A man nearby him began to get angry because he spoke loudly in his proximity. Bastion was not altogether shocked or intimidated by this response. He simply replied... "Only if you want to be heard." After all, the point was to essentially chalkboard what was considered obvious to him in front of these people so that they would understand their situation and come to some sort of terms to deal with it. The fellow who berrated him decided to go ask questions that were effectively answered already, for the most part, and then answering his own inquiries with essentially a more blunt manner of phrasing whhat he'd already said. How typical of a credit-stealer. You do all the work yourself, congratulate yourself on deciphering the meaning of things, and somebody comes along, claiming to be brilliant. It's Einstein and Nikola Tesla, all over again, except in [i]this[/i] case, the man had confessed to being a no-brainer. There's nothing worse than being upstaged by a a complete nunce. So, right now, they were trying to question a man called Ryan about this place and what it is they do here. Bastion was uncertain as to whether it was a good sign or a bad one that Ryan attempted to lie to them with very obvious lies about the lab duties, but then there was that glance he did, and it was clear: He was under order not to give them anything to go on, or was at least afraid of a punishment from on-high for telling. Yes, it made sense. He had, himself, brow-beaten a few people into place in his own lab. People who lose focus end up making terrible mistakes, maybe even irrecoverable ones. He'd said so. He made this point as plainly as he'd made to HIS test subjects that 'Although signs are good, you are the first humans to be administered this drug. You have made your compliance and understanding of these facts known, on record.'. That [i]should have[/i] exonerated him. Bastards... >>>>> [QuicksaveKid]: Here it comes... >>>>> [hider=Bastion] [center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnuCTgSHLOk[/youtube][/center] Well, at any rate...the whole happening in the commissary - Good word, commissary - came to a sudden halt as a loud buzzer sounded, not too dissimilar to the one that indicated that he was being taken from his cell. It a bit too Pavlovian, but somehow Bastion suspected it was necessary for some people. Oh, interestingly enough, the time Bastion HAD been in prison, he didn't get his teeth knocked out because his cellmate was a serial killer, a man who felt that people who wasted their lives should die in a ditch...or be helped along there. The good doctor's story of success at any cost met with his approval, and the man in the next cell who told him to shut his face had his face flattened with the liberal application of a concrete wall, later on. Perhaps madness has its own rewards... He was called away with a woman and an apparently Chinese man. He had never met either, nor had he spoken with either of them during the time they were getting their meal. Curiously, a look at either of them and at himself forced him to conclude that although he was not in perfect fitness, he might've been the physically-strongest here, in that he was average and neither overweight nor diminutive in size. This was going to be a problem if they wanted annybody with athletic ability, because [i]none of them[/i] fulfilled that area. The guards escorted them along. The hallways had clear men of science and technicians within them. The guards informed them that they are not to speak to them, because they were 'way too smar' for him. Bastion laughed out-loud, just once. A single, appropriately-condescending "Hah!", and said nothing further. Eventually, they came to a wooden door and were escorted inside, once the person inside of said door acknowledged that there were people for him. The interior of the room appeared to be like that of a classroom, three desks for students, one for the teacher. All that was missing from the equation was the stereotypical apple upon the teacher's desk. No blackboard or screen, though... Oh well. If all you wanted was the look and feel, not the reality, then props to the owner, one supposes. The man behind the teacher's desk identified himself as Dr. Smith, and immediately Bastion thought... [i]Oh, the pain... The pain of it all...[/i] Poor Zachery Smith. His main portrayer must be rolling in his grave, what with this and potentially many others deciding to take that monniker for their own, and in such a suspicious place. No class. No class [i]within[/i] this class. Oh, except for the D-Class, clearly. He could, at least, amuse himself with that, for the moment. Upon being asked if it was their first assignment, Dr. Bastion replied with a simple "Yes.", in a tone that may as well have been shorthand for 'Indeed, it is.'. He claimed that they were simply to each complete a test packet in whatever fashion they deemed to be the right way. He was there for observational purposes. There was...that feeling of something being concealed here, what with Ryan's clear BS from before, in the back of his mind. The problem with such a feeling was that they were here to do as they were asked, and that the risk factor was a definite [i]fact[/i]. He wasn't going to get anywhere by NOT completing it. It was some sort of test, and at the very least he had to earnestly work upon it. That was the agreement. The guards left them alone with 'Smith'. No, that wasn't quite right. They would be outside, in case of trouble. It was good sense. So too was [i]another[/i] thing. This was a test, and so he stepped over to the hand-sanitizer. "You'll forgive me, but I didn't have the chance to wash up." He made brief use of it, and then sat down to the test, opening the packet. It was an exam, alright. It was made of paper, inked by black ink, and given a little space to right an answer. Full reign, indeed. Very well. Let's see... 'John Adams', 'Pythagorean Theorem', 'Pergury', and so on. This was largely not too difficult for him. They were things that he could definitely know, or at least he could give the proviso 'Unless I'm mistaken' or 'I believe it is' to indicate that he may have misremembered something. Things continued on, with him periodically sharpening his pencil, and then... [i]What's this?[/i] [b]28. This particular philosophical oath is the one you abandoned.[/b] [i]Oh, I see. They've been doing their homework, preparing me to be schooled. 'My training is not in the philosophies. I may wax them on occasion, but I deal in the facts.'[/i] [b]29. Statistical Question: How many people died as a results of your tests?[/b] Typical, and predictable. They were resorting to 'Science Shaming'. Very well. He was game. Let's play... [i]'I'm sure you have command of those inconsequential facts.'[/i] [b]30. How do you define 'inconsequential'?[/b] Donald stopped for a moment. How did...? It had clearly spat a word at him on the next page that he had just decided to use! Unless... He was fairly-certain that he had actually used that phrase in court, as well. He wasn't...sure about that, but maybe. He decided to continue. It was going to be an apparent roller coaster on his understanding and recall. [i]'Inconsequential, as in unimportant, irrelevent.'[/i] [b]31. You are absolutely certain that you couldn't have done more tests, that you couldn't be more certain of your success, or were you just blinded by the demand to produce and the cold-hearted necessity to succeed at any cost?[/b] [i]'Why don't you ask the District Attorney? He seemed to know all the answers. As if.'[/i] [b]32. You do love that, don't you? Lording all that knowledge above everyone's head like a prince or even a god?[/b] [i]'Oh, please. Stick with the facts. If I were god or a prince, I wouldn't be HERE.'[/i] [b]33. So, you admit that you are beholden to the law.[/b] [i]'I did not, in fact, break any law. That was an unfortunate event, which all were warned of, prior to testing.'[/i] [b]34. And you feel no culpability, no responsibility, to this massacre YOU CAUSED in any way?[/b] [i]'Hah! You say thus, as I sit here in an orange jumpsuit, completing a test at a facility that very probably operates the same way I DO? How do they say it now? Check your privilege.'[/i] He had to write very small for that one, but it was decidedly smirk-worthy. This was like talking to someone on the internet. No, it was more like he was actually speaking to the District Attorney. That man should be ashamed of himself. This argument would continue, and though it was making him quite angry, the fact that the 'teacher' had given him carte blanche allowed him to get about as derisive, sarcastic, and sneering as he liked in response. He, admittedly, did not know the method by which this personal test was made so personal...because it did not seem physically possible for them to have put together such a thing themselves...but he would wait to ask about that, at the end. That was what you did in class, yes? [/hider]