Welcome to Gaia! ::

The jeep pulled to a stop in front of the massive mirrored building. The men in uniform who had accompanied Topher since he landed and assisted with his luggage seemed to breathe an almost imperceptable sigh of relief after the big gate swung shut and the motor of the car was cut.

"Yeah, pay's great." One of the guards mumbled, but without the normal enthusiasm that wone would associate with such a claim.

One of them waved at the luggage. "You can leave that here. This is just for some medical exam and a shot. Then we'll take you to yer room"

They waved him into the massive building, to a plush if little-used looking waiting room.

"Naw" The first guard responded to his question as he led him through the lobby and into the sterile hallway that lay beyond the "homey" facade of the lobby. Once out of the lobby, there was no doubt that this was indeed a massive lab facility. "This is just the labs. The rooms are a few miles down the road."

The guards' shoes clicked on the hard linoleum as they took him to the elevator and one of them joined him inside.

He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and looked around for a moment before saying "Uh, Floor Eight." And the elevator began to move.

The guard by his side as the elevator rose shook his head with a smirk. "s**t, I don't even usually have clearence to go up here. The doc's can't have ya wandering around here by yerself." he paused, and then gave a wry grin. " Probably get lost."

It didn't take long for the elevator to surge to the top, stopping with a stomach-lurch. "Hell, everyone gets drunk, right, man?" the guard smiled, not seeming too judgmental. If he knew about the DUI, he didn't mention anything.

"They have ta give ya a special shot. The doc'll let ya know. He should be here soon." The guard commented as the doors pulled open directly into a large examination room. Gesturing inside and then tipping his hat, he remained in the elevator.

"We'll meetcha back downstairs and take ya to the room after the doc is done with ya."

Like any doctor's office, Topher was left to entertain himself for five... then... thirty minutes. Most of the drawers and cabinets seemed to be locked and only a few basic supplies - like the stethescope - were left out for him to entertain himsef with. There were no magazines, and no informative posters on the walls.

Then, finally, the elevator opened and a rather pecular figure stepped in. He was wearing a white labcoat... but it was over a hawaiin shirt, and bright orange shorts. He had long, tangled shock-white hair wrangled back into a ponytail, and a flare of mischief in his grey-blue eyes.

He was holding a file folder and flipping through it as he walked into the room and directed a smile towards Topher.

"So! Mr. Garrison is it? Welcome to the Feral Labs island branch! As I'm sure the... well, judge informed you - this is a new, kind of experimental rehab facility. We've got some unique techniques, but we think that they will prove to be quite effective! By the end of this, you should prefer water over alcohol!"

He seemed to find this concept far too exciting and clapped his hands, setting the folder down on a stool.

"So to start things off, you need an innoculation. Standard procedure for anyone who sets foot on the rock." Sabin commented as he went to one of the locked mirroed cabinets. But if Topher had tried to open it earlier, he might be surprised by the fact that he didn't pull out a key, he just opened the cabinet and withdrew a small vial.

Sabin paused, looking at Topher for a moment quietly before lifting an eyebrow and giving him a cryptic smile.

"Sorry, 'Topher." He used the nickname easily, despite the light accent in his voice. "Doctor's orders, at it were. We want to keep our hands clean with the courts. And besides, we need people to help us with the techniques. And I'm sure that this isn't a habitual thing... it never is." He gave him what appeared to be a practiced smile that still had a patronizing undertone.

He filled a syringe with the clear liquid, and grabbed an alcohol swab before walking over to Topher. "Now, show me your skin." He grinned. "Don't want you getting the Dengue fever."

"If you consider hemmhoraging and bleeding "bad"... then yes, Dengue is quite bad." Sabin commented idly as he wiped his arm and then swiftly inserted the needle into the back of his arm. There was a pinch, a flare of heat, and then a tingling sensation that passed over him.

Sabin wiped it again, tossed all the materials involved, and then patted him on the arm. "And we're done!" He showed his empty hands.

"Now, the first part of the rehab is monitering your self restraint when you know that you're here to stay dry. So there is alcohol available, but we are heavily suggesting that you not partake. We'll watch your progress. We want to see how much of this is just lifestyle choices versus a real problem." Sabin's serious tone held him for a moment, and then he smiled.

"So I'll have your friends show you to your room... and we'll be in touch!"

Sabin gestured to the elevator, which dinged open immediately.

"Well, there is alcohol. BUT it is part of the test as it were. We want to see if you have the willpower to abstain when the temptation is there, knowing that it is a test." Sabin nodded matter-of factly. Of course, Sabin didn't care if Topher drank or not. But he wasn't going to take the alcohol away form the islanders. It tended to make them more complacent, and it was a good excuse.

"And I'll be sure to pass the word along." He winked and let Topher take the elevator down.

As soon as Topher was in the elevator, the door closed and it started heading down, as if pre-programed.

Down on the first floor, the same guard were waiting for him, and ready to take him out to the village.

They took him out to the same jeep, and down a different dirt road. Three miles later and the jungle opened up to a collection of buildings in a wheel-formation. Pulling in front of the 41/42 duplex unit, they helped get his things into the bottom story, number 41.