Taking unnamed drugs from people Troy really didn't know that well was now one of the best decisions ever made in the name of humanity. In all of ten seconds, he had gone from being shaky on his feet to feeling like he could do windmills indefinitely. The young and energetic man had tried to do such tricks a few years earlier, where he failed spectacularly, but that did not matter now. He was feeling perfect, and there wasn't anything stopping him from it.

'Troy, there is a chance that you are experiencing mind-altering side-effects. You might understand this as feeling high. Are you currently nauseous? The sensory input that I am getting is muddled,` a concerned voice said in Troy’s head, causing more than a slight bit of confusion. He could not remember any emotion-filled voices that occupied his mind. And that was bad because that meant somebody was in there rent-free!

“I am not high,” Troy insisted vocally, much to the surprise of the two others beside him. This did cause eye-contact to be made before a mild round of sniggers went through the air. “I'm feeling fine!”

“Sure you are, Troy,” Charlie said encouragingly, helping the poor bastard down to a sitting position. He helped the younger one into a sitting position, letting him rest his back against one of the machines. As long as nobody would be slipping to the sides, no head injuries should happen. But, just in care, he did put Zep’s bag over some of the nearer metal points.

Waving a hand in front of Troy’s undilated eyes, an slightly annoying truth was beginning to jump out of the grave. One that Charlie should have thought of before he went and dosed Dr Hale’s underling with regulated substances. When it came to things like what Troy just downed, the dosage was the most important thing to think of. It changed from person to person, bodyweight-only having a minor effect on the amount. And even if it didn't, the younger man already weighed more than Zep.

“He’s off his balls right now,” Zep said, clearly trying to keep her laughter inside. The two of them had knowingly drugged up one of their co-workers. It was not the first time they had done such things, but this time might just be the two’s last. It had been for a good cause, but there just was something about the act that screamed unlawful conduct. “Might not have the resistance that I was hoping for.”

“He is about as close to sleep as he will ever be, Zep. No need to be so formal about it,” Charlie said. “And have your resistance grown as of late? I can't remember it being so quick, last time we did this.”

“Yeah, I kinda had to,” Zep answered, not sounding happy about the situation herself. “The more you drink the stuff, the more the body doesn't want to accept it. If it didn't give so good gains, I would have gone off it already.”

“It isn't good for you, Zep. It's meant as a temporary enhancement only. You made this stuff yourself. You know what-” Charlie began as he always did when the chance of it came up. After all, he had been one of the few that had seen the fifth stage with his own eyes. The skin is torn, the eyes bloodied, the lips forced into a purple colouring, and the nails… It had been a gruesome time when they had been tasked with seeing the long-term effects. The drug had been accepted for military use, but nobody that had worked on it ever hoped it would actually be used.

Better for it to be locked in a box that was never opened. Zep had said something like that not a year ago, yet she was not stopping with the intake of the thing that she loathed. Charlie did not want to say that he understood why, but there had to be some other way to process it all. Some healthier way that would not end up with more suffering for all to experience. Such has been told many times. Each had been refused, and the current one would likely end with the same result. That did not mean he would stop. With each refusal, it only became so much more vital to ask. By the thousandth attempt, he was sure she would fumble her words and accidentally say yes. By then, using the point of pride would allow him to manoeuvre her to new goals, ones that would end in something positive.

“I know precisely what will happen, and I know precisely when it will start happening. With that information, I can stop before anything happens. I know what I am doing, no matter what you have to say,” Zep said, not letting Charlie finish his pleas. Her tone was challenging but grew softer once she stole a glance at Troy. The two still had things to talk about. While the younger one would sleep for the next ten minutes easily, it was better not to tempt fate. “You said something about a surprise before our third wheel decided to fall over himself. Anything to add to that?”

It was a badly done switch of topic. Both of them knew it, and neither mentioned it at all. Charlie did exhale for but a moment, not having success yet again, but it was moved away swiftly enough. It would do no good to put pressure on the wounds when it was done with a knife. The more pressure was put, the more it would bleed, even if it was done with positive ideas behind it.

“The one who sleeps in a slumber deeper than ever before is done with his first week in this fine facility,” Charlie said nodding towards the slumbering Troy. The older man’s placement of the bag had been well-thought, as the younger one had sleepily begun using it as a pillow. The sight brought a rare smile filled with warmth. It even reached his eyes. “I thought it would be fun to throw a little party for him. More of a gathering of our group really. Thought it would be a fun thing for everybody to enjoy.”

A dream that they had always wished for, but knew they would never get. Their futures were sealed, no matter how much enthusiasm had been put into the plan. Charlie had tried to do it to his heart's content, but it had only been done for Darlow’s sake in the end. At least he could hold unto an unachievable dream. Charlie wished he could do the same. Instead, he had what he had, knowing he would likely never get anything more.

“And the real reason?” Zep inquired. She had been good friends with the man for years. No matter how much he hid it, she could see more about him than either was comfortable with. While she could not hide her own emotions, neither could others hide it from her. Many things had been seen by others. It was surprising at first, how sad most of the people in this damned place could be.

Charlie could not be surprised by the question. Neither was he surprised by how hard it was to say the truth. Going behind the layers, showing his real side with the full intention of saying it all. It was not many people it could be done with. Zep was the first to force it out of him, and he could never say how grateful he was for it. Her actions had been the catalyst for many things in his life. It was only through the friendship they had that the older man could ever hope to repay her. And the occasional favour every now and then.

“You are employed in the same place as me, Zep,” Charlie answered, not able to say it bluntly. “Even if you try to distance yourself from it, you must have heard something from the branches.”

“I had been hoping it was false rumours, honestly,” Zep stated, her eyes looking sad for a moment. “Did she really fall over at breakfast?”

“Yeah, she did,” Charlie confirmed, not too happy to talk about Dr Hale in such a fashion. Speaking of other failures as just another distraction. It was sickening to do, but so many people just loved doing it. Stating his opinions of it would only bring him to the front of the queue.

“That poor thing. At least, with that rumour confirmed, there should be no reason for the others to be false. When do you think she will wake up?” Zep said, more in encouragement to Charlie than herself. She spoke little with the woman, the two not sharing views on many fronts. The reaction when Dr Hale had learned of the bloody things… it had not been pretty for anybody. Having it happen while drunk had not been any better. Though, Zep did sometimes feel bad, letting the other take the blame for the whole thing. Did she even have any places she was allowed to be anymore?

“She is already awake,” Charlie corrected. “Didn't want to go under at any moment, not wanting to take any chances. I warned her it would be painful, but she did not give a single fuck about anything at that point.”

“That goes without saying,” Zep said, a grin coming over her features at that. Both had stories of the woman, some more humorous than others. A moment was given to snigger at them before they went right back. “Am I to believe that she is the reason for this whole thing?”

“That would be wise of you,” Charlie confirmed, happy to not be forced to spell it out. He wasn't sure that he would have been able to. When it came to times like these, not acting everything was what he needed. Forcing himself was not something he was obligated to do. Zep wouldn't mind either way. He would be called a prick no matter what he did. That was one of the many things he liked about the woman. That, and her ability to listen when it was needed. “Troy has grown attached to her as of late. Not- stop I know that look on your face. It is not in the way you're thinking!”

“Are you sure?” Zep questioned, not being able to take Charlie’s words too seriously. When relaxed, that man had the need to be told about phrasing so dang much. It was unbelievable. Well, it was a positive thing that so little thought was put in. It allowed the man to speak from something other than that calculating part, being just a bit more honest than he thought he was being. “I have seen those eyes he has. The eyes wander, Charlie! That little guy has some good taste.”

“Oh, just trust me on this,” Charlie said, trying to remove that picture from his mind. While it had been used as ammunition a few days prior, he had never considered it. Especially when he knew that the relationship they had going on was anything but in that direction. “It is not what you are thinking at all. Might even be in the opposite path.”

Honestly, Dr Hale was acting worried half the time about Troy and absolutely hating him in the next. It was not one of fondness but of protection. She was trying to protect him from the outside, no matter how little she wanted to admit that. With her being unable to do it, Charlie might have gone a bit deep into his own instincts, but such was friendship. Holding each other up by their faults was something everybody needed to do. And it wasn't like he minded getting into that role. It was practice for a reality that would never come. Indulging in dreams not his own, doing it for the sake of many others. Charlie needed a prize for that at some point. If he would ever tell it to another soul, that was.

“That's a shame. It would have been a story I would have loved to see develop,” Zep said, deciding that she had had enough fun on that point. “So, it's just a relationship built on caring for each other? And, yes, not that kind. You don't have to look at me like that. I'm talking about the one where neither wants to admit it, but- I said wipe that face off yourself this very moment.”

In what seemed like a single second, the two had switched their roles. Zep had tried to get serious and had likewise begun saying the right things in the very wrong ways. Charlie could not help but find it funny, having an even harder struggle not to crumble into a wall of laughter. That was saved for when the layers needed to go back up.

“Yeah, yeah, I wiped it off,” Charlie said, wiping away a tear he had only imagined. At least it felt real. “And you're right, even with that bad phrasing of yours. With how… bad Mara has been as of late, it is natural for him to worry about her. He even asked me this morning if he could see her. Right now, I don't think it will be good for anybody if he sees the state that she is in. No matter how much Troy wants to, I have to delay until later. Then, Mara will be looked at better. It's what this whole thing is for, really. I intend to delay his departure all day long. If I do it, the visit will be brief, and he will notice nothing.“

Zep saw Charlie slowly go into one of his long speeches. It had been annoying to hear them in the start, but she knew why he did them nowadays. It was good to be prepared when one was stressed about something. Whenever her friend was stressed, he would prepare an old fashioned speech. The content of them was not always relevant, but that didn't really matter. As long as they helped him in some way, she would not mind hearing about the evolutionary patterns of crabs.

“It's good to see that you're being honest now,” Zep commented encouragingly. “I'm in.”

“Oh, thank providence,” Charlie said, releasing tension from his shoulders that he had not realised had been accumulating together. “I was worried you would say no.”

“I would have yes, even if you had lied,” Zep said, deciding to return the honesty. “I'm guessing that I have to plan the whole thing?”

“I'm afraid so,” Charlie said, his cheeks flushing slightly. “Esme said she could do it if needed, but you are the one who knows how to get the good tables.”

“That is what I am good at,” Zep confirmed, not too happy that that was the reputation she was getting in the group. She had been going for the violent caretaker. “Then, are we doing our normal routine. As we played poker last time, it should be… blackjack, I think?”

“Yeah, about that,” Charlie said, stopping Zep before she could go too deep into planning-mode. “Would you mind if we… didn't do any gambling for the night?”

“Any way I could know why?”

“I'm afraid not. It's personal,” was the answer she got. Zep noted the lack of who it was personal for. But… with the face being shown, it would be best not to ask into it. Everybody had secrets, and it was not even half of them that needed to be brought into the open.

“Understandable. As the last order of business, what should today's excuse be?”

“Well… I had a few ideas. Have you done your deadlifts yet?”