Security droids recognized him immediately as he approached, they opened the doors right away, allowing Tommy to breeze inside without skipping a beat. The facility was considerably new— since all the cells were destroyed with the reactor overload last month, Kieran should've considered himself lucky to be in a separate bay, brand new. Tommy believed it used to be some kind of cargo bay, but now it was a prison cell with mostly cutting-edge equipment. The cage took the shape of a glass cube that was utterly seamless; there wasn't even a visible door, and the room was filled with specialized technology that inhibited shapeshifting. But these were not like Howard's inhibitors, they were not designed for the prisoner to be 'footloose and fancy-free.' Tommy, Kieran, or any other Omeocoon in this area might find that their shifting powers were completely useless here. That was by Kipp's design, very impressive. Kieran was on the floor reading a data pad with his legs resting against the wall.
He was definitely relaxed and bored. At the sound of the heavy steel doors opening, Kieran didn't budge. He just raised his voice and continued from where he was reading Genesis 1:3-25 NLT, an old Earth text called the Bible or something like that. He enunciated as his brother approached, "Then God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light! And God saw that the light was good! Then he separated the light from the darkness!" Kieran quoted the Bible, which was ironic because he didn't particularly care for the planet Earth. Or any planet, for that manner.
"Did you take your medicine today?" Tommy asked bluntly, looking down at Kieran as he continued reading, this time silently. "Oh yes! I can't exactly refuse— the rodent doctor is forcing it onto me. He calls it 'encouragement.' Did you know that it's supposed to suppress violent tendencies? I think it's working!" Tommy was pretty sure Kieran was lying. Unfortunately, there were no mental health professionals on board the station, so some ingenuity would be required. Cam was doing the best he could... but even after two years, he still couldn't figure it out, he couldn't even get a handle on his own anxiety. Tommy would come to see his 'brother' every other week, as part of treatment, but other than that, he pretty much avoided the cargo bay. For good reason. "Give it some time." Kieran paused thinking quietly, "Will I ever be free again?"
"Not the way you want to be," Tommy said bluntly. He sounded less like an optimistic Tommy. And more like a pessimistic Russell. "And that's good. This is what you deserve." Kieran was shocked, this was not the Tommy he was expecting to get today! So far, Tommy displayed only two emotions: hatred and anger. Tommy's harsh response took Kieran aback, as it seemed to contradict the friendly, open-minded demeanor Kieran knew he was capable of. Tommy sighed and approached the glass cube, pressing his forehead against it. He looked directly into Kieran's eyes, his gaze filled with disappointment and concern. "Kieran, I've tried to understand you. I've tried to see things from your perspective, and I even merged with you. And I still can't understand you... But your actions have caused so much destruction and pain. People have died because of you." Tommy's voice was heavy with emotion.
Kieran got up from the ground and made eye contact with his brother, his carefree attitude remaining as he crossed his arms and listened to Tommy speak. Kieran took over. "I did what I believed was right," Kieran said proudly. "I wanted to protect our kind, to ensure our dominance in the galaxy." Tommy shook his head. "There's a difference between protecting and destroying! You lost sight of that. Our kind isn't superior because of our abilities! Omeocoon is better off sharing their powers and assisting the entire galaxy! You became consumed by power and control!" Kieran's gaze shifted back to Tommy, and he saw the disappointment in his brother's eyes. "Spoken like a true Dynamic Patrol lapdog." Kieran said smugly. "Do you think I could get a data pad with some news? It gets boring in here."
"Maybe I'll think about it," Tommy said, but unknown to Kieran, Tommy had already decided that Kieran would not get a news pad. Kieran stood up now and moved closer to the glass. He could tell that something was different. It had been a while since Tommy's last visit— that was to be expected with the enormous explosion, which up until a few days ago, consumed all of Tommy and the rest of Gel-Sauad's time. "Did you... change your pattern?" Kieran analyzed; he rubbed his chin, trying to pinpoint, "I mean. The jacket is new, it's a nice touch! But your arms and legs have been altered. I had no idea you could do that!" Kieran commented, "You've been getting better at shapeshifting." Kieran beamed widely, making Tommy squirm inside, "I did it so I don't look so much like you." He growled. It was true, with Tommy and Kieran's classification of genetic split— they weren't clones, but they were still remarkably similar.
However, they were capable of making changes to their bodies. Although minuscule, Omeocoon could often distinguish these small appearance modifiers if they paid close attention. Kieran was the first person to see Tommy's new form. He would've liked it to be Russell, Kipp, or anyone else besides Kieran. Kieran's smug grin widened, amused by Tommy's discomfort. "Ah, so you're trying to distance yourself from me, huh? I can't blame you, really. I wouldn't want to be associated with me either," He taunted, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Tommy gritted his teeth, trying to maintain his composure.
Ignoring Kieran's jibe, Tommy straightened up and crossed his arms. "Listen, Kieran. I didn't come here for small talk or to admire your observations about my appearance. I came here to try and make you understand the gravity of your actions. You've caused irreversible damage, not just to others, but to yourself."
Kieran rolled his eyes. "Oh, spare me the lecture, Tom. You sound like a mindless automaton. I've heard it all before. From you, the doctors at Cloudy Heights, everyone, and at this point I don't care."
Tommy took a deep breath, trying to keep his frustration in check. "Fine, if you don't want to listen, you'll can just stay in here until you show genuine remorse. I'm willing to give you a second chance... but you have to take it. If you won't change your mind about this then I think I'll make my visits less frequent." Tommy threatened with closed fists.
Kieran scoffed. "And how long do you expect that to take? A lifetime? Because I can assure you, I'm not changing anytime soon. Maybe instead of trying to change my mind, you should open yours a little. If you merged again with me maybe you'll see things my way."
Tommy's expression hardened, "If you think I'd ever let you into my goo again—" Tommy started with contempt, Kieran interrupted smiling, "Don't knock it till' you try it." Tommy turned on his heels and walked away, leaving Kieran alone in his glass cube prison. He would not continue indulging his Brother. As the heavy steel doors closed behind him, Kieran couldn't help but feel a twinge of doubt creeping into his mind. Maybe Tommy was right. Perhaps he had lost sight of what truly mattered. But for now, Kieran pushed those thoughts aside, determined to maintain his facade of indifference. After all, he had a goal to uphold, even if it meant sacrificing his own freedom.