(no subject)

[evowhisperer]

  

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"Stand aside, please, I'm a doctor!"

 

Chaos. Pure, grainy, cheaply recorded chaos. The cellphone trembles violently with its owner's hands, and frightened shouting in Spanish from all around threatens to drown out the wails of a child. The dirty sidewalk is no place to treat the wounded.

 

The seven people bleeding out on the ground may not be alive to care, soon. The child screaming at a young couple's side is unhurt, but rightfully frightened.

 

Several someones pass in front of the camera. The owner moves to the side, and a loud male voice blares out, 'Are they alright? Are they alright?' when no one answers. The owner continues to move, and a frilly sleeve is pushed out of the way.

 

There's a man in a white labcoat kneeling over one of the bodies, pressing a cloth flat against a puddle of red.

 

'Hey, are they going to survive?'  the phone owner repeats. The doctor snags the cuff of someone standing too close, and orders them to keep pressing down. They step forward with shaking hands and kneel also, and soon the doctor stands and moves on.

 

Someone's voice is rising and falling hysterically. There's shouting about police, and an ambulance. The camera turns to look, but it doesn't seem that either have arrived, and when it looks back several people have begun to grab shirts from the store's open sidewalk display, following the doctor's example. 

 

The doctor is wearing a large woman's hat with a tag sticking out of it, now, conspicuously snatched from a knocked-over shelf. He's facing a direction that would normally let the camera see his profile, but the hat is big enough to hide all but his neck. He slows as he reaches a body that stares vacantly away--it's not the first he would've reached, but it is the first the camera has seen--and moves on.

 

Finally, there's the body that no one seems ready to approach, curled up and with its back to the crowd. Broken glass litters the ground around it, and when the doctor pushes it onto its back, he kicks a gun further out of reach.

 

Someone passes in front of the camera. "Hey..." The owner complains. No response, and the owner moves around. "Hey, why's he helping that fucker when there's people here who need help?"

 

The doctor's back is to the camera. It's impossible to see what he's doing until he glances towards the crowd, loops the hat's strap tightly around his jaw, and starts CPR.

 

No one stops or helps him. The camera continues to watch, eventually panning over the wounded, and the unhurt victims still milling around. Someone shouts about the police again, and more people are kneeling over the wounded victim's bodies, pressing down more cloth. The child has climbed into a sitting woman's lap, face buried in her hair.

One of makeshift medics calls out to the doctor tearfully, but they are ignored.

 

There's an outcry. The camera snaps back to the doctor, who's lifting his head from the shooter's chest, pushing down arms that have begun to move sluggishly. More shouting, with more than a couple of screams. The crowd is starting to shuffle back, and the doctor throws up a blood-soaked hand, shouting urgent assurances. The camera glimpses part of his face, and he's young, and very clearly aware of the new dangers--both from revived shooter, and the crowd.

 

"He's not armed!" Triple checking. The doctor kneels on his wrist, shifting the man to check underneath. Quadruple checking. "He has no more weapons! He's unconscious!"

 

The shooter's eyes are glazed but open, and the confusion in the crowd eddies and swirls. Before anyone can do anything, there's armed men in uniforms of the law shoving through the crowd, taking control of the situation. The crowd's din reaches a new high, and the man with the camera is forced back. It becomes impossible to see anything else, as people move back and shake the camera every which way.

 

There's only a glimpse left of the doctor left in the clip, and it's from one last ditch effort. The phone gets held high in the air, and it shows a white coat turned to one of the uniforms, hands forward, bloody, and earnestly reassuring.

 

The clip cuts out.

 

Comments

[evowhisperer]

"It's not hard to understand why. I don't suppose guaranteeing a backup heart to use if the first one fails has helped?"

As callous as his suggestion is, he's still grimacing, and it's clear that this is pushing an edge of his comfort zone.

"What about transplanting a healthy heart into a Kira victim?"

[dead_black_eyes]

Ryuzaki laughs. It's a strange, unpracticed, quavery sound that doesn't sound natural in the slightest.

"Maybe not hard to understand why, but still... a nuisance. As for transplanting a healthy heart... don't get me wrong, I want to try it, but hardened criminals are hardly the sorts to make it onto organ wait lists, especially in that time frame. We could probably arrange something but I guarantee at least a few people on our team would have a big problem with it."

[evowhisperer]

Cesar simply nods. He doesn't say what it's like to be on a team where so many people genuinely care about the law, just then. If this were Providence, there wouldn't be anyone there who wouldn't understand the words 'for the greater good'. If this were Providence, they'd overwhelm circumstances with money and power and secrecy, and no one would be the wiser.

It's strange, and a little inconvenient. Not that he's objecting, of course: this is all a small price to pay to keep what matters out of Providence's hands.

"I take it there've been no autopsies with unusual results? No strange tests, genetic background checks, environmental circumstances, or meteorological coincidences?"

[dead_black_eyes]

If Ryuzaki knew what it was like to work on a team like Caesar's, with fewer ethical constraints and red tape, the unfortunate and disquieting truth is that he'd probably be more excited and eager than horrified. As Caesar will learn soon if he hasn't begun to already, Ryuzaki is absolutely an ends-justify-the-means kind of guy.

"Unusual, other than having a perfectly functional heart in a perfectly healthy body that's not beating?" he asks dryly. "Nothing like that, at least not in any conclusive manner. The distribution of the factors you're describing is as random as it would be in any general population."

[evowhisperer]

"That's telling in itself. I've had a few theories since I realized this wasn't likely caused by nanites... This may also give me clues for when I modify that cure into its next iteration."

'I', not 'we'. L was never invited to help him work on the nanites, even if he's invited himself into trying.

[dead_black_eyes]

The pronoun usage doesn't go unnoticed. Ryuzaki responds to it with a slow, creeping smile that, as usual, fails to ignite his dark eyes with life or any true enthusiasm.

"You sound as if you're not planning to work with our team for very long. While I admire your optimism that we'll catch Kira and cut you loose that quickly, my own projections for this case allow for quite a lot of time together. You can't be intending to delay your work for all that time."

[evowhisperer]

L's dark eyes are the Black Knight's razor sharp ones, and Caesar feels as though he's grasping at something intangible and dangerous. Something's not right. His shoulder and hand twitch subconsciously, and he's feeling the presence of millions of machines too tiny for human senses to notice.

"I'm not sure I completely follow, Ryuzaki. I don't plan on delaying anything once I have access to the computers you promised."

[dead_black_eyes]

"Oh excellent," Ryuzaki says, firmly and with strangely forced cheer. "I do so look forward to our resources and manpower bettering mankind alongside your efforts.

"We." Not "you." This is not up for debate.

[evowhisperer]

The fact that his pasted-on smile is covered just emphasizes the thoughts going on in his eyes. They both narrow as he's confused. They widen as the explanation behind it all occurs to him. They focus as he tries to decide how to respond to this. None of the subtext was very clear out loud, but something about the words that weren't said... He doesn't like it.

"Me... too."

This probably be addressed sooner than later.

"Ryuzaki, you do realize that there's things about my work that I'm not going to be able to share, don't you? Because of the copyright laws."

The pleasant calm is a thin padding for an otherwise solid wall. As far as Cesar's concerned, he's trying to break it to him gently.

[dead_black_eyes]

"Oh."

He sounds unconcerned, the sound casual and quiet.

"...is that all, then?"

He might even sound relieved; clearly, red tape is something that Ryuzaki simply doesn't see as an obstacle to be taken very seriously.

[evowhisperer]

"Ah, well." His eyes swing to the side as though shaking the mind behind them, trying to reorient for this unexpected shift.

"... Yes?"

It doesn't take a genius to peel that answer apart. Cesar's brow furrows, and he folds his arms against himself.

[dead_black_eyes]

"I thought so. You made it sound like there was a problem."

Impatiently, Ryuzaki shakes his head.

"If you're not through taking photographs, please hurry. There are other things I really want to see in action while the bodies are still fresh, preferably sometime this week?"

[evowhisperer]

His face is still twisted, but L is urging him on before he can continue. This isn't over, and it's only going to come back to interfere with things later.

Well, it'll happen when it'll happen. Swallowing his protest, Caesar picks the camera back up and goes to take pictures of both bodies' fingernails, as well as other salient details. When he's done he steps back and puts the camera down, turning to L.

"Do you want to run your own tests before I collect samples?"

[dead_black_eyes]

"That's for next time," Ryuzaki replies coolly, watching Caesar finishes photographing the receding nail beds of the corpses. "Tonight, I am merely here to observe and assist you in your methods with as little interference from the ones I learned as possible. As long as Kira is a force to be reckoned with in this world, I doubt there will be a shortage of cadavers with broken hearts..."

[evowhisperer]

He nods, turning to a table with a set of tools laid out. There's no hesitation as he puts on surgical gloves, picks up a sample bag, and takes a swath. Just like that he's carrying invisible Providence badges again, and the air is cold and empty. He can do this. It's nothing more than a routine dissection of an unusual EVO.

He holds the main bag out to L for him to keep, taking a swab of saliva here, or a clipping of hair there. When the easy samples are done, he reaches for the waist of the cadaver's prison uniform.

The body is unattractive, and it's a mercy that it hasn't bloated much. The clothes are cut back without sentiment, though it's clear that he's not as experienced in this as he would like to seem. The naked body is inspected again, this time quicker, with even fewer expectations than before.

The camera comes back out. Caesar hands it to L, turning back to the table with tools. Syringe... or scalpel?

"Most of the time the morgue has already begun their autopsies, and the organs are already out."

He sounds troubled.

[dead_black_eyes]

"Not these," is Ryuzaki's quick reply. "That would really mess things up, wouldn't it? No, special instructions were given to ensure that these remained intact."

He takes the camera with his delicate, two-fingered grasp, slipping it into the pocket of his lab coat alongside his own cell phone, dead eyes glancing over the corpse.

"You haven't already found something unexpected, have you?"

[evowhisperer]

"Nothing, yet."

His pause stretches on, before he turns his head slightly. "Please take pictures, in case I've missed anything."

Not that he missed anything, but it's good practice. Mind made up, he takes the scalpel, turning back to the table. If L is taking pictures, he'll wait until he's done. It's as good a time to mentally prepare himself for this as any.

[dead_black_eyes]

"You think there's a possibility you've missed something?"

Ryuzaki takes out the camera, but seems relatively lax about taking photos, seeming to believe that his own eyes and memory are more reliable.

"Are you nervous? That's the impression I get. We won't be disturbed," he says, furrowing his brow, already looking for other reasons Caesar could be uneasy. Could it be that despite his scientific credentials, he's not that experienced with actually cutting into corpses?

[evowhisperer]

"It's good record keeping," he explains, which is its own answer. No, he doesn't think he missed anything. He's finding comfort in the structure, more than anything else: as a scientist, it's been his life's training to document each step of the way. Why stop now?

He lifts the scalpel in his hands, apparently inspecting its edge, before holding it up over the cadaver's chest. "Please don't ask questions while I work. If you need an answer, you can hold them until after we're done."

Let's get this over with. The scalpel plunges into the body low over mid-chest, cutting down to the navel in a single slice. It's deeper than it needs to be, and when the next cut--from shoulder to the top of the first cut--bites into bone, he realizes he's cutting too deep. Well, there's no thick carapace to penetrate here, is there? The third cut completes the 'Y' more easily, and Caesar spares a moment to be thankful the corpse hasn't bloated. The body is already hideous without releasing pockets of gasses from it, like some macabre balloon.

Whatever the earlier hesitation was, it seems to be gone now. He's turned off something inside of himself, and he peels back the skin.

He doesn't look up, holding one flap in place. "Tape."

[dead_black_eyes]

"This room is under video surveillance from every angle, anyway," Ryuzaki says, shrugging. "Every possible record will be, and is being kept. Please don't feel you need to give me busy work."

He sounds amused, actually, and maybe he is; even when playing a role, he's not very used to being treated like an intern. At any rate, it's fascinating to watch Caesar's bids for authority when he's cutting too deeply, as if to complete an unpleasant task as swiftly as possible.

It's already in Ryuzakis' hand when the other man requests it; he passes the tape to Caesar, secretive, hidden smile glittering in his eyes.

"So nice of you to demonstrate the novice error of cutting down to bone. I appreciate being able to see it in practice rather than have to go through it myself."

[evowhisperer]

Caesar shoots L a sharp look, picturing L cutting into a giant celaphopod and having it come alive under the knife. Who's the one being studied here, anyway, himself or the corpse? He'd ignored the cameras, before, but something about that comment has him feeling their weight again. He's being investigated, isn't he? And wouldn't a task as grim as this be the perfect way to learn more about him?

The chest cavity is open, and Caesar drops the scalpel into a tray, reaching for more sample jars. Now that he's figured this much out, there's not really anything he can do about it. What could he say? Caesar fills the jars, ignoring him for now.

[dead_black_eyes]

Ryuzaki doesn't shrink under the sharpness of that near-glare, scarcely even reacts to it. Because of course Caesar's right about whether he's being studied. That much, by now, is probably very difficult for even non-geniuses to miss.

He moves to helpfully hand over the jars Ceasar's going for. "How does the heart look? Are you planning to take it?"

[evowhisperer]

"It looks like it's been through a heart attack. Larger. The tissues are still stiff." Not that Caesar's the kind of doctor that would have experience in this, but he knows what he's seeing, and he knows from the last few weeks that this is expected.

"And no... I'm not planning to actually take anything in its entirety. All I need are samples, and I'm expecting that you've already subjected hearts like this to every scan you have available." For all the good that information will do them. Taking a heart without his lab's scanners will mean nothing more than having a macabre paperweight.

He's picked up a circular blade and is cutting a dime-sized hole from the left lung, carefully placing it inside a jar.

[dead_black_eyes]

It's not Ryuzaki's first autopsy; he's seen these things before, even if the smell is off-putting to him to the point where he gags and lunges for the peppermint oil. He's oddly comfortable otherwise, leaning close to the organs and tissues to examine what Caesar's describing with his wide, observant eyes.

"Indeed. Every test we have at our disposal, and then more at the hands of cardiologists, surgeons and countless other medical and scientific professionals. I'm very curious to see what you plan to do that we haven't yet..."

He glances up expectantly at Caesar.

"Which one are you going to revive? The other one? Or him, once he's stitched up again?"

[evowhisperer]

His goal of ignoring him as much as possible fails, and Cesar stops what he's doing to look at him. The chunk of lung he's still holding doesn't have enough moisture to drip.

"I'm not going to revive either of them. They're too far gone."

Was this something they'd been expecting of him all along? But they hadn't told him. If he'd known that was a condition, he could've said something from the start... Just how magical did they think his cure was?