Blinded (with Science?)

[itmeanscourage]

Furious, flustered and frightened, Isamu didn’t stop running until he’d reached the plaza. Out of breath, he sunk down behind one of the larger walls.

“Of all the… it is preposterous. That is what it is…” he huffed to himself, trying to gather his thoughts. “If I were actually collecting data without consent, or in direct violation of consent, that would be one thing… but a meta-analysis? A review of pre-existing literature? How can anyone object to that on ethical grounds?!”

Someone had, though. And that someone happened to be his brother’s girlfriend. Of course, it was not a question of if Minoru would find out about an argument heated enough to make the Anthean’s eyes glow. Just a question of when.

But at the moment, Isamu wasn’t even thinking about that.

“Is curiosity, in and of itself, a crime? If learning something new is satisfying or even pleasurable, does that automatically make it as reprehensible as getting high?” He pondered loud enough for any passersby to hear him. “Is science, simply because it requires empirical evidence, ideologically unethical? Where, between theory and practice, is that line drawn and who, if anyone, has the right to decide when it is crossed?!”

Comments

[itmeanscourage]

The whole reason the twins came to the Nexus in the first place was that so Isamu could get approval to work at IRIS. He was driven there by curiosity, one could say, to learn things beyond what was available on a single planet and to have the freedom to follow both intellectual pursuits and passion projects.

“That was exactly the idea the conversation gave me. Using magnetic resonance imaging to observe what regions of the brain are active during such a vision or prophecy, compared to concrete visual, auditory or tactile stimuli. Of course, it was still very much a thought exercise at that point, as it is now. There would still need to be considerable planning and design, research into other similar studies to determine whether it would actually measure what I hope to measure, and, of course, approval before I could even begin any kind of formal research. Not that it mattered.”

Isamu sighed. Someone who experienced something bad? Well… in Ziggy’s own words, huma science hasn't been beneficial to the Anthean species.

“You could say that…”

[coffee_elf]

Rondo nods his understanding and, after a moment's consideration, hops up to sit on the wall near Isamu, crossing his legs under him in a half-lotus position. "It kind of sounds like you maybe hit a nerve. People aren't always rational and objective about things when they have a bad past."

"Just because you mean well, doesn't mean everyone else they've ever run into did. The bad things that happened to mages in my world were way before I was ever born, and talking about it doesn't scare me, but someone older from my planet might react badly to that kind of talk, too."

He's quiet for a moment, then says, "But it is a rough question to deal with after the fact, isn't it? The studies I was talking about earlier--I mean, it was torture for the people who went through it. And I think justice for the victim should always be the first consideration in that case. But...if the information that was learned from that torture wasn't out there, we wouldn't know half of what we do about how mages learn, how we sense magical currents, how to deal with brain injuries from too much power flux, how to prevent healing-sickness, and a lot of other things."

"And the people who suffered are gone, and we can't do anything for them now, except maybe make sure their descendants are identified and cared for. So there's no right answer, just wrong answers and slightly-less-wrong ones."

"It doesn't sound to me like you meant anything wrong, but maybe you were a little insensitive with whoever you were talking to, and they took it badly? And maybe they overreacted a little, too. It's easy to do that if someone pushes your buttons, even if they don't mean to."

[itmeanscourage]

Isamu sighed. “It is not as though this individual has not helped me brainstorm research projects in the past or participate in them. They even gave consent to be monitored as part of one of my recent studies, albeit with some hesitance as to where such data would ultimately be kept. But at other times, it is as though they do not even know the meaning of the word hypothetical. However, none of our other theoretical discussions ever devolved into this level of vitriol.”

Some of the other discussions were a little more fantastical, though. I mean, who would realistically build a catapult just to determine how far you could throw members of different species. That was very clearly a farce. Looking at an Anthean’s brain while they used their abilities, on the other hand, was apparently far too real.

“While I obviously oppose acts of torture, I must admit… I am extremely curious about things that are outside of my direct personal experience. It is impossible not to be, as a scientist. I want to break everything down into its biochemical processes, metaphorically of course, understand each part and how it works. That’s just how I think.”

He looked over at Rondo, and then back down at his hands. He twiddled his thumbs.

There was no denying that he’d hit a nerve with Ziggy, triggered some kind of painful memory he probably could not have predicted. He got excited (as different as the twins are, they both have tunnel vision when they’re truly excited about something.), and he put his foot in his mouth.

“Minoru can feel Ziggy’s empathic abilities or hear Mantis’ telepathy. I thought that was unusual, but most humans are this way. I… cannot. To be honest, I am not even very skilled with regular human emotions a lot of the time. That was something I have to break apart and analyze too.” He sighed. “It does not mean I do not care about the individual as a person… I just… It’s how I think…”

[coffee_elf]

"It was Ziggy." That's not a question; the mention of the Anthean in context is just a confirmation of a guess Rondo had already made. "Who you argued with. Right?"

He leans his elbows on his knees and smiles sympathetically. "Ziggy isn't a violent person, but he's very driven by his emotions; that's who he is, and I do love that about him. And Tommy...I mean, I don't know if there've been others, but I know he's probably not going to fully recover from what happened to him. It's extremely personal for them."

Although Tommy might be able to talk about it more calmly than Ziggy, just because of the way he is--but it would probably not be a kind or ethical thing to bring up the topic to him.

"The other thing you have to remember is you're talking about one species doing something to another. That's how it happened on my planet, too. Elves helped, but the experimenters were human."

But like he said, he can approach this subject rationally, because his experiences aren't personal. "Elves have some inherent prejudice toward humans after all that happened on our world. I don't want to say for sure that's the case with Antheans, because I don't know, but...it wouldn't shock me, either."

A lot of things Ziggy has told him would seem to imply it.

"You're probably gonna have to talk to your brother about it," he says. "He knows you; he'll understand you didn't mean to upset anyone. I don't know how to fix things, but this sounds like a misunderstanding to me. Not the simple kind, the kind that takes work to smooth over. But I'm honestly kind of scared of humans in general and I don't think you'd deliberately hurt anyone."

[itmeanscourage]

“It was that obvious?” He asked, raising an eyebrow, and then letting his head drop. Alas, it likely was.

“I do not know the specifics of what was done to Mister Newton, merely generalizations. Or what may have occurred in other universes. Given the blatant insinuation that I would fit in perfectly with Ministry scientists in Hunger City’s totalitarian regime, something similar may have played itself out over there. I do not know.”

He looked away, struggling to make eye contact with Rondo. At the moment, he wasn’t sure what was worse - the thought of facing Ziggy again or facing Minoru.

“You, like Minoru, are in a relationship with Ziggy. You care about him, you want to protect him from people, well… I guess, as Ziggy said… like me. Which at he very least means you should abhor me on a basic ideological level. And… and if so, then it stands to reason that Minoru should too… But I know him. I have known him all my life, and I… I do not want him to feel like he has to choose between his twin and his girlfriend.”

[coffee_elf]

"Only to someone who knows everyone involved." Rondo gives him an apologetic look.

He frowns a moment, because he hasn't actually met Jack and 'Hunger City' means little to him, but after a moment he recalls some of the things he's heard about Ziggy's family, and he nods. "Yeah, maybe. I don't know much about that, um, universe."

"I mean...I guess the problem is that it is a running theme. Science in the hands of people who don't handle it carefully and ethically can do horrible things. So can magic."

He winces as Isamu goes on, fretting about his brother and the situation, and pushes himself off the wall to land on the ground next to him, offering a hug. "Hey, no. Maybe you screwed up, but that doesn't mean you're a bad person."

"I want to protect Ziggy from people that would actually deliberately hurt him. And I will. But the fact that you're this broken up about the argument means you're not that type of person at all."

"Listen, one of the first times I was here, I seeeriously offended Jim Kirk. I didn't mean to, but his husband is a human mage, and because of the history on my planet, I said I thought that a magic-using human sounded like a nightmare. Honestly, Felix is the kind of person that sounds absolutely awful to me on paper but he's been nothing but kind and polite when I've spoken to him, so...I was wrong. Now I know I've got a blind spot, and I know it's not fair to blame humans here for what happened to my planet."

"Luckily, Jim and I smoothed things over, and we both still want to be friends. I'm not saying it'll be that easy with Ziggy, but...I think it's important that you try, and it might not be as bad as you feel like it is right now. And I definitely don't think Minoru is going to turn his back on you. He's too sweet a person. He'll do whatever it takes to help make things okay between you all. I'll try to help too, if you need me to."

"You're not broken or a bad person, okay? And Ziggy's not a bad person for feeling what he feels, either. You just kind of hit each other the wrong way. It happens."

[itmeanscourage]

“Please take no offense, but Jim Kirk was not dating your brother. This situation, while very similar, is also more complicated due to the interplay of relationships involved.” He replied quietly. “I highly doubt Minoru would turn his back on me. He frequently refers to the bond between twins as sharing a soul. But I am not as confident that Ziggy would not turn his back on Minoru for not turning his back on me… and that… that worries me just as much as the thought of it being my fault that two entire species may never again collaborate or share ideas and knowledge again.”

Ziggy did threaten as much. And Isamu believed him. He believed it was petty, still. But more importantly, he believed it was possible.

“Which means I may never know why Minoru is so susceptible to that empathic influence. Or conversely, why everyone else can feel something when they hear his music and I can’t. Or why connecting with my mind puts his little sister right to sleep and what that means neurologically…” he shook his head. That was just the beginning, but he didn’t need to provide more examples to prove that point. Just stating them proved Ziggy’s points far better. “Do not even get me started on the questions lingering in my head about brain injuries from power fluctuations or how magical currents are perceived, simply from you suggesting the topics…”

[coffee_elf]

Rondo frowns a little, not exactly offended, but maybe a little frustrated that his attempts to reassure aren't helping. He folds his knees to his chest and rests his chin on them, thinking about what Isamu's saying for a little, and then makes an uncertain little sound in the back of his throat.

"Okay," he says. "But the thing is, it's never fair to make someone choose between family and a lover. And Ziggy knows that, because his mom...was kind of put in that position, herself. So maybe he's mad, and it'll take time and effort to get him to cool down and think with his head and not just his heart, but I don't think he'd do that to Minoru, if he really thought about it."

"He's probably scared, too. He's in danger as long as he's doing what he's doing in a human-dominated world, and he knows it. You might have to be the bigger person and be ready to keep reassuring him. If he'll let you."

The other bit, about Isamu's own peculiarities when interacting with empaths, takes a lot more speculation.

"Not everyone's got brains that are structured the same way. You might have unusually powerful natural mental shielding. That happens with humans in my universe. The only thing that seems weird about that is that you and Minoru should be so different in that regard. Usually that kind of thing is hereditary."

"There are elves that have a high magic resistance; some of them can't even be healed with magic, like they..nullify it somehow. It's a controversial topic where I come from, and I'm not sure how different Anthean empathy is from the way we use our abilities, so I probably shouldn't speculate. But it's not completely crazy, either. There are a lot of possible explanations. Doesn't mean you're broken."

"I guess that doesn't help with shutting down your curiosity, but it's good to think about why this is such a big deal to you, and maybe put it into words. Maybe that'll help Ziggy understand where you're coming from better."

"I can't provide you with studies from my world; I'm pretty sure that'd get me in legal trouble. I don't mind talking about them, though."

[itmeanscourage]

Isamu sighed, and looked over at Rondo. “There is a part of me that knows, at least regarding Minoru, your assumptions will likely prove correct in the end. Once he has cooled down, had time to think things through… before then, however, I am not certain exactly what he is capable of.”

Truth be told, the glowing eyes freaked him out. What might have been going on that he couldn’t feel, though, that was definitely still on his mind. Of course it was - being the curiosity Ziggy was villainizing so vehemently.

“Anger is a natural consequence of fear. And we were both quite angry.”

And while Isamu didn’t necessarily admit to being afraid, it was easy to infer that he felt threatened. His work was being threatened, his character, the prospect of future studies on things he was desperate to understand…

He sighed again.

“Coming from a world where such powers do not exist, where we have no sapient species beyond our own, this is all quite new. I do not know whether Mama or Papa relate to empathic abilities in any particular way, though I did see them interact with baby Zayda once, at Minoru’s American Ninja Warrior finals run, and she remained awake and playful throughout. They were certainly charmed enough to bring up a discussion of wanting eventual grandchildren, but that is not statistically significant.” He noted. “And even things that are hereditary are not necessarily a guarantee, given that humans inherit different genes from different parents. And that does not even take the possibility of genetic mutation into account.”

He was curious, though.

“You say this… magic resistance?” He wanted to make sure he got the term right, “Happens among your kind? And it is controversial?”