Welcome to Gaia! ::

Victio smiled as Alphonse walked into the room. I knew he wouldn't be able to resist...... Victio spread his arms wide... turning left to right slowly at the torso... "Welcome to your new 'treatment' room", Victio said, a slight tone of sarcasim in his voice. "This is where your treatment will diverge radically from past failure.



Walking to a small terminal in the middle of the room, Victio pressed a button. The machine roared to life, a small holographic scoreboard was projected across the room on a sunless wall. On the scoreboard read Victio's name as the "Home" team, the "Visitor" team was unnamed.

"Go ahead and put your name into the Machine," Victio said, pointing toward a small keypad, "This room and the score projected on the wall will become very important to you."

Victio walked to his side of the long pad unrolled on the floor and flourished his blade. "Here is how this will work, we will assess your skill in fencing, if you require instruction I will teach you, if not, we will begin immediately. Your goal is to beat me, If you beat me you will be rewarded with certain privileges, that I am sure you will appreciate, if you fail you will be punished."

"Punishments will include being locked in your dormatory for half a day, the other half to be spent cleaning and other tasks to keep your mind and your body completely occupied." Victio paused a moment before continuing "Punishments can be lessened if not altogether removed by showing me one of your stashes."

"Rewards well, those are entirely up to you. You cannot be given alcohol of course, but you can suggest what it is your heart desires and it shall be yours within reason." Victio smiled... "But I do not expect you to win anytime soon..."

Smiling at alphonse victio continued... "So... Alphonse... do you care to play my little game?"

"En Garde!"

"Well i guess that means I win our first fight." Victio walked over to the machine, Chuckling he put a 1 on his side and then hit the 'end game' button. The machine rattled a bit and announced via projection that Victio had beaten ******** You. "well, "******** you" I guess it is time to begin your punishment... Victio walked over to Alphonse, grabbed the sword from his hand is tossed it unceremoniously to the floor. Victio then started walking out of the room. Two orderlies entered the room from and came up behind Alphonse, glaring at him.

"Come along Alphonse, it is time to visit your new room." The four of them walked down the hallway to Alphonse's room. They walked past it. The room next door had been emptied. When they entered, all that remained was a bare bunk and a dresser filled with plain white hospital clothing.

"Welcome to your new room. This room has a door with a lock on it. It locks from the outside. You will be unable to exit until someone comes to let you out or unless there is a fire or some other emergency that necessitates the door open so that you can exit." Victio looked around the room briefly. "I will return in about 4 hours with your next task.

Victio was sipping hot tea in the cafeteria thinking of how upset Alphonse must be right now, sitting there in a locked room, with only a window and white walls to entertain himself with. Certainly by now he must be wishing he had at least tried to fence me, then at least he could have obtained some experience. Victio smiled again and looked at his watch "About time i go check on him I suppose, its been about 4 hours, and the washrooms need a good washing."

Victio stood and with 2 orderlies walked to Alphonse's new room. Opening the door the three were greeted with a moved dresser, broken glass, and a missing Alphonse.

The alarm was sounded and his picture distributed to local authorities. It was not long before Alphonse was located.

"Dr. Strauss?" The officer on the other line asked
"Yes? have you found him?"
"Yes, he is at a bar on the lower west side a few blocks south of your clinic, a placed called Wicket Ticket, would you like us to bring him in?"
"No, I will go and collect him myself, please keep an eye on him until I arrive, Thank you officer." Victio hung up the phone and walked to the closet in his office. Changing out of his white coat and in to his civies he got into his car and drove down to the bar.

Victio immediately recognized the figure of Alphonse, sitting in a booth in a corner. Victio wondered why the drinking age here was so young and how Alphonse had found the money to purchase alcohol but all that did not seem to matter now. Alphonse was drunk again and Victio's plan for him had utterly failed. Victio ordered a drink at the bar and with it walked over to Alphonse.

"So, I see you decided to take a vacation?"

Victio sipped his drink and looked at the boy sitting across from him. He felt a twinge of sympathy for the poor boy, It was obvious that the boy had a serious drinking problem, he'd been gone only a few hours but was already completely smashed.

"You just couldn't stay put could you? not even for your own good." He said, sipping his drink and frowning at alphonse. "Are you ready to go back to the clinic now? or do you want to finish your drink?"

"Unfortunately Alphonse, staying here indefinitely is not an option available to you". Victio shrugged, the sight of his patient so far gone made him sick to his stomach and reminded him of his past failures. "I must take you back to the clinic and resume your treatment because that is what I promised your parents and that is what I promised you." Victio took another sip of his drink and placed it on the table, hoping the strong alcoholic beverage would wash the taste of complete and utter failure from his mouth.

"Do you like your drink? What did you order?"

"I am afraid you do not have much of a choice in the matter Alphonse." Victio finished his drink and placed it on the table. He then pulled out some bills and placed it next to the glass. "It's time to go home, I've got your tab". Victio walked around the table to where Alphonse sat and started to hoist him out of his seat.

"Hey! what the ******** do you think you are doing with that boy you little ********," Victio heard from behind him. As Victio turned around to face the voice a strong hand grasped his shoulder, spinning him around. Victio looked up into the face of a very large bearded man... but that face was soon obscured by a fist, and then there was pain, and then everything went black.

Victio woke several hours later in his bed at he clinic. Sitting up, Victio brought his hand to his face. The right side of his face was in immense pain. As he sat up an orderly came in with a glass of water and some pills.

"Where am I" victio managed to say.

His head aching with pain... Victio sat up in bed. "Thank you nurse" he said as he took the pills that were brought to him. "I must tend to my patient".

Victio rose from his bed, and taking a blanket from a cabinet he headed for the public restroom at the clinic.

Victio entered to the sounds of groaning and pain. it was easy to locate which stall he was in.

"Alphonse? Is that you?" Victio said. "The nurses tell me you are not feeling too well." Victio patiently waited for an answer, "I have a blanket for you..."