Log 0013

[keeps_a_cool_head]

[Video]

[a wretched-sounding hacking is heard from down in one of the lower levels of the Barge. In the remnants of a broken lab works Scorpius, who is literally smoking from the head as his brain works to cook him alive. He's finding it difficult to stand now, and keeps coughing up some horrific yellow bile, spitting it near across the room at times. Burnt meat is the smell that permeates the dark workspace, as he bends over something and works with rigorous focus]



If I might have...


...a volunteer.



[Scorpius is affected, an inmate close to graduating, who has decided that the only way off this ship is by graduating. Volunteers may be subjected to imperfect mind-probing and brain liquification since he's working with substandard tools]

Comments

[rhapsody_in]

For what?

You should probably get to a basin.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

[An alarmingly deep snarl, very different from his usual tone of voice]

I am perfectly fine.




...A volunteer for a regenerative formula. Meant to allow us to heal quicker. I've tested it on myself, but I, unlike the majority of the Barge, am not human.

[rhapsody_in]

Ah, yes. I'd be of no help with that either.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

[He's staring intently at Bleu now, struggling to read her heat signature]

..No. Nor are you Sebacean.

What species are you?

[rhapsody_in]

Are you Sebacean?

I'm a muse.

[notdreaming]

Did you know you're smoking?

[ She doesn't care, she just thinks it's funny. ]

[keeps_a_cool_head]

I am aware.

[each time Scorpius raises his voice, it's in an alarmingly deep snarl, and seemingly related to the closer he is to losing his temper and his life. It's a struggle to calm himself down: he's breaking into sweat and fighting for consciousness every step of the way]

My..warden has decided not to replace my...

[He cuts off, leaning over his workspace and choking out what remains of the last meal he ate]

[notdreaming]

Yes? I'm still here.

[ Utterly unphased. ]

[keeps_a_cool_head]

[He growls, making a motion towards his head, his eyes watering]

She will allow me to die before my coolant rods are replaced.

[Private]

[force_captain]

Dearie, you're looking worse for wear.

[Private]

[keeps_a_cool_head]

I'm afraid that's a bit of an understatement.

[Private]

[force_captain]

Perrrhaps, I could cheer you up?

[Private]

[keeps_a_cool_head]

Not unless you had a spare coolant rod, my dear.

[gard]

Got a pressing need for a fresh supply of idiots?

[keeps_a_cool_head]

A pressing need for those who would take a risk for a significant gain for themselves and others.

[gard]

Don't tell me you expect people to take you up on this.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

If they wish to save themselves. Yes.

private; after he met catra is fine

[syouko]

[She hasn't let him go this long without relief before, and doesn't intend to this time. Killing is the one real pleasure Syo can get in this place, and doing it through neglect, and to someone who doesn't get her motor running, is a waste of a life that could be taken in blood and ecstasy instead.

She wants to see the results before she gives in, so rolls the rod in her hand out of his sight as she peers into the screen. She isn't sure if he's found a way around her yet, if his friends have let him pass yet again.]

I'm surprised you can work under those conditions. Do you think you're going to finish up, or do I have to clean up your corpse?

private; totally!

[keeps_a_cool_head]

[Though Catra came through for him when he needed it most, Scorpius still plays weak, grasping the table for support as he looks to Syo, intense loathing permeating every bit of his gaze]


It is proving...difficult.

Especially given my lack of proper test subjects.

private

[syouko]

[He looks better than what he's sent, she notices - no smoke from the head, a better color - and she already knows her reward's going to be meaningless. How he's gotten around her, she doesn't yet know, but she's going to find out and maybe this time not even punish him. He might have learned a better lesson from sneaking around her than she tried to teach. She giggles, a softer look in her face that they both know is a joke.]

Not as difficult as it was a few minutes ago, was it?

private

[keeps_a_cool_head]

[His glare cools somewhat; the game is up, and he can dispense with the pretense. He eases back down into his chair, expression turning somewhat more mild. No doubt he still hates her with every atom in his body, but here he can manage it in place of his true goals]

When my warden is lacking, I find myself needing to be extra resourceful in times of crisis.

Have you come to watch me beg?

[walkingmeltdown]

Good luck with that.

[Blight literally just tuned in to respond because he sees that this inmate is smoking and sick, and he finds it hilarious.]

Though I'm honestly curious to see if anyone's gotten that desperate.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

[Are you prepared for this zeroing-in of hatred, Blight? Scorpius is looking like he wants to tear you apart. He memorizes the names and faces of everyone on this ship. You're on his list already, sir]

Desperation is, it would seem, a constant aboard this ship.

[walkingmeltdown]

[Oooh, hatred. How novel. Normally all he sees in the eyes of an inmate is pleading and despair. And some fear, of course - the closest thing he gets anymore to those secure feelings of power and control he once lived for.]

Things have gotten especially hairy, of late. What are you even trying to do with your tinkerer's kit there?

[keeps_a_cool_head]

Regeneration. The death toll has stabilized and I intend to take advantage.

Not that I would expect any understanding from a mind such as yours.