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Absorbed as he was with the equipment and the problem of climbing down a building, Gaius didn’t notice Zach’s movement until the rope went over his shoulder. He barely had time to register surprise before his head was snapped back, the rope digging into the flesh beneath his adam’s apple. Terror gripped every part of him. He could feel his throat being crushed, the rope sharply cutting off his oxygen and all he could think was disbelief that Zach, who just a moment before had been acting friendly, was about to kill him.

And then, as quickly, it went slack, the rope zipping back over his shoulder as it was pulled along by Zach’s collapse. The minute he was free, Gaius spun away, coughing and clutching at his abused throat, body still in the high-strung fight-or-flight mode. He backed up several steps and then the balance that he still had to fight carefully to keep gave out and he fell onto his butt, but he continued to scramble back until he was pressed against the far wall. He panted and coughed, staring wide-eyed at the unconscious red body lying across from him, as if he’d wake up any moment and try to finish the job.

Upon waking, Zach shifted slightly. Once he felt the ropes he returned to what he hoped was a convincing slump of unconsciousness, however much it made his neck ache to be bent. His mouth was dry, his throat was dry, but to his annoyance he was still thinking.

The silence wasn't silent for long, but he'd half-expected some sort of interruption to the stuffy quiet. Sabin's words didn't carry meaning so much as they were an angry buzz. Admittedly the fact that the first word spoken was Zach's own name couldn't have meant anything good to start with. Zach couldn't say he didn't get what he asked for. He wasn't so bold as to look up and even try to let his eyes pierce the darkness to search for the doctor. The angry voice was an indication enough he was somewhere in the room. He was still dancing around the issue, mentally. He knew Sabin was central to his problems to the point of it being painfully obvious. But at the same time, it wasn't as black and white as he'd seen it earlier, however long ago they'd been in that second room. It was one thing to create an imaginary scenario, and another to find yourself in that very scenario without the confidence you thought you had. He wasn't trying to kill Gaius when he took the rope to his throat. Not at all. The man had every right to live. It was to challenge Sabin that he'd done it, but now it seemed he would have been better off just braving the side of the building and finding some other way to deal with the confusion. Too late now.

It wasn't even possible for him to really grasp what the past nine months meant in one instant. All he knew was that he wanted them back, or erased, or undone, or anything to save him the guilt which otherwise couldn't be. The one thing Zach couldn't blame the doctor for was how easily he himself was tricked. One hopeless circle and no way out. Morbid as it sounded, even death felt preferrable to this interim between threat and whatever Sabin had in store. He waited a minute while the torrent of words sunk in, then responded in a very quiet and scratchy-sounding voice that hinted defeat. "Then stop talking and get on with it."

Sabin wrung his hands in indecision. He didn't want to push Zachary further away from him. He had relished the fact that his project, his dragon had finally come around and seemed to trust him. He was coming to him with problems. He was loyal. He even was often the one taking the initiative to call him over the intercom. However, Sabin knew that in this situation, He was the master. If Zachary turned a deaf ear to his commands or thought that he could get the better of him, then he was in sore need of a reality check.

Zachary was the one who made the attack against Gaius during this excercize. Regardless of the motivation, it was a direct disregard of Sabin's orders. And that was not to be tolerated even IF Sabin had not been trying to get the two to work together.

While Gaius was innocent in this regard, he was certainly of a clean slate when it came to dealings with Zachary in general. However, Sabin had never had quite the same footholds with Gaius as he did with Zachary, and if harbored any hopes of turning him around to his side, he had to be doubly cautious. But truth be told, Sabin was more concerned with keeping the bird in hand than ousting the other from the bush. That particularly draconic bird.

Sabin's mouth pressed into a thin line, not that either of them could see through the darkness, but his displeasure was more than palpable.

For the moment, Sabin ignored Gaius.

"Is that all you seek? A punishment for your actions, Zachary? There was a time that you would speak with me and not be eager for the conversation to end. Or, is that not the case and you held yourself to be using me, keeping formalities to get what you wanted from me? Forget the fact that I saved your life. Forget the fact that I looked out for you above any other, even when Moreau was calling for your head." He crossed his arms. A direct punishment was not the way to go about this... at least... not yet. First he was to play at Zachary's emotions and see what was possible to roust from beneath his scaly hide. Sabin had been fascinated with psychology for a long time, spurning reactions from others: seeing what made them tick, and making them question what they held as constants. He had raised two children. He understood a cry for attention.

"If you merely wished to seek me to punish you further, you had no need to attack Gaius." His words cut coldly through the dark.

Gaius shifted in his seat, feeling uncomfortable there, as though he were an intruder on the argument going on. With nothing else in the room, it was impossible to not listen.

Zach’s first protest brought a snort from Gaius. “Could have fooled me…” But then he fell silent, listening. In truth, Zach was voicing the same concerns that had occurred to Gaius… what happened when it was done?

It did strike him as odd… Sabin was as he’d imagined, berating his ‘pet,’ but Zach… He cast a glance towards where the dragon’s voice came from. He wasn’t sniveling, begging for Sabin’s intervention, as he’d expected. The horse-man raised an eyebrow. Maybe the guy did have a little spine? He still wondered what had brought on this show of defiance, though… Sure, he knew how his serum was related to Zach’s through Sabin, but he’d never thought Zach didn’t know.

His face was plainly confused as they continued to talk, ears turning to listen to the two people separately. What in the world were they referring to? Why would Moreau want to kill this lab-brown-noser?

The anger that had driven him to speak vanished instantly when he heard Gaius's voice, converted to an icy chill. His frill flared, though in the dark no one but himself would know. He'd have to pick his words more carefully with an extra set of ears listening in, especially those ears. Gaius still wasn't his favorite person, even if that opinion was entirely founded on the same broken logic that he was unable to refute at the moment.

"No... I'm doubting my own safety," he snapped, aware he was losing verbal ground. This was practically all he had left in the way of explaining his worries. "I'll... let's say you saved my life. Fine. I'll give you that. But what about that wolf-monster, Annie? Or Chubbs? They're out there, they could easily kill people." No sooner had he said this than he realized how stupid it sounded coming from him. He couldn't take it back now, though.

In response to the majority of what Sabin said, there was a small amount of rustling from the cords and the chair, but otherwise no response. It was a point he couldn't argue against, especially with less and less interest invested in disproving the doctor. He was ashamed of the person he had been, and right now he felt close to being in the same frame of mind as he had been months and months ago, before he'd given up and given in. It was uncomfortable, awkward, and he wanted out of it. At least if the past few months had been lies, they had been nice lies. It was true, he was a very different person now for the changes, so different that if it weren't for his skin he probably wouldn't recognize himself as ever having been human. And a new arm, a second chance.

Why was he trying to throw what little he'd recovered of a happy life aside for the sake of trying to come out on top in this little argument? He was only getting battered around at this point, and for nothing but an assurance that the fate never would give him a break. This was the shining and glorious truth every other islander fought to make known, and from what he'd seen it had yet to improve their lives. Uneasiness kept him silent for the time being.

Sabin actually laughed at Zachary's protests. "They could kill you? My, aren't we being the hypocrite?! The labs have made steps to help Chubbs bring his temper to a more managable level. He has shown progress." Sabin commented airily, almost dismissively. "Annie... we are taking measures against."

He pounded his fist into his open hand. "But if any islander here had the force to drive her back and away, Zachary, I would think that that would be you were you to embrace the power within. Fan your frills, spread your wings, open your jaws and ROAR~!" Sabin pumped the air as he began pacing again.


But Sabin had barely time to regard and respond to Zachary before Gaius assailed him verbally.

Perhaps bringing him into this had not been the best of ideas. Perhaps they found strength together that otherwise he could strip from them alone.

It was a challenge. If he could break them together, then perhaps it would be all the stronger and more lasting...

Sabin slowly turned to face Gaius, leaning forward and speaking directly to him. So close that Gaius could feel, could smell the Frenchman's breath on his face.

"Today is just a day full of hypocricy, is it not, Gaius?" He seethed between clenched teeth. "You accuse me of not treating him as a person? Am I... mistaken? Were you not the one who would not even show this man the common courtesy of turning down the volume on a television show? Egging him on and digging beneath his skin?"

He pulled back, clasping his hands behind his back. "You're bored. Bored?! My God man, you would never have survived outside of the modern era, would you? The island is a bounty of options. There are nearly eighty other islanders out there to meet, to interact with. There is entertainment - both manmade and what nature offers. Are you truly so DULL that you cannot find an activity to keep your attention here? Trapped in these bodies? By the end of the changes most of you should be capable of feats that most men have never even dreamed of. Strength, speed, endurence. Heightened senses.... and all without losing your human intellect and reason. Yes, they were forced away from the lives they had before.... but there are worse places to be - other prisons in a much less metaphorical sense that people do not choose to visit."

"Most of the people here choose not to interact with the labs. If you were truly that concerned, then you are welcome to reach out to those and give yourself a damn project. Solve both of these "problems" that you boast. You think they need the labs to tell them who they are? You know as well as I that most of you would sooner rip out our throats than speak with us."

"You know what I think, Gaius? I think that you are making excuses. You refuse to let yourself live and move on. And we are the easiest place to turn your hatred and your blame. As long as you live in this past, in what you no longer have, then you will not be able to be happy. Zachary has learned this lesson already."

Gaius’ grimace only deepened as he craned his neck away from the too-close presence he could feel inches from his face, but the uncomfortable closeness persisted as Sabin proceeded to chew him out. “I already admitted I was wrong there. You can’t put me on a level with you, I’m not the one doing this to an entire island of people.”

His ears flattened back as Sabin continued, stubbornly setting his jaw as the man proceeded to jab and belittle him. “You’re not as all-seeing as I was led to believe if you haven’t seen that I have been keeping myself busy. Or was the sawing not noisy enough for those cameras of yours?” The corner of his mouth twisted up with a defiant smirk. “Strength and speed… what’s the point of those if we have no reason to use them?”

“Damn right I try to help the other islanders… I’ve already learned you can’t be trusted for anything. You say excuses? I say it’s natural, from everyone I’ve seen here. They try to pretend, but it’s always there anyways. Just mention ‘Annie’ and see how everyone clams up. I’d like to see how you would respond in my place! I doubt you’d be so quick to forget ‘what you had’ and turn a bright smile on your situation!”

At Zach's quiet addition, Gaius snorted, determination redoubling. So he'd given in already? Well, Gaius would just have to stand firm himself!