"Yeah, I prefer Arty, too," Hardison said with a small grin. The other name sounded a little too much like R2D2. And thank goodness about the Nicknames, he didn't know if he could handle everyone calling him Alec. He'd never really liked his name.

"It's the same for me," Hardison admitted, wondering if Arty here was onto something bout the psychological ward. Maybe the sleeping gas had allowed them to do some kind of experiment or brainwashing. Great, just another thing to worry about here. "You were hiding a drive full of religious texts."

He didn't have to ask what the High Council was, he remembered it as clearly as if he had been the one afraid of them. "Do you think you are from another facility like this one?"