damned_institute | Day 38: Patients' Library

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Day 38: Patients' Library

The intercom rang out, disrupting what had turned out to be a rather pointless breakfast conversation, at least in Brainiac 5's eyes. He couldn't wait to put more distance between himself and Scar's blather of how logic, of all things, might not work the same way in this dimension. It was almost enough to make him believe that the man may very well have been a lion originally after all, as he'd never heard anything so very... ignorant and uneducated.

He quickly finished up the fruit he'd been nibbling on - he was no longer as hungry as he had been - and looked around automatically to see where Clark was. Unfortunately with the press of people around, some being led off to the library and others to the mentioned 'therapy sessions' - if that was what they really were - he had lost sight of the Kryptonian. Still there wasn't many places he could go, so Brainiac 5 would be able to catch up with him eventually to check on his condition and try and learn more about what had happened last night. That the Chapel had healed him - admittedly by passing his injuries to another - was interesting, but far more important in his eyes was what had happened to Clark and his powers. They hadn't been working correctly and that worried the Coluan boy more than he would normally have admitted. Without Clark's abilities... he wasn't sure what they would have to rely on in order to escape.

Another problem he would have to deal with was Grell... or, if he was to believe the notes on the bulletin board, the person pretending to be Grell. But that was going to require more careful planning before he made a move. Come to think of it, he had agreed to meet another in the library today on that same post that had sparked this whole mess. At least then he would have something of interest to look forward to, as he doubted any of the 21st century books were likely to be worthwhile to someone of his advanced intellect.

Following the nurses led him to what must have been the library; a reasonably large room filled with a range of archaic books on tall shelves, a few tables and chairs interspersed around the room. The Coluan boy couldn't refrain from wrinkling his nose in distaste as he entered the room, not liking the cumbersome books and the dust that he knew would have gathered on them; he much preferred the clean arrangement of his C.O.M.P.U.T.O. systems back in the Legion headquarters. It was much more practical then shelves and shelves of books on fictional worlds and dated information.

Trying to avoid as much of the room as possible, Brainiac 5 settled himself down on a chair to wait, keeping an eye out for a tall, dark-haired man with a red... something on his forehead.

[for Homura]

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Fascinating creatures? That was a new one. "Are we? Uh, not to be nosy, but what makes you say that?" He was having a hard time parsing out what Zex meant by that last statement. What was so differnt about them? Teisel's hand, for instance, wasn't all that different from the admiral's, though that didn't seem to mean much to Zex. Teisel held his hand completely tense, afraid that any movement might be taken the wrong way.

Instictively, Teisel leaned back a little as Zex leaned forward, trying to keep some space between them. That hand-rubbing thing was starting to get distracting, too. "Ha, glad you agree." He laughed, but it sounded a little forced. "I've got to be good for something, right?" he added, but his own comment hit a bit too close to his thoughts from morning, and he looked downcast for a moment.

Ah, but Zex wasn't done. He had to keep his head in the game if he wanted to keep this halfway-negotiation going smoothly. Well, as smoothly as it could go when the other guy kept making passes at him. Teisel really wasn't used to this kind of attention; it was keeping him off balance. He didn't like that feeling. "Of course! Can't get much exploring done now, can we?" he said, gesturing at the (thankfully) crowded library. "That might have to wait until, y'know, later."

"Oh yes, of course!" ZEX did so love this topic of conversation, and it showed in his voice. "Your tiny double eyes, your bizarre bone structure, your smooth thin skin, your stiff, hard limbs..." Trailing off a little bit in thought before returning to the conversation. "You humans are such tragically beautiful creatures, you know! I don't think I'll ever get enough of you..."

ZEX only saw movement away as an invitation to follow. He grinned, still rubbing Teisel's hand in the meantime. Human skin felt lovely. "Oh, I'm sure you're good for many things. Hee! Hee! Hee!" ZEX wasn't familiar enough with human expressions to pick up on the change, and instead stayed with his own thoughts. "The real fun is discovering just which things they are..."

Yes, acceptance of his proposal! ZEX was really very good at this. That or humans were easy. "Wonderful, I'm glad you have a passion for it just as I do! Are you suggesting a meeting at night, where there will be less... restrictions?" ZEX thought for a moment about the board... he hadn't committed to traveling with that Mello person just yet, but on the other hand, getting his file probably WOULD be important... well, he'd have to see what Teisel said. If it was "take me, I'm yours", well, that was an offer he'd be hardpressed to refuse.

'You humans?' Now the guy was sounding more like Yuna, except Yuna at least looked like a human. It sounded like Zex didn't. He was going to ask what exactly Zex was, but he was too poleaxed by being called tragically beautiful to say much of anything for the moment. He did, however, have the presence of mind to notice that his mouth was hanging open, and closed it.

He had to admire the admiral's tenacity. Teisel leaned away, and the guy just kept right at it. Firmly keeping his mind off of whatever it was Zex thought he was good for, Teisel decided it was time to take a more active role in the discussion. "Well, I'm not too bad at fighting, for one thing," he offered. Teisel didn't think of himself as a thug, per se, but he'd been in enough fights, with people as well as reaverbots, to be a pretty serious brawler. "Just the other night, in fact, I beat the snot out of a giant squirrel without too much trouble." Okay, it had been some trouble, and he'd had some help, but he had to sell himself on something. He was more than just a pretty face, after all. ...All right, so he was more than just a face of some description. "And, not to brag or anything, but I have a great sense of direction." Mother above, this was sounding like some weird personal ad. 'Single male air pirate seeks allies for nighttime exploring and monster ass-kicking. Enjoys bubble baths and high explosives.'

"Oh, I'm nothing if not passionate," Teisel said, voice high with nervousness. He was passionate about robotics, and Digging, and laying seige to various things, sure. He wasn't exactly lying. He'd never used his masculine wiles to rope himself an ally before; this was surprizingly easy. As long as he didn't let it go too far, that is. "There's not a whole lot we can do during the day, that's for sure." No monsters, and the nurses watched them like hawks. "I guess it has to be at night, doesn't it?" Maybe he could actually get something done for a change...

"Yes, all you humans here!" ZEX smiled and for a moment considered gesturing towards the other humans around them, but decided he'd rather continue touching Teisel's hand. "There's so much variation in your species. It's extraordinary." Hmm... Teisel's mouth was open. Was he going to say something? ZEX waited for a moment to see if he would, but instead he just remained silent. What an odd thing to do. Perhaps a human gesture he wasn't familiar with? Well, no matter.

When he did begin describing himself, ZEX listened with rapt fascination. A human warrior! And one who might not get lost with the same frequency that ZEX did, no less. There was no way that this human couldn't be useful to him during the night, and in more ways than exploring each other's bodies. Although, the two didn't necessarily have to cancel each other out. What a find this was!

ZEX squeezed his hand a bit in an unconscious attempt to replicate a VUX gesture. "Wonderful! I'd been hoping you'd share my... enthusiasm for interpersonal relationships." ZEX tried to make his smile look more natural and achieved just the opposite. "There are many things that can only be done at night between two people... and I'm certainly looking forward to exploring just such things with you." If he was willing, but at this point ZEX assumed consent was a given.

Although, thinking about it... while he could spend tonight seducing this new human friend of his, there was the matter of his file. If he did decide to go out tonight, his mystery companion Mello offered him no guarantees as to his safety. After all, he didn't even know what this Mello looked like, how strong they were, or what they could do. On the other hand, if he joined Mello with, say, a large bodyguard in tow who had some experience with combat, then that would make him feel much more safe.

Although he could also just stay in and have Mello bring him his file later, but on the other hand he had spent a lot of time in one room or another lately, and he really should be taking a more proactive role in trying to find out more about this place. And besides, if they found their files quickly, he could always take Teisel back and celebrate for the rest of the night, and there was always tomorrow night as well...

"I was actually just hoping to find someone with your... unique skillset," ZEX said, this time with a slyness absent from his previous compliments. "You don't have plans tonight, I hope?"

This was getting confusing. "And...there's not any in yours?" It would sort of explain why Zex was being so lyrical about skeletons and skin and stuff like that. Come to think of it, maybe that was Zex's deal. He wasn't coming on to Teisel at all; he was just curious. And a little overly warm. There! All those euphemisms were just misunderstandings, right? Nothing to it at all. Probably. Hopefully.

As for the hand thing, that must have been what Zex's people did when they were talking, or something. Just another little gesture that Teisel had misinterpreted, that's all. Zex was squeezing his hand a little now. Teisel squeezed back, hoping that that was what he was supposed to do. He didn't want to make a stupid blunder and end up offending the guy. He'd already mistaken what were probably perfectly innocent statements as...other kinds of statements.

Zex looked...well, frankly he looked kind of spooky, but maybe he was just thinking for a minute. If he was seriously considering Teisel's offer, that'd be the first thing that had gone remotely right in the past couple days.

"You were?" Teisel wasn't sure just how 'unique' a big Digger was, but he'd take what he could get at this point, no questions asked. It wasn't like he had much else to contribute to this little partnership, unfortunately. And while there was something vaguely smarmy about the way Zex worded things, Teisel wasn't in a position to say no just because the guy's social skills were a little off the level. "No, no plans. Actually, I'd appreciate having something to keep me busy." The less time he had to think right now, the better. And after last night, he really didn't like the thought of running around the halls alone.

"Well, not where I live, no," ZEX said a bit casually. "They were all slaveshielded back on Earth some twenty years ago. But we did have some contact before then," some contact didn't quite cover all the details, but no reason to get into it just yet, "but unfortunately our two species seem to have had some... diplomatic difficulties in our past. Thankfully, my dear Captain came along and changed things." It was a shame he wasn't here right now! Well, ZEX would just have to be patient.

Hmm, he squeezed his hand! That was almost familiar, in a way, and ZEX laughed a bit at the sensation. A brief glimpse of home, as distorted as it was. Teisel certainly was a great find... he'd have to make sure to take full ownership of this human when he had the chance. Another fine addition to his collection here...

"Yes I was." Well, not exactly, but why mention that now? ZEX squeezed his hand again. Human skin had such a unique give to it. "So you don't have any plans after all, how fortuitous." ZEX tried for a smile. "I'm sure I could keep you very busy tonight, if you'd like."

There was that name again, and Teisel had to remind himself that Zex was probably referring to a planet, not an island like he'd originally assumed. Was that where they were? Planet or island, 'Earth' was still a pretty crappy name, but whatever. He wasn't sure what a slaveshield was, but it didn't sound very pleasant. "That's too bad." Not that Teisel had understood more than half of what Zex had said; hopefully the admiral's tone had said enough. "At least it sounds like you're getting past it, though, right?" There. That was probably a good enough answer. A sympathetic ear could go a long way. He wondered for a moment if Zex was talking about the captain he'd met, the one who talked about having a space ship. In a place this big, though, it was pretty unlikely.

When the admiral laughed Teisel let himself relax a little. So, he'd done the right thing after all! Maybe he was finally getting back into the groove.

"I guess it's a good thing I ran into you, then," Teisel replied, smiling. This was going really well--much better than he'd though it would. Zex squeezed his hand again; Teisel squeezed back. He wondered how many times they were supposed to do that. "Great! The busier the better; it'll keep my mind off things." Like how he was a failure who constantly put his family in danger and deserved whatever happened to him here. ...Hopefully Zex had a long to-do list.

"Yes, it was a great loss." Well, to ZEX anyway. The rest of the VUX populace had practically thrown a party about never having to see humans ever again. Ah, the difficulties of being the only open-minded sophisticate in a populace of bigoted xenophobes. "I'd really given up contact with your species for a loss, until my Captain came to see me." ZEX smiled fondly at the thought. "And then there was my incarceration here of course, and my transfer into this body, which has given me far more insight into your species than I'd ever hoped to achieve before." A bit more than was comfortable at times. He really wanted his old body back.

"Yes, I think this has been most fortunate for both of us." ZEX tried to mimic Teisel's smile in response. It took on a more natural look for a few seconds when he squeezed his hand in response. Humans didn't squeeze each other enough! "Mmmm, a mutually beneficial partnership between us... what we could achieve with one another. Mmmm..." Entertaining fantasies of just such things for a moment before getting himself back on track. What had Teisel said... "Ah, and I can sympathize about wanting to keep your mind off of certain things. This place does wear on the nerves over time." ZEX waved a bit to gesture at the Institute before returning to caressing his hand. "As for my plans tonight... I have a certain objective in mind that might require some exploration. But surely someone of your skills will have no objections?"

Zex's chatter about 'his' species reminded Teisel of the conversation he'd had on the boards the other day. What had that guy mentioned? Something about people being pulled from different times, which had seemed pretty far-fetched at the time, but now he was beginning to wonder. Had Zex really met an Ancient? Or maybe it had been an older Carbon civilization. History was hard to keep track of when it kept getting reset. His mind was wandering off on a tangent when Zex said something much more interesting. "Wait, you had a whole different body before you came here?" he asked. "They can do that?" Well, crap. If that was true, then his brother could be stuck here after all, and he'd never know it. He leaned forward, waiting for an answer.

Zex's smile changed again. It was like the guy had to memorize his expressions, or something. Bizarre. He must have been one of those eccentric geniuses. Kooks didn't end up as admirals. Teisel decided to let Zex's 'partnership' comment pass. He couldn't trust himself to answer that the right way, so he just nodded and hoped he could agree with the overall sentiment without giving the guy any ideas. Just in case. He could definitely relate to the nerves thing, though. "Yeah, my nerves are pretty much fried right now," he said ruefully. "I'll have to leave the masterminding to you." ...And now he was making himself sound like some brain-dead moron. Oh well, officers liked to order people around, didn't they?

"Exploring sounds great. That's kinda my specialty back home." He grinned. It was true. Not to toot his own horn, but Teisel was an excellent Digger. At least, when no easier target (like an affluent, poorly defended city) presented itself.

"Yes, of course. I'm a VUX, remember?" It has hard to remember at times that there was no physical evidence of his previous form. His mental image of himself and what other people saw differed so greatly here. "I didn't think it was possible myself, really... there's no technology capable of that as far as I'm aware, and the cost and time it must have taken to change me this way... it makes little sense to me. I'm not the only here that has been so changed though." ZEX thought of Fwiffo, and then of Tanaka with less fondness. "It seems that all non-humanoid creatures that come here are altered somehow."

ZEX smiled a bit. "Mm, I don't think I'll mind. I've had some experience with it, after all." Just a war or two. "I was thinking of meeting with someone else here tonight to travel to the file room, so we can get more information about our false lives. Have they told you about yours yet? It seems everyone here is given a story." ZEX tried to keep his voice nonchalant. "I'm very interested in my own... information is almost always useful."

A combat-worthy human, yes. This would make things much easier. "Marvelous. I think we'll work very well together." With a bit of a lecherous grin again, although he was more focused on business than pleasure. For now.

Oh, so Vux was a species, not a place. Well. "Oh. Are they very different from us, then?" Maybe that was why Zex couldn't smile quite right. He thought back again to what he'd seen of Yuna and Sera, how their expressions never really seemed to change. "I didn't think anyone could do something like that, either. And there are others?" Troublesome. Poor Bon; Teisel hoped he was safe at home. "Not just the non-humanoids. I had, er...different eyes before I wound up here. Maybe the same thing that put you in that body replaced my optics...?" It'd be nice to have some kind of explanation for that, even if it didn't actually explain anything.

"Ah, good," he said, "then you can take care of the brains and I'll take care of the muscle. A nice fair split." He wasn't sure he'd be any good at taking direction, since he was used to calling the shots back home, but under the circumstances he'd do whatever he was told if it might help him get out of here. As long as the admiral was reasonable, of course.

"Story? I had no idea they'd gone that far with it." Teisel didn't quite see why they'd come up with some elaborate character that everyone was supposed to be, but why not? Stranger things had happened in this place. "You're right, though. That might be good to know." Hmm.

Taking solace in the fact that Zex just didn't know how to grin, Teisel grinned back, minus the lechery. "Me too. I'm looking forward to it." He was going to go do something useful, and he might even end up beating something to a pulp. Teisel wasn't a vicious man, but last night on top of four days' worth of frustration... He needed to lessen the tension somehow. If not, he really would go crazy.

"Yes, we're very different." ZEX smiled at the thought. Marvelously different! He really didn't see why people couldn't appreciate that. "That's part of why this human body has been so difficult for me... humans have many pieces that I'm not familiar with." As if to emphasis his point, ZEX squeezed Teisel's hand again. They were such a bizarre adaptation. "Hopefully my real body is still here, and the process can be reversed." Surely that had to be the case.

He paused for a moment in thought. "Yes, there are definitely others. Optics... that's an interesting word for eye..." Who did he know that used the word "optics"? The Chenjesu didn't have eyes, but the Mmrnmhrm did have eye-like equivalents, and from what he could remember of his conversations with HK... "Were you robotic in nature before coming here? There are a few others here in a similiar situation." Perhaps that'd explain his larger body!

"Yes, a fair split..." Still rather pleased at finding a pseudo-bodyguard so quickly. How well this lined up for his potential plans tonight! Although at his other question, ZEX sobered a little. "I'm not sure why they would create stories for our false lives, but they've also employed people that are supposedly from our old lives to corroborate them. I suspect it's another effort to wear down our defenses, or break our will." Not that ZEX would ever let something like that bother him... "Or perhaps just truly drive us mad..."

But he had better things to think about anyway, like how to best use the human in front of him to his advantage. "Hmm, I think this should be very interesting. Did you do this sort of thing before you came here?" It might be worth getting some more information on his new companion if he could.

"Huh." Pieces? Zex squeezed his hand again, and while Teisel was squeezing back it clicked in his mind that maybe that wasn't some random cultural gesture after all. "What, you don't have hands?" How did they pick things up, then? His mind conjured up people with awkward, useless stump arms. No wonder Zex was so weird.

Now he felt kind of bad for not believing Forte before. He'd have to apologize the next time he ran into the kid. He was amused at Zex's assumption about him, though. Apparently Vux didn't have bionic parts...? "Uh, no. I'm not. I went blind about eight years ago, so I had my eyes replaced with optical implants." They weren't pleasant memories. "Do Vux have anything like that?" Apparently, a lot of places didn't, which struck Teisel as sort of tragic. He couldn't imagine losing an eye or a limb and having to go without for the rest of his life. "But here, I've got my eyes back, just like I'd never lost them in the first place." It'd been a rude surprize, and it still bothered him.

Teisel listened as the admiral mentioned the actors this place brought in. "That's..." He struggled to find the appropriate word, and failed. "That's pretty sick. What's the point of all that? I mean, you're an admiral, at least, but most of us probably aren't even all that important. I know I'm not. Why bother?" Of course, why bother corralling all these people together at all? Maybe they didn't even have a reason. Maybe they were just cruel. Or bored.

He kept repeating to himself that Zex didn't know how to work his face properly, but Teisel still couldn't help blushing a little at the focused stare he was getting. Zex's tone of voice really didn't help, either. With effort, Teisel forced himself to listen to the words and ignore everything else. "Oh, yeah. The institute building and the monsters aren't too different from the sub-gates I work in back home. Uh, fundamentally, that is," he added, rubbing the back of his neck. That needle mark was really starting to bother him. "Monsters can only bite and scratch, as far as I've seen; they can't shoot at you like a reaverbot can. And I haven't found any traps in the building yet." He smirked. "Though I wouldn't be surprized if is had some. Never hurts to be cautious, right? I mean, if I get maimed here, I can't just replace what got crushed or cut off." He laughed. That was a concern, though. He'd have to be especially careful of his eyes.

"Hee! Hee! Hee! No, we don't." Who would have hands, other than those silly humans? And their humanoid sister races, anyway. "Our limbs are much less... rigid than yours." ZEX's grin grew wider. "Although they're also much more flexible."

A moment to enjoy the memory of his original arms, and then he was back on track. As unfamiliar as he was with human emotions or how they were expressed, it was difficult for ZEX to try and muffle any kind of physical reaction he had to certain things. Therefore, when Teisel mentioned blindness, ZEX's surprise and horror was very clear on his face. "Blind? How terrible for you!" ZEX couldn't even imagine not having his eye. The primal and instinctual phobia all VUX had about eye damage and blindness made even the thought of it deeply distressing. "It must be a relief to have them back now." ZEX took a breath. "Most of us that go blind don't live very long..." And those that could afford treatments for it were few and far between.

ZEX tried to move head feelers he no longer had, and as a result his face twitched a bit oddly. It was a shame humans didn't have a gesture that indicated bemusement clearly. "I have no idea why we were brought here, or what purpose torturing us would serve. If they have interest in my military ability, they haven't made that clear to me. I don't think those in charge of this experiment feel at all inclined to tell us what they're doing and why. It's frustrating." To say the least.

Mmm, the human was changing color. Practically begging him to take him! It was a shame that they couldn't get better acquainted now during the day... for a moment, ZEX wondered if perhaps he should change his plans and spend the night seducing him after all, but reminded himself that that could wait until later. ZEX was smiling at him in that particular way at the thought, although he did sound genuinely interested in what he was saying. "So this isn't so unfamiliar to you! That's reassuring." Earth must have been a very strange place. ZEX paused for a moment in thought. "As for traps... I believe I've read some things on the message board about traps in the basement, but we won't be going there." At least, as far as ZEX was aware. "I would definitely be cautious of being injured here, though. Human bodies may heal quickly, but it can really impede one's progress."

Zex's description of his arms almost reminded Teisel of a squid or something. The stump-armed people in his mind were replaced with tentacle-armed people. Still weird.

Whatever reaction he'd been expecting, that kind of shock hadn't been it. "Yeah, I was pretty upset about it." Which was an understatement, but the admiral seemed upset enough right now for both of them, so Teisel would spare him the tale of woe. "But it was only a few months before I got my optics, and my siblings helped me out a lot." Mostly by giving him a reason to drag his worthless carcass out of bed. "Relief isn't the word I'd use. I mean, I did miss them, but now I have to worry about losing them all over again." Whatever a Vux was, precisely, their eyes must have been really important. "You don't have anything that can help where you're from? Is it really that bad?" They didn't live very long? What, did the other Vux just abandon the blind one?

Zex looked a little psychotic when his face twitched like that. Idly, Teisel wondered just what expression he'd been going for, 'cause it hadn't worked. "I'm no scientist myself, but I don't know what they could be testing. It seems pretty sloppy for an experiment." Though that doctor last night had been writing something down; he'd heard the scratch of the pen. Of course, she could have just been drawing flowers and clouds, for all he knew. She'd been enjoying herself too much to seem too professional...

"Sure, sure. Moving around in here's no trouble at all." The layout of the building was more logical and less maze-like than most ruins. Easy as pie. Ah, so there were traps in the basement, eh? This place was predictable; the good stuff was always the deepest underground, so naturally they'd guard whatever was down there. "'Impede one's progress'... Yeah, that's one way of putting it." Teisel chuckled. "I'll just have to make sure we don't get hurt, then." The basement could wait. Whatever was down there, Teisel had to admit he wasn't ready for that large an undertaking at the moment.

"I can imagine!" Losing his eye! At least head feelers grew back, but your eye? "Although I'm glad to hear you had help. How wonderful to have a supportive family." ZEX's would not fall into that category, but very few people did back home.

ZEX was somewhat puzzled by the concept of having one's eye returned and not being soothed by it, and it took him a moment to try and empathize. "As long as you're careful, you shouldn't have much to worry about, correct? Unless..." It was some sort of genetic disorder or disease, and that seemed a bit rude to bring up. Moving on... ZEX for a moment opened both eyes before squinting one shut again. "There are a few things that can be done, but it's very expensive... not many can afford treatment, if it can be cured..." And while affluent VUX may have been able to invest funds in eye repair or transplants, most disabled VUX just fell through the cracks and vanished. "It's a very serious affliction for us."

ZEX would have nodded if it didn't send his body into a primal panic reaction, so instead blinked in agreement. "Yes, this seems to have more in common with sadism rather than science. It's hard to think of any reason why we'd all be brought here and tormented in these specific ways that isn't based in cruelty for its own sake." And this didn't quite match the Umgah's usual pranks, and if the Ilwrath were involved, they'd all already be dead.

Already thinking of them as we! A very good sign. This was definitely a worthwhile investment of his time and charisma. ZEX smiled a bit, pleased with himself. "Yes, as long as we're careful, I'm sure there's no need to worry. I don't know much about the person we'll be traveling with, however... but I assume that they'll be able to handle things with or without us." After all, they'd offered to bring ZEX his file if he didn't come. "I think we should do just fine."

Zex didn't sound completely enthusiastic about the family bit, but that was alright. Teisel had plenty where that was concerned. "Yeah, they're amazing," he said, beaming with pride. "I don't think there's a single thing I wouldn't do for them. A guy couldn't ask for better." His smile waned as he remembered his hallucinations from last night, and the doctor who'd chatted so blithely about cutting up Tron. "And if anyone ever hurt my family," he continued, mostly to himself, "I'd hunt them down and rip them apart." He smiled again at the admiral. "But anyone would do the same."

"Yeah. I mean, it was just that I didn't really have to worry about my optics, y'know? I know it doesn't make much sense, but I guess I'm just scared that I'll go blind again. In here," he added, since this was about the second-worst place he could think of to lose his sight in. It sounded like blindness was a much trickier problem for Vux than for humans. Carbons. Whatever. "Yeah, optics aren't exactly cheap, but the surgery isn't too bad. The Diggers' Guild usually foots the bill for that stuff for its members." Not that he was in the guild, but he knew people. Insurance was a nice thing to have, even if it wasn't precisely yours. "So, if you guys go blind, you're just stuck that way? That's rough. I know I wouldn't want to be a burden on my family like that..."

Teisel wasn't sure what that very deliberate-looking wink was about. Or was it just a normal blink? It was hard to tell when the admiral had a hand clamped over one eye. He was getting increasingly curious about that, but he figured it'd be rude to ask. He'd just met the guy, after all. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time something horrible's happened for no real reason." Too bad that Zex didn't have any more insight than Teisel, but maybe there wasn't anything to have insight into.

Ah, yes, Teisel had almost forgotten that they were going to be meeting with some mysterious someone. Was that why Zex was so eager to bring Teisel along? In case this guy was sketchy? "I hope they can take care of themselves," Teisel said, half-jokingly. "I think I'll have my hands full just with you. A man can't have two masters, right?"

"Hmm... that must have been nice." A bit distantly. Surely humans didn't face the same baseless prejudice that ZEX had, so they probably didn't disown members of their family over minor differences in opinion. It was really their loss though, as far as ZEX was concerned. If someone didn't like who he was or what he did, than it was their problem, not his. Vaguely, ZEX tried to imagine something terrible happening to his family, and found he felt very little at the thought. He didn't have a family anymore, as far as everyone involved was concerned. What would he care? It was their decision to shun him after all. "I hope no one from your family is here. I wouldn't wish this place on..." Well no, ZEX could think of a few of his more vocal detractors that might have been well-served by a visit here. "I wouldn't wish this place on most people."

ZEX studied Teisel's eyes, although human eyes really couldn't see as much detail as a VUX's eye. And besides, he wasn't sure if humans would manifest eye problems the same way that VUX did anyway. Their eyes were much smaller and less useful, after all. "A guild... hmm." Some kind of human organization, no doubt. "There are some solutions, but very few can afford them. Our society is... strictly separated by class. Those without money or influence usually have very little they can do." And most families wouldn't be able to bear the burden, so...

A bit of a laugh there. "Yes, there rarely needs to be a motivation for cruelty, I've found. Bigotry, prejudice, xenophobia, all of which accepted without question, and the consequences viewed as natural." It was so hard not to get bitter when touching on that particular topic. "Perhaps that's the situation we're in now."

ZEX giggled in obvious delight. This human accepted his place so quickly! "Hee! Hee! Hee! No, I suppose they can't. But don't worry, I'll treat you very well." Still almost laughing. "I did do my best to try and keep my men alive back during the War, after all."

Teisel felt a rush a homesickness. "It was." Here he'd been hoping to distract himself from thinking about his family, but it looked like the topic just kept coming up today. "Thanks. I hope so too." He frowned. "A doctor last night tried to convince me that my younger sister's here, but...she must have been lying." Because if anything had happened to Tron, Teisel would probably stop functioning altogether. He didn't miss the 'most' part of Zex's statement, but he understood. Some people really did deserve this place.

Teisel tried not to fidget as Zex studied his eyes. It hadn't been too long ago that he'd been pestering complete strangers to do just that, though that was for a slightly different reason. "Oh, it's not a guild I'm in, personally. Their requirements are a little too..." Law-abiding. "...restrictive for me." From the sounds of it, Vux society kind of sucked. "Pretty dog-eat-dog, eh? That's too bad." Terran society was pretty divided, in its own way, but it wasn't impossible to find people who were willing to show a little charity, at least.

"And genocide," he added, "let's not forget that one." He would have laughed, but that incident was still too fresh in his mind. "Who knows? Maybe the folks in charge here don't even see us as people." His own voice did get a little bit bitter at that. "Maybe we're just a little hobby, or something. Like pets."

They were going to have to work on that laugh of his. That giggle was just plain disturbing. "See that you do," Teisel mock-scolded. "I'm expecting a lot from a wartime admiral, just so you know. I'm in your hands." Or whatever it was Zex usually had instead.

"A doctor?" ZEX blinked a bit curiously. "I've never seen a doctor at night here. I did see nurses once, while we were coming back from that town, but a doctor..." Was it the Head Doctor? Was that where he was the previous night? No, Teisel said the doctor was female... ZEX hadn't seen any female doctors here before. How strange. He tried to move old head feelers again. "Have you asked on the message board if she's here? They were most likely lying to you, but it would be worthwhile to check."

ZEX had once checked for DAX, after all... although he knew where DAX was now, supposedly. That was a bit of a depressing thought. Much better to focus on something more pleasant, like admiring his human friend. "Yes, I'm not fond of restrictions myself." ZEX smiled. "Most of them are so baseless." As for his society... "Everyone has their place there. They don't look kindly on people who venture from it." As ZEX had found out for himself. He really would have thought his status would have given him some leeway, and instead...

"I don't think we have much value to them individually." ZEX's voice drained of emotion... it was easier to think seriously that way. "After all, people seem to die here every night, and the only thing that happens is that they are replaced. While they're invested in each of us individually enough to provide the actors and false lives I mentioned before..." If they were false. "It's not enough to stop them from releasing us every night to get killed trying to escape. Perhaps it amuses them, or they hope that each new death will serve as a warning to the others to stop trying to find a way out. Without more information, it's hard to know for sure." ZEX paused for a moment in his thoughts, then attempted a small smile. "That's part of why I'd like to get my file tonight, to get access to more information."

ZEX laughed at Teisel's admonition again, still very amused. Of course, he was at a severe disadvantage with this new body, he had very limited information on his enemies, and his expertise mostly focused on ship-against-ship tactics in Truespace and Hyperspace, but Teisel didn't need to know any of that. "Yes, in my hands, mmmm." A moment to enjoy the mental image. "I don't think you'll be disappointed." After all, ZEX had killed that poor beast the other night that was menacing those two humans, so he must have been getting better at this sort of thing. The insect that had injured him before had just gotten lucky.

"Yeah. Well, I think that's what she was, anyway. I couldn't see her very well." What with being tied down and all. He'd taken a quick look at the message board again after breakfast, and had been both discouraged and relieved to see that there was no answer to his note. He nodded. "So far today it looks like she's not here, but it's not even lunchtime yet. I've got a friend on the lookout for her, just in case." And hopefully, Superboy wouldn't just hit on every dark-haired, green-eyed girl he saw while 'looking' for Teisel's sister...

"You're telling me." Teisel mustered up a weak grin. "I do what I want, and anyone who's got a problem with that can kiss a zakobon for all I care. No offense," he said, "but I don't think I'd like being a Vux too much."

Teisel played with his hair. "Kinda a weird juxtaposition, isn't it?" he asked, hoping to whatever god there was that he was using that word right. "They'll go to that much trouble to come up with these double lives for us that we might not even find out about, and then they toss us out into the hallways to get ourselves splatted." And he was curious about what his file might be like, if he had one. Whoever had sat down and written it seriously had too much time on his hands.

What an odd phrase to repeat. Must have been because Zex didn't really have hands. Teisel laughed a little; his unintentional joke wasn't really that funny, but whatever. "Good."

"Ah, it was dark." ZEX had difficulty himself seeing at night, even with a light. Human eyes were useless in the dark, and having two of them didn't really help them in that department at all. "It can be hard to make out things here at night." And ZEX squeezed his hand again. He'd never get tired of human hands! Their skin seemed to gather in the strangest way where their bones met. "Hopefully she isn't here, and won't come here any time soon." He'd hate to have his new human upset by something like that, after all. It might put a damper on his plans...

"Yes, exactly!" Although ZEX didn't know what a zakobon was. "I've never been one to follow mainstream opinions. It's gotten me in trouble a few times." More like most of his life, but that was beside the point. "And believe me, I have issues with my society myself. They're so dreadfully close-minded. Thankfully most of the humans I've met here have been more... open to my viewpoint." With a bit of a lecherous grin again. He'd actually been having a great deal of luck with new companions lately here, it seemed...

ZEX watched him touch his hair, fascinated at how his hand moved. The human patchwork of hair was so inconsistent, and varied so greatly from person to person... what would have caused them to evolve that way? "It doesn't seem like the best way to spend their resources, no. Given the amount of money that must go into funding a place like this, their behavior doesn't make any sense to me. Surely they expect some sort of solid outcome for their investment? If it's all of us dying, then why replace us, and if it's to torment us, why put us in danger?" So many frustrating questions. "But perhaps this is all funded by one person, who is also in charge of the whole thing. If that's the case, then I don't think there will be any real answer unless we find them first." The head doctor would have been an obvious candidate, but it didn't make sense for him to make himself so obvious. The head doctor over the announcement system was probably a fake to help keep the real mastermind in the shadows.

"Yes, this will hopefully be very productive." And if they got their first mission done quickly, then they could retire back to his room and explore some much more pleasant things. ZEX's smile grew a bit wider. "What room are you staying in?"

"No." Teisel shook his head. "It was really bright in there, actually. The light was shining right in my face half the time." He felt sort of detached talking about it, like he'd watched it happen to someone else. In the corner of his mind, he wondered if that was normal. "But I was tied down, and she was always standing off where I couldn't really see her. I did see her hands a couple times, though." He'd memorized them. She'd hurt Tron if she could. Zex was squeezing his hand again, as though directing him back to their conversation. "She's probably wondering where I am by now. She shouldn't have to worry about me. I'm the one who's supposed to be taking care of her." He was getting depressed again. Funny how thinking about his single greatest failure did that.

"Huh. I never thought I'd have so much in common with a military type." There may have been some irony in that. Or maybe not. "I can't stay out of trouble to too long these days. Couldn't be normal if I tried." And he had tried, and he'd failed at that, too. Mentally slapping himself, Teisel forced himself to focus on what the admiral was saying. He'd have time to wallow in misery and self-loathing later. "Congratulations on your good luck, I guess." There were a lot of humans who were real jerks, too, but maybe Zex had managed to avoid them.

Teisel shrugged. Trying to figure this place out with nothing solid to go on was too meta for him. "If it's all backed by one guy, maybe he's just insane."

"Here's hoping," Teisel said, as businesslike as he generally got. "I've been here for days, and it doesn't feel like I've actually gotten anything done yet." Aside from getting attacked by a giant squirrel and half drowned and tortured, he really hadn't accomplished much at all. "I'm in..." It took a second to remember the little plaque on his door, which was embarrassing. "M95. You?"

"Bright?" ZEX sounded confused. As far as he knew, the entire Institute fell dark at night, thus necessitating the handheld lights. Where could Teisel have been where there was light? And tied down... "You were... captured by someone?" More curious than anything else. His roommate had been taken that one night, although he never did find out what happened to him. Whatever it was, he was sure it was unpleasant. Perhaps the same had happened to Teisel? Already feeling possessive, ZEX felt a flash of irritation at the thought of someone hurting his property. Well, he'd just have to ensure something like that wasn't repeated.

As it was, it seemed that his new human was starting to feel poorly. That wouldn't do! ZEX tried to squeeze his hand in sympathy, but hands couldn't quite accomplish the same encompassing feel he could with his arms. "There are some people that I'm sure are worried about me back home as well." A bit more seriously. "There's nothing we can do about that. The best we can do for them now is try and find a way out of here."

Well... if everyone he'd left behind was even alive when he went back. Now he didn't feel very cheery either. This topic of conversation definitely wouldn't do.

"Mmm, I see we do share some common ground." There, this was more pleasant. "We're both different, you see, and my people, they cannot stand difference. They lose out on so much that way." Returning his thoughts to his favorite topic, and he smiled. "I think our species really have a great deal to learn from one another, despite our differences. As long as one is creative..."

Although ZEX returned to more serious matters, although it was somewhat reluctantly. "Insanity is as good as an explanation as any. And while I've accomplished some things here..." A moment to laugh to himself at the thought. "I've been meaning to gather information for some time. M95... I'll make sure to remember. I'm in M66. Should I come see you tonight then, when the doors open?"

Teisel nodded, reluctantly. He shouldn't have brought this up; he didn't sound very competent if he'd let himself get captured like that. "I was talking to my roommate, and then someone came in and...I can't really remember anything after that. And when I woke up I was with that doctor."

"You're right." Though the admiral was a lot nicer about telling Teisel to suck it up and act like a man than most people he knew would be.

"Your people sound like a boring crowd. Maybe they'd get along with some of my people." The ones who wasted their entire lives on their home island, wasting their energy on work they hated for the sake of being 'productive' and 'respectable.' And they couldn't imagine why Teisel preferred piracy. It was unstable, sure, but it was better. "Oh yeah? Like what?" If Vux knew anything about space, that'd come in real handy right about now. It'd save his sister a hell of a lot of trouble, for sure.

Well, it sounded like Zex had made some progress, anyway. "Sure." He caught himself. "Uh, unless you want me to come to M66 instead...?" He was supposed to be the hired muscle here; it seemed silly to make the admiral leave his own room alone to come and find him.

Day 38: Patients' Library

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