Experiment Time! Or, the Rani Backslides

[rani_ushas]

Who: The Rani, Namor, eventually Martha
What: Old plans of the Rani's come to fruition.
Where: The Rani's cabin
When: Sometime before the Barge goes into lockdown.
Warnings: Scientific experimentation shading into torture. Namor's going to be somewhat the worse for wear after this.

Comments

[namorofthesea]

Namor was pleased to speak of Atlantis with a kindred spirit, someone eager to hear of the glory of his home, so soon found himself outside the Rani's room, knocking on her door.

[rani_ushas]

Aha. The Rani opened the door and nodded in greeting. "Come in, be seated," she said, curt as ever, but as near to polite as she usually got.

Her room was quite spartan; all of the assorted computer equipment and whatnot was clustered around her desk, and there were a couple of plain chairs and a table.

[namorofthesea]

Namor entered the room, taking a seat and sitting with such rigid formality one would think he was sitting in a throne.

"And what would you wish for me to start with in telling you about Atlantis?" he asked.

[rani_ushas]

His posture amused her a little; she'd seen that body language in any number of kings and princes. "A moment," she said. "Allow me to activate the voice recorder."

Which she did, but she was also flipping a hidden switch that, over the next fifteen to thirty minutes, would take the humidity of the room down to Atacama Desert-like levels.

"I should like to know the origins of your kind," she said. "How far back does your civilisation extend?"

[rani_ushas]

The Rani was so absorbed in her examination of Namor's ankle wing that she didn't even hear Martha enter; it was only the sound of her voice and the unexpected tone that caught her attention.

She raised her head slowly, coming up from that semi-trance she could sink into when faced with an interesting problem, and when she turned to look at Martha, her eyes were dark and wide.

"I," she said, evenly and with perfect dignity, "am engaged in science."

[namorofthesea]

As the Rani reached for his ankle wing, the tiny appendage began to jerk, attempting to free itself from her grasp.

"...no."

It was, after all, a very delicate appendage. Then, much to his relief...someone interrupted. He visibly relaxed, though his breathing was still strained, making it apparent that his visible injuries weren't the only difficulties he was having.

"She's...insane..."

And it didn't take much to figure out which she he was referring to.

[thegooddrjones]

"Science? Really?" That angry tone, a little dangerous as she walked toward her inmate and the man whom was being examine. "I have to be honest, Rani... it certainly looks far closer to torture than it does to science, especially considering you don't have anything close to consent!" She moved more quickly to the mermaid and the timelady, and she looked down to Namor. "It's going to be all right, I'll get you to the infirmary in a moment." And she would, but first... her inmate.

"I cannot believe that you would do this, Rani. I expected better than this from you! Did you even consider asking him before deciding to cut him up or whatever else you've done?"

[rani_ushas]

"I have never asked. I have never needed to ask. Not where lesser species are concerned." Still that same even tone, even as the Rani straightened up and actually took a step back from Martha.

(That something in the back of her head was yammering again, something to the effect of you are in SO MUCH TROUBLE NOW. And she was actually ... uncomfortable. That was an unusual sensation.)