Live High Above the Dollhouse

I try to picture a girl through a looking glass
And see her as a carbon atom, see her eyes and stare back at them
See the girl as her own new world
Though her home is on the surface she is still a universe


                Ashley studied the brain map with her full concentration, trying not to miss something. She glanced up at him from her chair and grinned, "You really are a fuckin' genius. There's not a trace of evidence that she was ever even sick… With her frontal cortex so severely deteriorated… I don't think one doctor on the surface would've believed for a second she could ever function, let alone recover…. It's like it never fucking happened…"
Topher smiled wide, focusing little on the compliment he once valued so highly. Instead he watched her lips form each syllable, the syllables that were almost guaranteed to make up a profanity. Her eyes scanned over the page again and again. She always had that intensity in her eyes, whether she was studying one of her patients' charts or ravaging zombies on his Xbox, and of course, every time she looked at him.
               "Topher? What's up?" she blinked.
He shook his head. She always called him out when he dazed off, even for a second. When he wasn't focused on his work, she seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. His IQ was off the charts, and yet, he couldn't sneak a thing past her. To make things worse, the same could not be said for him. He spends every day creating full personalities, memories, and emotions for the dolls. He knew how to arrange every thought, which endocrine glands to trigger, when each dendrite should fire, and yet, he could not for the life of him guess what was going on inside her head…


Glory God, oh God is peeking through the blinds
Are we all here standing naked
Taking guesses at the actual date and time
Oh my, justifying reasons why
Is an absolutely insane resolution to live by


"You know you could share this with the world… You could help countless people with this technology… with your ideas…"
Topher shook his head, "I work for the Dollhouse. Their Rossum's ideas and they aren't mine to take out of here."
She frowned, "Well be sure to explain that to the twenty percent of Americans suffering from mental illness…"
"You know my hands are tied…"
She sighed lightly and nodded. "I know, I'm sorry… it's just frustrating. They keep you all detached from the real world, hidden down here in the dark, until you forget to consider the idea of helping people outside of your clientele."
He deliberated being offended for the slightest hint of a second, but knew she was right. This didn't bother him, but he felt guilty for not caring when it was clearly all she could think about.


Live high, live mighty
Live righteously takin' it easy
Live high, live mighty
Live righteously


"What can I do?.. Outside of risking a trip to the attic, of course…"
She thought for a moment, "I know it's not your responsibility… but I want you to teach me… everything you can… and help me figure out how to help my patients without Rossum's ideas…"
"You've gotta be kidding!? What makes you think I can just pull these ideas out of thin air?!"
She gave a hopeful smile and took his hand, squeezing it just slightly, "Because idiot… you're our resident genius."


I try to picture the man to always have an open hand
See him as a giving tree, see him as matter
Matter of fact he's not a beast
No, not the devil either, always a good deed doer
Well, it's laughter that we're makin' after all


Paul knocked on the door to her apartment, knowing she'd be there. Savanna was always there waiting after a long day at work. All he wanted to do was rescue the men and women be kept within the Dollhouse. To put an end to the political corruption and even possible murders that he knows are connected to the house as well. But no one believed him. Well, no one but her. When his coworkers patronized his theories, when his superiors threatened to take his badge, when his leads fell through, she was there…
All month Savanna did everything she could to keep his attention- Detective Paul Ballard. He dedicated every day to finding even the smallest scrap of evidence against the Dollhouse. She was with him every step of the way. Being a valued employee of said business, she was sure not to let him find any. She tapped his phones and hijacked his computer. If he received a tip, one phone call to Adelle took care of the problem. Every one of his potential informants and possible witnesses turned up missing. And still, he carried on his investigation.
She opened the door and stood up on her tippy toes to wrap her arms around his neck, "Hey babe, another rough day?"
He smiled lightly, softly pressing his lips to her forehead, "You have no idea…"
She released him from her grip and headed into the kitchen to pour him a glass of vodka, "You'd be surprised.."


The call of the wild is still in order nationwide
In the order of the primates all our politics are too late
Oh my, the congregation in my mind
Is an assembly selling gratitude and practicing their lovin' of you


He sat on the sofa, sipping the vodka as he opened his laptop. His inbox, once again, provided him zero relief. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to think, trying to breathe. She frowned and sat beside him.
                "What's wrong," she asked, already knowing the answer. That very morning Adelle had sent a team to make a former doll disappear. Paul had spent three months finding her, and now she was gone.
                "I really, really don't want to talk about it..."
She bit her lip lightly. It killed her to see him so lost. Protecting the Dollhouse had been her number one objective, but things change. The more Paul learned about the Dollhouse, the more the Dollhouse noticed him. After all, the last thing she wanted was her boyfriend to have a target on his back. There was nothing she could do to bring back his witness. There was nothing she could say that could say that could inspire him to keep fighting on. And so, she did the only think that she felt could reach him. She lightly guided his chin towards her and kissed him very softly.
"I love you…"


Live high, live mighty
Live righteously takin' it easy
Live high, live mighty
Live righteously


                  Paul smiled just a little and rested a hand on her hip. He kissed her softly at first; just to be sure she was really there. Everything else was slipping away. Everyone else told him he was only chasing fairy tales. He kissed her harder, because he wanted to believe in this fairy tale. Because if this one had a happily ever after, why couldn't the others? He lied her down on the couch because he loved her back.


And oh, let's take it easy and celebrate the malleable reality
Because nothing is ever as it seems, this life is but a dream
Live high, live mighty
Live righteously takin' it easy
Live high, live mighty
Live righteously, let's take it easy


                   Ashley flew into Topher's office and flung her arms around him before he realized the door had opened. Over the last four months, Topher had been developing different experimental treatments for some of her patients.
                   "You really are a fucking genius!"
                    Topher blinked, "So I've heard, but why the sudden outburst??"
                    "It fucking worked, that's what happened! The patient we worked on last week? Muriel? She regained 60% of her motor skills! She should've died, Topher…"
                     He grinned a little, surprised by how fulfilling it felt to help someone he'd never even talked to. He was even more pleased that he'd helped someone with an idea that was entirely his own. But before he could say another word, she'd pressed her lips firmly against his.
                    "W-what was that for," he stammered, clearly taken aback.
                     Ashley smiled and softly kissed his cheek, "You're the genius, you figure it out."


Live high, live mighty
Live righteously takin' it easy
Live high, live mighty
Live righteously, let's take it easy



Savanna buried her face in his shoulder, exhausted, but still guilt ridden. He pulled her closer and she felt her body relax against him. She knew one day he'd find out what she really did for a living. He'd learn that they didn't meet by chance and that she'd sabotaged his work for months, maybe years. She only hoped that she'd get the chance to explain the situation. Tell him that it was for his own good… She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. For now, all she could do is live in the moment, and take it easy…