myblimpisbigger | Nineteen: In Which Klaus Comes Back In the Midst of Turmoil... Like Always

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Nineteen: In Which Klaus Comes Back In the Midst of Turmoil... Like Always

[Hey, Mayfield! Guess who's no longer droned? This guy! Now, can you guess who is not at all pleased about suddenly having lost all of his hard-won regains? This guy again! And finally, can you guess who's looking at a certain letter while eating his morning waffles, and debating what the hell he should do about it?

If you guessed half the people in Mayfield, you're probably right. But for the purposes of this post, it's this guy. One one side of his plate sits the letter, which he's read at least five times by now. On the other side sits the photo of Gilgamesh that came with it. He'll be here all morning, contemplating. Family, feel free to notice that the man of the house is no longer a drone!

And later on, he'll be making a phone call.]

Does anyone here actually believe for a moment that the person who wins this ridiculous competition will actually receive the prize offered, without a catch?

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I intend to. But being careful is sometimes something that one must forgo if one wants to get anything done. I may have to ask your forgiveness in advance.

Klaus. Don't. This town is a liar. You know this.

I know you are a ruthless man when you must be, any ruler who has survived what you have must be.

But don't let the blood-games of this town destroy your soul, and your honor. Whatever they are threatening, they can't hurt.

[He laughs.]

They threatened the Emperor, Klaus. The pinnacle of humanity. They just don't... understand.

[... Excuse him while he chuckles.]

Do you honestly believe that I feel in any way threatened by this latest attempt at psychological degradation? This is merely an experiment, nothing more. They want to see if putting the weapons in our hands works any better than merely doing the killing all on their own. It certainly introduces a level of morality they have previously only briefly touched upon.

Those who die will not remain dead. That is not what this is about. Therefore, I see no reason not to go through with what they are suggesting in order to conduct a counter-experiment of my own. Namely, how they deal with a test subject who complies with their demands without the internal battle they are no doubt expecting and, if my analysis is correct, hoping for.

I can't say, Klaus.

But... staining your hands with blood in this way is wrong. And even if they do not remain dead the degradation of your own honor remains.

The degradation of my honor according to your code. Which, I regret to remind you, I am not bound to follow. My hands are already stained; a bit more for the sake of science couldn't hurt. My work with the drone children, while intriguing, has yielded little result. Testing must be stepped up and this is a priceless opportunity that I likely will not get again.

You do not understand. That is to be expected. But I request that you not try to dissuade me.

A test? You call this a TEST? You aren't Fabius Bile. You know -better- than this.

This isn't about science, Klaus. This is about being able to return home without returning as monsters.

What can you learn? The town is just going to take it all away from you again, regardless.

I've spoken to others here. This town defies analysis. It's... testing us, not the other way around.

If you want to learn something... really learn something, observe the others here, those who will stain their hands with blood willingly. See the ends they come to you.

I beg you not to involve yourself in this.

Your desperation to protect me, or perhaps merely keep me from violating a code I do not follow, does you credit. It is why I consider you such a loyal friend. But remember your place; a friend is all you are. You are not my superior, you are not my advisor, and I will NOT sit here being lectured on a morality I do not believe in while I could be doing something productive!

Yes, I call this a test. They are testing us, and I intend to test back, because that is all I can do. Guns do not work. They cannot be reasoned with. They cannot be reached by any means other than quiet, deliberate study and, yes, analysis. Testing. Science.

To understand this particular instance properly, I must insert myself into its workings as a test subject. That is the point. I cannot simply sit in my home, refusing to take part, and expect results to come to me because I will them to do so. I cannot stand by and expect that by inaction I will help the rest of the people trapped in this hellhole--

[He pauses for a moment, gritting his teeth as a spike of pain lances through his head. He had forgotten that, in a Sparkless state, the natural reaction of entering the Madness Place during a fit of rage prompts the mind to try to access something that is not there. Which, naturally, results in debilitating pain. When he speaks again, his voice is a low, strained growl.]

I am already a monster, Garviel. I was long before you met me and I suggest that you remember that. You cannot save me. You cannot fix me. And you cannot stop me.

There is a difference between inaction and defending your own.

Where is Hiccup, Klaus? SEE TO YOUR SON. By -Terra- you're being a fool.

If you want to study, observe the others. Don't involve yourself... if nothing else klaus because the chances are good you'll get killed out there too.

[He snarls at Klaus when he says he's already a monster.]

You're wrong! I'll do all three if I have to. [Klaus has never heard this kind of passion in his voice, about anything.]

Even if I have to beat you unconscious, I'll hold you back from this!

Hiccup is here, safe in the house, and that is where he will remain. He is a smart boy and does not need me constantly holding his hand, something that I am grateful for, given that it sets him apart from the country I ruled before I came here. Do you honestly think that I would have decided upon this course of action if I did not already know he was safe? I have already failed a son. I will not fail this one.

Do you think death is truly a threat to me? Do you think that by appealing to my base human nature -- my need to survive -- you'll dissuade me? I have died before, Garviel Loken. Not a paltry Mayfield death, but a true death, a death that I only came back from because my parents were willing to push the boundaries of science in order to give me a chance to live. Just as I must push the boundaries of science and run this test as planned.

If you wish to stop me, I invite you to try. I will fight you and I will win. You are a normal man now, aren't you? A man with all the limitations of the species. A man who fights without modifications he has grown used to is a man who cannot fight up to his full potential and in that, I have the upper hand. So by all means, try to beat me into submission. I'm sure those running this experiment will delight in the fact that they have managed to turn friends against each other over something that, in the long run, will mean very little.

Edited 2011-06-03 04:54 (UTC)

I died too.

And I did -not- come back. I died for my honor, because I knew it was right.

[he sighs.] You won't win, Baron. Because you're a scientist,in the end. A man of education and thought. I am a warrior. I can think, but... in the end I am a killer, through and through.

Justify your choices as you like, Baron. But you know I'm right. Any participation in this foolishness that the town has prescribed for us is simply playing into their hands, even if done without malice.

In truth, I do not want to stop you. I have to see to my family, the others I have taken under my protection. And I have fought enough friends for a hundred lifetimes.

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Nineteen: In Which Klaus Comes Back In the Midst of Turmoil... Like Always

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