OOC: Can we hear Ben's thoughts? 'Cause that's what kind of redeems him or damns him. Well, at least they might redeem or damn him, depending on what you think.

 

No, the characters cannot hear Ben's thoughts. Not even the Warden can.

 

IC: Benjamin Linus

Ben's head was down as Antryg described his previous experience. Ben had a natural ability to absorb and store all sorts of personal information about people. It was only this deeply ingrained habit that kept Ben listening even while he consciously dwelled on the same guilt he had for the last hour. He could hear in Antryg's tone a very familiar air of defeat. While they'd been in that... vision or nightmare, whatever one called it, he'd only tangentally noticed Antryg's reactions to events.

The man's powers were certainly very real, that much was clear. But Ben had mostly been focused on Alex. Now he couldn't help but notice the weight in Antryg's words, as much as the wizard tried to gloss them over with his usual levity. So, Antryg had been in the middle of some kind of dispute. A war, even, judging by the chaos of the town they'd been in. Ben certainly understood that. Unfortunately, in war innocent people died. It was a reality Ben had accepted, but Antryg seemed weighed down by the experience.

When Antryg began speaking of universal standards of righteousness, Ben glanced up slowly with his eyes, though his head was still bowed. "But if you believe that there is a universal standard of righteousness, as the Church does, what I did was a capital crime at best, and evil at worst," Antryg was saying, his own head bowed. Ben had a complicated relationship with notions of good and evil. His own principles had been... flexible for quite some time. He'd believed in the result more than the means. Perhaps Antryg had as well.

"I did break my vows--very solemn ones--never to use my magic for meddling in human affairs." Antryg looked up, glancing between Ben and Locke. Ben read the slightly desperate look in the wizard's eyes quite easily, though he was good at guarding it. "All I can say in my own defense is that I made the only choice I could make . . . being the man I am. For good, or for ill."

Ben tilted his head up so that his eyes were now level, chewing on those words. Perhaps Antryg was right. Perhaps the man Ben had been far in the past was incapable of sacrificing himself to save Alex. That wasn't the man he was now. But this failed to provide him with any comfort. In the end, even in his attempt to save her he'd gotten her killed. The error most likely lay further back, from the moment he'd taken her to raise as his daughter. He could never have cared for her as much as he cared for the island. He'd doomed her from the start. Perhaps that was the message this place was sending him, and Ben could not disagree with that assessment.

"Vows can be more dangerous than any ill will," Ben said quietly, though not softly. "Keeping them can lead to bloodshed just as much as breaking them." His tone did not exactly speak of hope.

Locke's brow furrowed, and he looked as if he was about to say something when everything went silent and gray. It was very much like being knocked unconscious, a subject Ben knew something about. Only it lasted just briefly, then they suddenly found themselves in a desert hovel. Or perhaps looking at a desert hovel, almost as if from inside the walls.

"Whose memory is this?" Locke asked grimly.

"Well if I had to venture a guess, I'd say it's his," Ben replied sardonically, motioning to the old man standing mere feet from them, speaking to a young man.

Locke glanced at the old man in the disheveled robes. "Excuse me," he began, taking a cautious step in his direction.

"I think it's safe to say if he could see or hear us, he might have said something when we materialized in his dining room," Ben quipped, though his heart was hardly in the sarcasm. It still felt like it was being slowly drained through the phantom wound in his gut.

TAG: Antryg, Warden, anyone else in the gray ether

 

IC: Antryg Windrose

"Vows can be more dangerous than any ill will. Keeping them can lead to bloodshed just as much as breaking them."

Antryg had just enough time to wonder what sort of vows Ben might ever have taken, when the scene around him ceased to exist.

There was a slight jolt as an entirely new world materialized around him. The shock was not enough to be painful, but it was disquieting, as if his body had been broken down to atoms in one place and reconstructed in another, as heed seen happen on Joanna's TV.

He found himself looking in on what might be a very small house, domed and sand-littered like something constructed in the deep desert, where there were no timbers to build with and any sharp corners would only be eroded by the scouring winds. There appeared to be no windows in the little hut, and yet Antryg had the strange sense of being an outsider, looking in on action that he was not a part of.

Within the little living space, there was an old man, and a young one--not much more than a boy, really. The youth picked away at something jammed in the carapace of some mechanical thing with an unknowable purpose.

"Whose memory is this?" Locke asked.

"Well if I had to venture a guess, I'd say it's his." Ben gestured to the white-haired man in the tattered brown robes.

Tag: Any

 

OCC: oh hush u, old Ben matured and came to terms with all that happened besides, young Obi-Wan did all the crashing and angst with sj in control, i took the over-his-traumas-and-more-mature-and-wise old Ben approach

I`ll have a Hannibal and Jack post soon

 

IC: Jack Bauer

Jack's patience with the odd man in the stupid getup was growing thin. And Jack rarely had patience to begin with. He began to long for the days where he could tazer a man with the safety off or shoot someone in the kneecaps or something that were get straight answers. Instead, the weird little man in the oversized helmet spouted more nonsense about 'Spaceballs' and other unintelligible gibberish.

Jack had the distinct urge to slap the man upside his oversized helmet and let it ring like a bell. But before he could say another word, he found himself in the living room of a small, sandy hut.

"For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire"

Jack wasn't sure what was going on. He turned to speak to Shepard and noticed that he was not the only one in the room. He saw Terry there as well along with Dr.Strange and another human he didn't recognize. He noticed a few of the other prisoners from the cafeteria as well. Clearly they had all been summoned to this place for some reason. That did not sit well with Jack at all. He began to make his way towards Dr.Strange.


[b]IC: Terry McGinnis[/b]

As Terry approached the group below the church, Jack Shepard walked up to him,shaking his head and asking [i]Who the hell are you, Spiderman!?[/i]

Before Terry could ask who was Spider-Man or say "Batman", he found himself standing alongside both Jacks and the other prisoners as an older man, a young boy and two robots who looked more advanced than Bender were in the middle of conversation.

"Sorry to drop in" Terry sarcastically replied. But if any of the four occupants noticed, they didn't show it. They continued on with their own conversations.

[i]"I was once a Jedi knight, the same as your father"[/i] The old man was saying.

The young man, seemed to be astonished by this and then in a quieter voice, he said

[i]I wish I'd known him[/i]

Terry's heart fell at those words. Clearly this young kid had lost his father as well. Terry recalled the night of his father's murder shortly after meeting Bruce Wayne for the first time. He had been pursued by Jokerz up to the top of Wayne Manor and there, light silent guardian, had stood Bruce Wayne. Even when he'd first met the man he had known that there was something about him just by the way he carried himself. Sure he was a very grouchy old man, but it was more than that. And he ended up rescuing Terry from the Jokerz at the cost of his health. And while Terry helped Bruce, Derek Powers sent his goons to murder his father and frame the jokerz. In a way, the old man speaking reminded Terry of Bruce. Although this man seemed a lot kinder.

Terry began to listen intently, curious as to why he was here.

[i]Your father's lightsabre. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight.Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age[/i]

Terry watched in amazement as the young man took the weapon and activated it. A brilliant blue beam shot out, humming to life. Terry found he had the same amount of awe as the man holding the weapon.

[hr]

[b]IC: Dr. Strange[/b]

As Strange and Bender followed their newest companion, A brief flicker in the magical world alerted the former sorcerer supreme a split second before it happened. His eyes widened as he found himself and the other prisoners inside the home of someone. An old man , a young boy and two robots appeared to be the center of attention. But Strange was far more concerned with how he had gotten here. This was certainly not the same prisoner he had just explored. Nor was this the same island he had astral-projected over several hours ago. No, this was a new place entirely.

He spotted Agent Bauer making his way over to him and he began to meet the man halfway.

"What the hell is this?" Jack demanded.

"A power magical entity has summoned all of us to this place. We are no longer on the prison island" Strange explained.

"I thought that much was obvious." Jack replied, "Now how do we get ou>

 

ooc: dropping out of this game. Sorry guys its just not doing it for me.

 

OCC: i`ll have a Jack post as soon as i hear back from solojones

IC: Hannibal Lecter

Hannibal inwardly grinned as it appeared the men before him appeared to be sentive regarding his age comments, "Last time I checked, 70 wasn't the new 30," he grumbled. Lifting his eyebrows, Hannibal acted out surprise, ?You?re 70? Well I didn?t mean to offend you, but you just don?t look your age at all. You look to be well built for 70?, he added with a touch of a smile. {?And you appear to have delicious muscles underneath too?}, he thought to himself, but remained with an calm external.

Pliskin didn?t appear to be more comfortable when he got closer though. Interesting. It looked as if he became self conscious when Hannibal approached him. What was this man hiding that he felt the need to conceal himself so well? He would have fooled anyone else though, that Hannibal respected of the man. He was a worthy adversary. But he had no clue who he was up against. It wouldn?t take him long to crack Pliskin or whatever his real name was. Patience was something he had a lot of. "We can't stay here, that's for sure," he added with a touch of desperation. That just made him the more curious to get to the bottom of this man.

But then something strange happened. Instantly, Hannibal found himself whisked away to an unfamiliar scene. It involved a young boy and an older man, who appeared to be oblivious to their presence. As he looked around, he noticed plenty of other people he didn?t know there dressed in the same prison outfit that he was in. His focus moved away from Pliskin who was standing next to him and he started to survey what was around him. But his attention quickly moved to the old man and the young boy, as the first was telling the second the tale of the young man?s father. "No, my father didn't fight in the wars. He was a navigator on a spice freighter," the young one replied. "That's what your uncle told you,", the older one countered. Hannibal didn?t know these people, but it was evident that whoever this uncle was, it looked like he wasn?t telling the young boy everything. The older man appeared to be quite sure of what he was saying, his body language showed someone who was telling the truth. . "He didn't hold with your father's ideals. Thought he should have stayed here and not gotten involved." ?Interesting?, he thought to himself.

The next part of the conversation was completely lost to Hannibal though. Clone Wars? Jedi Knights?. His mind raced. He was confused. And even more so when the older man pulled out some rather strange glowing sword that he called a lightsabre. "Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.". He assumed a blaster must have been some type of gun. The use of a sword by these jedi whoever they were reminded him of the proud samurai. The old man?s tone of voice confirmed his perception. "For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.". The Empire? Once again, Hannibal?s mind went blank. He was tempted to ask the man which Empire he meant, but he knew he would always learn more from listening than from asking direct questions. For now, he would just watch.

It was then that the young man asked a question that shook the old man to the core, "How did my father die?". Hannibal watched the man hesitate. Even though he tried to cover up his emotions at that moment, it was evident to Hannibal that this was a delicate subject that the old man didn?t want to speak about much. "A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights," he said mechanically. Hannibal didn?t blink. He studied the old man and knew he wasn?t saying the entire story. His answer was controlled, mechanic, as if he had practiced it for a long time. "He betrayed and murdered your father," the old man added. So

 

IC: John Locke

Locke's brow furrowed as he realized Ben was right, that they couldn't be seen or heard by the old man or the boy. As he watched the strangely dressed man explain things to the bright-eyed young man, Locke was hit with a strange remembrance of Boone and a familiar sadness that went with it. He'd thought there were things he needed to teach the younger man, things the island wanted him to share. But in the end, he had wound up entirely unsure of what the island did or didn't want him to do. It left Boone's death as a heavy dark mark on John's conscience.

"Do you mind? I could use your help..." John turned his head towards the voice, thinking at first that someone else had entered this scene they were watching. It took him a moment to recognize the now more disheveled-looking man as Indiana. "Hey, I know it looks bad, but I can explain. It's not as bad as it seems, I promise. It's all a big misunderstanding. That's why I need your help."

The man had seemed more collected the last time he'd seen him, at the lighthouse. The fact that he hadn't caught up to them when they'd been escaping the hulking black creature had been a worry Locke had pushed aside for his own in the greenhouse. "Indiana?" John said to the man. "Where were you? At the lighthouse, when we left we were hoping you'd follow us." He hadn't spoken much to the professor directly, but the man had seemed quite sharp and capable, things John admired. He also had an intuitive sense of the man's character. "It seems whoever they are, they can't see or hear us," John added with a nod to the figures.

TAG: Indy

 

[hl=black]IC Darth Vader:[/hl]

Even as the man fell, the surroundings changed around us. It happened instantaneously, too fast for me to even express outrage at my prey?s escape (for I could see the ropes around him dissolving into nothingness) or to be surprised at the change of scenery.

The hovel seemed entirely too small to fit many comfortably, but it held others from the island with no issue. This place was a decrepit wreck, not much improved from what I had just left behind. Why did it seem so familiar? I caught a glimpse of my own recent prisoner before my attention was completely diverted, and it became clear why I had the sense of seeing such a dwelling before.

The leather of the gloves creaked slightly as my hands turned into fists. Impossible! That was my immediate thought, of course, but I could not really claim that, now could I? After all, somebody had managed to send me to a prison on an apparently entirely engineered island, at an undisclosed location. Why couldn?t the same person or group also bring the dead back to life?

I was not face-to-face with Kenobi and Skywalker, though, despite great effort to make me think so. This Warden would just have to try harder. It might have worked on the others, but it would never fool a Sith Lord. For one thing, I got not sense of them through the Force, as I had in the past. No sense of them at all, actually. For another, the two continued with their conversation, taking no notice of the crowd that had gathered around them. A holo, some kind of all-encompassing projection. Either that, or we had gone back in time and were out of phase with the two somehow.

If only I could reach out and touch him. Crush him.

It was amazing that I could still think logically in his presence, that I hadn?t just destroyed the dwelling and everything in it. A part of my mind must know that it would be futile to expend energy on someone that would not even notice it.

And the fact that Skywalker was here as well? That was even worse. The boy had been living on this planet, and Kenobi had known that I would never willingly step foot on it. It might have been a smart plan, if Kenobi had not been so power-hungry. Luckily, Kenobi had come out of hiding, in a sorry attempt to re-establish the Jedi Order, which had caused so much pain, and continue the group?s domination over the galaxy. He had paid the ultimate price, and left me with the chance to rule the galaxy with . . . a son.

A son. A stranger. An enemy of everything I stood for. How had it happened?

Kenobi.

How had I allowed him to control me so ruthlessly over the years, even after I thought I was free of him? Best not to even think about it. Best to focus on the anger and hatred it inspired instead. They were what made me strong. Family could not help me. That was the province of the Force.

I stood in front of Kenobi and studied him for a moment, then bent down and put my hand at his throat, watching as the entire appendage went through his body. There had been no reason to attempt it, as I knew what the outcome was going to be. It just made me feel better. I had already killed the man, so why would I have been surprised that he was a ghost?

TAG: anyone

 

IC: Jack Shephard

Jack couldn?t explain it, but right before Terry could reply to his comment, they all just magically appeared standing in a small hut where a young boy and one old man who seemed familiar to Jack appeared to be having a conversation. Bauer and the others had come along too. He also noticed Dr. Strange and Bender were also in the room. Strange started walking towards Bauer, and Jack did the same. He had no clue what the hell just happened, but maybe Dr. Strange might know something.

"What the hell is this?" Bauer demanded. He wasn?t sure Strange would even have an answer since this was most likely the Warden`s doing, but he ventured a theory anyways, "A power magical entity has summoned all of us to this place. We are no longer on the prison island". But Bauer was an impatient man it seemed, and he wasn?t ready to just go along for the Warden?s ride, "I thought that much was obvious. Now how do we get out?" , he asked. Jack lifted his eyebrows and just stared at Bauer. He felt sorry for whoever had information this agent needed, he appeared to be ruthless. "I told you when I first met you that I had already tried. There is no escape. We need to devise a new plan. We need to confront and defeat this entity. As long as it lives, we can not escape.". Jack nodded. He looked around the room they were in, and focused his attention on the young boy and the old man.

That?s when it hit Jack. The scene before him seemed familiar because ?This is Star Wars!?, he exclaimed with some excitement loud enough that Bauer and Dr. Strange would be able to hear him. Looking at both men`s eyes wide open he couldn?t help a smile and he added, ?This is the movie Star Wars, have neither of you seen it? That?s old Ben Kenobi and that?s Luke Skywalker right there.? They both just stared at him and he wasn?t sure what to make of it, so he continued. He noticed old Ben Kenobi get up. "What is it?", Luke asked. Jack remembered what happened next, ?Ok he?s going to walk towards that chest and will open it up and give Luke his father?s lightsaber!?. Just at that very moment, the now familiar scene to him played out just as he knew it would, "Your father's lightsaber. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.". Smiling, Jack looked back at Strange and Bauer, ?See? We?re in a movie!?. He looked at Bauer, confused, ?Seriously, you`ve never seen it??. He inwardly thought the agent must have had no childhood.

It seemed this could be another one of the Warden`s tricks. Turning away from the scene, Jack spoke to the two men. ?There has to be a reason for him to have us see these two individuals though, I doubt he`s concerned about us growing bored while on his prison?. Speaking in a lower tone, he continued, ?I think Dr. Strange is right. Our only chance might be to grab the Warden when we see him, but how the hell will we know it`s him? For all we know with the supernatural powers he seems to have he could disguise himself as anyone.? Memories of his past island experience came back to him. He knew how deceiving and dangerous appearances could be.

TAG: Dr. Strange, Bauer, anyone who wants to step in

 

[hl=white]IC: Dark Helmet[/hl]

Appearing, or dissappearing depending on ones reference, he looked confusidely at the scene that was unveiling before him, "Is this some sick perversion of the Schwartz?" he wondered outloud. But anothers exclaimation drew his attention about something called 'Star Wars'. Stars being at war was news to him, so far he thought only the planets had done that.

Shuffling around the room he headed to the person in a small group that had spoken, hitting his helmet on the narrow beam he spun before crashing to the ground with his head between two of this group. No small feat if one considers the size of the helmet that adorned his head. "Movie? You mean like the History of the World: Part I?"

This was so confusing.

TAG: Dr. Strange, Jacks Bauer & Shephard, as well as anyone else who would care for a piece of this pie (It's delicious!)

 

[hl=silver]IC Bender:[/hl]

Before Bender could actually enter the greenhouse, he was surrounded by a grey mist, and then his surroundings changed. He was in a house, much roomier than his apartment at the Robot Arms. Strange was here too, and Bender could see that the blond Jack was on his way over. While the man came, Bender took a quick look around. He had seen the two people in the middle of the room somewhere before, but where, and when?

Bauer said, "What the hell is this?"

Strange responded with, "A power magical entity has summoned all of us to this place. We are no longer on the prison island" Well, duh!

As if to echo Bender?s thought, Bauer said, "I thought that much was obvious. Now how do we get out?" Despite being a humorless sack of bodily fluids and waste products, the man had the right idea. They needed to leave this crazy place immediately.

Doctor Bummer said, "I told you when I first met you that I had already tried. There is no escape. We need to devise a new plan. We need to confront and defeat this entity. As long as it lives, we can not escape."

Bender did not want to even think about such a possibility, so he studied the scene playing out in front of him. Neither the old nor the young meatbag seemed to be paying any attention to the action going on around them. What was it about what he saw that tickled something in the back of his newly squishy brain?

Something clicked, a connection was made, and he knew exactly what holo was playing, but before he could say anything, Shephard shouted, ?This is Star Wars!?

Bender did not hear any of the rest of what the guy said. ?No kidding, jack-ass. What a boring-as-[bleep] movie this was." Great, the virus was still there even now. "So unrealistic, too. Fry loved it, but what does he know? He liked Jaws 4-D, too.? He shook his head. ?I need to change this disc. Put in something good, like Deb-bot does Robo-polis.?

He got a good look at Shephard with his new human eyes for the first time. The man was talking to the other Jack and Strange now, so Bender did not feel too bad about interrupting them.

?You were on that show about Oceanic Flight 815, right?? Another connection had been made. This head was good for something after all. ?How did I miss it before?? He put his face right up close to the other man?s own. ?It is you!? He had to struggle to back away a step Gotta remember personal space. ?We saw every episode. Yeah, yeah, I know, you did other stuff both before and after that show, but Fry was on kind of a 21st Century kick for a while, wanting to see everything he had missed. Too bad not everything survived from those years.?

Bender realized he was babbling, but he could not help it. Celebrities always brought that on, plus an uncontrollable urge to kiss a lot of butt. ?The network executives put all of you guys on a real island fifteen years later as an anniversary stunt, and no one ever heard from you again.? Man, the things you could learn from Wiki-planet. Bender had no idea why he was telling the guy something he already knew, unless . . . ?Sorry, I probably shouldn?t have said anything, since it?s obvious that it hasn?t happened to you yet, and maybe, since you?re here, it won?t happen anyway.?

He scratched at his chin as he said, ?You really get into your character, don?t you, playing it even here??

Bender wasn?t even going to acknowledge the crazy, short dude dressed like that clown from the movie, with his ridiculously oversized helmet. He only had eyes for his new best friend.

Tag: Strange, Shephard, Bauer, Terry, all others nearby

 

IC: Benjamin Linus

Ben was cautiously optimistic about Indiana's arrival. The man seemed quite capable and intelligent. It was, after all, why Ben had targeted him as a possible ally in the first place. But from the withering glare the good professor gave him, Ben wagered that ship might have sailed. He remained where he was as Indy came to Locke with his theories.

"Then this isn't real. It's like a dream or...A memory. But whose?" Indy said. Ben's eyebrows lifted slightly at that in consideration. It seemed to fit with what they'd already experienced. But if it were the greenhouse causing this again, where did everyone else come from? Indy continued, "But whose? I don't remember seeing either of them back on the island."

Locke's brow furrowed as he looked over at the old and young men. "Me either. Maybe it's a big island. If this is a memory, it would have to be one of theirs."

"The more important question is why can't they see or hear us," Ben noted in a somewhat reproachful tone, as if they were missing the obvious, which they were. "

Locke nodded slowly, understanding. "We were already transported into Antryg's memory, and he could interact with us."

Ben's eyes flicked to Antryg as he said this, reminded of the gravity in the man's tone when he'd spoken of his past choices, the ones he'd made over again. Ben pushed aside the elements of his own memory and choices. He was barely maintaining a stoic composure as it was.

Ben looked back to Indy. "How did you get to the greenhouse?" he inquired. The thought crossed his mind that if all these people hadn't actually made it into that infernal place with them, perhaps they were just memories as well. Just like Alex had been. The thought played almost imperceptibly behind Ben's eyes. Luckily their present odd situation at least distracted from the topics raised by their last venture into memory. Ben for one was much more comfortable looking into some stranger's mind than into his own.

TAG: Indy, Antryg

 

IC: Antryg Windrose

"We were already transported into Antryg's memory, and he could interact with us."

The thought sat uneasily with Antryg. "In the greenhouse, we were not simply watching the past repeat itself. We still had a chance to change things . . . to try one more time for vindication or redemption. If we are watching a history that a dear friend of mine would call 'read only,' that suggests the time for us to make choices has passed. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that we are here to witness judgment."

Tag: Ben/Locke, Indy

 

OOC: Just to let everyone know, I will be out of town and with limited to no internet connectivity starting Sunday night, and I come back the following Sunday, so my characters will be unavailable that week. I'll keep an eye on the thread if I can, though. If you guys can possibly stall the end of the trial until I come back, that would be great. Vader will certainly have some interesting thoughts about it, and I would not want anyone to miss his judgment.

 

Hey, guys, this and last week I have started at my new school that I just transferred to. In addition, there was a lot of fun family stuff last weekend that included getting to see my baby nephew. Suffice it to say, I haven't been able to be around here very much and one look at my post history reflects that.

Anyway, things will be back to normal soon. Nonetheless, I should've come in here sometime over the weekend to give you all a heads-up. I apologize about that!

 

IC: as Solid Snake


'What the hell is going on here?'

'Whose memory is this?'

'If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that we are here to witness judgment.'

Before Hannibal could respond to him, the Warden seemed to have moved them somewhere else. He couldn't figure out where, because Snake, instead of landing on their backs or their feet, like the others, had instead landed on his head, an audible *THUD* heard as his skull collided against the hard sand structure. The fact that his body was not what it used to be, and being without the aid of Otacon's OctoCamo suit (which doubled as a muscle suit), simply coming to was a hassle due to his age. As he tried , he instinctively tried to pick up traces of conversation from who could only be the other prisoners.

Yet, for some odd reason, the conversation between what sounded like a young man and an elder was what his mind seemed to gravitate to, picking up that conversation more than the others.

Particularly the ones about the young man's father. He managed to stand up, slowly, as he tried to listen to what the two had to say, the odd Hannibal Lecter now behind in his list of priorities.

'How did my father die?' The young man asked. Snake grumbled in response, yet the youth did not hear it. 'Better to be kept in the dark than to bring to light something you don't want to hear,' he thought dryly. He remembered his own father well. Naked Snake; Big Boss as he came to be known in espionage and military circles around the world. His genetic progenitor.

Few of the memories were pleasant. They either ranged from pitched battles to the death with his father and siblings, or simple abandonment. He only knew that he was his dad during his mission to Zanzibar Land.

He hoped this kid was ready for what his father would be, whoever he was.

A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights. He betrayed and murdered your father."

He could tell the old man was lying to him.

Now he almost felt sorry for this kid, one who he had hardly ever met. Not only was his father probably as good a father figure as his own was, but now this ?mentor? of his apparently found it necessary to fib about it.

But perhaps the man thought the same as he did. Perhaps it would be better for the youth not to know the truth.

?Never give up. Fight until the end. Always believe that you will succeed, even when the odds are against you. Those are your words.?

He remembered repeating this virtue to his own father during that same Zanzibar mission. In which he fought and killed his best friend, Grey Fox, regulating him to the exoskeleton he wore for the rest of his life . And where he burned his father to a crisp with an improvised flamethrower.

He already felt some sort of kinship with this kid, a kid he had never met.

However, the conversation soon drifted about a mystical force field, and of glowing swords ( which perhaps didn?t impress as much as it should have, already familiar with swords that cut through metal), and he lost interest. He didn?t delve into fantasy.

Instead, what one of the prisoners said caught his attention in the meantime.

"I told you when I first met you that I had already tried. There is no escape. We need to devise a new plan. We need to confront and defeat this entity. As long as it lives, we can not escape."

What else could this guy know about this Warden, who had before been just a shadow in the wind? Could it mean the difference between escape and a lifetime of companionship with an eccentric doctor?

Wouldn?t hurt to find out.

He slowly stood up, clutching his head along the way, as he languidly walked towards the man, indiscriminate flashes and detailed bits of memories both clouding his vision.

He could definitely use a cigarette right now (?Sorry, Sunny.? he inwardly thought)

?What else do you know about the Warden??


TAG: Dr. Strange, Hannibal Lecter, a

 

Finally, the Weekend! And a long one, too.

What's everyone's availability like this weekend?

 

I'm out of town until tomorrow night, but then I'm around. Having people over the evening of labor day though.

 

OOC: I'll be mostly around.