[005]
[when the sphere activates seemingly on its own, Oliver is in a completely white cell, looking only slightly the worse for wear. if anything, he's a bit pale and withdrawn. his cell is quiet, and he is sitting in the back corner, glumly watching the door. he has a feeling the First is currently trying to weaken his resolve before they bring him in for questioning again. he hasn't eaten in more than a day]
[what he hasn't considered is that they might have more methods of softening him up in mind before they do another round of questioning. the sphere, unlike Oliver, has a full view of the corner of the cell directly opposite him, where a second Oliver is sitting. he looks much the same as the first, though perhaps a bit healthier, lacking the paleness. he also has a glint in his eyes of something akin to wicked excitement. after a moment of the two simply sitting, one watching the door and the other watching his counterpart, the second Oliver grows bored of waiting and speaks up]
Hey, Oliver! Do you ever look around you?
[Oliver jumps at the voice--his voice--and straightens, putting his hands to the ground in preparation for jumping to his feet. but when he sees the other, he stops, his eyes filling with dismay] You...
[the other grins] Me. Or should I say you?
[scowls at him] You aren't me! And don't think I'll listen to you, either. You're dead! I know that now. [glares at him]
[laughs a long, full laugh of amusement] Oh, that's rich! You think I'm the Puppeteer!? Really? No, no, I'm someone much closer to home. [leans forward slightly, smirking at him] Don't you recognise me? I'm that little voice in your head that you've been hearing more and more lately. The one you're already starting to give in to.
[recoils slightly, tensing] Shut up.
[continues to smirk] You would say that. Because you just can't stand to face the truth, can you? That's why you bottle it up inside, pretend you're all right when you're falling apart inside.
[angry now] I said, shut up! I'm not listening to you.
[laughs] You'll listen. You'll pretend you haven't, of course. You'll go back to asking other people about themselves and throwing yourself into their lives so you don't have to face your own. But you'll listen.
And you just keep lying. I talk to others because I care about them, you know!
[nods, amused] Oh, I'm not denying that. But it only means you kill two birds with one stone. And if you're trying to claim you hide things out of your caring for others, you're only deluding yourself.
[scowls again, indignant] I'm not deluding myself!
Huh. Really? Like never telling anyone you got stunned by those anti-Alliance thugs? That had something to do with caring about them, did it?
[stares, his jaw dropping] I...I didn't want them to worry! What does it matter?
[snorts] Exactly. Your well-being never matters. If you hide it enough, no one will have to worry, not even you. You can ignore that little voice in your head, telling you nothing's gonna work out the way you want it to--except you can't actually ignore that voice, can you? [smiles] That's why I'm here.
[moves back against the wall, shaking his head and turning away] Shut up!
Oh no, not yet. Let's try another! Was it because you cared for others that you decided not to share how many times you've been shocked during the First's little interrogations? Does hiding that help them, too? Even knowing the same thing could happen to them?
[turns back to him, aghast] I...I... [his expression crumbles] They weren't strong shocks! And everyone's suffering here... It's all different. Who knows what'll happen to anyone?
Excuses!
No!
[grins] They are. So tell me another. Tell me why you haven't called the Doctor. Why haven't you warned him that they're asking you about him?
[Oliver looks positively mortified at that question] Because he doesn't need to worry about that! I haven't heard from him, and it must be because he's...[his voice catches]...he's suffering, too.
[the other Oliver regards him for a long moment before breaking out in a triumphant smirk] You know, I think that one's true! Coward. No wonder you're so sure you'll never make it home.
[Oliver gasps, tensing and immediately moving forward again, his fists clenched in anger] You're lying!
And there you go deluding yourself again. You've put the pieces together by now. A normal life between you and Chloe Elliot? Not going to happen. Ever.
[shakes his head vehemently, his expression anguished. the fight seems to go out of him as quickly as it came, and when he speaks next, his words are soft] The Doctor promised to bring me home again.
[snorts, breaking out in laughter] And haven't we heard that one before!
[confidently, shaking his head again] No. No, he keeps his promises!
[nods in agreement, smirking again] He tries to--give or take a few years. But come on, Oliver, think! How many times have you been carried off by now? Do you think the Gate--or something else like it--isn't gonna get activated again? Do you even believe--really believe--you're gonna make it home this time? After all, somebody has to fight to protect the others. And at the rate things are going so far...
[stands, advancing on his other self now] Shut up! We'll find a way out of this. We've got the Doctor--we've got everyone--working together.
[rolls his eyes] Give it a rest. You don't actually believe in all that.
I do!
[regards him for a moment, expression placid] You mean you used to. You don't anymore.
[what he hasn't considered is that they might have more methods of softening him up in mind before they do another round of questioning. the sphere, unlike Oliver, has a full view of the corner of the cell directly opposite him, where a second Oliver is sitting. he looks much the same as the first, though perhaps a bit healthier, lacking the paleness. he also has a glint in his eyes of something akin to wicked excitement. after a moment of the two simply sitting, one watching the door and the other watching his counterpart, the second Oliver grows bored of waiting and speaks up]
Hey, Oliver! Do you ever look around you?
[Oliver jumps at the voice--his voice--and straightens, putting his hands to the ground in preparation for jumping to his feet. but when he sees the other, he stops, his eyes filling with dismay] You...
[the other grins] Me. Or should I say you?
[scowls at him] You aren't me! And don't think I'll listen to you, either. You're dead! I know that now. [glares at him]
[laughs a long, full laugh of amusement] Oh, that's rich! You think I'm the Puppeteer!? Really? No, no, I'm someone much closer to home. [leans forward slightly, smirking at him] Don't you recognise me? I'm that little voice in your head that you've been hearing more and more lately. The one you're already starting to give in to.
[recoils slightly, tensing] Shut up.
[continues to smirk] You would say that. Because you just can't stand to face the truth, can you? That's why you bottle it up inside, pretend you're all right when you're falling apart inside.
[angry now] I said, shut up! I'm not listening to you.
[laughs] You'll listen. You'll pretend you haven't, of course. You'll go back to asking other people about themselves and throwing yourself into their lives so you don't have to face your own. But you'll listen.
And you just keep lying. I talk to others because I care about them, you know!
[nods, amused] Oh, I'm not denying that. But it only means you kill two birds with one stone. And if you're trying to claim you hide things out of your caring for others, you're only deluding yourself.
[scowls again, indignant] I'm not deluding myself!
Huh. Really? Like never telling anyone you got stunned by those anti-Alliance thugs? That had something to do with caring about them, did it?
[stares, his jaw dropping] I...I didn't want them to worry! What does it matter?
[snorts] Exactly. Your well-being never matters. If you hide it enough, no one will have to worry, not even you. You can ignore that little voice in your head, telling you nothing's gonna work out the way you want it to--except you can't actually ignore that voice, can you? [smiles] That's why I'm here.
[moves back against the wall, shaking his head and turning away] Shut up!
Oh no, not yet. Let's try another! Was it because you cared for others that you decided not to share how many times you've been shocked during the First's little interrogations? Does hiding that help them, too? Even knowing the same thing could happen to them?
[turns back to him, aghast] I...I... [his expression crumbles] They weren't strong shocks! And everyone's suffering here... It's all different. Who knows what'll happen to anyone?
Excuses!
No!
[grins] They are. So tell me another. Tell me why you haven't called the Doctor. Why haven't you warned him that they're asking you about him?
[Oliver looks positively mortified at that question] Because he doesn't need to worry about that! I haven't heard from him, and it must be because he's...[his voice catches]...he's suffering, too.
[the other Oliver regards him for a long moment before breaking out in a triumphant smirk] You know, I think that one's true! Coward. No wonder you're so sure you'll never make it home.
[Oliver gasps, tensing and immediately moving forward again, his fists clenched in anger] You're lying!
And there you go deluding yourself again. You've put the pieces together by now. A normal life between you and Chloe Elliot? Not going to happen. Ever.
[shakes his head vehemently, his expression anguished. the fight seems to go out of him as quickly as it came, and when he speaks next, his words are soft] The Doctor promised to bring me home again.
[snorts, breaking out in laughter] And haven't we heard that one before!
[confidently, shaking his head again] No. No, he keeps his promises!
[nods in agreement, smirking again] He tries to--give or take a few years. But come on, Oliver, think! How many times have you been carried off by now? Do you think the Gate--or something else like it--isn't gonna get activated again? Do you even believe--really believe--you're gonna make it home this time? After all, somebody has to fight to protect the others. And at the rate things are going so far...
[stands, advancing on his other self now] Shut up! We'll find a way out of this. We've got the Doctor--we've got everyone--working together.
[rolls his eyes] Give it a rest. You don't actually believe in all that.
I do!
[regards him for a moment, expression placid] You mean you used to. You don't anymore.