ataraxion | [006] VIDEO

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[006] VIDEO

[It's the familiar backdrop of Medbay, hurrah! Simon looks--you guessed it--tired, and he sounds--you guessed it again--exasperated. Cleanup after something like what just happened in Engineering is never very good for the sleep schedule.]

Before anyone asks--Charlotte is in the care of Medbay. She's stable, but isn't in any shape to receive visitors or answer questions. Please don't come to any medical staff requesting to see her.

We'll get what information we can when she's ready to give it. That might not be for some time. Right now, passenger health is the priority.

[And she is, in fact, a passenger.]

If you were...forcibly ejected from Engineering and require any further medical attention, please don't hesitate to see a doctor or nurse. We'll do what we can to alleviate any lingering symptoms.

[Should you go to Medbay with the express purpose of seeing what's up with this Charlotte lady, you'll find she is, as Simon warned, in no shape to receive visitors, drifting in and out of consciousness and in an obviously unhinged state. As she's clearly a danger to herself and others, there's an SEC guard near or around her bedside 24/7.]

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Alright. Well... You know what you're doing with that, I can't ask for anything more.

[ He presses his hand briefly to the bridge of his nose. ]

Don't ever catch the lucky breaks, do we? Alright, next order of business: casualty report, maybe?

None, thankfully.

[Some lost limbs, some injury, but no one's dead, so he considers it a win.]

Everyone who went in, though--they seem to be experiencing the after-effects of the jump, but worse. More prolonged.

My brother mentioned it to me. The fact that it effects anyone, regardless of their regenerative ability, should be a matter of concern. He doesn't get sick.

The Stasis Sickness was similarly unfettered. There should be notes around here from your predecessors that carry some of that information?

I have those notes, yes.

[It's troubling, to say the least.]

It's possible that the sudden displacement caused a disruption in the vestibular system of anyone inside Engineering at the time. You know, the inner ear.

I know what it is.

[ He shakes his head abruptly. It's all very well knowing things, if he doesn't admit he knows them, nobody ever knows otherwise. ]

What I heard described to me, the symptoms, are a lot like what happens when you take a rookie up on maneuvers. Or the sub-orbitals they fly in the vomit comet. You lose track of any normal physics and your body starts going ca-ca. You run any physical tests on the people who've come out?

Sorry, I was just--

[He trails off there, figuring it's not worth talking semantics when there are more important things to worry about. Simon nods, instead.]

It's all as you described. Nausea, disorientation, vertigo. Tinnitus, in some cases.

It's alright [ he says, realising he'd been a bit sharp and raising his hand slightly ] it's my fault, I've not been very upfront about my experience. You're just being thorough.

What about memory loss?

No reports of that, yet.

It's a potential solution to the question of how nobody knew how they ended up back outside Engineering, though I'll grant not a very likely one. But sometimes the symptoms you described go hand in hand with the brain being starved of oxygen, don't they? And memory loss--I don't know, it might be worth doing aptitude tests, brain scans throughout episodes? If the staff are available with Charlotte around, I mean. I realise you're already under a lot of pressure.

It's on my to-do list. Ordinarily I'd hand off the brain scans to Doctor Brink, but he ventured into Engineering, too.

Ah. [ It sounds like a 'well isn't that just perfect' sort of ah, but he shakes his head again, reaches up and pats Simon on the shoulder. ] Well none of them are gonna keel over in the next twenty four hours, the tests can wait.

What about McCoy? I assume he didn't run off too, considering what he thinks about foolish expeditions?

McCoy is fine. Topher's just sort of the expert, but we can certainly make do while he's...addled.

[He pauses, frowning a little.]

Do you know anything about Charles Xavier? He's a passenger on board. He approached me about Charlotte.

[ He glances back up at Simon, then off at the patient window again, taking a slow breath to make time to gather his thoughts. ]

He's a telepath, a very powerful one, but he's respectful too. That means he reads minds--I don't know if you've got people like us in your world. He's by no means the other one on board, but he accompanied us to the bridge, and he was...invaluable. I mean, my brother's a telepath too, but he's never practiced it excessively. One of the previous versions of Charles Xavier was going to help me with the school--when we still needed one.

But there's a sting in his tail. Erik Lehnsherr. Protective, self-absorbed, not entirely sure what he wants, I think, half the time. He likes to make trouble, and he believes in the superiority of what in his world are called mutants. Specials, in mine. People with powers.

We don't, no.

[Simon appears to ponder this for a few long moments before speaking again.]

He asked if he could read Charlotte's mind. I don't...really have a frame of reference for that kind of thing, how badly she'd take it, if there's something in her head that would harm him. Then I wonder if we're in a position where we can afford to not take those risks...

[ He's been considering it since the moment Simon brought up Charles' name, and now he ponders it for a moment longer, then shrugs one shoulder. ]

It's his risk to take, at the end of the day. But he should be educated to the risks first. Way back when, Spock landed himself in medbay for trying to mindmeld with the ship, and this might yield the same results.

But if it gets close, and she's still catatonic... I don't know. We could learn a lot, or we could learn no more than we've already seen through her dreams. I can't lie to you, I'd like to know why she thought my name was Matthew, why she trusted me the way she seemed to.

That's what I'm afraid of.

[The whole mind-melding with the ship thing. The rest of what Nathan says, however, is much more troubling.]

She thought your name was--what?

Matthew. Unless it was some kind of Space TV reference, I'm pretty sure she meant it. Doesn't bode well, does it?

[This is the part where Simon sighs heavily and drags his hand down his face.]

Nothing about that can possibly be good.

So you can see why I might err on the side of not being too cautious when it comes to getting her to talk.

[ He drops back on his heel. ]

Still, there's not much that can be done about that right now. What about you, Simon? You look like you're running on adrenaline and caffeine.

[Simon considers it for a moment and then shrugs. Nathan's right--they can cross that bridge when they come to it.]

Things will calm down soon. It's always like this right after a crisis.

The way this place looks I'd say it was still a crisis.

[ He hums, turning away from the viewing window and looking at Simon squarely. ]

Grab yourself some zees. Get some sleep, Simon. Catnap on a morgue bench, whatever you want, but sleep.

It looks messy, but things are actually under control.

[As much as things can be under control, anyway.]

I'll sleep. I promise.

So long as you promise.

[ And Nathan pauses, pushing a hand back through his hair. Okay so, getting all his medical questions out the way in one go: ]

I have a question for you--gonna sound ridiculous coming from me, but... How safe are the pods? For small animals? I mean Izzie goes through fine, but I'm talking about puppies, two weeks old. Do you think they'll be alright?

They should be fine. We've had puppies before.

[Maybe not that young, but since the alternative is squished puppies, they don't really have a choice.]

I can sedate them beforehand, if they're not already asleep.

Alright, I'll call on you if it's gonna be a problem.

[ He reaches up, rubbing at the back of his neck. ]

So you'll keep me updated on Charlotte?

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doc_pompous - 2014-03-18 02:56 (UTC) - Expand

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