day 6 | jack

[jackhole]

[ what a weird fucking trial. what a weird fucking everything.

rhys isn't feeling the lingering clench of guilt in his stomach this time but he is... discontent. numb, even. two people he really actually liked had to do something they didn't want tonight and one of them died for it. he didn't feel up for socializing much afterwards, only wanting to talk to angel really for a bit before heading to his hideout when it was safe.

he's tired, exceptionally so after long hours of work and barely any sleep. he's not even sure how much he's keeping it together at this point with all the projects he has in the works for ciel and after that weird email from luke, he's not sure there's enough time in the day for all the stuff he has to do. it keeps him tense, wary, and that's probably why he didn't seek out jack like he usually does. though, can it really be a usually if it's only been a week? god damn.

but he doesn't want to deal with anything else tonight so he finds himself sitting on the floor of the small space he carved out for himself in the tech lab, eyes closed and head leaning back against the wall. maybe he'll just sleep here for a while until curfew hits, and then get back to work. ]

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[jackhole]

[ when rhys hears the tapping, he tenses and his flesh hand reaches for his robot hand for the scalpel. no one should know about this -- even if there was someone in the tech lab, his spot is virtually invisible compared to everything else. his breath is caught in his throat and he doesn't want to fight but --

but then he hears jack's voice and everything relaxes again, a quiet sigh as he crawls over to the entrance and pushes it open carefully. he pokes his head out, looking up to jack and gives him a wary look before gesturing for jack to come inside. it'll be a bit of a tight crawl for jack to go past him but rhys has to hang back to pull the entrance closed.

when he speaks, it's kind of quiet and subdued -- as exhausted as rhys feels tonight. ]

Am I in for another lecture? I tried to keep out of it but I'm sure I did something wrong anyway.

[heroizes]

[ When the panel moves, Jack takes a half step back and then nods down at Rhys when he pokes his head out. ]

Heh, figured you'd be here.

[ Jack seems almost proud of himself to have predicted it, even though it's a simple thing. The smile does fall slightly as he's beckoned in, though it's only because it's just a weird, kind of awkward thing to do. Still, he doesn't hesitate this time to crouch and crawl inside. It's definitely a tight fit, and in this case, it's probably a good thing this isn't buffkins Jack of the future because it almost certainly wouldn't work. He grumbles something under his breath about Rhys eating too many peaches, but it's just in passing to express the mild annoyance of the awkwardness there.

At least once he's comfortably inside, Jack takes a seat. His hands immediately and reflexively head to his hair to smooth it out, but he does pause in that gesture when Rhys speaks. He looks up and shakes his head. ]

What? No. D'you think I'm really here to give you a friggin' lecture? I wouldn't have come, uh, inside if I were going to do that.

[ He finishes the gesture as he runs his hand through his hair, then shrugs. ]

You actually weren't a huge asshole today. Didn't even puke once. ...Well, you pissed Elizabeth off, but, eh. [ He waves a hand dismissively ] You were nice to the kid, though.

[jackhole]

[ with the awkward shuffling over, rhys will get the opening closed again before crawling back in and taking a seat next to jack. he's still in his hoodie-sweats-socks combo that he wore all day and when he settles, he tucks his hands into his pockets and shrugs as he listens to jack's words. ]

It's still private enough? You could yell at me all you want and not have to hold back because someone's gonna overhear it.

[ since now there's the whole staff thing lingering over their heads and rhys lets out a huff through his nose as he tilts his head back to return to his position from earlier. his eyes close and he wonders if he could sleep now. he can feel the warmth of jack's shoulder against his and it's tempting to just take a quick nap like this. ]

I -- Well, I didn't mean to piss her off. I was trying to be nice? I know Alice was teasing her but she always seems so freaked out and cold at the trials so, duh, what if she needs to relax with someone? Everyone needs one person. Then it's like well, shit, maybe it's Bigby who -- who is a really nice guy, you know. Maybe she's too freaked out to see that so I don't know. I said it wrong, she got mad at me, that's always how it freggin' happens so why do I even bother? Shouldn't try being nice.

[ he realizes then that he sort of went on a tangent and groans, pulling his hands back out to rub at his face. god, he's so damn tired. ]

Adam's a nice kid. Was a nice kid. I liked him, he seemed really interested in what I could build -- not for some murder reason just, y'know, curious. It was cool. Luke talked nicely of him and I don't know, maybe they're together now? Or maybe something worse happened. I hope they're together. Seem, uh, unfair otherwise.

[ a shrug. he talked a lot he realized and now he feels incredibly awkward and god damnit, he hates this. he should've just went to sleep. ]

[heroizes]

Yeah, I mean, I know what you were goin' for, but still pissed her off.

[ Jack glances at Rhys briefly as he settles back, then leans forward to grab a can of peaches and presumably a can opener... Or it's one of those pulltop cans, which, whatever, he's stealing some peaches. ]

I don't think you're wrong, though. She- Uh, she actually reminds me of my ex. Not in a weird way, first of all, but both of 'em, they both kinda put up a front 'cause they feel like they have to. Which, I mean, can't judge for that, especially not here. Can see the logic in making up a persona, since then you can keep people exactly where you want them. Anyways, psychoanalysis aside, I called my ex a bitch once and she almost shot me in the dick, so, y'know, you're doing better than I did in that department.

[ As Jack rambles while he opens up the can, there's definitely a sense that he's feeling more comfortable with Rhys. For one, the moral conflict he feels over this alliance being less guilt-inducing than he thought helps, but on another that he doesn't necessarily want to speak to just yet, he understood Rhys's point. Even if the circumstances weren't ideal for getting there, having some kind of way out, even as just a chance was security. As Rhys had put it, Jack could relax, at least in some sense.

With the can open, Jack just grabs a peach out of the can and eats it, but then nudges Rhys lightly before holding the can his way. Granted, Jack probably should have asked before eating Rhys's peaches, but at least he's offering now...? ]

Yeah, I'm hoping the same. Adam and Luke both, they were sharp kids. In different ways, but still. Glad that Adam at least got revenge, though. You guys set that up?

[jackhole]

[ rhys watches jack idly as he helps himself to some peaches but he doesn't say anything or stop him. instead, he just listens to jack as he talks and drops his forehead against his knees, hands curling back into his hoodie. ]

That sounds... like a lot of effort, actually. Back at Hyperion, it was all about what people saw versus who you were and they always got... muddled. "Did I actually do all those bad things or was I just doing my job?" That's the big question. [ something tugs at the back of his mind then, when he thinks of who gets to see beyond that persona and yet, he comes up blank. so, he just sighs. ] I never had anyone who could tell me what's me beyond the job. Not really sure where that leaves me.

[ a pause and -- ]

Don't really want to get shot in the dick though.

[ he lifts his head back up to grin at jack, somewhat cheery despite the drab circumstances and when jack offers some peach to him, rhys reaches out to take some too. he'll lean back against the wall again as he chews it, sucking the juice off his robot fingers and feeling the tension kind of drain out of him. ]

We did. Helps makes things more vague and people were supposed to dismiss it for being too obvious while Adam got his revenge. Then Adam confessed and well, I think he wanted this more too, honestly. Sometimes it just -- [ gesturing vaguely in front of him now to indicate "life" ] Isn't worth it. I can understand that much.

[ another shrug and he drops his hand back to his pocket and closes his eyes again. ]

[heroizes]

[ Jack's expression actually turns rather serious as Rhys talks about Hyperion, and there's a few moments where he looks away thoughtfully. He doesn't respond to that immediately, and instead just waits until Rhys takes his own peach and then listens about Adam. That part is easier to address, so he goes with that first. ]

Kinda thought so. Didn't exactly think Adam was staff, so meant you had to arrange that one. It's good, though. I mean, if we get into a cycle of revenge killing here, we're gonna get down to five super quickly, but in that case? It felt fair enough. And if he wanted to confess, that's-- Well, that's his choice. No idea if it's better or worse than being here, but at least he got to decide instead of leaving it up to a bunch of morons.

[ There's a silence, and it's clear that Jack wants to say something. It's returning to that first part, and it's not a pause that comes from Jack being uncertain of what to say. He knows exactly what he wants to express, but it's not easy for him. There's a matter of trust that's inherent in doing so, and that's what gets him to hesitate. But... considering Rhys absolutely could kill him now, and Jack had still extended that trust? He figures it's probably not too bad to extend, relatively speaking. ]

...I get what you mean, though. Because, hell, of course I do? Who at Hyperion wouldn't? That's just how it works, so you adapt or you get stuck as a janitor or some other crap job. [ not that rhys would know what that's like of course ] I realized the same thing a few years back when I realized I was gonna need to start making more money if I wanted to take care of my daughter the way she deserved. You start wanting to climb the ladder? You start facing that question a lot. So, you get tired of being called a nerd, make yourself into the kinda guy that's gonna get a promotion, hack a few servers, blackmail your way through some projects, et cetera, et cetera, and goodbye John, hello Jack.

[ He gives his real name casually, even though he really doesn't like giving it. When other people use it, it's always condescending now, since it's usually meant as a reminder of who he had been before he'd started trying to make those changes. Renaming himself was part of how he's started taking things more seriously, and it was a cooler name to match the ambition he'd found. Who was ever going to remember a guy named John? That was the way he'd thought of it. ]

Still not sure if I ever found the answer to that question, but at least tried thinking through it. I wanna do good, be a hero, that kinda thing. That's not, uh, always on message for Hyperion. If it means dipping into some dickhole accountant's ledgers to grab some money to get a health machine? Sure. That's, I dunno, how I balance out the work with being me. Even it out maybe? Where we work, and it even sounds like where we live, compared to some of the bozos around here, it's about hard choices. I just try and balance things out for the greater good by the end.

[ Which isn't something he's actually really ever said aloud, so the sort of earnest belief in that sentiment almost embarrasses him. He laughs, then grabs another peach to essentially stuff his mouth to stop that kind of honest rambling. ]

But, hey. If Hyperion is gone, eh, whatever. You get to answer that question however you want now, right, Mr. Hotshot CEO?

[jackhole]

[ rhys doesn't reply to the sentiments about adam aside from an agreeing noise and a nod of his head. they're both on the same page there at least and that's what rhys meant when he told the others, drunk as he was, that he hoped adam lived. it's almost less than that -- not that he hoped he lived, but he hoped he could have a choice in his living. adam did have a choice in the end so rhys... rhys isn't feeling particularly guilty about it anymore. sure, they brought adam and franziska to the room but everything that happened from then on -- that was adam's choice. he was given an opportunity and it was his to decide how he takes it. at least, that's how rhys justifies it.

he turns his head when jack starts speaking about hyperion, opening his mouth to talk after the first pause but then jack keeps going and instead rhys decides to listen. he rests his head against his knees, gaze fixed curiously on jack in the dim light. as jack talks, rhys feels blanks he had on jack fill up eagerly, dragging the legend back down to earth and rhys closes his eyes for a moment to savor it. he likes jack, he's always liked jack, but even the ai version of him had a larger than life sort of feeling -- like rhys was insignificant no matter how strong their bond. he was still less than, not an equal.

now, with this jack sitting with him in the only place rhys can find himself able to breathe in the complex, he feels less of a david to a goliath and more so just... friends. friendly. two men who have met up on an identical path. they could either ignore each other completely or walk it together. this kind of feels like walking it together.

at the mention of jack having a daughter, rhys feels that tug again and while he expects surprise or shock at the mention -- it doesn't come to him. he frowns, just slightly, and figures he'll ask more later. for now, he'll stick to their current topic and feel the pull of sympathy. god, he gets it. he fucking gets it because that's just -- that's hyperion, isn't it? everyone has a story like this and of course, jack has the story the most. jack created the story.

when rhys finally speaks after all that, it's with a bit of a melancholy sigh. ]

I wish you could come back to Atlas with me.

[ that... isn't entirely how he wanted to start this but it comes out anyway and he grins, sheepish. he lifts his head up, stretching his legs out in front of him as he tries to think of how to explain what he means. ]

I think -- I think something happens to you. The way you are now, the way you talk, it just isn't the same as the Jack that I know. I -- I didn't say it before but you become CEO. You hit the top and that's great, right? Except that's when you become... the bad guy. The tyrant. The cruel, heartless killer everyone's afraid of. That's why everyone's so scared of you because you control everything and I just think -- if you want to be this hero, right? If you want to be Jack, which is much cooler than John FYI, something must have happened.

[ a hand lifts to run through his hair and he sighs, feeling antsy as he's still not sure he's saying the right thing here but. he's gotta explain anyway. ]

Before I met you, like really met you, I thought you were the hero everyone said you were. I really believed it, idolized you some ridiculous amount but -- you know what they say, right? Don't meet your heroes. I did and turns out, no, you just made people call you a hero because they were too scared of you to say anything else. I learned the hard way that there's a lot of difference in stories versus the real thing. You now, talking to you, seeing you talk to others, the whole thing -- you're more of what I always thought you were supposed to be. A real good guy, a hero. Someone I can really admire.

[ he shrugs then, hating what happened with jack all over again. the other jack. not this one. ]

I kind of wish I could take you back home with me. Stop whatever happens to you from happening and we could -- we could build up Atlas together. Make it a real good thing in the universe, not like Hyperion was. We don't have to question where the scales lie if we own them, you know? Could find your daughter, give her the life you're talking about. I -- I don't know what happens to her, Jack, but you never talked about her with me. I don't think anyone even knows you have a daughter, really. I'm not sure if that's much of a good thing, considering.

[ he's getting ridiculously sentimental though and he can feel the heat on his face as he does it so, he stops himself there with a sigh as his head tilts back against the wall again. he looks up at the ceiling, emotions still mixing uneasily in his gut. what a weird day. ]

I don't think I've ever really cared about being a hero but -- if I could know who I am, be a decent person, and make you happy too? I think I'd be okay with that.

[heroizes]

[ Jack quirks a brow as Rhys expresses his wish for him to return to Atlas, and he breathes out a laugh, though it's soft. The other day, he would have thought of that sentiment as creepy and obsessive, and now-- Okay, it's still a little creepy and obsessive, but he can tell now that Rhys does genuinely mean it. He does tense noticeably as Rhys starts talking about the kind of person he was going to be again, and the smile leaves his face fairly quickly. He almost interrupts sourly, since he thinks that Rhys is going down this path again, and it stings a little when Jack's just been so honest himself, but luckily, Rhys makes it to his point for bringing it up at all.

Gradually, Jack starts to relax. He sets down the can of peaches as he listens, since hearing this gets him full of enough energy to want to fidget, because everything Rhys says fills him with energy. It's not the creative kind that gets Jack to be praised as a genius, though, but more than manic kind that would lead to what people fear about him. When Rhys has spoken to him about his future before, it's a topic that Jack finds hopelessly depressing, and for good reason. He had such high hopes and dreams of being able to be a force of good in the universe, because he wanted to be a hero instead of some morally grey asshole like everyone else he'd ever met. To think that he would fall so far to be the opposite... Who wouldn't be disheartened by that?

But this time, the meaning of bringing it up is different. This time, Rhys mentions it in a context that's more how Jack desperately wants to think of it. Knowledge and information were power, and that's why Jack was here, sitting next to one of the staff members. It wasn't something to be tossed away or ignored, even if it was information you didn't want to hear. He could have killed Rhys and been a hero that way, but it was short-sighted. Short-lived. This information about his future was the same. Both give him a chance to change things for the better, since because he knows, he can steer things without the uncertainty of where the path may lead. There was value in that. No one else seemed to see it, because they were all short-sighted morons, but Jack could.

He breathes out a sigh, but this one isn't so much exasperated as it has been previously as just tired. ]

Yeah, not many people know about her. I don't like people to. She's-- everything to me. The wrong person finds out about her, and she's probably the best piece of blackmail you've got against me. It's just kind of better for people to think I'm a bachelor instead of a single dad, because the less attachments people think you have, the harder it is for them to screw you over. Shitty, but that's what I needed to do to keep her safe from assholes that'd use her against me.

[ That's first, because that's easy to address. The rest... That comes after a pause. ]

I've put my whole life into Hyperion, y'know. So leaving-- Well, uh, you don't really leave Hyperion unless you're dead, but... No, I get what you're saying. And, man, it doesn't sound too bad at all. Maybe that's the problem. I dunno, maybe things get messed up because playing by Hyperion rules just messes you up. Wish I had an answer to what happened just as much as you do.

[ He shrugs, considering something, then looks to Rhys more directly. ]

Point being, if there were a way-- I think I'd try it. Because, being real honest here, every time you talk about me being a tyrant, I think the same thing. I just want to stop whatever happens to me, so- so I don't have to become that person. I know, so I could probably stop it, right? Ehh, something like that. Still kinda got bigger priorities at the forefront here, but still. That kind of thing sticks in your mind, so I'm not forgetting it any time soon. So. This is probably a "once bitten, twice shy" kind of thing to offer to you, but. Between this whole bullshit mess and apparently the one coming for me in the future? You've got what I need to try and come out on the right side of it.

[ With how they're sitting, it's a bit awkward in terms of positions, but he offers his hand for a handshake all the same. ]

Partners?