nexus_crossings | Now you're just somebody that I used to know.

"Okay," she says softly, but instead of more ice cream, she reaches for the carton of wine instead. She still looks embarrassed, her gaze not quite meeting Vaclav's. Drunk or not, she doesn't feel comfortable sharing her recent heartbreak troubles with him.

The situation on her world, though... well, she imagines he'd be a sympathetic ear. If only she can remember how much she's already told him. "No, not a hamster invasion." She leans over and turns off the video. "Um... yeah. It's pretty bad. I don't know if I told you, but I live in a settlement on a planet called New Caprica. We were at war with a race of sentient robots called Cylons. They, um... they control the settlement more or less. But there's a Resistance that steals weapons and bombs Cylon targets. There was another bombing recently and I... I'm not part of the Resistance, but my neighbor is, so I got called in for questioning."

"You told me about your wor..." Vaclav listens to her, and grabs hold of his chair and he edges over closer. With a look of understanding on his face, he goes to place a hand on Adia's shoulder. "That is terrible! What did they do to you and your neighbor? And just to let you know, I am very supportive of what this resistance is doing to these Cylons."

If it were not for coming to live in the Nexus, Vaclav knows he would be willing help any cause for the Augmented. And perhaps it is good that he does not know how bad things are back home. "But this is really bad news. Because once they ask questions..." He stops himself from sounding insensitive, but he knows all too well about how these things work.

"I don't know what happened to my neighbor." She feels awful about that, and even worse that she's been wallowing in her own misery and not thinking more about him. "They took him out of the housing unit in the middle of the night and no one's seen him since."

Vaclav's hand on her shoulder is comforting, even if she still seems terribly troubled by everything that happened. "A masked police officer came for me in the morning and took me to the detention center. He said it was just for questioning, but --" She swallows and shakes her head. "They put me into an interrogation room and then a Cylon came in and started asking me questions. I didn't know anything, but she pressed and pressed, and... I was so scared I'd tell her about my boyfriend who is in the Resistance. Or my PINpoint, which I use to get here. She told me if I didn't tell her everything I knew, there'd be consequences."

She doesn't look hurt, at least. Not physically, anyway. "A, um... another Cylon came in and asked for her to step aside. And then I was free to go."

Vaclav tries to think of how to make things right for Adia, and her neighbor. He has an idea but he is not sure if it is a good one. He seems to be thinking that offering to help rescue her neighbor might be a good idea, or maybe it is a bad idea but for now, his focus is on making Adia feel better. "Does anyone know where the Cylons take people?"

His hand remains on her shoulder, and he edges his chair closer as he continues to listen. This is all terrible, very terrible in his book and he oh boys. He can't imagine what can happen if the horrible people from any world would come to find this place. "The good cop and then the bad cop. I know the type all too well; they either come and offer you a cup of coffee or won't let you sleep for a few days." He lowers his head, but his eyes never leave Adia's. "If you want me to make sure you're okay, I can take a look. I got warehouse dungeon almost finished. Or if you just happen to need a couch to crash on."

"But I'm curious as to what you plan to do once you go back home? I'd be very nervous, because once they know something people like that make a habit of coming back to ask more questions."

If she knew what Vaclav was thinking, she'd warn him not to try. New Caprica is dangerous, and much smaller than Prague. She'd never want a Nexus friend to put their life in danger for her sake. "They keep them in the detention center. He's probably still there." If the Cylons haven't already decided to execute him.

She blinks when he mentions the good cop, bad cop routine. She's familiar with this tactic. That would make Caspar the good cop, or at least the "less bad" cop. "He, um... I knew him, before the war started. He was on my ship, a sleeper agent." She blushes a little and adds, 'We were close. I didn't expect to see him again."

"That's... oh, I'm okay. But thank you." She's not sure what else to say in light of Vaclav's offer. "I, um, I would like to see your warehouse when it's finished, but I don't need to couch surf." Or a medical check-up.

"I am nervous," she agrees. "But... I mean, what can I do except go back and return to work? If I stay away too long, it will only raise more questions." The thought of a masked policeman at her door fills her with dread, but she knows Vaclav isn't wrong. If she's been brought in once, she could just as easily be brought in again.

"You sure you don't need a couch?" Vaclav's couch isn't exactly a great couch, finding a couch that wasn't smelly did prove to be a challenge. But Vaclav got the least smelly couch he was able to get his hands on. "Or someone to make sure you're going to be okay."

But he still isn't forgetting her neighbor, and with his other hand he rubs the back of his neck as he goes to spring what is going on in his mind. "Do you know where the detention center is?" Vaclav feels horrible for both Adia, and the neighbor he hasn't met. And he feels that he should try to contribute to his new home besides thinking of opening up a book store.

"I might be able to ask Adam to help if you'd like." Okay, so he might offer up someone else to do the dirty work.

"I'll be fine," Adia says wearily, even as she's wiping at her eyes again. She pats his hand, the one on her shoulder. "That's kind of you to offer." The truth is, she'd love nothing more than to lie down and close her eyes and forget that this day had ever happened, but she can't do that in the Nexus.

"I do, I was there when I was questioned..." She trails off, realizing what Vaclav is suggesting. "No... no, he can't help. He shouldn't help." She shakes her head. "This is my world's mess, not yours or Adam's. You both need to be there for your own people."

"But you are our people, Nexus people matter just as much as those people back home. And besides, this is my home now!" Vaclav hates seeing his friends hurt, and with his three fingered hand he goes to dig into his pocket for a tissue or something for Adia to wipe her eyes with.

"And I'm sure, Adam feels very much the same or he wouldn't have taken up a job as a deputy. Though I don't know if that extends to outside of the Nexus." He mutters to himself. "But I still am going to offer you a couch, and I might even have some left over pizza."

Adia could definitely use a tissue. She's managed to smear some dirt from her coat onto her face. At least she hadn't been wearing mascara. "But it's not a Nexus fight... Vaclav, I know you mean well, but it won't work. The detention center is heavily enforced. I know Adam is very good at what he does, but it's too much to ask of him."

She shakes her head a little at the mention of the couch, although she does look tempted by the mention of pizza. "I haven't had pizza in a long time..."

Vaclav pulls a greasy flannel hanky from his pocket, and he hands it over to Adia without much thought to its cleanliness. "Adam is very good at getting into heavily secured places, but if you do not want Mr.Jensen to break your neighbor out then I won't say a word."

He lifts his hand up from Adia's shoulder, and he gets to his feet with his hand extended out to her. "Then we shall go and enjoy cold pizza. Or we can visit the pizza place and get ourselves some fresh pizza."

She takes the hanky with a quiet thanks and wipes her eyes. It's better than nothing, although it doesn't help much with the dirt.

Fresh pizza is even more tempting than cold pizza. "Okay." She takes his hand lets him help her up. "But, um... I spent the last of my money on this." She gestures at the ice cream and wine and feels rather pathetic for admitting it. "Our economy crashed so I can't use anything in the way of electronic credit."

"That's horrible, but worry not; I got some credits to pay." Vaclav doesn't seem to care about the fact he doesn't have a steady income. But it seems to matter little to him, as his normally chipper mood returns. "And besides, it would be wrong of me not to pay for it."

He still feels like he and Adam ought to help her out with her troubles at home. As chipper as Vaclav looks, he is worried about what will happen to Adia once she goes home. So for now, Vaclav is happy to escort her to one of the many pizza shops in the Nexus.

"Our economy has its moments, but doing favors for augmented gangsters came with a perk of getting money regardless of things like the stock market going to shit."

"That's very generous of you. Thank you." She twists the flannel handkerchief in her hands, unsure how else to express her gratitude. She wishes she had more to offer in return than her miserable company.

Leaving behind what's the left of the ice cream and boxed wine, she follows Vaclav to the pizza place of his choosing. "How are you making money now?" she asks, before belatedly adding, "Gangsters?"

"Yeah, I used to do work on the head of the Dvali. And in return they would supply me with the much needed parts and Neuropozyne. Except my client, Radich's leadership was challenged and things weren't good between me and the gangsters anymore." Vaclav frowns, and he looks down at his shoes. "And trust me, when they want to come for you they don't mess around!"

He then leads Adia to the pizza place, the frown vanishing for much more happier thoughts. "But they messed with the wrong, aug." He points out with a cocky smirk. "The wrong, aug with a very powerful friend of his own."

"Neuropozyne? Is that a drug?" She winces at the implied violence that the gangsters potentially leveled at her friend. "That sounds so scary... but you didn't get hurt? Adam saved you in time?" It must be nice to have someone like that watching your back. She smiles a little when Vaclav smirks, happy that her friend escaped. "I'm glad you're here and safe. Your world is..." she sighs. "It has a lot in common with mine, I think. And that's unfortunate."

"It's a drug that us augs need to keep us from having our augs not working due to a build up of glial nerve tissue around the PEDOT-cluster array... It is what allows for us to have a seemingly smooth relationship with our biochips. And the human body is very touchy when it comes to anything not from it going in it."

Vaclav tries his best to explain, and he nods his head about Adam. "That he did! Though from what I've heard, they ended up burning down my bookshop to make sure I'd stay gone."

"It is. And I understand why Adam still feels the need to help. I just hope he doesn't get himself killed. For he is the hero that us Augs need."

Adia perks up a bit at the science talk, forgetting her own troubles briefly. "That's impressive. So you don't need to take any immunosuppressants? How soon does the neuropozyne start working?"

The mention of Vaclav's bookshop being burned down brings a small frown to her face, although as much as she loves books, a human life is far more important, especially if it's a friend. "That's a shame... but you can still open a bookshop here, if you wanted. Unless you'd rather concentrate on your warehouse."

That's a lot of pressure for Adam, Adia thinks as they make their way to the pizza shop. It's the same thing she's said about some of the military people on Galactica, but now she wishes that she could understand the war from their perspective. "He's a good guy. I've been lucky to meet a few people like him in the Nexus." She smiles faintly. "Makes me feel a little better about things."

Vaclav loves to talk science, talking about it is far better than the horrors of both worlds. "It works the same as an immunosuppressant, and it works right away. Just the only problem right now is finding it. But I've got enough for now, and I'm going to see if we have any chemist here who can duplicate the formula."

He doesn't dare go into the details about the people who are suffering from withdraw, and what happens if people don't take it. It seems to better not to think about that for now.

"I'm going to open a new bookstore, it'd be a good thing, and I just need to find people who'd be willing to work there. I know I don't need to run a front, but other than Adam, there's no other augmented people here."

"But it doesn't make you susceptible to other illnesses?" She can't picture Adam or even Vaclav dealing with repeated bouts of pneumonia, so it must be a very sophisticated drug. Unfortunately, Adia's mind goes to the problem of the drug running out, anyway. "I wish I could help, but I'm not a chemist, and anyway I don't have the proper equipment here. But there must be someone here who could do it for you."

She smiles a little, tucking her hands into her pockets. "I think you'll find bookstore employees easily enough." Who doesn't like to be surrounded by books all day? It's a job Adia would happily take, if she lived in the Nexus and needed employment.

"I'm no more susceptible to any other disease than anyone else. Though I'm not exactly sure about, Adam. A man with so many augs must be almost immortal." Vaclav knows how much is inside Adam, but he doesn't go into full details about the other's augs out of habit. "But you're right, I'm sure there is someone here who is good with chemistry. If not, I'm going to need to get some help and see what I can find back home."

As much as Vaclav doesn't want to have to go home, he knows that in order to keep himself in working order, it is something he will have to do.

And finally, they arrive at the pizza shop, and Vaclav is happy to open the door for Adia. "That's what I was thinking. I'd have no problems finding people who live here that'd want to work in a bookstore. Especially what will be one of the best bookstores in The Nexus. Now lets go grab ourselves some pizza!"

"You think so?" Adia knows about Adam's augmented limbs, but to suggest that he has altered enough of his body to be functionally immortal is far out of her realm of experience. Her curiosity is quickly tempered by worrying over the possibility of Vaclav returning to his world. It was bad enough, with all the hatred and discrimination against augments, but now she's imagining scary gangsters after him, too. "Oh, please be careful. Make sure Adam goes with you, if you have to go back."

She murmurs her thanks when Vaclav holds the door open for her. His optimism brings a small smile to her face. It doesn't seem like much can bring down his spirit. She wishes she could do the same. "Have you found a building yet that you could use?"

"I never worked on someone with that many augs before. I mean he seems to be more machine on the inside than he is human." And from what Adam has told him, Vaclav knows his heavily augmented from is tougher than tough! Smiling at the thought of having someone like him as not only a client, but as a friend is rewarding. "I will. Or I'll ask someone else who is good at busting heads for help. Not to mention, I still have some faithful connections back home."

He looks at the pizza on display, and his stomach starts to growl. Everything smells heavenly, but his eyes fall on something called a Calzone. He has never heard of those before, and he points to it. "That looks good; I'm going to have one of them and a big gigantic cup of soda! Extra caffeine please!" He looks back to Adia, and he shakes his head. "I haven't found one, but once I do, I'll be happy to let you know. Maybe I'll put comfy couches and chairs, so people can read their books after they buy them."

Edited 2017-04-10 00:42 (UTC)

Adia doesn't say much in response to that. It feels a little gossipy to be talking about Adam's insides, even if Vaclav means it as a compliment. "You could probably find someone here to help, if necessary... maybe even someone stealthy so no one even knows that you're back." She knows that "busting heads" is a necessity sometimes, but she'll always prefer a less violent solution to a problem if one's available.

She would have sworn that she wasn't hungry just a few minutes ago, but once she takes in the menu, she finds herself suddenly famished. A greasy slice of pepperoni pizza and a cup of icy cola sound like the perfect thing for her wine-soaked stomach. "I'll have a slice of pepperoni pizza and a cup of cola... is that okay?" She looks at Vaclav hopefully. "That sounds like a good idea, by the way. Places to sit in your bookshop, I mean."

It doesn't help that of all Augs he's met that Adam happens to be the most fascinating. But talking about what makes him tick is a bit gossipy, and he takes Adia's silence as hint to leave it to Adam to answer any questions about his inner workings.

"I'm sure I could get help! There's lots of friendly people here, and I did have some help getting some of my gear here." Vaclav is happy for the people he's met here, and the help he got when he was first settling down in the Nexus. "And of course, you can have pepperoni and soda!" He pulls out a credit card from his pocket, and he goes to hand it to the cashier.

"Couches. Well couches are a plaza thing, but you cannot have enough comfy couches. And maybe bean bags."

She doesn't think any less of Vaclav for it, but she's relieved that the topic is dropped. Although perhaps when she is more sober and less heartbroken, she could learn more about how augments work in general.

"Who helped you with your gear?" she asks, curious if it's anyone that she knows. She smiles gratefully when he pays for her order. "Thank you... I'll pay you back someday, I promise." She leans against the counter, unsure of whether she needs to wait for the food there or take a seat. She's eyeing the empty booths, looking forward to sitting down again. "The couches in your bookstore won't get rained or snowed on... bean bags are fun, too. I had a bean bag in my college dorm."

Now you're just somebody that I used to know.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject