After the night you’d had, you wouldn't say no to a free meal…I mean, the doctor seemed normal enough- beyond the glaring, transparent elephant in the room. He didn’t appear to have any rotten intentions with you- not that you could discern. However, you did keep your mouth shut regarding a couple nagging, impolite curiosities related to the whole invisibility thing…
After you enjoyed your complimentary room service meal, you gathered the dishes so you didn’t have to look him in the eye- or where his eyes would be- as you further questioned. “So…what drove you to all this? Power, money- fame?”
Something in his demeanor seemed to shift. “It was…well, a variety of factors. Sure, I was poor, but-” Tapping a persistent finger against the upholstered arm of the chair, Dr. Griffin’s voice slipped into a more serious register compared to your previous friendly conversation. “…At its core, I wanted to do what no man had done.”
Gradually, his dreamy words turned into this intense, megalomaniacal rant as he rose to his feet, the fire seeming to roar solely to silhouette his concealed features. “The nations of the world will bid for this by the thousands, my friend- the millions!” With every word, you felt the hairs standing up on the back of your neck- that animal urge to run away from some idea of danger.
And there was a part of you that did want to escape. But another, more repressed voice of less reason wanted to see this through.
Your reaction didn’t go unnoticed. And like a brief parting of the clouds, the doctor loomed over you, his voice quieted with this sudden lucidity. “You…don't understand my motivations, do you?”