Richard Alpert
original islander.
"If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old!"
Posts: 139
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Post by Richard Alpert on Jun 29, 2008 22:57:25 GMT -5
"The now-famous survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 are currently being housed at the famous Roosevelt Hotel until Oceanic Airlines can issue what the public are calling 'Survivor Checks', an undisclosed amount of money given to each of the survivors as a way to ease their pain and suffering, as well as transfer them into life once again--"
Richard clicked off the television, sighing out slightly. Even in his own apartment, he had felt himself looking twice at dark corners, pausing at every sound for fear of one simple thing. Jacob. Richard knew he was watching; he couldn't not know. There were too many things going on around his apartment, around the area, for Richard to second guess it. However, for now, they would stay here. Richard was sure Widmore hadn't even known who Richard was, let alone where he lived. And should he somehow find out, well Richard would jump off that bridge when he came to it.
Standing from the couch, Richard moved to the spare bedroom, peering in silently as he saw Alex shift in bed. He wasn't sure if she was awake, but movement of any kind was both a sign and a curse. She was waking up more and more since last night, and Richard was worried as to how she'd react to the city. Perhaps he'd show her his street first. A car. Maybe a picture of the Effel Tower or the Statue of Liberty.
Richard entered the darken room, grabbing a cool wet towel from the bowl of water on the side table. Sitting down on the bed that seemed to be ten times larger for her, he pressed the damp rag to her forehead.
"Alex?" he asked, his voice calm and soft in the already silent room. "If you can hear me, open your eyes." he told her, pressing the rag against her cheek, alternating between her cheek at her head.
"You can open your eyes now, sweetheart, it's okay."
He wondered if she remembered what happened before he had gotten her off the Island, how it still cut him to the core with pain (although most of the physical effects had ended long ago, Richard thought silently) and how Jacob had threatened to kill her. To kill him. He wondered if he was banished from the Island for taking Ben Linus' adoptive daughter, the one that he had treated for so long, like his own, while keeping her at a safe distance from Jacob, from his wrath and in the process, from himself.
"C'mon. Open them."
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Post by Alex Linus on Jul 20, 2008 22:51:05 GMT -5
Alex drifted in and out of unconsious, visions floating through her mind. Half of them didn't make sense - just vivid colors and such flashing beneath her eyelids. Others were memories, ones she couldn't quite make out, but could remember when they had happened. She was confused, but before she could think anymore, she had slipped back into sleep again, allowing the darkness to overwhelm her.
Then Alex heard voices - wait, it was just one - barely audible to her, but she could pick out her name being said. Wanting to know she tried to focus, hard, on getting awake and finding out who was saying her name, pulling her from her sleep.
Something cold and wet pressed against her cheek and head, soothing the dull pain that had recently manifested itself. She wanted to wake up, figure out what was going on, but she found it increasingly hard. Flexing her fingers - as if to test them out for function - she reached up and touched her cheek, coming into contact with another hand.
Her eyes flickered open only seconds later, confused as to why the man - as far as she could tell it was a man - was above her. Her eyesight was blurred, forcing Alex to blink several times before things finally came into focus. A look of realization dawned across her face as she recognized the face floating above her.
"Richard?" She croaked, her throat dry and her voice barely audible. She frowned, as it hurt slightly to speak with such a raw throat. She blinked several more times as she felt as if she was going to slip back into sleep, trying to keep her focus on Richard above her.
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Richard Alpert
original islander.
"If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old!"
Posts: 139
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Post by Richard Alpert on Jul 20, 2008 23:08:26 GMT -5
She was still running a fever. He wasn't sure why, and it boggled Richard's mind, but yet, he felt a small half smile crook at his lips. He looked over, dipping the rag back into the ice water before he put it back against her forehead. "You're still running a fever. You've been out for almost 10 hours." It hadn't taken anyone this long before to overcome the symptoms, but then again, all the people that had made the transistion had been properly trained...even the first time he had traveled, he hadn't reacted like this.
"You've got to try to stay awake for me, alright?" he asked, his voice soft against the silence of the room. He wondered if she had seen anything while she was out. If she had dreamt. Or even if she hadn't dreamt, if things had floated into her head. He slipped the rag down from her forehead to her cheek, watching her as he blinked. "Where do you think you are right now, Alex?" He had told her when they had first gotten back that they were in Los Angeles, however, he wasn't sure if she remembered it.
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Post by Alex Linus on Jul 20, 2008 23:18:10 GMT -5
A frown crossed her lips when he said she had been out for ten hours. She had never slept that long unless she was sick - and according to what Richard said about the fever, she was. Her eyes flickered again, as if they wanted to close, but she nodded slowly as he told her to try and stay awake. She was trying, but it was becoming rather difficult. All Alex wanted to do was slip back into sleep - maybe wake up refreshed and feeling better in the morning.
Her gaze flickered around the room when he asked where she thought she was. A deep feeling in the pit of her stomach - the feeling underneath the nausea she had - told her that for some reason, it wasn't her home in the Barracks.
"Your house?" She offered weakly, her gaze flickering back up to him. The room was dark, hard to see, but she could at least tell it wasn't her own room, nor in any room she could remember n her house. That only left Richard's house - maybe Juliet's - or she was way off.
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Richard Alpert
original islander.
"If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old!"
Posts: 139
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Post by Richard Alpert on Jul 21, 2008 0:39:16 GMT -5
"My apartment."
It wasn't really that different, but it was still different in the way that one was on an Island, and the other, smack in the middle of California. "Do you remember when I told you where we were?" he asked, not wanting to bombard her with information, but also not wanting to leave out crutial information, nor make her think she was some place else.
When he had found Alex, she was unconcious, bleeding from her head, and Richard had rushed into action, only to be blocked as he neared the Orchid. Jacob had known. Known the plan all along, and he knew it was foolish to think that he hadn't. However, in the end, through hell, high water, and near death...Jacob had let them go. Was it only to kill them in the end?
"Do you remember when I told you when you were a little girl, that I took trips to places you couldn't even dream of?" Richard asked, remembering how excited she had been whenever he brought her back something, anything from the 'special places' he had gone. "This is where I go. We're off the Island, Alex, in California."
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Post by Alex Linus on Jul 21, 2008 10:53:51 GMT -5
A look of confusion crossed her face when he said 'apartment'. She was positive this was some sort of dream - she would wake up, safe and sound back in her own bed.
Her mind was still a jumbled mess, a headache forming in the back of it. Her thoughts were mixed and confused - she was only able to pick out fragments of some of them. And to add to the effect, none of it made sense at all. She brought her hand up and rubbed her eyes, forcing the sleep out of them and forcing herself to keep awake like Richard had told her.
She blinked at him, her eyes widening the moment he said 'off Island'. That wasn't possible, was it? Now her head hurt even more. "What are we doing in California?" She whispered, her voice still soft and throat raw. She watched Richard for a moment, trying to pick out more things from her thoughts. One was more distinct than the others now. How?
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Richard Alpert
original islander.
"If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old!"
Posts: 139
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Post by Richard Alpert on Jul 21, 2008 20:03:25 GMT -5
He knew it was coming, and yet, when she asked, Richard hadn't had an answer for her. Of course, he could have told her the truth, the truth about the Orchid, about the Island, about Jacob and about the plans laid out for Ben, for her, but he didn't want to boggle her mind anymore than he already was. "It doesn't matter what we're doing here," Richard told her honestly. "And it doesn't really matter how, and please, don't ask. It'll take too long to explain and it's very...confusing. All that matters is that you're safe. Your off the Island, and you're going to be safe."
He was sure that Miles and his obsession would lead him somehow to Richard and to Alex, but Richard wasn't afraid to kill Miles. However, Richard wasn't even sure Miles knew he exsisted. That could prove very useful for spreading false information, such as with the Lawyer. The Lawyer that was now dead. It peaked his curousity for a moment, and made him wonder if the lawyer had actually killed himself or not. He looked back at Alex, snapping out of his thoughts. "I just want you to know, Alex, that this place is a very different place than the Island. You're going to be in for a shock; I'll try to go slow with you, alright? But it's vital that you see everything; it'll save you a headache of shock and frustration later."
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Post by Alex Linus on Jul 21, 2008 20:13:39 GMT -5
She nodded simply, knowing she wanted to save herself from the confusion as well. She was off the Island. Alex probably would have danced or something along those lines if she wasn't feeling so sick. She had wanted away from that place so long, and now it was actually a reality.
Alex nodded again. Of course it was different from the island. Carefully, she propped herself up on her elbows, trying to focus as her head spun with even that tiny movement. Her gaze flickered once again around the room, then back up to Richard. She attempted a small smile. Being in a place like this surely had to be better than living on the island - she had heard stories about the rest of the world from her father, and even a few from Juliet and Richard, and now that she was actually in it, she was slightly overwhelmed.
"Hopefully I won't get lost." She murmured with a wry smirk.
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Richard Alpert
original islander.
"If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old!"
Posts: 139
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Post by Richard Alpert on Jul 21, 2008 20:41:25 GMT -5
"I don't want you going out without me."
Richard hadn't wanted to tell Alex about who had been looking for Ben, who had found the Survivors, but she was going to find out sooner or later. "There's people, Alex. People that wouldn't spare a blink after killing you. Your father mostly, but they wouldn't spare a thought or a glance to kill either one of us, too." He stopped short at mentioning Jacob, at least for the second.
"And if people find out about the Island...well, they're going to be confused and they're going to be scared. It's better if you keep quiet about where you've been, where you grew up. The less people know, the better, understand?" He knew if somehow, word of the Island's true nature got out, they would be dead. All of them, Alex, Ben, Richard, the Survivors...Jacob would find a way. There would be no stopping it.
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Post by Alex Linus on Jul 21, 2008 20:54:56 GMT -5
She nodded. "Of course."
"Weren't there people like that on the Island though?" She asked quietly, sitting up fully with her back resting against the headboard as she looked at Richard, her head leaning to one side. "And where is Dad? Is here here in California too?"
She nodded again.
"I won't tell anyone. Promise." Alex muttered, folding her arms over her chest gently as she continued to watch Richard, her head still throbbing slightly. She tried to ignore it, knowing it would go away soon. "I don't want anyone to find it because they don't need to end up stuck there like the survivors."
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Richard Alpert
original islander.
"If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old!"
Posts: 139
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Post by Richard Alpert on Jul 21, 2008 23:29:31 GMT -5
"He's taking care of some business."
Alex didn't need to know where Ben was. She didn't need to worry, or be involved in something she had no need to be. She didn't need to know about the deaths (although she knew plenty of them on the Island) or the possibility of death. She spoke of people on the Island, people that were fearful, people that would kill without blinking...and instantly thought of the Purge. How with a single word, Richard had sentenced hundreds to their deaths without even thinking, and watched as Ben rose as leader. He defended his actions, he thought silently. He wasn't a Hostile. No one really knew what that word really meant. "There were people like that on the Island once," Richard said after a moment, watching her with a slightly tilted head, and a calm expression. "But they all were made to realise that the people they wanted to hurt, those people that they wanted to kill...they weren't afraid."
Alex was too young to be troubled by things like the Purge. She had already experienced so much. He moved over, pulling a first aid kit from the drawer by her bed. He opened it, glancing at the various bottles of pills. "If your head still hurts," he said slowly as his eyes scanned over each of the bottles. "Take these." he pulled out a bottle, shaking two pills into his hand. He reached over, getting the glass of water by the bed. He handed her both pills and water. "You should be lucky, Alex. You nearly died." However, Karl...Richard hadn't seen Karl since before he had found Alex. The last time he had seen the boy was in the middle of the jungle. Whether still on the Island, killed by the smoke monster, or mauled by a polar bear, Richard wasn't sure exactly what had happened to Alex's boyfriend. He wasn't about to mention it, and he hoped silently that she didn't think of it.
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Post by Alex Linus on Jul 22, 2008 13:20:53 GMT -5
"Of course he is." She muttered, unable to stop herself from rolling her eyes. He was always busy anymore, with hardly any time to spend with anyone else. Sometimes Alex wished Richard was her father instead of Ben - at least he took care of her and spent time with her.
"Well, I still think people shouldn't kill each other. It's kinda stupid." She murmured, tucking her hair behind her ear. Watching him dig in the first aid kit, she nodded when he said to take them. "Thanks." She said before quickly downing them with a glass of water. She replaced the glass on the table with a sigh.
"Is that why I feel like crap then?" Alex questioned, turning her head back to face him. "Because I nearly died?" She was used to having close calls - back on the island, there was always the threat of the smoke monster, and the dynamite on the Black Rock, and many other things, but she had always lived.
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Richard Alpert
original islander.
"If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old!"
Posts: 139
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Post by Richard Alpert on Jul 23, 2008 20:52:30 GMT -5
"Your father does care about you, Alexandra, whether you realise it or not. He just doesn't know how to show it."
Innocence could do alot to alter people's perspective on the world. And while Alex was by no means innocent on the ways of life and how they could be cruel, she was still so young, and she didn't realise the things that had happened before her. The things that could happen in the future.
"I've seen alot of things happen, Alex, in my time. I've seen many people kill each other, and all of them, in their own way, had valid reasons." Even wars, mass murders, human genocide...all could have a logical reason if one looked hard enough. Logical to at least ONE person, that's all you really needed. One person to convince others.
He nodded slightly when she mentioned why she felt like crap. "You feel like crap because I had to take you under very extreme circumstances. Usually there's steps to take, but as the situation rose, I had to skip a few steps."
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Post by Alex Linus on Jul 23, 2008 21:00:34 GMT -5
"Yeah, I know. I just wish he was around more." She murmured with a small, almost sad smile.
"Some valid reasons are more insane and unbelievible as others." Alex stated. She thought things like wars and fights were unneeded. Of course, if one needed to protect or defend against someone or something, she figured that such things did kick off wars and large brawls.
She looked at Richard for a moment, thinking. "So, are you going to tell me exactly what happened, or is it too confusing or just none of my business?" She questioned after a moment, fully curious as to how she got from the Island to here.
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Richard Alpert
original islander.
"If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old!"
Posts: 139
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Post by Richard Alpert on Jul 26, 2008 21:15:11 GMT -5
"Both."
It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her. He figured that she had every right to know how he had gotten her from the Island, however, it wasn't as simple as telling her 'well, it went like this...' There were many things that needed to be explained before he told her about the Orchid. About the way he had gotten to and from the Island as he had.
"And your father is just trying to keep you safe."
When Alex spoke of insane reasons and wars, Richard blinked, tilting his head slightly. "Sometimes people stupidly push themselves into their own wars because of their own stubborn pride and superiority thinking." Dharma...Dharma hadn't listened. They had immediatly thought the Hostiles were evil, bad, things that bedtime stories were made of...so Richard proved them completely and utterly right.\
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