Welcome to Gaia! ::

After the excitement of the past couple of days, Gaius felt a need to get away from the Village, if at least for a little while. The edge of the jungle was ever-present at the corners of his vision, calling to him. Grabbing a bag from his duplex and stocking up on some water and food from the caf, Gaius set off into the jungle.

Surprisingly, there were already clear paths cut through the trees, apparantly well-used by the other island inhabitants. Leaving about mid-day, it was some hours before Gaius found himself wandering in the direction of the mountainous region of the island. The fresh air was invigorating, as was the act of exerting himself physically. He'd never had landscapes like this to travel through back home in the states. There was a profound sense of isolation out here in the wild jungle of the island.

So it was a surprise when Gaius stumbled upon Tommy. Pushing his way out of the trees, Gaius's first sight was of the make-shift jacket-tent. Nearing it, he caught sight of the guy inside, and approached at a quickening pace. The guy looked to be injured, or sick. That was dangerous out here in the wild!

It wasn't until he was about a yard away that Gaius noticed the bizarrely-elongated fingers. He stopped in his tracks, unsure of whether to approach any closer or not. His encounters with the animal-people had been unpredictable, at best, but this one looked more human than animal...

"H-hey there!" he hazzarded. "Do you need help?"

Ah damn, the guy was definitely in bad shape. Figuring he was too ill to try and attack Gaius at all, the architect closed the distance and knelt down beside Tommy. His hand first went to Tommy's forehead, feeling the heat radiating from it. Shoot, a fever. That usually meant there was more wrong below the surface. Sliding his bag off his shoulders, Gaius quickly dug out the first aid kit he'd packed, as well as one of his old shirts and a water bottle. Dousing the shirt, he placed it on the guy's forehead to help cool him off. Then his eyes passed down over the rest of the guy. His limbs looked to be okay, but he definitely looked mal-nourished.

Looking back up at Tommy's face, Gaius asked, "Can you tell me where you're hurt? I'll try and help, but I have to know what's wrong first..."

"Broken ribs?" Gaius winced. "Damn..." There was nothing to do for broken ribs but let them heal themselves. And from the sound of it, this guy was in a hell of a lot of pain thanks to them. Gaius wondered how long he'd been out here like this... He probably couldn't even fend for himself. Glancing around the small camp area, Gaius found no sight of anything edible.

Well, he'd already resolved to help this guy when he'd approached him. Unpacking one of the sandwiches he'd made earlier, Gaius pulled back the tinfoil wrapping and held it out towards the guy. "Here, do you think you can manage some food? It'll help things heal..."

Gaius gave Tommy's refusal a confused look before he explained his unfortunate diet. His stomach cringed inside him. The labs could even change eating habits? "V-Vampire bat... That would explain the ears... and hands..." A sympathetic twitch went through his own fingers at the sight of the stretched digits. They looked so awkward.

Then the chuckling came, degrading into sobbing as Gaius watched, feeling immensely awkward. It was embarassing, to a degree, to see a grown, tough man sobbing behind his hands, but what was even more embarassing was that Gaius could see himself in Tommy's place. He'd been on the verge of that state just the other night before Antony had straightened him out. Gaius offered the bat-man a tentative pat on the shoulder, all the while wishing he was a better comforter, and smiled weakly. "I... I know it's bad, but at least you're alive, right? Things could be worse."

A look of surprise, as well as a hint of admiration, crossed Gaius's face. This guy had some guts, if he'd gone after this terrible 'Moreau' himself. "That you even attempted that... wow." He shook his head slightly, ignoring Tommy's pleading warning. "I doubt they'll care much about what I do... I'm just a new guy, after all," he grinned and gave a half-shrug.

"And I'm not about to let you die out here, not even if those lab guys want it." Gaius picked up the waterbottle he'd set aside and pulled off the top, offering it to Tommy to take. "Here, take some water at least, and..." He dug a small bottle out of the first-aid kit, taken from his own duplex. "Here's some pain-killers for the ribs. Listen, maybe I should get you back to the duplexes, you're in no condition to survive on your own out here..."

Gaius's brows met as he listened. "Not even for medical reasons...? Harsh. But, I guess trying to take down the head guy has its consequences..." He hadn't been on the island at the time of the announcement, but he could imagine this Moreau fellow was not one to mess around.

Picking up the unwrapped sandwich, Gaius took a bite himself, gesturing for Tommy to keep the bottle. "S'alrighf," he said around a mouthful, "Ah've mo' back a' the duplex."

Something Tommy mentioned struck Gaius as curious, though. He was still learning about all the ins and outs of the island and its security. Swallowing down his sandwich, Gaius looked curiously at his camp-companion. "Just wondering... what do you mean by 'zapped'? Do they have rayguns or something?"

"'Nicest prison in the world.' That's a good way to put it," Gaius agreed. "Getting out is going to be hard... but..." A gleam of determination lit up Gaius's eyes. He scanned the area with a couple glances, wondering if they really had cameras this far out, and leaned closer to Tommy. A hard smile spread across his face. "Listen, what you did wasn't for nothing. Don't give up hope yet. There's... actions being taken by others. Hold on to your bravery and keep on fighting."

All of this came out in a rushed whisper, and Gaius sat back at the end, eating his sandwich and acting as if nothing had happened, though his face remained set. If Tommy could have the guts to take on the labs, then Gaius could at least do his best to honor that bravery and cary out his part of the deal with Antony and the bottles.