Chapter 7
Late afternoon
FBI Office
Los Angeles
"Well, this is interesting! In spite of his colorful criminal record, the kid is actually telling the truth." Loomis, the assistant, says referring to Harrison, as she hands Paul two separate sets of papers. "He's legit... and so is his sister Tru. Family records, Education, job, everything is legit, and detailed. But how did you manage to get her finger prints?"
"Her phone." Says Paul while looking into the papers.
"Clever!" Says Loomis. "So, how do you plan to celebrate?"
"Celebrate what?"
"Finding out who this Dollhouse's Caroline really is. This is the break through you've been waiting for, isn't it?"
"Hardly! The Dollhouse is still messing with me. They planted this information, I'm sure of it." Paul says with obvious frustration. "Keep digging. I'm sick of fabricated stories. I want the shocking truth, and I want it before this day is over. If you need me, I'll be in the interrogation room, beating the truth out of Harrison."
Just as he turns to go, the cell phone which Tru has given him vibrates in the inner pocket of his jacket accompanied by a ringing sound. His heart beats faster as he eagerly takes it out of his pocket and opens it. He recognizes the number as his own, knowing that Tru has sent him a message. He clicks to read the message, and shouts out to Loomis:
"251 Sunrise. Get on it now."
"I'm sorry? I don't speak Paulanese!" Loomis says. "Get on what exactly?"
"The address, Loomis… 251 Sunrise. I need you to check it out for me immediately. I want a full report on every building within a mile from it… satellite images, anything you can get me."
"Why don't you just send someone after them?"
"Because Caroline told me not to."
"Oh really?! And you're taking orders from Caroline, a.k.a the Dollhouse, now?"
"I trust her. I know she's trying to help me." His voice goes low as he looks at Tru's picture.
"Or screw you over again. Haven't you learned a lesson from the last time you got shot in the gut?" Loomis sarcastically comments.
"Loomis… address… now!"
"What happened to digging more on these Davies siblings, if that's what they really are?" She asks.
"That too."
"Ok, you're clearly delusional… and obsessed… and mildly cruel… not to mention unfair." Loomis says impatiently.
"Did I mention the big box of donuts that's gonna be on your desk first thing in the morning?" Flirts Paul.
Loomis looks at him diagonally with a slight twist in her mouth. "And a hazelnut cappuccino?" She asks.
"With foam and cinnamon on top." He assures.
"Now you're speaking my language! I'll get right on it!"
"That's my girl!" Paul says with a smile that soon fades away as he gets another message from Tru.
"Left." The message says.
"Left? What does that supposed to mean?" Paul questions.
"Well," Loomis starts talking while hastily working on her computer, "she's either trying to tell you that she has left the Dollhouse and is on her way here. Or she's implying that the Dollhouse is on the left side of 251 Sunrise, which narrows down the search just a little bit."
Another message arrives that says: "Traffic light… right."
Paul pauses for a minute then shouts out in relief: "Pebbles! She said she'll leave me a trail of pebbles that I can follow, and that's exactly what she's doing."
"I don't understand." Says Loomis.
"Forget the report, the Dollhouse isn't on 251 Sunrise."
"Still in the dark here." Loomis's confusion increases.
"Caroline is still in the van, which means she cannot see where she's going. 251 Sunrise was just a starting point from which she is going to lead us to the Dollhouse by sending me messages with every turn they make. If we could estimate the time it takes to make each turn with the help of satellite images and maps, we can find out exactly where the Dollhouse is located. Genius!!"
"If she's still in the van, how did she know when they reached 251 Sunrise?"
"She's obviously resourceful… I'm sure she found a way." Paul says with admiration.
Meanwhile
In the van
"Take it easy, big guy. Why don't you put that gun back where it belongs, and I'll make sure we all get back to the Dollhouse safely, huh?" Jack tells Boyd, who is now sitting in the front seat next to him, with his gun pointed at Jack.
"You try a stunt like that again and I'll make sure you don't." Says Boyd angrily. "Who appointed you as our new driver anyway?" He asks suspiciously.
"Ms. DeWitt, of course!" Says Jack. "But what she did not tell me is her intention to recruit innocents against their will. Is that how it's done these days?"
"What're you talking about?" Asks Boyd.
"Tru… she doesn't belong in the Dollhouse… she's not a doll. Why are you forcing her to be one?" Jack frankly says in Tru's defense.
"Who's Tru?"
"I mean Joy, or whatever you feel like calling her?"
"I don't know what prank you're trying to pull here Mr., but Echo has been a doll for two years. And no one's forced her into anything. She volunteered."
"Echo? Two years?" Silently deep in thought, Jack looks quite uncomfortable and perplexed.
"So what's your agenda? You're helping Alpha? Are you his partner?"
"Alpha?" Jack is even more perplexed. "What do you mean?"
"Are you trying to save Echo from the Dollhouse by putting me in harm's way?" Boyd anxiously asks.
"Of course not, buddy. What happened back there was just an accident. Come on, you know that… why would I want to hurt you? I just met you."
"I don't trust you." Confirms Boyd. "You stopping at 251 Sunrise to buy Echo some ice-cream insisting that I wait for the two of you in the back of the van, only to find out you deliberately left the breaks unsecured so the van would roll down the street and crash into the old gas station. Doesn't look like an accident to me."
"Well, believe what you want to big guy, you're lucky Tru is a fast runner and got to catch up with the van and jump onto the driver's seat just in time to secure the breaks. Otherwise, it would have been a tragedy!"
"Why you insist on calling her Tru? It's Echo imprinted with a girl named Joy."
"Got it." Says Jack.
"And that's what I don't get. Why would a 16 year old imprint go out of her way in trying to save my life while you're just standing there with an ice-cream cone?"
"Maybe I was distracted… maybe she's not a 16 year old imprint…" Jack teases as he takes the last turn into the underground driveway of the Dollhouse.
Back at the FBI Office
"Dollhouse." Reads the last message that Tru sent.
"Ok, I think we found the Dollhouse!" Says Paul with relief zooming in on the building shown by satellite pictures on the screen.
"Uhh… I think we found a lot more than that!" Says a very concerned-looking Loomis, "you're not gonna believe this! You want the shocking truth? Well, here it is." She continues as she hands Paul some papers that came by fax.
Paul reads the papers carefully as his eyes widen with shock.
Author's Note:
Hi! Thanks again for everyone who commented. I know that I promised to update within a week from my last update, but life doesn't always go as we wish :( I apologize.
I know that Dollhouse (the show) went differently in real life than in my story, like for example Paul is no longer an FBI agent, but he still is in my story, but that's because I started writing this fic when Dollhouse was only half way through season one. I couldn't change my original story too much.
Anyway, I hope you're enjoying it. More updates coming.
