Doc: Alright you ate.*he then nods and smiles* good. that saves us some time having to cook something.*he drinks his water and waits for an answer on the table and grabs out a few more pink vials of liquid* So, is there anything else on your mind that you need to know in advance?

*Zot Library*
SB:*his eyes light up and a big smile hits his face he then walks around the corner and back to her with a more calm expression* Well, we do have some temporary work if that's what your looking for. Do you have anything in mind at the moment that you'd prefer doing?

*in the studio*
Rob:Oh, I understand this Zot can be a huge thing to take in. Why, when I first started here I was just as lost as you and had no idea what I was doing. Now, I run my own studio and am concidered Shadowblade's personal organizer. I take photos of Models, design clothing and in my spare time film and edit commericals for various products. Now then If you could follow me, I need to take your photo for your ID.

*in anita's room*
*several minutes later after the ding was heard*
Rose:*puts down a tray with the fresh* here you are have as many as you want.*she smiled at him though it seemed a bit off as if something was bothering her*

Pico:*eats a cookie then looks at Rose with concearn*(somthing dosnt feel right…)youok Rose?

Val: I-I don't think so.
Snow: Well, I do. There's a suitable table down at the lab, which is absolutely sterile as of now. But all we did was talking about the baby up to now. What about Valary? Can something happen to her?

–Zot, 13th Floor, Study–
Lucy: *follows Rob.“ ”that's not it, er, it is, I mean. Yeah, Zot is a huge thing and I am overwhelmed by it, but it's not Just Zot. I don't think I've spent more than a week on earth in my life. there is just so much to learn, you know?"

–Zot, 12th Floor, Library–
Rhiannon: “I don't care what it is so long as it keeps me too busy to think.” *she seems irritated and somewhat impatient, though not at anything or anyone in particular.* “I just… need to let some things go.”

Rob: *he smiles*well worry not Lucy, you'll fit in. there are people that here can help you fit in. if you have any questions, most can answer. Some better than others. you just got to be social and friendly. *he then gets behind the camera* Now ,smile for me please.

*in the Library*
SB: Oh, I see…hmm*he then stops to ponder*well, I do have a couple ideas of things you can do. How are you with argriculture and growing things?

*at Snow's place*
Doc:…*he sighs and takes another sip*well I'm not going to lie to either of you… getting into where I need to go will require opening up Val. A simple moderate incision, one that can fit my*he then uses wiggles his free hand* “instruments” in. I may accidently bump a few organs looking for where I need to go and on the way out. Also, if this takes more than a day I'm going to be eating for me, Val and the kid giving them both the nutrients a healthy mother and child need, while mending and repairing the malformations. That's why I asked about if you ate something. Snow ,I'm going to need you to stay awake and be there to hand me some things and cook. Not only that, but to administer anything to keep Val relaxed. Also, how good's the lighting in that room?

*Anita's room*
Rose: hmm? oh its nothing*she puts on a smile for a bit and munches on her handywork then looks down* Pico, you ever feel at times that well, you might not be as good at something that you used to do?

Pico:*sweatdrops* you are asking the wrong guy*looks at her expression and smiles slightly as he made her look at his face*besides you are a wonderful mother not to mention a hell of a cook*grabs 3 cookies and eats them* your smile is contageous*smilesfor emphasis*and you are so calm and well mannered i dont know what you could be bad at because that sounds impossible!*does that goofy smile again*

–Zot, Photoroom–
Lucy: *poses and smiles for picture. for some reason, his smile makes him seem more malevolent than benevolent.* “eh, thanks, but I wasn't asking for advice. I'm sure it's good advice, and I'm glad you're passionate about your job but…how is that relevant?” *he holds up his hands in front of him like a profit having a sudden vision* “no, wait, let me guess. Zot will help me to understand and peace and love and all that other stuff.” *he lets his arms flop to his sides.* “ah, forget it; un-asked for advice is still better than Hell.”

–Zot, 12th Floor, Library–
Rhiannon: “I don't know what kind of freaky farming you have around here, but the farming I know leaves one with nothing to do but think.” *she says somewhat sourly.* “I know beggars can't be choosers, but surely you can think of something better than that.”

Snow: You should know the answer to that. *after he gently fights down Val's tries to keep him from helping her out of the bed, he heads for the door* Just follow us. *they start to make their way back down a bit slower than before due to Val's condition; back on the first floor, they head on over to the far edge of the maintenance chamber and the halfway hidden staircase between the chamber and the outer wall* The lab. *he says over his shoulder to Doc and takes the first few steps with Val before he adds* … And of course, wine cellar. *three dozen feet under, they come to a dead end with a big heavy metal door going off to the left and another one of the kind to the right, which they all step through now; someone hits the lights and the lab is dipped in bright, omnipresent, cold white light that mercilessly eradicates all shadows; having roughly the same size as the company labs on Zot's eighth floor, this lab seems off - there are no big weird experiments in giant aquariums or terrariums, nor any apparatus brooding an unidentifiable liquid, in fact, the air conditioning is the only tiny noise that can be heard; Snow points to a large dissection table roughly in the middle of the lab with several cushions suitable for surgical procedures waiting by its side* Over there. *oddly enough, as opposed to Val who becomes more and more nervous, Snow has calmed down significantly in the past minutes, possibly encouraged by the thought of having anything he can do about the situation*


- Back at Zot, eighth floor… -

Claire: (Gotta admit, there's an advantage to that whole ‘Zot gone public’ crap. I can walk around without having any fucktards rubbing me the wrong way.) *she takes the last steps towards Doc's lab and knocks sharp as usual* Doc? Ya there?

Doc: Not bad snow. a bit vacent, but what are you going to do?*he looks to Val and smiles*Don't worry my dear this will just be like last time only the choice of being awake will be up to you. I know you have much to worry about, but your in the hands of a 2 professionials. he then retrieve his bag and places it on a side table. from that he begins to extract several vials of the Pink liquid, a scalpel , his cellphone, a bag of chips, several sedatives, and a white coat,with a faded big red cross on the back the then takes off his lab coat and puts the other one and hangs his lab one up somewhere and walks back to the table.* are we just about ready or is there something?

*Eighth floor Doc's room*
*there is no responce from the other end however, the door remains unlocked. A note can be seen a few inches above her upon closer inspection, the following is written.:
Hello there,
I'm sorry to say, but at the moment I'm not in. I had a house call to make. I know the first one in practicly 2 years, right? Ah, but in all seriousness, if this is about formula or serum making please address, Pico and leave him the things you wish him to make on his lab door. If this is about something else or just want to talk, call me on my Cell(insert cellphone number here) I always have a few minutes to spare and chat. Even if I'm knee deep in someone else. Thank you again and sorry that this is so sudden.
-Doc.*

*Zot library*
SB: true enough, it is something simple*thinks about his more professional jobs* (well she is quite knowledgeable, but I'm not sure how you'll feel about being a teaching self defence. Modeling is another choice I was thinking but I don't know if she'll show on camera. hggnnn…why did I have to design a place that is all about free thinking and individualism?…oh yeha, cause everyone deserves a second chance. The only thing I can think of that gives her no free time to think and keep focused is to organize all my files,and now that I think about it Rob does need a break.) Well you could be my personal organizer and secretary. Always busy organizing meetings, coming with me everywhere I go to moniter the towers on my daily routine, and taking time to organize my files. Would that work?

*at the studio*
Rob:… (l wish it were that simple) *he then looks at the smile and rubs his chin* mind if we take a few more? The one we have is good, but I'd like to take a few more for good measure.

*Anita's room*
Rose: Thank you Pico that does mean a lot, but I'm not so sure. I mean there are so many things I-I don't know where to start. *she then looks up at him* …can I count on you to help me when the time comes?

Pico:well of course you can count on me Rose*smiles*

–Zot, 12th Floor, Library
Rhiannon: thats hardly Ideal, but *her head bows seemingly under the weight of her thoughts and her hair stops floating about as if gravity suddenly applied to it.* Ill do it. Anything to keep busy. *she rights herself in midair and stands herself upright on the ground.* where do I start?

–Zot, Photo Room
Lucy: *complies, but each picture seems to come out worse than the last. It almost seems like Lucy is trying to look like a villain.* ah, do you usually need this many pictures or is something wrong?

Val: … As much as I'm afraid of what's going to happen, I'd rather stay awake and aware of the situation than having to hear of it second hand. I want to be a part of it when the worst case scenario takes place.
Snow: Stop talking like that, dear. There is no worst case scenario if you believe in yourself. Doc, do you want to start now or should I quickly prepare some concoctions to prevent sleep first? I don't suppose you will need them, but I probably will.


- Zot, eighth floor… -

Claire: (Oh, c'mon! … Well fuck.) *out of curiosity, she opens the door and steps in; after her time in Zot, the lab still evidently intimidates her by a considerable deal, however, she forces herself to ignore all the insane devices and experiments and looks around, apparently searching for something* … Ain't lookin' like he's got anything of the like… Eh, I'll just ask him when he's back from where the hell ever he is. He knows this place better than me after all. *she mumbles to herself, stepping out of he lab and closing the door; then she just stands there for a while* (Well hi there, boredom… Can't go to the gardens, and considering my exceptional luck last time and the odds, better avoid the mall as well.) *sigh* (Let's see if AC4 gets any more interesting with the sixth play through.) *thus, she heads back to her quarters*

Doc: *he nods in agreement* a good idea. Your going to need it. start brewing a few. Also can you get all the Vials out? you know, the Pink ones? They're important to the procedure.*he then turns to Val* if you wish to stay awake then, I will let you. Just remember, this won't be like every other time I've healed you. It'll take much longer. All I ask is that you try to remain calm, make no sudden movements, or freak out if I happen to say “oops” or anything along those lines.*he chuckles and smiles at her hoping to ease her some* Don't worry your in good hands.

*in the Library*
SB:Well, let's see… (I have a big list of things that need to be done. but let's start with something I'd have Rob do.) I need several files organized as of late that I haven't had anyone get to them. I need it organized by dates and times the info or events happened. Afterwords, we go on my daily routine check up on everyone and everything. see the new inventions, and so on.

*up at the studio*
Rob: well, one is nice however I like to have more just incase and determine which is best.*scrolls through the photos taken*(…this is Steven all over again…)*he then plugs in his camera to his computer and brings a few of what he felt were the best* Ok Lucy, we have enough.*he then starts to narrow down the choices* By the way, how did you come up with that pose and smile?

*Anita's room*
Rose:*she smiles and hugs him* thank you Pico. that really means a lot to me.*she lets go and adjusts herself* By the way, I know this might seem like an odd question, but has Anita seemed distant towards you?

Pico:yeah a little bit she mentioned about haveing a problem but she didnt tell me what it was*scratches his head while looking at the ground* sigh…im worried about her*looks at Rose who was smileing at him*uh is it weird that im worried about your kid?…

Val: *closes her eyes and takes a deep breath* Doc, stop trying to console me. Please. It only makes it worse. Just… stop this nightmare. And Snow… The food… *gives him a glare as if he just broke her favourite tea cup*
Snow: *already at work on the concoctions; Doc's vials are long up on a nearby table in a test tube container* I know. By the way, you can start already; this'll still take a good while.
Val: Snow! No caffeine, no fish… *she takes a break to emphasize this point*
Snow: Val, I've told you, most of all fish is-
Val: We've gone over this…! *she resumes her list up* Only regional, non-chopped meat, thoroughly cooked, no eggs, mayonnaise or anything else that contains eggs, no unpasteurized milk, no soft cheese, no deli meat, no imported food, wash all vegetables thoroughly, make sure the meals are all balanced out well, and don't even think about junk food!
Snow: *sighs inaudibly while lighting a burner and setting up a distillery* I know.


- Zot, second floor… -

Claire: *lying on her new bed upside down with her head hanging down from the foot end* Ugh, how can it be that a game with such a gigantic open world can get boring so fucking quickly?! *her eyes wander about the newly furnished room; despite the size still not being very generously measured, it feels a lot less like a temporary barrack and is more personalized; her gaze meets the dresser and the three crippled cigarettes on top of it* (… Wonder who he really is… and what he did to deserve a place in hell.)

–Zot, 13th Floor, Studio–
Lucy: “What pose? This?” *he smiles and holds it again, more malevolently than ever.* “It's just a smile; everyone does it. Didn't your folks teach you how to smile?”

–Zot, 12th Floor, Library–
Rhiannon: “Sounds simple enough. I think I saw them on my way down.” *without another word, she flies up through the ceiling and into the office. she wastes no time in getting to work.*

–Station Square, Library–
Rust: *still looking over newspapers* (hmm, it seems this city had a super-hero for a while. it doesn't make sense that he would quit on his own accord. A villain might, but most heroes are driven by the fame or civic duty. most likely possibilities are that he's dead, captured, crippled, or black-mailed.) *he thinks on the possibilities for a while longer* (meh, it's none of my business)

SB:*watches her go off* Well that's all fine and dandy. now to go and check up on our newest recruit.*one poertal later* hey rob what's up?*looks around* Photoshoot for the ID?
Rob: yes. have a look.
SB: *looks through the picures.* Not bad. I like them. I'm concidering the first one* he then turns to Lucy* Hey Lucy, bit of a suggestion here, you might want to tone the smile back some. People might take it the wrong way when trying to get to know you.

*In Anita's room*
Rose: *shakes her head* Not at all. After all she conciders you a good friend and really likes you. I'm sure that you concider her something the same.

*At Snow's place*
Doc:…Well, then,*he then proseeds to laugh and then sighs after a good minute* ah,…Let's get you on that table and make a baby. *after helping Val onto the table and gave her a stress ball. Doc went and grabbed some rubbing alcohol he then maked the area inches between her chest and where her stomach buldges.he applied the liquid to the area and fetched his scalpel and readied his free hand to go inside her. He looked at her with a stern emotionless face and his breathing lessoned he blinks but a few times and readies the point centimeters away from the invisble line on her.* Now this first cut, will hurt some so I advise you get a good fix on someone or something else. Snow, I'm going to need a funnel of sorts later, if you can find me one now that would be great.

Pico:of course i do*leans his back to the wall behind him and put his hands in his pockets thensighs* today has been a weird day

Snow: *opens the drawer right in front of where he stands and pulls up a long, rolled funnel along with a pair of scissors; cutting a few feet off, he puts the roll back, brings the leftover to Doc and puts it down on an unoccupied side table* Dunso. *he says in an almost absolutely calm tone of voice before stepping to Val's side and taking her free hand* Don't worry, dear. We are right here. We'll get this done together. *he smiles at her, but doesn't dare to look down at where Doc holds his scalpel; with the first cut, Val takes a sharp breath through her teeth and squeezes the ball and Snow's hand painfully, who doesn't allow his mimic to show the least reaction* You're doing wonderful, Val. Keep breathing.

–Zot, 13th Floor, Studio–
Lucy: “why? Aren't smiles are friendly things? Toning back a smile would be like toning down…eh, the sun…or something.” *he thinks about his failed metaphor for a moment with regret and mild confusion before getting back to the subject at hand.* “how would a smile ever be taken the wrong way? Are you implying that I shouldn't want people to like me or that I shouldn't be friendly?” *he looks at SB in consternation and confusion. he seems entirely unaware that his smile or the pictures might be off-putting.*

–Zot, 13th Floor, Office–
Rhiannon: *sorting through loose files on a large table.* (okay, sorting by date seems fairly self explanatory, but subject…) *Sigh* (maybe I should have requested some training or something. long…boring…training… yeah, no. I'll figure this out on my own.) *slowly sorts through the papers, learning the process as she does so.*

SB: Lucy, I love your smile and I think its grand how much passion you pour into it. However, people up here take that kind of smile as if you were up to something, shall we say, negative. Up here people smile something along these lines*does a standard smile for a moment and returns back to its normal expression* I know it doesn't seem much, but sometimes a little can go a long way. Wether or not you'll make use of this advice is up to you.


*at the Lab door*
Mia:*walking by and sees numerous requests and lists of things to be made* oh dear…I best let Pico know.

*Anita's room*
Rose: *she rolls up beside him* I can agree to that, but things always turn out for the better. Who knows what can all happen? *She then looks at his side and notices his phone Vibrates* Um, Pico I believe you have a call.

*Snow's home*
Doc: Thank you. *he then sticks his free hand in her and starts to let it change into many tentacles. His first stop is her stomach as he makes a connection to it allowing nutrients to go from him to Val and then to the child.* Alright, easy part is done. Now for the next step.*slowly his tentacles move around in her sliding across a few organs, making sure not to bother them as he moves slowly and carefully towards the membrane where the patient lies* You might want to get comfy It'll take me a bit before I reach the Chorion and longer still to get into it and begin to operate. So, anyone have any interesting stories to tell?

Pico:hmm?*grabs his cell from his pocket*so i do…excuse me Rose*presses the green button*talk to me…
Mia:hey Pico!
Pico:oh hey Mia whats up?
Mia:you got a few orders to take care of at the lab.
Pico:oh ok be their in a flash love you.
Mia:love you.
Pico:*turns his cell off* thanks for the talk and cookies Rose but i gotta jet cya!*runs out the door*

–Zot, 13th Floor, Studio–
Lucy: *looks hard at SB's demonstrated smile.* “it looks about the same as… wait just a life” *he says, bungling an expression and reaching for the computer mouse. the cursor flails around the screen for a moment before he discovers the scroll option and shifts clumsily through the pictures.* “huh, the are a little different, I guess…. you don't show off quite as many teeth for some reason…ah, my head is angled down. you don't do that…and…” *he examines SB's face again.* “why do you do that thing with your eyes? the crinkle a bit a the edges and looks…weird. what do eyes have to do with a smile?”

Val: … Is that really necessary?
Snow: Loosen up, dear, will you. We need to bring you to different thoughts. *after a short moment, he adds* On the other hand, to be honest, I'm stumped. What about you, Doc?

Rose: oh alright, bye. *waves as he runs out*

*in front of the lab door*
Mia:*writing something and puts it in an envolpe and puts it in the bottom of the now collected pile of requested forms. She then looks over and sees pico running around the corner* There you are.*kisses him* how's your day been going?

*In the Studio*
SB: oh that, sometimes when the flash goes off the eyes tend to squint. Also, there is an old saying…*he motions his hand*something about them being the windows to the soul. Rob could you please?
Rob:*clicks a button opening a projector in the ceiling he then pulls up several photos of many Zot staff members. Some smiles are rather goofy, others real nice.* As you can see there are slight details and diffrences to each smile making them all diffrent*he points to Zack's photo* some more than others, however they all follow the same expression and geuine intent.

*Snow's place*
Doc:hmm…*his tentacles continues to move through Val as he ponders* Let's see…wow now that I think about it I have a lot of dirty adventures, and a great deal of them would be concidered nightmare fuel…which is nice, but not called for at this moment…*he thinks about it a bit longer* Well, I could tell you about myself, or my first challening patient I had to work on at Zot if your interested.

Pico:*sweatdrops*er fine i guess*grabs all the requests and looks through them 1 by 1* odd i never had so many orders before..*recognises Mias hand writeing on the last letter* whats this?

Val: *trying her best to keep her body relaxed, she barely listened to anything that's been said* … So long as it's a story with a happy end…

–Zot, 13th Floor, Studio–
Lucy: *looks through picture after picture, slowly noticing dozens of small differences between his smile and the smiles of everyone else.* “but I do have genuine intents when I smile… maybe, it's just a different way of doing things here at Zot?” *he contorts his face, using unfamiliar muscles to try to mimic what is for others, a genuine smile. the result looks forced, and uncomfortable, but looks far less malevolent. he sighs* “this is tough. I'll figure it out later. it's been somewhat a long day, you know? is there a chance I could just rest somewhere and we could pick this up tomorrow?”

SB, I've sent you a PQ.

SB:…(oh we have a lot of work to do…speaking of I best check on the fileing soon)of course. of course I have a guest room for such occasions *opens a portal* oh and Rob As of right now your on Vaction so-
Rob:*dashes out of the room*
SB: huh, he hasn't run that fast since I told him Doc was in charge doing the physicals last year…oh well*one portal later to the guest room near the office* well here we are I know its not much but it does get the job done. (besides you thinking that this is the barracks will help see how you act alone.)
*the room looks great with much detail and effort put into it several beds, mirriors, bathrooms the works*
Will this do for now?

*Up at the Lab*
Mia: oh, that? that's an experiment from me and can wait to be done last. Anyway let's get to work.

*Snow's place*
Doc: hmm…very well. I guess I'll make something up.*he adjusts himself and clears his throat*
There once was a girl named Annie, who had a ordanary life she did what any child would do, play, learn, behave and so on. She had a small family of her and her mother who deeply loved Annie with all her heart, and would go the distance for her child. One day after a nice day at school she came home to find her mother not there. She wondered all around the home. No one to be found. So, she did what all kids did at the time mess around the home eat cookies, watch TV all without a care in the world. Well, eventally she got a call from a neighbor saying where her mother was.
One trip to the hospital later she found her mother in a bed and not awake. “What was wrong” Annie asked? The doctors told her that her mother was very sick and were doing the best they could to make her better. However, the doctors had not seen this kind of thing before either and were baffled by the stuff in the poor girl's mother. Things looked grim and poor Annie was all alone, wondering what will happen. She was alone at home not knowing what to do. Her mother was all she had and no one could replace that. She pondered as the days went by slowly losing hope.
Then, one day Annie met an interesting fellow on the street. No one knew why, but something drew them close. perhaps it was the sadness in her eyes or perhaps the doctor felt something wrong. Either way he approaced her. He asked the poor child what was wrong? Annie knew not to talk to strangers, however at this point nothing mattered to her. “My mother is sick” Annie replied “and the doctors don't know what to do…” He then looked at poor Annie.“ Well, I'm a docter” the man said“and I can probally fix you poor mom too.” Annie then looked up at him“ nice try, but the doctors from everywhere have tried and came up with nothing. Annie began to cry ”What makes you diffrent from them?“ The doctor then smiled and comforted her”No 2 docors methods are the same. and I assure you mine are diffrent. All I ask is you put faith in me and what I do. now please show me, where is the patient?“ Annie led the strange doctor to the hospital.
Later, Annie and the doctor went to the room.”Can you really fix her?“ she asked the doctor then looked at her.”My dear girl, worry not for I have a cure for everything." It took some time and a whole lot of elbow grease as hours felw by, but the doctor kept his promise true and fixed Sweet little Annie's mother up and the 2 were hapily reuniting them. They both thanked the kind doctor for everything he had done as he simply gave them his card if there was any more trouble. Annie hugged her mother and kissed her glad to know that she still has a mom. The 2 then went home, and spent the rest of the night with each other, happy that they were together again. The end.
Well, what did you think? I know it skips and has holes, but not bad for a story off the top of my head wouldn't you agree?

Pico:*lots of orders done later*(goddamn that was alot)*wipes sweat from head then looks at Mias order* i guess your next*smiles at Mia*what is it?
Mia:you,ll see