Over Coffee Characters: Jason and Wes Setting: Block A kitchen, midday
After getting his things back from Edan, Jason went back to his new room. No one had claimed the few things that were in there yet, so he carefully collected them, setting them all in one place. He'd hang on to them for a few days, see if anyone claimed them, and if not, he was sure there were some people here who could use them. After that, he put his own things away. Once he finished, he got changed into some real clothes and ventured out. Time to see what was really going on.
First place he tried to check was upstairs. Jason wasn't terribly pleased to find that he couldn't access that area anymore. Guess that meant he wouldn't be able to get Reggie's things for the other man. Unhappy with that, he made his way over to the tunnel. Even though he had been expecting it from what he had read so far on the journals, he still wasn't pleased to see that it was also shut down. Not expecting much, he also went over to the elevator, to see if he could access the other block from the basement, but the elevator didn't move. Frustrated and grumpy, he headed to the kitchen. He wasn't really hungry, but he wanted coffee. Once he had gotten a fresh pot brewed, he poured himself a cup, leaning against the counter as he took a sip. As he continued to slowly sip at his coffee, he began to consider different ways to get over to the other block, and just what exactly the purpose of all this was.
Wes was feeling rather displaced. He had been here for a day and already had had to move rooms. Not only that, but he had been told to move rooms without any of the belongings that he had just been given. He didn't see the point of any of this. Maybe it was different for those people who had been here for longer. For the doctor, though, it just felt like a massive waste of time. He liked to be able to understand everything, even if he didn't like the reasoning. Annoyed, he headed into the kitchen and over to the coffee pot, pouring himself a cup of strong, black coffee. The caffeine would help to relax him. It was only once he had taken a sip that he realised that he wasn't along. He looked towards Jason and upnodded a greeting. "Hi. How's it going?" he asked.
Given the focused manner with which the other man got himself coffee, Jason hadn't been sure the other man would notice him. He understood that though; sometimes functioning without caffeine was rough, and today was already shaping up to be one of those days. At the greeting, he made a bit of a face. "It was a wonderful morning," he answered, voice slightly sarcastic. He figured he couldn't be the only one who was unhappy about this whole thing. He knew Edan hadn't been. "How's your day going so far?"
"Been here maybe twenty-four hours and already had to move," Wes said. "It's going just fine. I'm Wes, by the way." He needed to start getting to know people - and figuring out who everyone was and how he should view them. He had discovered that finding one's feet in prison as quickly as possible was nothing short of a survival tactic.
"Jason," he responded, sipping at his coffee. "Well, that sucks. Got here just in time for lockdown then, huh? It's not always like that here, but the people in charge still like to throw curveballs at us enough to keep us from ever getting comfortable. Probably just to see us squirm." He wasn't sure what other reason they would have to do half the things they did. Of course, sometimes he wondered if he even really wanted to know what they were thinking. "On the bright side though, they generally give us coffee, so at least we're not having to deal with this shit without caffeine."
"If they like to through curveballs, I wouldn't be admitting to a caffeine addiction, if I were you," Wes joked. "I can totally live without coffee - absolutely no damn reason to take it away from me. Would achieve absolutely nothing," he said, overly loudly, clearly speaking to whoever was listening. He grinned at Jason and took another gulp of his drink that he would, in fact, be devastated if they took away from him.
Jason laughed, "Unfortunately, it's too late for that. I'd say they've known about my caffiene dependence for a while now. " Probably since the day after he had gotten here. Of course, he probably wasn't the only one. They probably knew of everyone that had the same problem.
"If they're watching us all the time, they probably know more about our habits than we do," Wes mused. "It's weird, being the subject of a study, rather than the one studying. I mean, they might not say this is an experiment, but if it's a lead program, that's what it really is. It's one big trial - see how we do. See what the outcomes are. See what things work, and what things don't."
"The general consensus seems to be that this is definitely either some sort of experiment, or a really bad reality show. One of the two,"Jason told Wes, agreeing with him about this whole program, even if the people in charge weren't admitting anything. "What did you do before this? Since you said you were generally on the other end of things?" A scientist of some kind maybe, he guessed.
"Oh, I was an ER doctor. So nothing like this kind of thing professionally, but as a student and an intern I assisted on a few research projects," Wes told him. That all seemed like a long time ago, and really he guessed it was - getting on for a decade now.
Jason nodded, interested, and thinking that it was probably a good thing. Even though most of the time, things were fairly calm here, there had been enough problems to prove that there was a definite need for a doctor here. And one with experience in the ER couldn't hurt. "Well, don't be surprised if you get called on to do some work here. Unfortunately, there have been several incidents here already, and that's probably not likely to change."
"Honestly, I'd love to get back to work. Not that I'm some kind of guy that likes to see people injured or anything," Wes joked. "But I loved my job. I miss it. If they want me to take on that role here, then they're not gonna get any complaints from me. I hear that there's a clinic downstairs or something - not that we seem to be able to get downstairs right now..."
If Wes was willing to act as doctor again, that could probably only be a good thing. Jason figured it was only a matter of time before they needed one. Still, the other man's observation about the clinic simply reminded him of the reason he had been in the kitchen to begin with and a slight scowl escaped before he could stop it. "It's not the only place we can't get to. But at least they'll probably allow access to the basement again when we need it. Hopefully the rest of the facility again too, before too long."
"Let's hope so," Wes agreed. "I can't see there's anything to be gained from doing otherwise," he added. "Especially if it comes to a medical emergency."
"Well, they've been fairly hands off as far as helping us out goes. As long as someone's not likely to die, I wouldn't expect any help from them. They're probably planning on letting you handle everything. I mean, I hope they'd step in if it wasn't something that can be taken care of here, but... Who knows? Maybe they find this all entertaining or something." Jason shrugged then. He really didn't know what to think of the people in charge right now.
None of the news was particularly inspiring confidence in Wes, but he had never been afraid of a challenge. "I'll have to come at this that I'm on my own then," he said, determinedly. "Don't expect help, and if I get some then it's an added bonus."
Finishing up his cup of coffee, Jason poured himself another before setting the coffee pot to make some more. No reason to leave it empty. Nodding in agreement with Wes, he had to grin. "Well, if all that didn't scare you off, I think you'll be fine." He wasn't going to mention the murdered nurse. That might be pushing it.
"Very little scares me," Wes assured him with a mischievous glint in his blue eyes. He downed his own coffee and stretched. "Anyhow, I think I'm gonna go check out the gym. Maybe the pool later - gotta make use of what they've given us, right?"
"Exactly," Jason agreed with a laugh. "Since we've got to put up with their crap anyway, might as well enjoy what perks there are." He'd probably end up heading down to the gym later, but for now, he was probably going to head back to his room. If nothing else, he'd let Reggie know that he hadn't been able to get his things for him, and check and see if anyone had claimed the things left behind in the room yet.