Day 47: Greenhouse [4th Shift]

[mitase]

Entering the greenhouse was almost like coming home, and Hanatarou had been looking forward to this shift for that reason. Everywhere else in the building was strange and confusing (and often dangerous) but in here was the familiar scent of soil and sun-warmed plants with the musty sort of enclosed-space smell overlaying it. His expression turned

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[wantsyourzex]

So much for his pleasant lunch. That hadn't ended at all like he'd thought it would. He'd never had a human throw food at him before, and that human had certainly bolted like a champion (from something that wasn't even a threat!). To say ZEX was less than pleased with the outcome of the meal would be an understatement. He'd have to make a note not to pursue that Sho human again. He clearly had something wrong with him; that had been the very definition of overreacting.

ZEX was still picking food off of his clothes when he made it to the greenhouse and wasn't in a very good mood. That was two humans he'd been less than successful at wooing right after the other... it'd be unnatural for his pride not to be a little wounded afterwards. What had he done wrong? He was sure he'd behaved appropriately... after all, he'd succeeded before using the same techniques. He hoped it wasn't a result of his physical damage... It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter. Then again, both their species did tend to focus on the superficial at times

[wantsyourzex]

Hmm, an interesting change in tone there, although ZEX wasn't knowledgable enough about humans to exactly pick up what it meant. He may have to try and seduce Hayes later if he had the chance... it could be interesting, and if he was like the Captain at all, he had a better chance of success than most.

He quickly lost his train of thought at the mention of a familiar name, though. "Oh, you've met Xigbar?" ZEX blinked. It wasn't impossible of course that they would have come into contact. There was a finite number of people here after all. "I haven't heard from him recently... at least he's still alive then."

Not since they were supposed to meet the night ZEX was taken to be tortured, as a matter of fact. Ugh, he really didn't need to start thinking about that again.

"Hmm... if you have some skill with blunt objects, I have a pipe you can use if you like." ZEX tried to think of what else he had in his closet. "Or a scalpel, if that's more to your liking... unfortunately more complicated weapons here tend to come at a price."

[cmdr_exposition]

"I don't want to leave you short, Admiral, but if you're only using one of those I think I'll take you up on that..." Then the rest of what ZEX had said sank in, and Hayes' thoughtful tone turned distasteful. "A friend of yours?" he asked. "He's certainly alive enough to threaten to murder me."

[wantsyourzex]

"It's more important to me to keep you alive for now, and I have other ways of protecting myself," ZEX said, waving a hand in what he thought was a nonchalant manner. "I've lost too many people from the real world here already... I don't want to lose any more."

He wasn't sure he could take losing any more, but he wouldn't say that out loud. Even thinking it carried a twinge of distaste.

ZEX frowned at him, somewhat confused. "Xigbar was the one that threatened you? That's odd... he was always rather friendly to me and my Captain." He reached again for a trunk he didn't have. "How strange..."

[cmdr_exposition]

In the last year or so on the Starbase, when it had fully sunk in that they'd been forgotten, Hayes had had to make it clear that the rationing had a minimum as well as a maximum. Otherwise, crew members who had decided they were going to be noble underate themselves into the sick bay, where they had to expend more resources to care for them than would have been taken up by normal consumption, and lost an able body for the duration.

So he knew the beginnings of a game of More Hero Than Thou when he saw them, and was well aware that participating in it himself would be unhelpful to anyone. Accordingly, he simply nodded at the first part of the Admiral's reply, making a mental note to ask who else had been here some other time.

As for the rest of it... "I actually don't have any trouble believing that," he said sourly. "He was friendly before he got annoyed."

[wantsyourzex]

Of course, ZEX didn't see any point in mentioning that one of his other ways of protecting himself was to have a bodyguard (Teisel, for the most part). Someone who knew how to use a human body, like Hayes, would have more luck with a weapon than ZEX would, as the (albeit healed now) cut on his arm had demonstrated. Lending Hayes one of his few weapons would only benefit him in the long run.

At least, that's how he saw things.

"What did you do to annoy him?" ZEX would have raised an eyebrow if he knew how. "You said you borrowed a weapon from him... right?" Borrowed, or...?

[cmdr_exposition]

Hayes, of course, had only ZEX's own explanation to go on, and that had sounded awfully familiar. Besides, the whole Xigbar situation was at the forefront of his mind just at the moment.

"I didn't borrow it so much as he loaned it to me." The Admiral might not have had the hang of human body language, but his voice conveyed the hint of suspicion just fine. Hayes supposed it wasn't totally unreasonable, given his shortage of information about the issue. "Last night, while we were under attack. Today, I pointed out that the danger wasn't really past and that I'd need to find some kind of weapon of my own before I would consider it safe to give up the one I had."

[wantsyourzex]

"I see. And he didn't feel inclined to let you keep it, correct?" Xigbar had seemed fairly reasonable in ZEX's experience, but people did tend to get strange about their weapons. ZEX could understand that. "I see how that could cause some tension..."

ZEX tried at a smile, as awkward and unnatural as always. "Well, when I lend you one of mine, you can return what he borrowed, and that should clear up the matter, shouldn't it? Although, if he does keep bothering you, I can try to intervene... Xigbar and I have..." He paused, and his smile grew a little less conscious. "An understanding, you could say."

[cmdr_exposition]

Hayes shook his head, as much in an effort to refrain from speculating about this understanding as to decline the offer. "I think we sorted it out already. Apparently he wanted to be asked in a particular way."

After which he'd gone cheerful and friendly again, like nothing at all was wrong. The rest of the conversation hadn't been enjoyable for Hayes, but none of it had been quite that disturbing.

[wantsyourzex]

"Well that's heartening. I would hate to see conflict," in my ranks was what came naturally to mind, but he hadn't exactly pressed Hayes into his service yet, so instead, "among my allies. They are very valuable here..."

Which was a nice enough segue into... "Which reminds me, I don't believe you answered my question before... are you interested in the doors upstairs as I am? We can always use more help..."

If not, well, at least he still had someone else here who knew reality, and that was precious.

[cmdr_exposition]

Hayes nodded. So far he'd just been looking for a way to defend himself, without thinking too much about what he'd do once he had it. If the Admiral could provide a direction, something more than just flailing around in an effort to avoid getting gruesomely killed... he'd take it.

"If they want them closed, I want them open," he said firmly. "I'll help you out as much as I can. What's your cell number?"

[wantsyourzex]

"I'm in room M66." Thankfully he hadn't been shifted around too much here, as compared to some of the people he knew. Same room, different roommates. "What room are you in?"

Something caught his attention, and he turned to look to see nothing there again. Those creatures were really starting to get irritating. If they were real, and not hallucinations, then...

"Out of curiousity, you wouldn't happen to know anything about dimensional travel, would you? Like between Hyperspace and Truespace?" ZEX asked, then looked back to Hayes and lightened his voice a little. "Things have gotten kind of strange for me, is all, and I was wondering if humans perhaps knew something about dimensions that perhaps I do not."

[cmdr_exposition]

"Uh, M41." The Admiral had done that before, Hayes recalled, though he hadn't thought anything of it at the time. Old soldiers were often like that. Now, though, it was starting to look like more than a preference for being fully aware of his surroundings at all times.

"I'm not sure what the general VUX level of knowledge is," he began, a touch of concern audible in his voice. More bizarre phenomena were just not something they needed to have to deal with right now. "But I doubt it. We actually came pretty late to Hyperspace travel- you'd want an Arilou for that, and we don't seem to have one." Not that Hayes was inclined to regard this as a very great loss, creepy little things that they were, unless they had a long-range teleporter on hand and then they could be just as cryptic as they wanted as long as they were willing to share.

"You could ask something more specific," he added, "and I could see what I do know. I was always more interested in xenology than dimensional physics, but it couldn't actually hurt."

[wantsyourzex]

It'd make sense that both their species wouldn't know much about the other's level of information, particularly considering how they'd been separated (unfairly, in ZEX's opinion) after the War. He was probably going to have to be more specific, but really all he had at the moment were theories

[cmdr_exposition]

"We never really figured out what their interest was," said Hayes, and if he sounded a bit miffed that was because he was. The whole history of abduction for experimental purposes had never really endeared the Ariloulaleelay to him before, and especially not now; in fact, if not for all the distinctly Earth-normal touches, never described by any of their targets, ever, he might have suspected them of having a hand in this.

But that wasn't the most interesting thing the Admiral had said by far. It was a mark of just how bizarre Hayes' life had become that this story didn't even strike him as particularly unlikely- just infuriating, to the extent that he could even get any angrier at the Institute staff. "I've heard of people getting very uneasy in Hyperspace for no clear reason," he said slowly, aware that this probably wasn't going to be much help but feeling the need to contribute something. "Mostly espers- but no visions like you're describing, and nothing following them back into Truespace

[wantsyourzex]

Hayes didn't sound appreciative of the Arilou's interest. The fact that ZEX related more to the Arilou in this scenario made it hard to sympathize. Who wouldn't be enchanted by humans? This place had certainly done some work in making him hate some humans (the doctor who had torn out his eye, in particular), but the visceral reaction he still got at the sight of them was harder to deny. They appealed to him, someplace deep and primal, and there wasn't any way to make that stop. He was as drawn to them as he should have been to his own species, and he sympathized with any species that felt the same. Surely the Arilou were a similar case