damned_institute | Day 52: Game Room

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Day 52: Game Room

Lunch had taken his mind from his worries, if only for a few minutes. But after the intercom sounded and the nurses began leading patients onto the next activity, one look at the bulletin board brought everything back in full force. No replies from Ashton, Dias or Dad. By now Claude felt like he was practically counting down until the end of the day, when he was going to have to finally grapple with the real possibility that most of his friends from before Landel's, as well as his own father, had fallen victim to the institute.

And now he was going to have to deal with his mother being here on top of that. It didn't seem like a coincidence that she'd show up right when his father's whereabouts were so up in the air. But what did it mean? Why couldn't Landel leave his family out of this?

Normally, the announcement about new video games would have made him perk up, but his eyebrows only knit together with concern as his nurse led him into the game room. That didn't seem to stop her from trying to get him to unwind, though.

"Oh, come now, Thomas, you've worn that expression for most of the day!" she told him with a frown. "Why don't you have a bit of fun now that your eyes are all better? I'm sure you could use it."

The last thing he wanted was to be reminded of his "sleep studies", he darkly thought to himself. But before he could protest, his nurse had sat him down in front of one of the television screens. There was an old gaming console, one Claude had never seen before, and he glanced at her with a confused expression. "Go on," she encouraged as she placed one of the controllers in his hands. "I know how much you enjoy these kinds of things. Someone will come play with you soon, too, I'm sure. Doesn't that sound nice?"

He didn't have time to answer her, because she'd soon bustled off to tend to some of the other patients. Claude watched her leave with a sigh. He realized the daytime staff meant well, which made knowing what they turned into at night even worse to think about. But now he was just being negative for the sake of it, wasn't he?

Taking in a small breath, he reached over to the console and turned it on. As long as he was waiting for some kind of answer from the bulletin, there probably wasn't much he could do except pass the time. Claude watched the title screen appear on the television, his expression growing more curious in spite of himself. Super Mario Bros....

[For Prussia!]

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((OOC: Late to the party, but open to non-canonmates, up to four others.))

Perhaps a bit of a distraction was in order. Ludwig had been in a bit of a slump ever since he'd arrived here. He'd been unforgivably slothful, hadn't accomplished nearly enough in the time that he'd been here, and that was starting to weigh down on his mind. He hadn't been doing anything worth noting, and that bothered him to no end. There was no excuse, no justification, for that. Even still, it would only hurt him if he focused too much on the past. He had to move forward. For that, he needed to clear his mind.

The only problem was that most of the games he found were American in origin. Monopoly, Candyland, Stratego... no, he didn't feel like those. Two were too competitive, too cut-throat- and particularly in the case of the latter, too similar to war-time scenarios for his tastes. To think that the modern era would glorify something as brutal and inhumane as war... no, he wanted to find something else. Something peaceful. Something constructive.

And what should he find but Carcassonne (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcassonne_(board_game))? He'd liked the game ever since it had come out, and the idea of building a castle- even a French one!- appealed to his engineering talents. So, for now, he busily started arranging the cards and getting the pieces set out. He may have even whistled a bit under his breath, though that was clearly impossible. Ludwig never had that much fun. Right?

To Marie's credit, she relinquished control as soon as lunch was over, once again becoming a warm presence in Soma's mind and leaving only a slightly dazed supersoldier in her wake. Soma had been expecting a reunion along those lines, but now, as never before, she understood just what had been done to her, both last night and all those years ago. And yet it was still a little too much to take in.

In any case, it was unlikely to happen again. Who knew what would happen next time the two of them saw each other? Even touching Allelujah had been unsettling enough as it was.

Her nurse seemed cheerful enough about the entire matter, albeit thoroughly confused; Soma expected she had given up trying to understand the relationship Maria Medvedeva and Jude Davids had with one another, and decided to assume the two had made up very, very quickly.

A quick scan of the Game Room offered little in the way of distraction. All of the video game consoles were taken, which was something of a disappointment; there was something almost endearing about the primitive figures bouncing up and down on the screen. In any case, there was no sign of her friends, and perhaps that was a good thing. If she had to speak to someone right now, she preferred it be someone who didn't know her at all.

There was a blond man, posture suggesting a military background and apparently about her age, setting up an odd game. Soma's curiosity got the better of her, and she sat down next to him, faint interest in her expression.

"I've never seen a game like this before."

"It's called 'Carcassonne'. Relatively recent game, but quite popular. I'm glad they have it here." Ludwig looked up from his industrious and meticulous arranging of the pieces, pondering the person speaking to him. A woman, with white hair and a serious tone in her voice... she had a stiffness in her stance as well. A precision, in a sense- she had to be military. Which was odd, given just how young she was. Of course, it was possible she had just been trained- active military service was not a guarantee, and he couldn't tell more just from how she sat down. Of course, the fact that she chose to sit next to him, instead of further away, was rather surprising in its own right.

However, he still offered the instruction manual to her- in his opinion, if it was written down, it deserved to be read. And the rules weren't that complicated anyway. Make terrain and claim it. The rest was just elaborating on that one simple principle. "If you'd like, I wouldn't mind showing you how to play."

She accepted the proffered manual and began to read. It was certainly one of the stranger games she had heard of; certainly nothing like the ones she had played before. A game based around building cities? Part of her wondered what a man who looked so much like a soldier was doing playing a game like this, but she didn't voice her thoughts out loud.

"I'd like to learn," she said as she turned another page. The rules seemed simple enough--simple enough to know that the gameplay involved was almost certainly more complicated than that. In any case, it would be a welcome distraction.

"I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Soma Peries."

"I'd like to teach you. It's been awhile since I've gotten to play." As he said that, he started dealing out the tiles. It truly was a simplistic game in theory, but the tiles interacted in odd ways. Roads became a network, and one person could hold on to the entire network no matter what. Likewise, tiles with rivers formed a stream, forcing it to be completed- and undercutting other buildings. Chapels, walls, homes... there were a wide variety of tiles, and they all interacted in complex ways.

For now, however he was more focused on the girl with him. As he offered her stack of tiles, he smiled- controlled, due to his heritage, but still warm for him. "Ludwig. I wish we could have met under better circumstances."

She drew a tile with a reserved smile of her own: not precisely strong, given her day, but the sentiment underneath was genuine. "So do I."

Ludwig was an unmistakably German name. Was he from the AEU, or something like it? His Russian was flawless, but then everyone's was to her ears; she couldn't assume anything from that.

"Have you been here long, Ludwig?" she asked, hesitating over the tile. "I don't think I've seen you around much before."

Likewise, Ludwig heard her speaking in very good German, which was starting to bother him to no end. They couldn't possibly be all German, and yet it seemed so clear that they were. Modern German, no less- colloquial turns of phrase, things Ludwig wouldn't be surprised to hear in Berlin. It was so normal it was almost uncanny, and he certainly had to fight to keep it from bothering him.

"I've been here for a few days now. I assume that you've been here for longer than that?" A pause, then he spoke up. After all, he did want Soma to enjoy the game as well, and mixing the two was not necessarily a problem. "That's a field tile. Relatively low value, but any other tile can be put next to it."

"Not much longer than you--two weeks. Where are you from, if you don't mind my asking?"

Because you sound European, she was going to add, but thought better of it. That wasn't an assumption she could make here. For all she knew, his name could have been pure coincidence, and he could be from some planet that hadn't even heard of Earth, much less Europe. That seemed to be the norm here.

She considered the tile a moment longer before placing it. "And you just put it down on the table like this?"

"Germany. May I ask the same?" It was rather odd, having such a normal conversation with someone who clearly wasn't a nation. Soma was calm and controlled, open without being too talkative... Ludwig found himself liking her. No need to pry too deep, no need to cajole for information. Nor did she try to put him on the spot or ask any awkward questions. While snap judgments could be incorrect for a variety of reasons, he felt like this would not be the case with Soma.

Oh, and of course, she was actually trying to learn the game. That won Ludwig over, put him at his ease. Games like this were quite enjoyable for him, and he was glad he found someone who was at least willing to hear him out. "That's correct." As for himself, he put down a wall tile just below Soma's- that's as far as they'd go that way. Not the best move, but it'd help keep the game simple for a beginner.

Soma offered a tiny smile of recognition. It was probably an entirely different Germany than the one she knew--the likelihood that he'd even heard of the AEU was slim at best--but there was something to be said for familiarity. Besides, she couldn't help but feel a small flare of satisfaction for having been right in the first place. She'd take what she could get here.

"I'm stationed in eastern Russia at the moment, though I'm originally from a space colony built by Russia and China." With luck, he'd recognize those countries as well, and hopefully the concept of space colonies wasn't completely foreign.

The next tile she drew was also a wall tile, and she placed it next to his, hesitating a moment before she placed a small wooden follower on top of it. She'd never been one for thinking things through very clearly--that was probably why the lieutenant colonel had always beat her at chess--but it was almost refreshing to be able to slow down, to consider each move carefully. She didn't have a lot of time to do that these days.

"I wasn't aware that either of them had build a space colony..." Did that mean that she was from the future, then? It seemed impossible- Ludwig was the one furthest along of all of them- but she said it so casually that it was hard to disbelieve her. Though, considering the facts, it wasn't surprising. Russia had always had an interest in space travel, and China too was beginning to join that club. It wasn't unlikely that the two of them would collaborate on that matter, even if that could prove detrimental to the rest of them. Still, the milestone was such that Ludwig still found his eyes widening at the implications. "You're saying that you were born in space?"

Hm... on the game side, it seemed like Soma was learning the rules very quickly. Ludwig was pleased to see that, and more to the point, it really was a relaxing game to play. A nice change of pace from their usual frustrations- Ludwig in particular found himself enjoying this game, and the aggravation of the previous wasted night was alleviated as a result. As for his tile... after some thought, he shifted all the way to the other side of the board, putting down a cloister just two spaces from the top and claiming it with a follower of his own. Later on that section of the board would have to be filled in... but he'd get points for every single tile surrounding that particular tile. Not the best move he could make, it was better to hold off and use it to complete other tiles... but this game was just for fun.

So Ludwig was from before her time, though he seemed knowledgeable enough to know what a space colony was. "Yes, I was. I'm not sure when it was built, but it was at least twenty years before the present in my timeline. It was 2309 AD just before I woke up here."

Another field card; she placed it next to the field tile already there and put another follower down. From what she'd read, it seemed like a gamble, but she'd always been fond of taking chances.

"2309..." That was three hundred years in the future! And it had been made at least twenty years before then... that was, perhaps, a bit more disappointing than he'd hoped. Technology was moving so quickly, advancing at such a breakneck rate, that he'd hoped that space colonies- truly livable habitats outside of the bounds of the world- would have been created earlier. But now that he had a time frame, he had something to look forward to. "Do any other nations have space colonies? ...does Germany?"

While he thought about that, he forgot to make his move. No, he had other thoughts on his mind. For a nation, the idea of space colonies was both alluring and worrisome. On the one hand, being forever bound to his soil, he'd always been fascinated by the possibility of space travel. The stars, the planets, the many wonders of astronomy, had fascinated him. To live in space and be free from earthly bonds was incredible. But... where would that leave the nations? Would they be allowed onto such stations? Or would they be their own creations, their own micronations?

...would Germany and those like him be rendered obsolete by such things? Or was that something even further off, something that hadn't yet happened? He couldn't say, and it made him wonder. How would humanity eventually view those who embodied their most essential traits? He played with his own tiles, his eyes distant as he pondered such things.

"I'm sure they do. I don't know if Germany specifically has space colonies, but I'm certain the Advanced European Union does. The Union should as well--the Americas, I mean," she amended hurriedly. If he'd heard of space colonies, she was fairly certain he ought to have heard of the European Union as well.

The other man had fallen silent, and Soma suddenly wondered if she had said something wrong. It wouldn't be the first time that had happened. Was he opposed to space travel? No--he didn't look angry, merely thoughtful. He was difficult to read; his emotions weren't nearly strong enough for her brainwaves to pick up, dulled as they were, and the little she did manage to grasp only confused her more.

Likely a trick of Landel; she'd never used her brainwaves during the day before. She was quiet for a moment, pondering the tiles, before she said softly, "Ludwig? Was it something I said?"

"The Advanced European Union? And the Americas were unified? ...was the same true with Russia and China?" He leaned forward, fascinated by everything Soma was saying. It dragged him right out of that contemplative mood he'd fallen into, and it got him thinking on a more productive path. The AEU... it was both tempting and worrisome. Clearly there were still some people that identified as German, or else Soma wouldn't have referred to that nation in current terms. But at the same time, it was proof that there was no leaving the Union. The troubles facing him when he got home clearly were going to be resolved and his bonds with the other European nations would only tighten.

He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

As it was, though, he did want to know more about Soma, more about the colonies and everything. So, for that reason, he steepled his fingers. He'd never really given this question serious thought before, but now he did want to know. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking about that. Living in space is a dream from my time... and I wanted to know. You said you come from a space colony... do the colonists view themselves as part of their mother country, or do they have their own laws and jurisdiction? And what is life on board a colony?"

"Yes, it was. Russia, China, and most of the Asian continent--the Human Reform League. They formed years ago, back when construction on the orbital elevators began. Those were designed to produce inexpensive, efficient solar power to the planet."

They had also been the cause of the Solar Wars, but it probably wasn't prudent to mention that at this point in time. Although Ludwig's interest in politics meant he'd probably be able to work it out himself. Solar power was a threat, especially to countries who had grown wealthy by producing oil.

Ludwig's next questions gave her pause. "I..." she hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to explain her situation.

"I'm not sure," she admitted at last. "I suppose I'm a special case. I was raised in a separate lab, kept isolated from the rest of the colony. I'm a designer baby, engineered and built for the purpose of serving as a soldier. I suppose a civilian who actually lived in the space colony where I grew up could answer your questions better...I really don't know." She paused, a little embarrassed despite herself. "I'm sorry."

"Orbital elevators... there's quite a bit of theory about the untapped power of solar energy, but costs are still prohibitive. Nonrenewable energy still provides for most of the power." And that was the problem. Soma didn't need to say anything else- if there was such a device in place which would render all fossil fuels obsolete, there was a risk of violence. This could come from individuals whose lives were ruined as a result of the new technology, from governments who were seeing their entire nation decimated by it... or from rival countries who would want control over such a strategic resource. Humanity wouldn't have changed so much in just a few hundred years, although Ludwig had hoped for otherwise.

But then he heard her story, and his face softened. He couldn't really identify with her case specifically, but... there were some similarities. Especially on the matter of not knowing what a normal life was like. So, after an awkward pause, he managed, "I... also was born to serve in wars. So there's no need to apologize." It wasn't the whole story, it was infinitely more complicated than that, but Soma didn't need to know all of those details. Nor was he going to express his true disappointment... even after leaving the cradle of Earth and having such an endless source of energy, humans still felt the need to construct more weapons. Though he'd never have imagined that they'd create one quite like Soma.

"The costs have been accounted for by my time. The two orbital elevators currently extant--the HRL's and the Union's--supply energy to the better part of the planet. The AEU elevator is still currently under construction, though." She paused, curious. "What year are you from?"

But that was a question that could wait. Ludwig's words instantly intrigued her, and she straightened slightly, letting her own tiles drop forgotten to the table. She'd thought she had pegged him for the military, but she couldn't have imagined that he might be similar to her. She wasn't going to let him off with such a cryptic statement. "What do you mean? Were you genetically engineered as well?"

She wasn't sure how she'd feel if it turned out he had been. Once, she would have been proud, even glad. Now that she knew the price paid for her creation, she wasn't sure if it was worth it after all. But she had decided that she liked Ludwig, with his calm, almost stoic demeanor and quiet interest in politics, and she was sure his answer wouldn't change her opinion of him, whatever it was.

"It's a shame the AEU is behind... I come from 2010. So this talk is quite surprising to me." He can see it, of course, the technology isn't so very far away. Just a question of proper implementation, not utter impossibility. And the energy of the world provided in such a cheap and economical manner... it's something to dream for. More than that, it's something to work toward.

As for the question... he shook his head. Genetic engineering, he had been worried about that. America had made some advances in that area, and many other nations were starting to do their own research in the field. But creating soldiers was still beyond them, for the moment. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, save only that he hated the idea of any of his people being made for war.

But how could he explain it? Ludwig didn't want to bring up the fact that he was a country, that would damage his credibility and possibly alienate Soma. But at the same time, he didn't want to clam up either. So he thought about it carefully, playing with a follower figure in his hand as he considered how to proceed. Finally, cautiously, he spoke. "I... suppose it would be more accurate to say I was made. Regardless, at home I'm nearly invulnerable and I've been in service of my country for over a century. Often for wars or other conflicts."

2010? "I'm sure the advancement will come soon for you." It was difficult to sound confident, but she tried. Optimism was hard to come by here. "You probably know a great deal about current events, anyway. Talk around the Institute is that it's probably the late 20th to early 21st century here, though it's probably hard to tell for sure." Not that she was in the habit of subscribing to rumor, but the talk in question generally tended to come from patients who had been here longer, and it would be foolish to discount it without some thought.

Ludwig's response to her question was just as cryptic as the last. Made but not engineered, and invulnerable? And for over a century? It was impossible. It didn't make any sense. Soma frowned in confusion.

"I'm afraid I don't understand. You're over a century old? But--you don't look it, and I feel as if I would have heard if an invulnerable supersoldier had been created by Germany four hundred years ago." Unless this was another 'alternate worlds' thing, where the creation of supersoldiers had occurred sooner rather than later. But that still didn't explain his comment about being 'made.'

"Interesting... I hadn't heard anything like that, but I appreciate this new information. And everything else you've said. I hope that it will be soon." Though 'soon' for Ludwig was a bit different than that for most other people. It just came with the fact that he was now used to having immortality, or as close to it as anyone ever got. A century or two was still a daunting period of time, but nothing he couldn't handle. And he would see all of this happening.

The only problem was that he couldn't really explain it. Not right now. So, instead, he offered an awkward look. He couldn't say much of what he was allowed to, and even less because Soma would clearly think him insane. And this period had gone on long enough that he couldn't get it all out anyway. "It's... a complicated situation. And it would take longer than we have to explain it. But... perhaps if we have another shift to talk, I'll explain. ...I must apologize for this, as well. I'm not sure exactly how much I should say."

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Day 52: Game Room

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