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 Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 8:21 am
"Life's not about what you want to do."
Jordan lost a bit of his smile. This nut wasn’t cracking as easily as he’d anticipated. Maybe- just maybe- he’d come on strong. Nah! It was this guy! He’d been neglecting his duties so long he’d forgotten his place. Okay, change of strategy time. He wasn’t about to lose this guy after all the wind he’d just wasted.
“Does this mean you’ve completely turned your back on the very people who gave you a chance when no one else would?”
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:41 am
"T-turned m-my..." Newt sputtered, eyes widening slightly as embarrassment crawled over his face. "I... n-no... th-they... I had... I th-thought I was... I th-thought I h-had been... if... if I'd known I w-was... I d-didn't... they were k-kuh-kind enough to..." He couldn't seem to finish a sentence, floundering to try to explain his actions. At the mentioning of this tetchy subject, though, those large bulbous eyes had begun to wobble and water, dribbling fat tears down his neck less face.
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:51 am
It wasn’t his fault Newt was crying. If he’d just been more willing to conform to Jordan’s way of thinking, he could have avoided the emotional scene. This sad display made Jordan angry, uttering an annoyed ‘Tch…” and he snarled a bit. He didn’t have this much resistance with Sophie. She clung to Jordan’s words and accepted them as the right way. Why couldn’t frog legs just do the same?
“You thought wrong.” He folded his arms across his chest.
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:00 am
Newt's throat was inflating and deflating as he began to hyperventilate, eyes wide with terror, "Wh-what... wh-what w-would... would happen if... if I d-didn't? W-would they be mad? I d-don't want to be in any m-more t-trouble! I've... I've t-tried to st-stay out of t-trouble and... and st-stay busy.. I... I had an idea I w-was... g-going to st-start soon- s-selling w-wind chimes and... and j-jewelry and... ah... if... if I duh... If I... wh-what... " He couldn't stop the tears, just like he couldn't stop the miserable ribbit. "KrrKIT!"
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:15 am
This was more than irritating. Even with his paws tucked under his arms, they flexed and unflexed balling into fists. Jordan closed his eyes and grit his fangs, shaking his head back and forth towards the ground. Pathetic.
“You’ve turned your back on the labs, so what reason do they have to keep you in their graces? They gave you a helping hand when you needed one most and you repayed their kindness by biting the hand that feeds you. Can you survive in the wilderness all alone? You’ve taken everything they have done for you for granted and spat in the doctor’s face.”
He huffed indignantly. “Look, I’ll level with you Newt… our meeting wasn’t an accident. As you’re well aware, there are cameras everywhere. They told me where to find you.” He looked up to the frogman with that annoyed sneer. “I could get in serious trouble for even tipping you off, but… I was sent out here to give you one last chance to reform your ways.”
Oh, yes. If he wouldn’t listen to reason, Newt would certainly listen to cleverly-fabricated lies. He wasn’t giving up so easily. This man was breaking and Jordan was pissed off at this point. It took every bit of nerve not to break his wind chime and throw it into the river. However, that would be counter-productive… at least until it was necessary as a last resort.
“I’m here on behalf of the labs, Newt. Whether you do or do not come return to your duties won’t affect my living in comfort, but if I were you, I’d be asking myself if I wanted to live in the river mud, being paranoid for the rest of your amphibious life of all the predators looking to have frog’s legs for dinner.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:31 am
Newt was silent, mouth opening and closing uselessly as he tried to form coherent words. It wasn't Jordan's voice he was hearing, though, it was deeper, and far more familiar.
Ungrateful little selfish b*****d! Do something USEFULL for a change! You will not step FOOT in this house again untill you can act like a human being!!
He did a fine job of that, hadn't he? His stomach clenched and flopped and crawled, the tears still dribbling down his wobbling cheeks, although he still remained quiet, muddled mind fumbling over should haves, could haves and what ifs. He hadn't KNOWN! How could he have known? But he didn't WANT to... but... would they really throw him out of his duplex??
He was under the bushes again, and there she was, claws and muzzle bloodied by her friend's torn throat, and he knew he knew he knew she was hungry for more. NO! No, he couldn't... they wouldn't have... but Aubrey had said... but had she really meant...
That was when another thought clicked in Newt's clever head, his brows furrowed and the tears stopped, "C-could... y-you sh-show me your ID b-badge?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 11:31 am
“You do realize that I can walk away now, cutting my losses, to leave you here to play in the mud and make wind chimes for the rest of your days and report to the labs you were beligerent and uncooperative. Questioning my connections to the labs isn’t in your best interest.” He said with disdain towards the frog. “Don’t question my obedience to the labs to detract from your lapse in loyalty.”
Jordan huffed with an upward thrust of his chin, maintaining his assertive, if not aggressive, posture. He was forced to think on his feet. It was good practice for finding what he was good at. Jordan could imagine himself being the poster spokesman as a Feral Labs motivational speaker. He’d tried to nice way, but now it was time to whip out the baseball bat and shatter some bones. Doctor Moreau surely would be less disappointed with him if he were to get another member of the team to realize his place and abandon foolish whimsy.
“And wave it around like a flag for some malcontent to tag me in the back when I’m not looking? You should know better. There are dangerous folk lurking the wild.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 11:34 am
Newt shifted warily, sniffling as he glanced to the tree line, twisting his webbed hands together anxiously, "Is it n-not also... c-company puh-puh-puh-policy to m-maintain st-strict and... t-tight security? I... I... I'm n-not about to let... j-just any f-fast t-talking.... st-stranger t-tell me wh-what I sh-should do!" That had been a rigorous part of even the cleaning and maintenance staff's training. Feral labs was no pushover when it came to security.
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 11:59 am
Citing company policy.. how aggravating. His eyes narrowed in frustration at this slimy man’s slimy nature. He wasn’t going to just give in. And Jordan wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. This was his shining chance to earn brownie points. Fine. He wanted to bring up company policy, then that was just fine. Company policy… Inspiration.
“You can cite company policy till you’re blue in the gills.” His eyes shifted to the blanket with the makings of a wind chime and various assorted junk piled. “It doesn’t change the fact that you’ve shirked your responsibilities. You’re still a member of the team, whether you realize that or not and you’re invited to resume your duties. This island facility is still Feral Labs. Be it on the mainland or this island, you are on Feral property. That means you’re still on duty. What do you suppose they would have done in the states if they’d discovered you playing with tinker toys instead of doing your job?” he wasn’t allowing Newt to answer before continuing “You would be reprimanded and your job could be filled by someone more competent than you.”
He shook his head and huffed. “You’ve seemed to have ‘forgotten’ ” he emphasized the word “who you are and where you are. You have jeopardized Feral Labs’ policy of security by convincing yourself you are no longer bound by any of their guidelines and contractual agreements. Your employment was not terminated. You are not exempt from the policies of Feral.” He nudged his chin in the direction of the blanket “And you’ve misappropriated Feral Labs property for personal gain. That’s quite an offense you’ve committed, Newt. If you believe yourself no longer employed by the labs, then you’re guilty of theft. Those tools are property of Feral, but you’re using them for personal gain. I believe that’s a breech of company policy.” He grinned smugly.
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:18 pm
Forgotten.... not terminated.... theft... personal gain...
"Wh-wuh-woo-what? What, b-but... b-but I... I... I th-thought I had... sp-special per-permission to... The... the other islanders have r-re-requested... ah... I d-didn't m-mean any h-huh-hah... ah... I..." He floundered, derailed again in the face of such horrific accusations.
There was his father, bellowing at him again, and nothing hurt more than that eternal look of disappointment. He'd always tried to do a good job, he always tried his hardest, but he had always done SOMETHING to ruin it in some way, a bad choice or a clumsy gesture... this job had been no different from any other moment in his life. Like everything else, it was something he just hadn't been good at. But he liked helping Gaius. He liked rummaging around for nicknacks to make into something new and beautiful. He felt powerful and productive... he felt like he had some sort of worth, something to share with everyone. What choice did he have, though? He couldn't- this was a message from the labs, he supposed... his final warning, his last chance to prove himself...
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:31 pm
“Any and all special privileges are restricted solely to active personnel and –even then- not everyone is privy to such bonus. Only those who have proven themselves steadfast and hardworking employees above and beyond the general masses qualify for special treatment; however, seeing that you no longer desire to continue your services with Feral, then you are in violation and you are in the possession of hot property.”
He listened to the stuttering frog try to explain his case. And he was unimpressed. A part of Jordan was enjoying this game- and that’s all it had become. A way to pass the time. A way to amuse himself. This was so much fun.
“Again, you thought wrong. You assumed things incorrectly. The others are not employed by Feral, now are they? We two are employees of the labs. What errant thought would cause you to believe the word of one of the test subjects over the labs, themselves? That’s not a wise career decision, Newt.” He’d made that mistake several times before Doctor Moreau had taken action against him. He spoke from experience with that line and the conviction could have won him the Oscar. “You know better. The ‘islanders’ have no authority over the labs.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:35 pm
"B-but... th-then..." Newt's eyes trembled, trying to find any loophole, any way to avoid this mess, "B-but... aren't... y-you a s-subject too? J-just... wh-what exactly... d-do you do for the labs?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:47 pm
What did he do for the labs now? Well… he was doing this, wasn’t he? He knew what he did on the mainland, but as for currently, he wasn’t exactly sure. That unpleasant complication could ruin everything. “Test subjects and Feral employees are infinitely different on levels that cannot be compared. They lack the technical training we do. I’m a laboratory assistant, as I’ve stated previously. Do you possess the proper clearance to know such information? Obviously, from your lack of knowledge you don’t, therefore you aren’t privy to such classified information, simple as that. Let me see your official identification.” He turned the tables on that little ploy.
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:49 pm
"It's... it's b-back home... b-but... if y-you s-saught me out, y-you'd... ah... I..." he floundered, up to his neck now and beginning to thrash around a bit and attract the sharks.
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 1:45 pm
Jordan held out a paw to interrupt Newt from saying another word “I was instructed where to find you, not authorized to follow you all over the island. Once our business here is concluded we’ll part our ways and that’s that.”
He stretched his arms wide and yawned, showing off his canines. He slid down against the tree and sat on his rear, leaning forward to rub his exposed paws. “You’ll have to pardon me. My dogs are barking.” He grinned at the very bad pun.
Jordan looked past Newt for a moment, out to the water, giving them both a few seconds to let sink in the situation. He was wondering how much further he’d have to go to convince the frog the labs weren’t bad. The islanders had really did a number on him, hadn’t they? They’d placed thoughts into his head. There was no ‘I’ in ‘Team’.
He listened to the rolling river and the froggy croaking for a few moments, collecting his thoughts and plotting how else to convince him that working with the labs was much more in his interest than standing against them.
“We’re on the same team, you and I. The labs wouldn’t have sent me out this far, just to confront you, if they didn’t show an interest. You’ve strayed from the flock and I’m the shepherd sent on their behalf. They believed it would be easier for you to hear this from another employee who has already undergone a change than from a standard-issue security force armed with guns. You’re scared and you’re uncertain, but know this, Newt: the labs care for us and they have our best interests in mind. Come back, Newt. What do you say? Can you give the team another chance?”
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