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Gaius shot Thom a sharp look. He didn't really... intend to kill Zach, did he? Even for all of Gaius's hard feelings, the pegasus-man didn't really want him dead. Not by his hands. He just wanted him to admit he was wrong, to grovel for his forgiveness. That kind of selfish stuff.

Lucas's words brought him up short. For a moment, he stared in confusion. Then, the meaning slowly sank in, and from the depths of his mind, where he'd buried them, echoed those words in a distinctly French accent.

...You won't be missed by anyone...

It was easy to tell by the horse-man's nature that somehow, those words stung. His lips were curled in a grimace and his hands clenched his knees white-knuckled. Vixen, sensing her master's agitation, nuzzled his arm.

After a moment, Gaius looked up, noticing both of the guys were looking at him expectantly. Taking a deep breath, Gaius shifted his seat.

"It's... not something I've talked about with anyone, really," he began. "I told you Zach was taken up to the labs again. Truth is, we were both taken. It was after one of our scuffles, and I'd clocked one on the dragon. We ended up in an unlit room, tied to chairs and unable to see anything. Sabin scolded us, like children," he growled, "and then set us a task to try and get us to 'work together' and get along or something. Things were going fine too until Zach tried to choke me."

The horse-man sighed, rubbing his nose with a finger. "So it was back to the dark room. Sabin was angry and belittling Zach and I had the stupidity to butt in and try to stand up for him. That's before I knew better. Sabin... is very, very hard with his words. Harder than I could ever hit anyone physically." Gaius bit his lip, recalling that harsh exchange. It still ached, like an old wound. "He said the reason any of us was here was because we were people that could disappear and never be missed..."

"Eventually," Thom admitted casually, glancing from Gaius to Lucas as if surprised that they would disagree wit the idea. "Unless I find some better use for 'im. But once those uses run out?" Chuckling, he leaned back against the tree, tongue giving a lazy flick. "I 'ave my reasons. I'm sure Zachary expects no less from me."

He fixed Gaius with a curious stare, finally nodding in agreement with Lucas's words. "E's right, it's just Duvert gettin' to you. I don't know about either of you, but I... I wouldn't 'ave been easy to up an' vanish." He almost hadn't said it, once he had thought about it. True, he'd been famous. Famous the world over. But how many close ties did he actually have? His relationship with his family was far from the best, several of his teammate had died in the crash, it would be easy to say that he was one of them. No one would dig to be sure. No one would have actually come looking for him.

Shaking his head, he offered a smile. "Duvert's good at gettin' into your 'ead, makin' you think whatever 'e wants. Easiest thing t' do is ignore him."

He smiled, glad that Gaius appeared to be okay again.

"I just don't agree with killing. I'd rather he continue being miserable. Maybe more miserable and have him leave me and others alone. But not killing." Even if he had the opportunity to kill someone like Duvert or Moreau, Lucas wasn't sure he could go through with it. More likely he'd rather pump both with a terrible serum and let them see what it was like.

After Gaius asked his question, he waited quietly for Thom's reply.

Gaius shifted uncomfortably. Thom was so determined, it unnerved him. While he was willing to hurt Zach if it could help them, going that far... He didn't like to think about it. Not in cold blood.

"Wait," he said, sitting up suddenly, "You've heard about the tunnel? Did Seth tell you?" He cast a wary glance between the two, but decided they'd already shared enough. He felt he could trust them with this much, at least. "...I've been looking for others to help... with the digging. Don't tell anyone, though."

"Oz told me." Thom's expression was one of surprise following Gaius's question, though he soon remembered that Oz had infact mentioned the pegasus man in talking about his plans. "I can't help with th' diggin', though. It's too close to th' labs, I can't risk it."

Grinning, he send Lucas a shrug. "We'll figure it out then, won't we? A tunnel's not an end-all, be-all, but it can only help up. It gives 'em somethin' t' do, an' it might be useful. I'm not about t' stop them. Really though, think about it. There are at least 70...subjects on this island. An' we've proved that they can survive after removin' the chips. We start pullin' chips, kickin' out cameras... 'Ow many guards can they have in th' labs? Even if there are more, we know the jungle better than they can ever hope to, an' we can use that to our advantage. Make them bring the fight to us. Guerilla warfare."

"Yes, it does give them something to do. And, yes, there are likely over 70 subjects, but not all would be cut out or willing to charge the labs. And provided the dechipping doesn't harm them, some could never elude the guards because of their changes. And some aren't fighters or predators. What about people like Emerwyn? Or Marshall?"

There was so much more he wanted to say on that, but stopped and shook his head. He sighed. Seeing Gaius get excited made it harder to speak his concerns. He didn't want to put affect his resolve. But he also felt it was neccessary to speak. He wasn't sure what kind of thinker Seth was, but Thom seemed like the type that just wanted payback no matter what and to hell with the consequences. Even if he wasn't the only one affected. They already said Jamal wasn't much of a thinker. Oz didn't seem to be the brightest apple, either. And as much as he appreciated it, after Gaius' attempt to get his eye away from Zach, it really didn't seem like the pegasus thought his actions through completely. Of course...he couldn't exactly say the same about himself in recent weeks.

"Don't get me wrong. I want to be free of the labs, but I just hope everyone involved understands that our first attempt may very well be our last. If we organize and hit them we better have a damn good plan to do that. One that gives us a chance. Not one that we only have a desperate hope in. Because if we fail one can be sure the labs will not take second chances. Lock us in cages, no contact, several chips, and to remain that way for the rest of our lives. And that decision might not affect just the ones who were in on it, even the ones who are innocent could share in it."

Lucas stroked Dasher, who had flopped down onto his lap. A mad flight through hijacked helicopter? He rubbed the bridge of his nose. It was a possibility, so long as Moreau didn't have any means to shoot them down or had the ability to cut off the chopper before it could touch down somewhere else, then have Moreau's goons waiting to grab the Islander again.

The idea of going back to the mainland and contacting the authorities as they were now filled Lucas with just as much concern. What if they were just trading in one cage for another?

"We can't just wait for our freedom to drop in our laps," Gaius said, continuing what Thom'd started. "I know it's risky... I don't expect everyone to be able to fight, but Thom's right. What's to keep Moreau from locking us up forever tomorrow, without provocation? Every day we wait only makes it more likely to happen. And while we sit on our hands, more victims are being shipped here. At the very least, we can try to stop that."

Gaius raised an eyebrow at the news that Newt, of all people, was fashioning weapons for the rebellion, but somehow, it seemed to make sense from what he'd seen in the guy's duplex. "Not everyone has to fight... and I know there's those that support the labs, or are too afraid. I wouldn't want Marshall to have to face that danger. But I'm willing to face it for him. I know you're worried about what might happen if we fail... but what if we succeed?"

"Lucas, they took your eye, for God's sake!" he exclaimed. "I know from personal experience, they don't think of us as human anymore. They didn't from the start. We're barely beasts for them, objects for their study! If we can do this, we may never be human again, but we can at least live with dignity and as we deserve to live. As human souls with intelligence."