Chapter 15: The Woman Who Knows Too Much
I decided to create some distance between me and those guys.
But I couldn't leave the apartment just yet. If those guys had the ability to monitor the rest of the building like I'm assuming they can, then that means that me leaving the place before talking to anyone else would just make me look more suspicious.
And it would add a few more POVs, which would be good to have.
So I made sure to talk to a random swath of people in the building. Making it seem that openly talking to Betty was just due to happenstance, rather than picking her out from everyone else in the building. Otherwise, they might find out about me before I can find out about them.
I'd just gotten through several doors, talked to about three people, gotten some of the worst responses to my questions that I'd ever had, one guy started to talk about his pooh... yeah let's move on from that.
Then my knocks went unanswered for three more doors. I'd decided that this door here, 4D, would be the final one. Whoever lived here would be the last person that I'd interview today.
Gently I knocked on the door, right on the metallic 4D symbols.
"Just a second," A woman inside yelled, her voice making her sound older than I was but not so old that she could be my grandmother. Maybe my mother if she had a teen pregnancy and… this is an odd comparison so I'll stop here.
I tapped my foot, absentmindedly, as I waited for her to answer the door.
When the door did open I was surprised by the length and the sheer frizziness of the lady's black hair. It reached the midpoint of her back while also framing her face. She was also wearing a large set of black goggles that hung around the neck like some sort of accessory.
"Hello, Mrs.?" I let the question hang and the idea that she had to be married.
"Oh no, it's just Miss," She bashfully replied, batting her eyes at me. They were squinty like she needed glasses but couldn't wear her goggles at the same time. "Miss Octavius, Olivia Octavius but my friends call me Liv."
Octavius? Related to Dok Ock or just a coincidence? I think that I could've found another lead for who caused their blackouts.
The thought went through my mind for a second… and I didn't like it, but it seemed that I'd found a cradle robber… eww.
"Liv then?" I smiled from just one side of my mouth, not showing off my teeth. I even went as far as to angle my head and lean onto a wall, an act that brought no small amount of disgust bubbling up inside of me.
"Yes, call me Liv," Liv smiled at me, her eyes continuing to roam up and down my form. I wasn't really sure if this was because she needed glasses or if she just found me so irresistible she couldn't stop them from taking my body in. "I'm not good with formality I'm afraid."
Holding out a hand the two of us shook, then I got down to business.
"Neither am I, call me Pat."
"Oh, I will," Her eyes ran up and down my frame, something that I found odd.
"So I'm working for the New York Bulletin," I said, repeating the line for what felt like the millionth time.
"Just a simple piece," I leaned my neck over the corner, my eyes barely peeking over her body so I could see inside her room, my eyes shifting in the visual spectrum so I could find what I wanted. "On what it's like living in this area and… if anything strange has happened recently?"
"You're talking about those folks in the suits and sunglasses at night," Liv said to me, her hand going into her pocket and pulling out a pair of glasses that she wiped off her shirt.
There was this shift in her tone, in her body language, where before she was casual, almost flirty. Now, Liv was subdued, nearly whispering. "Yeah, I've noticed them snooping around."
That was the first person that didn't just hear about these guys from that old dog lady or didn't mention them like Betty.
"Any idea who they are? What they're here for?" I asked, taking out a notepad, ready to write down her answers.
"Oh, some secret government agents," she shrugged, with a level of nonchalance that I found super impressive. Especially given the topic on hand. "I've seen the type before, though I can't recognize what branch these spooks belong to."
There was a gleam in her eye, something that told despite her rather pleasant demeanor that this woman wasn't really to be trusted.
"And in less conspiracy theory territory, what is it that you do-" I stopped, my ear twitched telling me that there was a person coming down. I spun around, letting me see Betty turning around the corner.
How interesting.
"Miss Betty." I smiled, keeping my arms wide and what I thought looked to be inviting. Betty was looking much like I'd expect from someone that had eaten something really sour, with her lips scrunched up into a small circle. "What can I do for you?"
She glanced at her feet, an action that I could tell was a ruse, just from her heartbeat alone. It was far to steady for someone to be that nervous. But it was a good act, one that would've fooled me if it wasn't for my powers.
"No," Betty eventually stuttered out, rubbing her arm near the elbow, looking as meek as I'd ever seen anyone has been. "It's just that I just remembered that I…. did see some guys in suits the another day, they were asking about the break-in on the… fourth floor?"
"Yes, I recall the same," Olivia chimed in her finger nearly up to her nose in terms of positioning. "They were very rude, wanted to check my apartment out without any probable cause."
"That's not too odd," I said, scratching my shoulder while keeping my eyes firmly on the Doctor of the three of us in the hall. "There are some pretty rude cops around, not saying crooked or anything… because I can't legally say that… but I can say rude."
Liv giggled something that seemed to shock Betty if her face was anything to go by. I couldn't help the grin that overcame my face, enjoying confusing this badly hidden plant by any means necessary.
The fizzy haired woman turned around, about to return to her apartment.
"Olivia!" Betty suddenly yelled out, something that actually managed to take me off guard. "Wait up, I've been meaning to ask you about a thing."
There was an odd break where neither one of them spoke, Liv seemed to just want the woman to ask her whatever the subject was.
But I could tell that the silence on Betty's end was due to her just thinking up something on the spot rather than having something to ask the Doctor.
"Fine," Liv responded, her eyes rolling while she leaned on the frame of her door. "Just make it quick, I don't want to waste too much time, I've got experiments that need finishing."
It was said with such a harsh tone that I nearly felt sorry for the taller woman of the two, but then I remembered that she was a plant, maybe even here to spy on this Doctor here and her experiments.
It was hard to tell but I could feel that I was getting closer to the reason that the blackouts were happening.
"What's your field if you don't mind me asking?" I decided to pipe in, it was time ti ay on some charm.
Maybe that would get me inside her apartment. Get a better look around than just peering through more than two layers of walls. "I've always had an interest in scientific studies. It's an area I hope to report on for the Bulletin in a year or so."
"Oh, really?" Liv smiled, one that reminded me of that time that I saw a tiger eating in a zoo. "In that case, it's fields, several doctorates and PhDs in multiple scientific fields, but currently my research deals with spatial events, manipulations, and transportation. It's all theoretical at this stage, so I ain't got anything practical."
"Oh, man that sounds so exciting," I vibrated, my body hopping up and down with genuine joy.
What a suspicious person to be in New York… when I've been transported from one universe to another. "I'm assuming that you're in the design process for some sort of low voltage but powerful magnetic field generator?"
"Yes, actually I am," Her smile tightened. An act that could mean she either finds me cute in trying to talk about the subject or she's getting annoyed with me. "But finding the current materials is a hard thing."
"And the price is no doubt an issue if you were Stark and his unlimited bank account then you could just pour money into an upscaled model first and then downsize it," I shrugged, keeping my eyes up in thought about this situation. "That way you could generate a stronger field without needing to miniaturize the design first."
"You certainly know a bit about it," her smile was wide and full of joy as if she was excited that I was at least somewhat knowledgeable about the subject. It was only then that I saw her cringe like she'd left a sour-sweet in her mouth and it only now came back up on her. "Oh, I'm sorry, Betty what was it that you wanted to ask?"
The sudden turn around caused the other woman, who'd turned silent, to jump up silently in fright Another act, as I could hear that her heart rate once more stayed steady and calm. I wondered briefly if this woman could be shaken at all.
"Grant wanted to know if you wanted to meet up for a coffee or a drink sometime," Betty smiled, something that would charm other people but Liv just seemed to be annoyed by the woman's existence. Perhaps the Doctor could tell the same thing that I could? "We just thought it was time to get to know all our neighbors."
"No. thanks," The black-haired woman shook her head, her googles jangling from side to side. "I'm far too busy to leave my work for too long."
The two stared at each other like they were silently daring the other one to break character and reveal their true nature before they broke out into a fight that would end all life in the world as we knew it.
"So… young, beautiful, and smart," I interceded, grabbing the attention of the two in hopes that I could charm my way inside the apartment. "You impress me more with each passing second.
While Betty looked like she was about to gag, and rightfully so that line was terrible. Liv giggled, her hand coming up to her mouth to disguising the action poorly, briefly reminding me of some sort of Saturday morning cartoons where they had an episode focusing on crushes.
"Now, flirting won't get you anywhere," There was a sly smile, one that invited me for something that… that I'm not sure I wanted.
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