♠ | 023 | Video

[lastrat]

[When the feed comes on, it's to Bond's back, moving away from the camera. It only takes a moment for him to get far enough away that it's clear where he is - an empty, Barge standard room - and that he is not alone. Esther is sitting in a chair facing the camera. Bond steps around her, pulling off his tie and tugging her hands up to bind them in front of her. When he looks up at the camera, it's brief, and only to assure himself that the recording light is on.

As Esther rouses, she focuses, and immediately begins to tear up.] What are you doing? Let me go!

Stop that. [Bond is short with her, his patience gone. He's been back less than an hour; of course Esther would be the first to run into him.

When Esther shows no intention of obeying, Bond steps in front of her - not to hide that he backhands her, because that much is clear even without direct line of sight. He starts speaking without looking at the camera, moving around behind Esther again. He ignores her tears, and more than that, her cries for help.]

Usually I don't mind a good lie. [He reaches for the ribbon around her neck, and grabs a fistful of her hair when she shrieks and tosses her head. When he tears it away, there's a scar around her collar. He has to raise his voice, because the moment he pulls it free, she starts screaming like a wild thing, not the prim little girl she's been pretending to be.] But I think this one's gone far enough.

[Her wrists are next, and Bond pulls her arms up. Esther struggles, half rising; Bond shoves her back into the chair, and rips away the ribbons on her wrists, revealing more scars.]

Most of you will remember a flood where the Admiral thought it would be a good laugh to send us back to our youth. [He throws her arms back down, glaring a warning, and pulls a handkerchief from his jacket pocket. Bending over her shoulder, he drags the cloth over her face, holding up the makeup stained pocket square for the camera. He returns to the task, hand tight in her hair to keep her still, acting as though her shrieks don't phase him. The more makeup he wipes away, the less child-like she looks.] Esther tried to convince us that she'd been aged up instead of down. [Grabbing her by the jaw, he forces her mouth open so he can shove the handkerchief in as a temporary gag.]

She's a grown woman, responsible for the fire, my death and near death, and Ellie's attack. These scars are from a straitjacket - the one she wore when she was a teenager. She's been pretending to be eight for god knows how long - long before the Admiral decided she deserved a second chance. [He sneers.] I'd certainly disagree.

Comments

[routemistress]

Oh no you don't. James, pack it in right now while you still 'ave all your fingers. This isn't 'ow you do it.

[lastrat]

[James can be snarky if not quite talkative when he wants to be: right now, he's not interested in being fed someone else's morals. He doesn't answer.

[myresponsibility]

[Okay. So.

There are a lot of things Peter wants to say to this, chief among them holy shit. Holy shit, because he knows who Bond is and what he does for a living, probably better than most of the people on board do, but being a spy is not the same as being a warden, and he does not see this going. Well.

And he still feels kind of responsible for James, even beyond the whole "I used to be your warden" thing, and he's so not looking forward to people potentially calling for his head on a pike.

But then he listens to what he's actually saying, and this is just so messed up.]

Why? Why did she do this?

[lastrat]

That would be a good question for her.

[Not that he has any intention of removing the handkerchief: she's going to have to spit it out herself.]

Or her warden.

[lastincident]

If you don't stop abusing that inmate, regardless of what she's done to you, I will come and stop you. Forcibly.

[ There's nothing that trips Bruce's rage triggers like the abuse of a woman. A seeming child? It has him in the red -- or rather, the green -- already. ]

[lastrat]

Then do us all a favor and turn off your comm. [It's dismissive. He's not afraid of Bruce, though he knows what he can do, what he is: he remembers the other Barge.]

[patheticvillain]

[This is incredibly disturbing. What's more disturbing to Cassel, though, is the look on Bond's face. There's someone in there who's scaring him, the type of person who would have hurt him after Elena took over his mind.]

[He lets his fear show deliberately, and shakes his head.]

Hey. [His voice is mostly calm, a little tremulous.] How'd you find out?

[lastrat]

[It's manipulative, and for a moment he just stares Cassel's image down before turning his gaze on Esther instead. He's angry, about so many things, but this most certainly.]

Does that really matter? [He knows it should. It just doesn't right now, not to him.]

[mightthinkthat]

[Francis is surprised to see this. He's not especially sympathetic to the girl, apart from the knowledge that he doesn't want to be in her position. He recognises the need to appear innocent and if the child thing worked for her, hey, he's largely a live-and-let-live sort of guy. We all have our little defenses.

He also hasn't gotten as far as he has without realising that people have reasons for doing things, even people who bat about women. Particularly in a public setting. He's careful when he speaks.]

Wasn't there… a more… diplomatic way to reveal this information?

[He's just keeping to his wheelhouse, Bond, don't mind him.]

[lastrat]

Possibly.

[He's not bothered by the accusations or the anger - he's already on edge, already angry, and he's not interested in fights that aren't already incoming. So he stays neutral.]

[darknessb4me]

This is what comes of not minding your own business.

[lastrat]

And you're very good at that.

Private

[this_corrosion]

Mate, just- I don't know what's going on, but put her down.

[Then Gary's brain catches up.]

She killed you?

Private

[lastrat]

[He only answers because of the question - otherwise, the likelihood that he wouldn't bother is very, very high.]

She killed me.

not here

[agoodboyreally]

[oh god what is this he is not good with computer

he isn't surprised there's someone preparing to torture a child, and isn't shocked that it's the girl he met a few hours ago, but she's not a little girl at all, is she

she's like him, almost.

he has to stay out of this when he doesn't know who is yet who, where the power is, but he watches in rapt horror until what everyone else has to say finishes playing out.]

[Video]

[mistconduct]

[When the video starts, Chris is too stunned by what Bond is doing to muster words. He's in relative shock at the violence here, and mid-way through starts to struggle to get to his feet and to his dog, freaking out that it's some sort of insane storm that's making Bond act like a psychopath.

He's halfway out the door when what he's doing catches up to Chris.

It's so unbelievable, it takes a second to recognize]


What.


What the fuck.


No, seriously.

What the fuck.

[Video]

[lastrat]

[He doesn't answer beyond an exhale, doesn't look at the screen, but it's easy to imagine an eye roll. This is the closest to the real world he's felt in a long time.]

[Video]

[deadly_ned]

[The Piemaker didn't know. Hadn't known. He knew Esther for an inmate, he knew she must be here for a reason and that maybe everything wasn't quite all sugar and spice with her, but never in a million years would he have guessed this.

A part of him feels wounded and betrayed by this revelation. He likes Esther and trusted her and kept his dog with her. He pushes those thoughts aside for now to deal with the bigger issue at hand]

James. Mr. Bond. Sir.

Please don't hurt her. Let her go. This isn't..

Iris is right. This is only making things worse. She has a warden, he'll take care of it. Just don't...hurt her.

[Video]

[lastrat]

Yes, her warden has been charmingly effective. [Perhaps it's not fair, but Bond isn't concerned with what's fair beyond this, not right now. His mouth pinches, and he nearly rolls his eyes.]

Does she look to be dying to you? [He never intended to do more damage than he's already done.]

[codename_duchess]

That killed you? Jesus Christ, Bond, she's the size of an ant. How easy to beat are you?

[lastrat]

Only one way to find out. [Round 2 is happening soon, buddy. >(]

[diealone]

[Things are just getting weirder and weirder, and while Jack has been keeping a relatively low profile while he tries to come to terms with his new situation (and has since changed out of the khaki jumpsuit he showed up in, so he looks less like a sweaty janitor), this catches his attention, because what the fuck.

He doesn't bother introducing himself, and as viscerally upsetting it is to see a little girl hurt like this, and then to see and hear the - frankly - disturbing reveal, there's a part of him that's confused, hurt, and maybe a little furious.

Maybe a lot furious.]

How long did she get away with this?

[lastrat]

[New face. Bond doesn't spend long on it.]

She's been here about six months. [That long.]

[fireincarnate]

[Jean is, very carefully, keeping her own emotions in check, but her scowl is absolutely furious.]

Stop it. Right now. Or I will make you.

[lastrat]

[He doesn't answer. He gives the impression that he is trying very hard not to roll his eyes, though. This is as far as he intended, and in his mind, what he's done thus far is nothing. He heads for the device, kills the feed. He's done here.]

[bodilesswarrior]

[Barbara's expression is stone-cold. She likes you, Bond, and she is disappointed.]

So you're slapping around a tiny woman who was bound in a straight-jacket as a teenager, have I got that so far?

[lastrat]

[So is Bond. He's not interested in judgement, and doesn't respond: his view of the situation is (biased) very different.]

[OKAY SO BACKDATED TO LIKE. MINUTES AFTER POSTING?] [also VOICE]

[wemaketheworld]

Stop now.

[That voice? Pure menace and rage, dragged out across broken glass. He's furious.]

AYE AYE

[lastrat]

[Bond has heard a lot of voices like that, and he's glad it's only voice, if he's being honest: the mask might make that fucking unsettling.]

And I had so much more planned. [It's sarcasm: he never intended more than this.]

[sssiiiiirrrrr]

[People are running to the rescue before Horatio even sees this, so he actually waits a little while before responding. Long enough for him to calm himself down a little, at least.]

May I ask what made you take this course of action, Sir?

[lastrat]

[An answer doesn't come till much, much later, when he's in zero and less likely to punch something inanimate.]

Inaction.

[godsays]

You're a warden, and she's an inmate. No matter how much she deserves it, you don't do it this way.

[lastrat]

[Bond doesn't answer; he's too fed up, too angry.]