damned_institute | Day 40: Lunch

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Day 40: Lunch

*hobble wobble*

"Damn that SCOURGE!" Starscream cried out, the slowly-filling cafeteria producing a jarring echo of his raspy voice. His limping, already bad enough from not knowing how to properly use his crutches, was now exacerbated from the injuries he'd received the shift prior. Despite the gauges in his non-casted leg so lovingly provided by the aforementioned 'patient', Starscream could still put some weight on it, but not so much that he could really stop and rest; relieving the soreness under his arms was out of the question. The nurse that walked behind him with his tray, already upset at having to deal with yet another troublesome inmate, was growing rather impatient as his charge slowly made his way down the food line.

"Just...give me a standard serving of the aquatic creature's flesh, some of those fried potato slices, two bananas, and three bottles of juice," Starscream sighed, his anger from just a moment ago assuaged by the physical exertion needed to move the way he did. "I'm going to sit down here...bring it to me when you're done."

He was hardly surprised to find that one of the bananas was completely bruised along its inner curve, or that the handful of 'chips' on his plate were all on the small side. Tired and frustrated as he was, however, he could barely muster a 'damned flesh-creature' before moving his fingers to the plate, picking one of the longer 'chips' and shoving it into his mouth listlessly.

There was an unusually high concentration of sodium chloride crystals on it. Of COURSE.

[For Tony Stark]

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"Yeah, Tia's my sister. She's not here, though I can't tell if I'm glad or not. This place is just awful, but I'm worried about her out there on her own. She can't talk like other people." Tony stuffed more fish into his mouth. He didn't like thinking about Tia.

It wasn't an emotion Soma could identify with very well, nor could she think of any words of encouragement.

"I'm sure she'll be all right," she said awkwardly. There. Was that what she was supposed to say?

Tony understood that his gloominess wasn't going to be understood. "I hope she is, but either way I can't do anything about it." He shrugged, trying to pretend he wasn't as worried as he was. He could tell she was uncomfortable with talking to him. "Don't mind me."

The boy's emotions were easy enough to read, clear as they were, and Soma shook her head. She might not have been able to understand entirely, and she might not have knonw what to say, but it didn't mean she didn't care.

"It's only reasonable to worry about your family," she offered. "I would do the same, if I had one."

"Worry yeah, but gloom at everyone else, no... I'm sorry." He ate a bit more. "Where are you from exactly?" He hadn't missed she'd said she had no family. He was trying to figure out if that was a sad thing or not.

"The Human Reform League," offered Soma, hoping against hope that he would recognize the name. Probably not. "You could say eastern Russia - that's where I live now."

The salad was good, even if it was simple; she kept eating as she waited for a response.

Tony thought about that a moment. He was beginning to realize such long pauses was likely to make him seem stupid. He just found it hard talking nicely to people, instead of just ignoring them. He thought he was a friendly person, but he was starting to realize that what he'd thought of as friendly was actually just someone who didn't start fights. He'd stuck to Tia. Other people were hard.

"I've heard of Russia," he finally said. "It's... across an ocean from America, right?" Well, not directly, if the picture in his head was right. He could almost see something. And that surprised him. He frowned suddenly, more serious than sad, and stared hard at the lady. "Keep talking about it please."

Soma didn't mind Tony's periodic silences in the least; she herself was hardly used to normal conversations with anyone other than the Colonel, and she found she rather liked the boy's quiet demeanor.

"Yes, it is." Her description seemed to react with Tony, and she tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing in confusion and a trace of suspicion before she hid both again. Perhaps he had been there before when he was younger, that was all.

What else was there to say about Russia? She'd only really lived there for a few months. "The eastern part of Russia was separated from the west a long time ago. The west became part of the Advanced European Union - that includes France, England, Germany, and their surrounding countries. The east is part of the Human Reform League, which includes India and China. That's where I live with my commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Smirnov."

An image of the house rose up, unbidden, for the briefest of moments, neatly cut lawn and polished wooden furniture and photographs lined up over the fireplace, and Soma paused for a moment, caught by surprise by a wave of emotion she thought she'd never feel.

Was this what being homesick was like?

Tony almost held his breath. An image formed inside his mind. He closed his eyes briefly to focus on it better. A house, nothing he'd seen ever before. There wasn't even anything about it to suggest its origins to him, except the timing. His eyes snapped open.

"Did...you live in a house with a lawn?" he asked. That sounded dumb. Most houses had lawns, but he supposed she could have lived in an apartment, like he'd done with Tia and Granny Malone. Or something odder yet. "I can see places sometimes." His voice was hushed, because he wanted this to be real, not his imagination.

"Yes." Soma's eyebrows furrowed together in slight confusion - did most people not live in houses with lawns where he was from? - until Tony explained himself.

Then she leaned forward slightly, faint but unmistakable interest at last registering on her face. Did he have enhanced quantum brain waves, too? She'd never heard of an ability like that occurring with the treatment, but one never knew...

"Could you keep describing it, please?" she asked. "Just to be sure."

Faintly embarrassed now--he seldom talked about his odd gifts--Tony looked down at his hands on the table. But he continued to describe the little he could see. It was still, like a photograph, but he could see more than just the outside. It was a very odd feeling. He was used to seeing places alive and moving, as they were from moment to moment.

"I can see a wall of pictures over a mantle. Are they your family? The lawn is so green, like summer." He didn't want to get too personal, but he burned with curiosity to know if he was right. "The furniture gleams so brightly I can almost smell the polish." But of course, he couldn't really smell it. "A very nice house."

The description was good enough for Soma, even if a quick mental check confirmed that his quantum brainwaves were as normal as those of (almost) everyone else here. Besides, all of the things Tony had described were precisely what she had been thinking of before he spoke.

"They're not my family - they're the colonel's," she said, her voice matter-of-fact. Then her expression softened slightly; his curiosity was clearly readable, and it was just as interesting to learn about abilities other people here might have. "But I think you really are seeing it. Have you always had that ability?"

"Umm... yeah, I have, as long as I can remember. It's usually much better." It was hard talking about this, but Tony had come to understand that more people here were odd than not. He wasn't going to face automatic rejection, though he was wary of being taken advantage of.

"My sister and me were unusual. We didn't fit in anywhere, so we were running away. She can open locks. We can both move things without touching them. Music makes it easier. I can see places, but... since waking up here, I can't even tell the time. The clock's broken." He shivered.

"I've never heard of abilities being influenced by music. Does that work here, too?"

It sounded as if Tony was born with his ability, though it was difficult to tell. Perhaps he didn't remember obtaining his powers...although Soma was beginning to reject that idea. Except for E-0057, nobody else seemed to have enhanced quantum brainwaves, and she was slowly starting to grasp the idea that not all of the patients' abilities were like hers.

"I don't think time works the same here," she said after a moment, looking faintly frustrated at the thought of it. "At least, not at night. The hours are all wrong. And they dulled my abilities, too."

Tony swallowed and licked his lips. Nothing salacious--he wouldn't even know how to do that--just that they got dry when he got nervous. "Yeah, it does. Some. Not as good as it used to. I don't have my harmonica, and I'm not as good with a recorder. So just small things, so far anyway."

"I was hearing a little about the time issue. I wonder if they're related. Because I could see places, I could always tell what time it was by looking at a nearby clock in my head." He shook his head. "Now, it's... always the same." He shuddered.

"I'd like to see those powers some time," said Soma seriously as the intercom crackled to life. "It sounds like they could come in handy.

"The doctors here probably removed your clock, just like they dulled everyone else's powers." Her face hardened slightly at the thought. "It's completely unfair. The proper thing to do is to let us fight them on even terms. I'd like to see them keep me here if I had my GN-X with me."

"What a thing to say, Maria!" chirped a voice behind her, and she whirled. Why hadn't she heard the nurse coming?

"My name is Soma Peries!"

"None of that, now," said her nurse in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Come along, it's time to go outside! Say goodbye to Frederick."

"Goodbye, Tony," said Soma pointedly, standing up, and offered a very slight smile. Names were names, whatever the woman said. "I hope we can talk again sometime."

"Good-bye, Soma," Tony murmured. At least she wasn't so upset and turned inward like that Skuld lady. His nurse didn't even bother with polite talk. She took him by the arm and led him out of the cafeteria. Because of where they were going, Tony didn't dream of protesting.

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Day 40: Lunch

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