damned_institute | Day 50: Sun Room (4th Shift)

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Day 50: Sun Room (4th Shift)

The Sun Room was dark when Taura re-entered it; her eyes adjusted quickly, but not quickly enough to avoid one of the 'techs coming over to talk to her.

"Were you going to join us for the movie, Kitty?" she asked, waving a hand at what appeared to be a 2-D projector screen.

"Movie?" This was, apparently, the wrong question to ask, as the woman's face fell into a moue of practiced disappointment.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself, Kitty." Doing what, exactly, was something 'Kitty' was evidently supposed to know. Then the screen flicked on, and some sort of advertisement was playing while a staffer adjusted the volume. Oh. The term was unfamiliar, but entertainment hadn't changed that much.

"I mean, er, what movie is it?" Taura rumbled, keeping her voice low so as not to interrupt. That must have been the right question; the woman brightened back up and started explaining.

"King Kong!" she said, clearly expecting a reply. Then she sighed, and continued. "It's about a giant ape, brought back from an exploration," she began. "It's also a love story -- oh, just trust me. It's a classic."

"The ape falls in love?" That sounded a little outré, at least by Institute standards of entertainment. Not by Jacksonian ones, but those Taura had been just as pleased to leave behind.

"Oh, nothing like that. Well, the ape does fall in love -- but it's just a beast. Why, Fay Wray doesn't even come up to its waist." Taura blinked at her again. What did height have to do with it, anyway? She was leaning, just a little, without even realizing it. Perhaps looming would be a better word. The 'tech blinked back, and then finally the penny dropped. "Oh...oh. Maybe it wouldn't be to your taste, dear." And with that, she scurried off to adjust a chair that was already facing the screen quite adequately. Taura sighed, and slipped through the gathering crowd to the bulletin board.

[Zack]

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A little shaken from his discussion with Grell - though thankfully nowhere near as badly as he would have been a week ago - Brainiac 5 was more than willing to allow himself to be led off into the Sun Room to take a seat while the nurses got the movie organised.

Sitting in the dark while the film started to slowly play reminded him of the Legion's movie nights, a pasttime brought in by Bouncing Boy and often featuring a range of ancient B-grade horror films. The Legion would get together to watch them all, with a majority of Legionnaires making comments and offering advice to the characters on screen all the while. Superman had even explained a few other movie traditions from his own time as well, like popcorn and sodas and staying up all night watching movies. Brainiac 5 had never really let on how much he enjoyed those nights, but even this set up in the institute was a little... familiar and comforting. He could feel himself relaxing more and more as the movie played. Even the comments from the other patients he could hear being whispered didn't detract from that.

It was almost a shame they couldn't get any popcorn, however, he found himself wondering idly. Or that Peter wasn't here to watch the movie and make remarks about it with him. But otherwise it was exactly what he needed after that last meeting.

[MOP-HEAD]

thumpthumpthumpthumpthump

It was a mirror image of his first day here. Shoulders squared, strength renewed, steps powerful and relenting for no one.

"Mr. Lant, would you please slow down?" Nurse trailed behind the assassin, her petite feet unable to move faster than the pace she were used to dragging him at. It was one discussion, not even one lasting an hour, but the effect was evident the moment Venom stepped away from the meeting room and back into the pale gray hallways of the institute.

No more getting distracted by insignificant things. No more letting this guilt, this ever-present depression, eat away at his will and strength. No more waiting for his tentative allies to pull themselves together for him to get the information he needed. No more self-pity. No more sympathy. His hands combed through his hair, letting the thick strands fall back over his steeled gaze.

The quickest way from one point to the next was a straight line. For the longest time, Venom had been somewhat aimless and even hesitant of returning to a home they may not be there anymore. Thankfully, Martin Landel was an idiot. Martin Landel had just created an obvious goal the assassin was more than willing to aim for.

If Venom was Point A and Master Zato's safety was Point B, Landel's Institute was hereby in the damn way.

He kept moving, stride even, yet determined as he moved into the Sun Room (Nurse appeared to have given up once she made it to the doors after him, putting her own head in her hands and muttering pointlessly about how well he'd be doing before now). It wasn't hard to pin-point the person he was looking for; he was sitting quietly by himself and attempting to enjoy the flickering images on the wall before the Guild Head moved into his company.

He should feel guilt for disturbing the boy in an obvious moment of peace. He didn't. He only stared at the boy for a moment before bowing at the waist.

"Brainiac 5. I'd like to discuss a few things further with you, if you wouldn't mind."

It was impossible not to tense up when Venom loomed over him in the darkened room, and Brainiac 5 hesitated a fraction of a second before nodding and indicating the seat next to him.

"Alright," he agreed, "But I'd prefer it if you sat. For obvious reasons."

The older patient looked a bit different now than he had before when they'd met, and not only because of the hair that was hanging in his face now (which made Brainiac 5 speculate how well he could see at all). His demeanour seemed more... intense, almost. Concentrated and a fraction more distant than it had been before. The man was almost entirely business and while Brainiac 5 could appreciate that, he appreciated it a lot more when it wasn't infringing on his movie.

He shifted a little to give Venom more space, his brow furrowing in thought. "However, I do have to ask... how can you see with any degree of accuracy like that?"

"Now isn't the time, Brainiac 5," came the cold and unsatisfactory answer as he sat a respectable distance away from the teenager. From the frozen aura around the man, it didn't look like it would ever be the time.

Blue eyes glanced silently at the screen ahead of them. It had been a long while since he'd actually had the time to sit and watch a movie as opposed to reading in bed that he really couldn't place whatever they were trying to show the patients. Not that it mattered in the long run. Were they really trying to distract them with mindless movies now? Hmph. Venom crossed his arms over his chest, right leg following suit to cross over the left.

There was only one purpose of this discussion, and it had little to do with either the movie or his hair.

"You mentioned before that you may be able to test for implantation within another body." Yes, Edward was possibly working on the same thing, but he couldn't allow himself to depend on one person. If Brainiac 5 was capable of any assistance, he would use his help too. "What would you need for that?"

"Very well," Brainiac 5 answered stiffly. If Venom wanted the conversation to be business entirely, he was more than capable of that.

He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the man's body language, however. He wasn't sure if it was possible for a humanoid species to display any more unwillingness to talk freely while still being in the same room, and the hair did little beyond enhance the effect. But on the plus side, it did explain where the stylised eye symbol had come from that had confused him over the information board.

He nodded at the larger man's question. "There are a number of different techniques I know of that could be used in this sort of environment, assuming Landel has as much access to technology of different worlds as he does their inhabitants. Some of them are easier to test for than others, however. I'm not sure if it's possible to find a microscope powerful enough to check for nanotechnology in the blood."

He stopped, something else occurring to him. "However... I may have something that could work around it..."

If the child was bothered by his insistence to shut down unnecessary talk, Venom showed no signs of caring. If it wasn't the time, that was all there was to it. He was just going to have to get over it.

The mention of blood was enough to cause an internal twitch. Way ahead of you. Disgustingly so. Though that did bring another worry - if it took such powerful blacktech in order to detect something like that, would Edward even manage to be successful? Not that it mattered, he supposed. Edward was there for the chemical and medicinal front. If he needed something technological wise, he would come to Brainiac.

And speaking of that.

Venom tilted his head slightly, interest gained as the other person trained off. "Oh?"

"I'd need to check it's functioning correctly first," Brainiac 5 said slowly, "but last night I... obtained an item that would be very useful with that and other tasks."

He hesitated, uncertain how much he could really trust the other patient with, but if he was careful enough with what he said, it wouldn't be much of an issue. And Venom wanted to work with him, so he wasn't likely to try taking Brainiac 5's technology for himself. ...in theory anyway.

"I ended up in an old laboratory of mine, and I managed to pick up a basic item that's nevertheless pretty powerful by the standards of this time. It was still here when I woke up, and it possesses scanning functions. If it hasn't been tampered with or damaged by the transference, I could use it for checking along those lines."

He smiled slightly. "It would be faster and more efficient as well."

So Brainiac had been assaulted with those images as well...?

As brief as it was, his mind still flashed back to the night before. He wanted to put it away. He didn't want to think about it. It was already in the past and it couldn't have been real; the Guild would never abandon him out of fear of punishment alone. Master Zato would never betray him or melt into some demon. He didn't care if proof lived on in bloodsmeared metal and fiberglass, in the pain still coursing along his bones. It had no bearing on him anymore. It didn't matter what they had shown him.

But if Brainiac had found something useful - if it managed to work - the information to be gained from it could be invaluable. The only thing he needed now was a willingness to share it.

"And would you be willing to do something of the sort? Finding its functionality and recording the results as soon as possible would be preferred, of course, but if you plan on that, I'm afraid I won't be able to join you tonight." While his eyes remained unseen, that tone of voice spoke of nothing of stubborn privacy; his plans for this night were absolutely none of Brainiac 5's business and he would not tolerate any asking of it. ...However, the blond showed amazing faith in his own abilities and, while Venom was unsure of how far he could trust that faith, he could always trust an intense need to prove oneself as useful. "I would not say no to any written results, however. I imagine you're capable of doing that?"

Brainiac 5 had been about to comment that he hadn't wanted Venom's company tonight anyway; he already had plans to meet with someone whose company he much preferred, after all. But the last casual comment stopped him in his tracks and his eyes narrowed sharply.

"I'd assume that if I'm capable of extrapolating the reason for abilities being limited here, then I should be able to write down the data I find out as well," he said flatly, folding his arms and glaring at the movie playing instead. He'd been enjoying it before now, even if it was just in the background, but now he couldn't wait until it was over and they could leave.

"Of course, that's assuming I actually decide to share what I learn with you still. If you think I can't even write something down on my own, maybe you shouldn't be looking to me for information."

Edited 2010-07-11 12:54 (UTC)

And Brainiac immediately took offense and was now channeling all of the defensive air of... well, a teenager. To take back his word just on that? So the assassin had misread his confidence - he was overly so. Overconfidence with layers of self-doubt, or at least a wanting ego. He knew what he could do, but the moment it looked like someone didn't believe in that, he would rather throw a tantrum and refuse service rather than prove himself. If no one was either impressed or grateful for his abilities, he would just pick up his toys and run home.

Venom took the moment to stare silently at the boy, the light of the projector flickering over the white and blue masking his face, the sounds of wanton destruction and mayhem filling the air around them. He did not move, did not betray any emotion he may have been having at the time. All there was was that large, blue eye bearing down at the other.

"You misunderstand," he said at last, voice as quiet and calm as always. "I've already told you that I was in need of someone understanding of the technological aspects of this institute, implying that I cannot do it myself. The knowledge you have and hold dear is something that has been both banned and forgotten in my time, and the information I am aware of is a) not nearly enough to decipher what is happening and b) in the study of various weapons. If the device you have is capable of what you claimed it is, I would have preferred an explanation of how it would function as well as the results."

Whether by a shift in weight or a tilt of the head, the veil of hair parted in the slightest, allowing one eye to stare at the child. "You would forgive me for having doubts with you, what with your unwillingness to share even the most basic of your knowledge, wouldn't you?"

Brainiac 5 continued to glare at the flickering images on the screen, the giant ape climbing a building amidst a hail of gunfire from ancient Earth weapons... It was probably supposed to be a metaphor for something, though he couldn't be bothered to think too much about what right now. He was mostly watching it to make clear that he wasn't bothered by the man sitting next to him with the curtain of hair that hid his face and made it extremely difficult to know what he was thinking. Coluan faces were easier to read, which was saying a lot.

He tilted his head slightly as Venom spoke again, though still pointedly refused to try and make eye contact. ...admittedly in part because it wasn't actually possible.

"No, I wouldn't," he said flatly once the other man was finished talking. "When you ask someone for assistance with something, you don't then try and imply they're incapable of the task you requested of them or suggest that it's suspicious if they don't freely give you every piece of information they possess."

Then he turned to look at Venom, matching the one-eyed glare with one of his own. "You're asking me to tell you how the most useful and potentially important device I currently own works, while you refuse to share even trivial details about yourself. If anything, I have far more reason to be suspicious of your motives. Why shouldn't I think that you're not planning to take my equipment once you've found out what it is or how to operate it?"

Somewhere, behind that mass of hair covering his face, a lone eyebrow rose at the boy. "You're awfully touchy."

It was disheartening, really. If Brainiac refused his service, it would be two subordinates who would have fallen through, leading him to depend on Edward and only him. Considering the man's penchant for ignoring the Guild Head's commands in order to peruse his own dilemmas, this would not be suitable in the least.

Though it didn't seem this boy was fairing any better...

Venom's voice remained calm despite Brainiac's childish attitude, almost eerily so. There was no hiding the building irritation amongst the tranquility, however. It was showing crystal clear in his viable eye. "My objective has not changed from our first discussion. I have no reason to steal from you. I have no desire to steal from someone I have repetitively stated to need the assistance and intelligence of. I refuse to answer your petty questions on the ground that how I see through my hair should not and has no bearing on the fact that we are being unjustly kept as prisoners and it is not the right time. It should have no bearing on whether or not you decide to assist me.

"I apologize if you see my actions as rude - my only wish was to spur you on that task and prove yourself, but it appears I have failed to calculate how badly you would respond to the slightest negative input." Blunt as ever.

"No, you're just not very polite."

While Brainiac 5 could perhaps, a little grudgingly, admit that he could be a bit overly sensitive to critique, he felt that he was perfectly justified in his reactions here. He'd been more than willing to share his findings with Venom before now, but the man persisted in acting as though Brainiac 5 was either some sort of employee of his - which he'd objected to from the beginning - or that the Coluan stood to lose more from not working with him. Neither of which were true in Brainiac 5's mind. He already knew a few others who were skilled in similar areas and far more pleasant to work with, so he was perfectly capable of politely declining other offers if he didn't think they'd work out well.

Possibly it was better to find out how well he and Venom could work together now, then, before he'd given away anything that could make him a target again. Easier to break away and make a note to either avoid communication or only consider it when there was little other choice. Like the conversation with Lelouch some time previously...

He carefully set that memory aside, not wanting it to influence his behaviour right now. Instead he focussed on what the older man had to say, doing his best to hold his tongue until he was done.

"You might think they're petty questions," he said once Venom was done. "But answering trivial things can help create something of a sense of trust." He remembered that lecture from Saturn Girl. And Cosmic Boy. And Superman. It was a little difficult to forget it after that many times, even if he didn't have a perfect memory.

"Regardless, I was perfectly willing to help you to begin with, and even made it clear under what conditions, so I can't imagine why you'd think you'd need to 'spur me' to anything. If anything it seems like you miscalculated badly."

Edited 2010-07-17 06:48 (UTC)

This was beginning to be more trouble than it was worth. If there was an easier way to grind the assassin's gears than being difficult in a situation where it was uncalled for, especially when he didn't have time to worry about speaking to a wall when Master Zato was in danger, he would like to know right now.

"I apologize, Brainiac 5," he repeated, each word clipped and cold in the mist of this unimpressed irritation. If the boy was expecting anything more than that, expecting him to beg for forgiveness or anything of the sort, he was going to find himself extremely displeased. He apologized and was not going to repeat the action - that should have been enough.

It still left the negative air between them, however. Brainiac was paranoid of his motivations and was pressuring him to speak of himself when such things did not matter. He didn't like to talk about himself. There was no reason for anyone, not even allies, to know the reasoning behind such unimportant mysteries. "If we work together, I forewarn you that I am a very private person and would prefer to keep my distance; gaining trust through small-talk has no place in my line of duty. I will gladly answer any questions you have on my motivations, plans, and any past actions I may have taken to further said plans in this institute, but I reserve the right to deny any personal questions. I will not challenge your same right to deny any questions I may have for you. I do not expect you to tell me everything, nor give anything you may have to a man you neither know or trust."

His head lowered in the slightest, his hair following the motion and obscuring what little of his face had been visible. "May we return to the topic at hand?" Or was the boy going to continue his tantrum?

Brainiac 5 sighed but managed (just) to keep his comments to himself. If Venom wanted to ignore the real issue in favour of a minor point, then he wasn't going to continue arguing over it. Not when it had already given him a good idea of the type of person he was working with here.

"I already had returned to the topic you initially wanted to discuss," he pointed out instead. "I said that I had been perfectly happy to work with you, and I'd already said what I was attempting tonight and previously laid down what my conditions were. You were the one who apparently felt the need to 'spur me'-" The inverted commas couldn't have been more pronounced if he'd tried. "-with some bizarre implication about my work."

He settled back in his chair and eyed the mask of hair obscuring the other man's face. "So do you have anything else to add? Or are we done here?"

There was something inherently painful about speaking with someone who thrived on having the last word. Discussions such as this usually ended one way: Venom would punish them for their unsavory attitude and leave. He had neither the time or the patience to sit and argue in circles when more important matters were at hand. Yes, he stepped wrongly in the conversation. Yes, he understood the error of his ways. It had been brought to his attention four times in the past five minutes. He wasn't a naughty child incapable of learning. No, he didn't appreciate the notion that he would need to walk on eggshells in order for the teenager to concentrate on what he needed to instead of reminding the man he was upset every time he opened his mouth.

He could have honored that with a response, but he was not going to. It didn't deserve one. The more he apologized and explained himself, the more Brainiac sought to argue with it. The boy should have been thanking his intelligence. It was the only thing saving his ego from facing the full brunt of the Guild Head's wrath.

Continuing on, Venom followed Brainiac's lead, leaning back into his own chair and turning his attention to the screen again. The credits had begun rolling by now. Hmph. "Should the device you located fall through, it would be useful to consider a second plan of action. What might you need to accomplish finding this information?"

Edited 2010-07-18 06:10 (UTC)

...either the flickering of the screen was giving him a headache, or the discussion had. Brainiac 5 felt his brow crease into a frown again, which did nothing to help ease the feeling, and made an effort to direct his gaze elsewhere in the room.

"Ideally? I'm not sure the institute will have everything I need, or at least not anywhere that I can get to easily," he answered, biting back the snide comment that of course he had a second plan of action. "But I can perform some less specific tests with more basic equipment. A microscope and some slides would be a good place to start."

Unfortunately it was more difficult to think of where to go beyond that. He doubted there would be any old Earth equipment for scanning the human body just lying around the institute, after all. So on the chance that the omnicom couldn't do that... He'd essentially be right back where he started. Still, having just a plan was better than nothing.

"Hm..." A microscope? As hard as it was to think back to the night before last (all his mind wanted to remember was being drowned in blood, in feeling that warm body go cold in his arms as it desperately shuddered for air...), Venom tried, searching his memory for anything of the sort on the second floor. Aside from the various beakers, chemicals, and other lab equipment... "I haven't seen either of those in the areas I've examined," he paused, a hand briefly rising as if to brush the hair out of his face before it fell back into his lap mid-motion, "but I'm willing to check again."

But not this night. Tonight--

"Mr. Lant!" Nurse's voice cut into the thought, her right arm raised in the air as she waved at him from across the room.

The nurses were beginning to collect their charges. He'd take that as his cue to leave, then. Rising from his spot on the couch, the assassin bowed at the waist - a show of respect that may or may not have one last effort to preserve the teenager's willingness to speak with him. "If you can think of anything else, please let me now. I will see what I can do."

With that, he was gone.

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Day 50: Sun Room (4th Shift)

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