Visitation Day

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[attr="style","color:#732331;font-size:180%;font-family:'Megrim',sans-serif;text-align:left;display:inline;float:left;"]Hidden Beneath Nevada

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The atmosphere in that underground laboratory was dour beyond comprehension. It was as if Alvis was the only one down there who was able to smile, let alone willing, and the thousand-yard stares he was getting from the security guards letting him through door after door showed him that his efforts to be polite were all for naught. Ah, well. There was no need to get hung up on the impoliteness of exploited laboratory workers- after all, he wasn't hired to boost workplace morale. No, today's patient was a few locked doors ahead, kept in a cell that was perfectly engineered to keep him harmless and contained, or so Alvis was told- although, based on the amount of security checks and barriers he had to pass to get down there, he was not inclined to believe them. You don't put that many doors on a place if you expect them to be a last resort.

Unfortunately, he hadn't been told much about Psi. He was simply given a list of the 'subject's' powers, a vague look at his physical health reports, and a warning that he was incredibly dangerous- none of which were of particular interest to Alvis and his work, and none of which served to make this first meeting any less awkward. He did try to ask for the most recent report on this subject's mental health, but, for whatever reason, his request was coldly denied. An optimist would say that this was because of some patient confidentiality clause but, given how they had been treating this subject, even just in passing conversation, Alvis doubted they cared enough about his privacy for that to be the case.

He doubted they cared enough about anything at all.

The security guards that were escorting him down to the lower levels didn't seem to be interested in small talk. They weren't hostile towards the doctor, as very few people were, but they didn't treat him with much respect at all. Alvis didn't exactly enjoy spending time with people like them- arrogant types, when affected by his disarming presence, tended to see him as beneath them, as if the only way anyone could earn their respect was by presenting themselves as a threat. Of course, he wasn't so arrogant himself as to want to change that, but it made any attempt at conversation an absolute chore to get through.

"We're here." One of them said, coming to a stop behind a heavy steel door, "He's just through there. If he tries anything stupid, just let us know and we'll get you out of there."

Alvis frowned,

"He's not allowed to leave that room, and we're not exactly willing to go in there and redecorate for your sake." The other guard rolled his eyes, "If you're scared, I'm sure my buddy over there can go in with you and hold a gun to his head or something."



"You sure?"

Alvis sighed,

There was a moment's pause, before the first guard muttered something under his breath.

"Well, at least he's got someone to take it out on."

Alvis ignored this.

After a few awkward seconds, the second guard opened the door and stepped back, allowing Alvis to pass through. As soon as he took one step inside the room, the door was shut behind him. Quick. Too quick. That can't have been good for Psi's mental wellbeing, being treated like a caged lion.

He smiled, speaking telepathically to the telepath,

He took a moment to survey the room. White. Uniform. The same sort of sensory-depriving blankness used to psychologically torture people if you wanted information about them. He managed to hide his disgust behind his smile, making a mental note to grill the facility's director about this the second he had the chance. What on Earth were they thinking with all this!? Keeping a dangerous, unstable metahuman locked in a room that was designed to make him go mad- they were practically begging for him to break out and escape. Not only was this a human rights violation, it was a risk to public safety! Alvis knew they didn't care about their inmate, but were they really too blinded by sadism to not realise the very obvious fact that making a violent metahuman even more violent was a catastrophically stupid idea? He sighed, slightly increasing the potency of his disarming aura- if only for his patient's peace of mind.

He said,

Well, that was what he was told to do, but Alvis was never really one for following orders.



...cliché?

Alvis regarded Psi's sarcastic commends with a placid, unwavering smile. Even the threats of violence did little to offset the doctor's temperament- it wasn't the first time such acts were brought up in his presence, and it certainly wouldn't be the last time. Besides, he wasn't expecting his patient to be peaceful, given his... living situation. Even with the door closed, even with the guards unable to stop their prisoner, Alvis trusted his ability to de-escalate far too much for something like this to make him nervous.

He stepped further into the room, glancing around at the uniform surroundings. There wasn't much in the way of furniture, unfortunately, so instead of sitting down, he decided to lean against one of the back walls. He always tried to appear fairly casual and comfortable to his patients. Well... that, and he liked to be comfortable. The clock made of rice was quite a novel display, but it only served to make Alvis all the more disappointed in the facility's lack of care towards Psi. I mean, come on- the man was trapped in a blank room with absolutely nothing to do to pass the time, except to make a clock out of the equally blank food he was given. As he had realised before, it was enough to make anyone go mad.

He sighed,

Not that they would listen, anyway. An unfortunate side-effect of his calming presence meant that particularly self-important individuals didn't tend to take his word for much unless he forced it- and he was not going to waste that effort on people who were too stupid to realise that torturing a volatile prisoner would inevitably end in their painful demise.

Alvis said, smiling politely at Psi,

The sudden shift in personality was quickly noted. Not physically, of course, but mentally. Alvis had a remarkably good memory when it came to things like this, after all. He retained his relaxed posture as he listened, offering the patient a sympathetic gaze as he spoke. No further information would be given, evidently, but that was fine. The last thing he wanted to do was to pry. The patient shifted again, adopting the same mannerisms as he had when Alvis had entered- clearly seeing the more vulnerable side was a temporary feat, then. Still, Alvis portrayed no change in his own demeanour as his patient shifted in his. The aggressive side was given the same gentle, placid look as the other. Treating him like a monster for this would not be good for either of them.



That was a lie. An undetectable lie. Alvis could easily use his powers to force every higher-up in this facility to turn their basement into a palace, but he refused to do so. As much as he genuinely wanted to improve Psi's surroundings, he couldn't let that get in the way of his own, very strict moral code- do not influence others to carry out your will without their consent. He might have to make a slight exception, given the extent of this human rights violation, but he wasn't going to make them comply. He just couldn't bring himself to.

He gave Psi an apologetic smile.



Alvis sighed.



This... wasn't a good thing to say, and he only realised this after it had already been said.

He said,

He let out a soundless chuckle.

Ah. That could've gone better.

Alvis barely reacted as his patient started to power up, meeting his void-black stare with his own, empty grey. He briefly considered attempting to subdue the man, to use his power to knock him out and stop the oncoming rampage before it even begun, but then where would they be? Psi would just be locked back in this room again, and Alvis would likely be fired- or worse still, be hired to further subdue this patient should he ever try to escape again. It was a vicious cycle, and he did not want his intervention to force its repetition, so he stayed his hand. Psi's escape was inevitable. All he could do was try and talk some sense into the man.

He said, keeping his voice perhaps a bit too calm,

The tiled floor cracked beneath his feet, but he didn't lose balance.



Though he had managed to hide his nerves fairly well, the same could not be said for his disappointment- the slightly patronising tone could still be heard in his telepathic voice, despite his best efforts to mask it.



Alvis slowly took a step back, but his movements were noticeably stiff.

He said,

He smiled.