"Get outta here if you don't know"

[takeitslow]

Who: Peter (takeitslow), Wanda (seeingscarlet), and You
When: 15th to early 18th in the medbay, late 18 to the 23rd in the hold
Where: Medbay and the Hold
What: Directly after this. Peter really screwed up and now he's hanging out in the medbay until he recovers. Later he hangs out in the hold. Wanda's around to feild all your questions about how stupid her twin is.
Warnings: Discussion of character death, violence, and severe injuries



[Comment under the toplevel for which sibling you want to talk to. If you want a specific starter, please just oocly contact.]

Comments

[takeitslow]

I'm never going to want you around. [Lying had played it's part in this mess in the first place, he might as well drag out the honesty while he can.] But despite what people seem to think, I'm not stupid. So talk. Tell me what you're going to do about him. And then why don't you tell me why you didn't do it before.

[The sass isn't helping his words, but he can't keep the bitterness out of his voice. He's pissed at Alan too and he can't help but show it. But he knows what kind of mess he's made and he knows that taking out the real threat has to be the priority.]


Do you actually understand? [He's not entirely sure what all Wanda has told about the situation. He's not sure anyone really knows he was doing it for his sister, his family. Why he had to do something.

He squints at Alan, frowning.] And why do you think I did it?

[alan_1]

[Alan waits for Peter to get all his questions out before attempting to answer any of them. He starts with the last one -- that, at least, has a simple answer, he thinks.]

You wanted to protect yourself. And others on the ship. If a few days in here is how the captains respond to attempted murder, then I can understand why you’d feel the need to take matters into your own hands. [Because the system in place doesn’t protect anyone -- it’s both a reason to lash out and a reason to not hold back.]

As for what happens now… [A hesitation. He knows it’s right, but it’s still not something he wants to admit to -- a necessary evil. But he has to. It’s the only option he has if he wants to prevent this from happening again.] After Rinzler’s released, I’ll take a look at his code to try and isolate what’s causing this… violence. Hopefully I’ll be able to rewrite that part of his programming. And none of this will be necessary again.

[He should have done it earlier. He could have stopped all of this before it had ever started if he hadn’t doubted himself. For that, he has no excuses.] I thought Rinzler would be able to change on his own. He isn’t supposed to-- He wasn’t always like this.

[He cuts himself off before he says more. With Peter, it’s even more imperative that he doesn’t connect the dots, that he doesn’t have reason to view both of the programs as a threat. And Peter has little enough reason to care about Rinzler’s past anyway.]

I thought my word as his User would be enough to override his programming. And I was wrong. [And now two people were dead because of it. Alan knows there's nothing he can say to absolve himself of that. And for all that Alan was horrified at Peter's methods, as sick as he'd felt watching him nearly smash Rinzler to pieces, Peter had been pushed to those actions. And Alan had done nothing to stop it.]

I’m sorry.

[takeitslow]

Sorry isn't going to make her any less scared and hurt when she comes back.

[The way he says it is sharp, meaner than he usually let's himself be. He doesn't see any reason to pull punches anymore. But it's not really Alan he's directing that toward. Not even the program he knows is eavesdropping next door.

He doesn't dwell on it, lets the pain pass over his face and returns to pacing the room. Small, slow steps. He counts them as a way to stay focused, to keep himself from exploding.]

You're wrong, you know. It wasn't about me. If it was, this would have never happened. I don't care about going after anyone to protect myself. I can always run away. It was when he threatened someone who couldn't, that I had to do something. The system here doesn't care about keeping people safe, so we have to do it ourselves. No matter the consequences.

[He doesn't care that he's in the cell, he won't apologize for why he tried to do it. Peter doesn't think Alan would really care his reasoning, but it felt important to remind him or anyone that would listen that it wasn't a purely selfish move. Her life means more than his, always had and always will.]

And for that reason, okay. I don't like you, I don't really give a shit about your apology, but okay. I need something done and if you can do it, okay.

[He stops pacing, stands in front of Alan again. He doesn't look happy; none of this made him happy. He didn't want to rely on a stranger for his sister's protection. But Peter had failed and he needed the problem to be solved.]

Are you sure it will work? You were wrong last time, you can't be wrong again. You know what he's capable of and I can't watch anyone else die.

[alan_1]

[Another stretch of silence as Alan listens. Peter’s words hurt, a reminder of just how much suffering Alan could have prevented, but that’s precisely why he needs to hear them. He needs to know exactly what the stakes are for what he’s going to attempt and he can’t let himself falter. If hearing of the grief he's caused is painful, then it’s all the more a reminder of why he can’t fail again.]

I’ll do everything I can to see that it does. [It’s as close to his word as he can offer. He’s spent years in the business of creating and altering security programs -- he can only hope that this will be little different.]

Until then, all I can ask is that you stay out of the way. [An obvious request, perhaps, but one Alan still feels necessary.] I don’t want to see anyone else hurt either.

[takeitslow]

I hope everything turns out to be enough.

[That much is sincere. He's tired of fighting, he's tired of being on the defensive. He'd like, more than anything, for this to be over. To be able to relax the rest of this trip and be secure in the knowledge his family is safe from any further threat. He can move on and start worrying about other matters, like making J forgive him once she returned or decide how to he can still wiggle out of classes now that he owe's Alice a huge debt. He can go back to being a teenager, instead of feeling like he has to be an echo of whatever Pietro his family knew before.]

As long as my people are safe, you don't have to worry about me doing anything. I don't want anyone hurt either.

[His idea of who his people are and what safe means, are best left unsaid. He can't make any promises until he's discussed everything with his sister and any of his family that might be looking for involvement. But it sounds like a good promise to be making.]