now.

[ Get her out of here. ]

[heisenbitch]

[ Jesse watches all of this. Watches those cuffs being unclipped from Nancy's wrists, trying with all his might not to pinch his lips together tight in disgust that they'd even handcuffed her in the first place. He gets why they've cuffed her - he hasn't forgotten her super strength - but still. When she snatches the radio and when she turns instantly to him, almost demanding that she's ready to go, Jesse doesn't hesitate. ]

Alright, Wheeler, c'mon, this way. Let's go.

[ And Jesse makes it seem like he's being as authoritative as the cops, by stepping right into her space while taking firm hold of her upper arm just above her elbow. Makes Nancy easy to steer around in the direction of the exit, and makes it easy to get her moving quick smart. Out we go, Nancy, towards the exit, out the building, out into the chilly afternoon, just be quiet, get moving, do as Jesse instructs. If Nancy protests at all, Jesse ignores her and keeps guiding her forward without paying any attention, like he can't wait to get the hell out of there himself.

Parked in the curb is a cheap rental car fashioned to blend in with the 1950s aesthetic of this whole world. The alarm deactivates with a chirp from the remote entry tag he's pressing in his jeans pocket. Jesse lets her arm go with a pointed nudge towards the front passenger door. Get in and do as you're told, that nudge seems to indicate. ]

[wheelhouse]

[ Nancy doesn't protest, because he's doing exactly what she wants him to do. She only quickens her steps to keep up with his longer stride, holding her head high and her expression stony, like she's above this whole thing, like it doesn't bother her, like it's happened a million times before. (None of that is true.)

When they reach the car and freedom is closer than ever, she carefully tips the radio into her hand and then tosses the now empty bag onto the ground in petty defiance. What are they going to do? Drag her back in and arrest her again for littering? She yanks open the passenger side door and climbs in, secures her seat belt, and very deliberately turns her head to stare out the window. It looks like she's trying to avoid a conversation, which she definitely is. But she's also worrying about the radio in her hand, specifically the boy in the radio in her hand, and fiercely willing her little brother to keep his mouth shut until they get back home. ]

[heisenbitch]

[ When Jesse dumps himself in the driver side seat, slamming the door shut behind him, he sinks down with a slouch while smearing his hands down his face. He does it like he can't believe this is happening right now. Or like he can't believe he's been assigned probation officer. Or like he can't believe Nancy tried to interfere with the Porter. Or like he's still trying to recover from barely escaping a high-risk, highly illegal heist of government property that went absolutely epically wrong. Or like he can't believe any of the aforementioned has managed to happen in less than twelve hours.

Jesse is fully aware of Nancy's stony, defiant silence. He ignores it, while his face is still hidden behind his hands: ]

What. the. hell. were you thinking?

[wheelhouse]

[ Everything from the way Jesse slams the door to the tone of his voice seems to say that Nancy should feel guilty about the situation, and she does, but she is fighting that feeling. What does she owe him, anyway? Yeah, he showed up, and he agreed to take responsibility for her, and possibly saved her from jail... but it's not like she asked him to. Right?? ]

If you have to ask, then you won't get it no matter what I say.

[ It honestly perplexes her, that there are imPorts who don't feel as trapped-in-a-cage-losing-their-minds as she does. That there hasn't been some sort of uprising by now. (Of course, a lot of things happen in this world without her knowing about them.)

Also, she's had some pretty shitty experiences trying to explain herself to adults. So often, they only care about the wrong things, the stupid things. When she finally turns to look at him and adds-- ]

Do you actually care why I did it?

[ --it may sound like she's trying to pick more of a fight, but what she's really doing is testing him. Giving him a chance, even. ]

[heisenbitch]

[ This is the thing: Jesse absolutely gets it. When Nancy turns to him, asking if he cares, Jesse's hands drop from his face and he looks over at her. ]

I know why you did it, and I know what you're gonna say. I fully agree with how messed up it is that you and your brother and everybody else got sucked into this place without any choice in the matter. But you have no idea what you're dealing with by tryna take on the Porter.

For Steve

[wheelhouse]

[ When Nancy left the house yesterday, she had told Steve she would be gone until the next day, that she had to stay in Heropa overnight for work. That it wasn't a big deal, "just keep an eye on the kids" until she got back. (At the time, of course, she had no idea Mike would follow her.)

She had hoped to return with, well. Some sort of proof that the government was keeping them here deliberately, or information about the Porter, or something. Not embarrassed, empty-handed, and accompanied by a probation officer.

By the time Jesse leaves and Mike has gone upstairs, a good chunk of the situation has already come to light. Nancy was not doing a thing for work. Nancy tried to break into a military establishment, was swiftly caught, and is now serving our her sentence: two months of probation, complete with mandatory curfew and community service. A real criminal.

She doesn't want to talk about it, which means she'll probably have to talk about it. ]

I'm sorry, okay?

[ That's for Steve, the only other person in the room. It's not a great conversation opener, but again, she doesn't really want to have this conversation. (She does, however, definitely owe him the apology.) ]

[battysitter]

[ Steve doesn't have much to say while the group explains - tries to explain - what happened. he just crosses his arms and watches from the sidelines without saying anything because right now all he wants to do is to scream at nancy.

Steve feels a bit hurt that she just went without any notice and word on what she was going to do. What if the military locked her up? What if they sent her back without a word? What if they killed her? She went on her own and didn't even tell him to go along, didn't ask for help from Steve, but in a way he is kind of certain she'd ask for help from Jonathan if he was here.

He is angry, frustrated, jealous of some guy who isn't even here, and he is goddamn hurt that she couldn't trust him and ask him for help.

When everyone leaves he just stares at her, arms still crossed ]

I mean, are you? [ because she doesn't look sorry. Maybe just sorry that she was caught ]

[wheelhouse]

[ ... She is definitely sorry she was caught. That goes without saying.

But she has a lot of other feelings, too, including genuine regret, anger and frustration of her own, and apprehension, all mixed together. ]

Yes. [ She's got to get more specific, she knows, or the apology stays meaningless. ] I'm sorry that I lied to you about what I was doing. And I'm sorry for-- everything that's happening now.

[ Her punishment, she means. Nullified powers, checking in with Jesse daily, a curfew? She knows very well that those restrictions on her are going to shift a greater burden onto Steve, that for the next two months it's going to be a lot tougher for her to pull her own weight around here. She hates that, for so many reasons. ]

I obviously didn't want it to go this way.

[battysitter]

How did you want it to go, nancy? [ steve moves, now a bit angry ] You go off on your own, you don't say anything to anyone. How about telling me what you were going to do? How about asking me for help?

[ he huffs, hand passing through his hair ] You didn't even bother. Why? Because it's bullshit? Everything is bullshit, uh?

[ this is serious, probably as serious as fighting off a demogorgon. Which, hy the way, she also didn't want to tell him about last year. ] Am I that unreliable, Nancy?

[wheelhouse]

[ She doesn't like him throwing that word at her, though she can't remember why. But his anger gives her permission to tap her own frustration, and she's glad for it. ]

What, you would have come with me? [ Right or wrong, she clearly doesn't believe that he would have. ] If I said anything, you would have just tried to talk me out of it.

[ She knows her plan was reckless, at least as reckless as hunting down the demogorgon. Steve is reliable when he's got someone to protect, but when it comes to making the first move? When they have to take the risk?

Don't tell the cops about the beers. Let's just go to Tina's stupid party. There's nothing we can do about it.

Nancy's glad to be angry, because anger is a wall she can build up around the part of her that still aches for him to have said something different back then. ]

We've been here for a month, and all we've done is-- is react to everything. [ The next words slip out before she thinks about them, and the last time she said them to him. ] I can't keep doing this.

[battysitter]

Why would I?! [ Steve wants to leave this crappy place as much as her. ] I just wouldn't forget there are goddamn kids depending on us and we can't get killed because they'd be the next targets!

[ no, he wouldn't take the first risk. because this isn't all just about going back, there is a lot to deal with and he doesn't want to be arrested or killed, which is apparently something nancy is pretty okay with doing. ]

There is a whole bunch of people in the same situation as us. Ever crossed your mind asking them something? [ of course they are reacting to everything because that's all they can do right now, without any sort of information. Steve doesn't even know how to work with his powers right, much less how to go into a military base and try to reach for a machine that can send people into other worlds. ]

[wheelhouse]

[ Nancy bristles at the suggestion that she forgot about the kids, like they aren't her reason for taking action in the first place. ]

Ask them? Which people are we supposed to ask, Steve? Who do you think we can we trust?

[ She's not a hermit; she's talked to other imPorts. None of them have shared her sense of urgency, and some of them have clearly bought right into the lies from the government. Jesse's starting to grow on her, but that doesn't mean she's ready to place their lives in his hands.

Nancy makes herself lower her voice now, so the next part of her argument won't carry upstairs. She doesn't like it, but doing so also forces her to move closer to Steve in order to be heard. ]

The kids are already targets. Every day we're stuck here puts them in more danger. That whole-- Maurtia Falls bullshit? Dustin could have gotten hurt when we were on our way to get him. He could have died.

[ As soon as the word leaves her mouth, she sucks in a shaky breath, like the reality of that possibility has just hit her all over again. ]

And it would have been our fault.

[battysitter]

And you being arrested, locked up in a military basement, without any word from you ever again - and you could have died too!

[ nevermind the kids, they probably already know something is up. They are a smart bunch and it's not that difficult to figure things out, specially when there is a probation officer involved. They will certainly have a saying too and they will hear about this soon ]

We are all in danger and you jumped right into it. Of course I am mad! because you could have died too!

And that would be on me! [ it's not just the kids - he is looking after her as well, even if they aren't a couple, even if she is certainly independent. If something happened to her, it would be on him too ]