capcious | WAH

Let me guess, you're the "good cop?"

What has she got to be so vexed about anyway? It's my mortal enemy that's waltzed into the Commonwealth.

Nah. I'm just the only one with any people skills.

[Zetta snorts behind him and he glances over his shoulder at her, grinning. Her arms are folded again and she's several steps away from the couch towards the door. She's clearly wanting out of this room, but Riley turns back to the conversation.]

Well, I mean... The Brotherhood isn't the only problem. Just the newest one. I'm sure I'll get to hear all about whatever's bothering her once we get out of here.

[Riley's persistent friendliness is getting Nathan to lower his hackles against all odds. But as he begins to think more rationally instead of in anger, two truths become clear to him. 1) He wants to destroy the Brotherhood of Steel. And 2) He doesn't want to alienate Zetta needlessly. She's the only person in ages worth talking to.

He sighs in defeat and holds out his hand for a handshake.]

Dr. Nathan Lone. How do you do.

[Riley blinks a couple of times, clearly surprised that this is actually working at all, let alone so well, but he doesn't hesitate to take the offered handshake.]

Riley. [Because there's no point in saying his last name, obviously. And now it's time for him to pull out a social card he learned a long time ago:] So, what is it you do here? [Ask about his job. If there's anything he learned from being around scientists thanks to Zetta, it's that showing interest in their jobs and projects almost always gets them to warm up. Hell, it works on Zetta, too.]

[The technique works as well on Nathan as it does on all the other scientists of Riley's acquaintance.]

I work in Advanced Systems, mostly weapons' development, but lately I've been working on a special project I was hand-picked to carry out. Researching the development of a synth child.

[He's not sure what practical purpose this project serves, but his ego is stroked to have been chosen for it, regardless.]

[The synth child. The one that's based off of Shaun when he was younger. The one that Zetta and Ferran wanted him to meet.]

So you look after him? [Riley has to try to keep himself from asking what he's like, and instead stay on the track of looking at it as a project.] What all does that usually include?

Largely it's a matter of exposing him to stimuli and observing how he responds.

I've given him tests in mathematics and logic, monitored his activity levels and physical abilities, read books to him...

Sounds kinda boring for a kid's life, [Riley jokes. Well... maybe half-jokes. He isn't sure.] Are there other kids around for him to play with?

[Nathan looks at him like he's crazy. Or like that's the stupidest question he ever heard.]

Yes, of course there are other children here. The Institute wouldn't have lasted very long if at least some of the members didn't procreate. We boast some of the finest genes in America. Besides, just because we're scientists it doesn't mean we're dead from the waist down.

[And after that rant, he should probably explain why S9 doesn't play with them, since there are children.]

The other children didn't take well to S9. We keep him separate from them now. It's better for all involved.

[If it helps, Riley looks a little embarrassed once he realized that that was kind of a stupid question.

But... After hearing that -- He's glad he's asked anyway. He frowns a little.] Why? Isn't he lonely?

Why would he be? I visit with him almost every day.

[Isn't that enough? What more company does a boy need than a few hours with an uptight man with no sense of fun?]

Jesus christ, [Zetta mutters from the other side of the room.

Riley just smiles, softly, sadly.] Kids need friends and family, just like adults do.

[Which is a much nicer way of saying what Zetta is biting down. He's not a fucking pet guinea pig who's happy to stay in a cage.]

I don't have friends or family, and I'm just fine.

[Because clearly Nathan is a happy man who is satisfied with his life.]

Besides, we can't just build friends for him. Well...perhaps the robotics lab could, but it would be irresponsible in the extreme to create more synth children until we've completed our assessment of S9. And synths, by their nature, have no family.

And maybe adults can get by being on their own for a while, but kids are still growing. They're still learning how to interact with people, and trying to figure out who they are. I'm not saying you should, uh, rush the project and make more synth children, but... Socializing with your peers is an important part of growing up.

And... Family is more than just people you're related to.

[Nathan flings up his arms.]

What do you suggest? Shall I bribe the children to play with him? Threaten to vaporize them if they don't emotionally bond sufficiently?

No, no! Just... Keep it in mind, I guess. Find people to play games with him on their off time, or something.

[A beat.] Wait... Why is it better for him to be away from the other kids, anyway?

The other children rejected him because he's a synth. I feared for S9's structural integrity if he remained in contact with them.

[Nathan was afraid S9 would get hurt.]

[There's a long pause. Riley can't entirely school his expression into something neutral, and the too-personal heartbreak is visible on his face.]

They were bullying him?

Indeed.

He was crying nearly daily. I think he was grateful when we told him he wouldn't be playing with the other children any more.

You know which ones were giving him the hardest time? [Zetta's voice is icy. She was letting Riley handle this -- up until that. Now, she has to step in. And, honestly, she's fucking pissed anyway.] Because I have some brats to fucking educate.

By "educate" I take it you don't mean a lesson in quantum dynamics.

[He clasps his hands behind his back.]

Tommy and Danny seemed to be the ring leaders.

Whatever education you might give them, however, is unlikely to make S9 friends.

It doesn't need to make him friends. It needs to fucking stop the behavior.

Is there even anything you can do? [Riley says softly.

Zetta makes a frustrated noise.] No. Because they would've learned that shit from their parents and the rest of the goddamn Institute. I swear to god, nothing fucking changes. [Her anger is spiking again. She wants to fucking hit something. She couldn't adequately protect Riley from this shit, or undo the damage it did to him. And now she can't keep it from happening to her fucking son.

... no. S9 isn't her son. Her son is perfectly happy. They're going to be having dinner together later, as a family, on his birthday. Breathe. Fucking breathe.]

...That's a thought. Perhaps we could import some children. They could be kept uninformed about S9's synthetic nature and would respond to him as simply another child.

[Nathan is taking entirely the wrong lesson from this.]

Uh, yeah, fuck no. "Import"? Do you even hear yourself fucking talk? You're talking about kidnapping children from the surface so Pinocchio can have friends.

Riley was the one who brought up the importance of friendship. I'm simply seeking solutions!

[He pinches the bridge of his nose.]

This isn't my area of expertise.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject