[IC] Lost in Dreams (Chandra)

[ericthered]

Gopal laughs: "Dating someone... no. Though if I start I'll be sure to tell you. I have a planner right here..."

Much of the day is spent in independent study rather than classes. Students are given a surprising amount of latitude for a police academy. There are some drills, but not many, and other than that astonishing latitude is shown. Results are apparently everything here. Morgan will want, and Gopal identifies classes that Morgan will not only be poor at, but that Gopal needs and wants to work on.

"You can trust these guys. They live for this sort of thing. If anyone slips, it will be one of us."

The rest of her friends are going to be more difficult... Morgan doesn't know all of them, and they're going to be the ones who notice discrepancies between the two Chandras. They debate bringing some of the friends in on the game, but at least one of them won't go with it. He's something of a stickler for this sort of thing.

The most important arrangements are sleeping and eating. Getting food doesn't require any ID or even money, you just have to show up at the right times. Due to the social aspects of eating in such a setting, this is also when she is most likely to run into friends who were told she was busy at a given time. Sleeping will also be risky. While there is an extra bed (her old roommate couldn't keep up with the schedule), Both of them sleeping in the same room is a great way to get caught. They also need a way to coordinate their actions with each other.

OCC: I'm using last names to distinguish the two characters.

[Rocket Man]

Chandra Morgan nods as she skims through the planner. It seems that no matter what else changes, any Chandra is destined for a busy life.

"Is there a mandatory lights-out?" she asks Chandra Gopal. "If not, given your reputation, no one should question seeing you studying or training at odd hours. We could stagger sleep shifts, one of us resting while the other is out and about, with maybe an hour's overlap at each end so we can have a chance to meet here and compare notes. As for more short-term communication, are smart phones or something similar common here? If you have one and I can get hold of another, text messaging could help cover some gaps and emergencies."

"Eating shouldn't be a problem if we place the shifts right." She laughs softly. "And to be honest, I tend to forget about it when I'm working on something. I'm more worried about making sure no one notices the extra laundry. "

As she talks, she starts making Gopal's bed, a combination of reflex and courtesy.

"Meanwhile, there's still the long-term goal. Is there any reasonable prospect for getting me back where I was? And if not, is my best move to escape or to try to make a legitimate life here? On 45 minutes' acquaintance, this seems a fairly civilized ... oh, damn." Her English accent has slipped back in over the last two sentences, only resuming a more Indian rhythm on the final words.

An uglier thought crosses her mind.

"There's something else we should consider, too," she said, concentrating firmly on the dialect. "If someone does figure out there's something funny going on, you could be in a great deal of trouble for assisting me. Should things start to break down, we may have to make it appear you were coerced."

[ericthered]

Gopal: "No lights out. At least not at this time of year. They did it earlier, but they are constantly relaxing things like that. Its kind of strange. The philosophy is that if we can't handle freedom to police ourselves, we won't do very well out in the quanta. There are a lot of 'soft' rules: its not stated, but you can get in trouble for it. Its not fair, but that's life in outtime."

"Phones are all over the place, but getting a spare one will be difficult... no it won't. It won't be a smart phone, but it will be able to text. Smith almost certainly has one. "

"Well, there's cheap threats. I don't know how credible those would be though. maybe you're blackmailing me? or there are other copies around who will take revenge if I rat you out? Do you have any ideas? Maybe Gopper would have some..."

"Getting out... that may be a problem. I don't have clearance to know what's on this world besides the academy, but I suspect its all patrol, at least for most of the great plains. The only way off is by conveyor, and thats the equivalent of airport security. Sure, you could pass off as me, but only one of us would leave. I suppose its possible to sneak off that way, but I'm not sure about it. Walking off the compound won't work well... we're in the ice age. Unless you're some sort of wilderness survival expert..."

[Rocket Man]

"Er ... no," Chandra Morgan says in response to the last. "Not even a hot, damp wilderness, much less a frozen one."

The light singsong of Gopal's accent is becoming a little more natural. She considers the difference in their hairstyles and how much work it would take to make them match.

"I suppose we should bring in these friends of yours, then." For an instant, she's reluctant. This is the moment of trust -- if Gopal goes off on her own, will she come back with help or with the authorities? But if she can't be trusted, Morgan thinks, then I'm doomed anyway, unless I go back to Plan A, tie her up and lock her in the closet. And it sounds like I'd not make it 20 metres.

One final thought strikes her.

"A place this frigid -- have there been any colds and sore throats going around?" she asks her 'sister.' "A bit of laryngitis might cover the accent until we've had more time to practice."

[ericthered]

"They'd be a little too nosy about a cold or sore throat... especially one that changed my voice... We can just maintain that I've been working on improving my english accent... its useful enough, and accent control is actually one of the skills a patrolman will find invaluable. "

The hairstyles won't be too bad to match... the tricky part will be coordinating them so she isn't randomly changing her hairstyle back and forth.

Gopper and Smith are a pair of young male cadets: Gopper is a tall young dutchman with blond hair and apperently flawless english. Smith is an african american with a charming manner. Both are quite excited to meet Chandra. Or at least, they're excited to pull this stunt off. They have the phone, and are quite willing to act as go-betweens for the two should it be necessary. They're quite willing to take the blame if this all goes south:

Gopper: "They know we are found of 'practising' subterfuge. If we are caught, we say we had you on our leash the entire time and intended to hand you over as a end of term feather in our caps. Its believable enough." He doesn't seem to think that you will get caught though.

[Rocket Man]

"A leash?" Chandra Morgan asks mildly. "Are you that flattering to all the girls?"

She tosses it off as a tease, but beneath the mask, a different set of feelings is moving. Nice to know my place here. Oh, they're affable enough, but to toss that off so casually -- their world sees me as one more wog, not because of my skin, but because of my Earth. Perhaps we'll get a chance to see who the true primitives are.

Still, if she has to work her way into a civilized society yet again, there are worse ways to do it than in the company of two charming young men.

"Lay on, MacDuff," she says in her 'Gopal voice' to Gopper. "Or should that be VanDuff, under the circumstances?"

[ericthered]

Smith: "No, You should see how he talks when he's actually interested in a girl..."

Chandra: "That would be about 50% of the time he talks?"

Gopper shoots both of them stern looks : "Only when I'm talking my way out of pickles."

Chandra: "Which would be the other half of the time?"

Smith: "thats when he's talking me into pickles"

Gopper "The point is that story is a last ditch effort. Chandra... Chandra Gopal mentioned you wanted a way for us to get out of this safely if it goes to pot. This is the best escape route. Its quite believable and places the minimum of guilt on all of us."

"Its important to understand what's at stake. If they catch you they will consider this quite a breach of security, and Morgan here will end up on coventry. Its a lot better if we figure a way to get you out of here. I don't have one yet, but we'll all work on it."

OCC: I didn't get the macduff reference, and when I google it all I get is the guy who kills macbeth.

[Rocket Man]

"By Coventry, I assume you don't mean shipping me back to the Isles?" Chandra Morgan asks dryly in her old voice. Then she assumes her Indian voice.

"Don't worry. I'm quite aware this isn't a game of whist for pennies. And if all of you are experts at getting in and out of trouble, then I suspect we are about to become very good friends." A smile at her counterpart. "Again."

A slight sensation in her stomach reminds her that it's been a long time since the study group and dinner. She turns a pleasant gaze toward the two young men.

"As we make our plans, might I trouble you for breakfast? Or whatever meal happens to be appropriate just now?"

[ericthered]

Smith: "Good grief, there's a lot to explain to you. Coventry is the prison world. Its near impossible to get on and off without outside help. Its name is common knowledge... we're going to need to catch you up on that kind of stuff. And quickly."

Chandra: "The appropriate meal will be lunch, actually. I suppose it would be breakfast about now in england..."

Gopper lines out Morgan's first day: going to lunch with Smith and Gopper, Then studying hard in a specific corner of a study hall. Her topic: the basics of the organization she was pretending to be a part of. Gopper would come at the end of the day to explain what he and smith had worked out for a cover. Gopal would be going about her normal schedule.

[Rocket Man]

"You may be rascals, but at least you're organized rascals." Chandra tells the two men pleasantly. "And I'm sure I'll prefer your notes to the organic chemistry test I was supposed to be taking."

Once the three are out of earshot of Gopal, she quietly asks one more favor.

"Could both of you make me some notes about how my counterpart is perceived here?" she says. "I'd hate to be out of character. You know how it is; you never notice your own impression."

And it's just a wee bit awkward to gossip about your 'sister' with her in the room, she thinks. With the differences in our adolescence, she's bound to have some habits and attitudes I wouldn't. How she escaped India without a husband and half-a-dozen children, I can't imagine, even in the cities.

The smile in her mind doesn't touch her face.

But then, she probably can't imagine how I'm going to escape this. Chandra considers that thought. Neither can I, I suppose ... yet.