"So, this lady of yours, she do you in?" asked Leon as he walked with Joseph toward the storage unit where the Amber was kept. Joseph shook his head and sighed. He ran a hand through his thinning gray hair before he answered Leon's question. He replied with, "She didn't. That rat bastard of a neighbor did."
Leon nodded and rubbed his soul patch. He then asked, "Well, why he do it, do you know?"
"Sadly, I think I do," Joseph sighed. His silver eyes gleamed in the dim lights as they walked. In them, sadness overcame the usually disposed man who once adored life. He now had nothing to his name. His home, his family, his two children, nothing could ever been reclaimed now. It was too late, time had won. He'd never get his old life back. "My neighbor had a "crush" on my wife."
"Damn, smoked by your neighbor because he liked your lady," Leon shook his head in anger. He himself had that problem. Though instead of a wife or a girlfriend, he was smoked by someone who he thought he knew best. Leon then remembered the golden rule. No matter how long you knew a person, be it since birth or school, there will always be something about them that no one knew. "Didn't they say you're more likely to be smoked by the people you know?"
Joseph frowned. It was true. One was likelier to be killed, robbed, or worse by those they knew. It was much rarer to be victimized by strangers and even then, the scenarios likely to happen are far in between. You are more likely to be struck by lightning than you are to win the lottery, after all. Joseph finally said, "Yeah. Usually how it goes, it's never a case with strangers unless otherwise."
Leon nodded. He then chewed on his lips before he said to Joseph, "Know how I got smoked?"
"Well, I figured since you were always trying to strangle the female Keepers, I can hedge a guess," Joseph shrugged. Leon while he was Subject Beta had a nasty habit of trying to harm female Keepers. Something Leon wasn't aware of. The Amber in his veins and the programming in the mechanic part of the chassis incapacitated his mind. He was no more aware of the suffering he endured than the rest. It was said the root of the problem stemmed from how Leon was captured. In the small part of the brain matter that remained, he only saw the one who "smoked" him.
"That stuff, Amber, it just screwed with me. I couldn't tell who was who. Anytime a chick came by, I just see her," Leon confessed. He frowned as he looked to the ground. He chewed on his lips as he remembered the few times that he could how often he tried to hurt innocent Keepers. As innocent as one could say about people who always ordered you around and there were nothing you could do to stop them. He heard in passing the many times he almost harmed the female Keepers that watched over them, to the point he was only assigned male Keepers from then on. It was an unpleasant experience all around. "How could've I been so stupid to think for once in my life, I'd find someone who'd like me."
"It was an honest mistake. You didn't know that drink was spiked much less that she was involved," Joseph comforted him. They walked into the storage unit to find barrels of Amber lined evenly against the walls. Leon took one look and sighed, "Makes me think, what we'd become if not for Amber. Would we still remember?"
"Never forget, but don't linger. What happened has happened. Nothing can change that," Joseph reminded him as they both stepped near a barrel. Joseph ripped the lid off the barrel, revealing the Amber substance that bubbled from the exposure. He helped turn the barrel over the drain, spilling the Amber. Leon chewed on his lips before he looked at Joseph. "But, what if we could change that?" he wondered as he helped Joseph grab the next barrel. "What if we could go back to the way things used to be?"
Joseph pondered as he helped spill the Amber from the second barrel. He himself wondered that as well. However, in his mind he knew already. There was no way of going back. This would've still happened to them no matter what. If not then, certainly it would happen now. He then said to Leon, "Ever heard of the Tennant Theory?"
"Tennant Theory, what the hell is that?" Leon stared at Joseph as they went toward the next barrel.
"It's a theory," Joseph began as they grabbed the third barrel. As Joseph ripped off the top and poured the Amber into the drain, he explained further. "It's simply this: if say we never had the World Wars then, we'd have them now. Even if Adolf Hitler never did the things he done, someone else would have taken up the mantle. And if history is anything to say, then that person will be far worse than Hitler ever was."
"So what you're saying is, if none of the bad shit happened then, they will likely happen now and it is worse than before," Leon summed as he helped grab a barrel. "But how is it any different than the wars we got now?"
"Remember the saying: don't repeat history?" Joseph looked at Leon as they poured the barrel. "I'd imagine the States or the USSR or both would've nuked each other to oblivion if the Cold War never happened."
"So, how does that factor in with us?" Leon pointed at himself as Joseph tossed the empty barrel aside. Joseph rubbed his brow before he answered. He replied, "Without us putting a wrench into the Hal Corporation's plans, then they would likely continue with the atrocities. If Cal's little girl is anything to say, Hal Corporation will be heading into "that" territory."
"Shit, the fact that it happened. I can't believe Sofia was that cold to do that to a little girl," Leon winced. He remembered it well, how Callan was brought to Utopia with his daughter. How Sofia was quick to use Ciri to further her plans. How apathetic Sofia was when Ciri didn't survive the conversion process. Callan while he was still Subject Gamma used to rely on Celia's presence to keep from going insane from his loss. It was a horrible moment and the pivotal point toward the rebellion. How Callan still managed to hold it together just long enough for Colton to find a body for him was still a mystery. "The fact that Callan still had the will to live is a miracle in its own right!"
"Look at this way, his little girl is with her mother in Heaven," Joseph reminded him. While Joseph wasn't a praying man, considering what happened to him and the others it made him took to religion. Though at times, even he doesn't know if what he's doing is the right thing or not. A black and white morality wasn't something he and the others have now. "That's all that matters."
"Hey, you think… you think we'd still go to Heaven?" Leon asked Joseph as they finished pouring out the last bit of Amber from the final barrel. Joseph patted his hands as he pondered the question. He took into consideration with what they were doing. They were deciding how to deal with the scientists, the people that made them the way they were. How long it's been, Joseph himself has taken to Beth's stance on letting them go. It has been far too long. Much of the scientists who worked on that infamous project have sense died or suffered from crippling dementia or such. The rest were past their prime and considering that Joseph had found that most of them have regretted being a part of the project, there was still hope for humanity. Yet, the yearning for retribution was strong, even for him. He answered with, "That is between us and God."
"I used to go to church with my ma. I forgot the name but it was a Christian church in the Bronx. Ma made me go every Sunday. I used to fake illnesses so I didn't have to go. I remember it was so boring, my ma used to pinch me whenever I fell asleep. But every time I went with her, the pastor used to say to us like "sometimes, bad things happen to good people. Sometimes, it's because of this that many good people do bad things themselves" man, forward to now, I never knew how right he was," Leon frowned as he looked at Joseph they both had looks on their faces as they stood in the storage unit. Joseph nodded, "So many good men become sour, and that is a sin in its own right."
"I don't know if I could hate the sin and love the sinner," Leon frowned. "I mean, the scientists, they did this to us. They had the power to say no to Sofia. They had power to stop it. But they didn't. Does this still apply?"
"Leon, be real with me. Are you having second guesses?" Joseph eyed him. Leon held up his hands as he sighed. Joseph nodded and then said, "I am too."
"I mean, I don't know what to say. I want them to suffer, but at the same time… it's like an earwig festering," Leon described his mind. Joseph understood and Leon rubbed his eyes. Joseph pointed at Leon, "Well, what's your opinion?"
"My opinion on everything that happened…?" Leon stopped and considered. Everything that happened to him, to the moment Batgirl set him up; to the moment he became Subject Beta. The moment everything from his old life faded away and no longer existed, all his old friends moved on and his family had eventually found the strength to move on from his alleged disappearance. The scientists then weren't as god fearing men they were now; most took to religion pretty heavily after they were forced out of Hal Corporation. And those that died during the rebellion, well, that was self-explanatory. Too many people died, by the scientists' hands and by Leon and the others' and that fact was well-known now. "I just want everyone to know what they did to us. That we were systematically kidnapped from our own universes and never had to chance to defend ourselves. Then, then I just want to go home."
"Alas, I think there is no going home for us," Joseph shook his head. Leon looked at the ground briefly before he nodded. "I miss New York, my New York," Leon mournfully said. "I miss my Ma."
"I miss my family," Joseph nodded. "I miss them so much."
"And we can't see them again," Leon chewed on his lips. Joseph nodded. Leon rubbed his eyes and sniffled a little. "What do we do, Joe? What are we supposed to do?" Leon questioned. "Nothing we do will take us back to that point of time where everything was fine. Nothing we do will get our lives back, our friends, and our families. What's the point?"
"Doomed to remember what we lost, that's a fate far worse than death," Leon frowned. He then looked at Joseph. He asked him, "What do you think?"
"I think we have to let go," Joseph admitted. He then quickly said, "Look what we're doing, we're tying up people who can't defend themselves anymore, talking about how to kill them, we're becoming like them."
"Beth was right, doing this is not going to get our lives back. The best we can do with is with what we have now," Leon frowned. He then stopped and said, "What about Cal and Frankie?"
"Cal lost a lot, there's no question about it. I'm sure he's sick of this as well. Frank, Frank I don't know about," Joseph summed. After finishing up in the storage room, they exited the room and begun to make their way toward one of the offices where they planned to play some football with the statuettes. On their minds, they continued to question what they wanted out the life they were given back. They caught up with Callan who had been looking through offices, grabbing for things they could use as the "ball".
Elsewhere, the Doctor counted down in his mind. He counted down to when it would be appropriate to send for the TARDIS. He had to keep the time; he didn't know when everyone would leave the backroom. Hiding in one of the offices, the Doctor pressed an ear against the door. He heard two footsteps go past and a woman talking. It was Beth and Frank. What they were talking about, the Doctor wasn't able to hear.
When they passed the Doctor slipped out of the office and snuck into another office diagonal from the previous. He found that it was Grissom's office, finding the displays of preserved insects. Some were exotic and others were outwardly, some that the Doctor could not name on the top of his head.
Before the Doctor could once more sneak out of the office, he heard three sets of footsteps nearing it. The Doctor's eyes spun around the room until they found the closest near the bookshelf. Quickly, the Doctor ran to it and using his Sonic Screwdriver, jimmied the lock and dived inside. He closed the door as quick as the other opened and as the Doctor hid in the walk-in closest he overheard three sets of different voices. One belonged to Joseph. One belonged to Leon. And one belonged to Callan. They were discussing something about a football tourney. Leon laughed that Callan might get confused with the rules, but Callan shushed him.
While trapped in the closest, the Doctor found an unlocked filing cabinet near the wall. Grissom had a few files in the filing cabinet and as the Doctor read them, they were about the beetles that infested the chasses of the Subjects. The beetles began to mutate shortly after they were exposed to the Amber post-conversion process. Grissom found that the Amber changed, containing DNA of the person in the chasses. With that in mind, Grissom concluded that the person could use the beetles to in his own words, "cheat death". Given how Frank stole Grissom's body, it was easy to say how that played out.
The Doctor began to hear things being thrown around the office. Glass shattered and laughter erupted from the office, apparently busts made for good footballs. Then, the Doctor heard one of the men going, "Hey, you think there's stuff in this closest?"
"Well, it's not like Grissom's going to mind, yeah?" said another.
The Doctor's two hearts began to beat against one another as he quickly looked around the room. There was no way he could hide, they will surely find him. His eyes then found a vent near the shelves, it wasn't big but it was enough for him to crawl through. The Doctor quickly used his Sonic Screwdriver to pry open the grate. Once the grate came off the Doctor crawled inside the vent, using his Sonic Screwdriver once again to screw the grate back into place. The Doctor shuffled as he crawled behind a corner and moved just enough to see a pair of legs going near the shelves. "Let's see, jars of insects, books, man Grissom was such a putz," the Doctor heard one of them say. "Leo, the man liked insects, not like it matters," he heard another. Leon chortled, "Yeah, no wonder he couldn't get any dates. Remember that woman he was interested in, something Sidle?"
"Ashley Sidle and she wasn't his type, remember," they continued to speak to one another. The Doctor eavesdropped enough to learn that the scientists were locked in an area attached to the backroom where they would keep people to be "processed". The Doctor having heard enough quietly moved his way through the vents.
It took time for the Doctor to move around the vents until he started to hear crying. Faint murmurs as he neared the source until he found himself looking down at the scientists. The scientists were huddled together, their faces frozen with fear. They were all looking at the door to the room, expecting for the others to come through at any point.
The Doctor then used his Sonic Screwdriver to remove the grate before he shuffled down to the ground. As he brushed himself off he was stared at. Some scorned him while others hid behind each other, all afraid of him. The Doctor coughed before he introduced himself. "I am the Doctor. I'm going to help you," he said to them. One of the scientists approached him and said, "How do we know you're not going to kill us?"
"Please, we don't have time," the Doctor took a glance at one of the scientists' watch. "We only have ten minutes before they come back."
"What do you plan to do?" asked one of the scientists. The Doctor chewed on his lips before he quickly said, "Make room."
The scientists moved and the Doctor stepped in front of them. With his Sonic Screwdriver he signaled for the TARDIS to materialize before their very eyes. The sound of scrapping metal emitted from the center of the room until the TARDIS appeared right then and there. The Doctor went up to it and opened the door. He turned to the scientists and with his pleading eyes he said to them, "Get inside, quick!"
The scientists took no time to heed. They all filed into the TARDIS quickly as the Doctor entered last and closed the door. He reached the panel and flipped several switches. He had a plan to get Frank and the others to listen to Beth. As the TARDIS disappeared from the room and reappeared elsewhere in Utopia, the Doctor stopped and turned to the scientists. For his plan to work, he had to be sure.
"Alright everyone, I am the Doctor," he quickly said as he walked up and down the TARDIS while looking at them. "And I have a plan to get everyone out of here without getting hurt. Now, for my plan to work I need everyone here to listen to me and follow my plan to the letter."
He then stopped and glanced around. He asked them, "Do you regret what you have done?"
"What have we done?" balked a scientist. "Look at what they done to Sofia!"
"Shut up!" the Doctor shouted at him. "What happened to Sofia was unfortunate but she and you lot have done a lot, too."
"Please, we just want to go home," a scientist murmured. Another agreed.
The Doctor chewed on his lips, "Listen. Listen to me, the only way for us to leave without anyone getting hurt is to bargain."
"Bargain, how can we bargain with those things?" a scientist asked. The Doctor scorned her. He said, "I know what they done and I know what you lot done. So listen carefully when I say that I have seen far worse. Worlds destroyed by the people meant to protect them. Entire universes imploded because of greed and what have you, never to be known about ever again. Now, for this to work, you have to tell me the truth: do you regret what you have done to them. And remember, lying isn't an option and if you so much as cause problems, we might not make it out of here."
The scientists were willing to listen to the Doctor now, no longer willing to interrupt with crude remarks or the like. The Doctor nodded as he continued. "The only way for them to be satiated is for the whole world to know what happened here. The whole truth, and nothing but the truth, even if it implicates you in any way shape or form, I don't care what it is but it has to be said or shown to the world. Everything that ever happened here, anyone who has died here, and everything else that I haven't heard must be made public."
"But, Doctor," a scientist piped up. "What about the Cybermen?"
"The Cybermen aren't going to care. In their eyes you're destroying each other and that's as good to them as any other," the Doctor replied as he went around the TARDIS. "It's the only way."
"What about Utopia?" the scientist beside him asked. The Doctor chewed on his lips before he answered. "We destroy Utopia. After I take you lot out of here, I'll come back and destroy it. Too much blood has been spilt here. How much more should we spill before it's enough?" he raised a hand. The scientists looked each other with looks on their faces. The Doctor sighed, "So everyone on the same page?"
"If we do what you ask, what about the fact they killed Ryan and the others?" the scientist near the Doctor asked. The Doctor stared coolly at him and replied with, "No one's clean here. Blood has been spilled on both sides. You all have done things you weren't proud of. How it's handled it's up to you."