His eyes narrowed as he stared back at the older man. “No! I am not ignoring the consequences, nor all of the responsibility! Only responsibility for that which cannot be reasonably extrapolated from current data without the gift of something akin to prophecy or future sight!”
And that, surprisingly, was where the defensive outburst stopped. Isamu’s eyes suddenly widened in shock.
“Which… which he has…” he stuttered a moment. “The individual with whom I had this argument. That is an ability which he and other members of his species has. It was the topic which spurred the example hypothetical experiment to explore what regions of the brain are active during said visions compared with senses of sight and hearing…”
Isamu was quiet. He was thinking, and not just about Walter’s experience. He was, in fact, doing what the other scientist suggested. He was trying to put himself in Ziggy’s shoes. (As best a human ever could.)
He didn’t say it, but he and Ziggy had had multiple scientifically-minded conversations over the time they’d both been in the Nexus. Sometimes the Anthean happily assisted with experiment design, volunteered ideas, or consented to participate. Other times, Ziggy was highly defensive or angry. It honestly varied. Perhaps it depended largely on what was on the Anthean’s mind at the time. Perhaps Isamu was just trying to impose order on something that was inherently chaotic. After all, Ziggy kept trying to tell him that he could never understand how an Anthean’s mind worked.
Eventually, he replied, “I… I admit I do not fully understand how, but I… must have literally terrified him… quite possibly on multiple levels which I lack the ability to perceive or understand.”
no subject
And that, surprisingly, was where the defensive outburst stopped. Isamu’s eyes suddenly widened in shock.
“Which… which he has…” he stuttered a moment. “The individual with whom I had this argument. That is an ability which he and other members of his species has. It was the topic which spurred the example hypothetical experiment to explore what regions of the brain are active during said visions compared with senses of sight and hearing…”
Isamu was quiet. He was thinking, and not just about Walter’s experience. He was, in fact, doing what the other scientist suggested. He was trying to put himself in Ziggy’s shoes. (As best a human ever could.)
He didn’t say it, but he and Ziggy had had multiple scientifically-minded conversations over the time they’d both been in the Nexus. Sometimes the Anthean happily assisted with experiment design, volunteered ideas, or consented to participate. Other times, Ziggy was highly defensive or angry. It honestly varied. Perhaps it depended largely on what was on the Anthean’s mind at the time. Perhaps Isamu was just trying to impose order on something that was inherently chaotic. After all, Ziggy kept trying to tell him that he could never understand how an Anthean’s mind worked.
Eventually, he replied, “I… I admit I do not fully understand how, but I… must have literally terrified him… quite possibly on multiple levels which I lack the ability to perceive or understand.”