078 - Flashback Theatre with Henry West
Mar. 22nd, 2009 02:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
major_westThe first time I had to shoot a civilian-- hostile, actually. They lose civilian status the moment the Infection hits their system-- it was the first I'd actually been faced with the Infected. In my position, I only had to supervise. Direct. For the first days, I was perfectly isolated from what was really happening. But as our numbers dwindled and the other officers...
She was an older woman, blonde, dressed as though she'd been coming back from a nice dinner. She reminded me of my mother. From a distance, I might've even thought it was her, but... No. I don't believe she ever made it out of London.
Still, the similarities were there-- strengthened, because I wanted to see them, I think, despite the blood on its face and clothing, even in its hair-- and I didn't know what to do. For all my training, I froze, and I let it tackle me. Perhaps I should have died then, but I managed to grab hold of my service pistol, and I shot it once, in the stomach, and it was enough to momentarily stun the Infected. I got out from under it, and I shot it again, in the head.
I thought it was the worst thing I'd ever done. But every time I had to kill an Infected-- adults, children, men and women-- it became easier, until I thought nothing of it at all.Sometimes, it was even fun. A game.
That day, I found my men and returned to the base. Every day, less and less came back. Eventually, we moved to a barricade outside of Manchester. After that, a fortified manor. It seemed safe, at first, but I knew it was a tomb. By then, I'd realised that dealing with the Infected was little more than attrition warfare. We just had to wait until they'd exhausted their numbers.
It's simple enough, in theory.
[OOC: BACKGROUND! He meant to make this private to Billy, messed up, then when he realized others had read it just went "Well... FUCK IT, IT'S TOO LATE >("]
She was an older woman, blonde, dressed as though she'd been coming back from a nice dinner. She reminded me of my mother. From a distance, I might've even thought it was her, but... No. I don't believe she ever made it out of London.
Still, the similarities were there-- strengthened, because I wanted to see them, I think, despite the blood on its face and clothing, even in its hair-- and I didn't know what to do. For all my training, I froze, and I let it tackle me. Perhaps I should have died then, but I managed to grab hold of my service pistol, and I shot it once, in the stomach, and it was enough to momentarily stun the Infected. I got out from under it, and I shot it again, in the head.
I thought it was the worst thing I'd ever done. But every time I had to kill an Infected-- adults, children, men and women-- it became easier, until I thought nothing of it at all.
That day, I found my men and returned to the base. Every day, less and less came back. Eventually, we moved to a barricade outside of Manchester. After that, a fortified manor. It seemed safe, at first, but I knew it was a tomb. By then, I'd realised that dealing with the Infected was little more than attrition warfare. We just had to wait until they'd exhausted their numbers.
It's simple enough, in theory.
[OOC: BACKGROUND! He meant to make this private to Billy, messed up, then when he realized others had read it just went "Well... FUCK IT, IT'S TOO LATE >("]
Action
Date: 2009-03-23 10:12 pm (UTC)[Sylar watched West take the seat across from him, forgetting that the man worked the dinner shift in the kitchens. He himself worked breakfasts but the two shifts rarely saw each other. And Sylar skipped out as often as he could anyway. It wasn't fair that he should have to work when so few others did, especially given that half of them working were wardens or punished by their wardens.]
"It sounds great." [He smiled lightly at West's greeting, trying to remain friendly. It had been awhile since they had really spoken and the last decent conversation had been during a flood. It was.. a bit awkward. He suspected they both shared that sort of nervous embarrassment as much as they both might try to deny it.] "..How are you?"
Action
Date: 2009-03-23 11:12 pm (UTC)I'm fine. And yourself?
Action
Date: 2009-03-23 11:15 pm (UTC)"I'm.. fine." [The two were quite the pair. They were both stubborn in their own way and enjoyed their privacy.] "Is Billy--?"
Action
Date: 2009-03-23 11:22 pm (UTC)He's... also fine. I'm... [He had no idea what he was trying to articulate, so he just blurted out whatever came to mind] giving him a bit of space these days.
[Well, that was an awkward thing to say. It was true, sort of. He'd been spending quite a lot of time on his own lately, although he always came back to their-- er, Billy's room at night]
Re: Action
Date: 2009-03-23 11:41 pm (UTC)"Is everything all right?" [It was awkward, even as he said it. He felt like he was trying to force a friendship here where there might not be one, desperate for people to rely on outside of the Factory Man that would be abandoning him soon.] "Why are you.. giving him space?"
Action
Date: 2009-03-23 11:56 pm (UTC)Action
Date: 2009-03-24 12:30 am (UTC)[It was guessing.]
Action
Date: 2009-03-24 12:52 am (UTC)[He stayed silent for a while, then:] He wants to help me. And he's such a... [He closed his eyes and smiled faintly] bright and vibrant person.
[And then there's reality. He looked at Sylar, frowning a little bit.] And I don't want to rob him of that.
Action
Date: 2009-03-24 01:05 am (UTC)[Sylar had basically abandoned any pretenses of being polite or respectful. Rather, he was just being open. Hopefully the other man would do the same. Then again, it was always easier to be open in questions than answers.]
"You think you stop him from being what he is? You must be joking. West, during the flood.. he was only bright and vibrant when he was with you."
Action
Date: 2009-03-24 01:10 am (UTC)It's pathetic. ["It" being code for "I'm"] I don't understand how he can put up with it.
Action
Date: 2009-03-24 01:16 am (UTC)"Maybe he's the same.. That he--" [Sylar didn't like the word "function" since his and Prefect's argument about the Factory, even if they were on good terms again.] "..needs your help in his own way. People don't give so much without getting something in return. In helping you, he's probably fulfilling some desire or flaw of his own."
Action
Date: 2009-03-24 01:32 am (UTC)[He didn't sound quite sure about that. Still, he felt a bit surprised that he'd actually outright admitted how he'd been feeling. Perhaps it was safe to do it with Sylar; they weren't so close or so distant that it would seem too awkward.]
It's a position I've never been in before. Being the one who... [He paused] who's taken care of. [West cringed a bit at those words, as though he hadn't even meant to say them.]
Nevermind that. Have you been doing well since the Port?
Action
Date: 2009-03-24 04:34 am (UTC)[Sylar felt in that same position of hesitant admittance. This was how friendship was built, right? Trust and openness. Or something. He shifted to fold his forearms one over the other on the table, leaning forward a bit as he thought about the last couple weeks. He had been through everything and somehow survived to sit here with West for fish and chips.]
"Sometimes.. it's nice to be taken care of for a change." [He left the statement ambiguous, leaving it open as to whether he was referring to he and Prefect or West and Billy.]
Action
Date: 2009-03-24 04:46 am (UTC)[He was a bit surprised by that revelation-- but then, he didn't really know Prefect outside of his role as "salesman"]
It's a welcome change, isn't it? Staying in somebody else's flat after so much time spent in a room that simply offers the illusion of home.
Action
Date: 2009-03-24 05:28 am (UTC)"I guess." [He didn't sound so sure. Even though it wasn't so bad by the end, he had never really gotten used to sharing a mattress beneath a desk. Or the strict organization of the room. Or any of the other things that made Prefect's room so bizarrely unique. It was a refreshing break from his room, but he wasn't sure he liked Prefect's room outside of spending time with Prefect.]
"Are you staying in your room at all right now?" [It came as a sort of realization, a probing sort of question. Because the only thing better than avoiding his warden for a week was avoiding his warden for two weeks. He didn't really believe Claude suddenly gave a damn and wanted to work together.]
Action
Date: 2009-03-24 05:37 pm (UTC)I'm glad you have that.
[A part of him was still feeling a bit guilty for totally forgetting about Sylar in the Port, so he was glad that, at least, there was probably somebody else on the Barge who his friend could count on.]
Normally, I go there to change clothes. Or... to cook, when I don't wish to use the facilities here. And to shower, sometimes. [He shrugged] My bathroom's better than Billy's.
Action
Date: 2009-03-25 12:16 am (UTC)"How have you been, otherwise?" [Again the conversation had hit a lull, an awkward point where each probably realized that they didn't know the other as much as they liked to think they did. Sylar often opted to ignore these subtle hints, instead choosing to pursue what might have been a dead friendship. If it was even that.] "I.. never pictured you as a cook."