Peter nodded to the girl at his target's side. She introduced herself as Alex. Exchanging turns in the conversation, his mark casually bid her greeting. No name? Either introductions weren't part of her routine or she was careful. Suspicious. This lent some credence to some of his suspicions. If she did have the skill set, then perhaps those habits would signify she was good at what she did. Or maybe she was just a rude little girl, who knows. He knew she was silent until she did greet herself however. Even after, there was a pause. He could see her shape facing him, her head making subtle movements, up and down, but all in his direction. Of course, Peter was strand looking. Peculiar. And if this meeting had any credence, perhaps even suspicious. Much like his mark. However, there was one thing that did go wrong. She said, "would love to hear more about this life work of yours."

Then she turned her head to her friend.

Red flag. Red flag. A bazillion red flags! Alarms, lights, sirens - they all went off in Peter's head. He felt his metal skin buzz as electricity coursed through his body in a nervous tick, though outside the perceptions of the young girls here. Like a hundred skeletons gently placing their bony fingers and plucking the hairs off his body, breathless moans against his neck, mute cackling in his ears - of course, there was no actual sensations against his deadened body. But these phantom agonies, tricks of the mind, they warned him. They warned him: do not share your secrets! Do not share your secrets, else all would be lost! His research? Stolen. Stolen for good, stolen forever! Cheated. Plagiarized. Mangled. Lost. Years of his life lost. What kind of fate would that be? A fate not worth existing for! He felt his arms vibrate. It took all he had to keep himself from taking his hand and wrapping his fingers against her throat! To lift her in the air and send every watt of energy coursing in his body through her own, to make her heart explode where he had her - to ensure the safety of his [i]life's work![/i]

But he did not. He did not lift a finger. Not a motion to signify any move, nor an expression for he had none to make. He took instead a couple brief moments of silence to recompose himself. He was being irrational again. The work was important, yes. But the work was lost if it was not retrieved anyway. He had already decided on trusting to get the aid of another. Naturally... they'd have to know what they're getting. What they're getting into. Of course... how foolish. Peter paused a second after those moments before speaking.

"...Yes, my life work... it's very important. It is about... stem cell research. I've been looking into it for a very, very long [i]tii-iieem...[/i] so much time. Put into papers. Silly, isn't it?"

Peter took a moment. Silly. Yes, silly. But it meant so much. Something so fragile and easy to lose could change the world. Or scientific fields. It was ironic, really.

"The research likely has not arrived yet." Peter explained further. "But once it has, I will still be separated from it. I have no means to retrieve it. Peter Brooke has been wiped. So that research will stay there, waiting for a recipient that no longer exists. I [i]need[/i] it."