Yes, having implants ripped out would have been very ‘not cool,’ but Hugh decided not to go any further with that. Hell of an understatement. For some reason, it got a brief grin out of Hugh. It only lasted a second, and didn’t quite reach his eyes. It nearly got a snort out of him, too.
What did get a snort out of Hugh was Dr. Okun asking Hugh how he was supposed to prove it. That would take time, really, but Okun wasn’t upset. He seemed more upset by the fact someone had, in fact, tried to tear Hugh apart. Which was a good start, for sure. People often just brushed past it, as though they didn’t even see a problem with it. Like that was just a normal thing done to the ex Borg.
Whoops, he should control himself. Don’t laugh. Keep it together.
He cleared his throat and put on a serious expression.
“Tell me everything you know about my people.” Maybe he could bluff. “I’ll know if you’re lying.” He tapped his eyepiece. “Built in detector.”
That was actually a lie. A complete lie. Why was he lying to someone who potentially knew it was a lie? Well.. Hugh didn’t know. He was still uneasy. The good news was, he didn’t think he was going to be immediately torn apart or used as a science experiment.
Oh, man, he said something funny. He had no idea what that was, but Hugh’s reaction got a grin and a goofy nod out of him anyway, like he was totally in on the joke. And after he made his demand, Okun really was in on the joke.
“Man, you don’t have a lie detector in there.” He chuckled. He just took it as the first test of trust or something. “Anything that’s public access about the Borg and the XBs I know. I’ve read every file on every interaction, from the first First Contact day in 2063 to every Voyager report from the Delta quadrant. Honestly, it has nothing to do with my job, I just found it fascinating how they developed - they’re unlike any other race in history.
“Anyway, once I started learning about ex-Borg though, then my interest really took off. There’s no one out there doing medical research to really help you guys. No academic papers at all on how those implants are wired into your system. Once you’re broken off from the Collective, you’re pretty much on your own. I know a lot of you don’t make it...” Whether it be medical, mental, or emotional trauma.
“When I read that you’ve been doing diplomatic work to try and help your people, I just knew I had to meet you. I don’t have too much to offer you by way of like resources or anything. I’m just willing to be put to work, Man.”