DISCLAIMER: I don't own any rights to Veronica Mars. This story is written as a tribute only. No celebrity endorsement is implied by product placements. All real persons' names are used in the sense of "wouldn't it be cool if this person had this gig?" The institution discussed in this fic is not a real institution. All opinions regarding real-life organizations expressed in this fic are the opinions of the characters only. You may or may not agree with the conclusions of the characters, and no harm or insult is intended to these real-life organizations, or to any participant, past, present, or future, in the meetings of these organizations. Again, this fic is not intended for those under the age of 17.
A/N: Beta-ed by Poniesforall, who is also my assistant casting director, and Kazy. All mistakes that remain are my responsibility.
Previously on Veronica Mars: The Year of Living Dangerously Part Two:
vanessagalore•livejournal•com/48284•html
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Briar Patch
Veronica ponders Maria's possible
involvement; Briar Hill classes;
Weevil's plan.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Eli: Francis Capra.
Candice Pauling: Toy Connor. Maria: Gina
Mantegna. Tara: Kirsten Prout.
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CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE: "BRIAR PATCH"
Sat. 3/7/09 early evening: Briar Hill Academy, Manchester Center, VT
Veronica sits cross-legged in the dark. When Logan told her that she had only been here for ten hours, she was confused and upset that her sense of time had already been distorted. Then she considers how much more frightened the average student would be: pulled out of bed in the middle of the night without warning, transported in shackles to an unknown location, and brutally strip-searched by strangers. Veronica changes her position, hugging her knees to her chest, unconsciously adopting a protective pose.
What was that Kavner said about Maria? 'She was in charge of another girl who escaped, and Maria had six months added to her own program to punish her for being lax.' Could Maria have been Hannah's oldcomer, and Hannah was the girl who escaped under her charge? Could Maria have been involved in Hannah's death? Veronica considers for a moment. Hannah was here in spring 2006. Most girls are here for several years before they are advanced to oldcomer status. Maria looks to be seventeen or eighteen now. She would have been fourteen or fifteen in 2006...which means she would have had to have been twelve or thirteen when she came to the school in order to advance... Veronica shakes her head ruefully. The school only takes students fourteen and older. That would have been too easy...and it doesn't even matter if she was Hannah's oldcomer. Whoever killed Hannah was in Los Angeles in January, not trapped in a residential program in Vermont. But...it's likely that Maria was here when Hannah was here. If Hannah saw something she shouldn't have seen, Maria might have seen it too.
Veronica sighs, realizing that Maria seems too damaged by the school to be receptive to questions about another student three years earlier. In fact, Veronica decides that Maria might have been mentally unstable even before she came to the school. There's not a shred of humanity in those eyes.
She remembers what Dr. Friedman said. 'Although there haven't been any studies using control groups, the data seems to indicate that students with mental disorders actually get worse at schools like this, and students who are just going through normal teenaged rebellion are permanently traumatized. So the schools are completely ineffective for the worst students and damaging to the best students. They actually make every child worse.' Mental disorder...I think that describes Maria perfectly.
Veronica thinks, I hope Logan can get into the files. Logan had solemnly promised he would try his best without compromising the operation to obtain a list of students and employees from the time when Hannah was a student...and more importantly, Hannah's personal file. It took a bit of convincing to get Dad to agree to it, but he finally okay'ed it. Veronica winces, remembering that her dad had muttered under his breath that she was completely impossible to deal with. Then she remembers that her dad might be listening to her at this very moment. Quietly, Veronica says, "Dad...see if Logan can get a copy of Maria's personal file. See if she was here when Hannah was here. I'm all right. Please don't worry about me too much...I promise, I'm being careful. I won't provoke them more than I have to." She has another idea. "And Dad, see if Klein was here in January, when Hannah was killed." Veronica hopes that Kavner had thought to install a repeater device up here in Observation Placement and that her audio bug is sufficiently powerful to carry her voice to her dad.
Suddenly, Veronica hears the locks turning in the door. Her heart begins to pound, worrying that someone heard her talking to her dad.
Maria says from the doorway, "Get up. We're going to the bathroom again." Veronica notices that she sports a large bandage covering her arm where Veronica stabbed her with the pen.
Veronica stands up uncertainly, still nervous that she had been overheard. She walks cautiously to the door.
"Come on, I don't have all day. What the hell is your problem?" Maria says crossly. "Were you talking to your imaginary friend just now?" she adds jeeringly. "Already cracking under the stress...and you thought you were a tough girl, attacking me when all I was doing was trying to help you start your program. Typical druggie, lashing out at the people trying to help you keep straight."
"I'm not a druggie," Veronica replies defensively. "What do you know about me, anyways?"
Maria grabs her by the arms and screams in her face. "I know you're here because you're fucked up, and you need this program. You have a mental disease–you're an addict, and you don't know how to control your behavior. You have to accept that this program is your life now. You're going to have to work the program for the rest of your life if you don't want to end up in prison or dead. Those are your choices, Connie: the program, prison, or death. The sooner that you admit you have a problem, the sooner you'll start to get better. Your belief that you're smarter than everyone around you is what's causing the problems in your life. Stop choosing out, and let us help you!" Maria takes Veronica's arm and begins to walk her down the hallway, holding onto her bicep tightly.
Veronica knows exactly what her dad told the educational consultant about her because she watched the video of the meeting. 'Connie's mixed up with a bad crowd. I think they're drinking, maybe even doing drugs; she was arrested for shoplifting six weeks ago.' So now I've been promoted from 'maybe doing drugs' to 'druggie'. She doesn't argue the point as Maria propels her along the corridor to the bathroom.
They enter the bathroom; the door to the hallway has been removed as well as the stall door. Maria hands Veronica three squares of toilet tissue. Hesitantly, Veronica asks, "Please, can I have–"
Maria shuts her down, "No, you don't deserve more than that. Hurry up, or you won't have time for dinner before I have to go to class."
Veronica tries to hurry, but she keeps catching Maria's eyes accidentally, and her stare is unnerving. She does the best she can with the limited tissue and flushes. Veronica keeps her eyes averted from Maria as she pulls up her sweat pants. She quickly washes her hands; Maria grabs her arm again and takes her back to the isolation room.
Veronica is pushed into the room again; Maria hands her a paper plate with a sandwich and a paper cup that Maria had previously left on a small table in the hallway. Veronica expects Maria to leave her to eat her meager dinner, but Maria just stands there, waiting. Veronica awkwardly tries to balance the plate and cup with one hand as she eats the white bread and peanut butter sandwich. Maria stares at her as she eats and then drains the paper cup of its contents, a weak fruity drink made from a mix that Veronica remembers a former student calling 'bug juice'. Maria holds out her hand, and Veronica silently returns the paper plate and cup. "That's better," Maria says approvingly. "Maybe you'll make it through here after all."
Maria slams the door shut, locking it, and Veronica is once again alone in the dark.
Sat. 3/7/09 early evening: Briar Hill Academy, Manchester Center, VT
Logan has been assigned to the classroom this evening. He lounges against the wall as the girls file into the room. Many of the girls are paired with an oldcomer, who restricts their movements physically, sometimes pushing the girls forcefully down onto a chair. Logan assumes that the girls without an oldcomer have been here at Briar Hill long enough to have advanced in their program past the newcomer level. The teacher hands out worksheets to the girls, who begin to work on them silently. There is no instruction, no lecture, no discussion of the material being worked on. Each girl has a small flag on the right side of their desk. If they want to ask the teacher a question or if they have finished the worksheet, they move the flag to the left side. The girls work separately on their assigned worksheets; as they finish, they call the teacher over, and the work is corrected by the teacher. If the student gets 90 of the worksheet correct, they are given a new one; if not, they are given the same sheet again to try once more.
One girl seems to struggle more than most. When she finally completes the first worksheet, after most girls have done two or three, the teacher shakes her head and says, "You have to try harder, Tara." The girl nods and takes the new worksheet. Logan moves to the other side of the room so he can observe her; she closes one eye and looks closely at the worksheet before finally checking a box on the multiple choice question. Tara gets more and more frustrated as she works; at one point, she seems close to tears. Finally she seems to give up and begins to randomly check boxes. She signals that she's ready to hand in the worksheet and waits for her grade. The teacher says, "A little better," and Tara looks at her in disbelief. She takes another copy of the worksheet and tries again.
Logan hears someone quietly saying "Psst."
He turns around in time to see an oldcomer jump up from her seat and grasp the face of her newcomer. The oldcomer forces the other girl's head to the front. The oldcomer says sharply, "You don't talk to another newcomer. You know the rules."
The newcomer girl protests, "I dropped my pencil–"
The oldcomer stands up and hauls the other girl out of her seat. Four other girls join in quickly; they take the newcomer down to the floor. Logan steps toward them reluctantly, knowing that his job requires him to assist them in holding the girl on the floor if necessary.
The girl pleads, "No, please don't, I'm sorry..." but the other girls ignore her. Each girl takes a limb of the offending girl; she is held down and immobilized by the weight of the other girls pressing on her.
Her oldcomer grabs her chin again and says, "You know the rules. You know the consequences." She stares into the eyes of her charge and adds, "Do you understand why we have to do this?"
The girl nods, and the other girls let her up from the floor. Logan steps back, the bile rising in his throat. 'Logan!...Do you understand why I have to do this?' Aaron's words ring in his ears, and Logan realizes that he's almost flinching in a subconscious reaction to the phrase. He closes his eyes for a moment, reminding himself that he has to be here for Veronica, and somehow regains his composure.
Sat. 3/7/09 early evening: Olympia Diner, Neptune, CA
After their visit to Chino, Wallace and Weevil hit hours of traffic on the I-5. When they enter the diner, Weevil is still berating Wallace for not taking the I-15 as he had suggested. "I told you we'd get slammed if we took the I-5," he says smugly.
"You know as well as I do, there's no guarantee you can avoid traffic on any highway in California," Wallace retorts in irritation. "Will you drop it already? Hey, there she is." He sees Candice in the back of the restaurant and waves to her.
Candice smiles as the two men approach. "Wallace, how'd it go?"
Wallace slides into the booth next to her and kisses her in greeting. "Lots of traffic on the way back. But...Emilio did have some ideas. Candice, this is Eli, also known as Weevil. He's a maintenance supervisor at Hearst now and went to Neptune High with Veronica and me."
"Nice to meet you, Eli," Candice says.
As they peruse the menus, Wallace tells Candice about Emilio's information about the suspected dirty cop. After they order, there's an awkward silence.
Candice finally tries to make conversation, "Eli, how did you get your nickname?"
"When I was little, I liked a cartoon character called El Gorgojito," Weevil mumbles.
"What was that?" Wallace says.
"It was a cartoon, all right? My grandmother gave me that name," Weevil replies defensively.
"Chill, dude! We all know you're a tough guy," Wallace responds, laughing.
"Yeah, well, you don't make fun of my abuela, okay?" Weevil retorts. "Maybe I should tell your girlfriend about how we met, huh?"
"That's okay," Wallace says quickly, putting up a hand in protest.
"No, come on, tell me," Candice pleads, laughing a little at Wallace's expression.
Ignoring Wallace's discomfort, Weevil leans forward and explains, "See, back then, I was the head of the PCHers, you know, the motorcycle gang?"
Candice nods that she's familiar with the name.
Weevil continues. "So our boy Wallace here was working the late shift at the Sac'n'Pac when a few of my boys decided to get a few items at the five-finger discount rate."
Wallace explains, "They stuffed a bunch of forties in their pockets and gave me a dollar. So I hit the silent alarm."
"Yeah, Mr. Law-and-Order here called the cops. But then he chickened out, said it was an accident that he hit the silent alarm."
"I was so thoroughly impressed with the competence of our local sheriff's department that I realized I must have been in error," Wallace tries to explain to Candice.
"Okay, if that's how you want to spin it," Weevil laughs. "Anyways, the security tape caught the whole thing; Hector and Phuong were arrested. Needless to say, I wasn't too happy to have my number two in jail," he shrugs, "so the next day, we duct-taped your boy to the flagpole at school. Buck-naked, except for his shorts."
"Yeah, thanks for that small bit of kindness. I was pretty happy not to get a bikini wax from the duct-tape," Wallace butts in.
Weevil snorts. "Yeah, when Logan did it to me, he wasn't as nice as we were. ¡Ay cabrón, mis ayotes!" He makes a face, remembering his own time on the flagpole. "Anyways, after we taped Wallace to the flagpole, we wrote 'SNICH' on him with a magic marker."
holy shit, my balls (literally, my pumpkins)
Wallace is fuming, but Candace laughs and smiles at him. Wallace adds, "Yeah, but they misspelled 'SNITCH': S-N-I-C-H...the Neptune High English Department at its finest."
"Bootsy never could spell for shit, in English or Spanish," Weevil muses. "Anyways, so Veronica...you've met her, right?"
Candice nods. "Yeah, we met when she dumped my lunch tray so Wallace could play the hero."
"Oh, that's so romantic," Weevil comments sarcastically, with a mock swoon. He puts his hands together and leans his cheek against them with a wounded puppy-dog expression, fluttering his eyelids. "And then you swept her off her feet." Once again ignoring Wallace's glare, he continues, shaking his head in commentary, "Now, Veronica...that chica is a total bad-ass. Everyone else was too chicken-shit to do anything, but she whipped out a knife and cut Wallace down. Then she made a deal with me, got the charges dropped against my boys in exchange for promising to leave your favorite sack-packer alone."
"Yeah, Veronica and her favors," Wallace concurs. "For some reason, we all let her talk us into doing whatever she wants."
"Yeah, because she's got your back when you need her," Weevil says firmly. "If she hadn't come along, you'd still be duct-taped to that flagpole, and a bikini wax would be the least of your worries."
Candice is still giggling at the image of Wallace taped to the pole. Wallace thinks, Hey...if it got her mind off Shawn for five minutes, it's worth the humiliation. Candice excuses herself and heads for the ladies' room. Wallace hunches over the table and says to Weevil, "So, have you thought anymore about how we can find out who the dirty cop is?"
"Yeah, actually I do have an idea. I say we drop a dime on Liam, set him up for something. What the hell, the guy's a crook all day long...all we have to do is catch him in the act of doing something illegal, rat him out, and see who he calls for help."
Wallace, thinking out loud, says, "We'd have to have a way into the Sheriff's Department to see who he calls."
"Nah, he's not that stupid. He'll call one of his brothers, and then they'll make contact."
Wallace nods, "I guess you're right. But there's only two of us...there's like twenty Fitzpatrick brothers."
"The only ones that are smart enough for Liam to trust are Ciaran, Padraig, and Father Patrick. So...let's try to implicate Ciaran and Padraig as well. Then he'll have to call on the mick priest for help," Weevil muses. He pauses, then says suddenly, "You know, I helped Keith with something a few weeks ago, something that was going on with the Fitzpatricks."
"What? What did you do?" Wallace asks curiously.
Weevil fidgets, trying to decide how to proceed. Finally, he says, cautiously, "Keith won't like it that I'm telling you this."
Wallace nods. "Okay. So we won't tell him you told me."
"Keith and I dressed up like we were from the coroner's office and paid a visit to the St. Mary's cemetery. He had all sorts of paperwork authorizing him to exhume a body," Weevil explains.
"You're kidding."
Weevil shakes his head. "Really fucking nasty work. He didn't let me see what he did, but he took something from one of the graves."
Wallace ponders this information. "Whose grave was it? Was it a guy named Matt Dannon?"
"No. It was in the Fitzpatrick family plot. There's a huge fucking tombstone on the grave of Liam's grandfather, Seamus Fitzpatrick. When I was a kid, we used to bust beer bottles on the monument to piss off the micks," Weevil comments.
"And we know Keith also burned down a shed on one of Liam's properties right around that time," Wallace adds. "So he was doing something related to the Fitzpatricks." He thinks a moment and continues. "I bet Keith was spying on the Fitzpatricks. He never told me exactly what was going on, but I'm sure of it. I saw him monitoring the Sonic Snoop program he uses with his surveillance gear right around that time. So maybe he hid some bugs in St. Mary's. Liam was still in prison at that point. Right after that went down, Keith was arrested for the arson. And then he was working on the undercover op. He wouldn't have had time to get the bugs out of there."
"Do you know how to listen to those bugs?" Weevil queries.
Wallace nods. "Veronica's laptop has the Sonic Snoop program on it too. And she didn't take her laptop with her; it's still in the apartment...and I have a key. I've seen her do it enough times, I think I can figure it out."
As Candice approaches, Weevil nods his understanding. "Sounds like a plan."
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Observer Effect
Logan scouts Klein's office; Dick is
targeted; Veronica's night in OP.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Peter Klein: Clancy
Brown. Tony: Romany Malco. Maria: Gina
Mantegna. Hallie: Keri Lynn Pratt. Shania:
Robyn Richards. Brittany: Adrianne Palicki.
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CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO: "OBSERVER EFFECT"
Sat. 3/7/09 late evening: Briar Hill Academy, Manchester Center, VT
Once Logan's shift is over, he decides to try to scout Peter Klein's office to determine how best to get in there to look at the files. Cautiously checking to make sure he's unobserved, he makes his way to the end of the hallway. He checks the door; the office securely locked. Logan hears voices; he looks around. The only exit nearby is "baby-locked"; the door, operated by a panic bar, is rigged to stay locked for two minutes, sounding an alarm, before finally opening in case of an emergency. He sees a closet and ducks in just in time before Peter Klein and Tony turn the corner. He listens as they talk.
Tony says, "Yeah, Maria handled it. She said the new girl is behaving herself now, but we'll have to watch her closely. She's too smart for her own good."
"Aren't they always," comments Klein.
"You ain't kidding. Maria's watching her like a hawk; she thinks Connie's her ticket out of here," Tony replies.
Klein says, "Well, it's okay for Maria to think that. It's useful for us. She'll be at Serenity Bay soon enough."
Logan, hiding in the closet, thinks, Serenity Bay?
"I feel kind of bad about that. She's worked hard on her program here, really helps a lot with the newcomers," Tony protests.
"Her father is insistent. It's Serenity Bay for Maria when she turns eighteen," Klein says firmly.
"I guess so. See you later," Tony replies.
Logan listens carefully; when there is only silence for the next five minutes, he takes a chance and opens the door a crack. Seeing no one, he opens the door a little further, noticing a light burning inside Klein's office through the frosted glass window on the office door. He exits the closet, closing the door quietly, and walks down the hall. He uses his card key on the locked front door to exit the building and runs straight into Tony.
Tony says, "Hey, what's up, Rog? Weren't you off shift half an hour ago?"
"Yeah. But I thought I might have dropped my lighter during the class session tonight when one of the girls was taken down...I wouldn't want one of the girls to get a hold of it," Logan explains lightly.
"Christ, that would be a disaster. Did you find it?" Tony asks.
Logan nods. "Right where I dropped it. I'll be more careful in the future."
"Everything's going okay? Did you have any more questions?"
"Yeah, it's going okay. You're right about the girls. They're pretty messed up. They're lucky to have a place like this to go to," Logan replies.
"The STRAIT program I was at saved my life," Tony comments.
"That's what you told me. And you turned out okay."
"Because I worked hard. I still work hard. Every day I want to get high again, but I fight it. Helping these girls helps me keep straight," Tony says.
Logan nods again. "Listen, see you tomorrow, Tony. I'm going to hit the sack."
Tony waves goodbye. He watches Logan walk toward the employees' quarters.
Sat. 3/7/09 very late: Zeta Theta Beta, Hearst College, Neptune, CA
Dick, dressed only in skin-tight jeans and a bow-tie, has volunteered his services as a bartender at a blowout hosted by the Zeta Theta Beta sorority. "Ladies...panty-droppers all round?" He extends a tray toward two girls.
Hallie and Shania exclaim, "Whoo!" and take the shot glasses proferred by Dick, quickly downing the drinks.
"It's all part of the full-service package...and when I say package, you know what I mean," Dick says, thrusting his pelvis at the girls.
Hallie puts her arm around Dick's naked torso and does a bump and grind against him. "Next week, we're thinking about hosting a pole-dancing contest."
"I am so there," Dick pledges. "Can I be a judge? I promise to be completely impartial and fair. But of course, I'll expect the winner to grease my pole." He rubs his crotch against Hallie, who giggles and wanders off.
Dick notices a beautiful girl dancing with one of his Pi Sig brothers. "Shania, who's the fresh meat over there? She looks too old to be a freshman."
Shania glances at the girl and replies, "She's from an east coast Zeta chapter...said she was thinking about transferring to Hearst."
The girl notices Dick looking at her and comes over. "Hi, I'm Brittany."
"Hello, I'm Dick, nice to eat you," Dick answers.
"Love your outfit, Dick. Why don't you put your tray down and dance with me?" Brittany suggests, laughing.
"I'd be delighted to do you." He puts down the tray and allows Brittany to drag him to middle of the dance floor.
Brittany puts her arms around his neck and presses her body against him. As the song progresses, Dick thinks, Whoa, she is totally sexing me up. "So, Brittany, Shania said you're thinking of transferring to Hearst? There's always enough room for one more hot chick here."
"Either Hearst or UCLA. What do you think of UCLA? Do you know anyone who goes there?" Brittany asks.
"It's not a party school like Hearst," he replies. "Of course, whatever school I'm at is automatically a party school."
"How do you know UCLA isn't a party school? Do you know anyone who goes there?" she repeats, continuing to rub her body against him.
"Yeah, a couple people," Dick answers cautiously, suddenly remembering what Veronica said about the paparazzi probably having a tap on his phone. He decides to set a trap. "My best friend in fact. He transferred there a couple years ago, but now he's decided to drop out."
"Really?" Brittany asks. "What's he doing?"
"He's just bumming around Europe, getting into trouble, spending his trust fund on booze and babes," Dick says. "Last I heard, he was in Paris. Somehow he hooked up with Mischa Barton. It's not fair; he's got looks and bucks. All the girls fall in love with him."
"What's his name? Would I have heard of him?" Brittany asks breathlessly.
"Ah, who cares? Tell me more about me, baby," he replies, looking at her lasciviously. "How do you see this evening ending? I'm thinking we take this to a more private location." He points upstairs.
"Ooh, I totally want to hit that. Just let me get something from my car first, okay? See you in a minute."
Brittany kisses Dick. Nice use of the tongue, he notes. She smiles at him and pushes through the crowd to the front door of the sorority. He follows her and pushes the curtain aside to watch through the window as she runs up to a car driven by a blonde woman. Fuck! Carrie, he thinks, recognizing the driver of the car. Brittany walks quickly back to the front door of the sorority house; just as she reaches for the door knob, Dick opens the door and says, "Got what you need? We've actually reached our limit on skanky reporters. See ya." He slams the door in her face and returns to the party.
Sat. 3/7/09 very late: Briar Hill Academy, Manchester Center, VT
Veronica is running down the hallway of the school, pursued by Mercer. Panicked, she thinks, 'Where the hell is Logan?' But he is nowhere to be found. She runs up the stairs, stopping on the second floor landing to look for him. Veronica repeatedly whispers the code words, "California! I wish I was in California!" 'Why isn't anyone responding?' she thinks frantically. In desperation, she finally says, "Abort! We have to abort now! Please, Dad...somebody...help!"
It's been two days since she was caught by Maria, talking to her dad over the bug in her bra. Since then she was released, but she sees the guards scrutinizing her, and Kavner and Logan seem to have disappeared. 'Taken away? Killed? Would they really kill to keep the school open?' Then Mercer showed up at the school. When Veronica saw him talking to Klein, pointing at her, she ran. He followed her deliberately, knowing that all the doors and windows were secured.
Veronica hesitates on the third floor landing, looking behind her anxiously. Somehow, she knows this is a dead end; this last set of stairs leads to the roof, where the only escape is to jump off the edge. She turns in the opposite direction and runs straight into the arms of Peter Klein.
Klein says in his magnificent and sonorous voice, "Connie, or should I say, Veronica, why are you running? Don't you know we love you here?"
Veronica sees Maria further down the hall; Maria smiles and says, "Love you, Veronica. Let us help you, then we'll let you call your father." Maria approaches purposefully.
Klein chuckles and says, "Keith isn't available for calls right now anyways– something about taking the rap for arson to keep his daughter out of prison. That's a heavy weight to bear, Veronica; it's time for you to admit you need help. Your actions are affecting all the people who love you. We're going to help you get right."
Maria approaches and grabs Veronica's arm. Maria says, "Veronica, c'mon, you know we need to search you. We know you have a listening device hidden on you. Let's make this easy; just give us the bug so we can start our real work."
Veronica jumps when Mercer speaks directly into her ear from behind her. "I'm so looking forward to group therapy with you, Veronica; I really want to hear about everything you've been through. You've been such a bad, bad girl. And don't you worry about Logan; when I recognized him, I took care of him."
She whirls around and cries, "What did you do to Logan?"
Mercer shakes his head. "Just another one of your victims, Veronica. We had him arrested for trespassing...and, what a surprise, he had forged identification. I think that's a federal offense under the Patriot Act." He touches her shoulder in a parody of a caress, gripping her tightly and drawing her to him. "Relax, baby, I know what I'm doing. You're in good hands now. But I can't say I like the red hair; it doesn't suit you. 'Course it doesn't matter, you're going to lose it anyways." He slips his hand into her hair, grabbing a chunk of it and pulling her head back. "Time for you to work your program. Love you, Veronica."
As one, Klein and Maria echo, "Love you, Veronica." They drag Veronica down to the floor; Veronica struggles and screams as they relentlessly begin to strip her, determined to find the listening device.
Veronica wakes up suddenly, terrified and disoriented in the dark "Observation Placement" room. She's freezing; she realizes that it must be nighttime, and the late winter chill in Vermont has permeated the room now that the sun has set.
She pulls the thin blanket tighter around her and tries to put her nightmare out of her mind. Now that she's actually seen the school, the dream is filled with real-life details and the faces of the actual people at the school. Veronica tries to reassure herself that Maria couldn't possibly have heard her speaking to her dad. Then she starts to worry that she really did screw up by provoking Maria during the strip-search; she obsessively goes over her memories, ruthlessly trying to dissect how she should have handled the situation. Her anxieties torment her despite her best efforts to dismiss them.
How many girls spent cold and lonely nights in this room before me? I can get through this, she thinks, trying to talk herself into being courageous. She shivers again, uncontrollably, and she accidentally knocks her bruised shoulder against the wall, wincing from the unexpected pain. Remembering the vicious fight with Maria at intake, she wiggles her loose tooth with her tongue, hoping it will eventually tighten in its socket again; she smiles grimly, thinking that at least her opponent got the worst of it. Veronica finally gives up on getting back to sleep; she stands up and paces back and forth, flailing her arms to try to keep warm. One, two, three, four, five, turn around, one, two, three, four, five, turn around...
She realizes that she wants to use the bathroom again; now that she is denied routine access, her bladder seems to have a mind of its own and continually urges her to relieve herself. Damn it! She reminds herself that she's had less than eight ounces of fluid and doesn't really need a bathroom, but her bladder refuses to be convinced.
Veronica sits down again, carefully favoring her painful shoulder as she leans against the wall. She takes a shaky breath, closes her eyes tightly, and begins to perform the breathing exercises that had helped her earlier that day. Each time her mind starts to worry again, she quickly tries to block the thought by focusing on the counts of the exercise. It takes longer than it did that afternoon before she feels a measure of control over her situation.
She lies down again on the uncomfortable thin mattress. Veronica curls up in a fetal position and huddles under the blanket. She whispers, "I'm going to make these bastards pay. I'm not giving up." Determined to keep herself calm and focused, she conjures up a memory of the last time she and Logan were together; she remembers his deliberate lovemaking and his tenderness toward her. She tries to imagine his caress on her skin; she brushes the back of her own hand against her cheek to relive the sensation of his touch. Veronica knows that the employees' quarters are just a short distance away on the grounds of the academy. She knows that he is thinking of her, worrying about her; she wraps the idea of his love and care for her around her like a second blanket. Veronica lies awake through the night, calming herself with the knowledge that he will protect her.
Sun. 3/8/09 morning: Briar Hill Academy, Manchester Center, VT
The door to Observation Placement is unlocked and opened. Veronica shades her eyes and sits up on the mattress. It's Maria. Veronica stands up, trying to look obedient. Wordlessly, Maria takes her to the bathroom again, then takes a short length of rope and ties it first to Veronica's right wrist, then loops it around Maria's left wrist. "Let's go," she barks. Maria urges Connie to the stairs, and they begin to descend.
It's not so much the actual restraint of the rope, but rather the embarrassment of it that strikes Veronica. It's a badge of shame–this is a girl who cannot be trusted. As they enter the cafeteria, Veronica sees all the girls stare at her. One girl drops her eyes, and Veronica realizes that she too is tied to her oldcomer. The cafeteria is eerily silent; there are no conversations, no rude noises or the laughter that she would expect from a group of girls this age. Veronica and Maria stand in line and receive their portion of oatmeal. Due to Maria's more advanced status, she is also granted an orange. Veronica knows she somehow has to document this meal for the monitoring team. She taps Maria on the shoulder, and Maria looks at her questioningly. Veronica says, "Please...I'm so hungry. Just oatmeal? Can I have something else too?"
Maria replies sharply, "You haven't earned more than oatmeal. Work hard on your program, and you'll get more."
"Is that why–" Veronica starts.
"Yes, I've worked hard. That's why I get the extra food," Maria says smugly.
Veronica nods her comprehension. They sit down at a table and eat their meal in silence.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Back Doors
Mac has a break-through; Veronica is
interviewed by Klein; group therapy begins.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Mac: Tina Majorino. Peter Klein: Clancy
Brown. Maria: Gina Mantegna. Megan: Anna
Lynn McCord. Alyssa: Christina Hendricks.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE: "BACK DOORS"
Sun. 3/8/09 morning: Hotel, San Diego, CA
Mac lies on the hotel bed, flipping through channels on the television. Sundays are the worst. The rest of the week she goes to the computer forensics lab to work on reconstructing Rick Picket's efforts to track the Russian Mafia; at the lab, Mac is in her element with a great computer and people to talk to when she needs a break. But Alan won't let her have a computer in the hotel, saying that the risk that she'll be found is too great if she accesses a Wi-Fi network. When she suggested a computer without Wi-Fi, he still shook his head, saying he thought she was smart enough to rig up a way to connect to the wired hi-speed internet in her room. Mac promised that she wouldn't try, but Alan still said no. Who'm I kidding? Of course I would have gotten online somehow.
Mac has noticed a change in the way Alan treats her lately. His early enthusiasm for her work on the project has turned into half-hearted compliments for her very small successes. Yesterday, Alan casually mentioned that there would be a meeting with the U.S. Marshals next week in order to discuss long-term witness protection. She surmises that if she is unable to make any more progress, she will be taken into WitSec, her identity changed, doomed to live the rest of her life in Albuquerque or Peoria, hiding under the bed everytime she hears a car backfire or receives a spam email from an unidentified source. Unless she can pinpoint the perpetrators of the identify theft program, she'll always be in danger.
Try not to think about it. They're saving your life. She changes the channel a few more times and stops when she sees Sandra Bullock peering at a computer screen on the television. Mac remembers being eight years old, begging her parents to take her to see 'The Net', which was PG13 as she remembers. Her mom and dad finally agreed, and Mac remembers enjoying the movie more than anything she had ever seen previously. Even as an eight-year-old, she thought some of the plot was far-fetched, but she loved seeing a woman outsmart the bad guys with her computer skills. For months, she insisted on being called 'Sandy' instead of 'Cindy'. Her dad still teases her with that name when he thinks she's spending too much time on the 'internets', as he terms it. Mac puts down the remote and watches the movie. She chuckles as Sandra Bullock's character, Angela Bennett, learns that the cyberterrorist group called "The Praetorians" has wiped her identity, replacing it with that of a prostitute wanted on several drug charges.
As Angela Bennett learns about the backdoor to Gatekeeper security program used by the cyberterrorists, Mac's thoughts drift to the problems she's having tracing the origins of the Russian Mafia's identity theft program. Backdoor. The backdoor to the Gatekeeper security protocols. Mac sits up suddenly and turns off the television. Backdoor...Back Orifice. Back Orifice is the Cult of the Dead Cow's program to hack into Microsoft Windows. For a second, she forgets to breathe. That's what Rick did. He used that same method combined with the known flaws in encryption methods to trace the originating server. He used a backdoor on the server.
Mac goes to the door of the hotel room and asks the agent stationed outside to call Alan and tell him she wants to go into the computer lab as soon as possible.
Sun. 3/8/09: Briar Hill Academy, Manchester Center, VT
Maria escorts Veronica into Peter Klein's office. He sits behind the desk, tapping a pencil and regarding her curiously without speaking. After several minutes, Veronica says nervously, "I'd really like to call my dad." She fidgets a little, playing with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.
"I bet," Klein comments. "But you know, Connie, the thing is that your dad did the best thing he could possibly do for you by sending you here." He opens a file on the desk. "It looks like you have a substance abuse problem. Drinking, out all night, hanging out with bad kids who don't have your best interests at heart. And I see that your dad thinks you're abusing drugs as well. Ecstasy, maybe even crack or meth. I'd be willing to lay odds that you've raided your father's medicine cabinet, too. Pain pills, tranquilizers."
"I never did that," Veronica says defensively. "And I'm not doing drugs. Maybe a little pot now and then..."
"You see? You're lying to yourself. You don't do drugs, but you smoke pot."
"That's ridiculous. Nobody thinks pot is that bad," Veronica responds.
"I do. I know that I started by smoking pot. And then it was cocaine, and then speedballs, and then the next thing you know, I was burglarizing houses to pay for my habit."
"I'm not you," Veronica replies. "I'm not–"
"YOU'VE ALREADY BEEN CAUGHT SHOPLIFTING!!" Klein thunders at her, pounding his palm on the desk. He visibly calms himself. "Connie, you're wearing your denial like a cheap jacket. Everyone can see that you're fucked up except for you. I have to tell you, I'm very concerned that this program's going to be difficult for you with your attitude."
"There's nothing wrong with my attitude. What do you expect when you lock somebody up in a dark room for a whole day?"
"Connie, the record for consecutive days spent in Observation Placement is 643 days."
Veronica swallows. You need to cooperate a little, Veronica. You are not going to get the evidence you need if you are stuck in that room for a week. Or two weeks.
"I'd like you to tell me about your boyfriend," Klein suggests.
"There's nothing to tell," she says.
"His name?"
She hesitates.
"Connie, tell me his name. You see, what we've learned over the years is that it's important to identify our backdoors: the people who help us to be self-destructive, the habits we cling to in order to do the things we shouldn't, even the places where we hang out and slip into our old patterns of behavior. I need to know the name of your boyfriend."
"Scott Rennick," she says reluctantly.
Klein smiles. "Good girl." He pushes a composition book and a pencil across the desk. Veronica notes that the notebook is fabric bound, not spiral bound, and assumes that is to prevent the notebook from becoming a weapon.
Maria picks up the notebook and the pencil. She holds the pencil up in the air and looks at the bandage on her arm where Veronica stabbed her the night before. "Can we trust you with a pencil? Or do we need to give you a crayon to write with?"
Veronica nods and takes the pencil and the notebook.
Klein says quietly, "Write down his name and address. Then we're going to go on to all your other druggie friends."
Veronica looks up when he says 'druggie' and takes a breath to speak, then pretends to think better of it and begins writing. Maria watches closely, wary of Veronica. At one point, Veronica can't resist raising the pencil to her face and tapping the eraser against her lips, as if trying to remember. She feels perversely satisfied when Maria flinches. Klein prompts her to write down more names.
Despite her apparent confusion, Veronica knows exactly why they are asking for the names of 'Connie's' friends: the parents of these friends will be contacted with an intense sales pitch for the school. In addition, should 'Connie' manage to escape from the school, they now have a list of the people she would turn to for assistance. Knowing that the school would be asking for such a list, Keith prepared a list of fictitious names, addresses, and phone numbers that all lead back to him, and Veronica has memorized the contact info in advance.
Maria looks on as Veronica writes. Finally, Veronica says, "That's it. I'm trying here. Really...I'm trying. That's everybody."
Maria takes the composition book back along with the pencil and looks over the names. "This is good, Connie. You're making progress. This is the beginning of your moral inventory."
"My what?" Veronica asks.
"Your moral inventory. It's a listing of all the things you've ever done, all the things you wish you'd done different, all your character traits that cause your problems. Once we start making our moral inventory, then we can start fixing our problems. First, you have to admit that there's a problem, which means you have to be totally honest," Maria explains.
Klein adds, "The moral inventory is not something that you can ever finish. You must keep track of your failings and bad thoughts every day. Once you begin to get better, you'll need your inventory to help you keep on the right path."
"So...like, 'today I wanted to go partying with my boyfriend,' that kind of thing?" Veronica asks.
"Or just your feelings. 'Today I felt envious.' 'Today I was selfish.' 'I realize I am frightened by the thought that I can never have a drink or do drugs.'" Klein turns around to the shelf behind his desk and gets a sheet of paper. He pushes it across the desk to Veronica, who picks it up and looks at it. "Some people need to use a checklist. It helps them to organize their thoughts."
The chart has three columns. In each column, on the left side there are negative characteristics or behaviors, such as 'angry' or 'apathetic'; each characteristic is countered on the right side by its positive opposite, such as 'forgiving & calm' and 'interested & alert'. Veronica looks over the long list of moral failings. (11)
He stands up and begins to pace around the room. "You see, your current beliefs are what's causing the problems in your life. You need to let go of your beliefs and let us help you create a new system for yourself. You have to learn that you don't know everything. You aren't as smart as you think you are. In fact, you aren't smart at all. You're dumb; your actions that got you here prove it, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll start to improve your life."
Veronica stares at him furiously; even acting the role of 'Connie', she's pissed as hell at Klein's assumptions.
"Right now, you're thinking, 'He doesn't know what he's talking about.'" Klein says, leaning against desk and looking down on Veronica. "Look on your list. 'Defiant and contemptuous'. And the opposite is 'Respectful'. Further down...'Resisting growing'. And the opposite is 'Willing to grow'. Connie, I think you'll find that you're going to identify with all the terms on the left side of the chart. I know I did."
He leans forward, emphasizing his point. "We have a disease. It's a moral disease, a disease of the soul. And society is unwilling to put up with people who have our disease. If you don't change the way you're behaving, you're going to end up dead or in prison. Those are your only choices. The program...death...or prison. And the truly sad thing about our disease is that it's not 100 percent curable. You're going to have to fight this disease for the rest of your life, the way that I'm fighting it every day of my life. Think about it. The program, death, or prison. I choose the program. Right now, you're choosing out. You're making the wrong choice, Connie. The first step is to admit you have a problem. I'd like to hear you say that."
"All right. I have a problem. Now...I'd really like to call my dad. Please. What do I have to do to earn a phone call?" Veronica asks.
"Did you believe her?" Klein asks Maria. Maria shakes her head 'no'. "Yeah, I didn't believe her either."
Veronica says defensively, "Okay, I admit it, I have a problem, I'm fucked-up, I'm a total shit, what do you want from me? And how the hell do I get rid of this tether?" She holds up her right wrist with the rope attaching her to Maria.
Klein stares at her silently. Finally, he says, "I can't say I'm surprised at your attitude."
"It reminds me of the way I was," Maria comments.
This statement chills Veronica to the bone, and she stares at Maria.
Maria says, "You think I'm a bitch, don't you? You're going to thank me one day. And then, if you work really hard, you might earn the privilege of helping another girl the way I'm helping you."
Fat chance, Veronica thinks.
"You need to learn to go along, Connie. Accept that your life is going to be different now and work the program, so it can work for you," Klein adds. "I'll see you two in group later. Connie, you've got a lot to think about."
Sun. 3/8/09: Briar Hill Academy, Manchester Center, VT
When the girls file into the meeting room for group therapy, Logan watches for Veronica, hoping that she's been released from Observation Placement. She walks into the room and looks right past him. Damn, she's good...no reaction at all. He notes that she looks okay except for a small bruise on her mouth and a general air of fatigue. Then he notices the tether on her wrist that he has seen on a few other newcomers. Without looking at him directly, she deliberately scratches her cheek, and he lets out the breath that he didn't even realize he was holding. Am I protecting her or is she protecting me?
Maria leads Veronica to the front of the room as the other girls take their seats. The girls sit down; every one of them sits up straight with their hands carefully placed on their knees. Maria addresses the girls. As she speaks, Logan notices that Peter Klein enters the back of the room and sits down unobtrusively. "This is Connie. She's a druggie and an alkie, and she sleeps around. And she got arrested for shoplifting. So she's got a lot of work to do before she can get right."
The girls answer, "Love you, Connie." Veronica looks at the assembled girls, uncertain what her response is. Maria grabs her arm and leads Veronica to the chairs. She takes the tether off Veronica and pushes her into one of the blue plastic chairs. "Sit, and pay attention." Maria carefully places Veronica's hands on her knees. She takes Veronica's chin and roughly turns Veronica's head to the front. She yells in Veronica's ear, "Don't move, and LISTEN!" Veronica reacts by flinching; Maria shakes her shoulder roughly, and Veronica tries to imitate the attentive posture of the girls around her as Maria sits down beside her.
One of the counselors goes to the front of the room and writes 'Utilize, Don't Analyze' on the blackboard. She looks straight at Veronica and says, "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Alyssa, and I'm your counselor. I graduated from Briar Hill in 1996, and I know what you're thinking, because it's what I used to think. I'm a druggie, and I struggle with eating disorders. Briar Hill saved my life, and now I've dedicated my life to helping girls like me. I know if I hadn't come to Briar Hill, I'd be dead." Alyssa waits a moment for her point to sink in, then she points at the phrase on the blackboard and asks the girls, "'Utilize, don't analyze.' What does this mean?"
Most of the girls respond immediately; they begin to silently pump their arms in the air, alternating left and right in what looks like a perverse cheer. Some of the girls tap their feet as well. Veronica looks around, trying to make sense of it. Alyssa chooses one of the girls who is waving her arms energetically. The girl jumps to her feet and says, "It means don't question the program. The program works, you just have to work your program."
"Give me an example, Megan."
Megan begins to tell a long-winded story about trying to buy crack. Maria begins to pump her fists violently in the air, trying to get the counselor's attention. Finally, Alyssa points to Maria, who stands up and says to Megan, "That's bullshit, Megan." Maria addresses the counselor. "It has nothing to do with the topic, and it's bullshit besides. She's not digging deep enough."
"What do we think, girls?" the counselor asks.
"Bullshit!" "She's a liar." The girls join in on denouncing Megan, who sits down in frustration. Another girl is called upon to tell a story, and again the others attack her. Logan realizes that each girl is trying to top the last in creatively rewriting her history. No matter how debauched or immoral the story, the other girls jeer that it's not good enough, it's not real, the testifier is not working hard enough.
Alyssa finally stops the discussion and begins a lecture. "Now we're going to talk about retraining the way we think. The idea is that we need to change the way we experience life so that the situations that tend to get us into trouble are instead an opportunity to find a new way to deal with them. The reason why you're here, ladies, is because your lives don't work the way you've been living them. Your lives were shit before you got here. You didn't know what you were doing, and you were screw-ups. We need to change the way you think, get rid of your beliefs that are holding you back from being a functioning member of society." The counselor continues in this vein for an hour, telling the students they are assholes, subhuman, and worthless.
Logan begins to fidget; the long period standing aggravates his knee injury, and he finally has to walk around a little to relieve the sensation. Klein notices and stands up as well; he motions that Logan should join him outside the meeting room. Klein asks, "Everything okay? You're the new guy, right?"
Logan answers, "Yeah, it's fine. I just had surgery on my knee a few months ago; it locks up on me sometimes." He extends his hand and says, "Roger Oakley."
"Nice to meet you, Roger. So...what do you think of our program so far?"
"It's intense," Logan answers truthfully. "Tony explained a few things to me; I understand a little better now, I think."
"Tony's been working for me for a long time now. He's really earned my trust...We better get back in there," Klein suggests.
They reenter the room; the counselor's droning speech is still continuing. Logan notices that Veronica's head is drooping. Shit! Don't fall asleep. Don't fall asleep! Her head bobs a little, and her eyes close. The girl sitting next to her pokes Veronica to wake her up, and Veronica wakes up with a start, accidentally hitting the girl who poked her.
Alyssa stops mid-sentence and focuses on Veronica. "You!!"
Veronica is obviously still half-asleep and looks up, confused. The counselor approaches and starts to scream at her. "Why aren't you paying attention? What the hell is wrong with you? Don't you know we're trying to help you here?"
Veronica tries to protest reflexively before realizing she should just take the abuse.
Alyssa motions with her hand towards the floor. "Take her down."
Maria takes the lead, grabbing Veronica and pulling her down to the floor. The other girls quickly gather around and help to secure Veronica's limbs. Veronica fights against the takedown, and, knowing that Klein is watching him, Logan joins in holding her down. He grabs her left arm and firmly holds it against the floor, praying that she'll stop resisting. Veronica still struggles against the confinement, and the counselor kneels down and puts her hand over Veronica's nose and mouth; now Veronica really kicks and writhes as Alyssa screams at her, "WHY CAN'T YOU ACCEPT THAT WE LOVE YOU AND KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU!" Veronica finally stops struggling, and the counselor releases her. Veronica is breathing heavily, the girls still holding her pinned to the floor.
Maria says contemptuously, "You're fucking up and making me look bad!" She aims a punch at Veronica's stomach, and Veronica tries to roll away.
Logan grabs Maria's arm and says, "Enough!" He feels something on the underside of Maria's arm, and he turns her arm to look at it. He sucks in his breath; it's a perfect match to the cigarette burn scar on his own shoulder. Logan's eyes meet Maria's; she knows that he knows exactly what the scar is, and she pulls her arm away violently.
Maria hisses at him, "You're new, aren't you? You don't get it. She's a newcomer. We have to teach her how to behave."
Logan just stares at her.
Veronica says tearfully, "You fuckers! I want to talk to my dad! Why won't you let me call him?" Logan meets her eyes for a split-second and realizes she's saying this to reassure him.
Maria says intensely, "Don't make it worse! Stop resisting. Let us help you, Connie...Are you going to behave? You're going to sit and listen quietly?"
Veronica finally nods, and the girls let her up. Maria and the other girls say in unison, "Love you, Connie."
Logan stands ups and walks to the rear of the room. He only dares to glance once over his shoulder at her as Veronica shakily stands up and retakes her seat, replacing her hands on her knees and staring straight ahead in imitation of the girls around her.
Klein walks over to him and says in a low voice, "It's hard in the beginning. Once you see some girls improve and graduate, it'll be easier for you. We have to tear them down before we can build them up again."
Logan nods, averting his eyes. He's not quite sure, but he thinks that Klein actually believes he's saving these girls. It scares him to realize that Klein isn't just a superlative con artist, but rather a true believer. If a man is willing to brutalize young girls to 'save' them, just how far would he go to the protect the cause?
(11) You can see a sample moral inventory here - www•royy•com/step4•pdf
"¡Ay cabrón, mis ayotes!" - holy shit, my balls (literally, my pumpkins)
abuela - grandmother