Day 50: Cafeteria (Brunch)

[selfrescuer.livejournal.com]

Somehow, after their talk in the chapel, Elaine felt simultaneously more accepting of and more irritated by her future husband. On the one hand, seven years had clearly been good to him. He seemed more sincere and thoughtful than he had been before his disappearance, and he had a more mature (dare she say, handsome?) look to him. On the other hand, there were clearly some things that made even time throw up its hands in vain and say, "To hell with this!" Guybrush was still inexorably prone to disastrous accidents if the story about the Pox of LeChuck was anything to go by, and he was so obviously keeping something important from her that any passing dolt in the Institute would have been able to tell. In the end, that eternal underlying sweetness of his that won out, keeping her from punching him again, at least. That was only by a hairs width, though. Her snugglecakes was going to have to stay on his best behaviour if he knew what was good for him.

She left the Mighty Pirate™ alone for the time being when the announcement of the next shift went off. He would want some time to catch up with Morgan next, presumably. As much as the woman's attitude bothered her, she was a friend of Guybrush's, as she had claimed. Elaine could be strict, but she wasn't the kind of shrewish future wife/past fiancé who would keep her man from seeing his friends. Besides, she needed some more time to catch up on the goings-on of the Institute. Patients filled the building to the brim, now, it seemed; there would be a lot to investigate.

After a few quick trips back and forth to the bulletin and a few new leads to follow up on, the governor gave in to her nurse's persistent nagging and headed to the cafeteria for brunch. After the relatively light fare of the day before, Elaine took advantage of the Institute's admittedly scrumptious offerings and loaded up a full, balanced brunchfast of eggs, sausage links, waffles, and vegetable soup. As expected, the selection of drinks did not offer either root beer or grog. Grog she could live without, at least, she thought while making a face. Eugh. For now, she settled for a tall glass of water.

Elaine settled into a seat in the cafeteria and tucked into her meal. Her eyes didn't stay on her food, though, instead gazing around restlessly; she hadn't seen LeChuck so far this morning, and god forbid he wanted to invite himself to brunch with her if he chose now to show up. A certain horribly unpleasant dinner on Mêlée Island came to mind. She was prepared to either move at the first sign of the dread pirate or signal a random stranger to sit with her before he could.

[For Dean]

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[dual-worlds.livejournal.com]

Given all of the problems plaguing many of the patients within Landel's, it seemed unusual that Peter would be so interested in the condition of an individual he did not know, much less someone who bore the same face as the man who he claimed to be so contemptible and dangerous. Logically, it would not have been unthinkable for Peter to attempt to forge an alliance with him in an attempt to destroy or neutralize his roommate. While it was possible he intended to try to mislead Spock for his own purposes, he knew that it was just as likely that Peter was speaking to him out of some sort of moral obligation so as to not see anymore patients put into unnecessary danger at Gabriel's hands. The simple fact was that until there was more solid evidence indicating one or the other, he had no way of knowing for certain.

Now the matter was a question of whether Spock was going to delve into this any deeper than what Peter had told him. While neither himself nor his colleagues were in any immediate danger, if there was truth to Peter's story about this Elle's death, he knew he simply could not ignore the situation, either -- not only for the safety of his colleagues, but for anyone else who could become a victim. On the other hand, he had to prioritize his mission goals for the greater good. As he had decided earlier, the patient population was too large for him to become involved with rivalries and battles carried over from other people's homeworlds. Investing energy in pursuing what could just as well be little more than what humans called a red herring could be detrimental to their ultimate goal of finding a way home. However, the longer he spoke with Peter, the more he understood that assuming he was lying, or that Gabriel would not be an immediate threat if he was telling the truth, could be just as damaging in the long run.

"As you can see, I am uninjured," Spock told Peter. "Furthermore, thus far nothing has transpired between myself and my roommate to warrant any alarm. Should the situation change, however, I shall be sure to contact you as soon as I am able."

For the time being, Peter seemed willing to let the subject drop in favor of other topics of conversation. But he had made references to certain aspects of Gabriel that intrigued Spock too much to let an opportunity to inquire about them pass.

"You mentioned that, under normal circumstances, he uses telekinesis to murder his victims," Spock said. "Please elaborate on how he came to possess such capabilities."

[human-sponge.livejournal.com]

It seemed pretty strange that Sylar had been behaving around his roommate for so long, but maybe it was the fact that he was going to have to deal with Spock on a daily basis that made the man pause. If something ended up happening to the pointy-eared man, the killer would easily be one of the first suspects, even to those who didn't know what he was capable of. There was a chance that Sylar knew Peter had been keeping Spock abreast of the whole situation, which would be a good reason for him to be treading carefully.

Either way, it was good to hear that Spock trusted him enough to get a hold of him if anything happened. Peter couldn't help thinking that it might be too late by that point, though. Once Sylar struck, it was fast and definite, which meant that the moment the man made his move, it could easily be over for Spock. Still, the guy seemed capable enough, and Sylar didn't have many powers to work with here. Maybe, now that he knew to be on his guard, Spock would be able to handle Sylar if he suddenly lost his patience and went for the kill.

"Yeah, just track me down or write to me on the board, and I'll take care of it. You shouldn't have to deal with him any more than you're already being forced to," he responded while frowning. Peter didn't care if Claire thought it was stupid of him to go after Sylar alone; even if she wanted to help, in the end he saw this as his own problem, and something he would have to deal with one way or another.

When Spock went ahead and asked him a question about Sylar's abilities, Peter nodded, having half-expected that. Even if the other man hadn't reacted too severely to hearing about it, now it seemed clear that he didn't see it as a normal thing, either. Maybe he was just good at keeping his feelings to himself, then.

"Sure," he replied as he shifted in his seat and prepared to give a succinct description. "Basically, where I come from a very small percentage of the human race has started to develop these... abilities. It's not just telekinesis, there's tons of stuff. It's happening because of a genetic mutation, but yeah, Sylar's one of those special people." Now, to decide whether or not to bring up his own abilities. Usually he didn't have a problem with it, at least not here, but now he'd painted a picture of powered people being dangerous, and he didn't want to lump himself in with that (even though it did apply to him, to an extent).

However, in the end, he knew it usually paid off to be honest, and so after a clearing of his throat, he added, "And so am I."

[dual-worlds.livejournal.com]

It was true that Spock would have preferred not to have been assigned to Gabriel, and he strongly suspected his roommate was similarly inclined. The odds that their sharing a room was simply a coincidence were small enough to suspect that the institute had, for whatever reason, purposefully arranged it that way. That alone was cause to remain on guard, making Peter's warnings somewhat unnecessary in that regard. However, if there was the chance that there was more to Gabriel than what met the eye, it was beneficial to at least be aware of that possibility. Peter outwardly appeared willing to assist him in whatever way he could in the event his roommate proved problematic, though if the need to contact him ever arose, Spock knew that he would not be willing to simply leave the matter in his hands.

There was no need to voice those thoughts out loud, though, and so the Vulcan prudently allowed the subject to naturally shift toward Gabriel's supposed powers.

When Peter began to explain, Spock set his eating utensils down, neatly clasped his fingers together and listened. The concept of a genetic mutation was not a new one by any means; in fact, he had suspected that he would say something to that affect. Yet it did little to answer the questions Spock had. Was this mutation a result of experiments conducted to genetically enhance humans, such as the ones that were characteristic of the research conducted during the 1990s? Ultimately, those factors had led to Earth's final world war, but Peter hadn't mentioned any such conflicts yet. It was possible that this was an entirely different scenario than the one Spock was familiar with. After all, it was already apparent Gabriel hailed from a different universe than his own, seeing how he was somehow familiar with Spock despite originating from the 23rd century. Perhaps it was related to the Star Trek program Kirk had learned of from his brainwashing, perhaps it didn't. Regardless, it was indicative of the possibility that Earth history as Spock knew it did not apply to Peter and Gabriel, just as it did not apply toward many of the other patients he had encountered in Landel's.

Not only that, but apparently Peter was one such human who had experienced such a change. Judging by his brief pause, he appeared as though he were somewhat hesitant to openly share that with him, though he had done so nonetheless. After learning that piece of knowledge, Spock gazed at him for a brief moment. On the surface, there was nothing unusual about Peter's appearance, though it was difficult to know whether that was his natural state, or if the changes placed upon many of them since arriving here were masking something.

"I see," he said at length, neutrally measuring the other man's words without reaching a conclusion about them just yet. "Was there an external stimulus that triggered these mutations?"

[human-sponge.livejournal.com]

As Spock took his time with thinking what he had said over, Peter continued to work on his food, moving some sausage around on his plate absentmindedly before eventually eating it. From what he could tell, Sylar's roommate was the sort of person who could divorce himself from a situation and observe it objectively, which was the sort of thing Peter himself was terrible at. He was always up close and personal, experiencing it completely and feeling every blow. In a way, being able to examine things from a distance had to be helpful, but it was also kind of boring, at least in his opinion.

Not that he was judging Spock, necessarily. From what he could tell, the man wasn't a bad person, even if he was a bit callous. He did like to deliberate, though, and so some time passed before the pointy-eared man finally spoke up again.

An external stimulus? Peter frowned, bringing a hand to his mouth as he tried to think it over. Even though he'd gone through this train of thought before, he couldn't say that anything came to mind immediately. As he remembered it, things had just started happening to him -- things he couldn't explain. It had started off slow and then just snowballed, and he still had no good reason for what had caused it. Then again, considering how many people he'd run into who had gone through something similar, he wasn't sure if there was a stimulus at all -- after all, what could all of them have had in common?

"Not that I know of," he said with a shake of his head. "There's this geneticist, Mohinder... he would have been the guy for you to talk to about that, but this place has... brainwashed him and made him work for them as one of the doctors." Peter sighed and ran a hand through his hair. There was always another obstacle, another way for Landel to show them that he had all the cards. That was what last night had been too.

"From what I could tell, one day things just started changing for me. First it was these really vivid dreams, and from there it just expanded." He shrugged, feeling bad that he couldn't give a better description of it than that. Even though he'd gone through this explanation so many times, he could never quite find the words to explain how it had felt.

[dual-worlds.livejournal.com]

If there was no external stimulus, then that would suggest that the mutation was a result of some sort of something internal. It was almost as though Peter was suggesting that these powers were emerging as a result of human evolution, though this was certainly the first Spock had heard of such abilities naturally occurring among those living on Earth.

The name Mohinder was just as unfamiliar to him, though it appeared this individual was more aware of the phenomenon Peter was describing. The fact he had apparently been targeted by Martin Landel was intriguing, and perhaps said more about the potential value of the knowledge Mohinder possessed. Furthermore, this particular instance pointed toward the possibility that other doctors had been brainwashed into working for Landel. If his methods had produced such a powerful reaction within Kirk, if even for a day, then it was certainly possible he could use similar procedures to control those who served under him.

"When you say this geneticist is working as one of the doctors, are you referring to the staff members who are assigned to occasionally visit with patients in their offices during the day?" Spock asked, recalling his time with Dr. Venkman. If it was true that Mohinder had been brainwashed, then it was not unthinkable that others were in a similar situation.

Peter's claims that his mutation first manifested in the form of dreams may have signified a broader change in the way his brain functioned; however, it was difficult to know without having an opportunity to scan him. Regardless, it was an interesting piece of information to learn, and something Spock wished to question him further about. But for now, he wanted to hear what he had to say about Dr. Mohinder before attempting to focus on Peter himself.

[human-sponge.livejournal.com]

It sounded like Spock had already been made to go to therapy, but he clearly wasn't a patient of Mohinder's. It made Peter wonder how the doctor would have reacted if he had been made to face someone who looked almost exactly like Sylar, but considering how he didn't even seem to recognize him for who he really was, it probably wouldn't even matter. Whatever Landel had done to the man's brain, it wasn't something that could be broken through easily.

Even if Matt Parkman, that mind-reader, had been here, chances were he wouldn't have a ice cube's chance in hell of being able to reverse the mind control that was going on in this place.

"Yeah, exactly. I knew him before we both ended up here, but he doesn't even recognize me anymore. He thinks I'm someone who's convinced myself that I'm Peter rather than... actually being him." Which was a confusing concept on its own, but the fact that the doctor was so convinced of it was the really worrying part. It meant that Landel was manipulating people's perceptions on top of everything else. And maybe that's what he had done last night -- made it seem like Pontiac had been abandoned when it hadn't been. Maybe that was wishful thinking, but...

"I'm guessing you've had to deal with therapy already?" he went on to ask. "Did you know your doctor before coming here, or were they a complete stranger to you?" Peter still hadn't come across anyone who had the same situation that he had with Mohinder, but it seemed odd for him to be the only one.

[dual-worlds.livejournal.com]

If Peter's story was true, then that carried a lot of implications regarding the remainder of the staff. Spock wished he could have had an opportunity to meet this Mohinder, but given the fact he was assigned to a different doctor, that likely would not happen in the near future. It was still important information to consider during any future encounters he had with Venkman, however.

"No, I had not met my assigned doctor until our appointment together last week," Spock replied. "This is the first I have heard of an instance in which a patient was personally acquainted with individuals working for the institute prior to their capture." On the surface, it was difficult to know what qualified a doctor to be targeted for the method of brainwashing used to turn them into a seemingly willing employees for Landel. Spock thought of Dr. McCoy and silently wondered if he was at a higher risk of experiencing a similar change at some point during their captivity.

They would need to be on their guard, at any rate.

Though there was more Spock wished to ask Peter about, it appeared they would need to withhold discussing the issue further for the time being. It was at that moment the intercom sounded. The eating period was finished, sending nurses throughout the cafeteria as they attempted to escort their charges onto the next scheduled activity.

"Perhaps we shall meet again in the future," Spock neutrally said as he placed his folded napkin neatly onto his tray along with his utensils.

[human-sponge.livejournal.com]

So that meant that he was still the only person who'd actually known his doctor before all this. Well, Peter wasn't counting Sylar, but he didn't see any reason to. It seemed like something he would have to look into further, so he'd have to try and remind himself to leave up a note about it on the board, either today or tomorrow. He realized tomorrow might be better since most people checked it first thing in the morning, so doing that would give him the most responses.

Before they could speculate or talk any more than that, though, the intercom went off and cut into their meal. Peter sighed and pushed his tray away; he'd pretty much gotten through most of his brunch, anyway.

Spock's parting comment was pretty ambiguous, but it was better than nothing. It left open the possibility, even if the man didn't seem completely set on reconnecting later. "Sure thing," he said with a nod. "I check the bulletin as much as I can, so you can always try to get a hold of me there. Just put a one after my name, since there's someone else named Peter here."

With those instructions given, the man stood from his seat and moved away from Spock, searching out a nurse as he tried to decide where he wanted to go next. Anywhere but that waiting room where the visitors showed up...