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Post by Dr. Walter Everett Burkhardt on Oct 5, 2011 0:26:41 GMT -5
"Going somewhere?" Walter asked in his smooth voice. He was hidden in shadow when they first stepped outside, and he waited a beat after speaking before he stepped back from the wall and into the flickering orange light of the streetlamp.
"I certainly hope you weren't planning on leaving without saying goodbye."
The truth was, he had every intention of letting them go. They were no good to him here, and he could send Roman to keep an eye on them. Besides, Siobhan's tracker would ensure that he would always be able to find her when he needed her. He only wished he'd had the chance to implant one in Nikola as well, in case they got separated. But before he let them go, he wanted them to know that he was still one step ahead of them. They couldn't beat him, and it was pointless to even try.
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Post by Nikola Vlcek on Oct 5, 2011 12:59:36 GMT -5
But Nikola froze before he even heard the voice. When the door fell closed behind him, he knew immediately That they were not alone, and he reached for Siobhan, but she was already in front of him. If they were about to get caught, he wanted to protect her from any trouble.
He didn't recognize the voice, though hearing it had not surprised him. He did, however, recognize That face from earlier, and his distrust for the doctor grew.
"Fresh air," Nikola forced himself to respond, his voice gruff. His body was stiff, subconsciously ready for a fight, and he drew himself up to his full height, standing a few inches over Walter.
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Post by Siobhan O'Hurley on Oct 5, 2011 21:36:10 GMT -5
Siobhan's eyes widened and she stared at Dr. Burkhardt. She couldn't go back in there now. Not after getting a little taste of freedom. She set her jaw and stiffened her body, also preparing herself for a fight. Surely if they both took him on, they would be able to get away. He couldn't fight them both, could he? She would do just about anything if she could avoid going back in there.
"Dr. Burkhardt..." she said. "We were just... I wanted to look at the stars."
Of course, looking at the stars in London was pretty much impossible, with all the clouds and smoke and smog that hung over the city. It didn't matter. It was a lie, and they both knew it.
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Post by Dr. Walter Everett Burkhardt on Oct 5, 2011 22:06:05 GMT -5
Walter smirked, but in the darkness it might have looked more like a simple smile. Yes, he was enjoying this. Too much, in fact. They were both squirming, making excuses (lame ones at that), and preparing for a fight. It reminded him of the days back at the training center when he used to catch them talking and whispering together.
"There are no stars in London, Siobhan," he said mildly. "But by all means, far be it from me to stop you from getting a little fresh air. This is hardly a prison, you know."
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Post by Nikola Vlcek on Oct 6, 2011 12:29:34 GMT -5
It didn't sit well with Nikola, and his unblinking gaze followed the doctor's every move. He shouldn't have even still been on call, or out here. And he didn't like fear in Siobhan's eyes when she saw him.
If Walter was trying to tell them that he was smarter, Nikola's silent message was that he would kill the man if he made a threatening move- literally kill him.
He put his hand on Siobhan's back, guiding her away from Walter. "Let's sit under that tree for a while," he whispered.
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Post by Siobhan O'Hurley on Oct 6, 2011 23:34:04 GMT -5
Siobhan's eyes never left Walter, even as she allowed Nikola to lead her away from the building. She was suddenly noticing something... different in the man that she thought she could trust. The way he looked at them together... the sort of smug look on his face... It almost felt like he'd set them up somehow and was laughing at them.
"I'm not going back in there," she whispered fiercely, tearing her eyes away from the doctor at last and raising them to look up at Nikola. "They can't make me go back in there. I'll go crazy if I go back in there, I swear I will..."
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Post by Nikola Vlcek on Oct 7, 2011 16:29:14 GMT -5
"We are not going back," Nikola replied, voice quiet, eyes still on Walter. He could take the man if he tried to raise the alarm or stop them.
But he wasn't going to run until Walter walked back inside. They were too close to being gone to lose That now. "Just relax." He was still vocally selective, anyway. All he knew was the desperation in her words. He would get her away from here.
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Post by Siobhan O'Hurley on Oct 7, 2011 23:53:16 GMT -5
She trusted him. Nothing bad could possibly happen to her while he was with her. She didn't know how she knew that... it was like a feeling, deeply embedded in her soul. Maybe it was crazy to trust someone she had only just met... But some people thought she was crazy, anyway, didn't they? But he didn't. He knew she wasn't. He was getting her away from this place.
When he told her to relax, she nodded and closed her eyes, trying to do some of the deep breathing exercises that Dr. Burkhardt had taught her. She was just so afraid that she'd end up being taken back in that place again.
"Do you know where we can go?" she whispered, looking up at him. He didn't have to name a place... only that he knew one. That was all she wanted to know.
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Post by Nikola Vlcek on Oct 13, 2011 23:25:11 GMT -5
"I know a place," Nikola replied, his accent slipping through a bit. He was usually quick to pick up and mimic the accent of anywhere he was, but when he let his guard down, the Czech in him came out. In fact, when he was triggered (not that he remembered this) he reverted to his native tongue rather than English, because when he was triggered, everything was instinctual.
But he didn't really know a place. He remembered nothing before waking up in a hospital bed- he didn't even remember getting to St. Mungo's. He didn't know his way around London. He didn't know who he could trust (so he assumed no one).
"Come on," he said at length, sure that Walter wouldn't be coming back out... and if they waited much longer, someone surely would to check on them. "We'll stay at an inn tonight, and move out tomorrow, after some sleep. Come with me, Siobhan."
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Post by Siobhan O'Hurley on Oct 19, 2011 16:56:09 GMT -5
Siobhan's heart was pounding furiously. If they were doing this, she had to make sure they didn't get caught. It had been a while before she'd had any proper exercise beyond the limited rehabilitation facilities at the hospital. "If they come after us, and I'm not moving fast enough, promise you won't wait for me," she whispered. "I don't want to slow you down."
As much as she didn't want to go back there, she really didn't want them both to be caught. If he was free, maybe he could find a way to get her out again.
She took one last glance at the hated gray building that had been her home for far too long. It no longer mattered to her where they were going... she trusted him and would go where ever he led her. "Let's go."
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Post by Dr. Walter Everett Burkhardt on Oct 23, 2011 22:37:53 GMT -5
Walter actually hadn't gone anywhere. He'd gone inside, but he was watching them from the window. Oh, he knew they were going to escape, and he had no intentions of stopping them. In fact, they didn't know it, but he'd even turned off the silent alarm that would have gone off when they opened the back door. He made it easier for them, because he wanted them on the outside. As nice as it was to have them so close and under his control, there were entirely too many other people around. Nikola would never submit to a therapy session, and he'd make Siobhan suspicious, too. No, he had other ways of controlling them, though they didn't know it.
He stood, watching them, his face only barely visible from behind the filthy glass. Any moment now, they would bolt, and he was actually excited about it. Soon he could start to bring his plan into motion....
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Post by Nikola Vlcek on Oct 24, 2011 12:02:14 GMT -5
A nod was all she got from him. The truth was, Nikola had Just risked so much for her. His anonymity was the only thing he really valued, and his gut told him that she was more important than even that. He wasn't just going to leave her behind.
But he also wanted to avoid the argument, so he just nodded, not even glancing behind him as he took her hand and just began walking. He wouldn't run, because it would draw more attention to them.
Within minutes, the hospital was out of sight, and for Kola, out of mind. "Are you hungry?"
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Post by Siobhan O'Hurley on Oct 24, 2011 23:53:06 GMT -5
It was too easy. This time she knew it, and it troubled her. Dr. Burkhardt seemed to have just let them go. She kept looking over her shoulder and all around her, expecting men in white coats to step out from behind a corner at any second.
It didn't make sense. Why would he just let them walk out? Unless he wanted them to escape... But that wasn't possible, was it?
She was still thinking these things and worrying as they walked quickly down the street. The hospital might have been out of sight, but for Siobhan, it was definitely not out of mind.
"I... yes... But let's not stop just yet," she said, sounding very nervous and jumpy. "I think... we should go to the other side of the city. We could take the bus. Or the underground." She had a little money; of course, it was all in galleons, but they should be able to get somewhere with it. Maybe they could take the Knight Bus. Just something to get a little distance between them and the hospital.
"Oh! Pizza!" she exclaimed suddenly, noticing a pizza place across the street. "We have to get pizza... I haven't had it in so long..."
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Post by Nikola Vlcek on Nov 1, 2011 16:10:25 GMT -5
Nikola's mind was racing. If he were alone, he'd be out of London within the hour... out of England as soon as he could swing it. And as connected to Siobhan as he felt, he didn't know her story. He didn't know if she would be okay with just escaping entirely. And it was setting in with an alarming clarity now that he didn't know where to take her. He didn't know who he could trust, so he couldn't leave her alone with anyone.
So they kept walking while he tried to sort things out in his head. There was the nagging bit, too, that kept trying to figure out what had happened before he ended up in St Mungos, but the memories of that just weren't there. Not yet.
He took a slow, deep breath and glanced at the pizza place. "Now, or do you want to wait?" He felt like they were far enough from the hospital. Besides, no one would look for them until rounds the next morning... unless the doctor already raised the alarm.
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Post by Siobhan O'Hurley on Nov 1, 2011 23:35:38 GMT -5
That was what she was worried about--that Walter would have raised the alarm and that they'd have people out there looking for them. Maybe even the Ministry... and if they caught them, they might take them somewhere even worse than the hospital... they might take them to Azkaban.
It just didn't make sense that Walter had let them go so easily. So either he had gone inside to alert the authorities in the hopes of trapping them, or he wanted them to escape. Which wasn't possible, right?
She wanted to stop now, but there would be other pizza places. She wanted to get more distance between them and the hospital. "Let's keep moving," she said. "I want to be away from that place."
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Post by Nikola Vlcek on Nov 13, 2011 21:32:27 GMT -5
Somehow, Nikola didn't think that anyone was coming to get them. They could stop at the cafeteria in the hospital, and no one would question it. The thought unsettled him, but it made things less stressful.
Eventually, they would have to get out of London, hopefully even the country. They could start over somewhere else, as new people, and never come back here. Nikola had a strange feeling about the doctor, an evil feeling that he couldn't place. And he definitely didn't like it that he was the one who happened to be outside when they came out.
"We're about 200 km from Birmingham. I'd like to make it there by morning, if you're up to it."
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Post by Siobhan O'Hurley on Nov 13, 2011 23:28:48 GMT -5
Siobhan had been in that place too long, because she couldn't remember measurements and distances. So she just nodded numbly, even as she kept constantly looking all around her for signs of danger.
Nothing could happen to her now. She was with Nikola, and somehow that meant something profound, even though she didn't understand why. It just felt like... she'd been waiting for him.
"I'll try," she said at last. "I might need to stop along the way, but not yet. I just... I'd feel better if we get a little further away from... there."
She shivered, and it had nothing to do with the damp chill in the London air.
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Post by Nikola Vlcek on Nov 14, 2011 19:47:24 GMT -5
"We need transportation." They couldnt do Birmingham on foot.
He glanced over his shoulder at the pizza place. They needed food and transportation but he had no money. Did Siobhan?
It didn't matter, he wouldn't take from her anyway. "Stay here. I'll bring you back something to eat. Stay here... you understand? I will come back for you. In just a couple minutes."
He was going to steal their dinner, and he needed to be alone to do it.
She was tired and emotionally drained... they could eat and walk if she wanted to get away, but she should eat.
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Post by Siobhan O'Hurley on Nov 20, 2011 0:13:07 GMT -5
Siobhan nodded and sat down on a nearby bench. "I'll wait here," she said, but she kept looking around, still fearful of being followed.
She did have money, actually, if he asked her for it. But it didn't occur to her to offer it. Instead, she was focusing on the transportation idea and wondering how she could secure some kind of transportation for them. The Knight Bus would have been an option, except for one thing... Siobhan didn't have a wand. They had taken it away from her when she was taken to the hospital, and it was safely secured in Dr. Burkhardt's office. She didn't know if Nikola had a wand, but she assumed he didn't.
They might possibly be able to blend in better on a muggle bus, and she could use the small amount of money in her bag to pay the bus fare. She just wasn't sure if he would be comfortable riding on a bus.... But did they have a better option? She didn't know how to drive a muggle vehicle, and he probably didn't, either. Maybe they could take the Underground, but she didn't know much about the muggle subway system.
These thoughts were running through her head at a dizzying rate as she watched Nikola hurry off in search of food.
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Post by Nikola Vlcek on Nov 20, 2011 13:34:53 GMT -5
Nikola, meanwhile, slipped into the pizza place, which was actually quite busy. This, of course, was a good thing and made it easier for him. He watched for a couple of minutes to see how this worked.
He glanced outside, looking for Siobhan. It was dark and he couldn't quite see her, but he somehow just knew that she was still there, waiting for him. He turned back to the counter, acting like he was going to walk out, and discreetly slid a box off the counter. In the next second, it was as though he just disappeared. He couldn't be bothered to care that stealing as wrong.
"Still okay?" he asked her as he rejoined her.
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