keeps_a_cool_head | Log 0015

Log 0015 - [Voice]

It is with considerable disappointment that I report the departure of Hiziki Gard.

A word to the Admiral: make certain the next warden you assign me is sustainable. Inconsistencies and lapses are a sign of disorganization within your operations.

[Private to Catra]

I trust you've recovered from your ordeal.

[Private to the Boy, Mira]

The Chair is ready for its initial testing.

[Spam for Crichton]

[Now unpaired, Scorpius feels at liberty to test a few less-than-savory parts of his growing arsenal in the battle for John's mind. He waits patiently in the hallway towards Crichton's room, working diligently on Francis' crossword puzzle. Most of the human references escape him, but he's been doing research. Slowly but surely he'll understand this perplexing species that overwhelms the Barge in sheer number]

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Not precisely. Gard and I were paired together not of our own choice, but I believe we made the best of our given circumstances. I cannot fault him for his disappearance.

It is not the end of his story. Nor Aeryn Sun's. They will live on in their respective universes.

At least the two of you were getting along. [Him and his warden, on the other hand...]

She graduated, didn't she? At least that was the rumor.

And now I am a cast-off: presumably the Admiral felt his pairing was not properly conceived. It may be some time before I am paired again.

She did. Aeryn made her escape faster than I had anticipated.

Good news, or bad, in your estimation?

So then her 'story' continues as planned, presumably. But what about Gard? What happens to him, getting off a few stops early?

Neutral: a warden is not tantamount to my graduation. I will conduct my business as usual, with or without one.

I haven't an answer for him. Perhaps we'll meet again, some day.

So you don't think that they're actually a necessary part of the process. [Intriguing. And...not entirely against what he himself thinks.]

Perhaps. Still, seeing as his exit from the scene wasn't entirely...planned. I can't help but wonder what that might mean for him, back in his own universe. Whether or not it mya have any adverse consequences.

Not so long as an inmate is self-aware enough to determine their faults and solutions for themselves.

Most likely it will. But there is little to be done for him now.

[Crichton takes in another hitching breath, but on the exhale his expression relaxes by a few degrees into something more neutral, if still pained. When those eyes open again they are still unfocused, but they now look coldly on the face of the man that holds him. It is Harvey looking, not Crichton, but he too is displeased by this attack.]

I...trust…

[It’s apparent speaking is taking some not insignificant amount of effort. He has to fight against the twitches still pulling at Crichton and his shared lips in order to form the words. The light burns his eyes just as intensely, though he can withstand it enough to keep eye contact now.]

...that...you have...a good...reason…

[He doesn't manage to finish that sentence, because his jaw suddenly locks up again. He can only fight the symptoms so well, and communication in this method is nearly a wasted effort as a result. This, he feels, should now be readily apparent to his creator and former master.]

[The change in John is blatantly obvious: Scorpius knows himself inside and out. He can spot the differences of the two in the same body a mile away. While Crichton never looked on him with any sort of kindness, the hard stare that replaces his gaze is very clearly not him - it's calculating, and quietly furious.]

Hello.

[Scorpius releases his grip on Crichton's jaw but continues to hold his head steady, tilting it so that he can look into the other's eyes]

I understand you prefer to be addressed as Harvey. You needn't put in so much effort to speak: the effects of the seizure will wane soon.

I should like to know your plans for John Crichton.

[His lips pull back in a grimace. No, he does not prefer to be called Harvey; it is only Crichton who prefers to call him that. He understands the Human's need for the distinction, of course. Crichton in particular places great value in the naming of things and people, so he grudgingly accepts the moniker as a necessary part of their relationship. He will accept it here as well, given he has not the capacity to argue it. There are more pressing matters.

As the minutes drag on, the worst of the symptoms, the twitching, stiffness and pain come to their climax. Now, they subside rapidly. There is still the dizziness, and the ache in his head, but his breathing is normalizing and the tick in his mouth has relented. Finally he trusts himself to speak unhindered.

The first thing he does is laugh.]

Of course you would.

Edited 2014-06-03 17:02 (UTC)

[Scorpius is patient, and can wait out the long minutes before Harvey is capable of speaking. His free hand monitors John's heartbeat and breathing with care, as he waits for the tics to end.

Though he's patient, the laughter is greeted with a distinct lack of amusement.]

I will remind you that you are a byproduct, and not the active party in this discussion. While I admire your desire for autonomy, I don't wish for it to conflict with my own plans.

[The shallow look of amusement drops off of Crichton's face instantly.]

You haven't determined yet if it will be more beneficial to kill me to gain John's trust, or bargain with me to advance your plans. What are those plans Scorpius? Will you graduate, return and claim the chip and it's information and proceed as planned from there on?

Of course. Unless a better option presents itself.

I may need John's trust in the future. Why do I need you?

[There's something to be said to that; namely, that if an inmate really were that self-aware, why would they even need the barge and the service it supposedly offers? But he lets it pass without comment.]

No. I suppose not.

[Shh, Derek. Scorpius has been the determinating, get-myelf-out-of-anything-by-myself person for all his days. He will never be convinced he needs help here]

Perhaps one day, he'll find an inmate more suited to him.

Are you certain the information you seek is in the chip?

John would never have gone to such lengths to protect the knowledge of its existence from me if it weren't.

I am confident it is.

[Takes one to know one, buddy.]

What, you mean somebody who isn't canny enough to catch on when he starts building a spy ring around them? Personally, I always thought you two made for an interesting match.

Had he bothered asking, he would have discovered that there was no need for his spies. I have always been honest with my former warden.

Did he ask you to spy on me, Derek?

You misunderstand his motives. He is himself unaware of the contents of the chip. It was taken from him before it could be tested.

He kept that information from you to forestall you. He rightly guessed that if you were focused on retrieving the chip, you would be spending less time looking for alternative means of obtaining your goal.

[A smug smile. It's the absolute truth and Scorpius will not be able to deny it.]

[Scorpius drums his fingers over Crichton's chest. This...complicates matters, if he is to take Harvey's word at face value. He makes no mistake in thinking Harvey, by way of himself, would say or do anything to keep himself alive. But the truth rings out: there is no guarantee.]

And yet his deal was not to erase the chip from existence, but to rid his mind of you. John must believe you to be more dangerous than I am.

Considering he was a somewhat duplicitous type himself, it's not really a surprise he couldn't trust you. Of course, I think he may have mastered that skill of being technically honest without giving everything away.

[Speaking of honesty.]

He did ask me. You really all that shocked?

You cannot see things as he sees them. What do you imagine would be changed should the chip have never been? How might events have unfolded differently? John has imagined it many times, but he cannot know for certain. So, he chooses to isolate the variables. By removing only my existence, he preserves his own timeline.

It has nothing to do with you. Or, perhaps it is more appropriate to say it has to do with more than just you.

It's a learned skill that requires a great deal of practice. I'm disappointed not to be able to match him on that playing field any longer.

Not at all. I only hope he offered you something worthwhile. And that you were able to collect before his departure.

Clever of him. Here I had thought he only wished to preserve his own mind and be his own individual once more. Now I realize differently.

How do you see John?

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