Too low to dig, I might just touch hell.

[hostage]

WHO: Jesse Pinkman & OPEN
WHERE: Various
WHEN: Throughout September
WHAT: Average day-to-day encounters with Jesse.
WARNINGS: Language, drugs, gore, body horror...

HEROPA - THE PARK ( OPEN )

[Coming off a healing tour of the local hospital's ICU, Jesse heads straight for the park across the street and settles himself on the grass beneath the shade of a willow tree. He's a mess - as he always is after a long round of healing the sick and injured - and doubly so since he's dressed in his rattiest torn jeans and dirty t-shirt combo. He self-reports as homeless on his paperwork, and today he looks the part.

Hands wrapped in gauze from fingertips to shoulder, there's not much Jesse can do while he waits to regenerate. He sprawls out on the grass and stares skyward. Bleeding through his bandages, he probably makes an alarming sight. But he's not unconscious. Just resting.]

NONAH - BEER GARDEN ( OPEN )

[Fresh out of a business meeting with some of his more respectable contacts, Jesse's looking remarkably clean-cut tonight. He's not in a suit, but with his pressed denim jacket and neatly styled hair, he fits in with the young professionals around him. He's not a regular here. He just looks like he could be.

Since he's dining alone, he takes a seat at a communal table around a fire pit and orders one of the fancy overpriced pizzas off the menu, along with the special craft beer the waiter kept pushing on him. His mind isn't really on dinner. He pulls a notepad from his pocket and starts crunching numbers with abstract notes. A few things to jot down before he forgets.]

MAURTIA FALLS - THE STREETS ( OPEN )

[It's the kind of night he used to love. Bass thumping in the club, throngs of revelers bumping and grinding around him, beautiful girls snorting rails off the bar... Nowadays it's overstimulating, and if Jesse could get a headache, he'd have one. Instead the pressure's more discarnate, less tangible, like the air's too heavy. After a few hours, he's having trouble maintaining the necessary smile and the social lubricant of easy conversation. People look to him for charm and entertainment, and when he can't give that to them anymore, that's when it's time to excuse himself.

Stepping out into the cool night air, Jesse swipes a hand across his sweaty forehead before lighting up a cigarette. It's better out here, with the music and shouting muffled behind him. When he exhales, a sigh of relief escapes with the smoke.]

DE CHIMA - THE OFFICES OF PKE ( CLOSED TO MARK VORKOSIGAN )

[Jesse's about five minutes early for their scheduled appointment. The last time they sat down together was in a grimy dive bar, and Mark was going by a different name. This time around, the setting's more professional and so is Jesse. He may not be wearing a tie or carrying a briefcase, but he fits the part of an upstart entrepreneur. He's flying under the radar. That's the whole point of this.

When he's called in, Jesse walks into Mark's office with a notebook tucked under one arm. He smiles as he approaches Mark's desk, offering his free hand.]

Hey. Thanks for seeing me.

Comments

[hostage]

Yeah, don't worry about it.

[Neverending anxiety is just about the norm here.]

Everything okay back there?

[He doesn't know why he asks. Is it ever okay for anyone?]

[coppelganger]

Things are kinda up in the air.

[ Which is her tactful way of saying that everything is shit. ]

How's things with you?

[hostage]

Okay, I guess.

[Which is his tactful way of saying that everything is shit. He wants to discuss his personal problems about as much as Sarah does.]

[coppelganger]

[ She leans back in her chair, watching him for a few seconds before she says anything. ]

So I saw you met my crazy sister.

[hostage]

Not your sister, according to her.

[None of them are sisters, more likely. Jesse smiles mirthlessly, letting that thought hang in the air unspoken. If Sarah doesn't want to clarify things, that's her business, but Jesse hates having to navigate all of this blindly.]

[coppelganger]

[ Sarah can see on his face that the jig is up, at least as far as the quintuplet story is concerned. They're in public, though. She can't just... say it. Not here. ]

She'd like to think so, but you can't argue with facts.

[hostage]

[Jesse simply lifts his eyebrows, all skepticism. He doesn't intend to press the issue. The quintuplet thing, though? Yeah. Obvious bullshit.]

Is she gonna be a problem for you?

[coppelganger]

I don't know. Maybe.

[ She sighs, still watching his reaction. ]

Maybe we should talk. Not here, though.

[hostage]

[Without another word, Jesse draws out his wallet and leaves a hundred dollar bill on the table. He rises and motions for Sarah to follow. They're going to talk about this while the talking's good.]

Let's take a ride.

[coppelganger]

[ Sarah gets to her feet and follows him out. This conversation has been coming for a while, and now, with Rachel here, she can't put it off any longer. In a weird way, it feels good, telling people. No more stupid cover stories. ]

[hostage]

[The car they end up at isn't Jesse's usual sportscar, but a discreet rental. He opens the passenger door for her before climbing into the driver's seat, and once they're settled in, he takes off for the highway. No particular destination in mind.]

So what's the deal?

[coppelganger]

[ Sarah looks out the window at the scenery passing by, trying to decide how to tell him. It always feels like it should be some kind of grand proclamation, something that shows the weight of its meaning in her life. In the end she says simply, ]

I'm a clone.

[hostage]

[It isn't exactly world-shaking news. Jesse's met other clones here, and he began to suspect something like that around the time Identical Sister #3 showed up. But he can appreciate the difference between hearing about it and living that life. He gives Sarah a glance.]

What's that mean?

- I mean, I know what a clone is. But what's that mean for you? Is somebody after you? Is it top-secret government shit?

[coppelganger]

[ She picks at a loose thread on her jeans. ]

Yeah, someone's after us. We're not supposed to be self-aware. [ She sighs, then. ] The corporation that created us has its fingers in a shitload of different pies. A lot of places are just fronts for them. So you can see why we'd need to be quiet.

[hostage]

[He nods. Yeah, he definitely understands the need for caution.]

But they're not here, right?

[coppelganger]

No. I don't think so.

[ She can never be 100% sure, but signs point to no. ]

But now Rachel is.

[hostage]

What can she do to you here?

[He may not have the specifics, but power dynamics don't exactly translate from one universe to another.]

[coppelganger]

Besides piss me off? Not sure yet. But Rachel's slimy. If she finds an opening, she'll use it.

[hostage]

[Jesse's silent for a moment, staring at the road in contemplation. Then:]

What if I get to her first? What if I'm the one who sets her up with a gig, so she's under my control?

[coppelganger]

No.

[ Her answer is immediate. ] It's not worth it. She'll try to ruin you.

[hostage]

I feel like you're underestimating me.

[He's not really offended, but kind of amused.]

[coppelganger]

I'm not underestimating you. I just don't want you getting involved with her.

[ She has no idea how to express why the idea makes her so uncomfortable. She doesn't think Rachel will outthink Jesse, necessarily, but the thought of them working together is... wrong. ]

[hostage]

I'm involved with you, Sarah. That ship's sailed. I'm in it now. If there's a mess, I gotta help you clean it up somehow.

[Which, beyond friendship, is really just good business. Unknown factors are bad for the trade. Surely Sarah understands.]

Do you have another plan for dealing with her?

[coppelganger]

Right now my plan is to try and stay one step ahead of her. Maybe just come clean, on the network, before she can.