I try to live on science alone

[denigrator]

Characters: Hojo and you
Setting: In his room and between the dormitories and the laboratory.
Format: Prose or action, whichever you prefer.
Summary: Hojo's arrival and subsequent explorations.
Warnings: Hojo being Hojo; also, blood and needles.


Room 2-08:

Strange, very strange. It's not that he isn't surprised by this change of scenery, but he must think this through with logic, not emotion.

His world has been destroyed? An interesting little pair of letters. Well, well, he can only hope he was responsible. That would be ideal, wouldn't it? Considering the timing, it's not so unthinkable… But then, it is an incredible claim, and he'd need proof to believe it. Scientists don't believe claims without evidence, though he's always willing to consider a theory that has merit. Yes, he'll consider it. He touches his fingers to the collar at his neck, a curious expression on his face. He's almost--amused.

After a long pause, Hojo rises and stretches, studying the room and, before long, opening his trunk. How thoughtful! A ShinRa armband, and his clothing. First, he studies the Materia in the armband with a faint smile. Now, that is useful. Ah, and there's his gun. He dresses and arms himself quickly. No sense in waiting. Once that's done, he's happy to find some of his samples at the bottom of the trunk, nice and neatly stowed away.

He drums the fingers of one hand upon the back of the other, looking down at his arm thoughtfully. "Hm, and I wonder, are you still in there? Or have you left me?" He asks--maybe himself, or maybe he believes he's actually talking to someone else. He chuckles, his lips twisting into a smile. "First things first, I should find out, shouldn't I? It would be rude of me to ignore you. Must check my results."

Later, throughout the Tower, anywhere between the Dormitories and Floor 27:

He hums to himself as he walks, not any particular tune, just a tuneless collection of notes sprinkled here and there. With his lab coat covering his gun and his Materia, he's not visibly armed unless one looks very closely. At first glance, he certainly doesn't look fit for combat. The truth is, fit or not, nothing could stop him from exploring. He has investigations to conduct!

It's a shame he failed, he thinks to himself--yes, even he failed in the end, but he knows why. Like any good researcher, he was able to pinpoint the exact moment and nature of his error, once he realized that there was a flaw in the research. Cloud. Yes, Cloud, the one he'd deemed to be a failure, who was in fact his greatest success, the perfect Sephiroth clone. If only he'd seen it sooner! The last thing he remembers before arriving here is Cloud. And dying… Not that dying matters. Not to him. Not anymore.

And, on Floor 27:

Excellent! Just what he's been looking for. A laboratory to work in. Much of the equipment is odd to him, but some is far more familiar. So much to explore, but for the moment, he only has one goal. He doesn't need much. Just a microscope to analyze a sample of his blood. Yes, that's what he's most interested in now. He's brought a syringe and needle with him, and he draws his own blood without blinking, still smiling and humming the same tuneless non-song to himself.

Comments

[denigrator]

"Correct once again. I am a man of science." He considered the other. "And you?" He was curious. This was the first person he had spoken to in this altogether odd place. The more he knew about it, and any others who might be here, the better.

"Death, ah." He smiled to himself. It was almost enough to make him laugh. He was dead, had just died. Failed and died. But here he was, wasn't he? Still with his mind and his equipment and his samples, somehow. "Not even death can keep me from my work. But it does present some complications." The smile vanished in a frown. "What forms does it take, this death, and how can it be avoided? Who is in charge?"

[the_white_rider]

"I am a researcher of sorts as well, but science is not my domain, far from it." he said slowly "My homeworld is one ruled by Laws of Magic, and what little science we study is inextricably linked to magical arts. You could say I am a wizard." Magic was commonplace around this tower after all, nobody was surprised and he called himself a wizard.

He frowned ever so slightly though- Not even death could keep him from his work? Maybe he was just over-confident

"Death is present in every of its form. It can be the monsters roaming the corridors, floors cursed and bringing death upon those venturing too far, dangerous environment- But those in charges are well hiden from us, and through magic or technology I cannot explain yet, death is not permanent."

He paused.

"Whenver one die, they will wake up the next day as if nothing happened."

[denigrator]

"Magic." Hojo wasn't particularly impressed by the word. "A term applied to those phenomena science has not yet cataloged." It was true that there were powers he himself could not explain, but that didn't mean they were magical. They simply had not yet been properly understood and defined. The very idea of magic was superstition. Rubbish.

At Gandalf's news, he paused to digest it, processing, calculating.

"Death... It is present, yet it is not." At this, he did laugh. It was surprising, yet he could understand that. He had already died, or been so near death there was no difference, but death could not take the cells from him, and he was here nonetheless. He had already woken up as if nothing had happened. Had already defied death.

"Hm, this is interesting." He drummed his fingers on the collar. "That kind of revival; they may have altered our cellular structure, or else we are simulacra, or they have truly impressive tools of molecular reconstruction, but I can't say at this point..." Reconstruction of living biological material was of extreme interest to him, however. Jenova had evidenced some related qualities. "Have the subjects who experienced death been tested to see if they have truly died, and to what extent? Have they evidenced pallor, mortis, livor mortis, algor mortis, rigor mortis?" He paused, suddenly smiling, a tight little smile. "Life, you see, is the subject of my research."

[the_white_rider]

"Science cannot catalog everything, let alone explain magic." Gandalf simply said. Of course, Gandalf was there when Eru Iluvatar created his universe. Magic made no doubt to him.

"I could not say, science is not my domain and we are in fact lacking competent sc-"

He stops as Hojo mention 'Have the subjects who experienced death been tested to see if they have truly died'. Testing on the dead? As if this tower wasn't bad enough.

"We do not test on those who have died. Death is a traumatizing experience as it is, we do not wish to add horror to their death, or trauma at their awakening." he quickly and coldly said. Fact is, Gandalf could understand why testing the dead was a good idea to an extent- He just didn't like... The way this man made it sound. It's something that would have to be done with respect and consent pre-death of them.

"But if you wish to know, yes they were truly dead, I have witnessed myself such a death and nobody could have been considered alive in such a state..." he added "If life is the subject of your research, I am sure many would like to assist you as long as those research are made within the limits of morality."

Gandalf felt this was important to add.

[denigrator]

Hojo had had this argument before, which was not surprising, considering the world he lived in, but he assumed those who disagreed with him simply didn't understand science well enough. He had lost this argument in the past, when having it with Sephiroth, so he didn't pick it up again. Even though he was sure he was right, the simple fact that science hadn't explained it yet made it difficult to prove his point. Most people underestimated what science was capable of and what it could explain. Hojo did not.

Instead of arguing, he blinked. "And why not? They can feel no pain. I'd imagine they'd be glad for their bodies to contribute to our understanding, especially if they will be returned unharmed the next day. There's more to the mechanics of death than what is visible to the eye. I certainly would be quite willing to be tested in that case."

He couldn't understand the irrationality of people's objections to the most innocuous things. "Good! I'm pleased to hear there are those who would assist me."

[the_white_rider]

"If you believe some would be glad to be useful through their death, then I'd advise you to run a permission list through the tower, maybe on the network to know who would volunteer if such an unfortunate event was to happen to them. If they agreed before their death, I would see no objection to doing it. As long as their body are treated with the due respect of course."

That's a solution he wouldn't object to, but this man still kind of give him the wrong feelings. He heads for his side of the room though.

"If I may ask though, you've mentioned life was the subject fo your studies back in your homeworld. What kind of studies have you led exactly?"

Both because it's interested, and... To be sure.

[denigrator]

"Perhaps I will make such a list, then," said Hojo easily, although he didn't see the point of asking, especially as encountering the dead would be a matter of chance, and none would be any the wiser. "I'm not in the habit of unnecessarily mangling subjects or samples in the course of my studies." Not that he saw why Gandalf should be viewed as any kind of authority on what can and cannot be done in the Tower, but generally it did no harm to humor those who believed themselves to be in positions of authority--unless and until he had the power to do otherwise.

"As I said, I study life, meaning, I am a biologist. Living organisms are my primary focus, though I'm more concerned with structure than behavior. Through analysis I gain a greater comprehension of the structure, function, and interrelation of all forms of life, down to the chemical and molecular level. My projects have generally been in the vein of improving the quality of life, but to do that, I must first understand it."

[the_white_rider]

He just nods at that. Oh, Gandalf is well aware that he is in no position of authority. Not that it means he won't severely attack those daring to profane the body of the dead- Free will is a quite important concept to Gandalf, people around this tower share different beliefs, and considering they are revived soon after, a list seems absolutely necessary.

"Improving the quality of life?" he repeats and smiles ever so slightly "If that's your purpose, that's a noble one. I am sure many will appreciate your help around here."

Not that he still doesn't feel something fishy about that man.

[denigrator]

To attack a living person for taking samples from a dead one who will be restored strikes Hojo as the height of irrationality. Not that he plans on being caught if he attempts such a thing. He has no religion to speak of, unless one counts science, so he's already discounted the idea, though perhaps later he will conduct a poll of some kind. It is not a completely worthless notion.

"It is." Hojo nods, and is quite sincere, even though his idea of "improvements" might not be the same as other people's. Still, he is quite proud of his achievements, and he considers Sephiroth to be an ideal organism. He is a proud father, in his odd, horrible way. "I do plan on carrying on my work, if I'm able. There are many people here, are there?"

[the_white_rider]

Gandalf doesn't reply immediately, but nods. No this man 'looks' clean, so to say, but he'll keep an eye on him. he shortly replies.

"I would say there are between 150 and 200 people in this tower, not counting our hosts." Gandalf said "Which is an incredibly low number when compared to the inhabitants that were on each of our homeworlds."