Just a scrape and a bruise

Posted on 07 Dec 2019 @ 4:06am by Lieutenant Commander Aidan Datari & Commander Amelia Fox

Mission: Mission 2 - The Agora crossroads
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Follows The tears that water the soul
1757 words - 3.5 OF Standard Post Measure

On:

Amelia led Aidan into sickbay and looked around before calling out “Is there a Doctor in the house?”

"I'm here," Syvar answered, coming out of the CMO's office. Since the new chief seemed to have somehow up and left, he felt he had no choice but to step up again. "Oh my you two are a sight, have you been in a fight?"

"There hasn't been," Aidan replied slowly, looking to Amelia before continuing. "We were sparring..." He bit his lip, knowing she wasn't going to like what he said next. "With real blades."

Amelia played down the incident. “It’s nothing really. I didn’t get out of the way fast enough and the Lieutenant here tried to slice me in half. Then i was showing him some unarmed combat moved and I accidentally punched him in the face. That time, he didn’t get out of the way fast enough.”

"I needed the outlet," Aidan said defensively, "normally I use my replicas, they're blunted. This wasn't supposed to happen." His cheek was still throbbing and he felt like sight in his left eye was off.

"I'm going to touch you," Syvar warned as he reached out with a gloved hand and gently cupped the Trill's jaw in it, tilting it up a fraction. He then looked towards the XO. "I see you're injured too ma'am, but I can tell it's not too serious. If at any time you do feel faint please let me know immediately?"

Amelia perched on the edge of a bio bed. “I’ll live for the moment Doc. You take care of the Lieutenant here.” Amelia noticed Aidan had started scratching at the spots on his temple. She looked at him concerned. “Are you ok?”

At the XO's comment, Syvar observed his patient for a moment, noticing the all but blooded spots at his left temple. Gently, he stalled the young officer's movement as his hand went back to his temple. "I want you to fold your hands in your lap for a moment sir, while I examine this. Have you been into contact with any strange substances? Either here or during your ah.." Syvar hesitated. "...captivity..." he finished.

Aidan shook his head, folding his hands as directed. "No, but this itch is starting to get irritating."

Syvar turned back to Amelia. "Ma'am I'm going to require your assistance, if you don't mind? While the lieutenant lies down, if he would please, I need you to reassure him, while I examine this odd rash."

Amelia slid off the bed bed and came over to Aidans side trying not to stand over his head overbearingly. “Sure Doc, no problem.” She did not take Aidan’s hand but placed hers on the bed next to him. “Do you need anything?”

As Aidan laid down, Syvar gently turned the man's head sideways. "I'm going to take a few scans and I need you to be as still as possible sir... I'll take care of that black eye too while I work. You focus on Miss Fox, listen to her voice and don't focus on me for now." The Vulcan looked up and gave the woman a light nod to indicate she should do what felt right. As he did he reached for a scanner and waved the wand over the rash.

"Ma'am..." he said softly, nodding towards the screen. "I'll need to extract that, whatever it is."

Amelia nodded at Syvar but spoke to Aidan. “It’s nothing to worry about. The Doc’s got everything under control.” She looked back to the Doctor and spoke to him quietly “Is there any indication of what it is or where it came from?”

"Not yet," Syvar answered quietly, "I'll have to examine it once I get it out." With his free hand, he gently touched his patient's shoulder. "You're doing great sir, just stay still for a little longer and I'll tell you exactly what I found alright? You can try to sleep if you like, but I understand if you won't."

Aidan stiffened a little at the sudden touch but otherwise didn't move. "I want to know what you found," he said, "I don't want to sleep. Just... get it out, whatever it is."

"Yes sir..." Syvar worked as quickly as he could, while trying to keep his patient calm. It was stressful for the young, inexperienced doctor but he found strength in the fact that both officers trusted him. "It's an implant," he said after a while, "but what kind I'm not exactly sure... it'll take me some time to study it."

Amelia looked closely at the computer display on the implant. “The pain device was removed when we got back to the ship but this.... This didn’t even show up on standard scans.” Amelia was thinking. “We know the Pain device is mirror tech. Is it possible that this...” Her voice trailed off as she turned back to the Doctor.

'It's not impossible..." Syvar put the retrieved device under a specific scanner, which he turned on before turning back to his patient. "Easy does it sir, we're almost done and then you can sit up." He finished with the dermal regenerator, then patted the man's shoulder again. "All done, and not a speck of evidence sir. Now...why don't we look to your injury ma'am.." He gestured for Aidan to switch places with Amelia. "Maybe you can see if the scanner turns up results," the Vulcan suggested as the Trill stepped aside.

She had been so caught up in treating Aidan, Amelia had forgotten that she had also been injured. With the Doctor drawing attention to it, she once again became aware of the stinging running across the top of her chest. “Go on then Doctor, I would like to wear my trusty black dress again without a scar showing.”

As she sat down she looked at Aidan. “Are we feeling better now?”

Aidan turned his head when he was addressed, then slowly shook it. "Physically yes, thanks to Syvar, but psychologically...no not really," he admitted, "I don't remember being implanted as I clearly remember two of them being removed. It worries me that I don't know. I don't really remember being touched either... and I don't know yet what kind of device this is..."

Syvar listened as the science chief spoke, while focusing on healing the XO. "We'll have a look at it shortly," he suggested, "perhaps Lieutenant Fox has some insights. While you look into that, perhaps my scans have turned up some DNA matches."

Amelia frowned, not quite following the Doctor's logic. She thought to herself Why would I know about this?. "Well, I went to a Starfleet security briefing last year on Mirror Univers and it's technology but this looks a lot more sophisticated than anything we looked at. You say you've found DNA on it? That could tell us who placed it in Aidan. Can you identify the DNA?"

"Certainly." Syvar moved to stand next to Aidan, watching him carefully.

"It seems a kind of listening device," the Trill observed as he studied the small device. "Designed to burrow into the epidermis. But as far as DNA goes I wouldn't know, I'm a scientist, not a doctor."

Syvar worked the controls a moment then carefully nudged the Trill back a little. "Lieutenant Fox, care to explain why your DNA is embedded in this device? Yours, and an unknown species..."

Amelia looked at the Doctor, startled. "My DNA? I've never seen this before in my life so I've no idea how my DNA got onto it..." Her look changed from startled to suspicious. "What exactly are you implying Doctor?" She asked with a cautious tone.

Still making sure the Trill was behind him, Syvar pulled himself up. "If you've never seen this before ma'am, then how is your DNA on this?" He turned the screen around, showing the reading to her.

"It's not possible." Aidan looked up, though he'd gone white at the news. "This rash didn't start until we visited Laemia's estate. Rather, until we left it. Whatever this is and whoever planted it on me, it must've happened there. Trust me doctor, Lieutenant Fox wasn't there. I'm sure that if she had been, she'd done all in her power to get me out of there. Right?"

Amelia had heard everything Aidan had said but her eyes were still fixed on the Doctor. She nodded in agreement. “That obviously isn’t my DNA. I don’t know what it is but we’re going to get some answers right?”

"It is your DNA, look..." Syvar pulled up data from her medical file and put it right next to his most recent readings. It was an exact match when he overlayed the two images. "It is yours..." The young Vulcan frowned, taking a small step back.

"It isn't," Aidan said, shoving Syvar aside, then pointed at the first image. "There's a slight variance here. it's similar, but not the same."

“‘Great! So there’s someone out there who has access to DNA that’s almost identical to mine.” Amelia sighed. “Just when you think things couldn’t get any stranger. So someone has been listening in to us, why? To what end?”

"Information gathering no doubt," Aidan replied as he studied the readings. "I've seen this before," he said after several minutes of staring at it in silence. "Didn't you mention agonizers before?" He pointed at the picture again. "Amelia look at it, look closely at it," he said urgently. "This isn't your DNA. It's yours, but not you. Don't you see?"

Amelia looked at the readout closely. She heard what he was saying and she didn’t like the implications. “Are you suggesting that my mirror counterpart is somehow involved? Great.... Just great. Doc, I want that implant pulled apart. We need to know everything about it.” She took a deep breath. “Well if we’re finished here I need a drink. Lieutenant, you’re with me.”

"I'll send it to engineering," Syvar said, waving them both off. "Return if complications arise lieutenant," he ordered, calling after the retreating patient.

Aidan just raised his hand in acknowledgement as he hopped off the bed and followed the XO out.

Off:

●● Lieutenant Amelia Fox
Executive Officer
USS Andromeda


●● Lieutenant Aidan Datari
Chief Science Officer
USS Andromeda

Ensign Syvar
Acting CMO
pnpc Aidan