7/15 Instance: Mind-Melting Anonymous

[tears~fall~like~glass]

timeline: current


Fabian: Making his way towards his room for the time being, Fabian was mentally ticking off the things that he needed to be gathering back up and packing. At least when he had been sent here on his and Lukas's little not-quite-suicide mission they were given luggage so that made his life a little bit easier.

Fabian: He glanced around the hallway, thinking about the place he was in at the moment and still keeping himself convinced that he absolutely could not wait to be rid of the place.

Rachel: With Rogue gone, Rachel had no idea how she was going to get any answers about why she'd been taken in the first place. However, she wouldn't put it past Essex to just poke and prod at her for shits and giggles. Luckily, she'd caught the rumor that there were two of Apocalypse's acolytes around, so she was in the process of seeking one of them out. She didn't exactly expect to run straight into one though.

Fabian: "Oh, hello Rachel." Fabian stopped in his tracks for just a moment, sort of taken aback by actually catching sight of her out on her own walking around. He had of course seen her around with other people but this was the first time he had seen her around here on her own.

Rachel: "Oh... Hey," Rachel paused and pushed a hand through her hair as she tried to think of a way to approach the subject. She offered, "I was actually looking for you... Fabian, right?"

Fabian: "Yes, that would be me." He nodded, trying to keep the initial wave of alarm out of the expression on his face. "Looking for me? What can I do for you?"

Rachel: She glanced around the hallway and wasn't completely convinced it was a suitable place to have this conversation, but... "I was hoping you could answer some questions." And, it looked like she was just going to go at this bluntly.

Fabian: He frowned as he saw her look around, not sure exactly what it was she was looking for. "Would you like to do it here or in my room for the moment?"

Rachel: "In your room would likely be better," Rachel answered after a moment of consideration, adding, "It's about Apocalypse."

Fabian: Oh this was going to be fuuuun. Fabian merely nodded, pulling the key from his pocket and making his way to his door. "Well, I suppose I know him more than your average person here so might as well be me you ask, yes? Come on in." He unlocked the door and made his way inside.

Rachel: "To be fair, the Essex psyche was my first choice, but you know how that panned out," she sighed as she followed him into the room, glancing around.

Fabian: "Quite frankly, he probably wouldn't be all that useful to you if he were alive, would just give you the answers he thought would trigger and all that." He motioned for her to have a seat as he shut the door behind them. "After all, I worked alongside him and I never got much of a straight answer out of him when it could be avoided on his part."

Rachel: "Yeah, I've gathered from my previous experience with him," Rachel replied as she took the offered seat, leaning back in the desk chair, "I figured trying to get an answer would be better than sitting and wondering though."

Fabian: "...yeah, I suppose you would know that better than me." Fabian looked a bit sheepish actually as he admitted that as his foot didn't really taste all that good in his mouth.

Rachel: She gave a smirk at the look on his face and nodded, "Maybe just a bit."

Fabian: "Right then." Well, that was just a little uncomfortable there. Fabian decided he got to take a seat as well as to avoid fidgeting awkwardly. "So, what is it I can answer for you then?"

Rachel: Rachel hesitated as she tried to decide where to even start with all the questions. She wasn't exactly privy to a lot of information having been comatose and all, and it wasn't really a subject she'd been willing to discuss until this point. "What can you tell me about Apocalypse?"

Fabian: "Mr. Nur is...well, an egoist." Fabian began, though some might argue that statement was a bit of a pot-kettle-black situation. "I mean, his goal was pretty obvious once he got started so I figure I don't have to explain that but he had the funding ahd the connections to get such a thing off the ground...but apparently was too much of an egoist to realize who it wasn't a good idea to prod at I suppose."

Rachel: She listened to the answer carefully and took a moment to let all that information sink in, biting down on her lip. That pretty much sounded like anyone who had ever decided to mess with anybody at the school. "What'd he want me for?"

Fabian: "Power." Fabian answered simply. "I mean, the Horsemen were for power if they succeeded but they were mostly tools to suppress and clear the stage for you. Essex was to augment you in a few ways to open up the potential for it but you're definitely powerful enough that you piqued his interests."

Rachel: Rachel shifted a bit uncomfortably at the idea of that, blowing out a breath. The first time he had said she had the power to completely level cities. "Do you have any idea what Essex did to me...?"

Fabian: "I have some idea, probably not the whole picture but some." Fabian nodded. He wasn't exactly up on his genetic technobabble, after all, but he had the general idea.

Fabian: "The first step was to bring everything you were capable of with your mutation to the surface, every little possibility that could have been you. The same thing happened to Dr. McCoy from what I understand because of a scuffle that happened while Essex was working. That's why he's blue and fuzzy now."

Rachel: Her eyebrow went up, "That was only the first step?"

Fabian: "Well, there were still a few limitations there they wanted rid of." Fabian frowned, leaning back into his seat. "Basically...you know what happened with that one guy that was part of your 'unplanned' rescue team?"

Rachel: "You mean do I know about how I caused his mind to leak out his ears and such? Yeah, I'm pretty aware of that."

Fabian: "That is pretty much what Nur had intended for the flatline human race in the end, though less vegetable and more handservant from what I gathered."

Rachel: "Mind control is a bit different from mind-melting."

Fabian: "Well, still, more or less melting but leaving them functional enough to manage walking about and feeding themselves." Fabian couldn't help but squirm in his seat just a bit, not really enjoying this particular conversation. "In the neighbourhood but not sharing a flat as it were."

Rachel: "Like zombies?" Rachel managed a slight grin.

Fabian: "...somehow that made everything even more unsettling."

Rachel: "...Is it bad I almost like the idea of ushering in the zombie apocalypse?"

Fabian: "....slightly, possibly." He shrugged, glancing away as he wondered if perhaps Essex and Nur had gotten further with Rachel than he had realized or maybe that's just how her humour ran.

Rachel: Her humor did tend to run that way, but there was a small part of her that was overjoyed by the idea. She was a bit reluctant to mention that part though. Her expression made a turn toward serious once more as she leaned forward in her seat, resting her arms on her knees. She asked in a surprisingly calm and even tone, "Were there any plans involving my husband?"

Fabian: "To use him to break down your resistance, yes. The two of them had decided there were a finite number of things you had you would fight for and he was on top of the list."

Rachel: Rachel went silent as she mulled that over, looking highly displeased.

Fabian: "Of course, away from their influence, I imagine that would go quite differently as far as getting you to fall on one side or the other was concerned."

Rachel: "I imagine so," she replied tightly.

Fabian: "...that's good at least?"

Rachel: "It'd hardly be good for anyone who decides to use him against me. What I did to everyone in the room when Essex told me he was dead? I wasn't even trying."

Fabian: "Yes, that was somewhat what they were counting on...I don't believe you were quite...'ready' when they came to rescue you."

Rachel: "Well, I'm not sure I would've been ready for much fresh out of a coma."

Fabian: "...point." Fabian half laughed as he shrugged. "I think though you were lucky you weren't, considering."

Rachel: She nodded, "I imagine it was a bit of luck for both sides."

Fabian: "Except perhaps Essex's." Another laugh came out at that. "So....is there anything else I can answer for you?"

Rachel: "He had to run out of it sometime," Rachel shrugged, managing a small grin. "Just one. Any ideas on where Nur would be?"

Fabian: "Hellfire Clubs, some branches of his oil company? I'm afraid he's pretty much worldwide when it comes to places he could slip into."

Rachel: Right. Pretty much anywhere. She sighed and got to her feet, "Well, I suppose I should leave you to... whatever it is you do when you're alone..."

Fabian: "...don't make it sound dirty, I was just going to pack."

Rachel: Rachel smirked, not quite able to resist the opening, "And what exactly are you packing?"

Fabian: Fabian just smirked. Okay, yeah, this time he wasn't going to argue about making it dirty.

Rachel: The smirk never left her face as she added, "I also suppose I should be thanking you."

Fabian: "...for what now?" He looked completely puzzled at that.

Rachel: "For answering all the questions. You didn't have to."

Fabian: "...I try to be forthcoming with people who can kill me who have reason to do so."

Rachel: Rachel paused at the door and turned to face him, scoffing at that, "Pfft, I don't have any reason to kill you. I don't remember anything beside the capture and waking up. Plus, I'm trying not to make a habit of melting brains." Which was true enough because she'd really wanted to finish off what little of a mind Monet had.

Fabian: "That's....comforting."

[Slarti]