WAH

[capcious]

Who: WAH
Setting: WAH
Summary: WAH
Warnings: WAH
Other: WAH

WAH

Comments

[timesbureaucrat]

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.

[safeshot]

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.

[timesbureaucrat]

[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?

[safeshot]

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?

[timesbureaucrat]

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.]

[safeshot]

[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?

[timesbureaucrat]

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.

[capcious]

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.

[timesbureaucrat]

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.

[capcious]

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.]

[timesbureaucrat]

...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.]

[capcious]

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.

[timesbureaucrat]

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.

[safeshot]

It's okay, [Riley says, still quiet.] We can talk to Shaun about it. Maybe he'll have some good ideas.

[There's a beat. Then,] But... I appreciate that you took my concern seriously. Thank you.

[timesbureaucrat]

I take my responsibilities seriously. If S9's well-being isn't as it should be, it's my job to improve it. Somehow.

[His hands go behind his back again.]

I've never spent much time around children before S9. It's been a unique challenge.

[safeshot]

Kids can be tough. [Riley finds a little grin he can wear.] I have to admit, I'm kind of jealous of you.

[timesbureaucrat]

I would happily pass these duties onto you, Mr. Reynolds.

[Saying Riley's name mentally brings him back to the start of this conversation. He's calm now.]

Zetta. Perhaps I was wrong to involve you in my personal affairs. My apologies. My vendetta against the Brotherhood of Steel is, perhaps, something I will need to resolve for myself.

[capcious]

[Zetta folds her arms across her chest again. She's sure it'd be polite if she explained her mood in turn, but like fuck she's going to. It's not for him to know. She doesn't owe him anything.

But she'll at least keep her voice from being clipped when she answers.] Yeah, and how were you planning on doing that, exactly? Sneaking up to the surface yourself? Doing something else stupid? We're the obvious and most practical choice.

[timesbureaucrat]

I have ample training in combat and survival.

True, I haven't used those skills in a very long time, but I'm sure they'd come back to me.

[capcious]

And you'd take on an entire goddamn army by yourself? What the hell do you think you'd be able to do?

[... this could be useful. This might actually be really useful.]

Not to mention, you'd have coursers after your ass like the last scientist who defected. You wouldn't be able to do it alone.

[timesbureaucrat]

[He waves off the concern about coursers.]

Dr. Virgil, you mean? He was in bioscience. He didn't understand the coursers' vulnerabilities like I do. I know their tech; I designed their weapons.

As for strategy when going against an army, I imagine I'd take the same approach that I suggested to you. Get myself accepted as an initiate and bring them down from within.

[safeshot]

[Before Zetta can speak again, Riley does, voice soft.]

What about S9? Who would take care of him?

[timesbureaucrat]

The Director would appoint someone else to that task. Dr. Li, perhaps, would look after the boy.

[capcious]

[Riley doesn't know how to explain why it bothers him. This is the person who is looking after him, who has been seemingly raising him -- and after being bullied just for existing, for not being human... having his caretaker just up and vanish like that...

Zetta, though, is cutting back in.] You realize just knowing how their guns work isn't going to be enough to fight coursers, right? I mean, shit, they're killing machines even without guns. Combat training or not, I'm pretty fucking certain a courser could kick your ass.

You'd need to be able to hide, better than most people in the Commonwealth. And that's pretty damn hard to do when you don't know the land or have any allies.

[timesbureaucrat]

Well, yes, allies would be most helpful. That's why I asked you. But if you're unable or unwilling, I'm not simply going to shrug and give up just because I'll have to do it alone and it will be difficult. And I don't see anyone else lining up to help me.