[video]

[bloomesday]

[The broadcast is coming from the ship. That much is clear from the upward and askew angle.]

I don't-

[A hand comes into full view, looking magnified as it fills the whole screen which suddenly goes blank.]

[The screen suddenly snaps to life again. It's held by two trembling hands as it focuses on the panicked expression of a man with wide eyes and dark features. Sweat has begun to bead at his forehead as he swallows, struggling to compose himself.]

Someone tell me what day it is.

Comments

[facilitating]

[Holy blindsided, Batman.

It takes an obscenely long time for her to answer--something like five minutes, but to someone who people depend on for lightning-fast reflexes and decisions on a daily basis back home, that's like an eternity.

When she does, her voice is carefully level. Enough so that he might even notice, but not enough that he has grounds to call her on it.

And because the date from home is the one that would matter to him:]

October 4th, 2009.

[Over a month after Clark killed Doomsday and Davis and Jimmy killed each other.

But Doomsday came back from the dead more than once already. So really, Chloe's not sure why she's so shocked.]

[bloomesday]

[Now it's Davis' turn to not know how to react. Part of him wants to immediately run outside and find Chloe, wherever she is, and just embrace her, feeling that comfort of the only human soul who has ever had any faith in him. He's never had much in himself, especially not now when it's a struggle to get any kind of bearings.

Another part of him wants to flee. If he blacked out that long there was no telling how many people he hurt or how much damage he caused. This isn't the first time that he's woken up in a place that he doesn't remember, yet it is the first time that he has been out for so long.

As if in reflex he slowly lifts a hand one at a time, expecting to see evidence of the beast. There is nothing. When he finally speaks his voice shakes.]

Have you been with me?

[facilitating]

No.

[But it came out heavier than she'd meant it to (though not nearly as heavy as it felt), so she swallows the lump in her throat before she continues.]

You woke up in front of a pod. An open one.

[Right? She's pretty sure everyone does, but then, does it work the same for the dead?]

You've been... [Her tone shifts to something more like 'okay, here's where it gets weird'.] In some sort of stasis.

[But she can't just leave him there. Not knowing what he can do.]

Stay there, okay? I'm coming.

[bloomesday]

[It's not hard to follow that order. Staying put is the easiest thing to do right now. And possibly the safest for whoever else is out there. The pods and other... business of that nature. That could wait. When you know you're a monster explanations for yourself seem selfish.]

Okay.

[His own feed stays on as he sets the communicator aside and takes a deep breath, pacing alongside his belongings he'd found on the floor.]

[facilitating]

[Hers, however, turns off. She just-... She has to. Needs time and space to breathe. To clear her head, at least enough to address what's going on here.

Meanwhile, the closer she gets to the ship, the more thoroughly she realizes how little she actually knows. She should've found out what he remembered. If he remembers everything and death somehow mellowed him out again, that's one thing, but the way he's acting... it's like he doesn't remember at all. That, or it hasn't happened yet. To him, anyway. And she realizes that if he finds out she's from the future, he'll want to know what happened. And she can't lie to him.

Excuses are already forming in her head, though they're pre-emptive ones, she knows. Step one is still 'establish timelines'. Or possibly 'figure out a body count', worst case scenario. Chloe bites her lip slightly, swallowing again. God, just a few weeks ago she was almost used to it, but now the thought of hiding even one more body just about shatters the semblance of emotional stability she's established in the past month or so.

Inevitably (and simultaneously not soon enough), she arrives. He's not hard to find--his pod was a bit closer to the door than hers was--and by that time, she's wiped any trace of her inner conflict off of her face. Now there's just something that looks a lot like concern as she hurries over and crouches beside him. Normally, this is where she'd put a grounding hand on his shoulder, but this time she holds off on that particular gesture.]

Davis? It's okay, just breathe.

[bloomesday]

[He'd stopped pacing to crouch and find some sort of stability. With eyes closed it's easier to take things one at a time, and that's where Chloe finds Davis. His eyes open as soon as he hears her footsteps but he makes no move to stand.

He doesn't realize he's expecting that hand on his shoulder until it never comes.]

That's the easy part. [He reaches for her arm just above her elbow.] What did you see on your way here?

derp derp, reading comprehension is apparently not my strong point

[facilitating]

[There's a weird sort of emotional dissonance when he reaches for her arm; it's so familiar, enough so that reflex urges her to place her hand over his and follow up with a few more comforting words, but she can't unsee what he did to Jimmy. What he tried to do to her. The fact that no matter what he's thinking right now, he would've killed her if Jimmy hadn't stopped him. It's not that she's scared of him. She isn't, not one bit. It's the memories that get to her. The knowledge that she failed him and everyone else once already.

Either way, she caters to reflex, her hand lifting to press over his.]

You didn't hurt anyone. [This time. But that's not even an unspoken meaning--she's steering far clear of those implications, for now. Now, she's just trying to be reassuring, because at this point that's her default mode.

Her turn to ask a question.]

What's the last thing you remember?

don't worry about it, yo!

[bloomesday]

I... I was working.

[gj, Davis, that doesn't tell her much]

But I was distracted. You'd gotten better, and I believe you, but I kept thinking about what happened with your memories. How you forgot everyone but me and though I was thankful for your trust, that's too cruel a thing to happen to anybody.

[He touches her cheek briefly, remembering the kiss they shared soon after. Her presence has a calming effect on him, as it always does.]

And I said I wasn't ready to let you go.

[facilitating]

[....Ah. That. Yeah, she remembers that. That was the last time she saw him before the wedding, she remembers. Before everything more or less fell right apart.

All at once, the pods are entirely too close on either side. For someone who spends her days holed up in a penthouse, she sure is quick to feel a little suffocated. So she stands now, letting that lift her out of his grip and taking hold of his shoulder instead. She'll use it to help him up if he needs it, but otherwise it's just so the grounding contract is back on her terms rather than his.]

Here, let's get outside. This place never stops giving me the creeps. [And because there hasn't been nearly enough Chloe wit in this conversation so far to pass for normal:] And yes, that is the technical term. ['The creeps', that is.]

[bloomesday]

Chloe.

[He sees what she's doing with the contact and doesn't ask for her help standing up. It's not just the pods that's giving her the creeps, it's him, and this is far from what he had expected.

Gathering his things, Davis keeps his medical bag gripped tightly in his hand as they make their way outside. As they walk Davis doesn't humor her with easy chatter about technical terms. Once they've stopped he doesn't face her, instead staring straight ahead and preparing himself to be on his own all over again.]

Why did you come here if you didn't want to see me?

[facilitating]

[On the one hand, could he blame her? Even from what he remembers, they left off on a pretty uncomfortable note. But on the other hand, his question's a valid one.

So whether or not he's looking at her, she offers an apologetic smile.]

It's not like that. [Which is honest, save for a lie of omission. Because it's probably not at all what he's thinking.] I guess between the guns and the raids and the big angry carnivores, this place can make you a little jumpy.

[bloomesday]

[He doesn't completely buy it, but he can tell that she's trying. And then there's that other subject she brings up in typical Chloe fashion - avoiding one topic by bringing up another sure to get the other party's attention.]

Yeah, this place doesn't exactly scream "safe." Tell me about the raids.

[facilitating]

They attacked the hospital, burned the crops. Everything you'd expect when they're trying to squash any trace of opposition.

[And then, a little quieter:]

Eighty-three people died.

[bloomesday]

[This sounds terrible, but being wary by nature, Davis doesn't want to sign himself up immediately to the other side either. There needs to be a reason that two opposing forces exist.]

What do they stand for?

[facilitating]

Think of them as the police to a dome full of civilians, and to them, we're the organized crime prowling the streets. The catch is, we don't even have to do something wrong. We exist, and that makes us a threat.

[bloomesday]

[Davis is quiet as he thinks over Chloe's words. The irritation that there's something she's not telling him still lingers, but this is something else. Something he in all likelihood can't run from.]

What about the real threats? [the question finishes with an unspoken "like me"]