Chapter Text
Strauss ended up giving Kane the connection cord.
“I will simply make another,” he’d said. “With my talents, such a task will be trivial enough.”
Kane was starting to recognize the way that Strauss’ self aggrandizing could be an expression of affection for others, how aloof and egotistical statements translated to true concern.
The assurance in his own ability was an assurance to Kane, really. Professing the simplicity of recreating the device he’d expressed such deep concern over earlier was just his way of trying to make sure Kane didn’t feel bad in taking it. And who could ever doubt that Strauss believed it when he praised himself?
The gesture was touching.
“Connecting directly to the neurocyte through a terminal or data pad seems to allow you to access levels of control that would normally only be remotely achieved,” Strauss had explained. “That kind of control should be in your hands, alone.”
Kane had accepted with gratitude.
He mostly kept the cord safely stored away. He had no great desire to delve any deeper into the neurocyte and what dark secrets lay within than he had to, at least, not yet.
But…every once in a blue, blue moon, when he was worn down so raw he felt he could barely keep his head above water, he slipped away to some secluded corner and connected the cord from his neurocyte to his data pad.
Only so very infrequently. Just to get by. Just to take a bit of the edge off of the harshness of what his existence had become. Never so frequently that any of the others needed to worry themselves over it. Never enough to forget what it was. Why it was. No, no, never!
Of course, never…
Only when a loneliness no human company could ever seem to quell the ache of threatened to swallow him whole, would he activate the emotional conditioning command for “The Strogg” and let the feeling of it wash over him, soothing that ache and making his heart swell with a rush of pure love.
Love, love,
love
…