keeps_a_cool_head

[In Zero, Scorpius does what he does best: he plans. Giving him space and time to think through what he wants and how to get it is one of the unintended gifts of his cell space, and he appreciates every moment of it.

After several days, he addresses the Barge]

A question to my fellow shipmates;

When an inmate commits a grievous crime, who is to blame for it? Obviously the inmate must share some, but what percentage is attributed to them and what percentage is attributed to their warden, who may be unfit to command them? A warden may fail just as easily by not admitting to something that could be most assuredly out of their control.

And what of inmates who aren't paired and no one has taken the time to explain to them the rules?

My apologies to Alex Summers. While it was certainly my intent to hurt him, he had done nothing to harm me and was simply in the correct place at the correct time.

[Private to Crichton]

Of course, John, we all know that you are the one fully to blame.

More like Alex will follow. You cannot hope to save them all.

In a few days' time they will be forced to release me. What has changed between the time of my entering this cell and the time of my leaving it? As a deterrent towards behavior, Zero leaves much to be desired.

I am willing to entertain ideas of a deal between us.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm sure you do.

[A bright, sudden grin.] Of course.

Should I bring them to you?

Unless you prefer to wait until I am out of Zero and am able to come get them myself.

Edited 2014-03-07 04:06 (UTC)

Don't even have to try, really.

[Her expression shifts, then, turns more serious.]

I know you're smart, Scorpius. [This is the first time they've spoken; it's not the first time she's studied him.] But I think you get in the way of yourself.

[She tenses, just a little. She's never actually been to Zero, for good reason, and she's still not keen on it.

But she nods, all the same.]

I'll be there soon. Need anything else?

You're welcome to draw your own conclusions.

No.

[After a beat]

Thank you.

Thanks for your permission. [She's smiling again, just a little.]

You know, obviously, that you don't have to listen to me or anyone else. And God knows I don't know everything about you. [Which is irritating on principle, but she doesn't show it.] But most Inmates - a lot of people, in general - tend to be their own worst enemies.

You're welcome. [And she says it sincerely, which boggles her in the back of her mind. At the same time - it's comforting.

She can still do more than destroy.

Jean flicks off the comm, and starts to gather the books.]

I did not begin sabotaging myself until the Barge decided to put the chance of my redemption at opposing odds with what I wanted most in life, Barbara. It is a cruel irony to pit my desire to graduate against my desire to eliminate the Scarrans.

[And Scorpius, for his part, remains in Zero until such time as he can procure more reading material to wait out this exceedingly long prison sentence]

[A slight nod.] I get that.

I've been turned into an Inmate before. [Her smile sharpens.] Apparently I'm one of those Wardens on the borderline, or at least I was. [A lot has happened, since then.]

It's - I had to find a balance. Between achieving what I wanted, and not losing who I wanted to be. [A slight shrug.] Our situations are different, but...I know what hate can do to a person. I know how hard it is to separate vengeance from justice, rage from practicality.

[It doesn't take her long to get there. She could drag her feet, but what's the point? Better to just face old fears that shouldn't matter any more.

Her smile is strained, when she enters Zero, when she walks past the ~~cages cells, but she refuses to slow down. There are four books in her arms, thick and sturdy and a little battered.]~~

Really. How does that work?

You know, your self awareness is decidedly refreshing.

In this case, my achievements are who I am. Over time, I have become to define myself through my deeds and actions. I prefer it, rather than be riddled in ambiguousness.

The Barge, to me, represents not a compromise but an ultimatum. I must change who I am or lose everything, but if I change, I will lose the one thing I want most.

Thank you. In part, it's how I've survived all these cycles.

[He pauses, considering where they are, what he is now]

Until now, of course.

And there is no change - no graduation - without a good deal of self-reflection, I imagine.

They take a chosen subject, perform an absolute copy of them albeit one made up of plastics and carbon, and send them out in place of the subject. It is not a true clone - it is merely a convenient duplicate used expressly for the purpose of spying. It retains all memory of the subject up to the point of duplication, but no more than that.

[Another nod, because she understands that, too. So many times, she defined herself through the mission, as Oracle; enough that she felt guilty, felt wrong being anything else.

But that's no way to live.]

Maybe not. Maybe it's not your actions themselves, that need to change, not all of them. [She thinks of the Emperor, of the choices he's had to make. Not all of them were avoidable; the devil is in the details.]

I'm still going to kill a man when I go home, but it's not about me. It's not about my pain, or my grief, or my vengeance.

Who will you kill, Barbara? For what reason?

[Jean will find Scorpius sprawled out on his cot, staring up at the ceiling. He's quiet, but he isn't bored; not when he's been given so much to consider by the Barge. At Jean's footsteps, he waits a beat and then turns his head to acknowledge her, sitting up]

Hello, Jean.

[Her hands clasp in her lap as she considers her words.]

He's called the Joker. He's a serial killer - hundreds of people, murdered and maimed. Hundreds of families torn apart.

Two of them were my family. My deal is bringing them - and everyone else - back to life. But it can't end there - he'll just keep on killing.

[She remembers telling Dick that, before she came here; wondering how much of that blood was on their hands. She still couldn't bring herself to take that step, back then - couldn't separate personal vengeance from objective justice. She knew she couldn't use Oracle for the former.]

Then you will need to put him out of his misery.

Or to be more accurate, everyone else's misery.

Is he nearly unstoppable?

[Jean waves, and the movement isn't as tense as it could be. She's good, now, at controlling how she looks, how she acts. She has to be.]

I've got these three, but if you finish those before you're out I can grab some from the library.

Thank you.

[He stands, walking over to the cell doors to reach for the books given]

I have to say, this is by far the most pleasant imprisonment I've ever been a party to.

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