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]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The room doesn't interest him at the moment: perhaps later, if he gets the opportunity, Scorpius will take the time to go over the personal effects and wonder at their relationship to John Crichton.

For now, he kneels beside the bed, grasping Crichton's chin in one gloved hand and seizing his hair in the other, in order to hold his head still. The slight possibility that Crichton may bite off his own tongue is still apparent. But he doesn't bother to pin down limbs: John is helpless to the whims of the drugs making their way through his bloodstream.]

Further injury is something neither of us wants, I assure you.

You will begin to lose understanding and awareness, but I would urge you not to fight against it. You won't win.

[Crichton's eyes flutter open to glare heavy lidded at Scorpius, but then they roll back and he lets out a hissing breath between clenched teeth. It's all the indication Scorpius will get that Crichton has heard or understood what's been said. Crichton wants to fight. He wants to fight Scorpius, and the drugs and this sick rising of nausea growing steadily in his gut, but he just can't anymore...

Tense minutes pass.

He tries to roll his head to the side, but it's caught in Scorpius' hands. He's forgotten what's happening and why his head needs to be held, or even who could be doing it. There's a moment of dazed confusion, he opens his eyes again, sees Scorpius and cries out. Then he remembers, and he becomes terrified to know that he'd forgotten. Only, he's forgotten again. His awareness, it's slipping like water through his fingers. He can't catch enough to drink. All that's left now is the terror without the understanding of why. His head is killing him. He feels so sick. He feels he may pass out. He wishes he would. He just wants it to stop, whatever it is.

He's so scared.]

[Scorpius continues to kneel by Crichton's side as the long minutes pass, waiting with tense, baited breath and keeping a close watch to make sure the man he's holding down doesn't seize up and vomit. Under his fingers, Crichton's Adam's apple juts up and down in slow-moving panic, and he takes a brief second to turn the other's head towards him. This is, he feels, the only way towards getting what he wants, but he also wants Crichton to understand how it feels to be at the mercy of one's own body: to be trapped in a truly inescapable prison, even for a few moments.

He sees the fear, and is satisfied. Crichton's pulse is jackrabbit-fast, and as he sinks deeper, Scorpius' grip increases in strength. Maybe in some parts it acts as an anchor to keep him trapped in the ever-expanding horizon of consciousness, but in other parts it's an affirmation of how helpless he can make Crichton feel.

The seizures are only building in strength, and he's paved the way for the twin in Crichton's head to take the opportunity and speak for itself. Even in the grasp of a poisonous fit, Crichton is obviously still fighting to hang on. It's one of the traits Scorpius admires about him, but at the moment it's growing irritating. So he leans forward, whispering in John's ear; ]

Come out.

[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?

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.

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.

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.

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?

I should think you would know better than to underestimate his intellect.

[Harvey has watched many creatures make that fatal mistake.]

I find him complex. He is like a naive child, yet he is dangerous, unpredictable.

It was not an underestimation: more of a misinterpretation of his motives. I try not to underestimate John whenever possible.

Precisely.

But he has the capacity to grow into much more than an infant.

Perhaps I am not without my usefulness. I could, in the future, clear up more...misinterpretations.

[He smiles, and there's a gleam that resembles something like pride in his eyes.]

He will continue to adapt, he will grow, and become more dangerous. The question is only: 'He will become more dangerous...to whom?'

You have that insight into his mind.

[Yeah, not just a little bit jealous of that. He could argue that whatever Harvey knows, Scorpius could find out in time, but it's never a guarantee. Harvey knows this, being him. So why not skip the whole pretense and go right to the meat of the conversation?]

To everyone, I imagine. To anyone who isn't him. Even his allies are at risk, through no fault of his own.

He will need to learn direction. And I should need someone to steer him in the appropriate one.

[He smiles knowingly. To the chase, as he would expect no less of himself. wise, given Crichton will not stay suppressed for much longer. Still, it is a shame he cannot drag this out longer. Opportunities to converse this way come all too rarely.]

And no less dangerous to himself.

[He considers Scorpius silently for a moment.]

I cannot steer him where he would not naturally go. He would detect my influence. That is not to say he cannot be manipulated, as you know. I could be persuaded to assist you in that. My insight and other talents can be of great use to you.

No. He would refuse all guidance.

I don't wish to control him. Placing him in containment would only facilitate his escape faster.

[Like an explosion of a pressurized container]

I need John here to graduate. I need his knowledge in our world.

Are you searching for a life outside his mind, or the sustainability of your current situation? I can provide both.

[There's a slow blink, as Harvey works to mask the sudden flare of excitement from this suggestion.]

I intended to drive John from this Barge to preserve myself, but I would sooner remain if there is the possibility I may obtain freedom from this mind without fearing my own destruction.

[No frelling way is Scorpius paving the way for his replacement with John's euphemisms. He'd like to drive the two apart rather than risk them ganging up on him, or end his clone's existence before it gets even more out of control. Maybe John would let him devise an inhibitor of some sort...but that's a plan for another day. For now, he's happy to let Harvey keep thinking Scorpius would ever allow him his freedom]

Then let us keep John here for the time being. I will watch Catra to ensure she never graduates. You will procure the knowledge I need without driving John to such lengths that he wishes to leave the Barge, and in return I will create autonomy for you.

Edited 2014-06-04 19:10 (UTC)

[Harvey does not expect Scorpius to allow his freedom, but it will not stop him attempting to trade for it. But, he will need more than Scorpius’ assurances to satisfy him that such a thing could be possible. He’s not about to take Scorpius’ word on good faith. He knows himself too well for that. However, it will do no harm to maintain this illusion of partnership for the time-being. Scorpius’ meddling in the affairs of John’s inmate will be of benefit either way.]

I will do what is within my power. As a show of good faith, I should warn you: what he hears, I hear, what he knows, I know. If you attempt to plot against me with John, I will stop you. Do not cross me Scorpius.

[Harvey snarls. He can feel Crichton stirring now. The drugs have run their course, and the seizures have finished in entirety. Under normal circumstance Crichton would be waking now from the unconsciousness caused by them. This meeting will need to conclude if they are to keep the illusion that nothing has transpired. Crichton will be suspicious as it is.]

He wakes.

[It's a curious thing, talking to a version of yourself. Scorpius has to rearrange his entire level of thinking in order to converse with Harvey. He's still wavering on where his loyalties lie - with the man or with the parasite he himself inflicted upon the man - but there's no harm in both he and Harvey playing both fields for now. Catra will not graduate: he will ensure it.]

Then go, before you're discovered. I don't know when we will be able to speak again, but I will take your warning into due consideration.

Goodbye, Harvey.

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