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"It's an improvement, anyway," he muttered under his breath as Newt attempted to keep with the beat, even if Newt seemed to have no sense of rhythm whatsoever. Thom couldn't claim to have any musical talent, so it really wasn't his place to talk, but keeping a constant tap or snap really wasn't that difficult. "He hinted at that much when I was talkin' to 'im, yes," Thom replied dryly. "But 'ow does that affect you? Is 'e abusin' th' lab's power or some such?"

It might just have been the most torturous ten minutes of Thom's life, sitting there enduring Newt's long retelling of everything that had happened to him since meeting Jordan. He was beginning to seriously regret even asking the frog at all, and was half tempted to just wander off, but had the feeling that Newt would just follow if he did. No, he had asked, he would have to listen. That didn't stop him from being on the verge of wringing Newt's neck by the time the frog paused, however. But even through all the stutters and stammers, he had managed to keep track of the tale...for the most part, anyway. Unclenching his jaw, he jumped him with a reply, half for the purpose of hearing a normal voice rather than that blasted stammer. "An' Sabin didn't take it well, I assume?"

The cobra frowned and straightened up, raising one scale-covered brow. "That doesn't quite sound like Sabin's normal mind games. Why were they draggin' you through the jungle?"

"The tiger an' wolf," Thom finished for him, grimacing from the hardly-coherent stuttering and nodding slowly in understanding. However, he shook his head, scoffing. "Nonsense. Jamal's not foolish enough t' let th' guards lure him in like that, else he'd have been caught by now. An' th' wolf's probably 'appy as y' please out in th' jungle somewhere, just avoidin' everyone. I doubt there was any real threat to you."

That caught his attention. "He killed a guard? But..." Thom hadn't succeeded in killing anyone, probably for the better. The chip had always stopped him. Maybe Jamal was able because he didn't have the chip? But Thom doubted seriously that the guards would just be wandering around on their own, especially anywhere near where the wolf or Jamal might surface. There would have to be others nearby, and, as quickly as the labs were alert when Thom came close to offing anyone, they were bound to respond quickly enough to get a tranq in Jamal if they knew the guard was close to death, right?

Unless...unless the guards weren't monitored like the islanders were? That honestly wouldn't have surprised Thom. The subjects had cost millions in developing the serums, from what Thom had heard; guards, on the other hand, could be replaced fairly easily. And with so many subjects nowadays--last Thom has heard, there were at least 70--, the labs couldn't be expected to monitor all their staff at all times as well. That was just impossible. But if they didn't monitor the guards...that meant anyone could go after them. "I think you need to try resignin' again, Newt."

"Quiet," he snapped, then lowered his voice on the chance that there were any cameras around. They were usually fairly obvious, and he hadn't seen any...but then, he hadn't exactly been looking. Better safe than sorry, right? "Don't tell Sabin, just go back to...whatever you were doin' before he made you be a janitor again. I'll keep an' eye on things, an' if 'e 'appens to 'ave you dragged back out into the jungle, I'll scare th' guards off for you, or at least see too it that Jamal an' th' wolf stay away. Alright?" He paused a beat, then added, "I 'ave a little idea in mind, an' if it works, th' guards won't be botherin' you again."

"Yes, yes," Thom interrupted, waving a hand to gesture for him to shut up. "But don't think that means you can get all cocky an' arrogant an' expect me to come to your rescue. This is only as far as th' guards are concerned. I 'ave a personal grudge against Sabin that makes this case of particular interesst to me," he grinned.

"As long as you don't make a big spectacle of it, I'd think 'e'd just use th' bait thing again. That was 'is threat, was it not?" He shrugged. "Just try t'keep attention off yourself and casually abandon your 'duties', and that's probably all Sabin'll do. If not... I'll still be stickin' around, right? I can probably help with whatever new situation they cook up."