Back From The Brink
Posted on Tue Mar 22nd, 2016 @ 12:36pm by Captain Li Hawke & Jackson Banning V & Lieutenant Commander Michael Darwin & Lieutenant Commander Earl Crane & Ignatius Reilly
Mission:
Further Challenges
Location: Piper Medical Center
* Piper Medical Center *
The three of them materialized in Piper’s transport room and immediately the orderlies appeared to lift Oz to a gurney. Before Li could say a word, the doors opened to allow more nurses and chaos. She scooped up Iggy to keep her from getting trampled underfoot. Already the techs were barking out vital signs and other instructions.
“I can still walk,” Oz complained. She started coughing again and fought a medtech to sit up. She was weak; the medtech won and wiped blood from Oz’s lips.
Earl, who hadn’t yet noticed the blood, harrumphed, “But we like it better when you lounge on a bed for us.” He realized that had sounded better in his head than out loud. Despite his slight blush, though, he didn’t retract his statement. He simply pulled a sheet over her, saw what the medtech showed him and started reading the scans the other medtech had taken. “Hmm... Someone has called Mr. Banning, correct?” He didn’t look around the room but a tech called out that he had.
What do you mean she is dying? Iggy’s normally calm, alien rasp was pitched with anxiety.
Earl glanced at Iggy with just his eyes. “I thought you had been taught that eavesdropping is rude.”
There are times when rules do not apply.
“Is this true Earl?” Li asked. She watched as the techs wheeled Oz on out of the room and now they could hear Harding out in the corridor. “Tell me.” Her voice shook slightly. It was not the news she wanted to hear. She’d just lost her husband, she was not going to let Oz go too.
He watched Oz go then turned towards Li. Nodding slightly, he said, “It looks that way. Blood vessels and tissues in her lungs are degenerating. You recall she was injured on that side during your Eden adventure? She also had a collapsed or punctured lung, same side. That was a field repair according to the records... that, with the invasiveness of the Borg’s tech seems to have caught up to her.”
“Yes, Connor McKinney patched it up in the field. It was a shuttle crash. Captain O’Connell and I got them home and Dr. Kona did the repair here on her. The stab wound on Eden was that same side and they repaired it on Nelvana III.” Li frowned a moment. “That tech may be the only thing keeping that lung together?” She ran her hand through her hair. “I...I need to go find Jackson and settle him down. We’ll be here though so I want to know everything that’s happening as soon as you know it.” She glanced down and realized she was still in her swimsuit. “I’ll call Darwin and Gilroy.”
“There’s lab coat in my office if you want that. Ophelia can replicate something casual,” he commented. “I’m not disparaging anyone’s work - it may be that the Borg tech attempted to... oh, hell, who knows why things like this happen. Harding and Solis will get her straightened out, Li. They’ll need to talk to Jackson first, though.” Earl knew it was more than the lung, but he didn’t see the need to tell Li just yet. He led her to his office, where she could wait. “We’ll have Jackson come here.”
She stopped just inside, looking up at Earl. “What else?”
“What what else?” He handed her a lab coat.
“There’s something else in that brain of yours you’re not saying.” Li pulled on the lab coat and shoved her hands in the pockets. “But Jackson should be here soon. You staying or should I call when he arrives?”
“I’m going to go talk to Will and Solis. I’ll be back in a few minutes, probably after Jackson gets here. Ophelia will let me know when he’s here, if I don’t hear him first.” He left her in his office.
Li sighed aloud and looked around the office. She realized she had left her comm badge somewhere in the confusion of Piper’s emergency transport room so she sat at Earl’s terminal. First, she sent word to Suresh so he could go down and lock up the house, and so he’d know what was up with Oz. Then she had the computer open a channel to Darwin.
“Darwin, if you’re there, please answer.”
You will have to speak for me, Iggy reminded Li.
From the comm, there was a loud noise then some muttered cursing and finally an eyeball, too close to the monitor, appeared. “Earl... If someone’s not dying now, you will when I see you next,” Darwin’s voice warned, sounding slurred.
“Dar, it’s me, not Earl,” Li answered. “Pay attention. If you’re in an altered state, I am going to transport down and bring you back myself.”
“Oh, Li,” the eyeball retreated and the screen finally showed Darwin’s face and bare chest. “I’m not altered, Li, just naked. And,” he smiled, “all alone. Is Earl sending you down here for some R&R?”
She studied the screen and couldn’t resist a smile. “I wish. No, it’s Oz. We were down on the beach and she collapsed. I just got her into Piper. It’s something to do with those old lung injuries and it’s serious, Dar. I’m…..frightened.” She reached out her hand to where Iggy sat on the desk, sensing the same sentiment in the arachnid.
He sat up. “Wait... Oz? Oz is in serious condition? That’s a euphemism for dying, isn’t it?”
For a male, he is relatively quick-minded, Iggy observed.
Li repeated Iggy’s comment to Darwin, then nodded. “They’re working on her now but we just got in and so we don’t know anything yet.”
Grimacing, he looked around. “I’m hours out from port and as a single-manned vessel, I can’t just beam up. Are you asking me to turn around and come home?”
“I….I don’t know. Maybe you should just wait there and I can shoot down later and fill you in? I thought you should know but there’s not much you can do here right now.”
“Yeah. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll call you back in half-an-hour or so,” Darwin nodded. “You’re welcome to come down, too.”
I have never been sailing. That would be interesting, Ignatius said, curious despite her worry for Oralia.
Li nodded. “Jackson will be here any minute and once I know something, I’ll call, I promise.”
“‘kay... I’ll put some shorts on,” Darwin conceded before closing the channel.
Outside the office, male voices could be heard approaching and Li turned to Iggy. “I think Jackson’s here.” One of the voices did, indeed, carry Jackson’s particular accent.
Earl and Jackson entered the room; Earl was talking, “...back into her bloodstream. It’s likely they’ll be able to repair the damage faster than we can and then keep the damage fixed. We’ve put her in stasis, Jackson, and need you to make a decision.”
Jackson looked to Li and Iggy, his expression bleak. “Hey kiddo,” he greeted Li, then nodded to Iggy as he took a seat. “So, it’s put them back or lose her basically?”
“Put what back?” Li asked immediately.
“The Borg nanites,” Earl answered. “Yes, that’s the choice at the moment: give her an injection of nanites or... we’ll be having another memorial.”
I will bite her, Jackson, Iggy made the statement sound both like a sacrifice and a threat.
“No need for that Iggs,” Jackson answered, but his tone was distracted. He reached out to grab hold of Li’s hand. “Well, those probes fixed Eli an’ haven’t hurt him any since, so do it. If she raises hell about it after, I’ll deal with it. I am not gonna lose her, Earl. Tell Solis he can go ahead.” Jackson looked at Iggy now. “It is what she’d want ya think?”
Iggy answered very seriously, She would hunt you down and kick your ass if you let her die. She likes life with you.
Earl’s brows rose and he left to notify Solis.
Jackson had to laugh at Iggy’s answer. “I do believe you’re right.” He sighed aloud and rubbed his eyes. “Nothin’ ta do now but wait I guess. According to Earl, it could be a while. You doin’ alright Li?”
“Worried,” she confessed. “It came on so suddenly that we barely had time to think. I notified Darwin and sent word on to Gilroy too. Darwin is waiting for me to call him back so now that I’ve heard, I guess I can do that.”
With a hopeful note, Iggy asked, In person?
“You want to see the boat, huh?” Li smiled at her. “It won’t take but a moment to get down there and fill him in.”
“A shame to interrupt his vacation but at least he’ll know what’s up and may not have to come back in,” Jackson reasoned. “The boys are on their way, so don’t worry about it if you two wanna zoom down. I can get hold of you if I need to.”
Oo! Li! Call Darwin, get us transported down!
Li opened the channel once more. “Dar? It’s me again. I have news.”
Darwin’s response was slow and measured, “And?”
“Well, Iggy wants to deliver it in person,” she answered. “There are some details we need to go over too.”
“An eight-legged chaperone? Huh... well, come down, then, I’ll transmit coordinates to the transporter chief,” Darwin said, reassured that they were coming down - bad news would have required he go back.
“Very well, we’ll see you soon.” Li closed the channel and turned to Jackson. “We won’t be gone long. There’s something you may need to think about J,” she began.
“What’s that?”
“They will do their best, you know that. But this will mean some changes for Oz, some that will be adjustments, and some that could be good. Nanoprobes will slow down her aging process. Just saying….”
Jackson’s mouth fell open and he was at a loss for words. He could only stare at Li.
Forever young? That could be a good bonus. Wait...will my nanoprobes do the same? Does that mean that I could outlive my children? Iggy knew that the girls likely would have a twenty year lifespan; Kahuna had an eight year life expectancy, unless he mated only with tamed females. Wild ones would sooner eat him than let him live.
“It’s possible Iggy. Yours have been altered to keep your system in tip top shape so any problems that come up, they will fix,” Li answered. “So it will be with Oz, as it is with Six and Dae now.”
“Holy shit,” Jackson murmured, but he smiled. “Let’s hope she’s as happy about that idea as I am. You two go, Oz is gonna be in there for a while, accordin’ ta Earl.”
Li nodded. “Alright, let’s take our little jaunt and get back Iggy.”
I am packed and ready, Li, Iggy said, holding up her four front legs for Li to pick her up. Li called for a transport and just before the transporter caught them up in its stream, Iggy asked, While we are there, are you going to have sex with Darwin? They were gone before Li answered her.
******************
Lt. Commander Earl Crane
Captain Li Hawke
Ignatius J. Reilly
Jackson Banning V
Lt. Commander Michael Darwin
