Starring:
Date: November 30, 2009
Summary:
Tracy connects with Micah over the net.
"They Won't Win, They'll Pay"
INTERNETS
"If you are with me, America, please don't hesitate to contact us. The government won't be able to track it, this much I can guarantee. Be free, friends."
The girl's voice transmits through tinny laptop speakers, her face displayed on its screen through a news website's video player. The glow of the picture spreads across the troubled, conflicted face of the computer's owner — Tracy — and makes her skin pale and blue in an otherwise pitch black living room. In a robe, she sits with her back against the arm of the white couch. She draws her knees up on the cushions, off to the side and scrolls the video back, trying to find— there. An e-mail address. moc.liamg|leber.datrebil#moc.liamg|leber.datrebil. It might be a longshot, but then again, Tracy is good at putting two and two together.
The e-mail she writes from her personal account couldn't be any simpler. All she types is 'Micah?' before it's sent. Prepared for a wait, she starts to shut her laptop.
Micah is laying on his bed pretending to write an essay that he'd finished days ago. Rebelling under the guise of homework isn't exactly easy for the teen, but he's managed to keep up the facade lately with everyone. Including Cam. He plans to tell Charlotte everything he's been doing when it's relevant. And then… an email? Using nothing other than his mind he scans it quickly. Wrinkling his nose, a frown plays on his lips. Who knows his name? Pursing his lips together, the reply to the email is almost immediate, "Who is this?" But in sensing that the laptop is shutting down, it makes a bleeping noise in protest.
As the top of the computer begins to lower, pressed languidly down by one hand, Tracy starts to slide her legs off the couch. The window of time for her to catch the message is almost gone; if it weren't for the beep, she might have missed it. Skeptically, but with a reserved hope, she pushes the screen back up and reads the message. Her lips purse for an instant. Warily, she types her own reply. Simple, just as the last. Testing the waters.
'Tracy.' SEND.
"Tracy?!" Micah says rather than types. He's looked for her some, but not recently. His lips curl upwards at his own excitement, and the text comes through as quickly as the last time: "Tracy, are you okay?! I haven't seen you since our stint in the Human Resources room! Where did they take you? Ivory got us released. Cam and I are both okay!"
Tracy's eyes widen slightly, rapidly reading over the text and skimming it over a second and third time. Unwitting furrows find their way into her brow, decidedly unnerved. She tries to start a chat with "Rebel" on the e-mail site to make this easier. She forgoes answering any of Micah's questions for the time being. Instead…
'I think I need your help with something.'
And Micah responds to the chat box just as quickly. His eyes widen at the notion of Tracy needing his help. He narrows his eyes slightly and tilts his head. She wouldn't sell him out again, would she? He purses his lips together for a moment and then recalls Max's arm. With a smirk he decides Tracy's safe now.
'What's going on? And what can I do? I'll try to help as best I can…'
Tracy's reply arrives. 'You know me.'
She shifts on the couch to sit cross-legged and pull the computer to her, settling in with a determined look about her.
'I don't know you. I don't remember. Something happened to me.'
Concern occupies Micah's face as his eyebrows furrow and his lips curl downwards into a frown. What did they do to her? Is this really Tracy? Pursing his lips together he just tilts his head and then nods as he sends his own reply, 'Yes. We met in person about a month ago.'
'I contacted you as my Rebel alias before that. You said you would help us find Peter Petrelli.' There's a pause before a final line of text comes through, 'But you turned us in until you found out we're kids. Then you froze Max's arm off to protect us and wound up in this white room with us … all had tubes in our noses.
What Danko said last night suddenly makes a whole lot of sense. Learning that she sold out and set someone up is not her proudest moment. Great. She winces slightly and brings a few fingers to her browline as if she has a headache before she sends another message.
'I remember pieces. But I don't remember you or Cam. I'm still trying to figure out why. Ivory is helping me. He got me out too.'
'I'm glad that you're out.' Micah's response comes quickly. 'Some of our friends rescued us from the hotel Ivory got us put up in.' There's a pause. 'I don't think the government likes me much.' And another, 'Probably even less now…'
'We have that in common.' Understatement. 'An agent from AP came to me. He told me you should turn yourself in. It's why I know about you now.' Tracy glances about the dark apartment as if the shadows hold answers or hidden threats before she sends another message. 'Don't do it.'
'Why would I turn myself in? They just released me and know what turning myself in looks like…" Micah frowns on the other side of the laptop. Something isn't right here. 'And why did they think you do it?' Deep frown lines appear around his lips while worry lines collect on his forehead. 'Tracy… what was the agent's name? If I have that maybe I can get some information on him.'
Again, Tracy's reply comes in due time, not in a flash like Micah's. 'I only know him as Danko. He's out for blood. Mine and probably yours. The Sen. is the only thing stopping him but he can't control everything.'
There are several moments that pass before Micah sends anything else on. He's checking the Alpha Protocol files and finds… NOTHING. With a frown he sends another message on, 'He's not in the list of AP people. Why does he want your blood? I know why he wants mine… I keep helping people like us. And I manipulate technology so I'm hard to catch…'
There are several moments that pass before Micah sends anything else on. He's checking the Alpha Protocol files and finds… giant holes where there should be information. With a frown he sends another message on, 'The details are vague about him. I have the general stuff, but three years ago he seemed to fall off the face of the earth. Why does he want your blood? I know why he wants mine… I keep helping people like us. And I manipulate technology so I'm hard to catch…'
He manipulates technology. That makes sense. Tracy has this realization for the second time. The vague answers regarding the agent only cause her to glower off to the side; meant for the man in question, not the boy somewhere across the world. She returns to typing. 'Let's just say I wasn't a model prisoner.' Micah doesn't need to know more than that, as far as she's concerned.
'It's not really that there's nothing there. Things have been taken offline. I can't get to them this way. If I was in the States and closer to the building …' Micah doesn't finish the thought and thinks he knows what Tracy will say about that. 'They didn't drug you? I couldn't use my ability there if I wanted…'
He turned on Tracy's cellphone once though. I think if it went online at all he'd be able to trace it back to the computer… because he goes through the electricity as much as online.'
'No.' Tracy replies quickly,. If text could be bitter, hers would be. After a moment, she clarifies: 'They put me under heat with chains - I couldn't move.'
… For the most part.
'If you're not in the US where are you?' she sends.
'Wait. Don't tell me.' Just incase. It's entirely possible that a tech from the Protocol could get into her computer.
'I'm safe,' Micah responds quickly. He won't tell her. 'If you want to come here, just message me. I'll send a friend who can bring you.' He frowns thought. 'I know we can't just hide forever, but we need to regroup, figure out a plan, and try to execute it as best we can.' He frowns as he asks, 'How is Ivory doing? I heard he was missing?"
This time, there's a slightly longer pause. This kid is sure organized for his age. 'Don't worry about Ivory. He'll fix this. It seems safer for you to hide.' Tracy says nothing of what's safest for her, although she does add: 'Thanks for the offer.'
'Okay.' Micah's response is short as he purses his lips again. 'We need to not just hide though. Not forever. That's no life. Not for me. Not for anyone.' There's another pause. 'And when we give up on really living, they've already won.' He sighs. 'But there's hope. That's what we have: HOPE. They won't take that.'
Hope. Reading Micah's message prompts a smile from Tracy, a soft expression that hardens a moment later. 'I wish none of this had ever happened.' With that sent, she adds another. 'They won't win. They'll pay.'
'Well we are where we are. We will fix it. But for now, we cling to hope to carry us through. Hope that maybe we'll find better days.' Micah's lips twitch a bit before he replies to her, 'I know you don't remember me telling you this, but you need to remember that we're not defined by our mistakes. We're defined by how we resolve them. I know you were part of them while they hunted people like us. But I also know you're a good person. And I know that you thought you were doing right.'
Micah can't see the hard-set look on Tracy's face; he can't see her nearly jump to counter what he says. She should be warmed by the wisdom — from a kid, of all people — but it's a struggle.
All she replies with is: 'You seem like a good kid.'
'It's late. Gotta go.'
The last message that comes through from Micah is simple enough. 'Be safe. Be free. Hold hope.' At that the chat box closes and Micah is gone.