Realistic or Modern Penelope and John

[Genjiomnom]

The Bill Maher show sure was full of energy tonight. A hot topic that many are eager to learn more about, and even an appearance from Penelope. Lights shown brightly on the stage as Bill Maher himself walked on. The crowd cheered as usual, welcoming this man. Bill Maher made his way to the stage, waving to the crowd, smiling his usual smile, playing the part of the tv talk show host. Bill made his way to his desk and faced the audience. Chairs are placed in a semi circle, facing the audience.

Hey everyone, as you all know, I'm Bill Maher, and we have a special show for you tonight.

Bill took his seat before continuing, the crowd finally quieting down.

Please welcome our first guest, Barbara Satana! She's a medical specialist, even winning awards for her research into cancer.











Our next guest is Jeryl Dack! He's tackled the heavy cases among businesses. Even when the government gets pushed around, Jeryl Dack never backs down.











A warm welcome for Gregory Lynch! He's an award wining scientist and small time philosopher. He's made advances allowing us to travel even further in to space, and promotes good will all at the same time.

















Last, but definitely not least, John Blythe! Speaking of philosophers, this man has his own ethics, and a growing number of people believe this is the way life should be lived. It's even been joked that he's God himself.

Barbara is a well known woman. She's the one you go to if you have money. She's done a lot of charity work, and only has such high fees because there's too many people for her to see, so she uses the money made to further research into the disease. Even though there's a cure, it's too expensive, and that's why her practices haven't changed. She made her way to her seat, shaking Bill Maher's hand along the way, waving towards the crowd as she sat.


Jeryl Dack appeared much like Barbara. Very formally dressed, waving hands and taking his seat. Jeryl is known for taking on difficult battles, with very little support. His most notable accomplishment is getting food companies to include more detailed information on their labels, even after decades of forcing the government itself out of their business.





Gregory Lynch made his way, waving and shaking hands with everyone. He was a rather spritely fellow. An accurate description as ever for him. He always had a smile on his face. When most think genius, they assume there's some downfall associated with that. Gregory is one of the smartest people on the planet, yet he seems perfectly fit for normal society as well. He's even known as a ladies man among scientists due to his social skills. He speaks on philosophical matters as a hobby, though he's known for his work in science. He has worked closely with NASA. He developed safer space travel methods, and have even sent drones to all of the planets in the solar system. For all he's done though, he remains humble.

 

[CoolGuy]

John Blythe had taken his time and hired a tailor for this single opportunity. He didn't have an business formal clothes before then. After writing his book on pursuing happiness, he had gained some unexpected fame. Since Bill Maher, someone very famous, invited him to his show, he figured this could help happyism, as he had taken to calling it, grow. He'd be a modern day Plato! All he had to do was talk about a corporation being money grubbing. Easy.

He entered, waving at everyone. Most of the audience didn't really know who he was, but he could see some dim recognition in a few audience members, and some respect in one or two others. The fact that no one was booing him was more than enough for him. He gave finger guns to a random member of the audience, for no particular reason, and jogged to the chairs in the middle of the room. He took a moment to shake everyone's hand and give them his name, just to be polite. He sat down in between Gregory Lynch and an empty chair.

 

[Genjiomnom]

The mandatory cheering every audience needs to give as guests are introduced died down. Everyone could see the empty chair, but Bill showed no sign of introducing another.

Bill Maher gave a playful smile.
I'm not going to lie guys, this is going to be a tough one.
Bill Maher was obviously trying to keep the mood light.
This seat here is for Penelope. That's right, she's a real person. I learned just today though she has a skin condition, and won't be sitting, but that's besides the point. There's been a cure for cancer found. A miracle cure they say, right? A single shot, cures any cancer in a single treatment. A single person claims to have developed this, away from conventional research labs. Now that's not the issue at hand, but rather the truth behind this.
There were murmurs among the crowd, voices eager to be heard. Of course the panel on the stage are aware of the show, and can show a little more restraint.
The issue here is the dealings behind the cure. It's known that it's fairly cheap to develop, no more than fifty dollars, and that's including increasing the price for profit, yet it's sold for tens of thousands of dollars, and insurance doesn't cover it. No one can get it except the rich. Research done by Jeryl here shows that various medical companies have rights and even have the government's hands tied. So let's start with Jeryl, what are your thoughts on the matter?

Jeryl sat there, a smug look on his face. He had a large ego, it's a well known fact. Though it can't be argued he hasn't earned it. Penelope is clearly an entire corporation of highly intelligent researchers looking for something, fame, fortune, glory, something. Jeryl is fairly animated, he's the type of person to talk with his hands, his head bobbing as he goes on. The person allegedly supposed to appear before us is clearly a representative. I'm no scientist, but I guarantee you, these two science experts will tell you. A single person can not accomplish what decades, centuries even, of research couldn't do, in a few years, without a proper lab. It just can't be done Bill!

From there, before Bill could even speak up, the discussion naturally shifted over. Barbara and Gregory started to speak, but Gregory politely let Barbara take the lead.

An awkward chuckle and Barbara thanked Gregory as she spoke in her usual matter of factly manner. Thank you Bill, for this opportunity. I agree with Jeryl. This is clearly a ruse of some sort. I'm not sure what they want, I do know my area of mastery though. I have spent my life researching and treating cancer. Not by myself, but among the greatest minds this world has to offer, in state of the art research labs using billions of dollars worth of research equipment and man hours. This is clearly a hoax.

Bill had an opportunity to speak. Good points all around so far. It would appear someone, no, rather, a company of sorts, a group of people, is playing some elaborate prank. Why the hiding? What's with that? But is what's happened wrong? We know the cure is there, that's not a hoax. Even if Penelope is a representative, a face of a corporation, and they charge a lot of money, is that wrong? Bill allowed a slight pause before continuing. Someone who has his hands in both baskets, in a sense. A man known for his science and his philosophy. I think Gregory will make a nice transition into our slightly lesser known guest, but I assure you, not to be the least considered, John Blythe. Gregory, thoughts?

Gregory, chipper as always, thanked Bill with a playful chuckle before speaking, as if in a friendly conversation. All great points, all around. I'm no medical specialist. The best I can do is to use my scientific experience and try to make a comparison. Now, I don't use the word impossible, no self respecting scientist would. I mean, aliens could be real, there's a possibility. It's possible a single person could have made the cure. Given some thought, a company could have strong armed this individual out of the cure. Still, the likely hood of a single person, in some back yard garage, has any chance of such a feat. You need knowledge of anatomy and disease, even chemistry, all possibly hundreds of years from where we are now. The audience gave mumbles of agreement as Gregory transitioned his topic.Do I think it's right? I mean, that's a big question. We don't know the whole picture, something maybe Penelope can clear up for us, yeah? The idea of a company masquerading around as an individual capable of such greatness, and hiding that from the world though? That can't be right, and I want to believe it's a different story, I really do hope it's all some mix up. Now, you mentioned Mr. Blythe earlier. He's only just arrived on the scene, and I've been following him, you can learn a lot from other people, Not everyone will agree with him, but try to be open minded, there's a lot of stuff going on there, Blythe? Gregory turned to John, honestly excited to hear what he has to say.

 

[CoolGuy]

"Thanks, Mr. Lynch," John said slowly. "Now, obviously, I'm a little outside of my area of expertise right now. But I'd like to think I'm a mildly intelligent guy. I can say something, at least. Just take it with a grain of salt, yeah?" He hummed slightly for a moment, thinking on how to best articulate his point. "You know how, in their mission to outer space, NASA created so many important inventions? Like, they made artificial limbs as a side goal to help them get there. While they did have something like 10 percent of the national budget, it's also because, from a different perspective, there are different solutions." He searched for an analogy, but found himself gimped by his lack of scientific knowledge.

"Like the microwave?" Gregory said helpfully.

"Yes, thank you! Like the microwave." He had no idea the story behind the microwave, actually, but he hoped Gregory wasn't trying to see if he was being genuine. "What if this Penelope was trying to create some relatively minor thing, that none of us would have paid attention to, but inadvertently cured cancer?"

"You can't just accidentally cure cancer," said Jeryl.

"Maybe it was something like vaccines, where she noticed something odd, and then tested that?" said Barbara.

"I don't really know. The point is, I think it's certainly possible. That being said, I do like to base my opinions on actual facts." Actually, he doubted Penelope's genuineness as much as the rest, but it was no fun debating where everyone agreed. Someone had to play devil's advocate.

 

[Genjiomnom]

The crowd started getting rowdy. Clearly, unlike Gregory and John, they had no faith that this person had any good intentions at all. Bill stood up, holding his hands out, waving in a motion to calm everyone. It's hard to think about, but it's still nice to see people at least trying to see the good in others. Now, Penelope is here, and she's been listening. I wanted to delay her introduction so we could get a calm assessment of the situation. Remember the purpose of this show, we're adults, here to discuss things in a safe way. So, please be respectful and welcome Penelope Duvaeau. Two men walked out from the side first, dressed in light blue, clearly some sort of medical personnel. One of them was fairly large, standing over six feet tall, and muscular. He seemed more like a bouncer than a medical professional. He had light skin and short brown hair. The other was just under six feet tall. He was fit, like he works out and eats right, but nothing special. His hair was a little longer than the other's. Still short, but with a little style to it. He looked Mexican. Following directly after was Penelope. Due to her skin disease, wearing real clothes can irritate her skin, even tearing it and causing bleeding. She only wore a specially made sports bra and panties. They were red, and looked like they were made of cotton or polyester possibly. They had small clips on the side and backs for easy removal, because sliding them would be impossible for her. She had pale skin, like she hasn't seen much sun. She's french, but it wouldn't be easy to tell. She had very short hair, less than an inch thick. It was a chestnut brown, if you could tell the color. She had a round face, and bright green eyes, depending on the lighting, it could even look a bit strange. She walked in a way so her body wouldn't rub against itself, it looked a little odd, and stood in a similar fashion, with her arms raised slightly from her body. She didn't approach everyone else, but rather stood in the corner.

The crowd instantly stood up in an uproar. Many were angry, though there were plenty of catcalls. Bill Maher was taken aback a little, and for the most part the panel proved to be a little more civil than the crowd. Barbara was clearly digusted, but kept her tongue. Gregory's smile turned more to a smirk as he tried to form his thoughts and decide how he felt. Jeryl though, he stood up and held his hands out, as if to ask what's going on. He even spoke out in anger. What is this? Is this a joke? An insult to us? Is this how you see us? You really come out here, in your underwear, for what? Bill Maher was able to interject, luckily Jeryl didn't lose it enough to not listen to the host. Jeryl, let's hear what Penelope has to say first, OK? Things look bad, certainly, but let's give her a chance to speak, you've all already spoken. The crowd began settling down, and Jeryl quieted, but didn't take his seat. When things settled enough, Bill said. Penelope?

Penelope seemed unphased by everything. Her face did not convey her emotions, though she felt a lot inside. This was a fairly nerve wracking experience, but one she knew needed to happen. She didn't come here to defend herself, but rather to convey information. When she spoke, she sounded intelligent, if you could describe intelligence as a sound. Her voice was clear, she never stumbled or stuttered, never had to pause to gather her thoughts. Most people move around when they talk, talking with their hands, face or body. Penelope isn't different, though she forces her body to remain still, so she doesn't accidentally touch herself. Thank you Mr. Maher. Her voice almost demanded respect. The crowd clearly felt this, and quieted down completely. Gregory seemed to settle down a little, he was very intrigued. Jeryl seemed to become even angrier, shifting as he remained standing. Barbara still had an aura of disgust, but tried to remain respectful and listened. Bill nodded his response and sat down. Penelope looked about, like any good speaker. I am the Penelope you've all heard about, and my claims are true. I am not part of any group. I am an individual, and I created the cure for cancer. It wasn't an accident, I didn't stumble upon it. I set out for it, and created it. I wanted a single cure for any type of cancer, and I wanted it to be cheap and easy to deliver. After I made the cure, I handed it over to the government in hopes that the right thing would be done. I don't have the money or power to handle something like that. I don't know how the pharmaceutical companies got a hold of it, or how the government lost possession. Though that was never my intention.

Bullshit, what are you going to do about it then? Bill shot Jeryl a look, reminding him the show he's on, and it seemed enough to quell him for the time being. This was actually Penelope's next point, though she's not going to bring that fact up. I'm going to recreate the cure. It will be more effective, and even cheaper. That way neither the government or conglomerates can lay claim to it. Then I will personally use the cure on anyone that wants it, free of charge.

Jeryl seemed lost for a second, this was definitely a bold move. Jeryl looked to Bill, to see if he could speak. Bill motioned towards him, and Jeryl said. How is it even possible to create a cure on your own, let alone a second, better one? Although a noble declaration indeed, I still don't understand how you're even capable of such a feat. Sorry, I still call bullshit. The crowd was quiet. Like Gregory, they want to know what's going to happen. Barbara still looked like she was disgusted, this is all coming from a woman in her skivvies, yet no one's even addressed this yet? Barbara was still trying to gather her thoughts, clearly this was impossible for a single person, and a ruse, and she's nearly naked. It to be an in your face tactic of some group. Barbara looked around to see if anyone else was going to speak.

 

[CoolGuy]

At this point, John was struggling to make sense of it all. He hoped no one called on him to say something, because right now, he had no idea what was going on. Jeryll was upset, Penelope was naked and said she was going to make a second cure, Bill was trying to keep the peace, and no one else had said anything. He wasn't sure if he wasn't paying attention enough, but she still hadn't answered why she only wore her underwear, right?

"We should at least give her a chance to explain everything. How did you manage to create a cure to cancer, all types, without the backings of an ungodly rich corporation or government?" Gregory asked. "Furthermore, how do you expect to create a second?"

"Why are you almost naked? It's kind of bizarre," Barbara cut in, evidently thinking that was a far more important question. Several people in the audience nodded, and John had to agree. This was definitely bizarre. If he recalled correctly, Bill said Penelope had a skin condition. What possible skin condition could make her decide to not wear clothes? He felt like he may have been a bit too charitable towards her.

 

[Genjiomnom]

The crowd was still murmuring and Jeryl looked like he might physically explode. At the mention of being naked Penelope blushed, though only slightly, and averted her eyes. She expected it to come up, but couldn't help but get a little flustered. She hated it, it was embarrassing, but had no choice. She looked back to the panel, then to the crowd, then back to the panel. Bill was still motioning with his hands to settle down as Penelope replied, face back to it's normal expressionless way.

To answer the questions in a reverse order, I dress like this because of my skin condition. Minimal Dermafolitus. There was more murmuring in the crowd, even members of the panel looked confused. Jeryl gave another outburst. Bullshit! Barbara waved Jeryl down though, it's likely she's one of the few people here who've heard the disease. It only affects five people in America, so it's not a big deal. It's a rare disease, and wearing clothes irritates and even breaks my skin, which would be unsightly for television. These She motioned to the pieces of clothing she did have on. [font=Nova Oval[COLOR=#ff8000]]are designed by me, combined with a gel I created that reduces irritation and pain.[/COLOR] Upon closer inspection, it would be possible to see the glean of the gel at the edges of her clothes.

Penelope looked again to the crowd, blushing again ever so slightly before returning to normal. She looked once again to the panel. The first question is more difficult to answer. I'm not sure anyone here would understand. It's essentially a poison that's safely injected into the body and guided towards cancerous cells. It targets a specific part of the cell that's prevalent in all types of cancer. As Penelope looked around, she could see Jeryl turning red, people, especially some of the members of the panel, clearly were offended at the thought that they wouldn't even be able to understand it. Penelope took a slight deep breadth, knowing she'd have to explain further.

Penelope explained it as if she were talking to herself. She mentioned many terms only Barbara knew, a few terms that Gregory seemed to understand, and a few terms that non-scientific people would have heard. Terms like arsenic, and possibly a few terms for skins and organs. Barbara heard a lot of medical terms, and even recognized some chemicals she mentioned, but didn't understand how they were supposed to interact or work. Of course Jeryl thinks this is all made up, he doesn't understand a lick of it.

Penelope finished and looked around. As she expected, everyone was clueless. She even explained the exact make-up of the new cure. She wasn't worried about companies stealing it, she was positive that no one would even understand it. The panel was mostly speechless, though Jeryl looked like he was going to die from the blood rushing to his head. He was still angry as ever, but was still clueless on how to approach such a ridiculous claim. If no one had anything to say, Bill would have to cut it short soon, they were just about out of time.

 

[CoolGuy]

Penelope had really bad bedside manner. John supposed she wasn't really a doctor. At least, not that kind of doctor. Barbara seemed to get the gist. Maybe he could borrow her notes after class. Why was he even here? He thought this was going to be a bit more of a debate than a biology lesson. He got a C in high school biology, and barely passed college biology.

"That's all very interesting," said Gregory, "but that doesn't address the primary question: how do we know, for certain, that you made this cure alone?" It was obvious that she was very intelligent, but she could still be just a member of a scientific crew who created the cure.

John felt obligated to say something. "Physician, heal thyself!" John said. Some people in the audience seemed shocked at that. "If you were able to cure cancer, and seem to be confident enough to cure cancer a second time, even better, why don't you cure your own disease? Especially if it's so bad you can't even wear more clothes or sit down."

 

[Genjiomnom]

Penelope gave another quick look around. To the audience, and back towards the panel. She wan't sure there was anything she could say to convince them, not within the time they had left. She moved her body for the first time. Most people feel the need to fidget and speak with their hands, Penelope has those same urges, but tries to resist them. She does have was though, and she pressed her palms together as she spoke. The first question has to be answered with a saying. 'Actions speak louder than words.' You will just have to keep an eye on me and watch my activities. I'll also be curing other diseases, whether or not you believe it's me doesn't matter. As for the second question, it's simply a matter of effort. Cancer has been researched and heavily documented on the internet. It's easy to find out exactly what cancer is and how it works simply using Google. My disease, on the other hand, I doubt many of you even heard of it. It's rare, has next to no information, and even for me, a proper research lab would be required.

This seemed to satisfy a couple of people in the audience, though many felt like Jeryl looked. He really had no grace or poise. Luckily Bill spoke up. Unfortunately that's all the time we have for today. Remember, we're civil people, and I'm sure there will be more opportunity to discuss this again later.

People didn't seem to satisfied, and Jeryl nearly started a scene before regaining his composure. There were other guests after this, so they knew they had to leave. Penelope was all too happy to leave. She was uncomfortable in this situation, and she wasn't sure she accomplished much. She still kept her calm, expressionless look as she turned and walked off stage. She had quickly found a corner though to try and calm down. Sweating was actually a fairly painful thing for her to experience, and she was trying to avoid that now from the awkward nervous situation. The rest of the panel walked by awkwardly, trying not to really look at her, with her two medical assistants in front of her. Jeryl of course sneered. He pointed to his eyes, then at her, gesturing that he's onto her. Penelope still looked like she was completely calm, though the larger assistant was whispering to her, trying to help her relax.

 

[CoolGuy]

John rubbed his face as he got up from the chair. That went very poorly. Jeryl seemed to have grown a grudge, which he wasn't sure if he should be worried about. He didn't really know Jeryl, or Penelope, so he supposed he shouldn't be. "It's been lovely," he lied. Maybe he should have accepted being such an esoteric philosopher, rather than get too big for his britches. He'd have to figure that out himself later. He followed along the rest of the panel, at the back of the line, as they all left the stage.

As he passed by Penelope, his stare lingered. He had to wonder just how much of her story was true, and how much was a lie, oversimplification, or misunderstanding. Well... his father had always told him to take risks. He changed direction to move somewhat close to Penelope. He still kept a solid distance, in part because the medical assistants blocked him, and in part because he was worried he would harm her, somehow.

"Hey," he said slightly loudly. "It's me, the guy that said next to nothing to you except for one accusation. Fancy meeting you here."

 

[Genjiomnom]

The smaller man, who wasn't really small, just compared to the muscled bouncer type man behind him, took a step forward as John approached. Not in a threatening manner, but more of a 'You can't come any closer.' manner. His name was Nick, and he waited for word from Penelope. The other man was Gerard. He looked over his shoulder, then turned back. He whispered, Are you OK to do this? Penelope replied with a very slight nod.

Penelope broke out of her distant stare, a state of mind to help her relax, and officially took in her surroundings, including the man staring at her right now. As her assistants moved to the side, Penelope gestured towards them, This is Gerard and Nick. She motioned to each in turn before bringing her arms back down, still not quite resting against her body.

Wow, this guy was really paying attention to her. Penelope felt self conscious now, and rather uncomfortable. Her face would start to take on a faint pinkish hue, her eyes slowly moving downwards and to the side. That went about as well as expected. I don't need them to believe me, they'll be forced to as I continue working on cures. I just wanted to make myself known for the time being. By the time she finished speaking, her face had already regained its normal pale color, though her eyes were still averted. She wasn't sure if this answer would satisfy John, but she was uncomfortable, she even brought her palms together like she did earlier.

 

[CoolGuy]

Penelope seemed quite uncomfortable with his presence. He understood; if he were just interrogated and not believed, he certainly wouldn't trust his interrogator. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure some people were convinced." He left out that he himself wasn't convinced. He had a little more tact than to outright say he thought she was lying. "Even if some were a little... vocal, in their disbelief." There was a moment of awkward silence.

He noticed that she held her hands together. She did that while she was talking before, didn't she? "So, are you praying?" He hardly took her as a religious person, but who knows, really. "I've just noticed you holding your hands like that, and you did that while you were talking a moment ago. I noticed a pattern."

 

[Genjiomnom]

Penelope listened to the man, still not directly looking at him. He mentioned her hands and she looked down at them, more self conscious than before. Her face becoming redder than before for a quick moment. Penelope relaxed, and thought of a way to answer his question. Penelope figured she could just show him how severe her disease works. A demonstration it was.

Penelope held out her arm, asking John to come closer. Her face was back to it's normal state. Her eyes darted back and forth, she didn't want to seem completely rude, so made small bits of eye contact as she spoke. Brush your finger against my arm, very gently, like a feather, you'll see what happens. Penelope figures people could still be in disbelief if she did this herself, they need to see how little it takes to cause her pain for themselves.

As John gets closer, her assistants watching like hawks, tensed and ready to move. Penelope also tensed, rather forcibly, preparing for the pain. Her stomach changed shape, the muscles in her jaw and arms becoming more defined. As John touched her, her eyes would squint, stifling a cry of pain. As Johns finger moved, the skin would tear slightly, globules of blood forming on her skin. A slight huff would leave Penelope's mouth, trying not to make any noise. As John's hand moves away, Penelope stays in her position for a few moments, quickly regaining control. She lowered her arm, the blood not pooled enough to drip down her arm yet, and slowly relaxed her body as the seconds went by. This time, Penelope looked at John, wondering what he'd say.

 

[CoolGuy]

John looked at the blood with wide eyes for several seconds. "Uhh... sorry." She wasn't lying about the disease, at least. Or she might be crazy prepared. Honestly, the latter was quite possible, but he decided to trust her. "If I were you, I'd have cured that way before I cured any type of cancer." Well, if he were her, he probably wouldn't be able to cure anything. Unless he was assuming he got her brain, but then you got into weird ship of Theseus problems he didn't want to think about. He wondered if she ever touched anyone else for any reason but to demonstrate her affliction. He barely touched her, and she seemed to feel as much as when he cut himself much more deeply. How lonely.

She hadn't exactly answered his question, but felt that asking again would be impolite. He was also slightly worried she had answered his question, he just didn't understand it. Was her letting him touch her skin actually an answer? He had probably dozens of questions about this disease, though he wouldn't understand her answers to any one of them. "How long have you worked on this cure?" he asked. She must have worked for a while, if she managed to cure every type at once.

 

[Genjiomnom]

Penelope's body was still relaxing as she continued, My entire body is like that, except for the palms of my hands, soles of my feet, and the top of my head, where the hair grows. I can't really fidget too much, so I just kinda play with my hands. I suppose it's a sort of nervous tick. Like people who talk with their hands. Penelope realized they were making eye contact and quickly averted her eyes again. She brought her hands together, slightly rotating them against one another as she answered the next question. My disease has minimal data on it. You know about as much of it as the internet knows right now. Cancer has a plethora of data, and is much easier to research and plan for. I spent a few days learning about cancer, and a little over two months on the cure.

Penelope looked up at John again, moving her eyes away yet again. Her voice still remained calm though, and she continued speaking clearly and fluidly. I'll have the next cure in one or two weeks. She wasn't sure what else to say, so she stayed quiet after that, no longer looking at John. Her body fully relaxed now from her little demonstration. Nick and Gerard continued to watch Penelope. They know a bit about how to treat her. They look for signs of sweating, or people or objects that could bump into her, and are keeping a watchful eye on John as well, making sure he doesn't get too close. Their faces are kept serious, their bodies slightly tensed.

 

[CoolGuy]

Penelope kept quiet, so John followed suit. He stretched his fingers, partially out of habit, partially to provide his hands with something to do. He wasn't sure what to say to that. It seemed like a blatant lie, but he couldn't shake the feeling that she was telling the truth. Plus, he was kind of worried her assistants, Nick and Jerry, he believed, would strangle him any second. It kept him from moving any closer towards Penelope. John was a pretty fit guy, but not fitter than Jerry. Comparing himself, he wasn't sure if he was even fitter than Nick. Two on one wasn't fair.

Several moments passed, before John broke the silence. "That's... pretty incredible," he said. There wasn't a lot of room for conversation anymore, but he did want to continue it, somehow. He wanted to be convinced that she did create the cure. There was no harm in trusting her, but he couldn't. It was too absurd of an answer. A few months working on the cure for cancer? That couldn't be an easy task.

 

[Genjiomnom]

Penelope enjoyed the compliment, though she was pretty sure it was to be polite. Most educated people would have just called her stupid, or crazy, at least John had some curiosity. Penelope thought for a moment, but couldn't figure out a way to prove herself without giving at least weeks of intense education. She wasn't oblivious, she knew she was smarter than other people, even those considered geniuses. She still didn't like using that as an excuse though, or even stating it. Instead she said, I'm not sure how to explain it in a way you'll understand. The only way I know how to show you is to show you, and I can't do that until I make the cure. I'm always open to suggestions though.

Penelope continued playing with her hands. She didn't talk to people much, it was nice when they weren't doubting her every word. She was still very uncomfortable in the situation, but not enough to pull the plug just yet. Even during the conversation, she was deep in thought, thinking of ways to deliver the cure to people. She would obviously need money, and was also working that out internally. A few minutes into the conversation and she had already developed a plan, and it shouldn't be that hard to execute. She looked back at John, willing herself to look at him as she wondered what he was going to say next, voices from the stage feint, but still audible.

 

[CoolGuy]

John glanced at her hands. It was difficult to avoid looking, as the only moving part in their conversation. He steepled his hands together, in an attempt to not seem like a stony weirdo. He didn't move much in conversation; he preferred having people focus on his words. His old professor told him he'd be a horrible speaker. Joke's on her. He was famous without even having to speak.

"I have no illusions to my skill at medicine. I doubt I'll ever understand how the cure works." He shrugged. "I accepted long ago that I'm not going to be a doctor. If someone told me they put cyanide in my coffee, I'd probably just assume they knew what they were doing and drink it anyway." He rubbed his chin in feigned thought for a second. "I just rely on not being such a jerk that others want to kill me." He hoped no one that wanted to kill him was listening. He didn't have anyone that wanted to kill him, right? He supposed that was the disadvantage of being slightly famous.

 

[Genjiomnom]

Penelope was almost taken aback. Was this small talk? Sarcasm? A joke? She hasn't ventured out much, but has visited doctors and scientists before. They either treated her as a science experiment, or didn't know how to talk to her based on her intelligence. Still, this didn't seem much better. Penelope squinted her eyes, ever so slightly as she asked, Was that sarcasm? The slightest hint of uncertainty in her voice.

Penelope watched a couple of men carrying an easel to the stage, accompanied by some large poster boards with charts on them. Penelope looked down to the wound on her arm for a short moment before looking back. Her skin was easy to tear, but luckily also quick to mend, and she could feel a slight tickle as it was already working on itself. She wasn't quite sure what to say, this seemed like a stranger conversation to her. She realized she was staring and averted her eyes in her usual manner.

 

[CoolGuy]

Thinking about it, that was a complete non sequitur. John shrugged once again. "No. I really do think no one wants to kill me." He shook his head and let out a soft laugh. "Sorry, but what can I say? I enjoy digressions." He didn't want to be too forward, especially since she didn't seem like a terribly social person, but he wanted to meet her again. An idea came to him.

John pulled out a slip of paper with his phone number on it. He always held a dozen in his pocket, in case he met an idol of his. She wasn't really an idol, but he still had eleven left. He held it out to her. "Here. It's my phone number. Because of our incredibly long history together, you're obligated to call me when you make the second version of the cure." He paused a moment. "That was sarcasm, by the way."

 

[Genjiomnom]

Penelope wasn't particularly great at small talk, so she just remained quiet, keeping her eyes off of John. Her eyes tracked John's movements though when he pulled out a slip of paper. Her assistants made no move to stop this, they wouldn't be very good to have around if they jumped at every little thing. She looked at John now, wondering what the gesture could mean. Penelope watched a surprising amount of videos. Everything from movies and shows to videos on media sites like YouTube. Generally handing out your number meant there was some sort of attraction there. Though she figured it was in a professional manner. She still wasn't sure why though, since he wasn't into any form of science.

John held out the paper towards Penelope. She looked down at the paper and reached for it, looking away as she grabbed it. Her face had started to turn red at her previous course of thought. She responded with a simple OK. her face forming an ever so slight pout, as she waited for the awkward conversation to come to an end. John had left, and a moment later Penelope made her way carefully home. She had a specialized van, and even a plan designed for people with medical disabilities. She is able to stand up in both, holding onto handles of sorts to keep her balance.



As Penelope promised, it only took eight days to rework the cure so that it no longer belonged to the pharmaceutical companies. She even used that time to find legal loop holes that allowed her and hired staff to administer it without being in a hospital. She also played the stock market, rapidly making enough money to do whatever she needed. The only thing she used the money for on herself, outside of specialized medical equipment, was a super computer and various accessories. She has extra staff, and even bought a warehouse for administering the cure.

During this time, she had gotten closer with Gerard and a new staff member, Mindy, who was also a medical assistant. Her employees loved working for her. She covered things like the entirety of their medical and school benefits, among other things. She had also administered the cure to several of her staff, including their families and friends.

It was now that Gerard had reminded Penelope about John and his request. Thinking of the situation flustered Penelope and made her uncomfortable. Mirai, Gerard's wife and Penelope's general assistant, also knew about this. She didn't give Penelope much of a choice. Mirai carried Penelope's phone most of the time, since Penelope doesn't wear anything with pockets. So she dialed the phone number and put the phone on speaker. Penelope can't hold the phone to her face, so this is how she generally made her calls. Mirai gave a little giggle as she placed down the phone, watching Penelope's flustered expressions as the phone rang.

 

[CoolGuy]

It took a few moments for Penelope to take John's number. He was close to pulling it back and playing it off as a joke before she finally did. He was a little worried she was going to start bleeding from touching the paper, but she did not. He nodded to her, and, with little grandeur left the building.

To be honest, he was kind of expecting Jeryll to be outside, waiting to attack one of them. He was not. Jeryll wasn't that much of a jerk. Being suspicious wasn't worthy of scorn. John just wished he had a little more tact. Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he went to his car. It was actually a rental, because he wanted to experience Los Angeles life for a few days. He'd visited Hollywood, and that was enough for him. He needed to get to his flight, since this was his last day in Los Angeles.

John didn't like flights, and he refused to spring for first class. He had once, and that was not much better than coach. The stewardess was just too pushy. John slapped his own face. He was getting lost in his thoughts far too often recently. Why get lost in his thoughts on how he didn't like flights when he could have lived that? He was on a flight then. When would he get home? "We've arrived at Seattle, Washington," he heard. "Thank you for flying Generic Airlines!" Well that was convenient. He grabbed his backpack, which contained everything he brought to LA, and exited the flight.

After his little adventure, John arrived at his very own home. It felt a little colder than he was expecting, but it was home, and he was comfortable in it. Even though he slept a little on the flight, he now had his own bed, and he was perfectly willing to screw up his sleep schedule because he was so tired. After taking a shower, John crawled into his bed, and took a long sleep. He'd wake up at about two PM, but he'd consider it worth it.

The next week was uneventful, aside from a little fan mail and a little hate mail, but he slipped into routine easily. He browsed various forums to defend happyism, since few others wanted to and fewer were able. It's unpopularity somewhat depressed John. He thought people would love to be told that happiness was in and of itself moral.

At the end of that week, he was reading a book, something about a sea monster. It was called Leviathan, and he didn't catch anything involving the sea yet. It was a very slow paced book, he guessed. He didn't know what human barbarism had to do with it. While contemplating this, his phone rang. He pulled it out and looked at the number. It wasn't a saved contact, so unless a friend of his got a new phone, this was probably spam. It had a 206 area code, so it was from Seattle, but he still wasn't sure he trusted it. On its second ring, he decided to pick it up. "Hello?" he said.

 

[Genjiomnom]

Someone was on the other end of the phone. Mirai was stifling laughter as she forced Penelope into an uncomfortable position. Penelope replied, a very slight pensiveness to her voice, Hello, this is Penelope. You wanted me to call you when I had finished the cure. It's done, and I have all the legal paperwork, a warehouse and the staff to start curing people.

Penelope sounded rehearsed. Most people would have pauses in their conversation, or use 'um'. Penelope almost always spoke perfectly, simply the way her mind worked. Conversations appeared like text in her head, and she prepared replies in a similar fashion, placing the text below. So it's like reading from a prompter in her mind. This actually allowed her to participate in several conversations at the same time, simply storing the 'text' in her mind.

Mirai was giggling, she enjoyed making Penelope as flustered as possible. Penelope had grown close with Gerard, he's the only one who worked with her before she came into money. Nick sadly left, as he found a better job. Gerard knew that Penelope liked the attention, which also meant his wife, Mirai, also knew. Mirai would make childish kissing faces, causing Penelope's face to slightly redden.

 

[CoolGuy]

John was surprised. He forgot that he gave her his number, and he thought Penelope brought that home and threw it right into a trashcan. Or she threw it into a trashcan at the show. He wasn't sure. Nevertheless, he was pleased to see he was wrong, and glad his makeshift plan came to fruition. Even if she sounded like a good text-to-speech program.

He stood up and started pacing to calm himself. He had never been very good at talking over the phone. "Oh! Well, thank you for calling." He thought he heard slight giggling, but couldn't be sure. He put Leviathan, which he was beginning to think was not in fact about a leviathan, face down, so he could find his page later. "Ah, so how have you been?" he said. He really should have thought more about what he was going to do at this point. "I've been good..."

 

[Genjiomnom]

Penelope thought John sounded a bit scattered. It was a bit odd to her, considering she thought he was so well adept socially the last time they spoke. She didn't give it too much thought, chocking it up to a surprise call. It also seemed weird that he was making small talk. She figured he would have wanted to see the cure for himself, and that's why he gave her his number in the first place. Since she wasn't entirely certain, she met the greeting, adding in her own reply, I'm doing fine. Though I was a bit curious as to why you wanted me to call you. I figured you wanted to see the cure in use.

Mindy, a tall and thin girl, walked into the living room area, giving a smile to Penelope as she approached. She has a light caramel color, with long blonde hair, kept up in a pony tail. Her face is youthful and cheery, she wouldn't look at all out of place among a group of cheerleaders. She gave Mirai a glare, as if to say 'Stop teasing Penelope' and continued on, disappearing into a hallway on the opposite side of the room. Mirai never listens though, and kept making faces.

Mirai, Gerard's wife, had a light brown skin tone. Her hair was black, short and straightened, though it's naturally wavy, only barely above her shoulders. She was around the same age as Gerard, around their late 30s, though she still acted like a child most of the time. Anyone observing her would highly doubt she were Penelope's assistant, it seemed like she never did any work.