SIX + Action / Voice

[tearmeanewone]

[VAGUE SPOILERS FOR 'BURIAL AT SEA' BELOW]




Elizabeth Comstock, you have been tried and found guilty of leading this man to his untimely death--

[Booker sits in the gallery, staring coolly back at her, and Elizabeth feels both wet and cold. And bloody--there's blood all down her front. But she doesn't feel shock or even surprise. She knows why it's there, she just can't see the memory. Every time she reaches for it, nothing happens.]

[Words feel unsteady, and she has to chase each one and hold it, own it, before speaking it.]

I was never his! But he… he had to have me! [What choice is she defending herself for making?]

--You have therefore, been sentenced to have your head forcibly torn from your body until you are dead.

[A cord is looped around her neck, Robert and Rosalind almost waltzing around and past her as they do so. Elizabeth scrabbles at the cord as it's pulled taut by one Lutece at each end.]

But he’s right there! He’s right there!! I didn’t kill Booker, he’s right there! He’s been here the whole time! [The cord tightens, Elizabeth’s hands don’t work, her fingers can't get under the cord.] Stop pulling, stop pulling, please! I’LL BE YOUR DAUGHTER!

May God have mercy on your wicked souls, child.


[Action - Locked to Gai and BioShock Infinite Crew]

[Elizabeth writhes in bed, her breathing becoming quicker and shallow as though she were having trouble filling her lungs. And whatever she’s trying to get away from her neck, there isn’t anything there. She’s scratching at nothing.]



[END SPOILER CONTENT]







[Voice – Early, Early Morning of December 1st]

Has anyone here ever had a dream that was prophetic? I know that most dreams are a product of our subconscious thoughts, but… I had a dream and I know I couldn’t possibly have been thinking any of the things that were in it. Not even subconsciously.

I thought that maybe this could be an experiment of some kind. [Read: ‘I’m hoping this was an experiment of some kind.’]

Comments

[ voice ]

[capsulepresident]

Prophetic dreams? I've researched back home and here that some people can be given that gift. The possibility is there, but I haven't seen any scientific proof of it yet.

[ voice ]

[tearmeanewone]

Neither have I. Maybe it's power of suggestion. Maybe someone's been talking in my ear while I'm sleeping, in a manner of speaking.

[ voice ]

[capsulepresident]

It might be as you said, the Malnosso could have forced something on you since I wouldn't put past them.

[Since he's been suffering from a fear curse himself.]

action:

[ablankpage]

[At least now, when Robert fails to sleep, it's not useless.

He's been reviewing all the notes he took during the time he and Rosalind had spent researching for the Malnosso (what he'd been able to copy down) and organizing them. Nothing spectacular, groundbreaking... But a little.

So, he heard the question for the community and went to Elizabeth's door, knocking lightly.]

Elizabeth?

action:

[tearmeanewone]

[Elizabeth is sitting at her desk in her nightgown and robe, Gai either back asleep or pretending to be for her sake. Her hands are in her lap and she's watching the journal as though she expects some kind of response at such an ungodly hour. This early in the morning, she's only left with her thoughts.]

[At least, she thought she had been. When she hears the knock at her door, it's genuinely startling--because she'd thought she was the only one in the house. The familiar voice has her nearly knocking over her desk chair to get to the door.]

[She closes it after her quietly, then throws herself at her visitor to get a hug around him.]

Robert! [It could be that she's tired, or emotionally wrecked from the dream, or glad to see he's returned from his research safely--whatever the reason, her voice is very strained, nearly on the verge of tears.]

When did you get back? I didn't hear you come in-- Where's Booker? And Miss Lutece?

action:

[ablankpage]

Two hours ago.

[He doesn't really hug her, but he does put his hand on her arm. Robert smiles faintly.]

You were asleep, so we thought it best not to wake you until morning.

[Voice]

[i_speak_softly]

Not prophetic, exactly, but once a dream told me how to solve a problem.

[Voice]

[tearmeanewone]

Really? What problem?

[Voice]

[i_speak_softly]

I was trying to find a cure for a... a condition some friends of mine were suffering from. In the dream, I saw one of those friends, and she told me what to do.

[voice]

[paladinlost]

I had... something resembling one once, a long time ago. As it was mostly an unpleasant and confusing experience, I've no doubt the Malnosso would find it amusing to force a few on us.

[voice]

[tearmeanewone]

Given everything else they've forced on us, I wouldn't put it past them either.

So you had a nightmare as well? Something that seemed relevant but ended up being nothing?

[voice]

[paladinlost]

I could not say. I merely remember it involved a condescending voice speaking about new forms, and being interrupted when I woke up. It's not been relevant yet as far as I know, but who knows it that might change?

voice;

[unfringed]

The right amount and combination of certain drugs can certainly create conditions conducive to precognition. I did such an experiment once myself.

...I don't recall testing it on you, however. Or did you recently touch my sugar?

voice;

[tearmeanewone]

I-- I haven't been taking any drugs! And I haven't touched your-- who are you, even?

[Talking about testing things on her, and Elizabeth doesn't even know this man's name.] Did you work with either of the Luteces in Columbia?

voice;

[unfringed]

Oh...in that case, I might recommend some. Perhaps it'll help the dreams stop.

I never worked at Columbia University, not that I recall, but hello, my name is Walter Bishop. I'm-- I was a professor at Harvard University and now-- I'm a scientist working with the FBI.

Are you sure you didn't touch anything unusual lately? No new experiences?

[Action]

[voidseeing]

[Gai is a light sleeper on the best of days. Years of experience as a soldier has taught him to awaken at even the slightest hint of a disturbance, and though sharing a bed with Elizabeth has gotten him accustomed to her usual night movements and shifting around, her twitching this time is different enough from the norm that he's wide awake in two seconds flat and reaching over to check if she's all right.]

Elizabeth?

[Judging from her quickened breathing and the way she's clawing at her neck, she's having a nightmare, seemingly about something strangling her. Gently he puts a hand on her shoulder to give her a light shake in the hopes that will be enough to rouse her from whatever is haunting her dreams at the moment.]

Wake up. It's just a dream-- I'm right here.

[Action]

[tearmeanewone]

[The light shake does it, fortunately. Elizabeth jerks and looks around the room, wild-eyed. She grips the hand Gai has on her shoulder, her eyes dart left and right, trying to read the ceiling in the dark.]

Oh my God... [She reaches over and gropes for Gai's cheek. She misses and gets his shoulder instead, but good enough--she pulls herself into him, shaking.]

Oh my God, oh my God--

[Action]

[voidseeing]

[He's already pulling her into his arms even before she's pressing against him, one hand moving to rub gentle circles on her back while the other buries itself in her hair. He's terrible at comforting; he's all too keenly aware of that fact. Still, something tells him that this is what she needs more than anything right now, and hugging is something he's pretty sure that he's at least decent at.]

It's all right. It was just a dream-- it wasn't real.

[If there's one thing he knows, it's that just being reassured of that fact can go a long way when one wakes up from a nightmare.]

voice

[relictusdeus]

[It's respect for the loved and lost more than anything else, perhaps, that compels him to answer.]

I knew of someone who was privy to glimpses of the future. Not only her own, but that of those around her.

voice

[tearmeanewone]

Did she always understand those glimpses? I saw something, I don't even know what it was, and I can't imagine it coming true, but...

voice

[relictusdeus]

'twas not often that she spoke of them. But among the last of the visions she shared with me were those the likes of nightmares. She knew not what to make of them, less so being but a child at the time.

action

[amonglions]

[It's later in the day, almost noon when Booker walks in the door. He looks as if he's being personally offended by the wallpaper, but it's most likely the result of being in close, unrestrained contact with the Luteces for more than a week.

He hasn't exactly looked at his journal either. Regardless, he'll be looking forward to seeing Elizabeth. It's just that sitting down and resting sounds so fucking nice.

He'll get up soon he swears.]

action

[tearmeanewone]

[Truth be told, Elizabeth isn't doing so well later in the day, either.]

[She looks tired and pale, the memory of the dream clinging to her no matter how hard she tries to throw it off. Not knowing where Booker was had only contributed to her inability to sleep.]

[She feels tired and jittery as she sits in the living room and reads her journal, but when Booker walks in she feels some energy come back to her. She can even stand up and go to him--after nearly a month apart, she needs a hug from him.]

Booker--! [Elizabeth runs to him and puts her arms around his back.]

voice

[hero_of_smiles]

Caaaan't say that I have. Maybe something close to like deja vu, like, I dream I'm going to walk into a certain elevator with certain people and it happens a few weeks later. But, that's not really prophetic, is it?

[There's a small, hmmmm on his end. She didn't sound very happy about this dream. Her words pretty much gave way to that fact. IE "I know I couldn't have been thinking any of that were in it."]

Maybe it was just a really, really bad dream or the Malnosso's next mind game.

voice

[tearmeanewone]

I hope it's either of those-- a really bad dream or an experiment. But so far, no one's said they had a nightmare too. If I'm the only one, it can't really be called an experiment, I'd think.