Magical Girl Jess

[Corwin]

[13:51] <Ui> <--->
[13:53] <Jessica> "Yeah, well.. baby steps, you know? I mean, let's clear the first hurdle, uh, first," replies Jessica, trying to stabilize in mid-air.
[13:54] <Jessie> "So, uh." She's not sure how to word this, because it's not the sort of conversation she was expecting to get herself into. "Are you sure everyone at home is gonna be...okay with the whole magic thing?"
[13:55] <Jessie> "Dad might have a heart attack, and Mom-" The image of her mother in a wheelchair crosses her mind again, and Jessie goes deathly silent.
[13:58] <Jessica> "The magic's one thing, but the twin thing..." replies Jessica, uncertainly. "It really is like a mirror...  uh, except for the hair. I dunno what they're gonna do. I could go on ahead an explain stuff a bit, so they're not too freaked when you show up. But you know it's not something words really prepare you for is it? I think Dad took it alright. Mom's.. having trouble."
[13:59] <Jessie> "...What happened? Did she bite off more than she could chew during a vacation or something?"
[14:00] <Jessica> Jessica bites her lip. "It wasn't her fault," she replies. "The gear was shoddy."
[14:02] <Jessie> "Ah." She can't think of anything to say. "...It wasn't like this back in my time. Everything was all sunshine and rainbows. Mom was happy, dad was successful, Patty was adorable, Matt was - well, kind of a jerk, but in that way that got me off my ass to do stuff."
[14:05] <Jessie> "I figured if I came back here I'd get all of that back, but..."
[14:06] <Jessica> "Yeah, look, some things are different and some things are the same," replies Jessica, uncertainly. "I dunno. I don't think you could be happy by throwing me away someplace and stealing my life. Even if you did it perfectly, you'd still know it's fake."
[14:08] <Jessie> "But...it'd be better, wouldn't it? Better than getting hauled off to New York and starting life from scratch just because I took one stupid shortcut and-" The words catch in her throat.
[14:11] <Jessica> Jessica tilts a bit in the air, unease clear on her face. "I guess we might just be different that way."
[14:12] <Jessica> "I mean, who knows?" she adds, quickly. "If the same thing had happened to me, I guess maybe I'd be doing the same thing..."
[14:18] <Jessie> "...I dunno. I guess it fucked me up pretty hard, but...can you blame me? They died, and it was all my fault. Like I said, I didn't go for the black cat thing because I wanted to look cute." Jessie looks to be getting more downbeat. She wants to tell the story desperately, but it feels inappropriate right now...
[14:20] <Jessica> "Well, it's not really, is it? I mean, let's say there's lots of other worlds. Infinite, even. I mean I dunno, maybe there's only two, but if there's lots, then everything that could ever happen to us happened somewhere, bad or good," replies Jessica. "So if you think about like that, it's not really your fault. Although that really does make it look like you're cursed, huh..." Activating her
[14:20] <Jessica> thrusters, she begins to lurch back towards their house.
[14:21] * Jessie follows, taking deep breaths. Are there words for how awkward this meeting is going to be...?
[14:25] <Ui> The flight back takes longer, no longer being a mad chase across the city's skyline. As the two Jessicas approach it, they can see the flashing lights of a police car parked outside the house.
[14:26] * Jessie begins to seriously wish she had a change of clothes. Besides the obvious fact the cops will be all over her, this is not the best outfit in which to greet her family.
[14:26] <Jessica> "Oh, wow. Can they see us from there?" asks Jessica, squinting at the ground.
[14:27] <Ui> Making out details would be somewhat difficult, though flying upon gigantic wings or with the help of glowing purple streams of butterflies is hardly stealthy.
[14:27] <Jessica> "This ain't gonna be easy. We might as well just, you know, dive straight in or something. You wanna hang back or what?"
[14:28] <Jessie> "I figure it's better you tell the cops not to fire on me, at least. Not that it'd work, just figure they shouldn't waste their ammo." Jessie seems livelier, at least.
[14:29] <Jessica> "Ok, sure. I'll go land in the backyard," decides Jessica, slowly jetting down to do just that. So much for subtlety, but there's no turning back now...
[14:30] * Jessie stays in the air, watching from below. At the very least, they're unlikely to try shooting at her if she's this high up.
[14:31] <Ui> Norman Fields and a woman -- Jessica is certain she's seen her before, somewhere -- are waiting in the backyard by the house as Jessica touches down.
[14:32] <Jessica> Jessica squints at the woman- if she's not a cop, who is she? "Hey, dad, new developments," she remarks, though her gaze is drawn towards the outsider.
[14:34] <Ui> With that thought, the memory is shaken loose. She's seen her in the hospital, briefly, with her father. "New developments?" Norman repeats, otherwise seeming composed to see his teenage daughter come flying down before him.
[14:36] <Jessica> "Yep. Um..." she replies, continuing to glance at the other cop. "Should I..."
[14:38] <Ui> "You can trust the Lieutenant," Norman states firmly. The officer looks up into the distance, back where Jessica can still see Jessie float, and cocks an eyebrow.
[14:40] <Jessica> "Uhuh. Well, um, negotiations, successful? We had a heart-to-heart and I don't think she wants to, you know, mess with me anymore," replies Jessica, tentatively.
[14:42] <Ui> "She surrendered?" her father asks.
[14:43] <Jessica> "Nooooot exactly. She's not gonna give herself up or anything, I think." Jessica rubs her head. "I think she just wants to talk. Catch up. Stuff like that."
[14:46] <Ui> "Catch up?" Norman starts to say, when the officer shrugs. "Sure. Why not? Is she waiting for an invitation?"
[14:47] <Jessica> "Well... sort of? I came down first to tell y'all." Jessica's thrusters dissipate, and she fidgets. "It's... probably a lot to ask bygones to be bygones, but..."
[14:49] <Ui> Norman has an incredulous look on his face, but he doesn't speak.
[14:51] <Jessica> "And she's also pretty pumped about getting back at the people who set her up for all this, I think," adds Jessica. "Some kind of cosmic wizard?"
[14:52] <Ui> "A wizard did it?" the officer asks.
[14:52] <Jessica> "Makes sense to me..."
[14:54] <Ui> "As much as anything," she agrees. "Let's get inside before we draw a crowd, Norman?"
[14:54] <Ui> He blinks, and then nods, gesturing for Jessica to head inside.
[14:54] * Jessie fidgets, nervous. Anyone watching can see her wings flapping much faster now, but in smaller arcs.
[14:54] <Jessica> "Should I call her down?" asks Jessica, eyeing the sky.
[14:56] <Ui> "That would be for the best," Norman says, following Jessica's gaze.
[14:56] <Jessica> Jessica waves towards the sky with a radiant palm!
[14:58] <Jessie> That would be her cue then. Jessie swoops down, figuring there's no point in a slow approach, and lands alongside her counterpart. The wings dissolve as she touches the ground. "Uh...hi, Dad?"
[14:59] <Ui> "Jessica?"
[15:01] * Jessie feels something tremble in her heart. He's older, and looks rather disturbed by her appearance...but it's her father, without a doubt, and he's calling her by name. Before she knows quite what she's doing, she's already wrapped her arms around him...
[15:04] <Ui> Norman just stands there, not making any motions to return the hug or pull away.
[15:05] <Jessica> Jessica stands awkardly to one side, finding just about everywhere else being very interesting.
[15:06] <Jessie> "Ah. Uh...sorry. Getting a little carried away here..." Jessie realises the awkwardness of the situation only a few seconds later, pulling back. She's visibly blushing.
[15:06] <Jessica> "Yeah, uh, let's go inside and have some juice!"
[15:09] <Ui> "We're coming in, Susan!" Norman calls over, raising his voice slightly, and leads the way inside. As the quartet make their way into the living room, they see Susan seated on the couch, her wheelchair placed next to her. Patty is seated very closely to her mother, and as Jessica enters, she gives her a hostile look. At Jessie's cat-themed appearance, she points and exclaims, "You!"
[15:12] * Jessie doesn't know exactly how to respond to Patty, so simply offers her a friendly wave. "Hey. Sorry about the whole kidnapping thing - apparently I underestimated just how much of a bitch the woman I was working with could be. And...yeah, this is awkward."
[15:12] <Jessica> "Patty! It's okay. I think it's okay," blurts out Jessica, leading into the room and standing in front of one of the armchairs.
[15:14] <Ui> "I'm sorry about the kidnapping?!" Patty exclaims incredulously, leaping to her feet.
[15:16] <Jessie> "Yeah, if I hadn't hauled you over to that damn station myself the bunny would have just kept you as a hostage so I could get rid of her." Jessie points to Jessica; she figures that she may as well be honest about her old intentions since no-one in the rooms trusts her anyway.
[15:17] <Ui> Patty sputters. "So you were just an innocent pawn, is that it? Am I supposed to thank you?!"
[15:17] <Jessie> "But...yeah. It's not working, it was a dumb idea, and in the end I think I love myself too damn much to do it." Humour! That's sure to help ease the mood with cops and distrusting family members.
[15:18] <Jessie> "...No, Patty. Look, I'm sorry. You weren't meant to get caught up in this. No-one was. It was all meant to be between me and her, but then things got complicated real fast."
[15:19] <Ui> Susan looks between the two Jessicas, biting on her lip. "Patty--"
[15:19] <Ui> "This is bullshit!" Patty exclaims, cutting her off. "It's all okay because she only wanted to kill Jessica? Matt and I were just in the way, so no hard feelings?!"
[15:20] <Jessie> "That's not it at all! I love you two! No way in hell was I going to let you get hurt so I could get what I wanted...Matt was an accident, okay?! I didn't think it through, and..."
[15:22] <Jessica> "Yeah, look, uh. GOD." Jessica drops her hands into her head, and sits down on the couch. "It's not okay! That part and the kidnapping and Matt and Andy isn't okay! So, how do we make it okay? Because..." Jessica looks a bit flustered for a moment, then rallys herself. "Because she's here and she's can't go back and we're both unpunishable now and there's nothing to do about that. Right?"
[15:25] <Ui> "I can't forgive any of that. I guess I'm not that saintly," Patty says with a sneer.
[15:25] <Ui> "You are unpunishable?" the officer asks Jessica suddenly. "What do you mean by that?"
[15:25] <Jessie> "I think she means it more like you physically can't punish us. We'd break outta prison and stuff like that."
[15:26] <Jessica> "Well... it's the magic thing," replies Jessica, oddly. "Like, I dunno. Let's say I stole something. I could *let* you take me to prison, but- yeah, that... It's not like I plan to do anything bad, you know," she adds, frowning. "And I don't know what else to do because of it, Patty! She's me! She's really me! I can't help but think, you know, nature versus nurture..."
[15:27] <Ui> "We should all sit down," Norman declares, "and talk about it rationally."
[15:27] <Ui> Patty laughs in a hollow, hysterical manner.
[15:28] <Jessica> "Look, uh, let's start from the beginning, here," continues Jessica, nodding. "So... tell us what happened."
[15:29] <Jessie> "What, me? It's, uh...I dunno if Patty or anyone would wanna hear it. It's...not very happy."
[15:30] <Jessica> "Well, you gotta!" replies Jessica. "What else are we gonna do? What are *you* gonna do?"
[15:31] * Jessie sighs. "Fine. But you're probably gonna regret it."
[15:32] <Jessie> "This is probably gonna be obvious to everyone here by now, but I'm kinda not from this world. Another timeline or something like that. I'm guessing that it's like chaos theory - one little change and things are way different."
[15:34] <Jessie> "For me, that change was deciding to take a shortcut heading back late from a sleepover at Jay's. I saw...something I wasn't meant to see. A man with a knife, and another guy on the floor lying very very still."
[15:36] <Jessie> "I ran like hell and told the story to dad the moment I could. I gave him the info he needed, and he tracked the crime to some big group called the Vermillo family. He did what he could to keep me out of the picture and hide the fact I was a witness, but I managed to drop my goddamn phone at the scene. And Mr. Vermillo wasn't too happy at the news his son was about to do time thanks to some little
[15:36] <Jessie> girl seeing something she wasn't meant to."
[15:38] <Jessie> "...I don't remember a lot of what happened next. I think I blocked a lot of it out for my own good. I remember the chair, the ropes, the thug laughing in my ear as he held a gun to my head. I remember the looks on your faces - Mom, Dad and Matt all acting brave, but Patty was bawling all over the place. Gunshots. Four of them. Then they left, and I was alone."
[15:40] <Jessie> "They moved me out, transferred me to New York under the witness protection program. I got stuck with some woman who insisted I start calling her my mom even though she wasn't. It was hard, starting again, but I made a little progress - there was one girl, Violet, who I almost got on with. It looked nearly as if I might be able to salvage something from the shitty hand life dealt me."
[15:41] <Jessie> Jessie pauses. "Then she got hit by a car when we were crossing the street together. Well, we both got hit, but I just got a few scrapes and bruises. She...she didn't make it."
[15:42] <Jessie> "That was when I figured it out. I was cursed. Someone out there had it in for me and decided that every chance they could get my life would suck a little harder. It was unfair, I thought, and I started looking into how this sort of screwed-up world could've come about."
[15:44] <Jessie> "I read about parallel dimensions, and as it turned out there was a renowned expert on the theory visiting New York the week I started reading. A Dr. Smith. I looked him up, talked with him, and somehow it went from simple philosophical banter to actual theory on dimension crossing. Apparently he wasn't just a philosopher, he was some kinda time space wizard or something."
[15:45] <Jessie> "He unlocked this...whatever it is I can do, and apparently because technically we're all the same Jessica it unlocked all your crap as well. He sent me through here to get my payback, but now I don't even have a way to get back to my world, so...I'm stuck here. The rest...I'm guessing you all know the rest by now."
[15:45] * Jessie finishes, looking exhausted just from speaking.
[15:47] <Ui> The police officer is writing it all down, glancing at Jessie intermittently. Patty, still sullen has retaken her seat by Susan, and looks away with a huff when her eyes accidentally meet with Jessica's. Norman and Susan remain quiet, though the latter has her arm around Patty comfortingly.
[15:48] * Jessie looks to Jessica. "That good enough for you?"
[15:49] <Jessica> "Huh? Oh..." Jessica shifts in her chair. "I guess... wait, wait, wait. Where's the playboy bunny come into it?"
[15:49] <Jessie> "Yeah, in this dimension there's another Smith, except this one's a literal magician. The bunny girl's his assistant."
[15:50] <Jessica> "They're not the same person, right?"
[15:50] <Jessie> "I dunno. I don't think so? He's the guy who I was basically working with here...he promised to help get rid of the curse if I got him your most prized possession, but he certainly didn't seem to mind the more violent part of my plan. Hell, Barbie revelled in it."
[15:51] <Jessica> "But why do they wanna help you? Anyone looking at what you're doing would think it's kinda wrong."
[15:52] <Jessie> "I have no idea. I asked them as much, and they said they were just doing it outta pity."
[15:53] <Jessica> "Oh, oh sure, pity. If they *pitied* people they wouldn't *kidnap* them!" snaps Jessica.
[15:53] <Jessie> "They didn't even seem to mind the fact cops came to question them about this crap a whole buncha times. Barbie said they were 'just cops', so...yeah, they're not very nice people."
[15:56] <Jessie> "Oh, and just to clear this thing up before it gets outta hand. Dad, you're gonna probably find a report about a crazy girl in a cat suit assaulting some textile worker. Misunderstanding, used to be a Vermillo headquarters, wanted to get some payback, forgot that the alternate dimension thing wasn't quite that simple."
[15:57] <Ui> "Was there a Smith questioned, Lisa?" Norman asks.
[15:57] <Ui> "Strangely enough, just the one," she responds. "You'd think more, with a name like that. A John Smith, self-styled magician. "No assistant or anyone else with him, as far as we could tell."
[15:58] <Ui> "Was there anyone else you assaulted, just as some great misunderstanding?" Patty acidly asks.
[15:58] <Jessie> "Yeah, she can turn into a rabbit. Freaked me out the first time, but yeah."
[15:59] <Jessie> "Well, let's see...I had to beat up a bunch of thugs in the back alleys so I could get money to eat...I tried to punch her in the face once," she points to Jessie, "But that turned out pretty badly...think that's about it." Brutal honesty seems the way to go here.
[16:01] <Jessica> Jessica remains still on the couch, cupping her lip with her palm without concentrating too hard on the conversation in front of her.
[16:02] <Jessie> "You okay back there?" Jessie looks back.
[16:03] <Jessica> "Look, no! I'm just... trying to think, okay? And I'm thinking pretty disturbing things here."
[16:03] <Jessie> "...This must be rough for you, huh. Sorry, but you did insist on me telling the story."
[16:04] <Jessica> "Uh, I think I got out of this the easiest, you know. You don't have enough apologies in you for Matt and Patty, so save it for them."
[16:05] <Jessie> "Good idea. ...So what now?"
[16:06] <Ui> "Are you going to arrest her?" Patty asks, pointing at Jessie. Lisa and Norman exchange uneasy looks, and Patty repeats, "Well, are you?"
[16:07] <Jessica> "You're asking the wrong person," mumbles Jessica. "It's 'are you going to let them arrest you?'"
[16:07] <Ui> Patty shrugs off Susan's embrace and stalks towards the stairs. "Whatever."
[16:10] <Jessica> "I... I just don't know. I didn't think this far..."
[16:11] * Jessie sighs. "I get the feeling I'm not gonna be popular in prison. I figure if people hear about the super-powered teenager that just got admitted to Cell Block D, they'll be nagging me for an escape every single day."
[16:12] <Jessie> She looks to Norman. "Well, you're the prosecutor. You gonna press for charges? You're my dad, after all, and I respect your opinion."
[16:12] <Jessica> "You'd just take it?!"
[16:14] <Ui> "I would think joking's the last thing you'd want to be doing in your situation," the officer comments with a sideways glance at Jessie. She frowns. "Norman, we could downplay some aspect of this, but you know the media. They've already gotten the sketch--"
[16:14] <Ui> He nods, grimacing himself. "We can't put a lid on that."
[16:15] <Ui> "You can't just arrest your daughter!" Susan speaks up for the first time, and Norman clenches his fist. "I know that! I'm trying to find a way around it. Somehow."
[16:17] <Jessica> "Uh, it'll sort of change the world if this gets out? Paralell dimensions? Superpowers?" Jessica rubs her head. "And y'know, if you just run away, it's not like anyone can catch you, either," she adds, with a sidelong glance at Jessie. "Except me, maybe. And I won't if you're good."
[16:17] <Jessie> "...How about community service? I figure even if there's no Vermillo family, there's gotta be some gang activity around here. I could help you guys out with that and make up the debt by bringing bad guys to justice. Y'know, like Batman."
[16:18] <Jessie> "We just play up the mysterious vigilante angle and keep the 'actually the alternate form of another girl' part under wraps."
[16:18] <Ui> "Alright, that's enough with the jokes," the officer says tiredly.
[16:20] <Ui> "Community service could actually work, if we downplay the more disturbing parts," Norman muses out loud. "The problem would be with, yes, with the powers. Neither of you would have a normal life after that," he tells both Jessicas.
[16:21] <Jessica> "Hey, I don't mind. Always wanted to be famous. As long as nobody tries to, like, strap me to a table or stick needles in me, I'm.. yeah, I'd actually be okay with that. It's more... jeez, I don't know. Patty, Matt. Katie. John. Everyone at that party. There's no way to hide you're responsible if this goes public. And I mean... I wouldn't blame them for being mad..."
[16:24] * Jessie shrugs. "I gave up on the idea of being normal just about the time I gave up on kidnapping her. I'm a freak, I know that, but damn if it isn't fun." She turns to Jessica. "I was lost and confused and you helped turn me back to the path of justice, or something clichéed like that. I'll win 'em back, eventually. Might take a while, and more written apologies than I could fit in a letterbox,
[16:24] * Jessie but they'll understand. And if they don't, not much else I can do, is there?"
[16:25] <Jessica> "Yeah, look, just, um, don't hurt anyone ever again and things will probably be okay. Eventually." Jessica rubs her head. "Was your hair always black?"
[16:26] <Jessie> "Ah, that. Nah, just dye."
[16:26] <Jessica> "So... when it comes out, you'll really look just like me?"
[16:28] <Jessie> "Good point. Should I get something a little longer-lasting?"
[16:28] <Jessica> "I dunno. You could just let it go."
[16:30] <Jessie> "You okay with that?"
[16:31] <Jessica> "I mean..." Jessica sighs. "The way I see it, I could easily be the one in your shoes. If it's just some chaos theory crap, then the only difference is a bit of chance. Otherwise we'd really be the same." She draws her knuckle to her forehead. "I dunno if I'm okay with it. Just, it's sort of fair. I figure, if you're telling the truth and that stuff happened, maybe..."
[16:32] <Ui> There is a ringing of a cellphone, and Lisa answers hers. "Marks. Yes." She looks around, her voice growing edgier as she asks, "Which channel?"
[16:32] <Ui> "Is anything wrong?" Norman asks her.
[16:32] <Ui> "Tune in to the local news," Lisa tells him, which has him search for the remote without an argument.
[16:32] <Jessica> "And it's funny, you know? Don't get me wrong. If it wasn't for the way all this magic crap worked, I probably wouldn't have cared if you got locked up forever for what you pulled," she adds, with a deep scowl. "But this is the way things are, and I guess we just have to live with each other..."
[16:34] <Jessie> "Here I was thinking we could put this aside and be friends or something. Guess I can't have my cake and eat it."
[16:36] <Jessica> "It's not fair for me to just forgive you."
[16:37] <Jessie> "They call that self-hatred, y'know. It's not a good thing."
[16:37] <Ui> The TV finally turns on, and Norman switches the channel.
[16:37] <Ui> "--right, Jess? Darling, I'm getting bored here, all on my own, just me and my lovely hostages. We absolutely can't have that, can we?" There is a woman dressed as a harlequin with a domino mask covering her face on the TV screen. Jessie recognizes her as Barbie instantly. "I guess I'll keep on talking to myself," she continues in a bored tone of voice. She's armed with a gun; the setting is a studio. The announcers are tied to their chairs with what seems to be colorful jumping rope. "But I might get really bored and spice it up~"
[16:38] <Jessica> "Fuck!"
[16:41] <Jessie> "Oh, godDAMMIT." Jessie rubs at her temples.
[16:42] <Jessie> "...Does that station have a phone-in?"
[16:44] <Ui> <--->

[Corwin]

[13:37] <Ui> <--->
[13:38] <Ui> Barbie caresses the nearest announcer intimately with her handgun, smiling for the camera.
[13:39] <Jessica> "She's gonna kill them!" blurts out Jessica. "What do we do?!"
[13:39] <Jessie> "I said, do they have a phone-in?!" Jessie makes no attempt to hide her panic.
[13:44] <Ui> "What you're all going to do is sit tight," Lisa tells the girls. "Our best negotiator is on the case, and she's going to call that nutcase. Norman, I need to--"
[13:44] <Ui> "Yes, go," he agrees, interrupting her. "We'll be fine."
[13:45] <Ui> She nods, and heads swiftly towards the door.
[13:45] <Jessie> "Good luck with that. You're gonna need it - that chick is a first-class maniac!"
[13:46] <Jessica> "Is that really something you can negotiate with?" asks Jessica, blinking. "Hey, wait. I could totally take her. She's only got a gun!" Her eyes drift towards the other Jessica. "Or you could, you know, tell her to quit it."
[13:46] <Jessie> "And- hey, wait! What about us? We'd be a better asset than a whole damn SWAT team?"
[13:46] <Jessie> "That's what I was trying to do, if I could find a way to get in contact with her!"
[13:47] <Ui> "And give her what she wants?" Lisa asks, pausing by the entrance. She shakes her head. "Bad idea."
[13:48] <Jessie> "I know my word doesn't mean a whole lot now, but I have no idea what the hell she'd doing. She did this with Patty too, but this is...holy shit, I knew she was crazy, but not THIS crazy..."
[13:48] <Jessie> *she's
[13:49] <Jessica> "You'd have to be pretty crazy to help you. And that's why it'll work, I mean, if you tell her you're done with this, she's got no more reason to be taking hostages, right?"
[13:50] <Jessie> "Exactly!"
[13:50] <Jessie> "Only problem is how I talk to her without getting people shot or pissing off Dad..."
[13:50] <Jessica> "Just, like, it won't work over the phone. She'll think you're me."
[13:51] <Jessie> "You've got a point there..."
[13:52] <Jessie> Jessie sighs. "The way it's going, I might have to take you in there as a hostage to get her guard down."
[13:53] <Jessie> "A shitty plan, I know, but unless you know any other ways to convince a crazed rabbit to stand down it's all I can think of."
[13:53] <Jessica> "That's a negative, captain. Not only are you a terrible liar, but I ain't consenting to that." Jessica rubs her nose. "I don't get it. Why's she gonna keep doing stupid stuff if you tell her you're quits?"
[13:53] <Ui> "There's no way we're bringing kids to the scene like that, so we'll just have to take our chances," Lisa tells Jessica. She points sternly at Jessie. "And you, knock off that kind of talk." She leaves.
[13:55] <Jessica> "What can she even do? Can she do magic?" asks Jessica, staring balefully at the rabbit-woman on screen.
[13:55] <Jessie> "Yes, ma'am." Jessie sits down again, looking remorseful. "Sorry, I just don't think she's the kind of girl you can talk down from this. I mean I'll try if you want me to.."
[13:56] <Jessie> "I've got no idea. I haven't seen her do anything dangerous, at least. Unless you qualify 'turning into a rabbit' as being threatening."
[13:56] <Ui> The woman has moved off to another of the announcers. She's whispering something to him that the camera does not pick up on; the hostage is crying.
[13:57] <Jessie> "But...well, she DOES have a gun. And unlike us, I get the feeling those newscasters aren't bulletproof."
[13:57] <Ui> "You think this woman is doing all that to help you?" Norman asks Jessie.
[13:58] <Jessie> "I don't even know anymore. I think...if anything, I'm an excuse for her to do whatever sadistic stuff she wants."
[13:59] <Jessica> "She's totally not your friend," adds Jessica. "But I bet she wants you to think she is. Because, you know. Superpowers."
[14:00] <Jessie> "She did feed me and clothe me and give me a roof over my head. In my defense, she made a pretty good case."
[14:02] <Jessica> "You ain't the one who needs defending," mutters Jessica. "I can't stand this, dad. I know how this movie goes! The negotiators screw it up, she shoots someone, and then we fly over there anyway and kick her ass. Why not just skip the interim?" She slumps back in her chair. "It'll be the only way to figure out what she really wants, too."
[14:03] <Jessie> Jessie raises a hand. "I second this motion. I need to get back at the bitch for taking Patty, anyway."
[14:03] <Ui> "Can you really stop a bullet?" Susan suddenly asks. Norman starts, opening his mouth, but she repeats, "Can you do it?"
[14:05] <Jessica> "I don't have to."
[14:05] <Jessie> "I don't have to."
[14:05] <Jessie> "...OK, that was kinda creepy."
[14:05] <Ui> "What if she shoots someone, not before you get there, but while you're at the studio?" Susan asks. "Can you just stand there and watch?"
[14:07] <Jessie> "Pretty sure I can deal with that. I mean, if I can overload a speaker from the other side of a garden, what trouble am I gonna have stopping one measly bullet?"
[14:08] <Jessica> "She won't get a chance," replies Jessica, confidently. "There's two of us, so while she's telling me to surrender or whatever, she can go restrain her or whatever."
[14:11] <Ui> "And that's exactly why we leave this to the police," Norman insists, telling Susan, "They're not even considering that she might have help."
[14:12] <Jessie> "Help? Like who? Unless Smith's managed to find a way to multiply, there's gonna be two people at the most."
[14:12] <Jessie> "Unless you're trying to say he's got an entire army of bunnygirls out committing crimes right now?"
[14:12] <Jessica> "No, what if they made friends with other crazy sliders? Maybe you're not the first to do this sort of thing!"
[14:13] <Ui> "Did you ever see that woman with a gun before, during your time with them?"
[14:13] <Jessie> "You mean, did I ever see her holding a gun? No, not really."
[14:13] <Ui> "And yet, she has one."
[14:13] <Jessie> "It's America. Big whoop."
[14:14] <Ui> "Where did we go wrong?" Norman mutters. Susan shrugs helplessly.
[14:15] <Jessica> "Well, you know what? I'm gonna go hang around near the studio anyway."
[14:16] <Jessie> "I was waiting for you to say that. I mean, we can head any time we damn well like, but I didn't wanna be the only one Dad got angry at."
[14:17] <Ui> "You can't go!" Susan exclaims. "You're grounded. Both of you!"
[14:17] <Jessica> "I wasn't gonna go busting in," replies Jessica, shaking her head. "I mean hey this isn't actually a movie, so maybe they can talk her down. But I don't wanna be stuck way back here if, I dunno, she actually shoots someone."
[14:20] <Jessica> "I can't just sit here!" yells Jessica. "I don't want someone to get shot 'cos I was a wimp!"
[14:20] <Jessie> "Either way, better there than here." Jessie looks to her parents(?).
[14:20] <Jessie> "Sorry 'bout this, but unless you find a way to chain those wings down I don't feel like being grounded tonight."
[14:21] <Jessie> "Now, mind telling us where this TV studio is? We won't interfere, we'll just watch for now."
[14:22] <Jessica> "I'll go google it, be right back," replies Jessica, standing up and heading towards the family computer.
[14:23] <Jessie> "Man, I have no clue how Batman found all that stuff about Gotham without the internet."
[14:24] <Ui> "How can they joke about this?" Susan asks quietly, looking piteous. Norman sinks heavily on the sofa next to her.
[14:25] <Jessica> "Don't mix me with her! I ain't joking around!"
[14:27] <Jessie> "But technically we're the same person, so you're only half innocent at best."
[14:28] <Jessica> Jessica pauses. "I just wanna be sure, but you haven't, you know, uh, come over here a sec."
[14:31] <Jessie> "Uh..." Jessie heads closer to her counterpart.
[14:32] <Jessica> "You haven't, like, done it with anyone, right?" whispers Jessica, glancing furtively at her parents.
[14:32] * Jessie turns bright red. "O-Of course not! What, you think just because I'm in this getup I'm-!?"
[14:33] * Jessie suddenly clasps a hand over her mouth, realising she was meant to be quiet.
[14:34] <Jessica> "Maybe you should, like... get a coat. My room's in the same place," mumbles Jessica, returning her eyes to the screen.
[14:34] <Ui> The address is prominent on the station's website, and it doesn't take long to overlay it with the street map. The studio and broadcasting tower happen to be in the same building, separated only by a few floors; it shouldn't take long to fly over there, and that is what Jessica and Jessie do, leaving their distraught parents behind.
[14:34] <Ui> The police have cordoned the area. Their command van is easy to spot, and the dark shapes of officers move about the building. There are sporadic lights throughout the building, but the last five floors are fully lit.
[14:36] <Jessie> "Goddamn, I'm melting in this." Jessie has hastily thrown a simple blue coat over herself to avoid attracting unnecessary masculine attention. The ears she was wearing before are now resting comfortably on Jessica's floor, but that's a problem to deal with later.
[14:37] <Jessica> "That's SF weather for you. You should be used to it!"
[14:38] <Jessie> "Eight years in New York makes you forget a little. ...Any idea how well they're doing down there?"
[14:38] <Jessica> Jessica touches down on a building across from the broadcasting tower, and squints towards the windows really hard. "I never been to the Big Apple, how should I know?"
[14:40] <Ui> Most of the offices seem empty. Jessica thinks she spots movement in one, however, a door closing just as she looks towards the room.
[14:44] <Jessie> "Anything?"
[14:45] * Jessie quickly regrets shouting out and jumps along to follow her.
[14:46] <Jessica> "I can't see the studio from here," reports Jessica, scanning up and down. "They don't have windows though so it's probably in the middle of the building. Let's circle around so we get a view on each side. You go that way, I'll go that way, and we'll meet on the opposite side somewhere."
[14:49] <Jessie> "Deal." Jessie starts jumping across the rooftops to the right, circling the building and inspecting it as she moves along.
[14:49] * Jessica takes the opposite direction!
[14:52] <Ui> The search seems fruitless at first. Upon making it across, however, Jessie chances upon an office with an open door, spoting helmeted men crowding past it. She counts maybe three or four of them. Jessica, completing her circling of the building, sees Jessie hold off just short of their meeting spot.
[14:54] <Jessica> Naturally, Jessica jets towards Jessie to take a look from the same direction!
[14:54] * Jessie motions over to her doppelganger, pointing at the open office. "Damn, looks like the cops are serious about this one."
[14:54] <Jessica> "Who would have thought?"
[14:55] <Jessie> "Think they'd notice if we followed behind? Safe distance, obviously."
[14:55] <Jessica> "Uh yes? It's inside!"
[14:56] <Jessica> Jessica shakes her head. "I just got a real bad feeling about this," she mutters. "Lemme try and listen..."
[15:00] <Ui> Jessica finds her ears assaulted from all directions for a second, but then the noise just seems to go away as swiftly as it came, taking all but the most lingering pain away with it. "--breach?" "Negative, do not breach." "Roger."
[15:03] <Jessie> "So, they in yet?"
[15:06] <Jessica> "They've stopped," replies Jessica, cupping one ear to get a better listen. "The negotiator's probably trying to get her off-guard, or with her gun pointed away from the hostages or something..."
[15:07] <Jessie> "That's a good thing, right?"
[15:07] <Ui> Switching between a focused perception of events a building away and carrying a conversation with her twin right nearby is taxing, not to mention disorienting. A mild headache sets in. Jessica can't hear much of anything within the building where the studio is located beyond shuffling and other muffled sounds indicating that the SWAT team is still there.
[15:09] <Jessica> "Well it goes in two ways. Either she gives up and comes out, or they breach," replies Jessica. "Shh. I need to concentrate!" she adds, refocusing. "Listen to the cop van or something. I wish we had a TV..."
[15:11] <Jessie> "Right." Jessie starts making her way across the rooftops again, stopping above the police van, and tries to listen out for info in the same way her counterpart is.
[16:28] <Ui> <--->

[Corwin]

[15:17] <Ui> <--->
[15:21] <Ui> It's not the first time Jessie had tried to listen in to things no normal human would be able to. As her senses penetrate the command van, however, she realizes that it is the first time she had tried to listen in on something so chaotic.
[15:21] <Ui> "--her demands?"
[15:21] <Ui> "Ridiculous."
[15:21] <Ui> "Say again, Margolsky?"
[15:21] <Ui> "--hostiles?"
[15:21] <Ui> "--can't use that."
[15:21] <Ui> It is as if she is listening to several ongoing conversations at once, all related in some way to one another, and she had just joined them midway.
[15:22] * Jessie winces, but tries to focus on the conversation regarding Barbie's demands.
[15:24] <Ui> "Still the same."
[15:24] <Ui> "What the hell does she want with a teenage girl?"
[15:24] <Ui> A snort. "Pressure on her old man, maybe?"
[15:24] <Ui> "Better than the alternative."
[15:27] * Jessie sighs. She was afraid of that. She switches to the 'can't use that' discussion...
[15:29] <Ui> It takes Jessie a few moments to zero in on the voice.
[15:29] <Ui> "It's confirmed?"
[15:29] <Ui> "Affirmative. Orders?"
[15:29] <Ui> "Hold. Don't lose the target."
[15:30] * Jessie frowns. What's confirmed? Is the target fleeing?
[15:31] <Ui> "Roger. Target is holding."
[15:32] <Jessie> Well, that helps. Now onto the discussion about hostiles to see if Barbie brought any friends...
[15:32] <Ui> Jessie can't hear anything on the topic.
[15:34] <Jessie> She mutters. She probably missed it. She checks for any last useful tidbits in the continuing conversations before heading back to Jessica.
[15:42] <Ui> Nothing immediately catches her attention. As Jessie makes her way back, however, she finds the rooftop deserted.
[15:44] <Jessie> "Oh, for crying out loud. She didn't..." Barbie has shown amazing prowess in The Art of Kidnapping People While Jessie Isn't Looking, and thus she doesn't put it past  her to have already taken Jessica. She looks into the building again to see if the police have made any movements...
[15:46] <Ui> Two SWAT members are looking back at her from within the building, Jessie discovers. Their weapons are trained on her.
[15:47] * Jessie puts her hands up!
[15:49] <Jessie> "Don't bother firing! Save your ammo for the bad guys, okay?!"
[15:54] <Ui> She can see the cops widen their eyes, and then warm arms wrap around her in a hug frm behind. "Oh, Jessie!" Barbie exclaims, sounding touched. "You came for me!"
[15:55] * Jessie goes rigid and starts trying to push Barbie away. "What the hell are you doing here, Barbie?! I thought we agreed that no-one else was getting hurt!"
[15:58] <Ui> Barbie's grip is like a vice; Jessie can't break free. "And who got hurt?" she asks innocently.
[16:00] * Jessie grits her teeth. "Look, I'm calling the whole thing off. I don't mean to be a spoilsport when you're having so much fun, but I wasn't expecting to be interrupting anything when I said we managed to come to an agreement.
[16:02] <Ui> "Oh yes," Barbie sweetly agrees. "I know all about how you betrayed me. There's no need to say anything."
[16:03] <Jessie> "So what!? Last I checked you were doing all this crap out of pity for me, so surely if I don't give a damn anymore neither should you!"
[16:07] <Ui> "Oh, I care. I care. Here I am, helping you at the goodness of my heart. And there you are, seduced by your creepy twin, and suddenly, I'm yesterday's news? You're giving me up just like that?" Her face grows angry. "I fed you, I clothed you, I gave you shelter! I helped! And you repay me by calling me names and offering to beat me up? To team against me? That's your gratitude, Jessie?" Her grip tightens, applying pressure on Jessie's throat.
[16:09] * Jessie starts applying her magic to try and break free...! "Yeah, that's my gratitude for you kidnapping my sister and trying to use her as a goddamn hostage!"
[16:10] <Ui> "You attacked her first!" The grip on her throat tightens, causing Jessie to see spots, but then she breaks free! She stumbles away, and her sight clears just in time for her to see Barbie leveling her gun at her!
[16:14] <Jessie> "Here's the million-dollar question. What did you do to Jessica?"
[16:14] <Ui> The gun discharges!
[16:14] * Jessie is unfazed by the sight of a gun pointed in her direction, preparing a magical barrier-
[16:17] <Ui> The barrier causes Barbie's bullet to bounce right off into the sky, trailing purple rainbow sparks! The same repeats with three more bullets.
[16:18] <Jessie> "Yeah, threaten the witch with measly human bullets. Real smart. Now where is she?"
[16:19] <Ui> Barbie disappears. One instant, she was running behind a chimney too small to hide her, and the other, Jessie is alone on the rooftop.
[16:21] <Ui> "Hey, Jessica!" Jessie can hear herself shout from somewhere below, down on the ground.
[16:24] * Jessie takes a quick look to see if there's a rabbit behind the chimney, then looks over the edge of the roof to check on...herself.
[16:24] <Ui> Nothing behind the chimney, no one below. She thinks the shout came from farther away, however.
[16:26] * Jessie tries to follow the sound, sticking to the rooftops for now...
[16:27] <Ui> Right by the police van, she can see Jessica and another woman; Jessica is waving.
[16:40] <Ui> <--->

[Corwin]

[15:24] <Ui> <--->
[15:27] <Ui> "Be advised," Jessica hears. The voice is tinny, as if emanating from an earpiece. "Movement spotted on neighboring building."
[15:27] <Ui> "Can you confirm?" she hears one of the SWAT team ask quietly.
[15:27] <Ui> "Affirmative. Margolsky has a clear shot."
[15:33] <Jessica> "Oh, crap!" mouths Jessica, finding herself almost reflexively backing away from the edge, and encasing herself within a transparent protective sheath. Not quite what she had in mind, and her next thought is to get down the opposite side of the building.
[15:35] <Ui> Even to her eyes, the butterflies are transparent as they envelop Jessica.
[15:37] <Ui> Looking over the edge of the building, Jessica doesn't see anyone in the immediate area or below. Examining every window in detail would consume a great deal of her time, however.
[15:40] <Jessica> Jessica closes her eyes a moment, and then jumps off the side of the building! Her sheath evaporates, soon to be replaced by a pair of translucent butterfly wings that should slow her descent.
[15:43] <Ui> Jessica floats down, the wings on her back giving off a pleasant glow she is certain only she can see. They dissipate as she touches down.
[15:44] <Jessica> The protective shell comes back a moment later. In situations like this, Jessica recalls, the police would cordon off an area to the public; at a glance, she tries to tell if she's within it or without it.
[15:45] <Ui> The shell reforms, making a suit of armor around her. Jessica can recall that the cordon she saw while on her way there is still a ways off; she's firmly within it.
[15:48] <Jessica> "Ok..." thinks Jess, deciding to opt for as direct an approach as it gets, and deciding to head towards the police HQ van.
[15:50] <Ui> Jessica rounds the building, heading towards her destination with a very clear picture of it in her mind. Upon approach, she sees an officer who is quite surprised to encounter her. She also hears herself yell "Don't bother firing! Save your ammo for the bad guys, okay?!" faintly in the distance.
[15:52] <Jessica> "Hi," says Jessica, before glancing up at the building. "Uh, what she said. Look, I'm the one that crazy woman wants," she adds. "I gotta talk to who's running the show here, there's stuff they've got to know."
[15:57] <Ui> "You're coming with me," the officer says, finally getting over his startlement. Jessica can't see anything from here, but she thinks she can hear two people argue from where she heard the first yell.
[15:59] <Jessica> "Uh-huh. Where're we goin'?"
[16:01] <Ui> "To the command post." He takes hold of Jessica's right upper arm, guiding her along. "The lieutenant would be so happy to see you...."
[16:02] <Jessica> Jessica's shield expands outwards slightly, gently shrugging away the man's grip. "Yeah, I can walk. Thanks," she notes, picking up her stride.
[16:05] <Ui> He looks shaken, but doesn't make another move as long as Jessica seems cooperative. In a short while, they are by the van. Lisa is there, along with a woman Jessica hadn't met before. She isn't wearing a uniform, the only one on the scene who feels like an outsider.
[16:05] <Ui> Jessica doesn't need psychic powers to tell that Lisa is upset with her, and her words confirm it. "What do you think you're doing here?!"
[16:09] <Jessica> Jessica pauses for a moment to collect her thoughts. "Being on standby," she decides. "Yeah, we lasted about five minutes before we couldn't sit at home no more. Look, I ain't gonna do nothing on my own, but I don't think you really get how boned you are if they bust out some magic! So. I'm here. In case that happens."
[16:10] <Ui> Jessica finds she can't breathe!
[16:11] <Jessica> Jessica finds herself clutching her throat a moment later!
[16:12] <Ui> Perhaps it helps. Jessica's airways clear. The world fades back into focus. A gunshot rings out.
[16:14] <Jessica> Coughing and choking isn't helping her dramatic entrance any, Jessica intuits. Did her double get punched in the throat? Is that it?
[16:18] <Ui> Lisa disappears at the sound of gunshots. "Hey, are you alright?" the woman who had been with her asks Jessica. Four rainbow-colored trails rush off into the night sky.
[16:20] <Jessica> "Yeah, yeah, I'm alright," replies Jessica, glancing up at the woman momentarily before the rainbows catch her eye. "Oh, god, people need to not shoot her... Hey, Jessica!" she yells, waving.
[16:40] <Ui> <--->

[Corwin]

[16:28] <Ui> <--->
[16:30] * Jessie makes her way back down to the police van, trying to at least hang in the shade so the wings aren't hanging out to passers-by.
[16:31] <Jessie> "...Sorry. I lost her."
[16:31] <Jessica> "Wait, you had her?"
[16:31] <Ui> There are no passerbys in the cordoned off area, although the woman present and the handful of cops on guard find Jessie fascinating.
[16:32] <Jessie> "More like she had me. Apparently I betrayed her by not cutting you open, and she tried to shoot me a few times to make up for it. Then she runs behind a chimney and next thing I know there's no-one there."
[16:33] <Jessica> "The hostages! What happened to the hostages? Where'd all this even happen?"
[16:34] <Ui> Gunfire sounds again. Not from a handgun; the volume of fire suggests automatic weapons.
[16:34] <Jessie> "This was all on the rooftop. Y'know, where I came back to find you and you weren't there? She just appeared outta freaking nowhere, and-"
[16:35] <Jessica> Jessica's attention drops away from Jessie, and she stares towards the source of the gunfire!
[16:35] <Jessie> "HOLY SHIT!"
[16:35] <Ui> The lit windows of the building containing the studio are illuminated even further in bursts by muzzle flashes!
[16:37] <Jessie> "What are they even firing at?!" Jessie bursts upwards into the air to look inside!
[16:37] <Jessica> "Oh, geez, don't give them another target!" yells Jessica, opting to remain on the ground and crane her neck upwards!
[16:37] <Ui> <--->

[Corwin]

[16:40] <Ui> <--->
[16:42] <Ui> She's up, free of the forces of gravity! The gunfire is coming from the other side of the building, where she last saw the SWAT team.
[16:44] * Jessie figures it's a good idea to get inside before she gets quite into range, and makes to enter the building a few rooms behind the SWAT team. Bravado is one thing, getting shot repeatedly is another.
[16:45] <Ui> Jessie crashes through the glass, making her own entrance! Her wings fold before her at the last moment, protecting most of her body, but she is still rattled by the impact, and a cut opens on her cheek. She is within, now; the volume of fire seems to be dropping.
[16:47] * Jessie runs toward the sound of gunfire!
[16:50] <Ui> Several men in protective, police-issue body armor are laying on the floor. They're not moving. Two more remain, kneeling behind makeshift barricades -- an upturned janitors cart, several office chairs tossed together in a pile -- and fire down the hallway. Jessie's arrival causes them to swirl towards her!
[16:50] * Jessie puts her hands up. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" She protects herself just in case!
[16:53] <Ui> They check their weapons just in time! The tips lower. A gunshot rings out, and a cloud of red sprays all over Barbie's domino mask. "Thanks for the assist, Darling," she calls to Jessie, and blows her a kiss, fading away in plain sight.
[16:54] <Jessie> "Oh, for FUCK'S sake!" Jessie reaches out for the spot where Barbie was before, then falls to her knees.
[16:55] <Ui> As she falls to her knees, Jessie sees the butt of a rifle headed for her temple.
[16:56] * Jessie braces herself for the impact, protecting herself!
[16:57] <Ui> Her shield holds. The man shakes a few times afterwards, and then slumps over Jessie.
[16:58] * Jessie grabs him, tries to hold him up, and inspects for wounds.
[16:59] <Ui> He was shot a few times in the back, one of the bullets making its way past the protective gear and going into the neck.
[17:01] * Jessie feels a little ill. She's only seen this sort of wound once before in her life, and it's not an experience she wants to remember. She lays him down and runs for the window, screaming at the top of her lungs. "Someone, anyone! Call 911! These guys need help RIGHT NOW!"
[17:02] <Ui> Five more shots sound within, one after the other.
[17:03] * Jessie isn't even sure if she wants to look behind her, but she does anyway. She follows the sound of gunfire, fighting to keep herself from being sick...
[17:05] <Ui> Following the echoes of the shots, Jessie discovers the studio. The camera has been shot; so were three of the staff and the male newscaster. The female still seems alive, although unconscious.
[17:07] * Jessie has to work to keep her attention away from the ones that can't be helped, and heads straight for the survivor. She examines her quickly for injuries...
[17:10] <Ui> Not even a knock on the noggin. The woman has just passed out.
[17:10] <Ui> <--->

[Corwin]

[16:40] <Ui> <--->
[16:41] <Ui> "Inside! Get indoors!" the woman with Jessica calls, pushing her into the van.
[16:44] <Jessica> "Get down, you idiot!" yells Jessica up at her double; with her shielding protecting her from unwanted force, she's virtually immobile. Her shielding glows a bright purple where it's touched!
[16:46] <Ui> "You're the idiot! Don't stick around!" she's yelled at in turn. Jessie disappears from sight.
[16:46] <Ui> Jessica suddenly feels as if someone took a knife to her cheek!
[16:50] <Jessica> Jessica's hand reaches slowly up to her cheek, and her face turns white. "You can't be serious!" she yells, bolting after her double- her shield only protects her!
[16:51] <Ui> Several of the cops gives chase, but Jessica shakes them off with an agility no mortal could match! She rounds the building. No one is outside, be it flying or cluthing to its side. A window had been broken.
[16:54] <Jessica> Reluctant to fly upwards and endanger both of them once again, Jessica can only stare futilely up the side of the building!
[16:57] <Ui> The gunfire tapers off. A shot, then a few more, and then it stops once more.
[17:00] <Jessica> It occurs to Jessica that if she goes up there, she might see another scene like the party. Only, it would be worse, she knows. It's a strong incentive to remain right where she is.
[17:02] <Ui> "Someone, anyone! Call 911! These guys need help RIGHT NOW!" Jessie yells, appearing by the busted window.
[17:02] <Ui> Five more shots sound within, one after the other.
[17:04] <Ui> Jessie heads back inside.
[17:04] <Jessica> "What the hell is going on?" yells Jessica, staring up at her double for a moment before gritting her teeth and jetting her way up!
[17:06] <Ui> The hallway is littered with bodies of the SWAT team and several makeshift barricades. Jessie is nowhere to be seen. Bloody footprints lead further within.
[17:08] <Jessica> Jessica's heart leaps into her throat. By the looks of it, they were killed before they even tried to get in. So, they were attacked. She finds herself throwing up her shield once again, and she doesn't move for many seconds- when she does, she's keeping her eyes straight ahead. Don't look at the ground...
[17:11] <Ui> Jessica finally stumbles upon her twin -- she's untying the female newscaster. They are the only people alive in the broadcasting studio.
[17:11] <Ui> <--->

[Corwin]

[14:28] <Ui> <--->
[14:29] <Ui> Jessie frees the bound, unconscious woman as someone rushes into the room. It is her other self, her twin from this dimension.
[14:31] <Jessica> Jessica glows with a purple hue, no doubt protected from anything that might do her arm in here. She can't choose to unsee the results of the violence all around her, however, and her face is a horrified mask.
[14:32] <Jessie> "...Congrats. You showed up just in time to help with absolutely nothing." Jessie is trembling slightly.
[14:34] <Jessica> "Who's fault do you think all this is?!" snaps Jessica, with an angry glare.
[14:38] <Jessica> Jessica starts to look around, quivering with emotion. "Where'd she go? Where'd that.. woman... go?"
[14:38] * Jessie doesn't respond for a long while. "Look, we can talk about this later, but right now can we just make sure this girl's okay?!"
[14:38] <Jessica> "She has to be around here!"
[14:41] <Jessie> "...I doubt it. She can just appear and disappear whenever and wherever she wants, and...if everyone's been taken care of, she's got no reason to hang around."
[14:41] <Jessica> Jessica whirls around, beginning to look out for any doors or windows that might be open!
[14:41] <Jessica> "She- what? She can teleport?"
[14:42] <Jessie> "I told you before, remember?! She was on the roof, then she sat behind some chimney or something and she was gone! She did the same in here, too!"
[14:42] <Jessica> "She- didn't you tell her to give it up? She should listen to you!"
[14:43] <Jessie> "I tried that! She just started spewing nonsense about how I betrayed her!"
[14:45] <Jessica> "What's that got to do with-" Jessica waves her hand- "All this... what, so she's just gonna kill people? Because of that? That's.. beyond petty, that's a lunatic in action, that's..." Jessica's eyes widen. "She could be at home. Right now."
[14:46] * Jessica promptly turns and bolts for the window, blasting out of the studio at top speed!
[14:47] * Jessie looks away and grits her teeth. She can't just abandon this survivor, but Jessica raises a pretty good point...she'll drop her off at the bottom first so the paramedics can see to her. She follows out the window, but carefully lowers herself to the ground, woman in hand.
[14:50] <Jessica> "Don't move the frigging body! Just come with me!" yells Jessica, frustrated.
[14:51] * Jessie ignores Jessica's complaints for the most part. "Go on ahead! I'll catch up!"
[14:51] <Ui> Leaving the broadcasting studio, Jessica is easily able to find one outside slightly down the corridor. Opening it is a small task, and she soon zooms across the night sky. The corridor behind is scorched and gauged quite badly, but Jessie finds other windows far more accessible. Getting out of one with her wings and while carrying an unconscious woman is quite difficult, however.
[14:54] * Jessie squirms out with some effort, making her grip on the newscaster the top priority.
[14:55] <Ui> As Jessie floats down, she can't quite spot any paramedics, though there are quite a few cops gathered below.
[14:58] * Jessie figures the girl's better in their hands than anyone else's, and swoops down to them. She places the woman on the floor in front of the nearest cop. "Make sure she's okay." With that, she makes to catch up with her doppelganger-!
[15:00] <Ui> They're shocked, she can see that much. Jessie catches an abrupt "What the hell--" as she takes off. One even makes a move to grab her, but human strength and agility are no match for the magic that catapults her into the air, buffeting those on the ground with gale-force winds.
[15:04] <Ui> The scenery is a blur. Even during the chase after her dimensional twin, Jessica hadn't strained herself this much. Before long, it appears, the familiar home where she grew up.
[15:05] <Jessica> Jessica tries to make an effort at landing properly, this time- she certainly doesn't want to blast any more holes into the house- but she hurries to the back garden nonetheless!
[15:07] <Ui> No one meets her half-way as she rushes into the house proper. Her parents are in the living room, her father on the phone. As he turns at her entrance, the phone slips from his grasp and drops to the floor.
[15:09] <Jessica> Having arrived, and discovered that everything seems to be fine, Jessica is flooded with a sudden relief. She just stands there for a moment, breathing harder than she ever has in her life.
[15:11] <Ui> Susan covers her mouth with her hands. She doesn't take her eyes off Jessica, as if afraid to blink and miss her.
[15:11] <Ui> "Are you alright?" Norman asks, and anyone outside the immediate family would have found him surprisingly in control of himself.
[15:14] <Jessica> "Dad, that woman, she killed them, and-" Jessica reaches up to where it felt her cheek got grazed, unsure if there's an actual injury present. "-and I thought she was gonna come here so I came back, and..."
[15:16] <Ui> Her cheek still hurts, especially when she thinks about it, though her hand comes back clean. "Is she coming here?" Norman asks.
[15:17] <Jessica> "I- I didn't know for sure..."
[15:18] <Ui> "Are you alright?" Susan asks, reaching out for Jessica.
[15:19] * Jessie manages to catch up, looking about as flustered as her counterpart, and sighing in relief the moment she sees things are fine. She stands in the doorway, holding herself up as if she would fall over without support.
[15:20] <Jessica> "I'm okay, but the cops, they..." Jessica shudders, and reaches back to grip Susan's hand. "I thought it would be easy, I just.. she doesn't want anything, she just wants to *hurt*."
[15:22] <Jessie> "Good. You're...you're fine. At least I didn't...screw that up."
[15:22] <Ui> Susan lowers her forehead to Jessica's hand. It feels warm to the touch.
[15:23] <Ui> "Your cheek--!" Norman exclaims, looking at Jessie. "Stay here," he orders, and disappears into the kitchen.
[15:25] <Jessie> "What...?" Jessie had all but forgotten about the cut in the heat of the moment, but now that she's been reminded it stings like all hell. "Oh, yeah, that. Tried to pull some dramatic entrance, but I can't exactly fly and be invincible at the same time, so-jeez, that smarts..."
[15:26] <Jessica> For the first time, Jessica glances at Jessie herself to see the injury. "Yeah, I know! Don't fly into bullets! What d'ya think will happen?!"
[15:27] <Ui> He returns with a first aid kit. The wound it cleaned; the follow-up touch of disinfectant causes both girls to flinch simultaneously, and then the gash is dressed with gauze.
[15:27] <Jessie> "It wasn't a bullet, it was glass. Important difference."
[15:29] <Jessica> "Yeah, well... it scared me half to death. Like, the strangling, too. How can she even do that? You should've grabbed her then..."
[15:32] <Jessie> "I tried, dammit, but she just pulled the same disappearing act as before!" Jessie shouts, mainly because she's hurting right now. "Look, let's try going to Smith's. Barbie's his assistant, so maybe he can talk her out of this?"
[15:35] <Jessica> "Or maybe he encouraged her, huh? Who knows?"
[15:37] <Jessie> "Either way, it's better than waiting around here and hoping she stops outta the goodness of her heart, right?"
[15:39] <Jessica> "And then we go away and she shows up here, then what?"
[15:40] <Ui> "This isn't something children should do," Norman states. "If you want to help, then you can't just rush off everywhere when you feel like it. You two might have power, but you lack experience. And a clear head, while we're at it. You can't do this on your own."
[15:41] <Jessie> "Look, how about I go talk to Smith while you stay back and make sure things are safe here?" Jessie doesn't pay much attention to her father's complaints.
[15:42] <Jessica> "No! That lady took you on before, right? She choked you!" replies Jessica, miming a strangling motion. "We gotta stick together."
[15:42] <Jessica> She shakes her head. "Dad's.. kinda right. We can like go see him later, maybe. Maybe if everyone here gets moved someplace secret for a bit?"
[15:43] <Jessie> "What if Smith does the same? What if in the time it takes them to hide, he hides as well?"
[15:45] <Jessica> "Who cares?! It's better than risking it."
[15:48] * Jessie sighs. "...Fine. But if he gets away and we're just stuck with a maniac rabbit wrecking the state, it's not my fault."
[15:50] <Ui> Susan's cell rings. She jerks, seeming surprised, and then answers it. "It's for you," she tells Norman after the initial exchange. He appears just as surprised, scanning the room as he accepts the cellphone until his eyes fall upon his dropped phone. "Norman Fields."
[15:51] <Jessica> Jessica looks like she has a few things she'd like to say about that, but apart from what one might wish to read into her tear-stained, angry face, they are left entirely unsaid. She takes a seat, slowly shaking her head. "How do you catch someone who can teleport?" she asks, quietly. "Is that actually what it is? Or just what it looks like? Ugh, if you can go between alternate dimensions I guess
[15:51] <Jessica> you can teleport..."
[15:53] <Jessie> "I saw her fade into thin air. If that's not teleporting, I dunno what is."
[15:56] <Jessie> "And that's why we need to try talking to Smith. If there's any way to pin her down, he'll know it."
[15:56] <Ui> "They're here. Yes, both of them. Fine. I see." It is near impossible to keep track of Norman's conversation while listening only to his side of it. "Can you repeat that?" he asks, and he sounds a lot terser than before. There is an intake of breath. "Yes, I concur. Please send a squad car here. God speed."
[15:56] <Ui> "What is it?" Susan asks, looking up at her husband worriedly.
[15:56] <Ui> "Angela, that hostage -- she regained consciousness," he responds heavily. "That crazy woman kept her alive to pass on a message."
[15:57] <Jessica> "If she just wants to mess with us, just.. kill people just so we get messed up, I... we gotta surprise her, right? Or she'll just teleport away- what?"
[15:57] * Jessie looks at Norman, her eyes widening.
[16:01] <Ui> "She talked about taking your happiness," Norman says, looking at the girls, "bit by injured bit. It's insultingly obvious, which must be the intent. Lisa is sending a car to take Susan and Patty to a safe house. Once it's off, we'll leave for the hospital. I won't try to keep you back, but you girls have to listen to what I say. We can't afford to make mistakes here."
[16:02] <Jessie> "How sure are we that they can't trace the car? And how do we even know a safe house is gonna stop that maniac?!"
[16:03] <Ui> "Trace the car?"
[16:06] <Jessie> "If it's coming outta this house, she's probably going to have a good idea who's in it. And if she's really out to - well, y'know - she'll do whatever she can to screw that car over."
[16:07] <Jessica> "I don't think so," replies Jessica. "I don't think it'd be that easy for her. Or she'd have just come here and messed with you mom and dad while we were running around."
[16:09] <Ui> "Our officers aren't trained to deal with teleportation," Norman says, with an almost imperceptible wince at at the last word, "but they are very adept at avoiding pursuit and detection."
[16:10] <Jessie> "...True. I'll have to trust you guys, then. Where's Patty?"
[16:10] <Ui> "She's upstairs, in her room," Susan responds, before raising her voice. "Patty? Darling, can you come over?" There is no immediate answer, and she deflates slightly, looking down.
[16:12] <Jessie> "You talk to her. She, well, doesn't like me." Jessie offers the job to her counterpart.
[16:12] <Jessica> "Yeah, well, that might be the one way in which we're actually similar."
[16:13] <Jessica> This depressed comment doesn't prevent Jessica from heading up the stairs to check on her sister, however.
[16:14] <Ui> The door is closed. Depressing music emanates faintly beyond it. Jessica arrives just as it ends, only to begin again. That song must be looping.
[16:14] * Jessie decides to follow carefully behind, watching on from a distance.
[16:15] <Jessica> "Oi, Patty, you gotta come down! We're leaving!"
[16:15] <Ui> There is no answer from within.
[16:16] <Jessica> "I'm gonna come in!" states Jessica, reaching for the door.
[16:16] <Ui> The door is locked.
[16:17] <Jessica> "Patty, answer me!"
[16:18] <Ui> The only answer Jessica gets is the sad strumming of a guitar.
[16:19] <Jessica> Losing her temper is easy when you have the power to back it up, and Jessica twists the doorknob open with an unfair degree of force.
[16:21] <Ui> The lock breaks, and the door to Patty's room swings open. No one is there, though it looks slightly different to Jessica from the last time she visited it. The locked desk drawer is extended, and the dressers are open. She thinks one of the outfits at the front is missing, though it would require a far more in-depth check to make sure.
[16:22] <Jessica> "Go check the bathroom." There's no way Jessica memorized every outfit Patty had during her last snooping session, but she takes a quicker glance around the room; are the windows open?
[16:25] * Jessie does so, opening the bathroom door with full force, taking no interest in whether it's locked.
[16:27] <Ui> The window is slightly ajar, unlocked. Looking at it from the outside, one would be hard-pressed to notice that. The bathroom is open, sparing the Fields the need to replace yet another lock. It is also empty. A wall-mounted cabinet is in disarray, looking ransacked.
[16:30] <Jessie> "Hey, did you keep anything dangerous in here?!" Jessie starts panicking, checking to see if anything potentially fatal has been raided - large amounts of painkillers, or something along those lines...
[16:30] <Jessica> "Just stuff. Mom, Dad! Patty's gone!"
[16:34] <Ui> Norman rushes up the stairs at the news. He draws to a stop by the broken door, and looks questioning at Jessica. "This--?"
[16:36] <Jessica> "Me," replies Jessica, glancing away. "You didn't see her go out, right? And she's not anywhere else up here..."
[16:38] <Jessie> "So she jumped out the window?" Jessie looks out to see if there's any sign of disturbance on the ground below.
[16:38] <Ui> "No," he says heavily, stepping into the room. Norman takes a look at the mess left behind, and sighs. "But would we?"
[16:39] <Ui> It's too dark to see the ground properly from the second floor window, though Jessie is pretty sure that an ordinary person wouldn't walk away from a jump like that.
[16:41] <Jessica> "Well... she's not here, at a time like this, and... I.. guess we could try calling her?"
[16:42] <Ui> As she searches for a phone to call Patty from, Jessica stumbles upon Patty's cell, left behind on her desk.
[16:47] <Jessie> "You're kidding. You're fucking kidding me." Jessie grips her head, looking like she's about to be ill...
[16:48] <Jessica> Jessica picks up the phone and stares at it oddly for a few moments. "I don't want to believe this," she mutters, glancing into the locked drawer.
[16:52] <Ui> The drawer is emptied of contents. Patty's phone wakes up with the movement; the background is one from a happier time, of Patty and Jessica smiling at the camera. She remembers that vacation, from before her mother had her accident--
[16:52] <Ui> A car outside honks its horn. "It's time," Norman says, face gray. "We have to go. Lisa will look for Patty." His breath catches, and he holds a hand against his mouth. "I'll wait for you downstairs."
[16:57] <Jessie> "What, wait and hope that Barbie isn't holding a knife to Patty's throat right fucking now?! I'm sick of this girl being one step ahead of us every time! Y'know what - I give up! We can't stop her! I say we go to her boss right now and get him to call this off before she lays one finger on my sister!" Jessie lets out all her frutration in one rant!
[16:58] <Jessica> Jessica pockets the phone shortly afterwards. "Dad, uh, look. We might have to go see this Smith guy after all." She shudders. "I mean... it's not like we can be everywhere all the time- calm down! Calm down! I mean, I agree! But we don't know if he's with her on this or not!"
[16:58] <Jessica> "We gotta be ready.."
[17:01] <Ui> <--->

[Corwin]

[13:31] <Ui> <--->
[13:34] <Ui> "You're panicking and reacting," Norman says, a note of pleading in his voice. "You're not thinking straight! Going to see that Smith--"
[13:34] <Ui> But their father is only human, and he could not possibly stop either Jessica as she chooses to leave.
[13:37] <Jessie> "Okay," starts Jessie the moment she's out the door, "how are we doing this? Stick to the ground and sneak up on him a little, or just fly there and blitz the guy before Barbie has time to kill anything else?"
[13:38] <Jessica> "Let's, uh, start with where he is. Where is he?" asks Jessica, pausing and glancing awkardly back towards the house.
[13:40] <Jessie> "As far as I know, he's gonna be in his office on Eighth Street. I know that, 'cause I dropped in for a late night visit and found him sleeping still wearing that damn wizard hat of his. Weird guy."
[13:43] * Jessica mutters something inaudiable. "Okay, okay. Look, uh, I don't wanna just fly in there." Jessica grabs at her hair for a moment. "It'd be easiest if we could drive there or something, and that'd be easy.. if.. we got dad to give us a lift. Urgh."
[13:44] * Jessica shakes her head. "He's so right, you know. I think we should do this properly. Work with the cops, instead of, I dunno. On top or all over them or around 'em. 'cos that went so well last time."
[13:48] <Jessie> "Because I'm SURE that the FBI can take care of a teleporting psychopathic rabbit. Hell, they deal with that crap all the time in the X-Files, don't they?"
[13:49] <Jessica> "Look, think about this! So she can teleport, okay, but how far? How often? Can she do it whenever she wants, or is there some limit? And, and. This magic's weird, right? We can only do one thing at a time. Fly, zap, shield, zoom, right?" babbles Jessica, clutching her temple. "So there's two of us and there might be two of them, which means we all cancel each other out until they beat us with
[13:49] <Jessica> experience. But if you add cops to the mix, it's like.. two+cops vs. two. And that means the math is on our side."
[13:51] * Jessie sighs. "And if she isn't following the same rules as us? If all we're doing by trying that is putting more innocent cops in the firing line?"
[13:54] <Jessica> "It's not like they'll just stay still and do nothing while Barbie burns down the city." Jessica shakes her head. "And they've got radios and cameras and things. I just.. I really don't think we can handle this. I've never done anything like this! And no offense, but you're totally messed up in the head."
[13:56] <Jessie> "Look. I've already got enough people killed after they got wrapped up in this bullshit. If you go back to get help, I'm heading out to go talk to Smith alone, okay? I'm getting this resolved right now, on my own, whether or not you want to help me."
[13:58] <Jessica> "Wait at least one hour," pleads Jessica. "Let me talk to Dad. This guy, this Smith guy, he's so not going to help us just because we ask. And do you really think you can fight him? By yourself?"
[14:01] * Jessie tenses...then sighs. "You...you've got a point. But try to keep it discreet or something. Not guys blasting in the front door and pointing guns at him, because now we all know that doesn't work."
[14:01] <Jessica> "No shit? I'm thinking snipers. I mean, they spotted us and could've hit us, I bet, if I hadn't been listening in on their chatter."
[14:02] * Jessica shakes her head, and starts back inside her house. "Let's like use our heads. Our big advantage over that creepy torture lady is that we're actually sane."
[14:03] * Jessie slowly walks behind. "Let's just hope that's enough..."
[14:04] <Jessica> "If it's not, that's where the butterflies and rainbows come in!"
[14:05] <Ui> A car is leaving the driveway as they approach. Their mother is in the back seat.
[14:06] <Jessica> Jessica waves at it for a moment before proceeding back into the house.
[14:07] <Ui> The front door is left ajar. Pushing it open and proceeding into the living room, Jessica comes upon her father. He is seated on the couch, holding his head in his hands. He shows no signs of noticing either Jessica.
[14:07] <Jessica> "Uh, dad?"
[14:08] * Jessie tenses. She gets the feeling her 'father' isn't exactly on speaking terms with her at the moment...
[14:09] <Ui> Seeming startled, Norman looks up.
[14:10] <Jessica> "Um. We changed our minds," replies Jessica. "Cooled down outside, I guess?"
[14:13] * Jessie puts her hands behind her head, looking vaguely in another direction
[14:13] <Ui> He remains silent as he processes that, before nodding curtly. "Alright." Norman rises heavily to his feet. "Alright. Let's go save Matt together."
[14:13] <Jessica> "Save Matt? Matt.. needs saving?" asks Jessica, uncertainly.
[14:16] * Jessie flinches, looking straight at Norman. This is news to her.
[14:16] <Ui> Norman looks confused. "That woman, Barbie... she threatened him...." He closes his eyes. "What did you come back for, Jessica?"
[14:18] <Jessie> "Wait, you mean...did she call you? Show up right here when we were outside?"
[14:18] <Jessica> Jessica pauses. "Oh. OH. Oh. God, Dad, I'm an idiot," she replies, shaking her head. "I just wasn't *thinking*, I just didn't *get* it. Bit by injured bit, huh? God, I so-" She shakes her head. "I don't- let's go."
[14:19] * Jessie looks at Jessica. Her eyes widen in realisation. Quietly, she murmurs a word her father wouldn't want to hear her saying at her age.
[14:22] <Ui> Norman takes a deep breath, gathering air into his lungs and then exhaling slowly. His eyes open, shining with determination. "Let's go," he echoes Jessica, heading out to his car.
[14:22] <Jessica> "Ok. What's the plan?" asks Jessica, heading to ride shotgun.
[14:24] <Jessie> "Watch him, and make damn sure no-one gets in."
[14:24] <Jessie> "Is his room already guarded, or is there gonna be no backup from the force this time?"
[14:26] <Jessica> "Against such an obvious threat that's so obvious anyone could get it, except me?" Jessica rubs her head. "Probably."
[14:27] <Jessie> "Hey, you were pissed. You were mad. You weren't thinking straight." From the look on her face, Jessie's referring to herself as much as she is her counterpart.
[14:28] <Ui> The cell is placed in its cradle, and Norman uses the speeddial while he starts the car. "We're on our way," he says as soon as it's connected, hanging up upon confirmation.
[14:28] <Ui> "We're making preparations, girls," he says, the car making its way out of the driveway. "For now, we're trying to relocate some of the patients to other hospitals, while making preparations to accept others into the basement for shelter, if they need it."
[14:30] <Ui> Norman checks the time with his eyes, before continuing, "By the time we arrive, we should have the entire ward cleared, outside of Matt and our men. As long as we keep him where he is, we don't think Barbie would strike. Judging on her behavior so far, she would wait for you to arrive before making her own move, and that gives us some leeway."
[14:32] <Jessie> "What about Patty? Any sign of her?"
[14:35] <Jessica> "I'm Barbie, and I can teleport. I can get things like guns and bombs, and I want to hurt Matt right infront of Jessica," murmurs Jessica, making fake bunnyears behind her hair. "If I was her, I'd.. teleport in with a bomb, then teleport out... no, maybe that's too impersonal? God, I hope that's too impersonal."
[14:36] <Ui> "It's only been--" Norman pauses, taken aback. "Just that?" he mutters to himself, shaking his head and then looking at Jessie through the rearview mirror. "We need to give it time, Jessica."
[14:37] <Ui> Norman is silent briefly, although that changes as Jessica speaks. "Your mother asked if you could stop a bullet," he reminisces. "You two said that you don't have to, but what if you did?"
[14:37] <Jessie> "Right. Sorry...I'm just really shaken right now."
[14:38] <Jessica> "I could. I can make like a wall that can stop anything," replies Jessica. "Or a sword that cuts anything. Or a beam that can hit anything. But only one at a time."
[14:38] <Jessie> "Bullets...we can block 'em, yeah, but we can't do anything else at the same time. If one of us focuses on defending people and one focuses on attacking we should be okay, right?"
[14:40] <Ui> "What about a bomb?" Norman asks. "Can you only make a wall that stops anything, or can you shape it? Curve it?"
[14:41] * Jessie looks to Jessica. "I dunno, never tried that...what about you?"
[14:41] <Jessica> "It'd stop a bomb if the bomb's on the outside," replies Jessica. "I figure I can't react to a bomb. I gotta make the shield before it goes off. I think.. yeah, I think we could make, like, an invincible box. Maybe one of us, definately both of us?"
[14:44] <Ui> "Could you two make a box that no one can teleport past?"
[14:45] <Jessica> "Nnnn- sort of! It's invisible, right? The force, if we want it to be," thinks Jessica. "We could fill it in with invisible bricks. You can't teleport into, like, a rock, right?"
[14:46] <Jessica> "But I have no idea if a wall would stop her teleporting past it. I mean, we can't teleport, so we have no idea how that works."
[14:46] <Jessie> "I...can't be sure, but we could try. It's all about controlling forces, so if we have no other way of blocking her in then maybe it's worth giving a shot?"
[14:47] <Ui> "It's worth trying," Norman says. "If she teleports in, and without that bomb like you thought, Jessica, if we can then prevent her from leaving, we'll never have to worry about Barbie ever again."
[14:48] <Jessica> "Um. Say we catch her. What do we, uh, do with her?"
[14:50] <Jessie> "If we have any way of making this anti-teleport box permanent, we lock her up."
[14:50] <Jessie> "If not, we figure out how she teleports and stop her doing it. THEN lock her up."
[14:50] <Ui> "She is armed and dangerous, and wanted for several murders in this state," Norman responds, his grip on the wheel tightening. "If she surrenders, we'll take her to prison together and look for a way to stop her from teleporting. If she refuses and remains a clear danger, she'll be gunned down."
[14:59] <Ui> The first thing that Jessie and Jessica see upon approach are the flashing sirens, more numerous than what they are used to seeing at a hospital. The car makes its way past a police cordone and the jumble of news crews and curious onlookers. Spotlights have been placed on the ground below, turned off for the time being. Norman ignores all that, and gets out of the car after parking it. He glances at the girls and gives them a decent approximation of a smile, before gesturing for them to follow him to the front entrance. Two familiar faces are there, at least as far as Jessica is concerned.
[15:00] <Jessica> "This is way too theatrical. What if she doesn't even go after Matt first?" mutters Jessica, before glancing up at the two women and shuffling her feet.
[15:01] * Jessie follows along, somewhat offput by the lights and sirens and reporters and everything else currently attacking her senses. She seems to be competing with Jessica in a race to determine who will make it to the hospital last.
[15:02] <Ui> "The theatrics are what will drive her to appear, if nothing else," one of them speaks, causing Lieutenant Marks to give her a glare.
[15:03] <Jessica> "She wants to make us miserable, not make, like, a statement to the world. I think? I think."
[15:04] <Ui> Blissfully ignorant of Lisa's glare for all intents and purposes, the other woman smiles crookedly at Jessica. "She knew where you lived all along, and she chose to make a very public statement. Plus, we've heard from your father about her other exploits. She seems to thrive on the spotlight she gets, no pun intended."
[15:05] <Jessica> "Are you a shrink?"
[15:05] <Ui> "I prefer the term 'profiler'."
[15:06] <Jessica> "Ah. Um. Hi. You really think that? She wants this to be all public?" Jessica fidgets. "I don't get why. Well, I don't really get her at all, in any way."
[15:06] <Jessie> "So, Miss Profiler, why is our perp insistent of dressing up like a rabbit?" Jessie is in a lousy mood for obvious reasons. Someone to poke fun at is a good way to vent.
[15:07] <Jessie> *insistent on
[15:07] <Ui> "Ah." She glances at Jessie. "The cat girl, I presume?"
[15:09] <Jessica> Jessica briefly covers her mouth and looks away.
[15:10] * Jessie gulps. "Uh, yeah. Why do you ask?"
[15:11] <Ui> "Why did you dress up as a cat?"
[15:13] <Jessica> "I can't totally speak for her, but I always thought Catwoman was pretty cool?"
[15:14] <Jessie> "Convinced I was cursed, black cats are bad luck, and I thought it was clever at the time."
[15:17] <Ui> She looks between the two Jessicas, drawling, "Interesting."
[15:17] <Ui> "Not the time, Melody," Lisa grinds out. "Let's go inside." Without waiting for acknowledgement, she turns, leaving.
[15:18] * Jessie follows on, then. She's surprisingly quiet after her run-in with the profiler, and anyone looking intently will see her face going slightly red.
[15:18] <Jessica> "Rabbitwoman doesn't have the same sort of ring to it," mumbles Jessica, following. "But I guess Squirrel Girl exists..."
[15:21] <Jessie> "If she's anything like Squirrel Girl, we may as well just give up now."
[15:22] <Jessica> "Giving up is for other people."
[15:22] <Ui> "She always wanted to be a Playboy bunny for all I care," Lisa mutters. "Norman, we're ready on our end."
[15:22] <Ui> "I never doubted you," he responds. "We'll try to pin her down in one place when she arrives and make your work easier."
[15:22] <Ui> They climb the stairs, foregoing the elevator. The second floor is empty at first glance, although another look reveals the guards stationed there.
[15:23] * Jessica recalls where Matt's room was, and makes a beeline straight towards it.
[15:24] * Jessie follows on behind, then!
[15:27] <Ui> Matt looks asleep. Perhaps he is. Aside from the bandage upon his forehead, he seems like he should be resting back home and not in a hospital. An intravenous tube goes into his arm, supplying him with nutrients. Two men are in the room, clearly cops despite not being in uniform. One of them keeps his eyes on Matt from nearby, while another is peering out of the window.
[15:27] <Ui> "We got here first," Norman says, catching up.
[15:27] <Ui> "You had doubts?" Lisa asks, to which he answers with an uncharacteristic snort. "Where do I start?"
[15:28] <Jessica> Jessica turns to Jessie. "So I figure, we both make half a cube? Start at the midway point?"
[15:29] * Jessie nods. "Do we have any idea how to do this, honestly? Just focus, hold a hand out, and hope stuff works?"
[15:30] <Ui> "How about starting small?" their father suggests.
[15:31] <Jessica> "Why're you asking me? I just visualize stuff and it happens. Maybe we can hash out the theory, you know, when people aren't at risk of getting blown up?" Jessica opts to try making a solid wall in front of her, hopefully without displacing (or bisecting) anyone around.
[15:32] <Ui> Butterflies only they can see fly to execute Jessica's orders, forming a solid block roughly the size of Jessica before her.
[15:32] <Jessie> "Well, it's not like we can test it. Unless you actually know how to teleport?" Jessie works on the opposing wall, mentally imagining Barbie beating at the wall uselessly.
[15:32] <Jessica> "Ok, and..." Jessica reaches out to push the wall a bit, hoping to try and bend it a little.
[15:33] <Jessica> "Look, if it doesn't work and she teleports in here, you hit her while I hold her or something, okay?"
[15:35] <Ui> A rainbow courses through Jessie's wall, placed opposite Jessica's. As soon as Jessica touches her wall, it curves at the edges according to her will, looking more like the cover for a container with every moment.
[15:35] <Jessica> "Ok, it bends! I'm gonna see if I can stretch it out to cover one whole side of the room. You guys- who's going to be in here, anyway?"
[15:37] <Ui> "Try to trap Barbie in the part of the room without Matt's bed or the door," Norman suggests. "If you can do it, we could get him out and away from danger once Barbie arrives."
[15:37] <Jessie> "I like hitting things. This plan has my seal of approval." Jessie follows her doppelganger's lead and starts pressing her new wall against the room's real one.
[15:38] <Jessie> "So basically, wall off Matt for now?"
[15:38] <Jessica> "If we get her trapped, we can change the wall after. So let's work on step one and see if that actually helps first, since this is still 50/50 on teleport-stoppin'."
[15:39] <Ui> The lights go out.
[15:40] <Jessica> Jessica lets out a little 'eep!', and opts to complete the rest of the protectiving walling as quickly as she can!
[15:40] <Jessie> "...OK, I think that's our cue to hurry up." Jessie bends her wall around, prioritising protecting Matt's body!
[15:44] <Ui> It becomes more and more difficult to continue curving their powers, both Jessicas find. It consumes concentration; the cops are talking, perhaps amongst themselves, perhaps to them. It is impossible to pay attention to both things.
[15:44] <Ui> When the two powers meet, there is a visible flash that startles everyone in the room. After the initial struggle for dominance, however, a balance is easy enough to reach. Jessie and Jessica know instinctively, however, that physically letting go of their construct would lead to it dispercing within seconds.
[15:44] <Jessica> Torches would be great, Jessica thinks, and she articulates this idea through gritted teeth.
[15:44] <Ui> Light floods the room from the outside. It must be from one of the waiting spotlights.
[15:44] <Jessie> "Well, looks like we're stuck like this for a while." Jessie winces, finding it hard to focus, keeping her hands on the wall she's built.
[15:46] <Jessica> Jessica nods in silent approval.
[15:50] * Jessie yells, her hands tensing! "Holy shit, who did that?!"
[15:51] <Jessica> "Did what? Don't spaz!"
[15:51] <Jessie> She looks like she's in a good deal of pain from the look on her face. She barely maintains her grip on the wall.
[15:52] <Jessie> "You didn't feel that!? It was like someone just took a sledgehammer to my goddamn fingers!"
[15:52] <Jessica> "I'm actually okay. It's gotta be some- some magic thing! Like she's trying to bust through the barrier?"
[15:54] <Jessie> "Something like that. And whatever it is, it REEEEALLY fucking hurts!"
[15:54] <Ui> "Here? You're sure?" Lisa asks into her radio. The reply is garbled to either Jessica's ears, but she draws her handgun.
[15:54] <Ui> Norman moves protectively to Matt's side.
[15:55] <Jessica> "She in here?!"
[15:55] <Ui> There is a knock on the door.
[15:57] <Jessica> "Who's there?" Jessica's wall happens to block the door entirely, and damned if she opens it for anyone!
[15:58] <Ui> "Just a humble nurse~" a playful voice she is rapidly growing familiar with responds.
[16:02] <Jessie> "Oh, look, it's everyone's favourite raving psychopath!" Jessie doesn't even try to hide her contempt.
[16:02] <Jessica> "Hi there!" replies Jessica, pressing her hands against the edge of her sphere for a moment, before pushing it outwards, attempting to have the side exterior to her envelope Barbie, straight through the door!
[16:08] * Jessie sees that her idea of going around the outside to trap Barbie isn't likely to happen, given that Jessica is opting for the more aggressive route. Here she was thinking SHE was the bloodthirsty Jessica!
[16:10] * Jessie is tempted to shout, but that would give away the plan. How will this even work? Is it going to knock Barbie back, or trap her? Has she even thought this through?
[16:11] <Ui> The door and the surrounding wall cease to exist! The butterflies retreat swiftly from their coverage of the hospital room and swarm outwards, enveloping a figure just beyond it! She tries to bat them aside, but for each one destroyed three more take its place, forming a cocoon around her!
[16:14] <Jessica> Ten seconds. "You got something you came here to say, huh?" yells Jessica, pulling the soon-to-be-transparent cocoon closer towards her!
[16:15] * Jessie looks on, enawed. "Well, damn. That worked a lot better than my idea of punching her until she fell over." She lets go of her wall, walking over the cocoon ready to support her companion's defenses!
[16:15] <Jessica> "Jessie, we're gonna have to remake the field in a few! You guys, keep stuff trained on her!"
[16:17] <Ui> The cops don't need any instructions from teenagers to react to the clear and present danger. To their credit, they only recoil but hold their ground as the wall of the room suddenly ceases to exist. "Don't move!" Lisa calls out to Barbie; Norman remains by Matt's side, standing between his son and the hallway.
[16:18] <Jessica> "She so ain't going anywhere," replies Jessica. "Hey, Jessie, I can't hold this thing! Help me, willya?"
[16:18] <Jessie> "Sounds like a plan!" Jessie grabs the cocoon, strengthening the barrier holding Barbie inside!
[16:21] <Ui> A considerably smaller sphere reforms between the two. Barbie is within, dressed as a nurse. A surgical mask covers her mouth and nose, while a scalpel flashes in her hand. She swipes it against the barrier, the only result being trailing sparks along it. "That's cheating!" she complains.
[16:23] <Jessie> "Neither is teleporting all over the place."
[16:23] * Jessie grins at the sight of the trapped Barbie. It's cathartic as hell.
[16:23] <Jessica> "Uh, Dad? What now?"
[16:27] <Ui> "You have the right to remain silent--" Lisa begins to say.
[16:28] <Ui> "Shut up!" Barbie snarls. "Don't interfere! It's between me and her!" She glares at Jessie. "You'll never be happy here! I won't let you!"
[16:28] <Ui> Norman looks about the room, before waving at one of the cops and moving Matt's bed into the hallway. The rubble makes the process slow, but not impossible. "Keep her tied up," he tells Jessica, squeezing her shoulder briefly. "I'll be right back."
[16:29] <Jessica> "It's between me and you now, bitch!" retorts Jessica. "This stopped being about her and you the second you messed around with my sis! Don't you get on a high horse!"
[16:31] <Jessie> "Hey, leave some for me! And on that note, what the hell did you do to Patty?!"
[16:33] <Ui> "She blew her up first!" Barbie protests, gesturing at Jessie. "How can you take her in after that?!"
[16:36] <Jessica> "What, you're talking as if there's some sorta choice? Are you nuts? Does magic make you nuts? Will I go nuts, too?"
[16:38] <Ui> "Oh, count on it, you bitch!" Barbie glares at Jessie anew. "I'll take everything from you! Everything!"
[16:39] * Jessie is very tempted to shrink the sphere and crush Barbie in a little. All this ranting is giving her a headache.
[16:39] <Jessica> "Let me get this straight. No matter what, you're gonna keep trying to kill my family."
[16:41] <Ui> "I don't care about your precious family," Barbie spits in disgust. "I just want to destroy her." She points at Jessie with the scalpel.
[16:41] <Jessie> "What, why? Because I decided I didn't want to go through with the whole murder thing? What do you want me to do, say thanks for the times you cooked me dinner and gave me a roof to sleep under?"
[16:42] <Jessica> "Lisa, you don't got any way to keep her under control but us. Are you gonna have us stick with her forever?"
[16:43] <Ui> "For starters!" Barbie declares indignantly.
[16:43] <Ui> "Can we shoot through... whatever it is that's making those sparks, now and then?" Lisa asks, her eyes narrowing.
[16:44] <Ui> "You came to me! You begged for help, demanded it!" Barbie continues in the meantime. "I did everything for you, but then, you just kick me aside and call me names? I'm just supposed to go away, because I'm so inconvenient?!"
[16:46] <Jessie> "Here's a hint! Kidnapping my goddamn sister doesn't do much for getting me to trust you!"
[16:46] <Ui> "You made her a target yourself! And I let you take her back already! What more did you want?!"
[16:47] * Jessie grits her teeth. "Is there ANY way we can shut this woman up?! She's a maniac, and she's gonna give me an aneurysm at this rate!"
[16:47] <Jessica> "Where the fuck does killing innocent people come into this? Is that somehow acceptable? What part of you thinks that's okay?"
[16:48] <Jessie> "What does your precious master think about this, anyway? Surely Smith is pissed that his beautiful assistant has randomly decided to start killing people to settle a grudge!"
[16:49] <Ui> "Does it look like I care?" Barbie asks Jessica sarcastically. "Smith? Pissed? Whatever." She makes a forward movement with her shoulders, as if readying for a leap, and Jessie's hands deaden, as if from a powerful hammer blow.
[16:52] <Jessie> "Gh-!" Jessie can't hold her hands up any longer, and they fall useless to her sides!
[16:52] <Jessica> "Oh, no! I think she's casting a spell!" Jessica suddenly pushes forward on her solid sphere, turning the insides into spikes that spit forward and perforate the interior!
[16:54] <Ui> A terrible scream erupts from the sphere, blood splashing towards Lisa, Jessie and Jessica but ending up caught on an invisible curved wall. The sphere collapses second later, leaving nothing behind.
[16:56] <Jessie> "Holy shit! What did you even-!?" Jessie doesn't have time to worry. Now that Barbie's free, she's got something else to worry about - Matt! She can barely feel her arms, but still runs as fast as her legs will carry her!
[16:57] <Jessica> "There's no way anyone can survive that," hisses Jessica. "No way."
[16:58] <Ui> Jessie catches up to Matt's bed by the elevator. Her father turns back sharply as she runs up to them.
[16:59] <Jessie> "Honestly? This girl can disappear in thin air. And she was alive enough to disappear, remember?"
[17:00] <Jessica> "She's got like twenty holes in her! What, so she'll bleed out in a ditch instead of the hospital."
[17:00] <Jessica> Jessica pauses, and her eyes swing down to the blood. "I hadta do that."
[17:02] <Jessie> "Here's another one for you, smartass - if she's dead, how the hell do we find Patty?"
[17:03] <Ui> "She was casting a spell," Lisa says without a sign of mocking or derision. "It was legitimate self-defense."
[17:03] <Jessica> Jessica starts out of the room towards Jessie. "She didn't even have Patty this time," she replies, shaking her head. "Or she would've said so."
[17:04] * Jessie looks to Norman. "She got out. Basically whacked me until I couldn't hold it any more...Jessica panicked, tried to fight back, made her bleed a lot of a lot...but she broke out and she disappeared. Dunno if she's alive, if she's here, dunno anything. How's Matt?"
[17:08] <Ui> "Matt's fine. He will be fine," Norman responds.
[17:08] <Jessica> Without warning, Jessica suddenly sinks to her knees!
[17:12] * Jessie feels her legs tense, grabbing onto the bed for support! "Shit, how does she DO that?!"
[17:12] <Ui> "Come on, let's get out of here," Lisa says, kneeling by Jessica. Her words barely come across, though the arm she puts across Jessica's shoulders is felt acutely.
[17:12] <Jessica> "I'm okay. I'm okay," repeats Jessica, clumsily standing up and reaching for her eyes. "Was all me."
[17:20] <Ui> <--->

[Corwin]

[13:33] <Ui> <--->
[13:40] <Ui> Following Barbie's apparent demise, the need to get Matt out of harm's way evaporates. To be on the safe side, Norman decides to relocate him all the same; any care for him can be done at home just as well as in the hospital. Along with a dedicated nurse, they depart for the safe house Susan was taken to. Jessica and Jessie, however, have a different goal in mind. The apparent mastermind of the whole affair and Barbie's employer, Smith the Magnificent, is still out there and might be the only chance for them to get any answers. Reluctant as he is to let them go, Norman eventually relents and puts his trust into his friend on the force. Thus, it is one Lieutenant Lisa Marks who ends up driving the two through the largely empty streets over to Smith's home and office.
[13:41] * Jessie looks over at Jessica. "I gotta say, what you did to the bunny back there was pretty impressive. Sorta wish I'd been the one doing it, actually."
[13:43] <Jessica> They didn't leave before Jessica vanished into a bathroom for several minutes, emerging only just before it was time to leave. "You put rabid animals down," she replies, heatedly. "Did she think we were just going to stand there and take it, or something? Let her go, so she can do it all again?"
[13:44] <Jessie> "Well, no, but...I mean, have you ever even hurt someone before? As in, REALLY hurt?"
[13:45] <Jessica> "Why would I?" replies Jessica, slumping against the door. "I don't even want to talk about this."
[13:46] <Jessie> "Alright. Just a warning - there's every chance Smith is as batty as his assistant was. I hope you don't mind those hands of yours getting a little dirtier keeping our folks safe."
[13:48] <Jessica> "What is this, a peptalk?"
[13:48] <Jessie> "I just don't want you to pussy out if things get rough in there, is all."
[13:50] <Jessica> "What, don't you know me? Facing everything head on, that's how it's done," replies Jessica. "Hey, uh, Lisa?"
[13:50] <Ui> Lisa looks distinctly like there are few places she would like to be at even less than in her car. "Yes?" she asks back. "If it's about counselling, we'll cover that."
[13:51] <Jessica> "No, um. I just wanted to say sorry."
[13:52] <Ui> "Right." She nods curtly. They are on eighth street, now, and Jessie can see the familiar entrance to Smith's office ahead to the right.
[13:53] * Jessie points out the door. "Alright, park here."
[13:54] <Ui> "We've been here," Lisa responds, the car coming to a halt. She puts it into park, and checks her handgun before reholstering it. "Just going in for a chat?"
[13:54] <Jessie> "Oh, yeah. So it was you checking up on the crazy cat lady rumour." Jessie sighs.
[13:54] <Jessie> "Probably. Depends if he wants to co-operate with us. Here's hoping he does."
[13:55] <Jessica> "I'm not planning on starting anything," replies Jessica. "That's up to him." She cracks open the door and pulls herself out the car.
[13:58] * Jessie follows behind. "Should I take point, y'think? Or is that a bad idea given that his assistant is out to kill me?"
[13:59] <Jessica> "It doesn't even matter who goes first, you know that," replies Jessica, heading to knock on Smith's door. "Are you gonna keep your hair dyed?"
[14:01] <Ui> Lisa keeps to the back, letting the magical girls approach the office of Smith the Magnificent. The knock doesn't provide any immediate results, leaving the three in a poorly-lit hallway.
[14:01] <Jessica> "Hey, Smith!" calls Jessica, rapping harder on the frame. "We gotta talk!"
[14:01] <Jessie> "I figure it'd be easier. How awkward would it be if Mom and Dad got us confused? It'd be like the goddamn Wakefield twins."
[14:03] <Jessica> "Yeah, about that. Mom and Dad are gonna be totally okay with you. They're already treating you like you're their daughter," replies Jessica, fidgeting. "But you think Patty and Matt are gonna think the same way?"
[14:04] <Ui> There is a crash inside, followed by shuffling. The door finally opens a sliver, held back by a chain. Light floods the hallway, illuminating a figure with a pointed wizard's hat and a robe thrown over pajamas adorned with the various phases of the moon. "Oh. It's you," Smith deadpans once his gaze falls upon Jessie.
[14:05] * Jessie waves. "Evening. Sorry about the late-night visit, but how's Barbie been?
[14:06] <Ui> "Why must you deny me my sleep?" Smith complains, looking past her at the officer accompanying the girls. "Is that even legal?"
[14:06] <Ui> Lisa shrugs.
[14:07] <Jessie> "No, but neither is holding a studio of newscasters hostage and shooting them. Not that you'd know anything about that, would you?"
[14:07] <Ui> "Of course I know about it!" Smith bristles. "It was on the news!"
[14:07] <Jessica> "I don't really get it, but Barbie is like your pet, right?"
[14:08] <Ui> "Assistant," he corrects Jessica, peering closer at her, before returning his gaze to Jessie. "Wow, so you really are a natural blonde."
[14:10] <Jessica> "Whatever. You know, it doesn't even matter. Lemme get something real straight first, though," continues Jessica, tapping her foot. "The heck did you even start all this for? Way I see it, she-" She pokes Jessie on the shoulder- "Couldn't have got here without you, right? So it's like you started everything."
[14:11] <Jessie> "Well, technically, it's the Smith from my time, but pretty much."
[14:11] <Ui> "I take no responsibility for the actions of my dimensional doubles," Smith declares, holding his hand over his heart.
[14:12] <Jessica> "Oh come on. You can send HER through portals, so what about yourself?" replies Jessica, rolling her eyes. "And she just happens to find you here when she needs you, too? That's so unlikely."
[14:14] <Ui> "Alright. Maybe it is a bit unlikely," Smith concedes. "But I think the plausible deniability is there, don't you?"
[14:15] <Jessica> "Besides, why would other-you even go to all this trouble?" replies Jessica, crossly folding her arms. "What, so he can send some random girl far away to commit identity theft, just for kicks? It's not like she paid you." She pauses. "You didn't pay him, right?"
[14:15] <Jessie> "OK, more useful question. She's your assistant, so how do we stop her from killing things? She's got this annoying habit of disappearing, y'know?"
[14:16] * Jessie looks at Jessica. "No way! He told me he was doing this all outta the goodness of his heart of something like that."
[14:16] <Ui> Smith snorts at that.
[14:19] <Jessica> "I think she's pretty stopped," confesses Jessica. "Anyway, what's your angle, here? Why're you helping her? Because whatever, like, deal you had, it ain't on now. And you're, um, not allowed to mess with us. So there."
[14:22] <Ui> "I have been decisively told off," he says rather cheerfully. "Alright! I'll leave you alone!" Smith eyes both Jessicas and then smiles. "And don't sell yourself so short. Just a random girl? Hardly! A girl who managed to do magic! That's such a rarity you just have to pit her against herself and see what happens."
[14:23] * Jessie raises an eyebrow. "You trying to say I - well, we - are special somehow?"
[14:24] <Jessie> "And you sent me here to just...experiment?"
[14:25] <Ui> "Oh, more than that, certainly. I'm fairly certain that if you clash strongly enough, you'll destroy the barriers between dimensions!" Smith responds animatedly, no longer showing any traces of sleep. "Isn't that exciting?"
[14:25] <Jessica> "Why does that not sound like a good thing at all?"
[14:25] <Ui> "It is to some, I assure you."
[14:26] <Jessie> "Like who?"
[14:27] <Ui> He gives Jessie a lidded look.
[14:28] <Jessica> "In fact, it actually sounds awful! So, what, people can all go talk to their other selves? And then if one dies, the rest go with him? The world'll run out of people!"
[14:29] <Ui> "I'm sure the world will end before that sort of inconvenience ever happens," Smith assures Jessica.
[14:29] <Jessica> "You're sick!"
[14:30] * Jessie looks at Jessica. "Yeeeeeah, now I REALLY don't like the sound of this. Why the hell would you want the world to end?"
[14:30] <Ui> He looks sad at the accusation.
[14:32] <Jessie> "OK, now you've told us this much, I think we're gonna have to hear the whole thing. You agree with me on that, Jessica?"
[14:33] <Ui> "What's the point?" Smith asks sadly. "You're not going to do it." He closes the door in their faces.
[14:35] <Jessica> Jessica pushes a hand into the door. "Hey, you answer me one thing. How many dimensions are there?"
[14:37] <Ui> "I never counted," Smith's voice comes through, muffled. "Hundred and eight, maybe? At least that! Could be infinity!"
[14:37] <Jessica> "Uh-huh. And each of those worlds has a Jessica."
[14:38] * Jessie is very tempted to knock this door down. She looks to her counterpart, lifting up a foot to kick and silently looking for confirmation from Jessica.
[14:38] <Ui> "A boring Jessica, maybe. But some of them might!"
[14:38] <Ui> There are sounds of shuffling distantly coming through the door.
[14:40] <Jessica> Jessica's hand trembles for a moment, and eventually drops to her side. "Nah. Nah, I trust me," she mutters, turning away. "Come on, let's go."
[14:40] <Jessie> "Wait, what? We're going? The guy was blabbering about destroying time and space, and stuck us against each other for a goddamn experiment, and you're gonna just let him go?"
[14:41] <Jessica> "You want to fight a guy who talks about that as though it was nothing? Right in front of us?" asks Jessica, shaking her head. "Way I see it, it ain't never gonna work. No two of us are ever gonna be dumb enough to take things that far."
[14:44] * Jessie pauses for a moment...and sighs, lowering her foot. "Fine. But I'm probably gonna have trouble sleeping at night knowing there's a guy like him around. And we never asked him about Patty."
[14:47] <Jessica> In response to that, Jessica pulls out Patty's phone and checks the call and message logs for recent contacts.
[14:50] <Ui> It is surprising how sparse the call history is on her phone. There are no messages, and any calls are to and from family. Sometimes, however, one can't see what's right before them at first glance, and Jessica realizes it is one of those moments. The last call from Patty's cell is unique, seen in retrospect, as it is the only number not listed in her phonebook.
[14:50] * Jessie blinks. "Call it."
[14:52] <Jessica> "I swear she's gonna hate me forever if it turns out to be nothing," groans Jessica, but she obliges nonetheless.
[14:52] <Ui> "Hello," a pleasant female voice greets Jessica. "You've reached the Marriott. How may I direct your call?"
[14:53] <Jessica> "Uh, one second. Hey, what room was Barbie staying in?"
[14:56] <Jessie> "She was on the executive suite. Top floor...don't remember the number."
[14:56] <Jessie> "Hell, dunno if there WAS one."
[14:57] <Jessica> Jessica cups her head. "Can you put me through to the executive suite?" she asks.
[14:58] <Ui> "One moment, please," she is asked. "Who should I say is calling?"
[14:58] <Jessica> "Jess."
[15:00] <Ui> After being asked to wait once more, Jessica listens to music as she is put on hold. Two minutes later, the receptionist returns. "I'm terribly sorry, but the guest in the executive suite is not accepting calls at this time. Would you like to leave her a message?"
[15:04] <Jessica> "No, thank you." Hanging up, Jessica places a palm on her head. "Let's head over there. I dunno if that means there's nobody in the room or they told us to go away, but I dunno where else Patty might be." She shakes her head. "Running out, on a night like this!"
[15:05] <Jessie> "I'm guessing you weren't the sort to do this at her age?"
[15:06] <Ui> "It's a lot to take in," Lisa says, having stayed out of the way during the confrontation with Smith. She peers at Jessie. "And it's so strange to hear you ask yourself that."
[15:06] <Jessica> "Yeah, what do I know about going out at night? I'm only in a band, haha," replies Jessica, rolling her eyes. "I mean going out with everything that's going on right now!"
[15:11] <Jessie> "True. Maybe she's doing it to spite us." Jessie frowns as she says this.
[15:13] <Jessica> "Yeah, I don't think so. Not if she's looking up the Marriot. Patty doesn't have enough cash to go partying at an upscale hotel bar," replies Jessica, uncertainly. "And she's been there before. I'm just.. so worried, you know? It's not even rational..."
[15:14] <Ui> "It's as good a lead as anything we have so far," Lisa muses. "I can drop you two home if you'd like, and send a couple uniforms to check it out instead."
[15:14] * Jessie looks at Jessica. "If anyone's gonna be there, it'll be Barbie. And, uh, if it's Barbie, it's probably best that we go."
[15:15] <Jessica> "I.. guess that's right," admits Jessica. "But you know, I'd feel way more comfortable if, um, it was official. You know? They won't just let us in."
[15:17] <Jessie> "Could always just fly up and use a window. It's how I got out with Patty."
[15:18] <Ui> Lisa shrugs. "That part's easy. Stay quiet and behind me and no one would even blink twice. Since you're going, let's do this before dawn?" Her concern has some merit; taking the drive to the hotel under consideration, it wouldn't be long before the sun rises.
[15:18] <Ui> "And I'd like to veto the flying part, where you terrify people by doing that."
[15:19] <Jessica> "Let's try and keep the theatrics to a minimum," replies Jessica, nodding.
[15:21] <Jessie> "Well, if we've got the cop on our side, I'm fine with playing it quiet."
[15:21] * Jessie enters the car again.
[15:22] <Ui> The streets remain desolate for the course of their drive, although what little traffic there is picks up as Lisa's car reaches its destination. The hotel's concierge is quite helpful for a police lieutenant, and after informing him that she only needs to question a possible witness, Lisa and the two Jessicas are shown to the suite. She knocks, as the door opens slightly from the force, one of her hands goes to rest on her gun while she waves the doorman away with the other.
[15:23] <Jessica> Jessica focuses her senses, trying to listen in on what's inside that room!
[15:24] * Jessie prepares to offer a barrier to Lisa in the event that Barbie is present and armed.
[15:25] <Jessica> "There's someone in there," notes Jessica, preparing to go first, shields up!
[15:26] <Jessie> "Should we set up another sphere? It might be Barbie..."
[15:27] <Jessica> "Barbie wouldn't have gone in through the door."
[15:27] <Ui> Lisa nods at the girls, and then pushes the door open the rest of the way. She takes a quick glance, and then cautiously steps inside the room.
[15:29] <Jessica> Jessica heads on in afterwards, and intends to head straight towards the source of the breathing.
[15:34] * Jessie is last to enter, still ready to protect Lisa if need be, but slightly less on guard now.
[15:34] <Ui> Jessica slowly moves into the room until she makes out someone sitting on the bed and staring outside through the enormous glass window. Lisa flips the light switch, revealing it to be Patty, clad in a distinctive leather duster that got crumpled awkwardly beneath her.
[15:36] <Jessica> "Hey..."
[15:37] <Ui> Patty's reflection in the glass shifts, and she turns to look at the room.
[15:38] <Jessie> "Hey. Don't worry, we're here to get you home..." Jessie starts trying to put on her sensitive voice - it's a little rusty from lack of use, but it works.
[15:39] <Jessica> "Patty, I-" Jessica messed up her hair. "Why're you all the way out here? Tell me what's up with you! I was just so, so worried, I-"
[15:39] <Ui> "Figures you would get back here," Patty tells Jessie, though her words lack much of their previous acid. "Why shouldn't I be here?" she asks Jessica next. "Isn't that where she took me?"
[15:40] <Jessica> "But why would you even want to be?"
[15:41] <Jessie> "Well, we figured as much, but why did you come back here? Don't you know what Barbie wanted to do to you?"
[15:42] <Ui> "What you wanted to do to me!" Patty snaps, her voice rising. She gets off the bed, glaring at Jessie. "I know you attacked my sister! You sabotaged her! You hurt everyone, you fake!"
[15:45] * Jessie flinches a little. "Look, I'm not gonna deny I did some bad stuff, but I'm doing my best to turn over a new leaf, okay? I'm sorry, and I'm doing everything I can to make up for my mistakes, so...look, if you wanna hate me, go ahead. I've probably done plenty to deserve it."
[15:45] <Ui> "Your parents are worried sick about you, Patty," Lisa says, moving her hand away from her gun in an inconspicious manner. "You shouldn't have left them like that, without a word."
[15:45] <Ui> "I had to!" Patty insists, glaring at the cop. "They got brainwashed! Just like Jessica! Only I was safe!"
[15:46] <Ui> She points at Jessie. "You're sorry? Fine! Then go away and don't come back!"
[15:46] <Jessica> "Hah?" asks Jessica, momentarily blindsided. "I ain't brainwashed! I mean.. but if I was, how would I know..."
[15:47] <Ui> "She hurt Matt! And she took me, and-- and all the other people!" Patty pleads with Jessica. "Your band! And everyone takes her in just like that? It's wrong! She did something to you, I just know it!"
[15:48] <Jessica> "I... I can't help it, Patty," replies Jessica. "You know. That woman, that woman that kidnapped you. I killed her."
[15:49] <Ui> "I--" Patty gasps, staring at Jessica. "She made you do it," she says in a strangled tone of voice. "My sister would never hurt anyone. That fake, she's evil and--" Tears appear in her eyes. "I have to stop her. Please don't stand in my way!"
[15:52] * Jessie feels something rise in her throat. "Look, Patty...I can't go back. It was a one-way trip, and...you aren't in that timeline, remember? I...I didn't want to hurt you, or anyone else, I wasn't thinking straight, and-" She can't think of anything else to say, and stops mid-sentence with a desperate look on her face.
[15:53] <Jessica> "I killed her," repeats Jessica. "Because she tried to kill Matt, and she would've tried to kill everyone. I wasn't wrong." Jessica's eyes fall to the ground. "I can go that far for you guys."
[15:54] <Ui> Patty laughs haltingly, looking between Jessie and Jessica. "Then, it's okay to kill? For family?"
[15:58] <Jessica> "The only reason that I didn't try and kill her before, I think," replies Jessica, fixating on the ground. "Is that it'd have killed me, too. We're stuck with each other. It's just how it is. And after what I did to that woman, I.. I really understood something about myself. If all of you were gone? If our positions were reversed? I'd have done anything to get you back."
[16:00] * Jessie looks at Jessica with surprise. She understands...she didn't think anyone could understand, but maybe that incident with Barbie in the hospital showed her something...
[16:01] <Ui> The lights flicker. "But that's wrong!" Patty insists. "We're not accessories! We're your family! You can't just replace us, or force us to treat you--" She looks pleadingly at Lisa, running out of words.
[16:01] <Ui> The officer shrugs. "I don't get it, myself," she admits. "But I do know that your parents love you very much. And your brother would need you when he wakes up. Aren't you losing track of what's really important, yourself?"
[16:09] <Jessica> "Jessica," says Jessica, turning to Jessie. "I think you get what I was saying before? What've you done and what you were gonna do, they ain't something that can be just swept away. And if you know me, and I know you do, you know I wasn't kidding about anything just now." She glances at her hands. "We all drew a bad hand. How're you going to play it, now? You going to stick around a place like
[16:09] <Jessica> this, where you hurt so many? Or you gonna make a clean split? What's really gonna hurt the most?"
[16:12] * Jessie bites her lip and looks down. It's not really something she'd ever thought over, but..."Even if I could start again. Even if I had the money to find somewhere to live, even if I had a family that'd take me in, even if I had a job to keep me going...wouldn't I just be running away from what I did? Wouldn't it just be cowardly to leave and make other people pick up after me?"
[16:17] <Jessica> "Way I see it," replies Jessica, "Taking responsibility here means apologizing and staying away until someone who got wronged decides to forgive. If they do. Anything else ain't fair on the people who got hurt."
[16:19] <Ui> Patty watches attentively, but doesn't speak up.
[16:20] * Jessie thinks it over for a moment. "So in the end, I pushed too hard? I went too far to get back what I'd lost, and now I need to pull myself away from it again? It just...doesn't seem fair, but I guess my opinion is a little biased on that..."
[16:22] <Ui> "You punched out my sister to say hello!" Patty exclaims. "Then you graduated to blowing up a yard of people who like her!"
[16:25] <Jessie> "Yeah, but..." She doesn't really have an answer to that, to be honest.
[16:26] <Ui> "Let's go," Patty says to Jessica, ignoring Jessie from that point on.
[16:26] <Ui> Standing by Jessie's side, Lisa puts her hand on her shoulder. "Give her a few days to cool off? I'll call Norman. Ah-- listen, do you need a place to crash?"
[16:26] <Jessica> "C'mon, Patty. Let's go home already," says Jessica, shaking her head. "I figure I'll be seeing you around sometime, Jessie. When you figure it out, let me know what you decide."
[16:28] <Jessie> "Y-Yeah, sure. I think maybe I oughta step away from her for a while...for both of our sakes." Jessie looks shaken.
[16:36] <Ui> <--->
[16:43] <Ui> September 1st, the start of school. Just another year for Jessica, while for Jessie, everything is fresh and new. The first day back starts with an assembly, where the freshman with the highest grades carries another boring speech. Jessica can't recall who it was the previous year, for the life of her, but this time the honor belongs to Patty. Her relationship with her little sister had grown strange, she reminisces. At times, Patty seems to worship the ground she walks on, just as in the past, while on other days Jessica might well not exist. Only one thing remains consistent; Patty steadfastedly ignores any and all mentions of Jessica's twin, and leaves the room outright if her family persists. Jessica hears murmurs behind her, briefly drowning out Patty's speech about personal responsibility and always striving harder to improve oneself, and then Jessie joins her. Even though it's a big day, she couldn't help being late due to needing to take care of her caretaker, Lieutenant Marks, who dragged herself home in the early hours of the morning after pulling another all-nighter. Ironic though the situation might be, it's hard enough being Jessica's identical twin with black hair without standing up even further by showing up late to the ceremony.
[16:46] <Jessica> "I thought you were gonna ditch," whispers Jessica, wishing that Patty had somehow managed to make what is always a boring speech interesting.
[16:47] * Jessie tries not to make a sound, just snatching a chair at the back of the hall and doing what she can to act like she isn't here. This is Patty's day, so no point in making any fuss. "I told her that so she wouldn't feel nervous about me being here."
[16:48] <Jessica> "One down. Only everyone else to go?"
[16:50] <Jessie> "Well, yeah. Working on that."
[16:52] <Jessica> "You know the best thing? No matter where they put us on the classlists, we can get away with showing up at the same place."
[16:54] <Ui> "Once you give up, it's all over," Patty says. "Whatever chance you have, however small, just disappears once you stop reaching for it and trying to make it into a reality. Giving up is easy. Saying 'I never would have made it anyway' is simple. But trying your best to succeed is important. It's not rote memorization, so it's not taught in schools, and it's really such a simple idea people mock or ignore it." The teachers present shift, some looking her way in dismay. "That's what it's all about, however. It's what I believe." She bows to her audience. "Thank you."
[16:55] * Jessie grins. "On that note, I'm not so keen on all this calculus. Think you could maybe sorta do a test for me? I'll make it up, I swear." Jessie applauds so loudly her words are barely audible.
[16:56] <Jessica> "You gotta be a kidding. I'm skipping all mine," replies Jessica, rivalling Jessie for the noise generated by her applause.
[16:59] <Ui> The next speech is by the principal, and his words are capable of putting all but the most sycophantic into a state of stupor rarely reached without the aid of mind-altering substances.
[16:59] <Ui> The assembly breaks up shortly afterwards. Jessie shares her core classes with Jessica, she finds out, although the electives are trickier. Patty is nowhere to be found, although as the girls look about in the parking lot afterwards, Jessie is the first to spot him -- Matt, his hair cut short, smiling brightly. He gives a wave as she spots him.
[17:03] * Jessie waves back, grinning. Matt's been giving her lessons with the guitar to try and catch up with Jessica, though she's still got a long way to go as she approaches him. "Master, I need to once again come to you for your heavenly guidance! See, I'm not quite getting how to make a clean shift from a D chord to a G..."
[17:03] <Jessica> Jessica blinks. "Master? Why is she calling you Master? What's going on when I'm not looking?"
[17:04] <Ui> "Okay, stop, that's creepy!" Matt laughs at Jessie.
[17:05] <Ui> "It's probably something dumb," Katie says, coming up to them. "Just as well your sister isn't here or she'd go batshit at this."
[17:05] * Jessie salutes, sticking her tongue out. "Sure, boss. Here I was figuring you'd like me throwing compliments upon you."
[17:07] <Ui> He rubs his neck. "Yeah. It's awkward, but I guess it's kinda cool? Sure, let's go with that."
[17:07] <Jessica> "Yeah, probably. But the real marvel is how you... aren't," notes Jessica, eyeing Katie.
[17:11] <Ui> "Hey, that magic shit is awesome," Katie says nonchalantly. "I totally knew it was real! Shame about Andy, but we'll rope some other sucker into it. Like, have tryouts for the band this semester or whatever." Ah, Andy. Jessica still hasn't gotten over his parents moving and taking him with them in the wake of the incident. At least there is Facebook and instant messaging....
[17:14] <Jessie> "I'll try to get myself to a good enough level that I can embarrass myself at your auditions. That'll make up for...yeah." It's not clear how much Jessie is kidding around.
[17:14] <Jessica> "The whole point of auditions is to embarrass yourself!" insists Jessica, after a momentary silence. "For the amusement of the judges."
[17:14] <Ui> "It might happen before school's out," Matt says, and it's not clear whether he's kidding, either.
[17:15] <Jessica> "Just no cheating, okay? Music makes magic, magic doesn't make music," insists Jessica, nodding sternly.
[17:17] <Jessie> "Even if a string breaks or a speaker goes down? C'mon, it's gotta be worth playing it safe if things go wrong!"
[17:17] <Ui> "You're coming over today, right?" Matt asks Jessie. "Don't say no. I'm here and everything, ready to give you a drive." He glances briefly at Jessica before seeming to dismiss her with a gaze. "You too, I guess."
[17:19] <Jessie> "'Course I am. You keep kicking me out, but I keep coming back. I'm like the world's best-looking boomerang. Lisa won't mind. Probably."
[17:20] <Jessica> "It's a trick! He's trying to justify his existence to us because he can drive! We should fly home instead!" Jessica pauses. "Would Lisa mind that?"
[17:22] <Ui> "She'll thank you for that," Katie tells Jessie sagely. "And spank you for that," she then adds to Jessica. "Take this advice from your friendly psychic. Or don't, whatever." With a jaunty wave, she leaves.
[17:22] <Ui> "Hey, Patty!" Matt calls out, giving a wave into the crowd of chattering students. "Time to go!"
[17:24] * Jessie freezes. She'd forgotten about this part. Now that she's said she's coming over she can't exactly run, but...she was hoping not to get seen, at least not until later. She smiles toward Patty, doing her best not to look nervous and failing miserably.
[17:24] <Jessica> "Hurry up! We've got cookies to bake!"
[17:24] <Jessie> "Hey. Nice speech up there."
[17:27] <Ui> Patty is chatting animatedly with Jay, both Jessicas see, though that doesn't hold as she glances over to Matt and her face falls. She gives Jay another smile, and then heads over reluctantly, flipping a penny into the air and catching it. Jessie gets a wary glare and is henceforce ignored. "I could've taken the bus," Patty tells Matt.
[17:28] <Ui> "Oh, please." He rolls his eyes.
[17:28] <Ui> "Then I can stay with--"
[17:28] <Ui> "Yeah, no," he preempts her. "Mom wants everyone home and happy, and by God she'll have it. Problem?"
[17:28] <Ui> This leaves Patty seething but pliant.
[17:29] * Jessie sighs quietly, but pulls a smile nonetheless.
[17:29] <Jessica> "Shotgun."
[17:29] <Jessie> "Alright. We good to go?"
[17:29] <Jessie> "Oh, come on! You always get shotgun!"
[17:30] <Jessica> "'cos you're slow!"
[17:31] <Jessica> Jessica puts her hands behind her head, and starts marching towards Matt's car with a raucous laugh.
[17:32] <Ui> Patty twitches. "I'm driving, then!" she tells Matt in no uncertain terms. "I'm serious!" she adds, as he pretends to not hear her and heads after Jessica.
[17:34] * Jessie follows on behind, smiling quietly to herself. This sort of quiet kidding around was what she'd been missing for so long.
[17:34] <Ui> <--->