18:00

62 : Waiting

"You don't have to do all of this immediately, you know." OJ pointed out, looking away from the object in the middle of the room.

"I'm well aware. But I'd like to be as prepared as possible." Taco hummed back. She patted herself down, not finding anything of interest. Good. "If I end up having to improvise, I should be prepared. Running through everything won't hurt either of us. Now, do you see anything?"

He paused, turning back to stare at her. She was looking in his bathroom mirror, her side facing him. "Nope. Just lettuce, I guess."

"Perfect." She grinned, turning back to face him.

"...And you're sure this'll work when you're underground as well?" He spun the small gadget he'd been given in his hand, eyeing the small piece.

She rolled her eyes, mumbling something under her breath, but responded despite her clear exasperation. "Certainly. Test Tube made in her lab, after all, so unless it's managed to break in its years of no use, I don't see why it wouldn't."

"Right." He nodded unsurely.

"...You're nervous."

"Great observation, Sherlock."

Taco rolled her eyes, but didn't provoke him further. Rather, she walked back into his room, standing between him and the door. "Like I said, there's going to be some risk. Test Tube's not braindead, as far as I know, so she's not going to make this easy. Besides, with this plan, you won't lose much even if it does fail."

"I get that." OJ huffed, leaning back. "It's just... hard to take the initial leap."

"Then I'll just push you forward." She stared him down. Her glare wasn't hateful, yet still held the determination a threat would. He hesitated for a moment longer, before giving up.

"Suppose you will." He mumbled. "...Guess I have no other excuse."

She nodded back at him again, and he pretended not to see the grin that flashed on her face when she did so.

"How long do you think we should wait? Can't imagine you're planning on standing by much longer, considering how this was your idea." He glanced in her direction, awkwardly placing his hands in his lap.

"I don't think I should need much more than a couple days..." She paused, eyes darting to the calendar hung on the wall. "June 10th should be good enough. It's enough time to practice and prepare, but not enough to procrastinate on."

"Sounds... sounds good."

He felt her eyes catch on him for a moment, but she didn't comment on his almost dejected expression. She stepped towards the door, her hand wrapping around the handle. "Just think of it this way- if it fails or works, either way, I won't be bothering you anymore. Until then, it's my job to pester you so you follow through with this."

OJ wouldn't admit it, but he huffed a laugh at that. "Sure. Whatever you say."

Taco looked back at him for a couple more seconds before firmly nodding. Without another word, she slipped out the door, shutting it behind her.

With a heavy sigh, OJ laid back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He ignored the crawling feeling of dread that rushed over him, trying to settle his mind. He didn't know if he could deal with this feeling for another week, but he had promised he would try, and he wouldn't break another promise.

Letting his mind wander, he wondered what the others were doing with their time.

-

Log 23 :

O-6's operation went smoothly. The subject cooperated, and the electricity input was started up. No health concerns, thankfully enough.

Immediate reactions to the change include hyperactivity, noticeable shaking, near constant fidgeting, and an uplifted emotional state- an almost direct contrast to E-1's result. I suppose this says something about the positive effects of electricity in an object, though I'll have to wait to see if there's any long-term effects.

In other news, G-5's own operation wasn't horrible. The actual operation was a nightmare, though minimal health problems were caused. Although the subject's wounds still do not heal, stitches work well enough. They are yet to adjust to their new condition, but have been slowly recovering.

Fan's vision has yet to improve- I assume that the current changes are permanent. I suppose I could always return his vision by reviving him, though he hasn't asked about it. Though if he asks for such, I don't think I'd deny him that. I've collected the necessary information from him anyhow.

Meanwhile, J-2's vision has surprisingly adjusted to the new eye. Although her sight is far from perfect, it's shown improvement in her test results.

The subjects remain close, though have been talking less the last few weeks. They still communicate, but are noticeably growing more desolate. I'll give them more time to recover before trying anything else.

On a more personal note, Fan and I have been talking more. I hope we've come to enough of an agreement, and can start working together more, even if our ideals don't completely align.

I suppose I've reached a dull point. Until the subjects have reached a stable point of recovery, I'm not keen on doing any more testing. Until then, I'll just have to bide my time and observe.