D.I.N.E.R. Labs. -The Kitchens-

[Coffee_Drinker]

Lucy sighed and went back to discuse genetics
"the mutant yeast is gone" she grumbled "Oh well any supplies we have can be at your disposal, please follow me to the Lab" she gestured threw the doorway  

[cheeta-katt]

Clay frowned. He could almost feel this creature’s eyes burning a hole in his skin; he was being studied. Subconsciously Clay straightened his posture, trying to look as in-control as possible. However, the man’s previous words that so easily passed by Clay’s notice reminded him that he was probably in no position to establish dominance. Any sign of aggression, or even over-confidence, could be taken as a serious threat—and he was in no condition to fight back.
The door closed behind them with a heavy thud, but the loft windows lining the endless hall did well in letting in the outside sun. Nevertheless, there was still an interesting air about the place…whatever it was, it made Clay shiver.
Truth be told, he hadn’t felt this way since he came first met a Shade. He had since learned that this feeling was not a good one.
Currently, Clay’s attention was drawn to a rather loud clanking sound from behind him. Curiously he glanced behind him and realized that the noise was actually the creature’s giant metal boots hitting the stainless steel floor. Looking back further, he also noticed that the door had a small dent in it.
Clay found himself shuddering again. But the man’s words intrigued him.
”Phomello…” the word felt unsteady on Clay’s tongue—his southern drawl was not accustomed to such fancy forenames, ”…Doctor…ya mean, medic doctor? Or somethin’ else?”
Or perhaps it was none of his business? No matter; when he rested, Clay would find out for himself.  

[Faulty Ambition]

Phomello paused slightly in his search for the hidden control panel for the elevator.
"Yes, medical. I specialize in biomechanics, especially biological upgrades."
He scanned the wall, tapping it softly almost to the same rhythm his chest ticked. His blue fingertips crawled along the wall like a spider before grasping a slight depression. One fingertip depressed the button hidden inside and the doctor shifted his feet so that he was securely on the descending elevator.  

[cheeta-katt]

Biomechanics? Clay turned his head to the side. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand the word—he wasn’t as dumb as he might’ve looked—but he certainly didn’t expect a creature such as Phomello to work a job that Clay knew well in the world he came from.
Now that he thought about it, things here were actually unusually similar to things on earth. For one, the universal language still appeared to be English. Secondly, most of the people were at least somewhat humanoid in nature, albeit the stuffed animals and a few others proved to be exceptions.
This raised a few questions—the ones that Clay realized were probably the most pressing at this moment. He turned to ask them when he noticed a slight tick ring through the stale air; if not for the lull in conversation and lack of background noise from Phomello’s heavy boots and Clay’s own breathing, he never would’ve heard it. Rhythmically there was another half a second later.
Clay’s eyes traveled to the lump in the center of Phomello’s chest. He knew a mechanical heartbeat when he heard one—Dustin made sure of that.
Meanwhile, his blue-skinned friend appeared to have found a secret button. Clay realized, almost a second too late, that there was an elevator they needed to catch. He jumped in barely enough time to keep the doors from clipping the hair off his neck.
Presently he noticed that he had forgotten to introduce himself.
”Clayton Epps,” he extended his open palm, ”I’m a doc, too.”
Clay thought of adding in his other questions. But perhaps the person—or people—they were about to meet would have slightly more accurate answers to his jumbled inquiries.  

[Blight_of_Luca]

Doctor Lewis Gourmand briliant mind the the field of genetic alteration and cuisine, graciously entered the elevator that took him down to the D.I.N.E.R laboratory.  

[cheeta-katt]

((Erm...I'm rather confused. ^^; Are Doctor Lewis Gourmand and/or Lucy on the same elevator as Clay and Phomello? Maybe I'm just having a slow moment...xD))  

[Faulty Ambition]

((No, I'm confused as well. I'm also waiting for coffee-drinker to respond, so as not to godmod the DINER base.))  

[Blight_of_Luca]

((Last I understood I was still in the warehouse part of it.))  

[Faulty Ambition]

((Oh.))

The DINER Clan was not known to be deviously concerned with privacy for nothing. The warehouse that Clay and Phomello had been in and the one where Lucy and Lewis were in were totally separate. In fact, they were at opposite ends of the district. It was not until the two elevators had descended to a certain point that the two elevators were even close to each other. It was at that point that the two elevators connected to each other, a side from each together the only thing between the two. A brief security check was run all all inside elevators before the connecting doors slid open soundlessly.

"Why, if it isn't Doctor Lewis Gourmand! Today is a good day after all!"  

[cheeta-katt]

((I guess this means I can actually reply now. xDD ))

There was an uncomfortable silence within the elevator. Noticing that Phomello did not respond to his introduction, Clay shrank back and acted as if he had said nothing. His present state of exhaustion seemed to have changed his personality; any normal day Clay would’ve persisted, insisting to know more about the stranger and easily conversing with polite and orderly conversation. However, at this point the Texan’s mind was only on getting some sleep, and figuring out where the heck he was.
Sometime later there was a change. Clay had begun to drift off where he stood, and naturally his conscious had spread without him knowing—thusly, when another elevator came closer and eventually latched to their own, Clay’s head jolted him from his slumber, alerting him to another in the near vicinity.
At first he was confused. Were they almost to the ground floor? But then the wall suddenly gaped open, revealing that another lift had molded itself to them. Within was another person, who looked pretty smart—in a wiry sort of way. Clay blinked in surprise when Phomello, who had been silent besides his eerily ticking chest, seemed to go out of his way to show his kinship. The other’s name was revealed as Doctor Lewis Gourmand, which sounded unusually formal and scholarly in a way.
In the meantime, though, Clay was in no state to make discussion; by traveling even unintentionally, he had sapped that much more energy from his system, leaving him weary and on the brink of coma. His only response to the new arrival was a small smile and a jerky nod of the head, because that was all he could manage.  

[Blight_of_Luca]

Lewis Gourmand chewed on his stick of jerky as he tried to place a name with the familiar face before him. "Would you happen to be Doctor Phomello the noted figure in the field of biomechanics?" Doctor Lewis Gourmand was surprised to meet a fellow mind of high regard and was determined to have a moment of his time at a later date.  

[Faulty Ambition]

Phomello nodded humbly.
"That would be me, and have a got a proposition for this place."  

[Blight_of_Luca]

Lewis Gourmand offered his hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Your research in the field has benifited the scientific community greatly over the years."  

[Faulty Ambition]

The blue-skinned doctor took the offered hand amicably.
"I'd sometimes go so far as to call it a passion rather than research."
He grinned, exposing sharp incisors.
"Scientific community be damned if I can't enjoy my own work, you know."
The elevator clunked to a stop then, the doors running another set of security checks.
"Though it has been fun all these years."
A cleansing puff of vapor ran over all those in the elevator as the doors to the main portion of the DINER base opened softly.  

[Blight_of_Luca]

Exiting the elevator alongside Phomello, Lewis nodded. "Exactly that. Why else get involved in our fields unless we find some form of enjoyment from it." Looking around at the underground facility, Lewis Gourmand was nicely impressed. "After the details of the arrangement here has been settled I would love to compare notes with you later."