She was absorbed by the mess that surrounded her. Everything was upturned, emptied out or simply scattered all over the place in what she could only assume was some mad dash to look for something within her home. The sight of her things strewn about made her feel raw inside, like she had been standing under a too-hot shower for a long time or that she had scrubbed her skin until it was red. The girl crossed her arms over her chest, the action portray the unsafe and vulnerable state she suddenly found herself in. When Kaeso put his hand on her arm, she flinched and jumped at the sudden touch.

His questions went straight over head for a second, but the female soon shook herself, trying to clear her mind enough for her to think clearly despite the state of complete shock she was in. "Um...I'm not sure. All the electronics are still here...the TV, the radio....and I don't have a safe, so even if they were looking for money they wouldn't find something like that." She drifted through the apartment, finding her way to her bedroom which was in a similar state. Valerie went over to her drawers of her vanity, opening it up and finding the small wooden box where she kept her jewelry still in it's place. "All my necklaces and rings are still where they should be...what on earth could they have been after?"

She was so busy looking at the usual items that were robbed from people during a burglary, that she failed to miss the empty spot on her desk where she kept her older and more recent notebooks. The books, containing all her late-night scribblings and small ideas and hypothesis were all gone along with her university key-card to get access to the buildings. The female however was occupied with the simple thought that uninvited hooligans had been in a place she deemed to be safe, Valerie letting out a shaky exhale as she made her way back to the kitchen. "I guess I should get this all cleaned up then..."
 
His hand recoiled gently, fingers splayed palm showing towards her to show that he meant no harm towards her. He had seen this before a couple of time and he understood how much such invasion of privacy could effect a person. He wanted to jump to action and sort the matter out, find the people who did and make them pay for what they had done. He knew they must have been looking for something. Had they found what they had been searching for? He didn't know. He was not aware of what she should have missed from the mess strewn around them. He also knew he could not react the way he would have liked to. It was perhaps a selfish thought but he knew so little of the world around him that he knew he would be caught too easily and he could be of no help to her if he was incarcerated.

She seemed to find her senses and he slowly nodded, listening as she spoke and followed her to the bedroom door. It seemed nothing had been taken but it didn't explain the mess. A professional would have left everything exactly how they left it. He had seen better thieves than this unless they had been looking for something very specific. He frowned, staring into space as she went past him back to the kitchen. He sighed slightly and followed her as he continued to be lost in thought. "This doesn't make any sense... Why disregard everything of value...?" No matter the difference of time, silver and gold still held meaning of worth. Kaeso was aware they would fetch a pretty penny or two.

He stared at her as she spoke of tidying, "I don't think that's wise... not just yet. They had to be looking for something to be this messy. I have helped with home invasions before back in Rome... and thieves are often after different things. Most of them go after the usual, money, jewellery, anything of immediate or common worth... but they don't usually leave the place a tip in their wake, Valerie. No... this... this seems more specific, they were looking for something only you had... " he looked at her and then joined her side. "If we clear this up, we're doing one room at a time. Go through everything. See what's not there that should be there," he wanted to help even if he had no idea where each item belonged but this way would at least be a more systematic way of trying to discern what they had been looking for.
 
She shuddered as she saw again the sight of her destroyed kitchen upon entering it. Ironically, the coffee cups she had placed in the sink from earlier that morning had remain unharmed while a few other things had not been so lucky. What Kaeso said made sense, systematically going through the clean-up and checking to see what was missing. Valerie sighed softly, shoulders sagging as she ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. "I think that would be the best approach too. I would leave it and call the police, but since nothing has been stolen and there's no sign of forced entry, I don't have much of a case to put forth to them. The police are basically like a branch of the military meant to help civilians with everyday problems." She gathered her dustpan and broom and started with sweeping up the glass. "Could you start with the books and cushions? Just put things back onto the shelf or couches."

And so went the clean up, the pair slowly but surely putting everything back in the place it belonged one by one. It took hours, the evening soon arriving and then morphing into night by the time the apartment was put back into order. Nothing in particular stood out as missing since everything Valerie saw as being valuable was accounted for.

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Valerie moaned as she collapsed onto the couch, twisting her head to the side to look at the clock on the wall. Although missing it's glass outer face after falling on the floor, it still worked fine and showed just how late it had gotten. The girl's stomach rumbled as added proof of the hours passed. With no interest in cooking after the cleanup effort, the female simply dialed and ordered food from the nearest delivery place. After placing the call, she looked to Kaeso with hooded eyes. "Food will be here soon. You go get cleaned up and then I will"

By the time he was done and she was out the shower, the door bell rang. Valerie ran through from her room, just about skidding on the floor in her hurry to flick her wet hair out her face, before answering it. After paying and closing the door (Making doubly sure that it was locked), she plonked a steaming box of pizza down on the coffee table. "It's basically bread with cheese and meat. Not so healthy, but after today I don't think it matters too much. You'll like it...I think."

She fell back onto the couch beside him, flicking the box open to reveal the triangular slices inside. She tore one out, folding it up in her fingers before taking a bite. After swallowing, she spoke. "Today was so odd...nothing missing, everything a mess. I mean, this morning was definitely a highlight of the last few months but this afternoon and evening added a bit of a sour note."
 
He watched her half afraid that she'd let her fright consume her but after a moment she seemed to understand his meaning, for which he was grateful. He furrowed his brow at a word he didn't really recognise till she explained what it was. He nodded, "Sounds like the Urban Cohorts," he expressed, the Urban Cohorts were purely there to settle disputes within Rome itself. They got less pay and didn't see the world much beyond the grand city but it was enough to live off and like how she had explained it for her Police, the recruitment drive for the cohorts was usually stemmed from but not limited to the Legions. She gave him a task and he nodded, smiling gently, "Of course. You tell me what to do and I'll do it," he told her, he was good at following orders. Had been his whole life. He turned and started retrieved the cushions from the floor, settling them back on the armchair and couches before he diligently and carefully put back every book he found strewn everywhere. He didn't have much appreciation for book but some of those had some pretty pictures or a phrase he caught as he picked up the book which he liked. He didn't know if he had put them back in necessarily the order she liked them to be in but he figured as long as it was all returned to the bookcase. There was the occasional knickknack he put on the bookshelf, removing it from the floor.

Kaeso followed her instruction where she gave it as they sorted the flat out room to room. It was fruitless, she had noted nothing that was missing and it left him curious as to why someone had through the trouble of tearing the place apart. He couldn't understand why and he wanted to badly. For her. She had done a lot for him and he wanted to repay that. If he could figure this out, maybe that could go someway into doing just that. He returned to the lounge and sighed softly, running a hair through his hair and pushing hands into pockets. He glanced at the window, it was as dark as obsidian. Had they been clearing up for that long. He felt hungry and tired all at the same time.

He glanced at her, still standing nearby the sofa. He nodded, too tired to argue against her wishes as he turned and trudged for his room and then the bathroom, relishing in the cleanliness the shower gave him. It was a welcomed attack on his skin and he spent a little longer than he probably should of done. He was glad to be clean again and he let her know he was done after he had dressed, roughly towelling his short hair dry again. Once he had dried up, he sunk eagerly;y into the sofa and closed his eyes briefly till he felt a weight shift the sofa next to him. He smelt something glorious and heady. He looked at the food provided and had no real idea what it was. He was too hungry and worn out to care but it smelt amazing.

"I have no doubt. I could eat a lot," not that that was unusual for him. He could put away a fair amount. He watched her pick up her slice and copied her manner of how to eat it. He bit into it and it was a total explosion of taste. She wasn't wrong and he smiled at her as he chewed before tilting his head and listening to her. He couldn't fault that, today -had- been odd.

"I just don't get it... Why go to this much trouble tearing the place apart only to leave with nothing?" he asked rhetorically and sunk through another mouthful. Silence tool them a moment before he looked at her and smiled, "Even with what's happened... Thank you. Today... the museum, the zoo... that was amazing. I appreciate it, a lot, " he nodded and he was. He was smart enough to know he may never get to see lions lounging like that or hand feed a Zebra ever again. He didn't want for one or two sour notes to take
 
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She smiled at his gratitude, inclining her head in an almost nod to hide her wide smile. "It was fun...carefree too. Something I've probably needed for a while but haven't forced myself to do. Work has been somewhat all-consuming since we embarked on this project, especially with Porfessort Luxe requiring my full attention from the moment I arrive to the moment I leave."

Valerie blew hair out her face, munching more of the pizza before continuing. "Damn. Nothing better than pizza after a long afternoon of work." She reached for the nearby remote, flicking the untouched television on. The things blared to life, images flashing across the screen and advertisements played out. She sat back and ate more of the food, realizing her mistake just as she went in for another bite. He's probably never seen anything like this before....I should really explain.

"This is...ah...TV. It's almost like the shows at the Colosseum except you don't have to be in the same place it's being made to see it and it shows on the glass. I know it might look strange, but it's one of the most common things we have in this time." Colours flashed across the screen, music of some catchy jingle for car sales echoing in the room. Valerie pressed a button on the remote, the picture changing on the screen. "There's lots of different things to choose from as well."

She let him process it for a moment, then asked a question. "What was the best show you've ever watched? Back in your time I mean." She was prying as she had the night before, the girl wanting to learn more about him and his life. However, unlike the night before, she just wanted to know in order to get to know him rather than just being curious about ancient Roman times.
 
He smiled, and felt that she truly did need for some time. He had no real idea what life was like for her working for that ape of a man. He got a distinct impression that she worked herself too hard for him without the gratitude she was due. He supposed he could be wrong, he had only known her for a few days now. "That man needs to slow down. I mean, I'm used to driving men hard but it's usually only under certain circumstances and usually because it means it's saving their lives in the process. Driving them hard without reprieve though, that's not right. You deserve to have that time to think things through and the like," he intoned with a knowing smile. If men were driven hard for every day for every hour of their lives, he would not have a century upon which to stand on.

He helped himself to another slice of pizza thoroughly enjoying the taste of the meal. It was strange and alien to anything he had eaten in his lifetime before now but he liked it. It was meaty, cheesy and chewy. He had a feeling he could tank quite happily through it without trouble. Kaeso glanced towards her and smiled before she reached for what looked like a funny black brick and he gave a start as a box began to suddenly emit imagery. What was this magic? He stared at it completely confused as to what it was or what it was for. he had never known anything like it! It produced moving people and sound but it was obvious that Valerie and himself were the only two people in the room. Despite knowing this, he still couldn't help but try to peer round the edge of the magical thing.

Valerie it seemed realised his confusion and soon explained what it was and what it did, stating what it was for. "Shows on demand? Just like that?" he blinked and peered back at her. "Do you pay for this?" Anytime he was fortunate to get leave to go to Rome or had been stationed in Rome, he had always tried to get tickets into the Circus Maximus or the Colosseum but sometimes, particularly during festivals or holidays thrown by the Emperor, it was packed and he would have been lucky to get a seat at all. It was a popular attraction for any Roman or passing citizen. He wouldn't mind being able to watch the games without needing to head all the way into town to do so.

"It's... I... It's not magic, is it?" he asked, he wasn't much into superstition, not as much as some of his men were but he figured it would be even less so for her given her occupation. After all, somehow, she and her team had pulled him through time.

He watched the screen for a moment longer as he tried to understand it all. It was different than anything he had come across before. He eventually accepted it as another strange but interesting thing of her time. One more thing he would have to get used to should he never be able to return to the world he knew well and understood.

The Centurion looked back at her before he gave pause, trying to remember what he had last seen, "I think it must have been at the Circus Maximus... I was having a lucky day. Thought sod it, might as well back others had hardly even backed. Was following some instinct I guess, or Lady Fortuna was with me that day. Backed a Judean. At the start, it seemed they were keeping to midway. By the fourth and fifth lap they lagged behind the other chariots. I was cursing at that stage, willing them to pick it up, do something, you know?" He flashed a grin before continuing. "I thought it lost but they picked up speed with the next few laps. It reached the eighth and they drew par with the lead chariot, Sabrinus of Rome. It was close... but the Judeans won by four clean heads of their horses. Did quite well out of that day," he recollected happily.

"I have never seen such like at a game before then,"
 
Valerie gave a half-hearted chuckle, saying with a slight shake of her head "It's just the type of person he is. From what I gather, he has no family and so his work is his life. I sometimes like to imagine that Shane would sleep in the biology lab if he could."

She watched as he gawked at the TV in complete awe, her chukle warming up to something a little more hearty at his perplexity. Her chuckle morphed into full on laughter though when he felt the need to confirm that the image and sound was maintained within the box alone by looking around the back of it. Her laughter was not one born out of mockery, but rather simple fascination at his reaction to something that was quite mundane for her.

"Yes, almost anything you can imagine to see available at the click of a button. If I hadn't grown up with it I guess I would react the way you are now. Not magic, just some clever tricks with circuit boards, copper wire and electricity."

He settled back down, telling her about the Circus Maximus. She listen with apt interest, her chin coming to rest in the palm of her hand as she propped her elbow up on the arm of the sofa. "Lady Fortuna? Who is that? Is she like a predictor of some kind who has business at the arena?" Her eyebrows furrowed together as she tried to understand, not really knowing anything about the Roman pantheon. His story was one of victory though, the girl's smile gracing her face as he spoke of the luck he had struck.

"That's a good ending then. We still place bets like that with horse-racing but the riders ride on the horses and there's no chariots. Gambling can be fun, but you strike me as somewhere who does not like to waste away their money on things that are not certain." She yawned, feeling the tiredness from the cleaning earlier catch up to her. She would need to be going to bed soon, but found she wanted to stay up a while longer to continue their discussion.

Is it that he just makes me think of constant questions to ask or is it just the man himself I enjoy talking too? The thought began bringing a rosy hue to her cheeks, but she shoved it aside before the blush could complete itself.
 
"Doesn't matter. He needs to slow down," he nodded before eventually shrugging. He did not like the man much especially when he had hurt Valerie over something as stupid as a little book.

He gave the TV another look of wariness and fascination never knowing anything like it in his time. Sure, there were plays of which he rarely got to see and that was the only thing he could really compare it to. Circuit boards... he shook his head at that, it was beyond his understanding or comprehension. "Looks like magic to me. Nothing like that back home... I suppose you could compare it to the plays actors sometimes do in the city. Mockery of some such instance usually. I don't get to see them all that often" he explained, scratching his head for a long moment.

Kaeso looked at her and raised both brows before he shook his head with a smile. It was nice to be able to give knowledge as well as receive it. "No... I think we'd like her to be but sometimes she can be very...hm... fickle. She's our goddess for luck and prosperity," he explained and smiled. "Most have a little figure of her they keep with them. Mine's back in my quarters," he shrugged, settling into the very comfortable couch.

He listened to her words finding her voice very easy listening to. It carried nothing of the harsh brutal everyday nature of his work. "Heh... Got me there, Valerie," he grinned at her, nodding, "I don't gamble much, only if I know the odds are in my favour or if I've had a rough day. Don't get much chance to on the field outside of friendly bets with the other Centurions. Play a little dice now and then though but Renius always had more luck with that venture than I did," he smiled ruefully in remembrance. It was a shame the man had died. He would have made for one bloody good centurion one day.

The Centurion yawned himself briefly, it had been a long day and having come home to a ransacked house had not helped. He could see it had stressed her out and it still left him puzzled as to what could have been taken. Apparently nothing had but this search had been too thorough. He frowned slightly in thought before he glanced back to her. Perhaps the truth would show itself soon.

"What's the plan for tomorrow?"
 
Valerie stretched out with another yawn, looking very much like a cat having a nap in the sun. Her limbs extended outward before curling back in towards her body, the female resuming her almost cuddled-up position by hugging her knees back towards herself. She mused for a while, having realized that with everything that had happened that day, she hadn't thought to think over the next day's activities herself yet. Normally, if it had been any other average week without the appearance of a time-warped centurion, she would have already checked her to-do list or calendar and planned out what she needed to get done the next day. Even when she did have the day off, that habit persisted. Strangely enough, she hadn't given much thought to work on this particular day though. What also surprised her was the sinking feeling she got at realizing that she wouldn't have minded showing Kaeso around more rather than going to work.

"Well, I haven't really checked but I think Shane will want to begin looking through why your cells were allowed to be drawn into the machine in the first place when humans are only supposed to be able to go through from the side we open up. The fact that you even survived without some sort of space-time phenomenon ripping you to shreds is quite extraordinary, unless something in the machine was built or programmed wrong."

That last statement she made clicked something on in Valerie's mind, some sort of ghostly epiphany sitting on the periphery of her brain but not fully emerging enough for her to realize what she was trying to suggest in her minds eye. The thought disappeared too quickly, the female guessing that her poorly developing idea might be because of exhaustion. Perhaps the idea might appear again tomorrow. I can write it down in my work journal then.

"Now that you've brought it up, I think it might be best that we hit the hay and get some shut-eye. Since we've lost a day, I think tomorrow is going to be extremely busy." She got up, cleaning up things in a moment before returning to him. She hesitated, words sitting on the tip of her tongue, but not wanting to be said as she didn't know how to go about saying it. Rather than be awkward though, she didn't let the silence stretch out for too long a time and just quickly blurted out "Thank you for today, Kaeso. For the fun at the museum and the zoo as well as helping me not collapse into a state of panic when we got back. It more fun than I expected getting to show you around."

Then, she left. Valerie quietly padded down the corridor and tried not to let her thoughts of the possible intruder both the night before and that day make her slow her steps as she approached her bedroom.
 
He would have loved to forgo duty and spend the days visiting all the wonders her world held to offer regardless of the sour note that today had brought Valerie. He was no unused to such notes. Infantry were very much used to something being made a balls up of at some point. He snorted to himself in thought. Balls up's went double when trying to make worthless men into valuable legionaries. It was a sometimes very thankless job but it did give plenty of merits. He, however, was a Centurion and did not have the luxury of being without the duties such a rank entailed. He would not like such dereliction of duty to go down in his career and knew instinctively he was already itching to get back in the fight. Being in a different time made that a difficult task. It seemed time had moved on greatly since he was fighting on these lands and the people were far removed from the barbarians he had been pitted against ever since they had landed on Britannia's shores. Kaeso understood clearly that he had no real understanding of her time. His inability to speak her tongue fluently marked him out never mind his skills with her technology. It was still weird to know that swords were now antiques of a bygone age.

Kaeso looked at her and blinked as he took in what she said. He understood very little, it just went over his head. "I suppose that will mean more poke and prodding me?" He gave a tired smile of resigned acceptance. He wasn't keen on the mane but he also wouldn't mind returning to his own time. He rubbed his face for a moment before he glanced back at her. She looked far more worn out than he was feeling and he wasn't really surprised. It had been a wonderful but long day out with stress of invasion adding to that.

It was then talk of going to sleep was struck and he couldn't fault the sentiment. Sleep would do them both a world of good though he suspected hers would be uneasy. For himself, he was like most other Centurions, having learned to grab sleep at any opportune moment and had mastered the art of falling asleep pretty much straight away. He nodded and sat up, stretching his spine a little as he watched her move about, items being moved before she came over again. He swallowed unused to being awkwardly stared at, the odd legionary sometimes did it and he was equally used to shouting at them to focus their attention to the task at hand. Kaeso could not possibly do that to Valerie and was at a momentarily loss as to how to react.

Her words caused the Centurion to break his look of awkwardness with a smile and a nod, "I am glad I could be of service. Makes me feel useful," he said with feeling. Otherwise he felt as useless as the armour and sword in the boot of her tin vehicle was being and he hated not having anything to be getting on with. He stood and bowed his head before she left and he watched her go for a moment with a touch of concern. He had a nasty feeling tomorrow was going to be stressful. His mind was brought back to what they had come back to and the questions started going off again in his thoughts. He shook his head, it would not help now to think it through. He made his way to his room and got changed before getting into a bed he was going to miss when he got back home.

As usual for him, he was up before dawn and gotten himself ready for the day ahead. He was making the room tidy with nothing out of place. He ventured with a yawn to the living space and was reminded of the day's plan. He stared at the tv mulling over a prospect of what Shane was going to prattle about or do.
 
Valerie did not sleep well. It was not that she had nightmares, but more that her worry of being watched kept her from properly falling asleep. She tossed and turned, constantly feeling as if she might turn towards her window and see a figure standing there. She got moments of sleep, but not enough to deprive her of the dark circles under her eyes when she woke up.

After showering, she shuffled into the kitchen with a cheery "Goodmorning" to Kaeso. Despite her her smile, as bright as she could muster, the evidence of her fatigue was obvious. Still a whole day of work ahead of me...The thought made her shoulders droop, but sh straightened back up again quickly.

Once breakfast had been made and the kitchen cleaned, she gathered her things together and ran to her room to grab one of her notebooks. Her brows furrowed at the apparent empty space on her desk, the carefully labelled and stacked journals of all her work for the past year or so missing from it's specific place. "That's odd...did I perhaps move them while cleaning up yesterday? Leave them at the lab with all the ah-" Kaeso's face dashed across her minds eye, "-excitement and oddities that have been popping up?" Regardless, they were not where they should be and she was running late already.

With an irritated sigh, she decided to check for the books at the lab rather than searching anymore at home. They had to leave now if she didn't want Shane giving her a stink-eye all morning.

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Despite being only ten minutes late in arrival than they should be, Shane's sourness about her lack of punctuality was still apparent. "About time. One day off and you would think that it's now okay to go easy." A biting comment was on the tip of Valerie's tongue, but she kept her mouth shut.

He shuffled together some papers, correcting the placement of some of the tools lined up on the bench next to the medical bench. He pointed at Kaeso, then pointed to the medical bench. Although he did not speak Latin, the gesture was clear in his indication for him to sit down. "The security investigation proved to be fruitless. No discoveries were made as to who could have taken my things." Professor Luxe swung a stethoscope around his neck, plunging his hands aggressively into his lab coat pockets. The mention of his missing book reminded Valerie of her own, the girl pulling on her own lab-coat while saying "Have you seen any of my books here?" Shane gave her a cursory glance over his shoulder, shrugging before turning back to Kaeso.

"I have not."He tugged on the bottom of Kaeso's shirt, pointing up to the ceiling. This was a rather unhelpful gesture, confusing as well. When Kaeso did not respond, Shane growled irritably and said to Valerie "Tell him to take it off please. I need to place the heart-monitoring electrodes and blood pressure gauge." Valerie frowned, coming closer and said to Kaeso "He's in a mood today, try and get everything done as quickly as you can. He needs you to remove your shirt so he can attach some devices."
 
Kaeso had settled for tidying the living room as he waited for her to rise. He figured he could at least be useful and it allowed him to think properly. He was still troubled by recent event never-mind his being yanked out from his own time. He supposed in some way he had unwittingly sparked these series of events. He frowned as he plumped a cushion and blinked when a softer voice broke into his thoughts. He turned and smiled as he finished with the cushion and set it back down upon the sofa upon which they had lounged on the previous night.

Damn, looks like she got barely any sleep at all. Hope that bastard doesn't work her too hard. He moved closer trusting hands into the small front pockets of the denim jeans he was wearing. he was rather coming to like the feel of the material and they certainly felt as if they could take a lot of abuse. "Good morning," he nodded and helped her with breakfast. It was a simple affair which was what he was used to and appreciated despite the lack of watered down wine. He smiled to himself as he remember that her people considered it bad form to drink wine before the twelfth hour.

As he had nothing to pick up, he nodded and waited patiently by the doorway, his back against the wall. His head tilted as he heard her talking to herself and out of curiosity found himself inching a little closer to hear a little better. He frowned, it seemed she had lost something and he didn't doubt for a second that it was considered important. At least to her if not to others. He eased back to where he had been standing before his face in collective thought.

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The Roman followed Valerie obediently enough a few strides behind her with thinned lips. He didn't exactly like this place. It was far too bright for his liking. Perhaps they're keen upon their own reflections, he mused before a sour note brought his attention back and frowned when he realised who the voice belonged to. The bastard, who else could that voice have been? As before Kaeso understood not a word but he understood the berating tone he had used. He scowled at the man clenching his teeth. He was aching to put this one in his place but he knew that would be far more likely to damage any prospect of getting back to his time if he did. So he restrained himself.

It was then the man turned his attention on the Roman and Kaeso frowned as he followed Shane's finger point towards a bench and frowned as he peered back, turning his body towards the bench, "A please would have been nice, you know," he snapped roughly in reply. "Guess that's expecting too much," he muttered before he moved towards the bench, eyeing the various tools or devices that were lined up on another bench next to the one he was to sit on. He viewed this with suspicion, they were lined up neatly, too neatly for his liking and reminded him of the way the Legion's torture units laid out their devices to exact the worst pain to someone whilst keeping them alive for the longest time possible. Amongst some, it was an art form. He just found it disturbing and unfortunately necessary. He sure hoped that was not on Shane's agenda. He didn't think it would be as he hauled himself upon the bench, the backs of his knees lightly toughing the edge of the bench.

They seemed to talk about something for a while and Kaeso reached to scratch behind his neck as he absently watched them before something got his attention. He glanced down before peering back at the other man with a raised brow, failing to understand the confusing gesture. He sure as hell didn't understand what a shirt had to do with a ceiling. In the end he looked to the only one who jump between tongues. "Isn't he always of a mood?" he quirked back in return, smirking at her with a playful air before his face sobered not caring if Shane caught the gesture or not. It looked like the man had from the increased wrinkles on the man's brow. "He needs to learn some manners," he added as he wormed out of the shirt he was wearing. He instinctively folded it and set it aside. He bit back a shiver before growing used to the temperature again, scars from all the previous bouts he had survived were dotted in various places upon his muscled frame, including a large one on the right hand side of his back.

"What's he planning?" he asked, gesturing at Shane.
 
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Shane waited patiently, quelling the desire to cross his arms and tap his foot against the floor irritably. It only took but a moment for Kaeso to remove his top garment and fold it up, but the sight of the criss-crossing scars made both him and Valerie pause a moment. Shane's mouth opened in awe, Valerie taking a step closer with her hand lifting from where it had hung at her side. Her eyes traced the pattern of cut and gnarled flesh, some scars white with age while others were fresh and pink from very recent healing. Her hand paused mid-air, the girl gulping quietly as she squelched the instinctive need to touch them to make sure they were real.

Sure, both of them had watched an action movie or two. Blood and gore were not uncommon in the entertainment industry of their time. However, it was never real, always the work of special effects or clever work with make-up. Never raw and up close. It dawned on the female then what he must have been through in his lifetime in order to achieve such stories of pain on his skin.

The moment ended as Shane closed his mouth again with a snappy *clack* of his jaws fitting back together. He cleared his throat, reaching over to the electrodes and peeling off the sticky covering. "You can tell him that none of this is going to hurt." It might have been one of the most caring things Valerie had ever heard him say in the entire time she had known him. Thus, she was sure to relay the message to the battle-hardened centurion.

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After a few hours of gathering data, Shane instructing Valerie in how to tell Kaeso to move and such, it was almost time for a break. Shane needed to make an urgent phone call and knew that not having Valerie...or even Kaeso....anywhere close when he did would be more beneficial and safe for him. "I need some coffee and food, so I'm guessing you do to. How about we break for an hour and then meet back here?" Valerie looked up from where she was helping Kaeso unclip a strange breathing apparatus off from his face. "Sounds good to me."

Shane watched as she turned to the strange, out-of-time man, speaking with a garbled mixture of sounds that made as much sense to him as the necessity of purses made for small, yappy dogs. Once the two had left, Shane hurried to the equipment room where he could lock himself inside. The less chance I have of being disturbed or eavesdropped on, the better.

It was only then that he removed the small, cheap and practical outdated device that to some would pass as a phone. It was crude, the type you bought at a corner store for the same price as a single half-filled bag of groceries. It was only able to receive text messages and make calls, the bare necessities really. He dialed the only number that had been programmed into the phone when it was given to him. He heard three rings, his heart rate increasing with each one, before someone on the other end picked up.

"Hello.-" The greeting was sure. The man knew only Shane could be the one calling him on this number. "- You're meant to use this only for emergencies. Do you have any news or new developments?"

Shane swallowed, trying to moisten his suddenly dry throat. "Uh, not really, but -"

The voice rose in anger on the other end, not giving him much chance to speak. "Then why is it that you are calling? If you're going to insist on wasting my time, There are plenty of other underpaid scientists who would jump at the opportunity to make themselves a small fortune."

Shane's thoughts raced, the scientist not used to being questioned and belittled. "It's just that...is there no other way we can do this? The girl...she'll listen to what I want her to do at least until it's too late. But this man has been through a lot. Is it really necessary, the things you have planned. Valerie too, I mean she's had so much happen to her, what with her brother disappearing during war earlier this year and-" The man on the other end growled angrily, hushing anything more Shane had planned to say.

"It has to be her. Her brother was useful to us as a soldier. It's just a blessing that we've had another fall into our laps in the form of this Centurion. As for the girl...she's the closest one to her brothers genes and blood type, smart too from what you've told us. Now, with the latest report, you say she can also communicate with the Roman as well? She's the best one suited for the experiment with her expertise and experience. Nevermind her one in a million DNA match to her brother. Your job now is too keep her on a leash and to ensure that this Roman will do work for what we have planned. Get it done, or else you can wave your millions...and maybe even your life...goodbye."

The phone call ended abruptly, Shane looking down at the phone with a sigh before turning it off. Even if I don't want to do this anymore, pulling out now will just get me a bullet between the eyes. He rubbed his eyes, pulling himself together before exiting the equipment room.
 
Kaeso briefly ran a hand through his mop of dark hair and paused when he realised they were both staring at him rather acutely. He blinked and shifted uneasily as he looked from Valerie to Shane and then back to Valerie. He wasn't used to being the centre of attention. At least, not like this at any rate. As a Centurion, he was more used to being the target of his enemy and having to make his voice heard amongst the din of battle so the rankers under him couldn't have an excuse to deviate from the orders set for them. However, this was a very different sort of attention. He could read a level of awe or curiosity in both of their expressions. He found he didn't mind it so much from Valerie but as to why Shane was giving him an open-mouthed look was beyond him.

"Uh..." He coughed awkwardly and dropped his hand back to his lap trying to ignore the chill of the room. He supposed it hadn't really been set up with bare chests in mind but Kaeso had never been one to voice complaint. There was not much room for that in the army. He was glad when Shane finally found his jaw again and spoke to Valerie in their funny language. The Centurion watched as the other man picked something up, seeming to peel something from it as if it were an lemon or something similar. He glanced to Valerie and then looked back at Shane, raising a brow before he gave a small nod. He wasn't sure how sincere Shane had been in his words of no harmful intent but Kaeso was willing to give the man a chance.

Kaeso gasped slightly when the pads were stuck to his skin not having expected them to be so cold and there wasn't just one but several that seemed to be linked to some kind of machine nearby. Rather like those on his first day of being poked and prodded by an over excited Shane. He expected more of the same today but he still found the technology they were using strange and alien. However, he carried out everything they had required of him without much further complaint and most of it had just been some upgraded form to how physicians would have done check ups back in his time. He smirked, he knew they would kill for this kind of aid. The Roman had baulked a little when the mask to his face was introduced. It was off putting and uncomfortable and felt a little too heavy but he learned it provided extra oxygen which was apparently something in the air he breathed when he ran so he supposed it wasn't all that bad despite how uncomfortable it was to wear.

He was still glad when it was time to take the mask off and it seemed to require a certain way of removal that he couldn't quite figure out on his own. He glanced past Valerie's arm as she helped him with it when Shane spoke. He didn't know what it was the man had said exactly but he sensed they were coming to a pause or a break. His stomach rumbled and hoped his general sense had been right. He looked back at Valerie when she spoke and nodded with a smile, "Oh good... My stomach is on the verge of thinking my throat's been cut" he grinned before peering back as Shane retreated from view.

There was something in the man's inflections and body language that had caused concern for the Centurion that didn't sit well. Added to that the funny business of Valerie's home invasion the day before. He couldn't make sense of that. Why toss the place apart and take nothing? He frowned slightly, something must have been of interest to whoever had invaded for them to have done so. Perhaps Valerie hadn't taken something into account in the shock. Removing the pads had been a little interested much as it had the first time before he warmed up with his shirt once more quite ready to grab some food and share in good company.

When they were both situated with food and something to wash it all down with, Kaeso chose then to bring the matter up again, "You asked Shane something before... You sounded very worried?" he asked with curiosity, not having missed that earlier conversation. Whilst he understood little to nothing of the words that had been said between them, he had caught on to the tones of the their voices and their body language. It was a skill useful for any man who held the rank of Optio and above. Being able to read the mood of the men was vital in how you commanded them, knowing when and when not to render silence in the ranks or let the rankers enjoy a cheer to boost morale. It was something Kaeso had keenly tried to hone ever since his promotion to Optio. That seemed like a long time ago now but it had stood him in good stead in the Centurionate.
 
Valerie exited the lab quickly enough, eager to get any break she could get. Shane wasn't heartless. He often let them leave the lab when he could tell that they were both beginning to fatigue, but he did not enjoy wasting time either and was always keen on getting back to work at the soonest possible moment. While she didn't like everything about him, Val could appreciate Professor Luxe's sense of work ethic.

They headed out, the female scientist taking Kaeso back to the same place in the park where she had first taken him the day he arrived. This time, she got them both something different to try as well as a new thing she thought he might not have had before. She mixed the chocolate shake in her hand before sipping through the straw, sliding into the chair on one side of the wooden park picnic tables and let him go onto the other side.

She bit into the food they had consumed, audibly moaning with relief at the sensation of food dropping into her grumbling stomach. Kaeso's question caught her a little off guard though when they were halfway through their meal, the girl musing a bit to herself before answering. Should I tell him? It might just make him worry and feel even more unsafe than he probably already does. Then again, he has every right to know in case he wishes to go elsewhere.

Val swallowed the last bite of her food, washing it down with more of the shake before answering. "I have been doing work that this project needed since before it began. I kept all of my thoughts, notes and late night musings in books. Whenever one would run out of pages, I would start a new one. There was countless annotations, references, results and scribblings in there that would take years to redo. The problem is that I think that may have been the thing that the people who broke in took. I usually never move them off my desk at the apartment and they weren't there this morning. I thought maybe with all the chaos that's happened in the last few days because of your exciting arrival I might have left them in the lab."

She sighed, turning to the side to throw away her empty take-out packets into a nearby bench before continuing. "However, they are not there either and Shane hasn't seen them so they're either lost or have been taken. I don't ever lose those books so I'm leaning more towards the second option."
 
Kaeso was happier when they left her workplace and entered the park as they had done with his arrival into her time. It was very freeing and fresh to the senses. Th room in which he had been poked and prodded was too bright and too constraining. He couldn't even compare it with anything of a similar nature back in his time, it was that strange and unnatural. At least outside he had more time to think even if he was amongst company. The food was different again and he loved how different things were with her time. It was vibrant and there was peace here. A sense of peace he had hardly ever known. He tilted his head to himself as they moved towards some benches, perhaps he never would if he got back to his time. He was still anxious about that reality or possibility he wouldn't be able to go home. He wasn't going to entertain that possibility just yet. He was sure Shane and Valerie were doing everything they can and Kaeso was educated enough to realise it would take the research and the time to find that before it could be possible.

He sat and eyed his drink curiously for a moment. It had a stick thing jutting out from the top but he observed Valerie since she had gotten him pretty much what she was having. Straws were not something he knew of in his time. Drinking from a cup was the convention and accepted practice. No one had thought of a tube to suck through. It was rather alien but he thought it quite ingenious really. He began to eat and calm his thunderous stomach which had growled in open protest all the way to the food stall along the way.

He grinned as she made a sound of delight in response to what he assumed was the food. He couldn't agree more and was as equally focused on his own meal for a few minutes before sense wormed back into his mind and he forced himself to slow down and not eat like a ravenous wolf. Food seemed plentiful here. More so than it was in his time. If the grain ships failed to arrive on time, it meant everyone faced starvation in Rome. It seemed ludicrous that for him Rome was the centre of civilisation in the known world and yet it was never more than a few days away from disorder and collapse.

The Centurion could see he had presented a sticky question but at the moment his observations were he had with him right now. There was no enemy to put to the sword, no camaraderie with his fellow rankers, no men to command or discipline... he was so out of his usefulness here, it staggered his mind. He listened, pausing in his eating as he did so indicating how much of his attention she was owning right now.

"That makes a lot more sense now... I've been trying to reason why people would toss a place and take nothing," he said when she finished speaking and glanced as a couple walked by with their dog.

"No copies then?" he asked guessing that she didn't make backups of her work. With orders, copies were always made for the records. It made it easier if a commander had to check back on something in the orders or reports returned to a superior. It was useful in a lot of areas regarding paperwork and would be the task of clerks in the officer's employ. He rubbed his temple, "But why would anyone want your notes though?"

"Seems awfully fishy... especially when you saw that figure at your window previously. I'm starting to think your home invasion wasn't the first attempt of whoever's behind this. That figure you saw by the window... " he stared off in thought and shook his head. It was starting to grow very complicated, too complicated for a simple Centurion used to following orders and some independent command.
 
(Because of the holiday season, I won't be replying for a while. After Christmas I'm also going away for my zoology honours project so I might not reply until February. Hope you have a happy festive season though and I'll get back as soon as I can :) )
 
The phone call had shaken Shane up, the man's hands trembling as he wiped the sudden burst of perspiration from his brow. These men...this radical group he had joined half-heartedly...were turning out to be a lot more serious about their business than he had at first anticipated. Trying to settle his nerves, he sat down at this desk and opened up the results of the experiments they had been running that morning. He had been about to eat lunch, but the thought of a bullet penetrating his skull had taken away all of his appetite and only proved to strengthen his motivation to get the matters and questions surrounding Kaeso solved.

I'm going to have to just push aside my doubts about Valerie. I knew what I was getting her into when I signed her onto this project, the reason why she had to be chosen in the first place. It's just unfortunate that I'll have to lose her company so soon if the snippets of information from the head honcho are anything to go by. She isn't a half-bad scientist.

He opened his software, casually scanning over the multiple graphs and tables that had been produced during their morning session. Then, he spotted it. The thing he had been looking for. At first, he didn't quite believe it, the man flicking back and forth between the different notes and results across his multiple sets of monitors. This can't be right....it's too perfect, too fitting...Just to be sure he ran the tests again. He reran them over once more, this time with different parameters and overlapping data from other experiments he had run in the past. There was no change in the results. Just as he needed it to be.

Shane's heart beat faster in his chest, the man frantically opening up the email system which had been set up just for communications between himself and the threatening man who had been on the disposable phone moments earlier. He typed away as fast as his mind was piecing together the information, putting in laymen terms exactly what he had found so that it even the dumbest of simpletons would be able to follow it. Then, he attached the necessary results before clicking send.

The response from his dangerous 'superiors' was swift and short. The words making his heart drop at the implications they had. It simply read:"Well done. This corroborates with the notes we took from you during the fire alarm and the ones from her book. Phase 2 will commence before the end of the day...we always have people watching and so their pick-up will be quick. Your money will be deposited before the end of the week. Thank you for your cooperation."

Shane sighed long and hard, running his hands through his hair. "So it had been them all along who took my research...I can't believe it....It's done though, can't be changed now. Just wish I would have had the opportunity to explain to her how sorry I am. I didn't think they would actually get this far." Shane closed the email, a sick feeling in stomach making him realize that maybe the money wouldn't be worth it in the end after all.

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Valerie propped her elbow on the table, leaning her head on to it as she used her other hand to trace patterns in the wood grain of the tabletop. She was tired, she realized. Not just from the full day of work they had done, but from the stress the last few days had caused her. Tidying up her home after the invasion, the panic at having her notes stolen, trying to keep things civil between Shane and Kaeso while trying to keep the Centurion comfortable in a world he was completely unfamiliar with. It was draining.

However, she realized that if given the opportunity to go back in time and do it again, she probably would. Her experience with Kaeso had made her think about the world in a way she hadn't before. The experience had been eye-opening and she was thankful for that.

"We should probably be getting back. Don't want Shane to have an apoplexi if we're late." She stood, brushing off her lab coat before heading with him back down the path. They would just be rounding the corner down the heavily wooded and hidden path in between the park and university grounds when it would happen.

Out of nowhere, both Valerie and Kaeso would feel a sudden sharp prick in their necks. Valerie would be the first to pull away the tranquilizer needle, looking down and realizing what it was all too late as the drugs were already setting in. She turned back to Kaeso, spots swarming in front of her eyes as she gripped the nearby railing while her knees went weak. "Kaeso...run..." she tried to say, her sentence incomplete as she edged toward the ground and fell into the black space of unconsciousness.
 
Kaeso peered away, resting his eyes on greenery and wildlife for a long moment in his need to sit through and process. He was dealing with a lot right now and he was uncertain as to whether he would ever see his own time every again. That he would have to learn to survive in Valerie's world. He was not the best at dealing with change in routine. The break from paperwork was a nice perk but he missed the daily regimen that army life involved. He liked that life. However, with him being removed from his world and planted into this one, it had changed all of that for him. He was still dealing with understanding it all from many perspectives whilst also being poked and prodded by someone he had taken an instant dislike to. His gut was telling him that there was something wrong with Shane but as it what it was, he didn't know and he couldn't just outright accuse a man of something just because his gut said so. With everything else, it was a crazy place.

A very crazy place.

He realised only too well the strains he was unwillingly and unwittingly placing on Valerie and that from Shane who damn well knew what he was doing. He still hadn't forgiven the man for his act of violence against Valerie the other day. Her voice cut into his reverie and he glanced back to her. He couldn't really give a damn about Shane, the man struck him as nothing more than a trumped up Tribune but he nodded all the same. He didn't want to get Valerie into trouble on his account. "All right," he rose from the bench and kept to her pace and stride. It was a subconscious action on his part, his mind stuck within its mindset. He could hear birdsong and he smiled as the little birds sang quite gaily as they rounded a corner in the path. The trees and bushes thickened around the path obscuring much from view even as he looked around.

"Wh-What..." Kaeso blinked as he felt something jab and prick into his neck. It was like a wasp had stung him and yet he knew it could not have been any angry insect for there was a lack of a buzzing sounds. He looked at Valerie, blinking as his vision grew hazy and he reached for his neck. Fingers fumbled around the dart with little coordination. He felt stupefied, as if drunk and yet he knew that was impossible. He looked at Valerie and she seemed to have been treated to the same thing, whatever that was. She told him to run but despite feeling his body betraying him, his instinct was to stand and fight, not flee. With how slack his legs felt beneath him, he doubt he could run far without falling. He blinked hard, his face grimacing as he fought to keep his stance. He didn't last long as his legs collapsed and he fell heavily to the ground with an exhalation of air.

He vaguely registered movement, blurred images of humanoid figures realising that he had been drugged somehow. Drugs weren't uncommon at all in his time. There were drugs for everything from opiates to sleeping mixtures. The speed in which it was overtaking him however was uncanny and the Centurion soon slumped into a heavy, limp form of unconsciousness. He was not at all aware as those figures drew closer with an urgency in their stride.

Nor did he wake the trip from them picking up the pair, loading them into a vehicle and heading for where they were headed far away from where Valerie worked. Both unaware that they had both been betrayed.
 
There was a far-off dripping. The repetitive sound of water droplets smacking onto a floor with a vague echoing sound was the first thing Valerie recognized as she was coming-too. The next thing though was not a sound, but rather a feeling. She was cold and sore, lying down on something hard and unforgiving when it came to cushioning a body that had had all the heat stolen from it. The events just before she passed out came rushing back to her in a confusing manner before she realized that the other feeling she felt was nausea. That she guessed was probably a side effect of whatever drugs they had given her.

She groaned, her body still feeling as if it was separated from her brain with all her movement being sluggish and uncoordinated. The drugs from the tranquilizer were starting to wear off, but it was taking it's sweet time about it. If the nausea and heavy stupor she was coming out of was anything to go by, the drugs they had given them were either not meant for humans or was given to them in a dosage far beyond what it should have been.

Valerie sat up slowly, rolling over onto her side before eventually inching her way up into a sitting position. The wall she leaned her back against was as cold as the floor, sending jabs of freezing pain up her spine and into her neck. She opened her eyes a crack, then used the sleeve of her lab coat to wipe at her dry mouth in an effort to keep from being sick. There were voices somewhere nearby, the female trying to clear the fuzziness of her mind to focus enough on what they were saying. If anything, listening to them would give her something else to focus on other that emptying her stomach.

"Damn but he was heavy. She was easy enough, but I'm surprised he didn't wake up in the car....don't even want to think about what would have happened if he had." It was one of the men who had been in the truck monitoring Valerie and Kaeso when they were at the gallery and zoo, but of course the scientist wouldn't know this. His friend responded, giving a small guffaw before speaking "I would have knocked his lights out with that baseball bat...why do you think I brought it along in the first place? I wouldn't have let myself be in such a small space with a Roman soldier trained to kill. I don't care how much the boss trusted the tranquilizers we got from that veterinarian."

The voices disappeared into the distance, The female opening her eyes more to find she was in a cell of some sorts. It looked old, like something out of the Victorian era. It was also dark and the only light came from a small window on the far wall she could see through the bars of the cell . I must be underground... Valerie guessed, finally feeling enough sensation coming back into her fingers in toes for her to move more. Kaeso, where is he? She thought frantically, shooting up to a stand and falling straight back down again to her knees. She let out a yelp of pain as she hit the floor, needing to shut her eyes to keep at bay the nausea that had shot up as she had stood.

Baby steps Val, baby steps. She opened her eyes again, this time looking for Kaeso. The girl saw the vague form of a man sprawled on the floor on the opposite end of the cell, Valerie taking a slow crawl to get over to him before sitting again. "Kaeso? Hey, wake up, can you hear me?" She placed her fingers at his throat, searching for a pulse.
 
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