Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Welcome to my research facility Julian..." Moreau smiled and did a half bow. "Now if you will come inside we have a few necessary innoculations we need to give you so you don't catch any horrible flesh rotting diseases native to the area."

Moreau grinned as he lead Julian toward a set of doors on the largest building that slid open as the doctor approached them.

"I was joking with you Julian..." Moreau said as he lead him to an elevator that had no buttons on it. The elevator also opened as Moreau approached it.

"Floor 8" Moreau said aloud as the elevator rose he continued his statement. "As I was saying, we do have a number of diseases you'll be innoculated against. Moreau smiled slightly as the elevator stopped and opened itself up to a room with a metal table on it.

"I must say, you aren't quite what I imagined," Moreau sighed. "Still if you'll be seated I'll get the needle."

"Don't be silly, your no disappointment... just a bit of a suprise is all." Moreau walked over to a cabnet which opened for him. He at first reached for the Panther serum... his original idea for thie man. Then Moreau stopped for a moment... thought about something.

Moreau had a better idea, he had a serum, one of his earliest divised from regular tabby housecat D.N.A. that seemed to suit this man. Plus almost all his experiments so far had been using wild animal D.N.A. something more domesticated might be... interesting.

"Ahhh here's the one..." Moreau said as he pulled out a vial and inserted it into his needle. He walked back to Julian, squirted the first bit out of the top and tapped the needle.

"Roll up your arm... this may cause a bit of discomfort." Moreau grinned.

Moreau smiled as he inserted the needle into Julian's arm. The serum entered the bloodstream and began to do what it was intended to, act as preperation for the later serums. Already making changes to the D.N.A that would not be noticed till later. Though he suspected, if not already Julian would find himself rather noctournal in the near future, and feeling a bit more, carnivorous than normal.

Moreau pulled out the needle, "Not so bad was it..." Moreau began to dispose of the supplies. "Now, let me escort you to the gate, you will be living in apartment... 02, it is upstairs from a..." Moreau checked the name again. "Ambrose Maurlias, bright fellow, bit uptight though."

"Now off of all that, I hope to see your writings about my island soon, of course anything you write about has to be cleared through me so don't worry about addressing them." Moreau smiled to Julian. "I hope you enjoy your stay."

Moreau lead Julian to the elevator and out of the lab and then through the front gate, which closed behind him. As it only opens for Moreau and his staff scientists. Moreau smile was ear to ear as he watched the skinny young man leave. He'd added a new one to his collection.

Julian was dead silent. He usually was when he was writing up a storm in this way. Even now that he had a table to write on, he was still on his knees on the floor in his usual, hunched-over fashion, scrambling to jot his ideas down as they came.

The apartment was fairly clean, considering the fact that he hadn't yet left it - on the other hand, what did he have to mess it up with? The only clothes he really had were what he was wearing, and the only objects he had brought could all fit on his person.

The only hint of a mess of any sort was a pile of dirty dishes in the sink, showing off a surprisingly healthy appetite for such a gangly man. When he had arrived, he had been very happy to find the fridge stocked, as promised - and with plenty of fish and meat, too!

Julian had been taking full advantage of this fact - eating some portion of meat at every meal. At first, it had only been small portions, with lots of rice and vegetables...but steadily, the portions of meat in his plate were getting larger and larger, nearly to the point where that was all he was eating. He didn't really think it was very strange - why would he? His body was probably craving the protein he rarely got at home.

For that matter, his internal clock doing an about-face on him didn't startle him, either. He had always been something of a nightowl - it wasn't new, and was right at home with him.

Setting down the pen, satisfied, he sat back on his heels. The moment he had arrived, he had come up with the idea for this story - and ever since, he had been feverishly penning it, stopping only to eat, nap, and use the restroom. But now...he felt he needed a break.

Julian pulled himself to his feet, arching his back in a stretch, and headed towards the door. He really hadn't explored very much - and...for that matter, he didn't know anyone else on the island. Really, it would only be polite to meet someone...right?

However, as he opened the door, his bright emerald eyes fell on a package - a sight that filled him with both glee and confusion. He never got packages! Never! But...who would be sending him something? He didn't know anyone, and his parents wouldn't know where he was....

Gently, he bent down to pick it up, pulling it inside and shutting the door again. He knelt on the floor, tearing into the box....

"...Oh, my god...."

With shaking fingers, he pulled from the tissue paper the most beautiful copy of Alice in Wonderland he had ever seen. A quick glance across the spine verified his initial thrill of discovery - THIS WAS AN ORIGINAL PRINT. But who would...? Who...?

As if handling a precious, fragile egg, Julian slowly set the book on the coffee table, opening up the cover. He bent low to breathe deep the scent of the fine old pages...relishing the knowledge that he actually OWNED one of these, now.

Carefully closing the book, he gently lifted it, moving it to a place of honor atop one of the modest bookshelves the apartment had. He wouldn't handle it too much - oh, no. For that, he had the paperback tucked into his belt. No, he would keep and preserve this book as if it were his child...with the utmost care.

Smiling dreamily at it, he sat in a chair to gaze at it for a bit.

He would go out and meet people later.

They must be very nice, if one of them would give him something this precious.

((The Dude, Ambrose, and the Jabberwock.))

Groaning a bit, Julian rolled over and stretched. He had been napping quietly in his room for a couple of hours now, and his body was beginning to complain.

Allowing a wide yawn to escape him, he swung his legs back over the edge of the bed, slipping his feet into his sneakers.

"...Well, that was a good nap...how are you feeling, Alice?"

Laughing a bit at himself, he smiled to the book in its place of honor on the top of the shelf. He, of course, knew it wouldn't talk back to him. No, that would mean he was out of touch with reality.

He wasn't.

Nothing was wrong, though. Julian was happy...quite happy. Nothing was going to happen to him, after all. Everything was GREAT.

At least, that's what he was forcing himself to believe.

If things weren't okay...he might break.

And he didn't want to break again.

No, that first night, after speaking with Ambrose, he had broken. He had sat up the whole night, reading the same passage in Alice - the Lobster Quadrille - over and over and over again. He hadn't eaten, he hadn't slept...only mumbled and rocked and shuddered and grinned until his face was sore.

It had been one of the worst nights of his life.

But, no, no. Everything was great right now. He wouldn't need to fall to pieces - this was all a half-reality! Someone would just jump out at the end and say 'you're fine and going home!' Besides, he hadn't changed at all. Perhaps he wouldn't.

At least...he hoped not....