[ Erik grips the steering wheel hard, gaze focused on the endless road ahead, but not quite seeing what lies beyond him.
He's still absorbing the information given to him. Not much, admittedly, and not nearly enough for him to fully understand what's going on. For an illusion created purposefully by someone truly powerful, it seems a little too complex and far too farfetched for him to see what anyone could gain from it. The other option is to believe he's somehow been taken to another planet. Another reality? That's somehow even more unrealistic than anything else he could imagine.
He expects at any moment to wake up in his own small, old cabin in the middle of the woods with a strong headache, thus rendering all of this a wild, complex dream that he has somehow concocted. Dreams always seem real when you're in them, after all. But then, him thinking that this might be a dream is probably proof that it's definitely not a dream.
Fuck, his head hurts now. That's probably another sign that this is all real.
He spots something different in the distance— a car pulled over to the edge of the road, someone standing just outside it. He debates just driving by, but instead he slows down, pulls up behind them and steps outside. ]
Car trouble?
PANORAMA
[ It's not long before Erik becomes painfully aware of how real all of this, however wild and incomprehensible. The notion of alternate realities is a tad too far for a man who's only come to learn of diverging timelines and the possibility of time travel, but Erik has never been the sort to be stumped.
Besides, he's a man of priorities, and right now survival is at the top of that list. Having the car is a good start, and it's where he sleeps for the first few days, visiting the supermarket for all the free samples he can get— and simply scooping a couple of other essentials into his pocket as needed. He's modest and discrete enough to be able to do it without drawing any attention to himself. If someone sees him, he may level them with a heavy gaze, somewhere between threatening and genuinely concerned that he's about to be told on.
Not that getting arrested would be a first for him, but still.
He knows this isn't a long term solution, though, and after a couple of days he decides to find a way to earn some much needed funds. A warehouse job is simple enough work, menial tasks that he can handle and will keep him just under the radar, so he applies for one of those. Throughout the shifts he keeps mostly to himself, not giving even his coworkers much attention though it is clear he's watching them constantly.
After a couple of shifts, he can finally pay for a room at one of the cheapest motels, a slight improvement after sleeping in the car for his first nights. Electricity is rare and fickle but that's the least of his concerns, really. He can still shower, even if the water's cold, and a bed is still better than the cramped space in his back seat.
He expects no one to come barging in, but a knock on the door is just as surprising. He pulls it open only to find no one there, then pokes his head out into the hallway to see someone just a few feet away. ]
Yes?
FRINGES
[ Coming out here is quite possibly a very bad idea, but Erik's lacking in ideas when it comes to figuring out what's happening here. It's a distant hope to learn any more about his current circumstances, but he's still going to try. Maybe a clue, or someone who might know more than what he's been told so far.
That's not what he finds when he reaches the flooded building, but that only serves as further encouragement for him to step inside. The moment that door locks behind him, he knows he's made a mistake.
But it's not until he tries to use his powers and nothing budges that he realizes he's made a grave mistake. He gasps audibly when he puts all his energy to it and nothing happens, panting as the seriousness of the situation dawns on him. He looks around, refuses to panic. Eyes fix on the words flashing on the screen.
Code. A code— it has to be here somewhere. Erik is not well-versed with computers, especially as they're not a common thing in his own time, so he starts searching through what papers and folders he can find, trying to see if there's anything underwater that might help.
A face takes shape, and he freezes in a panic, eyes wide. He mutters something, tries to chase after the face of a woman he hasn't seen in thirty years— but she vanishes just when he's an inch from being able to touch. He gasps, pain stabbing through his chest, only to make his insides twist painfully when the face of his mother is replaced with Shaw's.
His face goes white, by now the task at hand entirely forgotten. Shock and grief give way to anger, and he screams as he punches through the water, forcing that face to vanish. Part of the structure inside gives way, metal beams bending and pulled apart from their place, but the building doesn't collapse. There's just a lot of threatening noise and probably some pieces of the ceiling coming apart and falling in the process.
Helping him snap out of it at the moment might be the most urgent course of action. ]
erik lehnsherr — xmcu
He's still absorbing the information given to him. Not much, admittedly, and not nearly enough for him to fully understand what's going on. For an illusion created purposefully by someone truly powerful, it seems a little too complex and far too farfetched for him to see what anyone could gain from it. The other option is to believe he's somehow been taken to another planet. Another reality? That's somehow even more unrealistic than anything else he could imagine.
He expects at any moment to wake up in his own small, old cabin in the middle of the woods with a strong headache, thus rendering all of this a wild, complex dream that he has somehow concocted. Dreams always seem real when you're in them, after all. But then, him thinking that this might be a dream is probably proof that it's definitely not a dream.
Fuck, his head hurts now. That's probably another sign that this is all real.
He spots something different in the distance— a car pulled over to the edge of the road, someone standing just outside it. He debates just driving by, but instead he slows down, pulls up behind them and steps outside. ]
Car trouble?
PANORAMA
Besides, he's a man of priorities, and right now survival is at the top of that list. Having the car is a good start, and it's where he sleeps for the first few days, visiting the supermarket for all the free samples he can get— and simply scooping a couple of other essentials into his pocket as needed. He's modest and discrete enough to be able to do it without drawing any attention to himself. If someone sees him, he may level them with a heavy gaze, somewhere between threatening and genuinely concerned that he's about to be told on.
Not that getting arrested would be a first for him, but still.
He knows this isn't a long term solution, though, and after a couple of days he decides to find a way to earn some much needed funds. A warehouse job is simple enough work, menial tasks that he can handle and will keep him just under the radar, so he applies for one of those. Throughout the shifts he keeps mostly to himself, not giving even his coworkers much attention though it is clear he's watching them constantly.
After a couple of shifts, he can finally pay for a room at one of the cheapest motels, a slight improvement after sleeping in the car for his first nights. Electricity is rare and fickle but that's the least of his concerns, really. He can still shower, even if the water's cold, and a bed is still better than the cramped space in his back seat.
He expects no one to come barging in, but a knock on the door is just as surprising. He pulls it open only to find no one there, then pokes his head out into the hallway to see someone just a few feet away. ]
Yes?
FRINGES
That's not what he finds when he reaches the flooded building, but that only serves as further encouragement for him to step inside. The moment that door locks behind him, he knows he's made a mistake.
But it's not until he tries to use his powers and nothing budges that he realizes he's made a grave mistake. He gasps audibly when he puts all his energy to it and nothing happens, panting as the seriousness of the situation dawns on him. He looks around, refuses to panic. Eyes fix on the words flashing on the screen.
Code. A code— it has to be here somewhere. Erik is not well-versed with computers, especially as they're not a common thing in his own time, so he starts searching through what papers and folders he can find, trying to see if there's anything underwater that might help.
A face takes shape, and he freezes in a panic, eyes wide. He mutters something, tries to chase after the face of a woman he hasn't seen in thirty years— but she vanishes just when he's an inch from being able to touch. He gasps, pain stabbing through his chest, only to make his insides twist painfully when the face of his mother is replaced with Shaw's.
His face goes white, by now the task at hand entirely forgotten. Shock and grief give way to anger, and he screams as he punches through the water, forcing that face to vanish. Part of the structure inside gives way, metal beams bending and pulled apart from their place, but the building doesn't collapse. There's just a lot of threatening noise and probably some pieces of the ceiling coming apart and falling in the process.
Helping him snap out of it at the moment might be the most urgent course of action. ]