2.22 Malcolm's Aside -F-Year Eleven

 It feels... like nothing he can put into words. Indescribable.

“Jiraya! Come out, I know you followed me today!”

“...where did he get off to?” Nervous is not responsible for Jiraya, but supposedly the boy had been allowed to follow him up to the surface to take soil tests from the garden. It seems like a bit of stretch, but Malcolm was reliable, and he had said that Jiraya was allowed. Ceres had even provided the testing kit.

What he does not know, is that Malcolm had simply procured a few things from Beaker before he'd left for college, and the testing kit was one of those things, for such a time as this. Planchette was out of sorts today, and mechanically obedient to the Director, who'd instructed Nervous to take his time outside and report back for follow up sampling in fifteen minutes. Planchette, although he was their only real security guard, did not have the mental capacity to prevent Jiraya from going outside if it seemed there was an agreement about it. Malcolm, seeing the opportunity, and knowing that Jiraya was the most likely to succeed, had coached the boy with a test kit and a story.

Jiraya was brave enough to try, and today was a good chance for him. Malcolm was too conspicuous to follow him, so all he could do from many floors below was worry about it and try to keep the other lab techs busy or distracted for the allotted time.

Follow the road, Malcolm had told him. If you get outside, don't wait for anyone or turn back at all, follow the road and get to the police station , asking for help.

However, the biggest unknown was of course, Jiraya himself. If he suddenly gets overwhelmed by all the things he cannot control he might run back down to the lab, be discovered too early, or he could also get distracted by the novelty of being outside. Which is definitely happening. Also, he has no idea how long fifteen minutes are, and didn't hear Nervous call for him. He is outside of the lab right now! Everything else is gone from his mind, the shock of new sensations being so great.

Emir was worried about the plan, but Malcolm had been helping him come up with it for a while. And it had worked! Emir made him promise to be safe. “It'll be fiiiine,” Jiraya had said.

Malcolm... far below all of this, is making good on his efforts to keep Circe and Planchette occupied. He's made his way into a part of the lab where he should not be allowed. If, that is, Beaker had not given him information about it. It seems the young man had been worried about all the things his mother had been doing all along, but had not had the confidence needed to stand against her. Malcolm has no problem with making his enemy, his enemy.

He had used a code in the elevator that Beaker provided, when Beaker was no longer here. Circe hoped that her son would return and help her more in the future, and hadn't changed his access codes. Beaker surely knew not to give them away to anyone else, after all. But, her boy was kind of soft on Malcolm and Emir, somehow, so here was the result.

Still... what is this?

He dares not try to open the door to the angrily sparking mechanism on the other side. He's merely trying to asses the danger. It's obvious why subjects are not normally allowed down here. Although, the Director and others should be alerted that he is here any moment.

He wasn't ready for a whole person to walk out of the thing, unharmed.

Malcolm has no idea what's going on. A business-like tone comes out of her mouth. “Hello. Are you a responsible party in this place?”

He's just trying to process how someone could come out of absolutely nowhere and can't answer her right away.

“I'm sorry,” He answers, "but you're a ways underground here, how did you get down here?”

The voice of the portal is loud enough to compete with his soft way of speaking and she barely can hear him.

“Can you go get the person in charge for me real quick? I'd hate to waste the energy of keeping this thing on longer than it has to be. What's your name?”

Malcolm shrugs. “Uhh.. I'm Malcolm, Sparrow-Meir. And you are?”

“...wait did you say Meir, as in Emir Meir? Wow. Blast from the past.”

Malcolm freezes. “-wha? Who are you, exactly?” He bristles at the mention of his son's name. Is this woman dangerous?

“Ahh, I don't think I ought to tell you that, don't want to change the future and not be able to get married and all of that.” She says without further explanation. “Are you really Emir's dad? You're a big hero, you know.”

“Anyways if I keep talking to you I'll end up saying too much. This place is run by that unhinged medical scientist, right? Can you send someone for her? I'm shutting this gate down, she'll need to know not to use it for awhile.”
Malcolm can not be bothered with Circe right now (she should be on her way here regardless) and this woman is strange. “How do you know who runs this place?”

“Basic history is a requirement of my position. I couldn't prevent future cataclysms if I'm unable to perceive the damage done in past places.”

“Uhh... okay.” He's not sure how to respond to that. ...but what if? “Hey, wait, can we get out that way? That's a door, right?”

The woman laughs curtly. “Yeah, no thanks Malcolm, I can't do you any favors here, my family might cease to exist, you know? Besides, this gate's too polluted to be used, someone keeps throwing all kinds of things into it, not the least of which seems to be actual bodies: hazardous waste. It's making a mess of things on the other end. Disgusting what some people are willing to do to their own environment.”

“Well... what can I call you...”
“Call me Bambi, I can't give you anything more.”

“Are you planning on using it to go back?”

“I am the only one who can right now.”

“Alright... Bambi, I don't think Circe is someone you'd want to meet- she's pretty dangerous, and-”

Bambi stares a hole into his face in response. Malcolm retreats a step despite himself. He still has no intention of going to get Circe a moment early. In fact, maybe he can meet Circe first and prevent any danger to this person. “Okay, stay right there, I'll be right back with... with someone.”

“If you're trying to get the other captives here I won't take them.” She warns.

“You're putting me in a difficult position here...” He complains, despite knowing her for a few seconds she seems like someone he can trust a little. Which, makes no sense of course. But he wants to trust that there's a way out.

“Supposing I did go and get Circe, and for some reason she allows you to talk before she attempts to subdue you and keep you here forever, do you think she's going to actually listen to what you have to say? Can't I just pass on a message, or something?”

The noise from the gate is making Malcolm less and less aware of his surroundings. He doesn't hear the elevator as Planchette steps off of it. It's always the elevators with this place.

Planchette confronts him immediately. “What do you think you are doing, 901?”

Behind him, he doesn't notice the visitor. “I don't have access to do anything here, you know that.”

“What do you think is happening?” Malcolm adds while the woman tries the door. “What is this thing down here and why are people coming out of it?”

“...Circe?” How is he supposed to respond?

“Planchette! What are you doing down here? There's an emergency!”

“I'm handling it, ma'am. It seems that subject 901 has inadvertently-”

“Not him, you ignoramus, there's an alarm from outside, go and handle it immediately!”

Planchette threatens Malcolm to just stay put until he can be sent back where he belongs, and retreats to the elevator.

“I'll handle things here, Planchette.”

Bambi gets her thoughts together. It's never easy to try to change the behavior of someone who is ruining the future of the known world. Still.. this was the best way for them now.

Good sims are always annoyingly trying to protect everything around them all of the time, even when they have no idea what's really going on. “Move aside, 901, we're just going to talk for a moment.”

Malcolm moves aside, the Director unlocks the door. Her reaction could be a bit better, though.

“Move, I said.” Circe tells the subject.

“No thank you.” He says, folding his arms neatly. You never know when the Director is going to produce a needle from her pocket. This woman is going to get safely back through that door to her home if he has anything to do with it.

For one thing, this guy is still here. He must be worried, even though he's supposed to be responding to an actual emergency. Should Malcolm be concerned, or is it a sign, that Jiraya had gotten away?

Malcolm stays while Bambi says her piece. People who ride bicycles to work, who grow gardens, it's those people who have the most power to change the world. Using the gate as it has been used, is making it inoperable. Bambi has people on the other side who will be shutting it down shortly, even if she remains stuck in this timeline. Circe is instructed by her 'superiors in the timeline'- actual words used- to cease her destructive polluting of the future. “Please bury your hazardous waste from now on, or incinerate it safely, according to local laws of this time.”

Director Circe, having been given a bit of respect as a scientist and not being told something unreasonable like shut down her operation, accepts the advice of the woman and thanks her. It's all Bambi can do to pass on the message. “We will be observing you for a while longer.” She promises.

Circe nods. “Good. Because my research is going to change everything.”

Yawn.

Bambi calibrates the gate, one more time, and prepares to go. It's a surreal experience, one that Malcolm will wonder over for most of his life. Bambi, she knows his son, but from her past. He is glad that Emir is upstairs in the testing center with Ceres, and nowhere near this woman now. There is enough chaos in their lives that they should not have to figure this one out.

Director Circe Kirke watches in satisfaction while the woman leaves. The alarms blaring faintly from upstairs are all but forgotten.

...and the woman is gone.

The town is sleepy in any weather, save for the beaches and the late night club scene. Jyoti drives, marveling at it's similarities and differences when she has time to stop and look around her. For some reason, it seems more beautiful when things are not quite perfect. Starlight Shores was a place that tried to cover up any mistakes with a thick layer of shellac, obnoxiously bright and loud. Roaring Heights merely tries to be orderly, domestic, and peaceful. What a huge difference it is, even if the coast has a similar feeling at times. She finds that she loves it here. It may be that her work gives her purpose, it may be that she's got a new life and new dreams, it may be that walking away from everything she knew was all she ever needed. She doesn't feel the need to run as much, some days it's some other activity, like a slow meandering drive. She's not avoiding being at home, not exactly, but home is still a strange place to her, when she admits it.

On the outskirts of town, a new little building stands alone. The place that Jet had described, yet never seems to have anything going on. Not from the sky, not from her relaxing drive. It's tiring, how many leads have come and gone over the years.

Then again, it may be the kind of place that one may not easily observe from the outside.

and some things cannot be understood, without first hand experience.

They may look inoffensive or unassuming on the outside...

But should not be taken lightly.

It had started as a pretty normal day, for Nervous.

He learned he could burrow...

...because he learned to fear in a new way.

Not everyone could simply hide into the earth, although at the moment, Jiraya wished for such an ability. He'd followed the plantman outside, whom he'd been able to convince. Uncle Malcolm had been right- uhh Brother in law... Malcolm? Anyways... he'd come around the building and heard Planchette come out of the garden door while avoiding Nervous and hid himself. The door to the garden was metal, it shut loudly. Then he'd watched, not understanding, though the fence, as something happened, and with a strangled cry, Planchette was on the ground.

Whatever had rapidly attacked him was already inside the lab. Instead of being able to appreciate being outside for the first time ever, Jiraya retches into the bushes.

Nervous, who had been having the time of his life, agreed to let Jiraya look around, and long as he came back in a few minutes. Malcolm had convinced him that he wouldn't get into any trouble for doing what he Director wanted.

Until things didn't feel right.

Until things didn't look right.

Not understanding his fear... forgetting completely about Jiraya,

He had freaked out, and disappeared into the ground.

Loki only had one target, however.

Being on time. Planchette was disabled, but not enough that he had been unable to crawl away. Loki had used the time in between to make sure that the hapless guard didn't have the chance to take anyone from the surface back inside with him.

There they are.

Officer Crisp (actually that's his real name) approaches the man standing outside with the ease of someone who's not seen anything unusual, and expected a routine call. His expression hardens slowly as he sees the serious look on the other man's face. Loki has been careful not to have any traces of Planchette's blood on his clothing, and his shoes have been changed from the one caked in garden dirt. He senses only the two hidden heartbeats that he would expect here on the ground level of the lab. Nervous is out of sight, and... Jiraya, without a doubt. A child's rapid heartbeats, like the beating of a hummingbird's wing, is unmistakable to someone like him.

The officer doesn't know what the call was about. Was this the one about the lost dog, or...? But he's getting the kind of vibes that tells him that there is sometime more sober about this place. Even though it all seems technically peaceful. There's something about a place that can look so dead even while surrounded by so much life.

Loki explains that he found the door open and a child wandering around outside. He and the officer enter together through the main doors. The officer has a hard time understanding that this is not his residence. “It's not a residence at all, officer. This a commercial property, right? Isn't it supposed to be a lab or something, why is a child wandering around a place like this, on a school night?”

Jiraya, compelled by some unexplainable force, comes just inside the front door and reveals himself. “Can you help me? I'm lost.” He tells the officer. “You're... a policeman, right?” Malcolm had described them well enough.

Officer Crisp straightens up. Why does the man who called him not seem in the least bit rattled?

“Where are your parents, what are their names?” He addresses the boy.

“My real parents... I was stolen from them, when I was a baby. The people who took me, lied and said I was adopted.” And with an explanation clearer than a child should be able to make, Jiraya explains. Who he is, and where he comes from, and that his real parents are looking for him. He wants to live with them now, please. The police officer asks a few usual questions, “How long have you been here, did you get lost?”

He looks at Loki strangely. “Have you ever met him?”

Loki shakes his head, “I just found him outside, soaked to the bone. Is there a safe place for the boy, for the night?”

The officer says he's going to walk away for a moment, talk to dispatch. This is not the kind of call he'd expected. Loki had given his address and name, now it would be up to the police to make a good decision. It was strange that they were able to get into this place, when it was supposed to not be in operation yet. Let alone to see furnishings, however haphazard, and lights on, and hear reports of children wandering around outside.

Jiraya asks to stay with the man who found him, if he can't go to his parent's right away. The officer asks him to spell his parent's names, and he does, to spell his name, and he does. He doesn't really know that information, but it's all suddenly in his head.

It's going to be a very long night. After talking with dispatch, the officer agrees that this is no place a child should be and tells him that they can take him to the police station for the night before they figure out what's all going on.

Jiraya is afraid he would be locked in a cell in the police station, and is visibly upset at the idea of staying in jail when he's not done anything wrong.

So, with the boy's permission, the sergeant in charge at the moment can consider offering temporary guardianship of the boy to Loki until his parents can be located. Loki agrees to stop and interview at the police station before taking the boy home for the evening.

For the moment, Jiraya wants to stay with Loki who found him outside, who called the police here to help him, even though he's known him the span of an hour or less. Anything to get away from the lab... and the man has a nice feeling about him, he seems concerned for him genuinely. It's not the look he's used to seeing from adults other than Malcolm. Officer Crisp expects a full investigation to begin as soon as a warrant can be obtained by a judge. He promises to call the judge and wake him up.

The boy tears up when his is told he can leave, instead of staying here.

In the interim, downstairs, subjects and staff are being rapidly evacuated, equipment is being disabled or destroyed. Loki knows this, but has been unable to find a way to prevent it. Circe is moving out more victims below their feet as they speak. Loki himself cannot be sure of the scope of things, as there are many people who do not cross into his direct timeline so that he can anticipate them. He knows that his son Beaker is gone, off to finish his schooling, so he will be safe from the investigations and the most likely not entangled with what will become of Circe.

Planchette cannot remember if this is his favorite drink or not. He's just done something that should be unthinkable in society at this time period. Yet. There is a feeling of familiarity that he cannot place. The images of those he purged surges in his mind, but wasn't it the first time he's done something like this? Why then, did it feel like the natural thing for him to do in this situation?

Planchette reports back to Circe below ground, having locked out the elevators to the other levels behind him and looking much worse for the wear.

“And the purge?”

“...conducted, Director.”

“Good. You may evacuate after I do. Be sure the sever the connection on this end, and set the lower levels up to be cleansed.”

He nods, and veritably limps to the transporter after her.

A long and drawn out investigation begins that night, and there is a scramble by local law enforcement to get a warrant from a judge to search the building within the next few days. By the time a thorough search is made, there are no other traces of people to be found.

Nervous Subject is never seen again after that day. Loki knows that he will do well on his own with his new abilities, and will take time to open up to people again after the long ordeals of his youth have become a passing memory. Freedom will teach him much more than rescue ever could.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've updated The Simsfileshare links on the downloads page to include Everet (Gen 2, Eugene was there by mistake) Eugene's hair is now in Gen 1 along with Meghan's childhood half pony tail hair, and Loki's adult hair by Wings has been added to Gen 2. Some of these files are a bit large which is why I took them out of my game shortly after using them. Because it has taken me the last three months to find everyone's hairs again, that's why I've chosen to include them with the sim files.

 Malcolm, being unlucky, broke the thing, of course.

Planchette has spent most of the time I wasn't playing him giving himself tattoos. What a maroon.