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Jul. 5th, 2007 05:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maderrHappy Birthday, Kitty!!!
Thank you for putting up with me, I hope the birthday is a good one.
Sadly, you've already seen what I've managed of your story ^^;; Will try to get more of it done tonight <3
Planet 5118208 (rehab), Black Zone 3
He was the prettiest goddamn thing Cassidy had seen in ages.
Usually when history students came this way to write their little papers, professors their big important books, all the others that trotted through the stars to visit, they were boring as fuck or so obnoxious Cassidy had been tempted to offer them a very special tour of ward nine.
Professor Algernon Thierry was a splendid exception, at least to look at.
His hair was the sort of black that almost looked blue in the right light. Sadly, it was tightly braided, falling to rest neatly between his shoulders blades. Unlike most Wise Scholars who visited, he'd actually worn practical clothes – the brown work pants were similar to Cassidy's own rehab-issue black. Same sturdy material, not too clingy, not too loose, then ends tucked into heavy brown boots. He wore a dark blue shirt and a brown jacket, both colors doing nice things to his pale blue eyes.
Dusky skin, so he was a first quad human like Cassidy. To judge by his manner, however, he hadn't been born here. No, he was pure Zero in breeding. They were the only ones who had that…edge to them, no matter what their station or occupation. It was an edge that said 'every little word or action has meaning'. An awareness that the smallest thing could have the greatest impact.
He leaned back against a chunk of what had once been part of a massive tower. So the experts surmised, anyway. Cassidy had played tour guide/keep the idiots from killing themselves officer enough times to have learned a few things.
Towers like these had once been called skyscrapers. An odd fucking name, but it had been an odd fucking world from what he'd learned about it.
Let the 'experts' have it. He was far more interested in the way that ass looked as Algernon bent down to get a closer look at some big piece of stone.
Three weeks he'd been playing tour guide, and the most he'd gotten for his trouble was a great deal of eye candy.
Standing, the good professor turned and walked back toward him, in specs flashing as he directly transmitted notes to the datapad tucked into a special holster on his right thigh.
His professor was definitely state of the art. The finest in specs, the finest micro-chips, all set to transmit his thoughts to the custom datapad. He wondered who the fuck this professor was he could afford such fine toys.
Not that he really cared, just idle curiosity. His only real interest was gauging his chances of getting the professor in his bed. Or wherever.
"Having fun, Professor?" he asked, pushing off the bit of wall or foundation or whatever he'd been leaning against.
"Quite. You can call me Algernon, you know. I get enough of that 'Professor' from students eager to convince me I should raise their grades simply because they fill out their blouses or pants well." He wrinkled his nose. "And you've been putting up with me for quite some time. Please, there is no reason to keep being so formal."
Cassidy snickered. "Algernon it is, then." He winked. "Though in their defense, I can see why your students are so eager to increase their grades via seduction. I'd offer."
Algernon opened his mouth, then closed it. His cheeks flushed slightly and Cassidy though it was the cutest fucking thing he'd ever seen.
Not that he saw a lot of cute, mind. Rehab generally was filled with ugly and or scary. Still, even the pretty little dishes on Bangkok couldn't hold a shine to that flush.
"Especially if you do that every time they offer," he said with a laugh. Amused, pleased, and suddenly ready to make a real try because something about this cute little professor just brought out the obsession in him, Cassidy moved in close enough to violate personal space. "Never given in to an offer, Professor? Hmm?"
Algernon shook his head and backed up a step. "N-no. Uh. Not my type." He took another step back, heel of one boot catching on rubble.
Cassidy moved, arm flashing out to catch Algernon before he could fall, snatching him close. "Careful."
A hand rest lightly on his chest. "Careful," Algernon repeated. His eyes were suddenly dark, face solemn. "Yes. That is what I'm trying to be. If you'd let me go, please."
Thoroughly confused, Cassidy let him go. "Sorry, Professor."
"It's alright," Algernon said, stiffly fixing his clothes, checking his gadgets, pushing his in specs back up his nose. "Shall we move on to the next section?"
"Sure," Cassidy said, and turned to lead the way through the ruins.
Most of the land mass on Rehab was given over to the wards. One small portion was given over to barracks for the guards, since many didn't feel like going all the way to Mars between shifts.
However, there was still a good twenty percent that was given over so that scholars and the like could poke and prod and theorize as to all the reasons the Last War had not only killed the majority of the population but left the planet unfit for anything but conversion to Rehabilitation.
Most agreed the reason was that a number of small things had gone wrong in such a way as to create a motherfucking catastrophe. Over those small things, however, the experts constantly debated.
Cassidy didn't see the point, but then again he was fucking rehab. If the fucking planet hadn't destroyed itself, he'd be out a fucking job.
"So what did you say your…book? Paper? Was about?" he asked as they walked, tensed to react should something fall or cave or give way suddenly. It had happened before. More than once. It was the reason all such visitors had to be accompanied by at least one rehabber. They were the only ones trained to handle the entire planet and all its dangers.
"The commonly accepted theory in regards to the Last War is that it was solely un uprising of the androids, that they were the ones responsible for the various explosions and skirmishes and all that culminated in an apocalypse. My theory is that it was the humans who started it, and the androids finally were driven to defy their creators and fought back – but that ultimately it was human action which destroyed this planet."
Cassidy shrugged. "Doesn't really matter does it? That's like trying to delve into all the motives the damned prisoners. Maybe they had good intentions, but a murder is a murder. They do time for the crime, not the motivation. All the wondering in the world won't tell you what the fuck happened to this place, and knowing won't undo it. Way I see it, they paid for their fucking crimes. End story."
"That is one way of looking at it," Algernon said with a smile. "Quite a clever way. However, my interest is mostly in the androids. I am here to learn what I can of them. So far, unfortunately, I have found precious little. I keep hoping my permits will come through…" He sighed and broke away from the rough path they were walking to look at something which caught his eye.
He turned over the bit of metal in hands, a focus to his eyes that Cassidy would love to see solely for him. He bet that look was devastating in bed. Shifting, thinking cold and ugly thoughts, he attempted to behave and remain sociable. "What's that?"
"Android," Algernon said softly. "It hasn't degraded over time at all, other than what the environment has done to it…and it's so stale and still here. See how malleable? Pliable? In a full functioning android it would be as supple as true skin. I wonder if more of the android is around…"
Only years of being a guide let him see it in time, the slight shifting in the ground. He snatched Algernon up just as the ground gave way beneath him, dragging them both back to the relative safety of the path he'd pounded out himself over the course of his various trips.
He held tight, feeling the heart beating fast and hard in Algernon's chest, very aware how perfectly Algernon fit against him. Mmm, yes. He wanted to take this man every possible way he could.
Except Algernon was only getting more tense as Cassidy continued to hold him. "Something about me bother you, Professor?" Cassidy let him go. "I promise I'm only as scary as I look where prisoners are involved."
And Cassidy knew he was scary looking. Between these hazardous tour guide things and working ward nine, there was no way he could be anything else. No one on Rehab stayed pretty for long, if they even started out that way.
He'd long ago given up hair. As short as he had to keep it to avoid trouble, easier to keep it fucking shaved. That left visible every last gash and bash he'd ever taken. There was another dozen or so scars across his body, and his nose had been broken twice.
But he had what his mother called striking features. Green eyes and fair skin, and should he ever let his hair grown out again it would be the same rich auburn his mother had possessed before it all went gray.
Most days he felt thirty going on eighty, but he thought he did alright.
Certainly he wasn't so bad this Professor should be so skittish, especially as he definitely hadn't been offended by Cassidy's far from subtle remarks.
"That's the problem," Algernon muttered, turning away.
Brows shooting up at that, Cassidy snagged one slender wrist and yanked Algernon back. "Now, you're going to have to explain that, handsome." A sudden thought occurred to him. "I thought you were quad one in origin. You're not Kreskan are you?"
Algernon snorted. "No. I'm not that locked up."
Cassidy smirked. "So not Kreskan, I'm not scary…I think I've made my interest plain…"
"I have work to do and am not interested in making yet another mess at a relationship."
"Relationship? Who said anything about that?" Cassidy asked.
Algernon sighed, pushing up his in specs as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "No one. That's always my problem. I always seem to forget that part. So if you don’t mind, I'd like to be left alone."
Bemused, Cassidy complied. He waited until Algernon was several steps away. "So do you want to keep exploring? The going only gets rougher, I warn you."
Algernon frowned, obviously torn between his work and the misery Cassidy had unintentionally caused. "Perhaps we should go back."
"Whatever you want," Cassidy replied. "This way, watch your step. I didn't meant to upset you, Professor."
"You didn't," Algernon said. "I upset myself." He shrugged. "I suck at one night stands. That's my problem, no one else's." He darted Cassidy a quick look, that flush taking over his cheeks again. "Believe me, I wish I could do one night stands. You're uh, not scary looking. At all."
Cassidy grinned, mood vastly improved.
Carefully but briskly he led them back through the ruins they'd trekked all day, realizing suddenly that Algernon had one more thing going for him. Not once in the entire day had he bitched about the walking, the unpleasant smells, the hazards – none of it.
He'd been good about everything from collapsing ground to foul smelling water to sexual harassment. The man was practically a damned keep—
Cassidy nearly tripped as he realized what he'd been thinking.
Fuck, he was starting to scare himself.
Shaking his head, he finally made it back to the small skiff they'd take the rest of the way – the field they'd cross was flat and clear. It was only right at the ruins things got too uncertain for anything but walking, and that only because scholars were all idiots oblivious to the concept of danger.
He slid his key into the ignition, then punched in the start up codes, straddling the long seat and trying to ignore how very nice it felt when Algernon slid on behind him, arms wrapping around him and that trim body pressed up against his.
Stars, what had he done to piss off the universe today?
They traveled back to the barracks in silence, and as he pulled up in front of the small, ramshackle building that served as guest quarters, Cassidy wasn't sure if he wanted the torture to end or continue indefinitely.
"Thank you," Algernon said as he slid off, deciding the matter for Cassidy.
"Same time tomorrow?" Cassidy asked, suddenly sick as he realized the answer was probably no and why the fuck did he really care?
Before Algernon could answer, his datapad chimed with an incoming message. He frowned, confused, then pulled it out even as his in specs flashed to accept the call. He read the message in silence – then burst into a bright, eager smile. "My permits!" Lifting his head, he focused that smile on Cassidy. "My permits came through! I can go to the deepsea labs!"
"That's great," Cassidy said, meaning it. Even the snottiest scholars with a hundred Big Important Degrees and Awards didn't always get cleared to visit what were generally called the deepsea labs. They were the only functioning ruins on all of Rehab, carefully maintained to keep operating. No one could make complete sense of what had once gone on down there, because the records had been destroyed with rather a disturbing thoroughness, but still scholars kept trying – when the IG approved their going down there, which was rare.
Most just weren't up to it, despite what they might think. If he'd gotten permits then Algernon must be a hell of a lot more important and talented than he'd ever let on.
"Heading out soon, I guess?"
"Tomorrow probably," Algernon replied, suddenly looking not so happy.
Cassidy decided it was because of him. Yeah, he rather liked thinking maybe Algernon didn't want to part ways quite so soon. "I could be your guide there. I'm a Field Guide 1st Class, you know. Cleared for all areas, including the deepsea labs." Hell, next month was his turn to babysit the fucking things, which meant going down every few days to check on shit and make sure nothing was going to blow up or what the fuck ever.
But Algernon shook his head. "Thanks, but no. I'm cleared for three months. I don't believe in prolonged torture." He smiled weakly. "Sorry I wasn't amenable to a fling."
He turned away and Cassidy frowned, that niggling idea suddenly coming back to him and what the hell was wrong with him that he'd even consider going against standard operating procedure? Just because the professor was fucking pretty? Friendly? Smart? Tough?
Maybe he was getting old.
Relationship. Hah. No one ever put up with a rehabber that long. He'd sworn them off after the major disasters of his first and second tries. Fuck it. Professor was pretty, and probably worth it, but Cassidy would just fuck it up.
"It was fun, Professor. If you ever need a guide, I'm more than happy to help. Take care of yourself." Waving, he started the skiff up again and drove off.
He started out okay, but by the time he was back to his own barracks Cassidy was in a thoroughly pissed off mood.
Unfortunately, he couldn't take it out on prisoners. He was primarily a field guide these days, only pulling rehab shifts when someone was out sick or injured.
Stowing the skiff, he stalked to his room and locked the door, then rifled through his trunk for the bottle buried under his uniforms.
Kicking off his boots, stripping down to just his regulation pants, Cassidy uncorked the bottle of Tredad vodka and proceeded to get thoroughly drunk.
*~*~*~*
His head was fucking killing him.
"So do you mind, Cass?"
Cassidy grunted.
"Was that a fucking yes or no?"
"It was a my head fucking hurts and your voice isn't helping so I'll do whatever the goddamn hell you want if it means you'll shut the fuck up," Cassidy snapped.
Captain Waters rolled his eyes. "Let me repeat this to make certain we're clear. Trek can't make field guide duty, he was injured on the job yesterday. Definitely not fit for deep sea duty with the drugs he's on. So you need to do it. Is that clear?"
"Yes," Cassidy snarled, wishing he'd been able to find his fucking headache tabs. Or more alcohol. Whichever stopped the pain soonest.
Rolling his eyes, Waters muttered about insubordination and lack of respect for rank, then finally left him in silence.
Picking himself up out of the chair into which he'd collapsed, Cass made his way out of the barracks office and slowly across the yard to his own room. One hour of absolute hell later he had packed everything he'd need for his three month sojourn into the deep and a packet of headache tabs. He took two as he made his way to the garage.
Fumbling for his key and finally getting the skiff started, groaning in pain as engine noise plus movement did not make either his stomach or his head very happy, Cassidy made his way slowly toward the guest quarters.
He realized his mistake the minute Algernon stepped outside.
Well, fuck.
That would teach him not to drink. Or maybe to drink more.
"Good morning," he said slowly, voice rougher and less steady than he liked and would the fucking headache tabs please start fucking working now? "I'm afraid Trek was injured on the job. No one else has clearance for deepsea guide work. I'm sorry."
Algernon nodded. "Are you feeling alright?"
"No," Cassidy replied. "Unfortunately for us both, however, I'll recover. Do you have everything you'll need? Once we go down, we won't be coming back up for three months. Supplies will be waiting for us at the drop dock."
"I'm ready," Algernon said, looking miserably resigned, stowing his pack with Cassidy's on the back of the skiff before climbing on behind him.
Cassidy tried not to care, he really did, but he wasn't that horrible a person to spend time with – just because he didn't do relationships… "You could always postpone your trip, if you find my company that intolerable."
"My sister would kill me," Algernon muttered, his head resting against Cassidy's back. "You're not intolerable…just horribly distracting."
"Oh." Cassidy blinked, then shook his head – bad move – and started the skiff back up. "I can live with that."
Suddenly feeling a bit more cheerful, headache tabs beginning to work, he increased speed and headed for the deepsea lab drop dock.
Planet 5118208 (Rehab), DeepSea Labs
"Incredible," Algernon breathed. "I've seen the photos and even the full dimension shots…but this is thousands of times better…"
Cassidy's brows shot up. The photos…not so odd. They weren't publicly available, but scholars could access them with the right signatures and clearances. The full dimension stuff…who the fuck was the Professor?
Well, didn't matter.
What mattered was that with his hangover defeated, headache long gone, he could fully appreciate why Algernon wasn't so thrilled they were stuck together for three months.
If he managed to go the entire stay without jumping the man, he was either going to be duly impressed or seriously worried about himself.
"Would you like a tour?" he asked. "Though you seem to know the place fairly well."
Algernon smiled sheepishly. "The history of androids has always been my obsession. Every major race which relies heavily upon technology has at one point in their history attempted to create artificial life. Androids. Only the humans of Earth ever accomplished it…and how they did it is lost for all time."
"Why the fuck does anyone want to create artificial life? And what the fuck makes life artifical? Seems to me if you're breathing and talking and eating and fucking, whatever the hell all else, you're pretty damn alive. Artifical means fake, and there's no way to fake living. You're alive or not."
"I suspect," Algernon said with a laugh, "that you would have been part of the rebellion. They were the side that believed essentially the same thing – androids were alive, they could think and feel and were human in all the ways that mattered, and so should be treated like first class citizens rather than third. Many humans, however, didn't agree." He shrugged. "I guess they never really settled the argument."
Cassidy snorted. "Yeah, I guess the argument settled itself and everyone involved."
Algernon smiled faintly, moving to the dark gray-green wall, placing a hand lightly on it. "One of the theories surrounding this place is that it belong to the woman who created the first real, fully functioning android. Nearly all knowledge of her and her creations is lost." He sighed and dropped his hand. "I wish something had survived."
"Why?" Cassidy asked. "So more planets could be destroyed?"
"So you think the androids are better off destroyed?"
"I'm thinking maybe people aren't mature enough to handle it when their dolls actually do come to life and start bitching about being dolls."
Algernon laughed softly, making a poor effort at stifling it by pressing the back of one hand to his mouth. "Definitely a rebel," he said, the words almost sounding affectionate. "Do you always have strong opinions?"
"I was often punished in school for voicing them," Cassidy said with dry amusement. "My mother often said it was obvious from birth I'd go into rehab one way or the other."
Blue eyes glanced his way, and Cassidy did not miss the way they skimmed him head to foot and back up again. His cheeks flushed slightly as he realized he was caught. "I'm, uh, glad you chose the guard route. You look good in the uniform."
"You are determined to drive me insane during these three months, aren't you?" Cassidy demanded.
Algernon shook his head back and forth, braid flopping to fall over his shoulder. "No. Sorry. I just…" he shook his head again, lifted up his bag, and turned to walk down the hall.
Cassidy frowned. Walking away was not on the level. Hefting his own bag, he quickly caught up with Algernon and grasped his arm, pulling him to a stop, turning him around. "We have three months, you know."
"Yes," Algernon said, pulling free, not looking at him, "and at the end of three months you would go on your merry way. I, on the other hand, would have to live with that fact that yet again I was willing to care about someone who did not think me worth the same effort." He turned sharply around continued stalking down the hall.
That he seemed to know where he was going did not surprise Cassidy in the slightest.
Anyway, he was rather too stunned by Algernon's words to play guide at the moment.
Care about?
Those two little words were even scarier than the one 'relationship'.
How the fuck…what the fuck was going on?
No one used those words around him. Cassidy was hardly fit for them; he'd learned that ages ago. He was far too rough and hardened for such serious crap. His only relationships were with about twenty weapons, 150 keys, his fellow rehabbers, and a smartass Captain who thought torturing his guards was the funniest fucking thing ever.
He wasn't the type people considered having a relationship with. Certainly not the type of person anyone would care about.
Shaking his head, banishing the unsettling thoughts, he followed the good professor at a distance until they reached the section of the labs given over to the living quarters.
Unlike the rest of the lab, these had been completely redone to suit the needs of visitors. While no one had any real clue what to do with the rest of the destroyed lab, all had agreed there was no harm in making the living quarters actually livable.
He paused to look into the room Algernon had chosen, stifling a sigh at the unhappiness so plainly coating the professor's face.
There was no damned way they could spend all three months this way. Something was going to have to give.There was no damned way they could spend all three months this way. Something was going to have to give.
Thank you for putting up with me, I hope the birthday is a good one.
Sadly, you've already seen what I've managed of your story ^^;; Will try to get more of it done tonight <3
Planet 5118208 (rehab), Black Zone 3
He was the prettiest goddamn thing Cassidy had seen in ages.
Usually when history students came this way to write their little papers, professors their big important books, all the others that trotted through the stars to visit, they were boring as fuck or so obnoxious Cassidy had been tempted to offer them a very special tour of ward nine.
Professor Algernon Thierry was a splendid exception, at least to look at.
His hair was the sort of black that almost looked blue in the right light. Sadly, it was tightly braided, falling to rest neatly between his shoulders blades. Unlike most Wise Scholars who visited, he'd actually worn practical clothes – the brown work pants were similar to Cassidy's own rehab-issue black. Same sturdy material, not too clingy, not too loose, then ends tucked into heavy brown boots. He wore a dark blue shirt and a brown jacket, both colors doing nice things to his pale blue eyes.
Dusky skin, so he was a first quad human like Cassidy. To judge by his manner, however, he hadn't been born here. No, he was pure Zero in breeding. They were the only ones who had that…edge to them, no matter what their station or occupation. It was an edge that said 'every little word or action has meaning'. An awareness that the smallest thing could have the greatest impact.
He leaned back against a chunk of what had once been part of a massive tower. So the experts surmised, anyway. Cassidy had played tour guide/keep the idiots from killing themselves officer enough times to have learned a few things.
Towers like these had once been called skyscrapers. An odd fucking name, but it had been an odd fucking world from what he'd learned about it.
Let the 'experts' have it. He was far more interested in the way that ass looked as Algernon bent down to get a closer look at some big piece of stone.
Three weeks he'd been playing tour guide, and the most he'd gotten for his trouble was a great deal of eye candy.
Standing, the good professor turned and walked back toward him, in specs flashing as he directly transmitted notes to the datapad tucked into a special holster on his right thigh.
His professor was definitely state of the art. The finest in specs, the finest micro-chips, all set to transmit his thoughts to the custom datapad. He wondered who the fuck this professor was he could afford such fine toys.
Not that he really cared, just idle curiosity. His only real interest was gauging his chances of getting the professor in his bed. Or wherever.
"Having fun, Professor?" he asked, pushing off the bit of wall or foundation or whatever he'd been leaning against.
"Quite. You can call me Algernon, you know. I get enough of that 'Professor' from students eager to convince me I should raise their grades simply because they fill out their blouses or pants well." He wrinkled his nose. "And you've been putting up with me for quite some time. Please, there is no reason to keep being so formal."
Cassidy snickered. "Algernon it is, then." He winked. "Though in their defense, I can see why your students are so eager to increase their grades via seduction. I'd offer."
Algernon opened his mouth, then closed it. His cheeks flushed slightly and Cassidy though it was the cutest fucking thing he'd ever seen.
Not that he saw a lot of cute, mind. Rehab generally was filled with ugly and or scary. Still, even the pretty little dishes on Bangkok couldn't hold a shine to that flush.
"Especially if you do that every time they offer," he said with a laugh. Amused, pleased, and suddenly ready to make a real try because something about this cute little professor just brought out the obsession in him, Cassidy moved in close enough to violate personal space. "Never given in to an offer, Professor? Hmm?"
Algernon shook his head and backed up a step. "N-no. Uh. Not my type." He took another step back, heel of one boot catching on rubble.
Cassidy moved, arm flashing out to catch Algernon before he could fall, snatching him close. "Careful."
A hand rest lightly on his chest. "Careful," Algernon repeated. His eyes were suddenly dark, face solemn. "Yes. That is what I'm trying to be. If you'd let me go, please."
Thoroughly confused, Cassidy let him go. "Sorry, Professor."
"It's alright," Algernon said, stiffly fixing his clothes, checking his gadgets, pushing his in specs back up his nose. "Shall we move on to the next section?"
"Sure," Cassidy said, and turned to lead the way through the ruins.
Most of the land mass on Rehab was given over to the wards. One small portion was given over to barracks for the guards, since many didn't feel like going all the way to Mars between shifts.
However, there was still a good twenty percent that was given over so that scholars and the like could poke and prod and theorize as to all the reasons the Last War had not only killed the majority of the population but left the planet unfit for anything but conversion to Rehabilitation.
Most agreed the reason was that a number of small things had gone wrong in such a way as to create a motherfucking catastrophe. Over those small things, however, the experts constantly debated.
Cassidy didn't see the point, but then again he was fucking rehab. If the fucking planet hadn't destroyed itself, he'd be out a fucking job.
"So what did you say your…book? Paper? Was about?" he asked as they walked, tensed to react should something fall or cave or give way suddenly. It had happened before. More than once. It was the reason all such visitors had to be accompanied by at least one rehabber. They were the only ones trained to handle the entire planet and all its dangers.
"The commonly accepted theory in regards to the Last War is that it was solely un uprising of the androids, that they were the ones responsible for the various explosions and skirmishes and all that culminated in an apocalypse. My theory is that it was the humans who started it, and the androids finally were driven to defy their creators and fought back – but that ultimately it was human action which destroyed this planet."
Cassidy shrugged. "Doesn't really matter does it? That's like trying to delve into all the motives the damned prisoners. Maybe they had good intentions, but a murder is a murder. They do time for the crime, not the motivation. All the wondering in the world won't tell you what the fuck happened to this place, and knowing won't undo it. Way I see it, they paid for their fucking crimes. End story."
"That is one way of looking at it," Algernon said with a smile. "Quite a clever way. However, my interest is mostly in the androids. I am here to learn what I can of them. So far, unfortunately, I have found precious little. I keep hoping my permits will come through…" He sighed and broke away from the rough path they were walking to look at something which caught his eye.
He turned over the bit of metal in hands, a focus to his eyes that Cassidy would love to see solely for him. He bet that look was devastating in bed. Shifting, thinking cold and ugly thoughts, he attempted to behave and remain sociable. "What's that?"
"Android," Algernon said softly. "It hasn't degraded over time at all, other than what the environment has done to it…and it's so stale and still here. See how malleable? Pliable? In a full functioning android it would be as supple as true skin. I wonder if more of the android is around…"
Only years of being a guide let him see it in time, the slight shifting in the ground. He snatched Algernon up just as the ground gave way beneath him, dragging them both back to the relative safety of the path he'd pounded out himself over the course of his various trips.
He held tight, feeling the heart beating fast and hard in Algernon's chest, very aware how perfectly Algernon fit against him. Mmm, yes. He wanted to take this man every possible way he could.
Except Algernon was only getting more tense as Cassidy continued to hold him. "Something about me bother you, Professor?" Cassidy let him go. "I promise I'm only as scary as I look where prisoners are involved."
And Cassidy knew he was scary looking. Between these hazardous tour guide things and working ward nine, there was no way he could be anything else. No one on Rehab stayed pretty for long, if they even started out that way.
He'd long ago given up hair. As short as he had to keep it to avoid trouble, easier to keep it fucking shaved. That left visible every last gash and bash he'd ever taken. There was another dozen or so scars across his body, and his nose had been broken twice.
But he had what his mother called striking features. Green eyes and fair skin, and should he ever let his hair grown out again it would be the same rich auburn his mother had possessed before it all went gray.
Most days he felt thirty going on eighty, but he thought he did alright.
Certainly he wasn't so bad this Professor should be so skittish, especially as he definitely hadn't been offended by Cassidy's far from subtle remarks.
"That's the problem," Algernon muttered, turning away.
Brows shooting up at that, Cassidy snagged one slender wrist and yanked Algernon back. "Now, you're going to have to explain that, handsome." A sudden thought occurred to him. "I thought you were quad one in origin. You're not Kreskan are you?"
Algernon snorted. "No. I'm not that locked up."
Cassidy smirked. "So not Kreskan, I'm not scary…I think I've made my interest plain…"
"I have work to do and am not interested in making yet another mess at a relationship."
"Relationship? Who said anything about that?" Cassidy asked.
Algernon sighed, pushing up his in specs as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "No one. That's always my problem. I always seem to forget that part. So if you don’t mind, I'd like to be left alone."
Bemused, Cassidy complied. He waited until Algernon was several steps away. "So do you want to keep exploring? The going only gets rougher, I warn you."
Algernon frowned, obviously torn between his work and the misery Cassidy had unintentionally caused. "Perhaps we should go back."
"Whatever you want," Cassidy replied. "This way, watch your step. I didn't meant to upset you, Professor."
"You didn't," Algernon said. "I upset myself." He shrugged. "I suck at one night stands. That's my problem, no one else's." He darted Cassidy a quick look, that flush taking over his cheeks again. "Believe me, I wish I could do one night stands. You're uh, not scary looking. At all."
Cassidy grinned, mood vastly improved.
Carefully but briskly he led them back through the ruins they'd trekked all day, realizing suddenly that Algernon had one more thing going for him. Not once in the entire day had he bitched about the walking, the unpleasant smells, the hazards – none of it.
He'd been good about everything from collapsing ground to foul smelling water to sexual harassment. The man was practically a damned keep—
Cassidy nearly tripped as he realized what he'd been thinking.
Fuck, he was starting to scare himself.
Shaking his head, he finally made it back to the small skiff they'd take the rest of the way – the field they'd cross was flat and clear. It was only right at the ruins things got too uncertain for anything but walking, and that only because scholars were all idiots oblivious to the concept of danger.
He slid his key into the ignition, then punched in the start up codes, straddling the long seat and trying to ignore how very nice it felt when Algernon slid on behind him, arms wrapping around him and that trim body pressed up against his.
Stars, what had he done to piss off the universe today?
They traveled back to the barracks in silence, and as he pulled up in front of the small, ramshackle building that served as guest quarters, Cassidy wasn't sure if he wanted the torture to end or continue indefinitely.
"Thank you," Algernon said as he slid off, deciding the matter for Cassidy.
"Same time tomorrow?" Cassidy asked, suddenly sick as he realized the answer was probably no and why the fuck did he really care?
Before Algernon could answer, his datapad chimed with an incoming message. He frowned, confused, then pulled it out even as his in specs flashed to accept the call. He read the message in silence – then burst into a bright, eager smile. "My permits!" Lifting his head, he focused that smile on Cassidy. "My permits came through! I can go to the deepsea labs!"
"That's great," Cassidy said, meaning it. Even the snottiest scholars with a hundred Big Important Degrees and Awards didn't always get cleared to visit what were generally called the deepsea labs. They were the only functioning ruins on all of Rehab, carefully maintained to keep operating. No one could make complete sense of what had once gone on down there, because the records had been destroyed with rather a disturbing thoroughness, but still scholars kept trying – when the IG approved their going down there, which was rare.
Most just weren't up to it, despite what they might think. If he'd gotten permits then Algernon must be a hell of a lot more important and talented than he'd ever let on.
"Heading out soon, I guess?"
"Tomorrow probably," Algernon replied, suddenly looking not so happy.
Cassidy decided it was because of him. Yeah, he rather liked thinking maybe Algernon didn't want to part ways quite so soon. "I could be your guide there. I'm a Field Guide 1st Class, you know. Cleared for all areas, including the deepsea labs." Hell, next month was his turn to babysit the fucking things, which meant going down every few days to check on shit and make sure nothing was going to blow up or what the fuck ever.
But Algernon shook his head. "Thanks, but no. I'm cleared for three months. I don't believe in prolonged torture." He smiled weakly. "Sorry I wasn't amenable to a fling."
He turned away and Cassidy frowned, that niggling idea suddenly coming back to him and what the hell was wrong with him that he'd even consider going against standard operating procedure? Just because the professor was fucking pretty? Friendly? Smart? Tough?
Maybe he was getting old.
Relationship. Hah. No one ever put up with a rehabber that long. He'd sworn them off after the major disasters of his first and second tries. Fuck it. Professor was pretty, and probably worth it, but Cassidy would just fuck it up.
"It was fun, Professor. If you ever need a guide, I'm more than happy to help. Take care of yourself." Waving, he started the skiff up again and drove off.
He started out okay, but by the time he was back to his own barracks Cassidy was in a thoroughly pissed off mood.
Unfortunately, he couldn't take it out on prisoners. He was primarily a field guide these days, only pulling rehab shifts when someone was out sick or injured.
Stowing the skiff, he stalked to his room and locked the door, then rifled through his trunk for the bottle buried under his uniforms.
Kicking off his boots, stripping down to just his regulation pants, Cassidy uncorked the bottle of Tredad vodka and proceeded to get thoroughly drunk.
*~*~*~*
His head was fucking killing him.
"So do you mind, Cass?"
Cassidy grunted.
"Was that a fucking yes or no?"
"It was a my head fucking hurts and your voice isn't helping so I'll do whatever the goddamn hell you want if it means you'll shut the fuck up," Cassidy snapped.
Captain Waters rolled his eyes. "Let me repeat this to make certain we're clear. Trek can't make field guide duty, he was injured on the job yesterday. Definitely not fit for deep sea duty with the drugs he's on. So you need to do it. Is that clear?"
"Yes," Cassidy snarled, wishing he'd been able to find his fucking headache tabs. Or more alcohol. Whichever stopped the pain soonest.
Rolling his eyes, Waters muttered about insubordination and lack of respect for rank, then finally left him in silence.
Picking himself up out of the chair into which he'd collapsed, Cass made his way out of the barracks office and slowly across the yard to his own room. One hour of absolute hell later he had packed everything he'd need for his three month sojourn into the deep and a packet of headache tabs. He took two as he made his way to the garage.
Fumbling for his key and finally getting the skiff started, groaning in pain as engine noise plus movement did not make either his stomach or his head very happy, Cassidy made his way slowly toward the guest quarters.
He realized his mistake the minute Algernon stepped outside.
Well, fuck.
That would teach him not to drink. Or maybe to drink more.
"Good morning," he said slowly, voice rougher and less steady than he liked and would the fucking headache tabs please start fucking working now? "I'm afraid Trek was injured on the job. No one else has clearance for deepsea guide work. I'm sorry."
Algernon nodded. "Are you feeling alright?"
"No," Cassidy replied. "Unfortunately for us both, however, I'll recover. Do you have everything you'll need? Once we go down, we won't be coming back up for three months. Supplies will be waiting for us at the drop dock."
"I'm ready," Algernon said, looking miserably resigned, stowing his pack with Cassidy's on the back of the skiff before climbing on behind him.
Cassidy tried not to care, he really did, but he wasn't that horrible a person to spend time with – just because he didn't do relationships… "You could always postpone your trip, if you find my company that intolerable."
"My sister would kill me," Algernon muttered, his head resting against Cassidy's back. "You're not intolerable…just horribly distracting."
"Oh." Cassidy blinked, then shook his head – bad move – and started the skiff back up. "I can live with that."
Suddenly feeling a bit more cheerful, headache tabs beginning to work, he increased speed and headed for the deepsea lab drop dock.
Planet 5118208 (Rehab), DeepSea Labs
"Incredible," Algernon breathed. "I've seen the photos and even the full dimension shots…but this is thousands of times better…"
Cassidy's brows shot up. The photos…not so odd. They weren't publicly available, but scholars could access them with the right signatures and clearances. The full dimension stuff…who the fuck was the Professor?
Well, didn't matter.
What mattered was that with his hangover defeated, headache long gone, he could fully appreciate why Algernon wasn't so thrilled they were stuck together for three months.
If he managed to go the entire stay without jumping the man, he was either going to be duly impressed or seriously worried about himself.
"Would you like a tour?" he asked. "Though you seem to know the place fairly well."
Algernon smiled sheepishly. "The history of androids has always been my obsession. Every major race which relies heavily upon technology has at one point in their history attempted to create artificial life. Androids. Only the humans of Earth ever accomplished it…and how they did it is lost for all time."
"Why the fuck does anyone want to create artificial life? And what the fuck makes life artifical? Seems to me if you're breathing and talking and eating and fucking, whatever the hell all else, you're pretty damn alive. Artifical means fake, and there's no way to fake living. You're alive or not."
"I suspect," Algernon said with a laugh, "that you would have been part of the rebellion. They were the side that believed essentially the same thing – androids were alive, they could think and feel and were human in all the ways that mattered, and so should be treated like first class citizens rather than third. Many humans, however, didn't agree." He shrugged. "I guess they never really settled the argument."
Cassidy snorted. "Yeah, I guess the argument settled itself and everyone involved."
Algernon smiled faintly, moving to the dark gray-green wall, placing a hand lightly on it. "One of the theories surrounding this place is that it belong to the woman who created the first real, fully functioning android. Nearly all knowledge of her and her creations is lost." He sighed and dropped his hand. "I wish something had survived."
"Why?" Cassidy asked. "So more planets could be destroyed?"
"So you think the androids are better off destroyed?"
"I'm thinking maybe people aren't mature enough to handle it when their dolls actually do come to life and start bitching about being dolls."
Algernon laughed softly, making a poor effort at stifling it by pressing the back of one hand to his mouth. "Definitely a rebel," he said, the words almost sounding affectionate. "Do you always have strong opinions?"
"I was often punished in school for voicing them," Cassidy said with dry amusement. "My mother often said it was obvious from birth I'd go into rehab one way or the other."
Blue eyes glanced his way, and Cassidy did not miss the way they skimmed him head to foot and back up again. His cheeks flushed slightly as he realized he was caught. "I'm, uh, glad you chose the guard route. You look good in the uniform."
"You are determined to drive me insane during these three months, aren't you?" Cassidy demanded.
Algernon shook his head back and forth, braid flopping to fall over his shoulder. "No. Sorry. I just…" he shook his head again, lifted up his bag, and turned to walk down the hall.
Cassidy frowned. Walking away was not on the level. Hefting his own bag, he quickly caught up with Algernon and grasped his arm, pulling him to a stop, turning him around. "We have three months, you know."
"Yes," Algernon said, pulling free, not looking at him, "and at the end of three months you would go on your merry way. I, on the other hand, would have to live with that fact that yet again I was willing to care about someone who did not think me worth the same effort." He turned sharply around continued stalking down the hall.
That he seemed to know where he was going did not surprise Cassidy in the slightest.
Anyway, he was rather too stunned by Algernon's words to play guide at the moment.
Care about?
Those two little words were even scarier than the one 'relationship'.
How the fuck…what the fuck was going on?
No one used those words around him. Cassidy was hardly fit for them; he'd learned that ages ago. He was far too rough and hardened for such serious crap. His only relationships were with about twenty weapons, 150 keys, his fellow rehabbers, and a smartass Captain who thought torturing his guards was the funniest fucking thing ever.
He wasn't the type people considered having a relationship with. Certainly not the type of person anyone would care about.
Shaking his head, banishing the unsettling thoughts, he followed the good professor at a distance until they reached the section of the labs given over to the living quarters.
Unlike the rest of the lab, these had been completely redone to suit the needs of visitors. While no one had any real clue what to do with the rest of the destroyed lab, all had agreed there was no harm in making the living quarters actually livable.
He paused to look into the room Algernon had chosen, stifling a sigh at the unhappiness so plainly coating the professor's face.
There was no damned way they could spend all three months this way. Something was going to have to give.There was no damned way they could spend all three months this way. Something was going to have to give.
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Date: 2007-07-05 10:16 am (UTC)Also awwwwwwwwwwww, I like them both. They are so cute. *pets them both*
Hope things are going better for you, sweet. ♥
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Date: 2007-07-05 10:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-05 12:16 pm (UTC)I shall be your quick-typo spotter for now. :P
[, professors their big important books, ] - with their
>< Can't see anything else. But oh well....
OH THE DRAMA OH THE ANGST OH THE CUTE NEW CHARACTERS!!! XD I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU <3
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Date: 2007-07-05 12:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-05 01:00 pm (UTC)Quite intrigued, quite interested in more! Much love.
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Date: 2007-07-05 01:56 pm (UTC)^___________^
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Date: 2007-07-05 02:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-05 03:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-05 03:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-06 12:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-05 03:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-05 03:25 pm (UTC)Aw, I love Algernon and his history loving professor self!! *huggles him* I soooo want to know why he's obsessed with the androids and Earth's war and how the hey he got access to the deepsea labs. *____*
Cassidy is love too. *hearts* I love his rough and tumbleness and his scars and his short hair rehabness! *tackle hearts* And dude, is he in serious denial. Pfft. Not one for caring or relationships or getting close. Just see if you can resist Algernon's yumminess, Cassidy! ^_________^!!!
*tackle glomps* You are the love, my dear. *twirls you about*
no subject
Date: 2007-07-05 10:51 pm (UTC)love how you bring in new characters and events and then link them back in some way to other events and characters...makes for an intriguing read
I have gone back and reread stories when I find characters that I remember seeing/being mentioned but can't remember what they did .....
once again you rock m'dear
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Date: 2007-07-06 01:20 am (UTC)I like the contrast of Algernon being hung up on one night stands while Cassidy has problems with relationships.
Nearly all knowledge of her and her creations is lost." He sighed and dropped his hand. "I wish something had survived."
I take it Toby is not officially listed as existing? At least not on the lists that normal people can see.
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Date: 2007-07-06 01:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-06 01:23 am (UTC)Yeah, no one but the highest echelons (namely, Arkadii and Pyotr) know he exists (well, Wilbur and Omicron obviously).
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Date: 2007-07-06 06:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-06 05:09 pm (UTC)Thank you for satisfying (and still nurturing at the same time) my (and others) Kidnappedhunger and need!
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Date: 2007-07-06 06:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-07 09:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-03 09:32 am (UTC)