Day 21: Lunch

[totallytheseme.livejournal.com]

Hikaru and Kaoru had been so caught up in their little game that they initially hadn't heard the intercom go off. The new "ding" system was far less jarring than the old SCREECH, and as such, wasn't as easily heard, even in a place as quiet as the library. All too soon, the nurses came to separate the twins and take them to the next activity--lunch.

It only felt like a few minutes since breakfast, somehow, and yet Hikaru was starved. The lunch selection was ridiculously Americanized food of the "Pan Asian" genre, as bad as when his family had wanted Japanese food in California and had gone to the "nicest" restaurant in the English language guidebook. He cringed visibly when the surly cafeteria worker poured sauce on his rice--which was supposed to be plain--but...food was food, and he wasn't feeling terribly picky right now. At least it smelled all right.

One of the good things about being the first one into the cafeteria was having his pick of the tables. Hikaru chose one of the larger ones, saving seats for Kaoru, Tamaki, and (in a fit of hopefulness) Haruhi.

He hoped they'd come soon. He hated being alone.

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[braidless.livejournal.com]

Obi-Wan's lips pursed into a thin line as he listened to Hughes speak about the changing layout. At first, the only logical explanation he could think of was that the staff somehow changed their locations while they were sleeping or drugged. But that didn't account for the times when the building changed while everyone was awake.

"That sounds...rather disconcerting," Obi-Wan said after a moment. "Especially after you've spent all that time figuring out the layout. But I guess that's precisely the point." Whoever was holding them captive here was incredibly intelligent and obviously had a lot of foresight. Which was all the more reason for them to be on their guard and stick together.

Hearing Hughes delve more into his job helped Obi-Wan understand a little more about the man. "It's natural to get frustrated when it seems there's little we can do for others' conflicts," Obi-Wan told him, and he meant it. He'd sat through countless debates between government officials while their people suffered from problems that needed solving right away. It was always disheartening at first, but it made reaching a compromise all the more rewarding in the end.

"But, it seems you've managed to keep your good nature despite the things you've seen happen to other people," Obi-Wan added. "That by itself is a special gift." He could see how a lesser man could give in to bitterness and cynicism in such a cruel galaxy. Hughes, on the other hand, was probably the most pleasant person Obi-Wan had come across since his arrival at Landel's. While it was possible (and quite probable) his good humor was a method of taking the edge off the grim nature of both his work and their current situation, there were other things that set him apart from the others he'd seen. From what he could tell, Hughes had offered his resources and support to Obi-Wan with no thought for reward other than the satisfaction of getting everyone out of this place. That sort of attitude was sorely needed, but unfortunately rare in the grand scheme of things.

When Hughes said he'd spoken to Qui-Gon before, Obi-Wan couldn't help but be a little surprised. It seemed like the Jedi Master would have mentioned someone as resourceful and seemingly open as Hughes, but it was possible they'd only spoke in passing, with little real information shared between them.

"His name's Qui-Gon Jinn," Obi-Wan told him, wondering if the name would jostle Hughes' memory. It was a little disquieting to hear that whatever had happened to the man was enough to cause some memory problems. Whatever it was, it must have been really bad.

"Are you all right?" he asked him, faint traces of concern evident in his voice.

[felled-hero.livejournal.com]

"If I don't have my good nature, I don't have anything," Hughes said. "And the building pisses me off, but it's been quiet for a while. I've made good progress, so has everyone else." And maybe if no one did anything really stupid, things would stay the way they were.

"What I do... it helps people. I've seen some awful things, things that'd... that'd give a guy nightmares. But it helps. It helps the future victims and the ones that are still alive and someone's gotta help them." He remember training, how many soldiers hadn't been able to handle it.

"Oh man, it was... a few nurses. Ganged up on us, I got... burnt and sliced and slammed against a wall. I'm fine now, a little potential scarring from the burn but nothing too bad. I blacked out. Yeah, I think we met briefly... didn't get a chance to really talk, though, if it's who I'm thinking. I meet so many people every day... someone's got a problem or wants to help, they come to me. And new people just sort of... find me. I dunno, I guess I give off good vibes. I've got to write down people's names and what we talk about now, or else I can't remember...." And another weight was lifted.

He really did need to talk to Roy. Find out what he'd done, organize, go over everything... he was having trouble handling everything on his own.

Again.

[braidless.livejournal.com]

"For everyone's sakes," Obi-Wan muttered, "I hope the building doesn't decide to change on us anytime soon." He couldn't imagine what it would be like to spend so many weeks gathering information, only to have it all suddenly become obsolete. And to have it happen at least twice...

"What I do...it helps people," Hughes had said. "I've seen some awful things, things that'd...that'd give a guy nightmares. But it helps. It helps the future victims and the ones that are still alive, and someone's gotta help them."

Obi-Wan quietly nodded and listened as the man spoke. The Jedi studied him for a brief moment and then said, "You seem to care a lot about your job. Very admirable, considering how difficult it must be."

That didn't necessarily mean he had to enjoy it, but Hughes obviously understood the concept of carrying out his duty towards his work and the people he was supposed to serve. It struck a sort of chord in Obi-Wan. He'd met many beings in his life who placed their own personal needs and wants above duty. Obi-Wan had once been such a person, back when he'd abandoned the Order and Qui-Gon during his mission on Melida/Daan. Even now, despite the regret he carried from that painful time in his life, Obi-Wan knew he wasn't as committed to duty as he wanted himself or others to believe. He'd made many, many sacrifices in the name of duty, but that didn't mean his heart had always been in it.

But Hughes was a military man, someone who understood and carried out duty, yet he still seemed to genuinely care. From what Obi-Wan could tell, duty had not hardened him against the pure desire to help others. In some ways, he was not unlike Qui-Gon, who, despite the gruesome, cruel things the Jedi Master had seen and experienced in his lifetime, still managed to find room in his heart to genuinely care and look after others. It was the same quality that had driven the man to take a bumbling, pathetic Gungan under his wing, as well as free a mere slave boy from the deserts of Tatooine. And, yet, even then...Qui-Gon had stayed true to duty until his dying breath.

Obi-Wan knew he was often neither as compassionate or duty-bound as a Jedi ought to be, and it sometimes bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

He only spent a few moments reflecting on all of this, his attention fully focused on Hughes again when the man explained his violent encounter from the other night. Obi-Wan's eyebrows faintly furrowed, and he frowned. "Do you need medical attention?" he asked. "If you blacked out, you probably have a concussion."

When Hughes mentioned how many people come to see him for help or guidance, Obi-Wan could see how being in that kind of position could stretch a man thin and deplete him over time, especially considering how dangerous the Landel's situation was. The Jedi quietly nodded as he listened, and then tried to sound encouraging. "If it helps eliminate unnecessary burdens for yourself, keeping a record might not be such a bad idea. There's only so much information a person can process at once, even at their best."

He briefly wondered who Hughes turned to if he needed help or had a problem, but he didn't voice his thoughts.

[felled-hero.livejournal.com]

"We can only hope," Hughes said, nodding. Things had been quiet, so maybe it had found a layout it liked. Or maybe there were just new ways to torment the patients that had seized the head doctor's fancy.

When Obi-Wan commented on his job, Hughes could only nod again. It was a tough job. Not many guys could cut it. It was violent and depressing and sickening. "Yeah, it's hard, but at the end of the day it's worth it. And at the end of the day I've got my wife and my kid to come home to and all that other stuff...." It jus wasn't at the front of his mind anymore.

"Oh, no, thanks. Doctors fixed me up. I was a little out of it yesterday, but I'm doing fine today. Took it pretty easy last night and I haven't had any dizzy spells or anything. But thank you. You're a doctor or have some training?" Now that was useful.

"Yeah, I usually have my journal with me, but I forgot it today. I'll catch up at dinner." The whole thing was filled with notes and comments on what had been planned and what needed to be done.

[braidless.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, it's hard," Hughes had said, "but at the end of the day it's worth it. And at the end of the day I've got my wife and my kid to come to, and all that other stuff..."

Obi-Wan nodded. "You're fortunate to have that, at least." Jedi were heavily discouraged from forming families, but he knew blood ties were a strong motivating factor for many, if not most, people in the galaxy.

"I know very basic healing techniques and some first aid, but I'm no Healer," Obi-Wan told him. "I've mostly been trained to use the Force in combat situations, so I'm afraid I can't be much help if someone's been seriously injured." He frowned a little. "Even if I was a Healer, I don't think it'd do a lot of good, with diminished abilities and all."

At least the staff here treated wounds the prisoners suffered, though Obi-Wan wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disturbed by that. On one hand, it was nice to know they could get medical attention when they needed it, but it also meant the doctors were probably keeping them alive for their own selfish ends, maybe for some sort of experimentation. The notion almost made him feel like some sort of lab animal, and he didn't like it.

A thought occurred to the Jedi, and he looked to Hughes. "By the way, I couldn't help but notice how many of the prisoners here seem to be lifted from different time periods. Do you have any idea what all that's about?" This facility was Earthian, and Hughes' Earthian country had sciences capable of changing the chemical composition of objects. It was a shot in the dark, but maybe time manipulation wasn't new to him, either.

[felled-hero.livejournal.com]

"I'm always thankful for my family." He couldn't imagine life without them, honestly.

"Well, every little bit helps. I think tonight, medical supplies are gonna be my priority. We need'em, badly. It's all well and good to wake up all stitched up, but when you really need it...." He'd see who wanted to join him in trying to raid the medical wing.

"I don't have a clue," Hughes responded, in regards to different times. "I've noticed it myself, and I've wondered...." And the intercom chimed in, cutting off his sentence. It had a way of doing that.