Out of Her Head
Posted on Friday 22 February 2019 @ 22:54 by Lieutenant Michael Ki MD & Commander Caroline Miller & Lieutenant Colonel Kachiko Bayushi
Mission:
The New Collective
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: 2 hours after "This Brain..."
2346 words - 4.7 OF Standard Post Measure
Nearly two hours later, Stephanie found herself laying on a biobed in sickbay... and it was just her. She didn't know what was going on. She remembered pain. She knew what she had done... What she had been forced to do. She was alone for the first time since this had all started... She was truly alone and she was in control.
And this assertion held until she tried to move. She found herself held quite fast by a surgical force field. It was okay. It was quiet here. It didn't hurt as much... but it still hurt a great deal. The Engineer was uncertian as to what she should do next. If she called out, someone would know she was awake... And Stephanie was sure she wasn't prepared to deal with everything that entailed until she absolutely had to. Instead, she just lie there, staring at the ceiling and allowing water to drip from the corner of her eye and roll down her temple.
"Doctor, the patient is awake," Caroline stated seeing the bio bed reading noting O'Hara was no longer unconscious.
"Ah Lieutenant welcome back to us. It has been quite the adventure." He smiled as he checked the readouts on the biobed and everything seemed normal at least for the time being. "How are you feeling Stephanie?"
"Sober," Stephanie said flatly.
"I'll finish up decontaminating myself and the instruments and check on the colonel. Those neural inhibitors will have nicely taken effect now. I'll go try attain our "puppet master" didn't jump meat suit," Caroline informed Ki. "And keep the guards in the room this time. All readings and brain scans indicate the Lieutenant is the Lieutenant again. I know she's in expert hands post op," she smiled at the older doctor. Thank you for the opportunity to aid you in surgery."
Carolne left the room leaving Dr Ki to monitor the patient. A quick de-con cycle and uniform change and she entered the room Bayushi was in for her 48 hours observation.
"Colonel. How are you feeling?" She asked.
Kachiko looked up at the Counselor from where the small woman had been doing her fifth set of push-ups, her thin white sleeveless undershirt, colloquially known as a 'wife beater' by much of the men in the Company; soaked with sweat.
Pushing back up to her feet, Kachiko fought for balance, finally bracing herself against the biobed in the center of the room, "I feel like shit, Counselor. These damned inhibitors hurt and don't even do anything to me."
"I spoke to it while I was in there. It has no biological component, it took control of Miss O'Hara entirely through her cybernetic computer interface which is something that I do not possess," Kachiko growled. While the Marine was no stranger to pain, the pain caused her by telepathic inhibitors was unique and particularly excruciating for her. The inhibitors were designed to suppress the paracortex in telepathic species. Kachiko was nominally human, her telepathic talent supernatural with no biological basis. Hence, the inhibitors having absolutely no effect upon her.
Caroline nodded. She was tired especially after aiding Ki in that complex surgery. "I'm not surprised. Its been an eventful day for all. The inhibitors are a security precaution only, as is the observation. I'm sorry if your enduring pain. Thats not what we as healers are about. The problem is you say that but how do we know its not the entity saying that to fool us? We need an official confirmation from engineering."
Caroline sighed then an idea hit her. "But if your saying that the inhibitors have no effect on your abilities and I can get that confirmed scientifically or another way - I'm open to ideas there .... then you make my job easy. The puppet master, were it to have jumped from O'Hara to your consciousness would be I believe be raging terror on a whole other level with access to your telepathic abilities."
"Sweetheart, this doesn't leave the room," Kachiko already knew that the room was devoid of audio monitors. "I am a Covert Operations Marine. I used to be tasked specifically for asset reacquisition and as such, have hard wire access to all systems. I could, short of initiating the auto- destruct, do pretty much anything I wanted."
"That said, I have very high level psychic shields, so if this being was telepathic in nature, he would be hard pressed to break into my head," Kachiko shrugged."How can I be sure? I'm guessing that that is your next question."
"I learned from the Vulcans to partition my mind, leaving just what is needed on the outside while guarding the rest inside my shielding. It allows me to sacrifice what I must while protecting the critical parts of me. I ran self-diagnostics before dropping the partition, which is what I have been doing for the last several hours, while I got some therapeutic PT in."
'~Like I said, the inhibitors don't do anything but give me a headache,~' Kachiko spoke into the Counselors head.
"Oh and O'Hara is awake and aware," Kachiko eyed the other woman. "From what I can tell, it's our customary crusty crunchy Irish lass, not the other thing."
"Yeah I know. Already informed the Doc so he can deal with her post op," Caroline informed Bayushi. Her headache was also getting worse. Perhaps its was the sudden telepathic contact?
"And I'll do you a deal. Don't call me sweetheart again - Commander, Counselor or Caroline is acceptable, and I'll go lay the case for removing the inhibitors for you. But I can't get you out of this observation. We don't know the effects on your biology from that level of contact. You say you know your ok but I have to document it for Starfleet. Its not me being horrible. Its me following proper procedure and doing my job."
"Sorry,Caroline," Kachiko looked a bit sheepish. "I have been lead to being more familiar with my coworkers than some are comfortable with. An effect my late wife had on me. Though I guess that it did help make me a better mother."
"I completely understand the necessity of documentation," Kachiko shrugged as she pushed up to sit on the end of the biobed. "Do what you need to, Caroline."
Now that everyone knew she was awake, there was something that was nagging at the back of her mind and she couldn't quite remember it. That sort of thing happens when you get shot, then sedated. It was something important. She searched her memory until her brain landed on it. "Dear God," she breathed quietly. "The shuttle!" She tried to sit up, and was reminded abruptly of the restraining field. She looked over and her eyes landed on the doctor "There's a virus in th' shuttle logs. Call to Engineering. Tell them to run a level five diagnostic on every system on th' ship an' purge th' matter/anti-matter chambers of we're gonna lose th' ship."
Michael looked at the Lieutenant and a small amount of worry crept into his brain. "Stephanie I need you to lay down and relax. I will contact Engineering." The doctor thought that asking them to perform the tests would eaither save the ship or turn up nothing. However, it would have the beniefit of helping his patient. So he called down to Engineering and asked them to perform the tests as requested. "I will make you a deal. If you relax and let me take care of what ails you, then I will make sure the results of those tests are forwarded to you."
Stephanie sounded contrite and almost pleading in her response. "There's a cascade virus in th' computer implanted by... Well... me... I guess... Sorta... Anyway. It gives direct control over th' ship's power system t' an unknown third party. If he shuts down the containment field in the entire ship goes up in a dazzlin' display o' pyrotechnics. Doctor, I put everyone on this ship in danger. Please. Let me at least try t' save 'em."
"Funny thing is everyone on this ship is trying to save you." As Michael spoke he tapped a few commands on the sterile field went up. He raised the shield more to protect her from trying to escape then for performing surgery. "Listen Stephanie you are going to feel woozy and possibly dizzy for the next few days. You just had major surgery. Please relax. I have relayed your request to Engineering and they are running the tests as you asked. The best you can do now is lay back and let me double check everything. How do you feel?"
"Like I'm locked inna medical stasis field," She shot back wryly. "You lot worked too hard. I don't deserve t' be saved. Ya shouldda shot me and tossed what was left out th' nearest airlock." Gone was the trademark O'Hara swagger that arrived three steps before she did. She sounded defeated and maudlin. "Wouldda been a fair sight more humane." Her addled mind finally hit on the key word. Stephanie mouthed the word. 'Surgery'. After several moments of staring at the doctor in horror. Immobile as she was, she couldn't really do anything else. She had been working up the courage to ask what happened, but now she wasn't really sure she wanted to know. There was really nothing else for it. May as well rip off the band-aid. "Whaddidya do t' me? An' when can I go back t' th' brig? It's where I belong, and at least in there I could move around a bit."
Michael could not help but chuckle internally. She was liked a caged animal. One who did not know that the cage was for their benifit. "Well the personality that you encountered had completely taken control of your implant. There was only one way to save you and the ship from that puppet master, and that was to remove it. My orginal plan was to leave it out. To be honest there is no reason for it. However, I quickly found that you would die if there was no implant. Your brain had become so accostumed to it. So while you were placed on support another implant was created and installed as it were. We also took the liberty of giving you an upgrade." He could not help but speak the last sentence with a huge smirk on his face.
"Ya need na give me a play by play. I remember far more than I care ta." Why bother at this point?" She asked. "M' life is pretty much over now anyway. Even if I can avoid spendin' th' rest o' it in a Federation penal colony..." She sighed heavily. "An' I do deserve it. I fecked up, Doc. Big time. I endangered th' entire ship f'r th' sake o' my own ego... Weather or na I was in control is na th' issue. If I had stayed on mission, none o' this wouldda happened. An' now Imma have t' take responsibility f'r what I did. It's all on me from th' jump, an' there's nothin' I can say or do t' make it right. My first mission aboard this ship'll be my last. "
Michael smiled at the young woman. "You may not make a difference between being in conrtrol or not. And that is an admirable trait to have. However, the law does make the distinction. I am pretty sure that once I give the okay you will be sent back to Engineering and there be welcomed with open arms. I do recommend you have a chat with the Captain at the very least. He is a very perceptive man and can put a lot of things in perspective for you. I shall not have any self pity parties in my Sick Bay is that understood."
When Michael finished speaking he walked into his office and came out with a traditional Japanese Sake serving tray. "Last time you were here you said you would give Sake a try. Now I must insist as it has a lot of healing powers." Michael set the tray down and poured.
Stephanie looked at Ki quizzically. "I'd love ta. Jus' one problem...Can't move. Maybe release th' force field, please?" She half-grinned with the left side of her mouth. "I promise I'll na be ana trouble. I'm outta fight f'r th' day."
Michael smiled as he realized that he may have finally gotten through to her. He released the force-field and poured the Sake. "Anata no kenkō ni" (To Your Good Health) The two clinked glasses and Michael sipped with a smile.
Stephanie sat up, experimentally flexed her arms and legs to make sure everything worked. She then took the cup of sake from the doctor gingerly and held it aloft in a tost. "Sláinte." she said, then upended the contents into her mouth. As she exhaled with a cough, as if she had been punched in the stomach. "Damn, Doc. That's some good shite. Thank ya kindly."
Stephanie looked at Ki lamely. "If yer na sendin' me back t' the Brig. I think I'd like t' go t' my quarters and have a lie down."
Michael put the glass down. "You are free to go to your quarters with one proviso. If anything changes for the worse you contact Sick Bay immediately. You have a new implant now and it may take your brain a day or so to adjust. Any dizziness lasting a couple of minutes will be normal. Beyond that contact me... Is this understood." When O'Hara nodded her understanding Michael smiled. "You are free to go and Lieutenant stop going off half cocked." He smiled broadly and chuckled.
Commander Caroline Miller
Chief Counselor
USS Merlin
Lieutenant Colonel Bayushi Kachiko
Marine Company Commander
USS Merlin
Lieutenant Michael Ki MD
Chief Medical Officer
USS Merlin
LTjg Stephanie O'Hara
Chief Engineer
USS Merlin
