Troy could still vividly remember the event that had transpired during lunch. Anybody would have had a hard time forgetting that. Charlie had straight-out informed him that he had internal bleeding, after which he was apparently drugged out of his mind for some time. The perpetrator behind this injury was easily identified, not that anyone would need to ponder too long to figure it out.
There was only one person that could have hit him in the stomach that day. Dr Hale, the woman that Troy now knew to never mess with. While she may have been double his age, she could punch harder than most could do in adrenaline-fueled rage. Her fist was likely what steroid users hoped to gain.
Forgoing the amazing feat of strength that it had been, her actions were still extremely violent and had caused Troy extensive levels of pain, ranging from being forced to the ground to not being able to use the abdominal muscles in any way due to the spasms it would create. If not for the actions of Charlie, he would have continued being in this state of irritation, any sudden movements not being tolerated by his injuries.
Any normal person would immediately look at such circumstances, and deduce that Dr Hale had been in the wrong for her actions. If the recordings were to be trusted, her only incentive for causing injury had been to make Troy quit working the job he had just gotten. It could have surely be handled another way. Put that in with the fact that she had apparently injured another person, and the case was beginning to look at her in a bad light.
Charlie was a normal person, in some sense of the word. He was empathetic, he had a normal sense of justice, and he wanted people to feel better. The muscular man had seen a Troy sitting down at breakfast, trying not to moan in pain, minutes after getting to know of Dr Hale’s previous attack. It was a miracle that he had not taken things into his own hands, that he had understood how little a chance he was of making the superiors look at it from his side. The youngest man in the room could relate to that, saddened that Charlie was not able to see what was actually going on.
It certainly made the atmosphere tense, Troy’s apparent attacker sitting on the other side of the table, looking peaceful as she ate the greens on her plate. Charlie was in a similar position, eating the well-built portion on his plate. Whenever the man saw the younger one looking over, a reassuring smile would be returned. No words though, and the grin didn't reach anywhere else than the mouth. He was forcing himself for Troy’s sake, and it felt so damned awful.
Should he have been happy about what was going on, that another person was caring enough about him that they would hide their resentment for somebody else? Was Troy’s comfort important enough to force two people to act like nothing was wrong? It may just have been Charlie put in that position, Dr Hale probably not caring much about it in the first place. Yet that made it all so much worse. If she actually was as awful as she looked, if Troy could fully hate her as much as he was supposed to, then he could possibly have accepted the current reality. He could have gone along with the game Charlie wanted to play, acting as if everything was right in the world even though it very clearly wasn't.
It was done out of well-intentioned kindness. A kindness that Troy in no way whatsoever deserved. He could not do anything to stop it, though. Any warning glances would be taken the wrong way. Asking Charlie to ignore it wouldn't change anything. Distancing himself from the man to stop the acting would only make it so much worse.
So, for the sake of not worsening the already terrible situation, the young man decided on looking at his food, doing his best to enjoy it to the last bite. If he finished it too quickly, he might even have the excuse of getting some more, not constantly being reassured from the side.
…
That is if he trusted the two to behave the moment he left. Charlie getting in some witty comment, Dr Hale answering neutrally, and the man counting his efforts up to make her talk while he was out of earshot. The man likely wanted a reason for the actions, and she would just as likely not give a single thing away. It might even just irritate her, making the answers less than constructive. Perhaps a shouting match would begin, fueled by irritation and protectiveness.
Troy didn't want that to happen. Awkward silences, hidden glares, and fake smiles could be dealt with. Seeing two friends break apart due to something that he was unwilling to do… Troy did not want any part of it. It was a horrible thing, seeing that hint of animosity. Charlie was an understanding person. If he wasn't, his moral code would have already been broken. Yet, could he look kindly upon another of his friends being beaten to the point where they were apologizing for the abuser’s actions?
If it was a just system, Dr Hale would have already been kicked out of the facility, doomed to spend a long time in a jail cell. She had assaulted two people. Instead, she was focusing on a particularly large bean, moving it around her plate with her fork. The woman looked as carefree as one could be. It was almost impossible to even grasp why she suddenly began to talk.
“I really don't get what you two are trying to do,” Dr Hale said, not looking at either of the two sitting on the opposite side of the table. Only the words gave an indication that she even realised that they were there, yet the tone she spoke with implied just how she felt about doing it in the first place. The woman did not enjoy talking to them, her way of speaking being close to somebody saying the lines that the teacher had forced them to say after being caught cheating in a test. Troy knew that tone well himself, having been the one to use it a lot back when he was a little younger. “Is it fun sharing looks, as if you are two school girls having a little, secret chat?”
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As he usually did when criticized, Charlie laughed at her words. It didn't come out right, the bursts of air sounding like they had been forced out, after being measured precisely. There was nothing natural about the action, it only being there as an introduction of just how the man felt. Even the smile was not as perfect as it had always been, it being more of a shadow than anything. He was trying, failing, and Troy wasn't liking a second of it. His presence at the table was not the absolute deterrent it had been only moments earlier. He just wanted something to eat, somewhere he could rest before having to see Dr Fidelis again.
“How ironic for you to say that, Mara,” Charlie said, using words that were intended for a certain kind of effect. The man was not stupid. He could remember any requests made earlier. Troy didn't think anything else of him. “You keep so many things close to your heart, yet you comment on us showing signs of communication that you cant spy on. Do you want the borders to be broken down, and for us all to talk freely? If so, I would be happy to indulge you in that wish.”
There was no glare of animosity from her. Dr Hale did not look ready to kill anybody, after being positively talked down on. She didn't spit back words of contempt, losing her cool and revealing personal things nobody should have heard. No, she only sighed before continuing moving around her food, not eating much in the process.
“Forget I asked,” Dr Hale replied. Those three words were enough to tear a hole in Troy’s chest. Only a few days ago, she would have made some comment about Charlie’s sanity, idiocracy, taste, or something along the lines of being a plain awful thing to say. But this time was different. She had attempted to talk, before shutting the exchange down as quickly as she started it. The doctor gave up so easily, Troy was having doubt she was hoping for anything to come from her words truly.
“Afraid I can not do that, Mara. You didn't give me an answer, and I kinda need that to understand how you are feeling,” Charlie said, egging the woman on. He was acting somewhat like a jerk. Anybody could see that. Truly, he just wanted some communication to sprout out from the meta-physical wall between them. Troy could see that, plain as day. The man wanted to understand why she had done what she did. They were friends in the end. Through their many years together, some trust should have been created. Rumours wouldn't have done much to tamper with that, but a physical injury that was clear as day needed some explanation to him.
“No,” Dr Hale answered in response to the man’s refusal. “I do not want to discuss such matters. It is preferable if we are to prepare ourselves for our work. Please, continue eating your food in silence, so that humanity will get something useful out of you.”
Charlie snorted. He had gotten the desired answer and did not look like he had anything more to fire back with. Troy saw the kind smile go back on his face, as he looked at Troy, as if the short conversation was just an inside joke between some friends, before going back to his food. Did the man expect that he couldn't see the smile fading away the second that the eyes weren't on the young man? Likely not, but it could have been that there was just too much on his mind to realise it.
Even if he had been shot down once, the muscular man still seemed set on getting an answer out of Dr Hale, even if she did not want to. It took a few seconds of silent eating, but the man seemed to find some gear in his head that allowed him to talk after he would normally stop. Everybody had a limit on how much they could tolerate, and Charlie had seemingly restrained himself to work within these boundaries. It worked perfectly in normal situations, but for those times where the opposite reaction was desired, it was more of just a hindrance than anything.
“Sounds good. We have to hurry if we want to eat up before we have to leave,” Troy said, giving Charlie a look which tried to convey how much the man needed to keep quiet. Nothing he could possibly say would make the situation any better. Keeping quiet would be best for everybody. Troy had already come to that realisation for himself. Letting the muscular man in on that secret as well was not too bad an idea.
“I have plenty of time, honestly. It's a perk of being in control of my own work schedule. You should see if something like that in the future. It really is a good thing for both your physical and mental health, not being restricted by the orders of somebody who clearly doesn't understand what kind of situation they are in,” Charlie said, head already turned by the second sentence. He might have been talking at Troy, but the message was clear for somebody else that was within earshot.
With calm and precise movements, Dr Hale put down her fork. She was not hasty in her actions, taking a moment to make sure it was unmoving on the table, before looking up at the man who had grown stoic in his expression. Charlie had grown serious, as the attention needed to be had been gotten was finally catched.
“Are you expecting me to defend myself?” Dr Hale politely asked, looking the man directly in his eyes, no hesitation in her look. She had been prepared for the confrontation since the start, and everybody knew what would be happening. Troy only hoped they could hold themselves down, to not gain unwanted attention.
Though, that ship had likely sailed already. People were quieting down around them. Somehow, everybody already knew what was going on. They had been lying in wait, anticipating some form of response to occur in due time. People were excited to see what would happen, Troy glimpsing an exchange of credits not that far away.
“Not really. You already know what you did. I know you, Mara. You understand perfectly what you have done. What excuse did you tell yourself, to make it seem as if you were in the right?” Charlie asked.
“It's better than the alternative choice of doing nothing at all,” Dr Hale answered. Troy couldn't help but press his fingers against the table, an action which caused a glare to come his way.
“And what alternative would that be? Is it so hard to resolve differences in some way that's not causing potentially fatal internal bleeding? Mara, the kid was just going to tough it up. He could have died because of you, for fucks sake. Doesn't that mean anything to you?”
“I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't have let him die. As predicted, you intervened before-”
“There shouldn't have been a reason for me to intervene in the first place!” Charlie nearly shouted, cutting off whatever Dr Hale wanted to say. Whoever had decided not to look at the spectacle had now been forced to listen in. That shout, loud as it was, had the power to make most stop breathing for a few moments, making the space inside the cafeteria truly without sound.
What was Dr Hale’s response to this? It was a casual glance at the watch on the wall, before getting up with a sigh.
“Troy, move it. We have tests to complete.”
Charlie didn't stop the younger one from getting up. While the muscular man clearly wanted to, doing so would incur the wrath of those in high positions. Needless violence was fine, as long as it didn't stop work from being done.
A perfect world indeed.