PSYCHO MANTIS. [ a terrible madness ] (psycho_mantis) wrote in parabolical, @ 2008-12-31 13:27:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | dr. hal emmerich, psycho mantis |
who; Psycho Mantis & Hal Emmerich.
where; Some.. random.. internet cafe thing.
when; Couple of hours after Hal showed up, so this is backdated.
summary; Mantis goes to collect Hal, because he's.. sort of glad to see someone from his world?
rating; G.
status; Finished.
It was sort of funny, in a way-- while it felt as if it had only been a few months since he'd seen the scientist who'd built Metal Gear REX, it had been over a decade since Dr Emmerich had seen him. Despite that, though, the man's mental processes hadn't much changed; he was still as unshielded as ever, his mind running in a dozen different directions at once, exploring ideas and wondering and always, always thinking. Mantis couldn't help but wonder, sometimes, if it wasn't what madness was supposed to look like. Geniuses had to be lunatics, didn't they? How else did they learn and create the amazing things they did?
Mantis couldn't help but be a little jealous-- his own insanity had done nothing for him but make him a monster.
At any rate, Dr Emmerich wasn't hard to find thanks to his chaotic thoughts; all Mantis had to do was look for one of the very few people in the city capable of simultaneously wondering about quantum physics, the relationship between time travel and alternate dimensions, where Snake and his adopted daughter were, how to boost the detection range of the acquisition radar on his latest project, and what, precisely, the girl with pink-and-black hair had put in his coffee, because it really did seem too sweet, and was that vanilla? Maybe it was some sort of Irish cream thing..
He'd frequently given Mantis a headache when they'd all been cooped up in the bunker during the Shadow Moses incident.
In some of the clothing that had been bought for him months ago, before he'd disappeared (dark sweater, slacks, long jacket with hood), Mantis stepped inside the tiny cafe, drifting immediately over to the computer the blond man had been sitting at. --Physically, he hadn't changed much, the Russian decided; Hal had streaks of silvery gray in his hair, now, and there were fine lines around his eyes, he was slimmer and somehow wearier, but otherwise, he was still the bright presence he'd always been. He wasn't really paying attention at the moment, though, the scarred man noted with something like amusement-- instead, he was cupping his coffee, staring unseeingly at the computer screen as his mind raced. It really was no wonder Snake looked after him.. he'd have gotten himself killed if he hadn't had the other man.
"Dr Emmerich," he stated lightly, attempting not to startle the man, and Hal glanced sharply up, hazel eyes wide and confused for a moment before he recognised the gas-mask.
"Mantis," he breathed, and rose to his feet uncertainly, shock and disbelief and something a little like fear flitting across his features. "God, I didn't actually believe it until now. You really are.. here. What about--?"
"Wolf is not," Mantis cut him off before he could finish the question he didn't actually want to ask, cupping a hand lightly at the older man's elbow and steering him toward the door. "None of the others are, either." It was just.. Mantis. And now Hal. So strange, this reminder of his life before Los Angeles and the Hyperion's residents. "You will find this place to be.. very surprising," he added after a moment, telekinetically plucking the cup out of the man's long-fingered, suddenly-shaking scholar's hands. "Your daughter and Snake may arrive, or they may not. You may return, or you may not." Down the street-- Mantis wasn't quite sure, yet, where they were going. He supposed he'd figure it out. Maybe back to the Hyperion; would they mind terribly if he brought Hal? He couldn't recall the scientist ever being much trouble. He was mostly content with his machines and his research and his designs. "There is nothing you can do about that right now. They will be fine."
And: But Snake, Dave, he's getting older, and he's getting sick, and Sunny, she's so young--
And: Oh God, what am I doing here?
And: .. Psycho Mantis sounds sane. This is a dream. Wake up!
Mantis smiled beneath his mask quite despite his intentions. "You will be fine," he soothed, rasping voice startlingly gentle. "They will be safe. Consider the here and now for the moment."
He had to wonder when he'd become the reasonable one.