ic contact (mask or menace)

[hackitude]

"Hey! You've reached Skye. Leave a message. I mean, if you want to. Or uh, don't. Whatever."

Comments

[hostage]

What? No, that's - Wait, like... Alone? With him? Since when?

[Jesse's looking rather pale. A lot paler than GED tutoring warrants.]

[hackitude]

[Oh. Skye sighs. Tattlecrime at work again.]

... Since like the week after I first got here? Look. I don't know what you've heard or read about him, but you should know-- there's this reporter out there, Freddie Lounds? Who is like, hellbent on destroying his life. Literally none of the rumours she spreads are true. He's kind of a... misanthropic oddball? But he's not actually a bad guy. Trust me. I've been alone in a room with him on a weekly basis for like almost three months now. You can relax.

[hostage]

[Ha. Ha. Ha. No. Jesse shakes his head and fumbles around for his comm, which he then hands over to Skye.]

He called me. Like three weeks ago. You can find it, right?

[It shouldn't be too hard.]

[hackitude]

[Skye takes the comm from him with a frown and fumbles around in the databank for a bit.]

Uhh... you know phones don't actually keep recordings of phone conversations unless someone's bugged it, right? All I can see here is the date, length and IDs involved with the call.

[hostage]

Seriously? The government ain't bugging these things?

[What if he gives her a power boost? Does that help? He's pretty sure she won't believe him unless she hears Will Graham's freaky-ass creepy voice for herself.]

[hackitude]

I don't know... maybe? But I can't hack the government here, remember? I've tried.

[hostage]

Ugh, fuck it. Look - the guy's got it out for me. I'm pretty sure whatever that reporter's been saying, it's right. You shouldn't be hanging around his psycho ass.

[hackitude]

What? No. He's not a psycho. Look, he just doesn't like people. He wouldn't hurt anyone. He's the one who convinced me I should get a dog here.

[hostage]

Yeah. That's great. But he's obsessed with this girl Abigail who's like so scared of him she'd rather stay in a hospital than go home with him when he says he's supposed to be her legal guardian, and somebody back home tried to kill her and she's lying about it, and he's stalking me just because I tried to help her. So, you know, he kinda actually sounds pretty psycho to me.

[hackitude]

... She died, back home. Abigail, that is. I don't think Mr. G is really over it? I mean-- he was supposed to protect her, but she was murdered. So I think that's why he's a bit... weird and over-protective, when it comes to her.

[hostage]

That's just what he says, Skye. But if he's really worried about her, why's he going after the guy who offered to heal her?

[hackitude]

I don't know! I'm not some kind of like... crazy omnipotent all-seeing being! Maybe he didn't know you offered to heal her! All I know is, he's not a bad guy.

[She says, while in bed with a bad guy.]

Look, I'll try to get him to back off.

[hostage]

He knows. He was watching. And from what he was saying, he's been watching everything I do. You'd know it if you could just hear what he said to me!

[But she can't, so he picks up his useless comm and chucks it across the room. He doesn't particularly care if he busts it.]

Christ...

[hackitude]

Jesse. Just... chill, okay? I'll talk to him. He listens to me.

[hostage]

[He scrubs his hands down his face, shaking his head.]

No. No, don't - don't say anything to him. Jesus.

[He huffs out a sigh and glances out the window before pushing himself up.]

I should go.

[hackitude]

Seriously? I just got to see you for like the first time in two weeks and now you're gonna go again because we don't agree on something?

This is the most ridiculous not-argument I've ever had.

[hostage]

I'm going because he's probably parked out there with a pair of binoculars and a butcher knife. If you're telling him anything, tell him we split or something. Maybe he'll lay off on working you.

[He bends to pick up his slightly battered comm off the floor.]

[hackitude]

... Is this why you just up and left for two weeks? Because you were scared of him? Seriously. I can track anyone, Jesse. He's not out there.

[hostage]

He ain't playing around. Maybe you don't wanna take it seriously, but I'm the one who heard him loud and clear. Maybe in his head he's thinking I'm going after his girl, so he'll go after mine.

I shoulda stayed gone.

[hackitude]

Are you kidding me right now?

Look, for starters, even if he did come after me, I can protect myself. I know you don't think I can, but ever since that whole Hunger Games fiasco, I've been working on it. I've been going to the gym again, working on my hand-to-hand, I even got my gun license here and I've been going to the shooting range. Seriously. You seem to keep forgetting that I'm an agent. I can handle myself against one guy.

[hostage]

[Skye, you've been sleeping with a killer for months now and your ex was a Nazi. How is he supposed to feel assured about your abilities?]

He's an agent, too. Remember?

[hackitude]

Oh my god. [Skye reaches under her bed and pulls out her laptop and opens it on her lap in one smooth move.] I don't believe this, this is-- this is ridiculous.

[She starts typing something furiously, and five seconds later, she presses the enter key rather snappily and then turns the laptop around for Jesse to see.]

There. He's at home. In his house. In Virginia.

[Her laptop screen shows a map over Virginia, and a blinking red dot over Will's house labelled GRAHAM, WILL. It's not actually Will, though-- she still can't hack the tattoo signals since that would also include hacking into the government. But she can track cellphone signals-- not that it's apparent just by looking at the screen what exactly she's tracked-- without a problem. In less than ten seconds, it appears. Jesse, is this REALLY the girl you want to be dating?]

[hostage]

[She already told him that much - the tattoo thing - so he figures out that it comes down to cell signals. He's already wise to that, too; he leaves his own stuff behind when he goes out to cook. Everything but his burners. Yep, he knows exactly who he's dating. And he's happy with that, because she's the kind of girl who'll do this stuff right in front of him, so he knows all about what she does and how she does it and how to get around it.

Unfortunately... The blinking light doesn't reassure him, because Will Graham will know how to get around it, too.

This is one of those times when he can't let on that he knows, though. Some things he has to be stupid about. Clandestine activities and the like. Normal people don't think about burners and alibis.]

...Fine. I'll stay.

[hackitude]

[Skye sighs with relief and lets herself slump back against the wall again, eyes closed.]

... Thank you.

[Only, now it's awkward because they both just arguing with each other and the tension is still thick in the air even if Jesse's backed down.]

Sorry. I just... [Just what? Skye trails off. Why is she even apologising? She doesn't have anything to apologise for. She was defending her friend, and she stands by that. Ugh. What a mess.]

[hostage]

Look, Skye... I know I ain't a pro like you. I know I ain't smart and I ain't good with -

[He gives a gesture to the laptop.]

- all this shit. But I know people. I know when there's something off with somebody. And I'm telling you, this guy... There's something seriously off. I can't tell you what to do, but if it was me? I'd stay the fuck away. Like, way the fuck away.