"Very well." He came to a stop then. "Ah, here we are," he said. "Let me just load the specifics into the computer..." He paused for a few moments. Then, he went on, "Now, this system is designed to synthesize materials for use in laboratory experiments. So, if you were expecting real food, please accept my apologies. I honestly do not know what it will taste like. But it should have the right balance of nutrients."

At that moment, a small slot opened in the wall. Inside it was a transparent flask, inscribed with alien symbols, which was filled with a murky gray fluid.

(I decided to make a profile for Gar, but it isn't done yet and I have to go, so I'll post it tomorrow.)

Angel looked at it for a minute. "Well... it... LOOKS alright." She said halfheartedly, tentatively poking it as if testing to see whether it would try to bite.

"It should be harmless, but... Maybe you should try just a little, to make sure. After all, if it does prove to be toxic, we have no medicine we might give to you."

"Oh, don't worry about THAT." Angel replied, giving it another tentative poke. "I'm not concerned about toxins and stuff."

"Ah, well then... What are you waiting for?"

"Well... uh... no offense meant, but... it's not going to try and bite me, is it?" Angel asked.

"Considering that we have tried to create life through this machine before, and failed, I sincerely doubt that we will do so now," he said dryly.

"I'm.... sorry." Angel said. "I... I didn't mean to.... to offend you..."

"No, no, I'm not offended, my dear," he assured her. "After all, I didn't make this machine."

Angel nodded, poked it once more, then held it up. "Well... cheers..." She said, then downed the whole thing.

She made a face akin to one that might be made after drinking something foul.

"Again, my apologies," he repeated, somewhat nervously.

Angel didn't respond for a minute, but then spoke up again. "It's... urgh... it's fine..."

"...I could, perhaps, extract a formula for a suitable flavoring from your head as well?" he offered.

(I'm withdrawing.)

~Recording/remembering location. Moving to somewhere more interesting.~

The Broken Infinity, without so much a glimmer of radiation, seemed to sink into the vacuum (even though there shouldn't be anything for it to sink into), and disappeared.

"N-no... it' fine..." Angel got out. "H-hey.... can you tell me where a garbage chute is? I... I have some old gum wrappers and things to throw out..."

"Culinary arts are not my forte," Gar admitted, as he turned and began to lead her down the hallway. "This way."

After turning a few corners, he approached one particular section of wall, and a decently-sized hole slid open in it.

Angel threw a few gum wrappers out of her pockets into it.

Following which she proceeded to be violently ill into said chute.

Gar winced. "Angel, I don't believe it's conducive to your survival for you to eject what little sustenance you have..."

"S-sorry..." Angel said. "L-look.... the truth is... I don't need it... I only accepted to be polite..."

"...You don't?" Gar asked, confused. "But you have to eat something. Everything does. Even I am feeding off your excess brainwaves right now..."

Angel shook her head. "I'm not like other things. Really, you shouldn't be so skeptical; you already learned that the hard way once...."

"I, I understand that, but I doubt even you could violate basic laws of physics. I'm sorry, but it's impossible for you to survive for long without eating."

"I guess you could say I do." Angel replied. "But not in the traditional sense. It's something that won't make any sense unless you know the truth, and the truth is something that we've already established has to be found out on your own, or with help that isn't me."

"Very well, I suppose I'll simply have to trust you here," Gar conceded, with a mental sigh. "Even though this means that my near-death experience was all for nothing. Still, I did try-" Suddenly, he paused, radiating realization. "...Then again," he began at last, "perhaps it was not all for nothing. Come, I think a trip to engineering is in order..." He turned and began to hurry off.

Angel hurried after him. "Where are we going?"

"Engineering, specifically the sensor labs. I believe I know how to find the escaped criminal, thanks to the information I received from you. I'll have to modify the sensors slightly, but I believe I can verify their mode of transportation, and by modifying the engines, I may be able to follow him."

".... You know I can't let you do that..." Angel replied; though she sounded hesitant to say it, at the same time there was an underlying seriousness to her tone.

He came to a stop, looking at her hesitantly. "...Why? I have the information, should I not use it? It's for a good cause, after all..."

Angel shook her head. "You can't use anything you got out of my head, nor may you tell it to anyone else. Those are the only conditions I'm going to give you."

"Surely you won't mind, lovely, just this once?" he cajoled, immediately stretching out his mental tendrils to brush against her, teasing the pleasure centers of her brain. "After all, I already know the information. And I did earn it, in a sense. Don't you agree?"

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