Author Topic: Matters of Grave Importance - Chapter Three (Read 103270 times)

Darkflame · « **Reply #175 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:02 am - Alice

"Well, it will certainly be a different experience. As for you, I would say that what your body lacks, your mind makes up." She smiled. "I... I like you well enough myself." She said, sounding a bit surprised by her own words.

Maxx · « **Reply #176 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:03 am - Michael

"Thank you for the compliment," Michael replied. "I'd blush if I still could. Normally I would say something self deprecatory but in this case, I will simply bask in my moment of glory."

He paused in his probing. "Could you hand me a scalpel, please, and a pair of forceps?" The tone of his voice indicated that he would be frowning, if the expression could have shown on his face. After a moment, he held up the subject of his perturbation.

Even with the bits of blood and other body fluids clinging to it, it was clearly a very delicate wrought gold ring.

"I wonder how this got into his intestines? Obviously there are only two possible routes, barring surgery but it certainly doesn't look like the creatures normal food."

Darkflame · « **Reply #177 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:04 am - Alice

She handed him the requested implements, then gazed closely at the item he removed from the creatures insides.

"Most likely it was consumed as part of a meal, I imagine." She moved to retrieve a small bowl of water so that he could rinse it. "Perhaps there is an inscription? I understand that is not as common now as in older times, however, we can certainly hope."

Maxx · « **Reply #178 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:05 am - Michael

The Nosferatu shook his head. "Sadly, I lack the ability to sharpen my senses to the degree required to read any inscription, were there one present. I'm sure there are machines in the lab somewhere that would assist but this is not my realm of expertise, so I can't be certain as to where that machine might be or, truthfully, what it would look like, beyond Dali's interpretation of a microscope."

He placed the ring on a jar of alcohol and swirled it to clean off the majority of the disgusting ooze that clung to it. "Perhaps once it is cleaner we can examine it more closely."

Darkflame · « **Reply #179 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:05 am - Alice

"Well, I do find myself increasingly curious as to how such a creature ended up in this particular situation. Well, not the being dead part. I know exactly how that happened." She smiled. "Rather how it and our madman managed to come together. I do hope that your confidence in medication proves worthwhile in so far as to give us an answer to that question. Beyond that, I am perfectly happy to study him without the chemical assistance."

She moved to peer into the cavity. "I wonder if there is anything else of interest in there."

Maxx · « **Reply #180 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:06 am - Michael

"That, my dear, would depend entirely on what you consider interesting," Michael answered, still swirling to jar.

Darkflame · « **Reply #181 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:07 am - Alice

She laughed, a curiously delightful, yet strange sound. "I spend a copious amount of time lurking in cemetaries and talking to dead people. What I find interesting tends to be the type of thing humans find nightmarish, and there in lies the most curious thing of all. What exactly is it that makes humans so intent on avoiding such things? Is my own inhumanity the reason why I am drawn to such, or is it that my being drawn to it makes me inhuman?" She said, rubbing a few of the short hairs from the beast between her small fingers.

Maxx · « **Reply #182 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:08 am - Michael

"How often do the dead talk back?" Michael asked. "I'm not certain of your logic. People who swim go in the water but people who go in water do not necessarily swim. Correlation does not imply causation, as they say. What is the fascination with death, may I ask? It's a requirement for me, given my circumstances but I'm curious as to what the attraction is for you."

Darkflame · « **Reply #183 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:09 am - Alice

"Death is part of the cycle of life. It is my hope that by studying the aspects of life and death that I may gain a better understanding of what it means to have life, and how it differs from the kind of life a human has. It is all simply a step to understanding the human condition. And as for the first question... Sometimes."

Maxx · « **Reply #184 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:09 am - Michael

"You consider yourself not to have life in the normal sense of the word?" Michael asked. "May I ask what flavour of non-human you are? I've met Kindred, lycanthropes and a young man who's presence I can't explain. I've also met an odd young woman who resembles nothing more than a love child between a female bodybuilder and Frankenstein's Monster."

It was interesting that she didn't think of herself as human. Certainly she was abnormal but inhuman? He couldn't see it.

Darkflame · « **Reply #185 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:09 am - Alice

Alice grew still. It was a question she had never been asked. In fact it was a question she never expected to be asked. The whole situation was almost surreal. She had never expected to have the chance to exchange this much conversation with anyone, and certainly not with someone with an apparent curiosity as extensive as her own.

"Frankenstein's monster...." she murmerred, her gaze falling to her own hands, as pale and delicate as they seemed. Suddenly the sense of loss she always carried seemed very acute. When she looked back at Michael, there was pain her eyes. She didn't know why she was going to say it. Maybe she just wanted to see if he would look on her with horror, disbelief, or pity. Maybe she hoped that somehow this conversation was a piece of her cosmic puzzle, a stepping stone to humanity. Either way, her lips parted, and she heard the words leave them as if someone else spoke them, flat, honest..

"I have no soul."

Maxx · « **Reply #186 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:10 am - Michael

"That brings up a very interesting question. What, exactly is the soul?" Michael shrugged. "According to some, I have no soul. Is it the soul that part of us that provides emotion? Empathy? That special glow that those capable of seeing auras can detect? Do you know that you lack a soul, suspect that you lack a soul or have you simply been told that you lack a soul?" He chuckled. "If I was still alive, I'd say this was a conversation best accompanied by candle light, a distant storm and a very nice Pinot Noir."

Darkflame · « **Reply #187 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:11 am - Alice

She let out a breath she was unaware to have been holding. It was not the reaction that she had expected, but perhaps that was good. "I know that I have no soul. I do not know the amount of awareness that a human, or indeed a non-human usually has of such things, but I knew from the moment I opened my eyes, screaming from the horror of my creation. I feel it. The absence of that which would make me human. I believe a soul is that which allows nature to recognize what should be and what should not. As to whether or not you have a soul, I cannot begin to guess. I am only aware of my own lack."

Maxx · « **Reply #188 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:11 am - Michael

"You don't consider yourself human then?" Michael asked. "I know I was once human but I no longer do, and I'm not certain who among the staff can actually be included in that category. What do you consider yourself if not human?"

Any interest in the carbuncle had completely disappeared. The woman-child in front of him seemed far more enthralling. "You'll have to forgive my curiosity. I've never met anyone who specifically claimed to be without a soul, outside of the occasional drama-queen Goth or lawyer."

Darkflame · « **Reply #189 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:12 am -Alice

"Your curiosity is forgiven already. After all it is a burden I share, the need for knowledge." She thought about his question. Again the conversation seemed at once absurd and yet appropriate. Who better to discuss such things with than one who is also outside of what is generally deemed as humanity.

"I believe the best explination would be that I am a construct. Though one that mimics humanity well, I assure you, that is nothing more than a cruel mockery. "

Maxx · « **Reply #190 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:12 am - Michael

"Construct? Science fiction gives us so many variations on that. Biomechanical. Vat grown. Clone. Even the original fleshy construct, Frankestein's monster. Before that we have the Golem of Prague. That handful doesn't even begin to cover all the options either." He chuckled, a ghoulish sound. "Can you tell I read a lot as a child? I'd have to say for a mockery, you do an excellent job of appearing human. A little odd but then again odd is the new normal. Do you know who constructed you?"

Darkflame · « **Reply #191 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:12 am - Alice

"Of course. The one I call 'mother' is the one who created me. As she explained it, the act was a part of her search to achieve humanity. It is an act I vehemently abhor. I would rather remain this abysmal excuse for a monster than to rip another such as myself from the ether. It is a horrible sort of birth. Painful. One cannot help but instinctively despise the one who would do such a thing to you. Of course, I would imagine my telling you such things would make someone angry,non humans tend to be secretive after all, however, there may be a small chance that by holding such conversations I may find a different path, one wherein I may avoid doing that which I wish to avoid the most. And if not, it is a pleasant aside. Companionship is hard to come by."

Maxx · « **Reply #192 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:13 am - Michael

"Is this an actual biological mother?" Michael asked. There was potential that he was treading on dangerous psychological ground. If Alice was referring to her actual mother, then there was certainly a good chance that she was seriously abused as a child. He wasn't a trained psychologist by any means and wanted to avoid any triggers.

"Or are you telling me that you were actually created rather than born? I assume that you mean this happened some time after a birth of the usual kind."

Darkflame · « **Reply #193 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:14 am - Alice

"Indeed, I thought I was rather clear that I was created, not born in the biological sense as a human is. As for what occurred prior to my creation, I do not know. The first memory I have is of being ripped apart. The beginning of my existence was nothing but excruciating pain. Before that, there is nothing. So, you see, I am in truth a soulless monster, as many have accused." The way she talked was odd, part flat, as if talking about the weather, or boring facts.. and part whistfulness, a soft note to her voice that crept in occasionally.

Maxx · « **Reply #194 on:** »

Sorry for the lack of activity...

Work has been hell lately. I'm the only fully qualified Team Lead we have currenlty, so even when I'm not on call, I'm still on call....

Maxx · « **Reply #195 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:15 am - Michael

"I am very aware of the moment I became what I am," Michael said. "It was terrifying. I knew I was dead and yet still alive somehow. I felt my flesh drying and pulling tight across my face." Unconsciously, he began rubbing his left arm. "There are those for whom the trauma is too much. Babadora, for example, cannot remember her name, her family or even where or when she was born, so not remembering is not unusual."

Darkflame · « **Reply #196 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:16 am - Alice

She nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I do suppose that such trauma can cause lasting affects on the mind. I do not know if it is the trauma of my creation or something else that leaves me unknowing of the time before. I do often wonder, however. " She turned her pale eyes on Michael, watching his unconscious movement. "It frightens you even now, doesn't it? I wonder, would it be worse to know as you do? Our circumstances are so different, and yet there are parallels that both excite me and terrify me at the same time."

Maxx · « **Reply #197 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:17 am - Michael

"It is a... difficult... memory," Michael said with a shudder. "There I times when I am quite grateful that I do not dream because I'm certain that I would experience one particular nightmare over and over. It was far from pleasant experiencing it when I was awake and screaming for God to let me be dreaming it. To relive it in a dream would be frankly quite terrifying. I can't say with any degree of certainty that my sanity would survive a second time."

Darkflame · « **Reply #198 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:18 am - Alice

She nodded, still watching him. "I think... that if I had words of comfort I would speak them now, for you. Because... because, oddly enough, this small companionship, this understanding of our individual horror.. has more worth than a thousand carbuncles or mad men." Her expression was earnest, yet thoughtful, almost as if she had surprised herself with the words.

Maxx · « **Reply #199 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 02:19 am - Michael

"I have an excellent idea," Michael said suddenly. "Let's change the subject." He looked at the carbuncle lying still and exposed on the table. He didn't think there was very much more he could learn from the creature. It was something of folklore and mysticism. He wasn't well versed in what he considered 'ancient magicks' nor was he any kind of biology expert. "Do you think we're done here? We can expand on this small companionship in a more comfortable setting and hopefully a less clinical setting will help us think of more pleasant memories."