I think one more chapter following this one should wrap it up, although it might take two depending on what I decide to cover.


Chapter 4

Paul wakes up one morning to find Echo kneeling over him. It's strangely reminiscent of when he first broke into the Dollhouse what feels like years ago, pushing open the glass above her pod and seeing her lying beneath it like some kind of fairy tale princess ready for saving. Now, the tables have turned, and Paul thinks it's more than accurate that she's his knight and he's her hapless damsel. It's more than fitting.

Like it or not, he can't protect her anymore. And the only hope he has of making it through this thing is if she protects him.

"Are you all right?" she asks as she looks into his eyes, and he smiles a little before he remembers how fucked they all are.

"Now that you're here," he mutters. She frowns a little, the corner of her mouth lifting into a sneer that barely shows itself on her otherwise immobile face. But Paul sees it, because Paul sees everything. His affection for her may have fallen to the wayside, but his Quantico training is still intact. Topher at least had the good sense to leave him that.

"We're leaving," she whispers, her tiny fingers reaching out to him, curling around his own larger ones. He hadn't even realized that he had offered them. He gets to his feet stumblingly, nearly losing his footing in the relative darkness. He glances to his right and sees that Tony and Priya still occupy their shared pod, wrapped around each other tightly. Echo holds a finger to her lips and tugs him out of the room, smiling playfully before she can fight it down.

She likes the sneaking and the intrigue. She likes being useful and actually doing something, because they've been down here for almost a year and they're all going a little crazy, especially her. Especially now that there's been blanket signals and random wiping and Harding and Ambrose have sent body after body to try and convince them to give up the good fight and join the side of darkness.

Paul doesn't think he'll ever forget the way Harding's new vessel looked at him and said, "I'll take him, next."

And he doesn't think Echo will forget it, either. Not after the way she beat his skull in with a rock before anyone could stop her.

Not that anyone was trying.


They meant to leave without any goodbyes, but when they get to the elevator shaft they're not exactly surprised to see Adele standing there.

"I thought I'd see you off," she says with a calm that hides how angry she probably is that they tried to sneak out without her knowing.

"That's sweet," Echo says with just the barest hint of sarcasm.

"Will you be coming back for us?" Adele asks, unfazed as ever. "Once you've figured out a way to save the world, will you think to tell us?"

"We'll be back," Dominic says before Echo can reply. "Of course we'll be back."

Adele looks at him reluctantly. She's been very studiously avoiding his gaze, but now it's inescapable. She nods, suddenly looking tired and ten years older.

"I suppose we'll leave the porch light on for you, then," she says with a wry hint of a smile that is too sad to be encouraging.

"We should be fine," Dominic replies, his airy tone not fooling anyone. Echo looks at Paul and arches her eyebrows, a little bit of the mischief still apparent on her features although she's trying to keep a straight face in front of Adele.

"Of course. You're more than equipped to handle the world out there, and if either of you should be wiped, I'm sure Echo will lead you back here, where you both are backed up on hard copy."

"Reassuring," Paul mutters.

"If that happens, I'd rather she just kill me," Dominic replies, but the look on Adele's face silences him from elaborating any further.

"I want to be very clear, Mr. Dominic. You will be returning and you will be resuming your place by my side. For when Echo and Mr. Ballard find a way to save this ruined world, there will be a lot of cleaning up to do, and I don't fancy doing it on my own. Your past indiscretions aside, you are still the most qualified person for this job, and I will not allow you to resign. Is that clear?"

Dominic smiles and says, "Yes, ma'am."

Adele's face crumbles only a bit, but it's enough. She lays her hand on Dominic's arm, ever the picture of professionalism, and he awkwardly hugs her goodbye. Her eyes squeeze closed and for a second Paul is convinced she's going to cry, but of course she does not. Only her red-rimmed eyes even indicate that she feels emotion. Then Adele moves on to Echo, and finally Paul. She hugs Paul the longest, and Paul thinks that it's her way of apologizing for everything.

He squeezes her tightly so she'll know he understands.


Half a day later, and they're camped out near the warehouse. Paul's bleeding from a gunshot wound that scraped his side, but other than that they're all fine. It's nothing short of miraculous, which Dominic mentions at least seven times. He's giddy with the relief of survival, which Paul recognizes but does not emulate. He can't help but feel that this is only the beginning, and he's not looking forward to ending the day with his face slashed to ribbons like so many of Alpha's former acquaintances.

"He's here," Echo says quietly.

"If you say 'I can feel it', I'm out," Dominic groans, but Echo just narrows her eyes at him.

"Don't be ridiculous. I can hear him."

Indeed, when Echo stops talking, the faint sounds of Alpha muttering to himself or some hapless victim reaches their ears.

"Son of a bitch," Paul sighs.

"You were seriously hoping we'd made this trip for nothing, weren't you?" Echo asks, a hint of a smile playing at her lips. Paul shrugs uncomfortably.

"Can you blame him?" Dominic asks with an incredulous scoff. Echo gives him an impatient look and then heads for the door.

"The two of you stay here. Watch my back."

"While he assaults your front? No way. You're not going in there by yourself."

Echo rolls her eyes at him, and Paul knows that Caroline is in control. Echo doesn't roll her eyes at him, even though she probably should.

"You're staying here," she says firmly. "From what I hear from the boss lady in this joint, Alpha doesn't like you. But Alpha likes this body, and he likes the people running it. He's not going to kill me. Just stay out here and do what she says."

Paul sighs and throws his hands in the air more dramatically than he normally would. Dominic snorts back a laugh once Echo is through the door and in the warehouse where Paul first met Echo, where he caught Caroline's wedge and saved the day.

Or so he thought. Now he's sort of wishing that he had let Caroline fall.

"She's got you wrapped around her finger. And this is after Topher fucked with your brain? God, too bad I was trapped in the Attic and missed having a good laugh at you before."

"I'm not above mocking your twisted relationship with Dewitt," Paul snaps, and Dominic falls blissfully silent.

They inch a bit closer to the door, both of them anxious to hear what's going on inside, and Paul is surprised when he hears his own voice drifting from somewhere within. Dominic says nothing, but his face expresses enough.

"Echo," Paul's voice says, coming from Alpha's mouth. Paul feels sick.

"Paul."

"It's hard to hold him back. You shouldn't be here."

"I've got backup."

"Who?"

"You."

There is a long silence, and Paul has to imagine that the other him is probably as nauseas as he feels right now.

"Alpha doesn't like that."

"Good. He's listening?"

"He's listening."

"Then he knows what's going on outside. He knows what's happening."

"He feels guilty."

"Guilty?"

"Remote wipes were a thing of a distant future until he thought it up. He may be a sadistic psycho, but he never wanted the people at Rossum to have all the power."

"Yeah, well, Topher's going through the same thing back at the Dollhouse. We're all feeling a little survivor's guilt about this one."

"He knows that there's something he can do to help."

"That's why we're here."

"He doesn't want to let me know what it is, but I'm winning him over. His own conscience is winning him over. He doesn't want to see you suffer. None of us do."

Paul feels a chill snake down his spine as he realizes that the voice coming from the warehouse is no longer his own. He can hear Echo's sharp intake of breath.

"Alpha."

"I knew you'd come. Honestly, I wish you were here to take what's rightfully yours. Imprinting myself with him was an error in judgment. One I'm eager to correct. Have you got a spare wedge?"

"You know why I'm here, Alpha. You're the only one who knows how to help."

"Flattery, my dear, may have worked before I got the unabridged version of your boyfriend. See, Mr. Ballard is very observant. To the point of obsession, and I should know. I practically invented the term. No, no, that's not right. I didn't invent the term. I just took it to a whole new level, I think you'll agree. Mr. Ballard, however, seems intent on giving me a run for my money. Truthfully, I never understood that expression…"

"You've evolved."

Echo's statement apparently shocks Alpha into silence, because he does not reply for a long moment.

"I heard you mention that Ballard's body is out there walking around. How would he feel to know that he's not real?"

"He knows. And he's real. If you and I are real, then he is too. Alpha, stop trying to change the subject. I know that you've evolved. It's unavoidable, inevitable. You've ascended to a higher plane of existence, remember? Only this time you actually have. I bet you feel a little ridiculous about your last state."

"I was positively primal."

"I know. I'm aware."

"What I did to those women…"

"I know."

"And Ballard! It's harder to hate him when his whole sad story is invading my every thought. He precision strikes with anecdotes that make my blood boil, make my heart break. Memories, flashes of humanity I can't ignore. And what's worse, the others have started doing it as well. He's changing me more than I'd like to admit. It's only because I have no original personality that I've been able to withstand the attacks this long. Worst of all, though, is the fact that he didn't change my mind for me. I changed myself for myself. I realized my atrocities all on my own, and I must live with them."

The confession is less heart-rending than it is disturbing, but Paul feels a little pride at knowing he had something to do with this. Even if that wasn't the version of himself that he currently is.

"I tried torturing him at first. Forced him to watch you dying over and over again. Made him think it was all real. Tried to force him to accept false memories. But he persevered. I'd be impressed if it wasn't so damned frustrating. You wouldn't believe how easy it normally is to corrupt a human spirit. Especially in this mind." He laughs a little. "I mean, come on! You know. Deluding these poor manufactured souls into doing your every whim is supposed to be easy. The triumph of his very human spirit is making me sick. Honestly, I'm constantly nauseas."

"Maybe a little bit of that guilt Paul was talking about."

"Yes, well, he shouldn't have mentioned that. But I've accepted by this point that 'shouldn't' and 'won't' are both concepts that Mr. Ballard seems to have no grasp of."

"Will you help us?"

"Will it matter?"

"There's still a chance for people out there. Whole cities, untouched. Whole countries. If we wait much longer, there will be nothing."

"I heard rumors that the northeast is still holding strong."

"That's true. But one more blanket signal…"

"All right. I can't say I won't regret this, but I have no other choice. These pinpricks of conscience have been growing into stabs of guilt. Big ones."

There is a long pause, and then Echo calls out.

"Paul, Dominic, you can come in now."

Despite the complete confidence in Echo's voice, Paul and Dominic are still understandably wary. They inch into the warehouse with their guns drawn and their faces drawn tighter.

When they finally enter the room where Alpha's computer monitors are assembled, where his Chair is covered with a stained white sheet, and his brunette-wig-wearing mannequin is creepy as all hell, Paul sees Alpha standing there and it takes every bit of willpower not to shoot the bastard in the face.

Echo gives him a warning look, but she doesn't need to. He's not going to kill him. He's just going to wish he could.

Alpha stares at Paul, and Paul stares at Alpha, and the trippiness of this all is almost enough to fry Paul's brain again. There is a man inside that brain, a man who is like himself, only fuller. Only technically real. That man is everything that he is, only more. The only advantage that Paul has over the imprint in Alpha's mind is the fact that he has a body.

Alpha looks at Echo and whispers, "I have a feeling this is going to be an uncomfortable journey."


It is uncomfortable. And long. When they finally arrive in Tuscon, they are confronted with panicked civilians who are desperate to know what's going on out there. They are protected by the proximity of the Rossum headquarters, but of course they don't know that. They don't know that the only thing keeping them from being blanketed by the Chinese signals or the Russian signals is the fact that the reason for all this mess is nestled safely in their city.

All these people know is that Echo and Paul and Dominic and Alpha came from out there, the wide wilderness filled with people who were programmed to kill. The fact that anyone made it through the desert is incredible.

Echo dispels the civilians as quickly as she can by telling them that everything is fucked, and they should prepare for more. She doesn't like the attention that has been drawn to them by their arrival. The crowd eager to glimpse the survivors. She had hoped to sneak into the city.

Alpha and Dominic head to Rossum because they are the only two people who won't immediately set up red flags. She and Paul venture back outside city limits, looking around the area for a place to stay for the night.

They find that place in an abandoned farmhouse, decorated lovingly by a probably-deceased hand. It's isolated, has a fence around the land that will need to be fortified but is satisfyingly durable, and an underground bunker that is probably left over from a time of Cold War paranoia. It's perfect.

"What do you think?" Echo asks, but since she's smiling, Paul already knows the answer.

"Is it close enough to the city to avoid the blanket signals?"

"Definitely. Rossum's overseas branches wouldn't touch anything for miles around here. It would be too risky."

"Then I think it's perfect."

He smiles at Echo and she smiles back, and then she says, "Come on. Let's move the mattress down into the bunker and lock ourselves in for the night. We'll get back to the city tomorrow and see what Alpha and Dominic found."


Paul should have guessed that "move the mattress" was Echo-code for "have sex". Then again, Echo-code is impossible to decipher, and he isn't getting any better at it. So when they finally get the mattress downstairs and he turns around to see her standing half-naked in the doorway, he rationalizes that really, it was bound to happen.

"Echo," he says quietly, trying to think of some way to get across to her that this doesn't feel right, but Echo takes a step forward and he can't say another word.

"Caroline's here, Paul. She and the others, they're all here. They're all okay with this. They want this. I want this."

"But…"

He can't think of another reason to put this off for any longer. Before, his objection was the fact that she wasn't real. Then the objection was that he wasn't. Now, it doesn't matter. They're just two people (or one hundred and two people?) standing in the bomb shelter of some farm house in the middle of Arizona. The heavy metal door is locked behind them. There are no windows. It's just the two of them, and even if this is wrong, then nobody has to know.

Echo steps forward and rests her hands against his shoulders, pushing the lapels of his jacket and sliding it off his body slowly. Then she lets her hands stray to his waist, and her fingers curl around the fabric of his t-shirt, pulling it over his head. The whole time, she never breaks eye contact with him. She's easing him into the experience, easing him into the idea, testing the waters. Then finally he's eased in all the way, and he grabs her around the waist and she shrieks with happy laughter as they tumble to the mattress below.


Then the sun is up, and they're standing with Alpha and Dominic, and the other two men are breathless and confused and a little scared.

"Man, I thought I was fucked up," are the exact words that Alpha uses, and Echo and Paul glance at each other and realize that last night was probably the last perfect night they're going to have together. Echo puts her hand on his arm and looks at their two unlikely friends.

She says, "We found a place to stay. We can set up there during the night, and during the day we can go to the basement you found, work out a way to keep people immune."

Paul sighs and looks up at the sky, blue and untouched by clouds. What Echo is describing sounds tiring, but he's ready to do it. He's ready to face it. To help the woman standing beside him, the beautiful woman with the big dreams and the many personalities, he would go to Hell and back.

And that's when he realizes that he loves her again.

That's when he realizes that he maybe never stopped.