Welcome to Gaia! ::

The doctor was asleep on his couch, neat stacks of paper covering nearly every other horizontal surface.

The language and physical state of the papers denoted that they were old. Some, indeed, were very old. There was a scroll in one corner and its language was not one that had ever been belonged to this world. The doctor's own hand could be seen here and there, footnotes and corrections and diagrams in his distinct style.

They were very obviously part of the program he'd been working on the past few years, but very likely outside of Jack's own clearance with that program. When he looked up next, he'd find the doctor's eyes watching him, bright and strange in the dim of the office.

Every mention of the name was like a sharp knock on the door, a briefly violent rattle of the gate. At this last utterance, the presence tied to that name finally put down its pen and paid attention.

Elsewhere on the island, others would shift uncomfortably. Some would understand the change in the air, the familiar weight of his regard. There would those who would gain a sense of purpose and direction from it, still more would simply be sick with the stress of it and trying not to buckle under that weight.

In the dorms, the clone of one America Jones would look up from her magazine, expression turning from shock to distress as she reached for her phone.

The second clone, the cousin and messenger, would feel his pulse pick up. The hand of power that had created him was pulling at his attention. Be ready.

In the basement of the life labs, Dr. Stephen began to whistle along the otherwise empty corridor. Seven was the first to hear it, head snapping alert like a dog. It was the first of Obadiah Thompson's clone to begin working. It could not say the word out loud, but the violence of motion and emotion lent power and focus to the rune it carved.

Bashmet's confession and its precautions has the doctor still in the motion of sitting up. A beat and then a quiet order, "Quickly."

The doctor was up and striding to the door in a matter of moments, "The first was a decoy, who is the second clone? Axten or..." He turned his head, "Summon your weapon, Jack."

Below them, deep in the basement levels, seven runes began to glow as Dr. Stephen entered the elevator.

"I am the most powerful force behind hunter progress and the most vulnerable," the doctor explained quietly, voice plain and without the usual personality. "But more tellingly, they're using clones. The connection to my current work is undeniable."

The infirmary elevator opened, revealing Dr. Stephen, his smile bright and warm even with his weapon drawn. The rapier looked very small next to Owain, laughably so.

"Jack," the man drawled, "we'll take ya in, y'know. Y'helped a lot already, n'the kingdom pays its debts. Alla them."

His weapon glowed fiercely, already holding a full charge.

"The removal of obstacles," Stephen gestured toward H and then more broadly, encompassing Deus as a whole. So many saw it as a prison, as a punishment. It was a place that made one question the values of morals, of self worth. It was a place where you could try and try and try and all you got for your efforts were a few scars and a new set of nightmares. For most people, it simply wasn't what they signed up for.

"He's a good ally to have and an enemy that will follow to any one of a dozen hells to spite those who cross him."

The doctor didn't speak, head bent and eyes focused on a distant point.

"I would hope both you n' Chel woulda learned a valuable lesson in both the keepin' of a deal and a bit of discretion t'go along," Stephen countered with a smile. "But I'll admit, the fault began with the choice of avatar."

The man shifted into a striking position, "So that's a no, then?"