sixwordstories | (no subject)

[She steps up behind him, rests her hand on his shoulder.]

Phil.

Are you awake?

[He jumps slightly, he had been aware to a certain point of what he was doing but so focused he wouldn't have heard an elephant destroy the room.]

I think I was......

[She holds perfectly still, that one hand giving him a firm point of contact.]

Do you know? What it means?

[Phil looks at what he just spent an hour scraping into the wall. He shouldn't know what it means, the fact that he does should scare him shitless. But he does and it doesn't.]

It's a code....and coordinates. Garrett started it on my door.....and then I saw it and knew how to complete it.

[Her eyes scan over the wall, trying to put together the pieces.]

Can you transcribe it?

[Phil looks around and spots a pad of paper and a pen, puzzled as to why he went for the wall and not the paper sitting right near him. In quick sure strokes he transcribes the code part, but when he tries for the coordinates it's like his hand won't move.]

I can do half....not the whole thing.

[She stays, looking at the transcription on the wall, before she hears the hesitation in his voice. She turns, and steps to his side, looking at what he's written on the page.]

What's wrong?

It's like the coordinates are just for....me or can only be written down once. I can't put them on the paper.

[ Concern lines her face. ]

Can you identify the source of this compulsion? Is there -- another entity directing your actions?

No clear voice at least not yet. It feels like I'm....changing but not the same way as Garret whose mind just opened up and he couldn't handle it.

[She dry fires a handgun behind him, but it's not a threat. (She considers the worst-case-scenario kill order rescinded.) She's just signalling her presence.]

What happens if you're not fine?

[For the record, scribbling all over the wall doesn't look fine.]

[He turns suddenly feeling vulnerable dressed in his sleepwear the piece of door still clutched in one hand. He swallows and answers her in a rough voice.]

You take me down and lock me in the Fridge.

[He's not sure if it was the emptiness of the bed or the scritch of something against the wall that drew him out of bed, but either way, he finds himself standing behind Phil, staring at the symbols on the wall, and his stomach drops somewhere around his feet.]

Phil?

[Phil blinks and turns around in one smooth motion that doesn't really seem natural. He looks at Clint then at the piece of metal in his hand.]

I needed to finish it.

[Clint tenses, his heart racing, when Phil turns because Phil's no klutz, but he's never been that smooth. It does nothing to dispel the concern building inside him.

His eyes flick to the symbols.]

Finish what?

[He'd seen the door that Garrett had carved similar symbols into, and he'd had a bad feeling then. He's not sure how he feels about whatever the symbols meant needing to be finished though.]

[Phil turns back to the wall and studies the lines and circles his head tilted slightly. His mind is whirling with who, what, where and why.]

It's code and coordinates. Garret only had focus enough to do the code. He couldn't see clearly enough for the rest.

Code and coordinates. To where?

[He moves up to stand beside Phil, laying his hand on Phil's shoulder.]

This is because of that serum, isn't it?

Talk to me babe.

[Phil keeps staring at the code his mind whirling as he sees what Garret didn't.]

I had to finish it. I had to finish the map.

I don't know yet, but I think I will soon.

[He turns to look back at Clint his movements still a little too smooth, like he isn't really awake right now.]

Yes....Clint I think it's changing me into something not human.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? 'Cause I saw what happened to Garrett. [And he's scared of it happening to Phil too. He slides his hand up, cupping the back of Phil's neck.] I lost you, okay? I don't want to do it again.

Garret had GH 325 mixed with Extermis it speeded up what I saw when working on TAHTI. This feels different.

[Phil leans into the touch using it as a anchor.]

You aren't going to lose me.

[Clint breathes out a gentle sigh and leans forward until their foreheads are touching, his eyes closing. A small amount of the distress has eased but he's still anxious about those coordinates. He has a feeling they're not going to like where they lead.]

I better not. I don't think I could take that again.

[He swallows back the rush of tears threatening to well up and draws back, opening his eyes and smiling at Phil.] Come on. Leave the freaky wall craving and let's go back to bed, huh?

[Phil nods both terrified about hurting Clint and the others and about going back to bed. He has a feeling his dreams/nightmares are going to get a hell of a lot worse now.]

I don't think I could either. Dying sucks. Lets just go back to bed and...be together okay.

Is it done? Are you alright?