Day 46: Sun Room

[human-sponge.livejournal.com]

Peter woke up suddenly, his body twisting in the bed and then forcing him to catch his breath in pain. Pain, which was coming from his middle because of the thing that had scratched him last night, and after that...

After that, Zach had jumped in front of him like some kind of martyr, like the exact opposite of everything Sylar stood for, to take the next hit for him. It got pretty fuzzy after that, so night must have ended right around then.

The man let out a pained grunt as he straightened himself up in bed. For some reason, he got the feeling that he'd slept in. There was no way for him to really tell without a window in the room, but he just knew. The fact that Sam's bed looked long since vacated was another clue.

Sam, but was he Sam again? Had the brainwashing worn off, as he and Roland had hoped, or was he going to have to go through this nightmare for even longer? He didn't know how long he could handle "Zach" and "Harrison" before he started going batty himself.

Pulling himself out of bed, Peter lifted his shirt and saw that he was tightly bandaged. The scratch most likely wasn't nearly as bad as the bite that "Zach" had received, but it still smarted. He let his shirt fall and then had to deal with a nurse chiding him for sleeping through the morning announcements. Not that Peter really cared at the moment. He was too busy thinking about last night and the fact that in a way, he now owed something to Sylar. Except it hadn't been Sylar. That was something he was sure of now.

Lost in his thoughts, Peter reached the Sun Room right as the rest of the patient populace was trickling in from breakfast. Sighing to himself, he headed over to the bulletin board and then saw a note written in familiar yet unpleasant handwriting. Holding his pen in a vice grip, Peter scribbled out a reply and then stalked over to an armchair and fell into it with a huff.

While Sylar was maddeningly frustrating, there was one good thing about the fact that he was himself again. It meant that Nathan was too.

[For Spock!]

Comments

[diamondstorm]

Curiosity. Good. If the boy was as bland as his countenance claimed, she wouldn't have know how to correctly engage. As it was, she nodded once. "Two different worlds, though I'm told there are more in my universe."

The Digimon's bright eyes glanced down, placing her thoughts. "There's a human world, much like this one in fact, and a Digital World, made up of mass amounts of data and programming code. I, am originally from that world." The truth, as it was, was given. In matters of worlds at least she had nothing to hide. And if her words gave away her nature? There was still the matter of righting a wrong. The tone used after she had denied his being human still rang.

"And we can travel," she continued. "But it isn't always easy." She tiled her head up to watch the boy. "From the Digital World to the human one, we bio-emerge through gateways that we open." Or that ones from the human world pull to, but that was getting into the subject of Tamers, and Renamon would not touch there. "Otherwise, there are doors. Holes in the fabric of reality that can create a crossing."

[falseblack]

Familiarity rang in her tones, and Nigredo found himself growing more interested. For an actual moment, he forgot his brothers, focusing instead on the conversation at hand. "We have something like that," he told Renamon. "It's not a world in the literal sense since we can't physically traverse from one to the other."

His memory fell back to a time before this institute, to one more familiar. This did nothing to turn his thoughts back to the other end of the room. "By manipulating brainwaves, people can 'dive' into a virtual area known as the Encephalon." Nigredo paused, a flush spreading across his cheeks. He couldn't say why this occurred. "I know they're not really the same, but it came to mind."

Something switched gears, and the boy continued, more subdued. "Do you think these doors are responsible for our being here?"

[diamondstorm]

The boy's interest was welcomed. "Most aren't able to travel to the Digital World from the human world--only in some cases." But his offerings perked her own curiosity. "When you say 'dive', what do you mean?" A non-physical entry, that much was taken, but how would...? Their... souls, perhaps? Renamon was not anywhere close to religious, even as she had meant both groups of her 'gods'--human and Digital. But the option did remain.

Her mentality shifted instantaneously at his question. "Yes," she answered immediately, staring slightly. "I do." Her mind slid back to her first few days here. Things had seemed... simpler, then. "The truth is, the majority of the people I interviewed that are more than human have worlds with the equivalent of doors in them. When researched further, all doors or portals or corridors, are similar in function, task, and activation." Renamon paused, regathering her thoughts. "There were two theories concerning them here. Either they're hidden in a place we cannot reach, or are powered by things that make them temporary instead of a permanent holding."

[falseblack]

"Special circumstances?" questioned Nigredo. Whether in the factors or the potential traveler remained to be seen, and he wasn't certain if this information could be shared.

He could, however, try to explain the concept he had brought up. "It's a switch from one plane of reality to another. The place of descent can range from a simple virtual room or the mind of a person. It's not uncommon for law enforcement to conduct investigations by literally exploring the memories of witnesses." There was more, and Nigredo had only scraped the surface on the actual mechanics, although this had more to do with his ability. He wasn't sure how well he could explain the sciences involved; examples were honestly the best for someone who'd never lived with such before.

It was strange how one world had what others might have lacked. The boy became doubly aware of this as Renamon continued. "If one of the theories proves true, could the problem then be rectified?"

[diamondstorm]

His query was held in silence for a moment, the Digimon considering the boy. There was... nothing lost in telling him the basic truth. Nothing that she personally felt taken away if that was all she said. "Yes," she answered belatedly. "If those gateways, the doors, are found. There are few, and seldom easy to find."

All Nigredo said held sense. The ending statement seemed almost amusing in its utter logical applications. It was something to be considered, after all; something useful to be done with what you had to work with. "It makes sense," she replied, slightly tilting your head. "My Digital World and your Encephalon may be very similar." The fingers on one of her hands moving in thought. "Be it that yours seems far more stable than me," she added with a touch of irony. The Digital World had the abilities to mind-dive as it was--most likely, in fact. But trusting the chaotic qualities of the Digital World to the task seemed suicidal. A simple room by itself was easily done. Yes; the two realities were similar albeit somewhat opposite. "Perhaps," she mused softly, almost as if she hadn't meant to add it. "Yours remained tied, and did not gain its own consciousness."

Renamon's mouth thinned at his question, thoughts moving. "Quite possibly," she answered carefully. "If there is a door, it would simply be finding it, and then allowing one with the knowledge of portals and passages to reprogram it. The problem being... If there is a permanent one, it is well hidden. Landel had already proven he can control nearly all faucets of our actions. For us to 'not see' something seems overly simplistic, disheartening as that may be."

Was it the fact that the boy carried himself so well, spoke with facts instead of emotion, that had Renamon speaking so freely? She could deduce as much. Even with Mello, there hadn't been this analytical detachment, and while a part of her mourned it in one so young, an older part of her appreciated it, and approved. "If it's the other, it flows into the realm of metaphysics." She raised her eyebrows at the boy, as if asking if he wanted her to continue.

[falseblack]

"Oh." The logic was fairly straightforward: if doors led to places such as the Digital World and were far and few between, they would count as a special circumstance. His thoughts shifted as did the conversation, and Nigredo pulled the cushion closer to his chest. "I wouldn't say more stable," he said. "The risks are more known, maybe." The boy couldn't affirm the remaining statements; there existed things in the U.M.N. and the Encephalon even a U.R.T.V., who relied on such technology, could not trust.

That, however, was a story for another time.

He leaned forward, pressing his forehead into the pillow in his arms. "I figured both would be complicated," stated Nigredo, who then sighed. "Still... What do you mean exactly when you say it flows into the realm of metaphysics?"

[diamondstorm]

He had asked, and she would reply in turn. "It's a general consensus that the majority of us are brought here after a changing point in our lives. Losing someone, a stable point being dropped out from under us, even our own death. This still remains rooted in the realm of facts.

"The metaphysics point comes in what I cannot yet prove."

The Digimon paused, reorganizing her thoughts. "This Institute is powered by something, this is a certainty. Most of us have certain abilities locked away or dulled down--a theory for this is that those abilities themselves power their own chaining--but I digress. Something else to consider is the things we go through here. Tests they may very well be, but in the same breath, they are all things that simulate large emotional fluxes, even in those who maintained calm and stoicism before coming here. I know very well that emotions can be used as power, and if one needs a power source, looking farther than a large group of beings outside their element and under one's control in a situation perfectly made to break them down is unnecessary. The power is right there. Very simple."

She moved a hand. "But my point is what I said. We are brought here at a moment of extremes. If emotions can and do power as they do elsewhere, one could come to the conclusion that the emotion expelled from ourselves in that moment is what opens the doorway itself. And all Landel need do is then pull us through. If that is the case," Renamon said, fixing her gaze on the boy. "Then I am unsure what we could do to counter. To open a door would take much more than using one that is already there."

[falseblack]

The exposition hit close to heart--much, much closer than the boy could ever dream. He had never pictured the reasons for his and his brothers' arrival. The assumption was that they were victims of an unfortunate circumstance or a practical purpose. And this... Whether incidental or not, Renamon had implicated a reasoning that rang far worse than his original not-theories.

"If we were the cause of our own arrival--" If this was of their own making... "--you would think they were trying to open another door." Nigredo had no basis, but it made sense. The experiments, the brainwashing, the run to utter exhaust-- There was no rhyme or reason with chance or a specified, individualized purpose. What remained, then, was a kind of expendability.

For what purpose? He hadn't a clue.

[diamondstorm]

Another door. This touched close to another's explanation, and she watched the boy carefully. "They could be," the Digimon gave neutrally. Was it idle speculation or did he have his own idea? "But a door to where? Or when?"

A door to places only was limiting. "They can already call beings from more than any known worlds. From all times; past, present and future. And even from death or nonexistence. What, then," she questioned. "Would they be looking for?"

It was an open-ended question. She was nowhere close to the answer, even after the investigating she had put forth on Mello's suggestion. There was no pattern. And she was slowly learning this. Without a pattern, then... There were only guesses, and then tests to see which proved true.

[falseblack]

Nigredo shook his head, an indication that he knew nothing regarding potentials. Even if he did, the boy could not find a point in the knowledge. Home world, new, or otherwise--one was not preferable to the others.

The intercom chimed before another word could be placed, and with duty done, Nigredo rose hastily. He needed to leave a message for Yomi among other things. Now was the best opportunity, manners aside. "I'm sorry," he said to Renamon. "I have to go."

A pause. "It was nice to talk with you."