Log:Research Injury

The Madness of David Flyte 2020/01/31 	 Radical|Connor Grimm

13

It's night time and late in the evening when there's a tentative knock at Connor's door.

Connor goes to answer the door. He has a bit of a limp. He opens the door up and smiles. "Gabrielle. Hi. Come on in."

Grimm is carrying a silver bag with ribbons tying the handles together, looking a bit sheepish and uncomfortable, and wearing a soft smile. She's wearing a cozy large knitted charcoal gray sweater, torn black jeans with leggings underneath, and boots. It's a big less rocker looking than her usual look. "Hi, Con--er, what happened?" she asks, noticing the limp. She looks genuinely concerned as she steps in from the cold.

Connor closes the door and limps back into the living room. "Umm...a research injury. I'll give you the full details in a minute. Would you like some decaf coffee? Or tea?"

Grimm winces sympathetically. "Okay," she seems to relax a bit. "I wish I could help, but my powers don't work that way. Umm. Tea. Please?" She shifts a bit, trying to figure out what to say for a moment, then holds out the bag to Connor. "I...got you some thing. To apologize. And to thank you."

Connor nods. "Chamomile okay?" He puts the water on and comes back out of the kitchen with a smile on his face. "Oh? You know...you didn't have to do that."

"Yeah, thanks." Grimm has tried to do some self-care and relaxing after what went down between them. Her shoulders shrug up briefly. "Yeah. I kind of did. I've...been awful to you. And you still cared. You still tried to help," she says guiltily.

Connor takes the bag and takes a look inside, "Well...thank you. I appreciate it."

There's some decorative tissue lining the inside. There's a nice bottle of scotch, and oddly enough, a mug with some writing on it that says, "I'm a math professor. Of course I have problems." Gabrielle looks a bit sheepish. "For being friends, I...realized I really don't know much about you. Well, YOU you, since I know about you...I guess metahuman professional speaking, but even then, you were kind of a mystery," Grimm blathers a bit out of nervousness, tucking some hair behind her ear.

Connor pulls the mug out to look at it. "Mmm. Very nice. And...thank you again. This is very kind of you." He shrugs, "I...do tend to be a bit reserved, I admit. You got to see a bit more of me, so to speak, than I intended when I was drunk."

Grimm blushes a bit. "Yeah. I think I learned a whole lot in one night than I have since knowing you as the Cartesian." Feeling guilty again, she reiterates, "And again, I'm so sorry. I had a couple of drinks, too. I'm still a little surprised by a few things."

Connor chuckles quietly and heads to go get the hot water. He comes back out with your steeping tea. "Here you go. And there's no need to apologize."

Grimm accepts the tea and smiles. "Thank you," she says, grasping the string and dunking the tea bag a few times. "And there really is. Friends apologize. So...I thought I'd come to apologize with a gift. I also figured if we're friends, I should...I dunno, get to know you a bit better, I realized. Since I wasn't even sure at first what to get you as an apology."

Connor smiles. "Well, this certainly worked. I'm also a fan of books. Clearly." He motions to the bookshelves. He smiles and takes a seat. He winces a little as he sits down. "I can certainly answer all kinds of personal questions for you. But...let me relate what happened to me first, I think."

Gabrielle chuckles, glancing around the books. "Yeah, I just don't know what kinds. You got so many." She looks back to him, and looks sympathetic as he winces while sitting. "Sure. Did you hurt yourself on campus?" He did say a research injury. Maybe reached for a book too high and fell, she ponders.

Connor shakes his head, "I went to speak to David Flyte, out at the asylum. To try to learn more about what happened to you. It was...enlightening, in a couple of ways. The injury came about due to a nurse that had become his...disciple? Transformed into a hideous creature with spikes and the like. She managed to tag me once through the armor. I was able to beat her and then transform her back."

Grimm looks concerned as he starts. Then her jaw drops at the talk of the nurse. "Oh. Oh my god. You're hurt! Are you okay?" Clearly he's not critically injured, but Gabrielle's panicking a little. She fidgets indecisively, trying to figure out what to do to help. One hand reaches out for him while the teacup rattles in the other. Then she pauses and withdraws her hand, realizing she isn't trained or has powers for this sort of thing. "Shick...sorry. You got hurt on my behalf. I shouldn't have asked for tea."

Connor waves her off. "I'm okay. I'll heal. Or I'll get help from Amelia to heal it quicker. It's okay." He nods slowly, "Flyte is pretty far gone. His 'master' is a being known as 'N'zrathol'. That rift in you...is a way for this being to try to claw his way here to this world."

Grimm calms down as she's waved off. She pales as she listens, and even gulps. She needs a seat, and so sits down wherever available. "Okay. Okay..." she tries to stay calm. She doesn't look calm. She takes a shaky sip of her tea.

Connor smiles. "Deep breaths. Calm. It's okay. It really is. Not all is lost yet."

Connor says, "I tried to trick him into telling me what would solve this situation. But he seemed to believe the only way to stop it would be to exile you to another dimension or kill you. I know that's not the case. There has to be another solution."

Connor continues, "Amelia did some work with the book that Flyte was working with. She reconstructed it briefly before burning it again. She recorded it for me to review and research. Randal and I are looking it over slowly."

Grimm takes a few deep breathes and tries to enhance her calm. "Okay. I'm calm," she says. She sounds calmer, but not at ease yet. "So there's still a chance this being -isn't- going to claw through me to get to here?" She listens to what he says next and her heart sinks a bit. Calm. She tries to remember.

"Right. So...we just got to keep trying." She tries to sound hopeful. "And at least if all else fails, we know how to save this world, right?" she gives a nervous smile to cover up that she's scared.

Her face falls a bit more at the talk of the book. "The book that Randal suggested not reconstructing? -That- book? Things have to be bad if you're all now willing to do a 180 on that."

Connor smiles slightly, "I would have preferred looking back in time at it, but...well, Amelia decided to go with the reconstruction route. I'm going to point out...Amelia was helping you. For future reference." He gives Gabrielle a wink. "But I have another idea I'd like to try. Are you willing to let me look into your future? And mine at the same time? See how they intersect? I think it might give us some clues about how to deal with this rift."

Grimm sips her tea and tries to let it help calm her. "You can do that?" she asks in surprise. "Yeah, of course."

Connor grins, "I know only a couple of spells. Seeing the past and the future is one of those. I don't get a lot of use out of it, but I could look into our futures. And I can look into your past to see about what Flyte did."

Connor holds up a hand, "But...seeing the future shows a possible future. Not what necessarily WILL happen. Keep that in mind."

"Seriously? That sounds super useful," Grimm says excitedly. Then she blushes. "Ummm, do you see...-everything- when you look into pasts and futures?" she asks with a bit of shyness.

Grimm nods at the caveat. "Okay. So...don't panic if it's bad?"

Connor taps his nose. "Exactly. Don't panic if that's the case. Whatever it is...can be avoided potentially." He chuckles at her comment, "I'm not a perv. I'm not going to linger on intimate moments."

Grimm blushes and laughs a little. "I wasn't trying to say you were. I just meant I was worried you'd accidentally see things."

Connor chuckles. "Looking into the past, I can be more targeted. I know when you were attacked, so I can focus a bit more. For the future...I'll have to skim a bit. I might see something I don't mean to."

Connor says, "That's why I'm asking permission to do it."

"Just warn me if I have any embarrassing hookups I should avoid. People do crazy things when they think they're going to die," Gabrielle winks, trying to fall back on humor to keep her sane.

Connor laughs. "I can, if you like. My normal plan is to not warn about what I'm not looking for. After all, it might alter how you do things if you know things ahead of time. That's like playing with time. But...not really."

"Yeah, maybe don't warn me...because you'd have to look to warn me," Gabrielle blushes at the thought. "Besides, you may get the wrong results, right? If I know something to change?"

Connor smiles. "So...do you want me to give it a try? I would focus on...two things: First...what Flyte did to you. You wouldn't see it or experience it again. Only I will see it. The same is true for the future. Only I will see it. And I'll try to focus on what happens with the rift."

Grimm takes a breathe, then nods slowly. "There's another thing. I spoke with Harlequin the other day," Grimm mentions. Well, Sasha technically, but she knows who he really is. "He channeled something that gave me a ...key? A clue?" She pulls out her phone and checks her notes, then clears her throat to recite, "'Seek ye the weaver, the mystic, the lost; Seek ye the dreamer, the sailor, the skald; Seek ye the warder, the keeper, the prince.'"

She lowers her phone. "I have no idea who they are."

Connor furrows his brow. "He used the word 'key', specifically?" He pauses before he adds, "Flyte referred to you as 'the key', if I remember correctly."

Connor shakes his head, "I wonder if that's three people...or nine?

"No, no...not specifically. He literally just spouted those out while something possessed him. He has no clue what it means either," Grimm explains. She stops cold as something occurs to her. "He...he used the word key? You're sure?" she looks to Connor. She mulls over the riddle. "I don't even know enough people to fill out nine slots, and none I can think of that fit these titles."

Connor nods slowly. "I'm pretty sure I'd know if I ran across a skald. Or a sailor."

"And I don't know any princes. And mystics could be anyone. Maybe you can see them with your spell?" Gabrielle asks.

Connor nods. "Perhaps? It will matter whether or not your paths cross in the future. So, we'll see." He shrugs, "I think I count as a mystic. I'm not sure I'm 'lost', though."

"Weaver...like threads?" Gabrielle ponders uncertainly. "Maybe not lost in a literal sense. But...those text you sent me and the stuff you said while you were drunk might qualify. No offense," she says with an apologetic look, worried she may have upset him by bringing it up.

Connor blinks. "You think so?" He doesn't look upset or embarrassed. He takes a long moment to think about it. "Maybe? So...perhaps I'm the first of three, then?"

Grimm fidgets nervously. "Well. One of your texts seemed to cut off when you were typing what sounded like 'I'm not strong...'. You were frustrated about the difficulty you were having with magic. You were hurt by saying you weren't my type, even though you know that Elizabeth person is your future or present love, so...maybe that counts as lost?" she explains carefully while trying to keep her tone neutral.

Connor smiles slightly. "I umm...yeah. I don't feel strong enough sometimes." He does look a little embarrassed now, blushing. "I'm...uh...sorry I sort of lost it while I Was drunk."

"Well," Gabrielle thinks and pauses. "You're wrong. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for." She waves off his apology. "You're forgiven, not that you need it. I was the one who hurt -you- because I didn't understand. I guess...I still don't quite fully understand, because if I was to tell Randal he wasn't my type, I don't think he'd take offense. And I wouldn't if he told me." She blushes as she blathers and tries to figure out what about that is nagging at her brain. "But what matters is it -did- hurt you. And I'm so sorry for that."

Connor chuckles quietly. He takes a deep breath and smiles, "Umm...if you had told me directly, I think I wouldn't have minded so much. But you were saying it to a third party in the room."

Gabrielle suddenly catches on. "Wait, so...does that mean you're into Amelia, or Moonshadow...? Because they were both there," she realizes. Suddenly some things seem to click. "Shick, I'm sorry, but trust me, neither of them would change their minds based on something I said!" she tries to quickly apologize in a panic.

Connor shakes his head, "No. I'm not into either of them."

"Oh." Gabrielle now looks a bit more confused again. All those clickings just came undone. "I'll just, um. Be quiet now before I put my both feet fully in my mouth," she blushes.

Connor smiles, "It's okay, Gabrielle. I'm not feeling embarrassed about it any more. Well...I am about my reaction afterward. But you forgave me for that so...let's just let that go, I think."

Grimm nods and lets out a sigh of relief. "Yes, let's," she smiles sheepishly.

Connor smiles. "Alright...ready to give it a try?"

Grimm nods and takes a breath. "Do you need me to sit or...do anything?"

Connor gets to his feet, "This won't take long. I've gotten much faster at it. So...no, you can remain where you are." He limps over, and places a hand on Gabrielle's shoulder...and starts to focus. There are no gestures...no magic words. Just his mental focus as he starts to look back into the past, to see what Flyte did.

Grimm still looks concerned as he limps, and feels bad for making him get up. She would've happily stepped to him. She stays still and lets him work, remaining quiet.

Connor sees the dark thread that is Gabrielle's and follows it back, through twisting turns and tangles with other threads. Some repeatedly, but many cross her thread only a single time and continue on a separate path.

It's the knots that get his attention. When several lives intersect with hers and tangle. Following it back to when the new reported Flyte's incident, he finds another knot of the heroes who gathered. And just shortly prior to that, a frayed looking thread making contact and joining Gabrielle's until that knot separates all the threads...

Connor tries to focus on what happened with Flyte proper, to see who was there...and what he did, spell-wise.

There's a blurred image within a library. Gabrielle's walking down the aisle towards a stage and speaking with David as he's up on the stage behind a podium. "That book is dangerous," she warns as she walks, but Connor can't see anything magical about it. As she steps close enough, an arcane circle lights up beneath her, glowing red. Mystical chains fly up to bind her and drag her to her knees. The glyphs in the circle and on the chains are...familiar. They look like the glyphs in the copy of the book.

"For you and this world? Yes...yes, it is," Flyte says with a look of mad glee on his face.

Gabrielle looks panicked. Like a phobia got triggered. She's struggle and trying to channel her magic, but nothing happens. She starts screaming at him and...it's just screams of fear and rage. Nothing forming words. Flyte's mouth moves and he speaks, but the movements of his mouth don't match any language Connor knows.

Connor keeps watching, trying to keep his focus on Flyte. He doesn't know the words, but maybe it'll give him a clue as to how to undo the spell.

The words are to a Thaumauturgy ritual to reveal a dimension beyond reality and dimensions. As the ritual continues, it seems another spell is cast. It smacks of black magic to control Gabrielle. The thaumauturgy spell reveals the way, and the black magic spell controls Gabrielle to open the way.

A black portal begins to form between Gabrielle, yawning wider and wider as Gabrielle's power is poured into it. And then some terrible and huge tentacle comes through. Then another, and another, pouring past her and filling the auditorium. It tries to tear the gate open widen to make more room for itself, and Connor sees Gabrielle cry out in pain as cracks form in her aura.

Connor hadn't see the original event. Getting a view of it like this feels...jarring. But he's also not a stranger to weird and horrific things, either. He keeps going, seeing how the full encounter plays out.

The portal grows wider and cracks magically at the edges. Gabrielle's nose begins to bleed from the strain. She shouts for it to stop and struggles uselessly until she can't anymore. More tentacles enter, and Connor can see that dark essence beyond the portal that's leaking through is the same that's leaking through the cracks in Gabrielle. Flyte keeps reading, using black magic to control Grimm.

He can't get a good view of what's on the other side of the portal. The tentacles are everywhere now, bursting out of doors and beyond the auditorium. Within minutes, some heroes show up to fight the tentacles. An average looking man teleports next to Gabrielle and Connor sees her out the words, "Stop...him...reading".

The battle plays out and the heroes get the book away from Flyte. Ghostfist fires an arcane arrow at it and burns it to ash and ruin. The tentacles flail wildly, one knocking Gabrielle unconscious. The portal snaps shut, severing the appendages still caught in the gate.

Connor checks to see what the portal looks like right after the encounter. Clearly there was still a way for this creature to try to come through.

The portal winks out. But there was a doorway there revealed by the earlier spell of Flyte. Ghostfist checks on Grimm and helps revive her. As terrified as Grimm looked when she was alone, she tries to cover it up with a joke. "I wanna go back to the Bahamas...".

Frankie snarks, "Yeah, yeah. You've got a hot boyfriend and a private beach bungalow..."

Gabrielle looks away. "No, I just went with a friend..."

From there, Ghostfist lugs Gabrielle out of the auditorium. Grimm's aura is still fractured, but not that bad compared to how it is now.

Connor gets the impression that the metaphysical "lock" isn't located AT the auditorium. More like...the right spell was needed to reveal the way to the banished realm so a gate COULD be opened to it by the right magic, and it resonated with Gabrielle.

Connor can't see or hear Grimm currently, but he says, "I've finished looking in the past...so I'm going to look to the future now." He can't even hear his own words.

"Okay," Gabrielle says, unsure if he can even hear her.

Connor shifts his perception to the future, working along the threads. The knots in Grimm's thread should serve as moments to check...and potentially skip past if they're too intimate.

The future is much more vague and uncertain as Connor follows Gabrielle's thread forward. There's flickers of imagery as threads converge with hers. One image is of Gabrielle sitting in a coffee shop sitting across a man and conversing. She's smiling softly, but there's regret in her eyes. "There's something I wanted to tell you, Carpenter. I don't know if I'll be able to back you up..."

The image passes and there's a flicker of another glimpse. Gabrielle's talking to a very tall, veiled being with six fingers on each hand. This vision is hazy and brief. Seen from a distance in an alleyway, beside some teenaged red head who's watching with narrowed eyes. It's too brief and far to read their lips, but there's a partial view of a sign behind them that says "Copper Sk--"

Another thread catches Connor's attention. Something approaching Grimm's. He catches only the flicker of a robed man, older looking, with tentacles where arms and legs should be.

But before the picture becomes clearer on that...Gabrielle's thread is cut as it intersects with the red-headed girl's thread again.

Connor grimaces a bit, and tries to look at the circumstances around the end of Gabrielle's thread, if possible.

Things are unclear. After all, the future isn't certain. It changes if actions are altered, but currently...he sees a vision of Gabrielle lying on grass and dirt, eyes closed as a dark stain spreading beneath her. The area is sparse and not part of the city proper. And there's the red-headed teenager with a sword in her hand, standing over Gabrielle.

The girl's appearance feels familiar. Connor's fairly sure that it's the new Chosen One, Charity, who took up the mantle from Amelia sometime back.

Connor nods to himself slowly, and then shifts his perspective. He looks to his own future instead...to see if he cross paths with Grimm after that point. Perhaps she is returned to life at some point?

Tracing along his own thread, Connor doesn't see it ever crossing with Gabrielle's again, nor does hers appear down the line. It does mean she never ends up opening the gate to N'zrathol's prison dimension, so no other future threads are cut that he can see.

Connor ends the spell and takes a few deep breaths before heading back to sit down where he had been previously. "I'm debating how much I should tell you about what I saw. It may influence the future, of course."

Grimm offers to help Connor sit due to his limp, really just staying near in case he falters or needs a hand. "Oh, right. I've seen stuff like that in movies," she tries to joke lightly. "Can I get you something? You sound like you're still struggling from your injury."

Connor takes his tea and sips it. "Let's start with the past. That's not going to change anything. I saw the spell as it was cast. The symbols do match the book. He was reading from it. I didn't know the language, so I couldn't make out the words. But...I think upon seeing what was done, Randal's assessment of your injury was apt. It's an aggravated injury. You need rest. But...you need something more. Like...an inoculation. Think about it like an infected wound. Rest is good and all, but it won't solve the problem. We need to find your penicillin equivalent."

Connor rubs the back of his neck, "I used to be very good at undoing magical spells. If this was say...5 years ago, I could potentially have unwoven the original spell myself."

Grimm nods slowly. "Well, it's okay if you can't do that now. Maybe there's some way to research the 'penicillin'."

Connor takes a deep breath. "Do you want to know about what I saw in the future? I want to stress...it's a possible future."

Grimm starts to look a little concerned. She gives it some though, and nods. "Okay...yeah."

Connor rubs his chin, "I might want to go through that again, but wearing my goggles. It might help. I should have thought of it the first time."

Connor nods, "I saw you talking to that detective. You said something about 'not knowing if you'll be able to back him up'. Then I see you come across someone who is tall. With six fingers on each hand. I think it's Dialydd. You're meeting need a place that starts with 'Copper Sk'. And there's a young redhead woman watching you. Late teens."

Connor gets up again...to go get his goggles from the closet. "There was another thread moving toward yours. A robed man with tentacles where his arms or legs should be. I suspect that is a representation of N'zrathol. He never crosses your path, because...I believe...you sacrificed yourself. It's not entirely clear, but it seemed like the redhead girl kills you with a sword. Your thread ends. That usually indicates a death. But...not always. But with your death, N'zrathol is unable to come through to this dimension."

Connor smiles sadly as he comes back over, "I didn't quite trust what I was seeing, so I skimmed my own timeline, trying to key on when you and I cross paths. And...we do not, after that point." He takes a deep breath. "There has to be another solution. And if there is, I'm going to find it."

Grimm holds her tongue as she listens to the whole thing. At first she's blushing a bit at the mention of the detective. She worries if there was any of their occasional flirty exchange that Connor saw. The color then drains as she listens to the rest. "I...oh." It's a shocked initial response since she can't really think of what to say. "I guess...if it came to me or the world, I'd chose the world," she says, swallowing thickly. "But a redheaded girl with a sword? I guess that's something I wouldn't expect," she says softly. She looks much more melancholy. After a few quiet moments of looking at her feet, she nods several times. "Yeah. I know you will," she says, looking up into his eyes. She places her faith in that. In him. A show of trust at last.

Grimm quickly tries to focus on something else rather than dwell on her death, but it's still in her mind. "I wish I could help with your injuries. I'd heal them if I could. Can I get you to the hospital, or to Amelia so you can get healed? You...shouldn't have to suffer with that." Her concern is genuine.

Connor nods and smiles. "Thank you. And I'll deal with my injury. I'll be fine. I can see Amelia about it tomorrow. Or it'll heal on its own in time." He pulls on the goggles, "Let me check a couple more things, if you don't mind...while I have the chance." He takes a look at Grimm again, but this time with his dimensional sight combined with the magic as well.

Looking at Gabrielle for the first time his dimensional sight since this started, he sees It. N'zrathol. Or a part of it, for this thing is vast as a mountain from what Connor can see, though the fringes of it are faded and blurry, like having to look through a dirty window. With some focus, more of it comes to view. A vast mass of dark, wet, puffy flesh and looping tentacles with red eyes all on Gabrielle. There are a few yawning maws with many teeth, and swarming squid-like creatures that fly about it, land on it, latch to it, and detach in swarms. Many of N'zrathol's smaller tendrils are entwined around Gabrielle, probing at the cracked rifts like they're trying to find or force a way through. In a blink, Connor doesn't see them move, but now all eyes are on him.

The strange thing is Connor knows Gabrielle can see magic. And through dimensions. But she can't see this.

Connor stares at it for long moment. "Alright. Based on what I just saw...let me look in the past and future again really quickly. I'm sorry to want to do this again, but I think the goggles might help give me more clues." He smiles at Grimm, "Ready? Again, you should just see me zone out for a bit."

"Yeah, I'm ready," Gabrielle nods, holding her breath.Just at first. She finally exhales and lets it out.

Connor places a hand on Grimm's shoulder again...and focuses his senses. Sure enough, his eyes glaze over again.

Going back along the thread of fate, much faster this time, Connor views the incident with Flyte at the library auditorium. He reviews the cracks forming in Gabrielle. The gate shuts as she loses consciousness, but a few tentacles on the other side wedge into them to keep the cracks open. N'zrathol latches onto her. He starts moving forward again. The argument at Steinberg Tower where Grimm lost her cool over the summons and the lap comment, N'zrathol entwines further around her and tries to squeeze through the growing cracks as it feeds off of her mistrust and anger, and feeds it in return.

The drunken fight at Connor's. N'zrathol's influence seems to have waned, shut out further than before until he fight starts. The cracks widen enough that it manages to break through further, forcing the crack that hurt Gabrielle physically. Then, as Connor tried to calm Gabrielle down, N'zrathol's tendrils withdraw, a few jerking away at the hug.

As he moves forward to the other history points, N'zrathol is always with her, watching, slithering, entwining. Until the thread ends with Gabrielle dead on the ground somewhere outdoors with grass and dirt, the cracks gone, her magical aura extinguished. N'zrathol's tendrils are gone, and it has turned away from the closed path to reality in search of something else.

N'zrathol doesn't seem to be around the robed man with tentacles for arms, though.

The future for Connor is the same. The thread never finds Grimm's again, nor does hers appear. But there is a glimpse, a feeling almost across dimensions, that at least one of N'zrathol's eyes remains on Connor.

Connor ends the spell and blinks a few times. "Not much different. So...I'm guessing you really are pretty steadfast in how you feel about what you would do." He smiles, "I was able to see the influence of N'zrathol in each event, giving me a more complete picture. Good thoughts still help. It recoils from them. We need to delay things as long as possible until we can find that mystic antibiotic, so to speak."

Connor furrows his brow, "Could it be that simple? Forcing you to be happy, somehow? So that the wound then has time to close?" He shivers at the idea of it.

Grimm pales. "Well, I mean, I could see myself with the Detective. He's a friend. I haven't had a chance to tell him what's really going on with me, but...wait, everything?" She takes a breath. "Okay, so...I need to figure out how to avoid these events. Especially the last one. I have no intention of meeting a red head, so why would it still be the same?"

Grimm stares at Connor like he can't be serious. "Disney marathons don't seem like they can fix this."

Connor shakes his head, "Emotion control. It pains me a bit to say that. And I don't know if it would work. Just the idea of it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Connor takes a deep breath and lets it out, "When I was the Cartesian, I was subjected to emotion control the entire time, though I didn't realize it."

"You were?" Gabrielle asks in surprise. "I mean, I noticed you've changed. Quite a bit from what I kind of remember." She wraps her arms around herself. "I don't exactly feel great about someone, y'know," she reaches up and makes a turnscrew gesture, "tweaking my brain and turning me into a Stepford wife."

She folds her arms over her chest again, thinking. She's trying to hide her nervousness about her future not changing. "Well, let's change things. Come with me to talk with this Dialydd person you saw. After you're healed. Please?" she entreats him, looking a little overwhelmed and fearful at doing things alone like she's used to.

Next: Log:A Trap for the Mind