[Plot] Heart of the Card

[Toshiro Narumi]

Tosh jumped in surprise and whirled to face Sam.

"I... um... took a Will sample..."

"It... well, ran away."

[Samantha McManus]

"...run that by me again?"

[Toshiro Narumi]

Tosh took a breath and recounted his visit to Will, getting the sample, determining the solution being shifter bullshit, and finding the clayling gone.

[Samantha McManus]

"Okay, let me propose something here, Tosh."

"The sample did a runner because it heard you proposing doing something to Will against his consent."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"I didn't!" he said defensively, then sighing, " But in his current paranoia, it's... probably what it heard."

[Samantha McManus]

"You were talking about basically carving out one of his abilities by force."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"I never said I wouldn't ask him first."

[Acala]

"Are you proposing we let him be? There's no data on what the long term effects of exposure to these extreme levels of MGH are."

"But if we do nothing then there will be one way or another."

[Samantha McManus]

"I'm trying to lend some perspective, here."

"There's a very high probability I could just fix him by myself, you know."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"That also assumes he agrees, but I'm perfectly fine with trying that approach first."

[Samantha McManus]

"I'm not saying I should. I think he's got understandable misgivings about either way of it, aye?"

"I'm saying that the how hasn't been the important question, Tosh."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"I know, Sam. But the alternative is we either leave him in Muir, or do nothing and let him stay as someone we barely recognize. Try explaining either to his daughter, or even to the new headmaster who has God knows what plans for him. I don't know what's right here."

[Samantha McManus]

"You know, he might listen to her."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"It's worth a shot. In fact, I don't know why it never occurred to me. I'm not exactly myself right now either."

[Samantha McManus]

"At the least, she knows her way around his shifting and he knows that."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Then it's high time we bring her in on this," he said, texting her.

Code: Select all

U free? Need to talk about ur dad. We're in the lab.

[Robin Stanton]

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Okay she's coming... I think? She lost me at poop emoji. "

[Robin Stanton]

Robin does, eventually show up, already looking kind of annoyed.

"Hey so do people not do the whole texting back thing yet? Has that not been invented? This could be anything from 'why are you bothering me with this shit' to 'oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck' and you make me walk down here on my own two legs to find out which one it is? Really hope this is deadly serious. Or at least funny."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Sorry. I couldn't entirely figure out your future emoji speak."

He began explaining the problem.

[Robin Stanton]

"Okay so... he's angry drunk. Or... grumpy high or whatever and you're telling me you wanna let him be cause taking away the drugs is not what he wants? Are you fucking stupid or something? Is this some kinda nega-world but instead of evil everyone's just kinda... irresponsible? He's literally huffing his own farts right now! Which, by the by, hilarious so you're off the hook for that at least. Of course he doesn't wanna stop, I bet it feels fucking rad! Are you on drugs too? Did you call me here to be the responsible one? That is so unbrand, you guys."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Of course I don't want to leave him like this! I just want to be sure I'm doing things the right way."

[Samantha McManus]

"We brought you here because you're one of the few people he won't blow off."

[Robin Stanton]

"Cool. You expect me to talk my dad out of taking a drug that makes him shift better. Cool. Cool cool cool. Is this a prank? Waiting to see how long I'll back my head against a wall before I catch on?"

[Toshiro Narumi]

"He doesn't trust us much right now. You, he still might. He certainly won't trust us in the future if we have to take extreme measures. I think he's still mad about how we put him back together last time."

[Samantha McManus]

"Also this is an opportunity to scold your dad for acting like a teenager."

[Robin Stanton]

"Right? Fuck, I could have gotten away with so much more, in retrospect."

"And I was there when we put him back together. But that's not the point. You don't... get it. Him. If this stuff is juicing up his powers then I can't talk him out of it. I doubt Mum could talk him out of it. Hell I don't think Aunt Sam could without going Full Morrigan and trust me, you do not want to be in the vicinity of the receiving end of that." she says with a dry laugh. "Look it's... everyone always says 'what is it you do' or 'this is what I do' when we talk about our powers, yeah? This is what he is. It's who he is, it's... it's everything. How do you talk him out of that? All he's going to hear is 'You're being too you right now'. Hell if I had to guess that's probably why he's pissed! I'd be pissed too!"

Robin sighs and runs her hand through her hair which somehow undoes her braid so her fingers don't get tangled up and reforming after her fingers passed.

"Fuck, people get addicted to things that just feel good without validating your entire identity. This sucks. This sucks a lot."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"So if we want him to not be this paranoid grump, to not be a walking MGH factory that people would kill to have... we have to either trick him into turning off the tap or telepathically forcing it off? Are you really okay with that?"

[Robin Stanton]

"Eesh, I'm starting to see why he thinks this place kinda janks. I'll do it if you guys are too chicken-shit." she says, pushing up on her bare forearms to form a rolled up sleeve above her elbow.

"He's right about one thing. You got a lot of weird hang-ups about powers still. He's taking it too personally, but he's not wrong. Of course..." she goes on, suddenly raising her voice and talking less to Tosh, Sam and Acala but rather the room at large. "...instead of wallowing in that it'd prolly be more helpful if somebody who's gone through it and has experience living in a more advanced society had a little more understanding for the shit he's gone through. And the people who had trouble figuring it out. Like Mum." she says as she goes wandering around the room, picking up random objects from workbenches and desks before dropping them again.

"I know you're in here somewhere still, so I hope you're listening. You miss home, I get it. But if even half of what you and Mum told me about is true then it took work to get there and by smoking your homegrown weed till we go back you're just being selfish. Help make this place one you'd want to be you ancient dinosaur. Ahah!" she says, holding up a pen she just grabbed. "Wait no. Damnit!" she chucks the pen across the room. "I never could beat him at hide-and-seek. Come out so we can talk about this!"

[Samantha McManus]

"You know, he might already be trying to swim to Scotland."

[Toshiro Narumi]

Tosh took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"You're right, Robin. I'm sorry. I'm too worried about how I feel about what we have to do. Let's go. Talking to the mini-Will won't accomplish any more than my moral hand-wringing."

[Robin Stanton]

"Drugged up or not, I know my Dad. He's not crawling through the ducts or swimming anywhere. He's still in this room and if what you said is true about him playing cards with himself then he's gone beyond what he can usually do. If there's a full-fledged Dad full of drugs sitting around we definitely have to find him or this whole thing is gonna repeat when he inevitably reabsorbs him and gets another dose of this stuff. Or decides to split again and overthrow his other drug-free self. You saw the mess he makes when he's at odds with himself. You want a repeat of that except now one of them's way more powerful and popping out new DrugDads at will?"

[Samantha McManus]

"I... might be able to clear his head non-intrusively."

"But it's not going to be pretty."

[Will Stanton]

"And just WHO are you calling MINI-Will?"

One of the florescent light bulbs up above burst, sending shards of glass down towards the three people and one robot below; the vapors twisting and fluttering about in the air.

[Robin Stanton]

"Damnit, the gas in the bulb!? That's cheating!" Robin shakes her fist at the gaseous cloud.

[Will Stanton]

"It's advancing. Could never do it before; electricity plays poorly with Stantons. But now it's like there's a tingling from my bottom to my top; it's astounding."

[Robin Stanton]

"Nice. Excellent parenting. Hey Robin, do drugs, it's amazing!"

[Samantha McManus]

Sam backs away and her eyes flutter as she tries to find what's going on with Will's... spark?

[Will Stanton]

"Are you...are you trying to guilt trip me out of this? Because you're not good at that, kiddo."

[Robin Stanton]

"Is it working though? Cause that'd be great!"