TLV IC Inbox

[inthebiblicalsense]

[In a very serious, business tone, Abel's answering machine sounds after any attempted calls that aren't responded to right away.]

You've reached Abel. I am not available at the moment, but I'll get back to you as soon as I can. If this is urgent, leave the line open.

And if this is Fitz I hope you're having a good day.

Comments

[reargunner]

Cain does not sit down. He leans against the back of the chair that Abel doesn't sit in and just makes a small motion for him to start looking through the information on the chip however he wants.

He knows why it was put together. To tell Abel everything - to ruin everything - and he hasn't thought of Phobos in months but he hates him all over again so strongly that it almost hurts.

When information about himself starts to come up, he doesn't want to look at it. He turns his back to the screen and folds his arms again with a frown. Criminal record, psych profile, exactly why he was brought on to the project...

"Fucking asshole."

[inthebiblicalsense]

Abel is only half paying attention to his surroundings, trying his best not to be pulled back to the moment he first found out. This is just information, it can't hurt him, it's only going to help.

Scrolling through, he starts to read a more indepth break down on the Jump Drive, what they'd learned about it before the project started with the original pair. He almost misses what Cain says, making a soft noise before forcing himself to look away from the screen and up at Alexei.

"Which one?"

[reargunner]

There's a long beat of a pause.

"Never mind."

He just shakes his head and moves away, electing to sit on the couch instead. It isn't that he doesn't want to know. More that he doesn't trust his own reactions with Ethan sitting right there.

[inthebiblicalsense]

He does glance back at the screen a second before pushing himself away from the desk and turning around in his chair.

"It's not never mind. This is...uncomfortable, but you gave it to me anyway." And he just opened it like opening a can of worms. "Talk to me, I- I want to listen, please?"

[reargunner]

At first he just shakes his head slightly.

"Nothing to talk about."

Except... obviously there is, and he's uncomfortable, and it isn't even that the other man just went right ahead and opened the thing up. Cain knows he's already seen what's on it.

"I just—" Another frown. He shakes his head and doesn't meet Abel's eyes as he forces out another sharp breath.

"How much time did you spend looking at the shit he put on there about me."

[inthebiblicalsense]

How long? He isn't sure why it matters, but that isn't the point, he understands that much.

"Specifically on your file? Not much. I didn't have a long time to look at it in the first place, and I wanted to fact check what Phobos had said about the project itself. Your Evals, those...That was extra. It wasn't facts, it was subjective. I read my own and it was enough to make me sick, knowing what they thought of me, why I was a candidate." That's why he'd wanted to hear it straight from him, confirm for himself that what he'd been told wasn't some kind of cruel joke being pulled by Phobos. He wouldn't have put it past him.

[reargunner]

"Hmm."

He rubs his face briefly and then stands up, moving slowly back to where Abel had been looking through the chip. For a long, silent moment he simply stares at the last piece of information the other man had been reading, then he presses his lips together and loosely folds his arms.

"Read it."

[inthebiblicalsense]

Abel hesitates a moment, watching him cross the room again, unsure.

"I don't have to. It's not exactly relevant to building a case against the Alliance." He offers softly, slowly turning his chair, but still looking at Cain.

"Do...you want to read mine first?"

[reargunner]

"Would you just-!"

He cuts himself off, pressing his hands together and then pressing his forefingers against his lips, closing his eyes for a moment as he takes a breath.

Then, more calmly-

"Just read it, please. Before I change my mind."

[inthebiblicalsense]

Abel stares at him, quiet and now doubly unsure, but he will turn, opening the folder labeled Code name: Cain. He isn't sure how he feels about doing something that he has dubious permission for, but questioning more at the moment is obviously not the right move.

As he opens the first file and starts to read his hand comes up, blindly reaching behind him and to the left to find Cain's shirt, patting his chest a moment to verify that's actually where his hand was before gripping the fabric gently. It might irritate him, but there has to be some thing he can do that can prove to him they're both here in the future, far past when these evals were taken, and he's not about to go anywhere because of it.

[reargunner]

It is a little annoying, though only in the way it rankles over suddenly frayed nerves to be touched at all. He doesn't twitch his body away and instead plucks Abel's hand off his shirt, holding it in his as he steps forwards.

There's an almost unreadable look on his face. Dark and distant as the file is opened.

Everything is in there, of course. His arrest record, the time still to serve (no wonder he was desperate), the records of his actions while incarcerated - rioting, fighting, one count of attempted murder. There's the details of why they chose him for the project. His behavioural issues and bold, blatant promiscuity made him a favourite, though there is a note that his lack of respect for authority might cause issues if he isn't properly motivated.

Well. They had made sure of that.

And Alexei? He won't deny a word of what's written. It's all true.

[inthebiblicalsense]

And yet, as Abel reads and scrolls, he's putting it into context with what he'd seen, what he see's now.

To be completely honest, he isn't all that surprised, though the beginning of it, the sentencing grates at him. Of course if it were him in that position, on Earth, he can't see the same thing happening.

He's a fast reader, scrolling down to the end in a few minutes, using his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, rub at his eyes before resting his forehead on a fist, deep breath in, out.

"You know... This information is just a desperate attempt to justify what they did. But it doesn't, it doesn't even come close. You know that, right?"

[reargunner]

"That information is cold facts, Ethan," he replies, far too easily. "Dates, times, records, that's who I was when they took hooked me out of New Volga."

He glances down at Abel then, and shrugs.

"But before you get to thinking I feel bad about it, I don't. I know who I was before I was arrested, and I know what prison turned me into. What I did in there was necessary for my survival. Just like everything else I ever did." His eyes lower to the file. The words would be pretty damning without context. They're damning enough with context.

"Until you showed up, anyway."

[inthebiblicalsense]

"You misunderstand me." He turns in his chair, still holding onto his hand. "What you did, who you were, that has no bearing on whether or not what happened was ethical. It just wasn't, and that is also a fact, Alexei. You're a person, even in prison you have rights, and obviously they never afforded you those, or anyone else in New Volga." Given what he's heard and read of their force, the sentencing, it's all fucking corrupt anyways, but that isn't how it's supposed to be.

[reargunner]

Alexei pauses, then lets out a soft breath through his nose.

"Whether or not how New Volga operates is ethical doesn't change what's already happened." He shrugs one shoulder. "That damage? That's done. And I think I've got more right to be angry about it than anyone."

Even Ethan. Especially Ethan.

"I didn't ask you to read my file so we could talk about Martian judicial corruption. We both know it exists, and I've lived it."

[inthebiblicalsense]

"I never said you don't have a right to be angry, just... I sincerely doubt this is permissible in court at all." If it was, it would only be proof of corruption, in his mind. It sounds terrible, honestly, when he reads it, but when you start to add context, what happened, any of it, even if the board wouldn't see it for what it really is, the media sure would.

"I think I'm- We're not on the same page again." Because honestly, as much as the information is cold, he still see's it as an asset. "Why did you ask me to read it?"

[reargunner]

"Because I wanted you to know what it said."

No more or less than that. Alexei shrugs a little and retreats away from the computer to sit down again, sinking down and resting his head against the back of the couch.

"That's all."

Maybe Abel would have read it without him here, but at least now it's out of the way.

[inthebiblicalsense]

He's trying to talk himself out of believing it has to be more than that. Cain isn't him though, and maybe it's as simple as that.

"Alright...I read it." He affirms, frowning over at Cain as he makes his way over to the couch again. He glances back at the computer a moment, closing out of the file.

"I'm going to encrypt this, if you don't mind. I'll give you the passkey, but I don't think it's smart, leaving this on a thumb drive like this, even if I lock it in the safe."

[reargunner]

From Cain's side, it really is just as simple as that. He wanted Abel to read it, to be able to study his reaction when he did, and nothing bad happened. All good for him as far as he's concerned.

"Yeah, good idea." He rubs his hand over his face for a moment. "And—... let me know if you're gonna show it to anyone else, yeah? Got enough people here that I barely know knowing too much about me as it is."

He doesn't think that's going to be a problem, but it doesn't hurt to straight up ask either.

[inthebiblicalsense]

"I have a mind to show Tendi...she's been giving me information on conflict resolutions from her starfleet logs. I can leave the Evals out and lock those under a different key if you prefer?"

He feels weird just dropping the matter, but if Cain says he's fine, he should believe him. Fitz had said he needed to calibrate, and reading into every conversation, trying to be more attentive, he's sure it doesn't help either of them if he asks for clarification a bunch of times.

"We do also have lawyer on board, Lark Tennant... I wonder if it would be smart to ask him for legal advice."

[reargunner]

"... Yeah. I'd like that." A sigh. A little tension seems to bleed out of him. "Thanks."

Tendi is... fine. He doesn't think she'd judge either of them on what's on that chip no matter how bad some of it looks. Probably wouldn't mind too much if she had some questions for him about it all either.

But then his eyes snap open and he straightens up, frowning suddenly.

"Not Lark."

[inthebiblicalsense]

Well that's at least good. Mutual friends makes things easier at times, and he's thankful for Tendi, how she seems to make friends everywhere just like Aerith did.

He isn't exactly familiar with Lark himself though, unsure where that reaction is coming from. "Can I ask why? I'm honestly not familiar with him, just his profession."

[reargunner]

Alexei looks away for a moment, as if he's unsure if he should say anything, then he leans forwards to brace his forearms on his knees and sighs.

"Some of the things other inmates have said about that guy. He... I don't wanna trust him with this shit, Ethan." Not just for himself. The idea of someone with that kind of reputation getting hold of such sensitive information about both of them makes him uneasy.

"He gives me a bad feeling."

[inthebiblicalsense]

"I trust your gut feeling more than mine, but I do need legal advice. I can read all I want about the system and proper conduct but that doesn't translate into practical experience." Which is to say that he doesn't want to dismiss Alexei's concern, but he still needs the help.

"If I give him the base details I'm not sure how much that would help, but I don't have to give him this file. Does that sit better? Or would you prefer me leave our case out of it, just ask him for coaching?" That wouldn't be as helpful, but certainly more than nothing.

[reargunner]

"Seriously, we're on an inter-spatial, cross-universe prison ship and the only fucking real lawyer here is one with a recorded past history of attacking inmates unprovoked and being an emotionally manipulative fuckhead?"

He does have to press his face into his hands for a moment, there. Alexei knows that Ethan would find the help useful for his case and a lawyer is probably just what he needs, but does it have to be that one..?

"Guess that tracks for lawyers..."

Slowly, he drops his hands down again.

"I don't want him knowing about me. Not like this."