|
|
Short Term Care Ward
All is quiet here, save for the occasional moan alerting a nurse more pain medication is needed. Impeccably clean, the ward stretches for quite a ways from the door. The nurses' desk, always manned, is tucked to one side inside the door, facing the corridor. Opposite that is the large cabinet holding medicine and supplies. Half a dozen beds line each side of the ward, separated by temporary partitions.
Tara's eyes snap open, though they're unfocused. "Sammy?... Sammy, close the door..."
Clara slips in the doorway, by now in a fresh uniform and lab coat as she makes her way down the long room to one of the final beds. She waves the nurse away with a grin, then settles into a chair by the bed. "How's it going, Valentine?"
Tara mutters several four-letter words. "Aw, hell... jus' fine, L'tenant, jus' fine..."
Clara trades a glance with the nurse, then leans forward to tap lightly at the inhibitor, lessening the effect significantly as she asks quietly, "Valentine? Valentine, do you hear me? It's Major, not Lieutenant."
Tara mumbles something about delusions of grandeur, summoning a weak laugh. "Suuuuure it is."
Clara hides a small smile and quietly removes her labcoat, draping it over the back of the chair. This of course leaves the usually hidden gold oak leaves on her shoulders showing. "Whatever you insist, Valentine. How's the side feeling?"
Tara's eyes waver, finding Clara. "Eh? The what?" She tries to sit up, and that's when she discovers that ain't such a good idea. "Oh... ow. Uh, hurts, a little."
Clara stands up just long enough to turn the chair around to sit on it backwards, leaning on the back and watching the patient calmly. "I imagine it does. I just turned down the pain inhibitor more than a bit. Is it unbearable?"
Tara pauses, then shakes her head. "'ve had worse."
Clara nods approvingly at the sentiment. "Let me know if you need me to turn it back up or give you anything in your IV. I can do either. I had to inform Addison where you were, by the way."
Tara goes still for a moment, still coming out of inhibitor-induced dreams, then relaxes. "Why? Not that I mind, mind you. He knew I was coming here anyway. I'm just curious."
Clara, if anything, relaxes a hint more, still calmly regarding you. "Aside from the fact that he told you not to leave town? I thought he might want to know that you were going to live and be okay."
Tara frowns slightly, shaking her head. "Naw, he just said that cause I was supposed to help 'im catch the bombers. I brought in one of 'em this morning, the one he wanted me to help him find." An eyebrow arches. "Doc, please don't get me wrong. I don't think he's uncaring or anything. But I've given him lots of reasons not to give a damn whether I live or die. He's only human- I can't blame him for it."
Clara still continues to just watch impassively, head tilting slightly to the side. "He is indeed," she agrees simply, then reaches around the chair to twitch the blanket smooth absently. "Anyway, you -are- going to be fine. You could get up and walk tonight, although I'd really rather you stayed in a motochair at the most."
Tara eyes Clara. "I can get up now? How long on the motochair, if I go that route?"
Clara thinks it over, then shrugs. "Tomorrow afternoon? I'm being cautious, of course. But I used a resonator on the closure, plus added a DNA splicer to your IV. I'm more worried about abdominal muscle strain than anything else."
Tara mulls over that for a moment. "Yeah, what the hell. I can bed down in a corridor somewhere in a building this big."
Clara lifts her brows, a trace of amusement flickering in her face now. "Can I ask why in the name of all that's holy you'd want to? Seriously, Valentine. You've got a warm comfortable bed here that you're more than welcome to. Not to mention the fact that you're safe here."
Tara hesitates. "Going Underground in a motochair's suicide." She glances down, patting the bed she's on. "Good bed. Niiiice bed."
Clara finally does laugh, a low and affable sound. "Isn't it? If it wouldn't look bad, I'd doss down in here too the nights I don't go upstairs. You're welcome to it until full recovery, too. About a week."
Tara nods, surprise in her eyes. "Thanks... Why are you doing this?" she blurts.
Clara seems sincerely taken aback by the question. "Because you're hurt. You're my patient. What else would I do?"
Tara points out, "I was your patient last night too, and you were nowhere near this nice."
Clara ahs softly, nodding. "True enough. But if you'll notice, I still fixed you up, gave you an anesthetic, and treated you fully. I do apologize for letting my professionalism slip a little, but Addison and Casymed are good friends."
Tara ahs softly. "I hadn't realized that." She pauses, going a little red, before mumbling, "I never meant to hurt 'em, Doc."
Clara inclines her head calmly, smile gone, but not replaced by any particular coldness. Just professionalism. "Indeed. Well, it's all in the past, as they say. Niko will be off crutches day after tomorrow, and Riley should be better soon. Actually, he should be my next patient, but hopefully he's asleep."
Tara nods, frowning slightly. "Thought he was gonna fall over when I was in his office."
A flicker of something unreadable flashes through Clara's features before she reschools to complete placidity. "One of these days..." she mutters amiably. "Ah well. I'll comm him later and yell at him. That's usually good for a half hour or so." She hesitates. "You were in his office?"
Tara can't help but smile at the thought of Addison getting yelled at by the doctor. Old habits die hard. "Well, yeah. Had to tell him I brought in that bomber. Why?"
Clara shrugs vaguely, glancing over at a discreet monitor. "No particular reason other than the fact that I'm a busybody old sawbones."
Tara uh huhs. After a second, she very slowly sits up, keeping her face impassive. "Remind me to apologize for bleeding on his couch."
Clara's eyes snap back, concern filtering through as she half rises. "Hey, careful now. Does that hurt? Tell me what you're feeling..."
Tara snickers quietly. "Didn't know you're a shrink too. Hurts some, yeah, but I'm more hungry than anything else. Haven't eaten in... God, it's been over a day."
Clara can't help but laugh quietly at that, raising up the rest of the way. "As a matter of fact, I am a shrink, but I was more concerned about your innards. I can bring you some dinner if you'd like?"
Tara shakes her head, smiling tightly against the pain. "You've done plenty, Doc. Just... if I could get that motochair? Please?"
Clara taps her forehead in the vague cousin of a salute, then steps around the curtain. A quiet murmuring is heard before she returns and does something to the IV before moving forward to click off and remove the inhibitor. "I increased the dosage of cortaramine, but not enough to grog you down too much."
Tara hisses slightly in anticipation of more hurting, and slowly lets out her breath in relief. "Not groggy's a good thing, thanks."
A few moments later, Giani returns with a simple armed chair supported by a discreet antigrav unit. Clara directs it over by the bed, then moves to offer assistance. "C'mon, give me your arms. I'll help."
Tara looks more than a little embarrassed as she accepts the help. "Thanks... God, I haven't felt this lousy in years."
Clara's lips quirk slightly as she assists, then reaches up to pull a fresh blanket out of a cabinet and shakes it out before draping it over your legs. "You're going to be little cold. It's just the cortaramine. Where to, oh lousy-feeling patient?"
Tara huhs? "Didn't you have to check on Addison?"
Clara tilts her head thoughtfully, then nods vaguely. "I do, but I saw him this morning. You have to promise you'll be back up here for curfew tonight, or the chair turns into a pumpkin. Y'hear?"
Tara snickers, nodding. "Gotcha, Doc. No overdoing it."
Clara finishes attaching the IV carefully to the back of the chair, then gives the handles a light tap, grinning back. "Know how this monster works? The drip's good for another 5 hours, by the way."
Tara toys with the chair's controls, and finally nods in satisfaction. "Just like a K-74 skimmer. Not a problem." She grins wryly up at Clara. "That's one hell of an incentive to be back at a particular time."
Clara quirks her brows and folds her arms. "I did mention that I'm former infantry, right? They teach us all -sorts- of nifty little tricks. Now shoo. Go grab food an enjoy yourself."
Tara nods, and scoots without delay. The tummy rumbling's starting to be very audible indeed.
Tara heads out the swinging doors into the Medical Bay.
You head out the swinging doors into the Medical Bay.
You head towards the Security Central.
Clara heads in quietly, the edge of her medkit vaguely visible under her labcoat, and makes her way towards the dispatcher's desk on the chance she knows whoever might be there.
Despite the relatively late hour, Anya's on duty at the desk although she appears to be getting ready to leave. Clara's entrance garners a cheerful smile, "Heya' Doc, can I help you?"
Clara pulls a hand from her pocket and sketches a sleepy wave. "Heya, Anya. Is the high-up muckety muck in his office, by any chance?"
Anya glances towards the door a brief moment before nodding, "He sure is. It's been a good half hour, so he's probably not snarly anymore. Still though, enter at your own risk."
Clara hesitates, fingers curling in on themselves at her side as her brows raise. "A half hour? A half hour since what?"
Anya shakes her head slightly, "Lexington came to visit. Standing policy is not to go in there for fifteen or twenty minutes after that happens unless one really wants to be treated to some really -creative- diatribes."
Clara wrinkles her nose and shoots the door a fairly wary look. "Oh, lovely. Well, I suppose I'm as good a person as any to stand up to them, as much hassle as I've given him lately. How 'bout you? How've you been?"
Anya scoops the last of the paperwork into a bin. "Not too bad. A lot busy with all the chaos, and what have you."
Clara doesn't move towards the office just yet though, tilting her head curiously. "Yeah, Addison was worried about you being so busy. I'm sorry about yanking Niko off duty for a few days, really," she offers quietly.
Anya shakes her head, "Not at all. The k..." Riley's rule clicks in, "Guy needed some time off. A busted leg's no fun, and he could use some time just to shmooze around."
Clara glances to one side, obviously thinking for a moment, then looks back up with a sincere grin. "Can you believe he wanted to go roller skating today? I said yet, but gave him enough restrictions that hopefully he'll be better before he can get them all together."
Anya's brows lift in startlement, "-Skating-? On crutches? What's he been sniffing?"
Clara chuckles, shaking her head. "Be bothered if I know. More butterscotch pudding? Anyway, I haven't heard a peep out of him all day, so I assume everything's fine or he's hiding out. You get Addison's message that he'd be in late today? He said he'd left you one..."
Anya nods, "Yeah, I did." She looks a bit sheepish, "Tony and I had gone out. Talk about timing. The one time I switch the thing off, something goes wrong."
Clara waves a hand, smile returning in earnest as she shakes her head. "Anya, if anything I know for sure as a bonafide headshrinker, it's that a woman and her spouse need to go out and ignore the world. I just hope y'all had a good time. Get a sitter for the urchin? I hear she's a handful of adorable."
Anya nods amiably, "Yeah, a friend took her over to her place for the night. She suggested it as a potential cure for the ticking of her biological clock."
Clara can't help but chuckles affably, nodding. "That'd do it, yeah. So I hear. I had mine removed surgically years ago. Aaah, but here I am, keeping you from getting home to said man and adorable handful. You have a good night, hey?"
Anya climbs to her feet, snagging her jacket and nodding. "You too. Have fun." She heads for the door.
Clara watches the other woman leave, smile fading to a thoughtful expression. Finally, she shakes her head quickly and crosses over to knock at the doomful door.
The door isn't doomful, just the contents. There's a muffled, "C'min."
You walk towards the Chief Addison's Office.
Riley is tugging on work boots, his uniform boots sitting on the floor next to him. He glances up, no longer furious, but with an air of repressed tension in his movements. "Hello love, how goes it?"
Clara slips inside the door, letting it shut quietly behind her, a somewhat cautious expression on her face as she replants her hands in her pockets. "Hey yourself," she offers quietly, not moving away from the door, face impassive. "I hear the arch-nemesis stopped by for kaffeklatch."
Riley offers a rueful smile and nods as he straightens up with a quiet sigh of relief at the change in position. "Yeah, came in to push my buttons and drive me neatly mad. I was figuring on heading downstairs and blowing the living daylights out of some targets and pretend they were his head."
Clara lifts a brow in faint amusement and steps away from the door. "Well, saints, don't let me stand in your way. Go kill targets. Just be careful of the ribs, is all I ask. Any real problems, or just general mass infuriation?"
Riley doesn't bother to climb to his feet yet, instead pulling a tangler from a pile of junk on the desk absently. "Just more of his spiel about abolishing security if we can't keep from blowing things up. What'd'ya need? Anything?"
Clara regards you steadily for a moment, then grins. "Nah, nothing really. Thought I'd come over and check on my favorite patient, but I can tell from here he's doing fine. I'll just totter on back to my mad scientist experimentations, now," she explains, then sketches a salute which turns into a little wave and turns to go.
Riley climbs to his feet, crossing the room to reach out to try and catch at your hand. "Love? What's wrong?"
Clara blinks, arms pulling back as she's caught, and looks up with complete surprise. "Nothing, Riley...why?" She laughs slightly, shaking her head. "I'm always a little keyed up after surgery, that's all. Now, you...go work off stress. Y'hear?"
Riley doesn't yet release the hand. "Wanna join me? We can fire up the full sim. Shooting at me and various holograms is probably pretty therapeutic, eh?" He offers a bright grin, "You can finally show me up like you've been promising."
Clara lifts a brow vaguely, head tilting. "You know not what you ask, mister security man. I've likely been shooting as long as you have... Now, think about my age and ponder at your leisure," she adds rather cockily, then wrinkles her nose. "I'm kidding. You'll likely me shoot me blind. But you're on."
Riley laughs softly, tucking the tangler into a pocket despite his holstered one. "Hey, I'm sure you'll cream me. But it will still be fun." He reluctantly releases your hand at last, heading out the door.
Riley walks towards the Security Central.
You walk towards the Security Central.
Riley heads towards the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
You head towards the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
Riley pushes the button.
Clara follows along, smirking and shaking her head. "Hold on," she asks, then vanishes into Medbay for a few moments, only to return in a more comfortable uniform. "I hate going down there in the lab coat. Ready?"
Riley nods amiably, snapping his fingers, "Darn, thought I was gonna get an edge."
Riley walks into the elevator.
The doors slide shut, soundlessly.
Clara tosses her head, hands on her hips a'la Peter Pan. "So you thought? Oooh, what you men will stoop to. Taking advantage of a poor, defenseless woman."
Riley has left.
You leave the elevator.
Riley muffles a snicker as he makes his way through the atrium, "Uh huh, defenseless, right. If you've been shooting as long as I have, I most assuredly need all the help I can get." He offers a grin, heading into the Rec Hall.
Riley walks towards the Recreational Facility.
You walk towards the Recreational Facility.
Recreational Facility
As massively scaled as the rest of the complex is, it should come as no surprise that the recreation hall is also huge. One end is taken up by a large swimming pool and diving tower. Small cabanas are erected nearby for ease in changing clothes. Another section of the bright and airy room is dedicated to various weight machines for use by various races. Some of them in fact are dizzyingly incomprehensible. Presumably -someone- knows how to use them. A sloping ramp leads up to a jogging track above the hall. The track is lined with large open windows that look out onto the atrium and its gardens. This room is usually occupied at all hours by someone or another looking for a bit of exercise.
Clara can't help but laugh as she follows along, shaking her head. "Okay, so maybe I exaggerated. You are -so- much older," she reminds.
Riley hmphs softly as he heads to the weapons locker by the sim and palms it open. Tugging a tangler identical to the one he brought with him, he offers it to Clara. "Holopistol. They keep some here for the non-sec types that don't have their own. Reacts the same, looks the same, just tags targets though, not people."
Clara accepts the practice weapon with consideration, managing not to grimace at its practical effectiveness as she gives it a careful examination. "It'll do. The balance is a little off from the blaster I used at Golman, but it's what I carried at Cannerton. Yours is on tangle, right?"
Riley tugs his from the pocket, showing it briefly to show it's a practice weapon as well. The only difference between his and yours is his initials imprinted near the handle. "Yeah, tangle. It's the weapon rating I have to get the best percentage on to keep my license and all. Standard security thing." Snagging a small band he clips it to his wrist and steps into the drawn bounds of the simulator. The computer hums to life, generating a marble floored hallway.
Clara glances over Riley's weapon briefly, obviously not particularly worried, then returns to examining her own before adjusting as well for the computer scorer and follows him in, half grinning. "Hey now...-this- I haven't seen. I've only done the straight targets for accuracy."
Riley glances up from his wrist band, grinning thoughtfully. "This'll be fun then. You can shoot anything you think's a target, though quote, 'innocent targets' lose you points. You can also shoot me, it'll count for you and against me. Nothing holding still, it's all moving and all. Worlds most insane video game."
Clara rolls her eyes vaguely, tapping you in the shoulder with one elbow. "Tag, you're it," she ventures, grinning. "I avoid video games religiously, but I'm game. I still say you're taking advantage of a woman though. Ten paces and en garde?"
Niko walks here from the Central Atrium.
Riley ducks around a holographic wall, snickering quietly. "Uh-huh, I bet you don't know how to play poker either." He counts off, eventually getting to, "Eight, nine, ten..." He triggers the simulator, and various holographic people spring into being.
Niko, extracting a tangler that looks just like those of the target-practice variety, heads for the--no, wait, the firing range is in use. "Huh," he murmurs. "So much for celebration." Seeing who's actually using the range, however, he pauses, muffling a grin. "This ought to be interesting."
"You betcher full house," Clara mutters, amused as she darts for a different wall, although she doesn't exactly stay there. A moment later, and some distance away, she back out from behind a wall, bolter held into her chest and towards the ceiling before she snaps off a shot at something appropriately seedy looking and holographic. Does she back behind the wall again quickly enough? Maybe.
Aliana walks here from the Central Atrium.
With crisp efficiency Riley takes out a hologram, the tangler effect reproduced perfectly in hologramatic light. See, while everybody's been picking on Riley about out-shooting him, nobody ever bothered to ask about his background. Having been in the military since he was sixteen on the nose, and having come from a heavily military family on a world with not a whole lot in the way of 'recreational activities' he could just about shoot before he could walk. Too bad Clara doesn't like video games. If she had she might have noticed the high score list. He doesn't seem to think of Clara as a target though, instead going for the holograms.
Niko lets out a low whistle, clearly engrossed in watching the fun in the firing range. He moves closer, his own weapon still in hand, the better to see the action.
Aliana pauses at the doorway, gaze moving around as she tries to decide where to start...Her interest seems to be captured by the goings on at the firing range and she walks slowly thataway.
Which leaves Clara hopelessly outclassed, since no one would hand her a firearm until she was eight, and -then- they had the audacity to keep her out of the service until seventeen. Put this together with her profession, and what you get is a flash of shot at various holograms, all aiming at non-vital organs. A muttered curse is heard from behind a low wall after an 'innocent bystander' is taken out, though.
Tuck, duck, roll. Riley may be good, but he's also seen too many John Woo holos and he can't resist the urge to be silly, even if it does cost him a couple of points as a hologram tags him with a shot. He comes up with the tangler held at ready however, taking out another hologram.
Aliana watches with obvious fascination...eyes darting here and there as she tries to follow the action.
Niko catches sight of Aliana as he moves closer, and grins brightly at her. "Isn't it -neat-?" he asks. "Not quite like the ones I'm used to, but still very snazzy. Think they'd mind if I joined in the fun?"
Aliana nods her head quickly to Niko, without moving her gaze from the range, 'What are they doing?' She whispers softly.
Clara isn't much for acrobatics, instead darting guerilla like from shadow to another, back to each wall and weapon held in unless being used. Another few 'bad-guys' fall to their pseudo-tangled doom before she notices an absurdly tall form doing that tuck maneuver. She snaps off a shot, missing widely, and vanishes again with a echo of a snicker.
Niko cups his hand to his ear. "Huh?" he asks, unable to hear Aliana's soft whisper over the noise of the game. And, as he keeps looking back at said game, he's not likely to be reading her lips.
Aliana says a bit louder...normal tone of voice, not trying to deafen the poor man, 'What are they doing?'
Riley ducks behind a low wall, edging up against it. At Clara's shot he glanced her way, but didn't send answering fire. See, he's pretty sure it's bad at this stage of a relationship to shoot the object of your affection. Seeing as he knows he's already got a few too many points anyhow and is going to have to be careful to get these scores to come up anywhere -close- to even. He sends a shot out over the wall and past a corner to tag a hologram.
Niko grins brightly, cheerfully ignoring Guido, a fellow security-type who stepped into the rec facility moments before. "Ah. It's a game. Target practice is much more fun when the targets are moving and all." He gestures with his weapon. "With tanglers, only the field changes how they work so they don't actually disable the opponent." Too bad the folks in the game don't hear that. Guido, however, did, and absolutely smirks. "Junior, you should go play. Take the Chief out. Even if you can't duck worth anything, you can shoot, at least."
Taking a full on hit from one of the targets, Clara falls back against a wall, murmuring a quiet curse, and completely ignoring the score. There's a score? What score? Who's on first? She slips down into a shadow, glaring at her gun until the small timer at her wrist flashes that it's active again, then pops up and leaps over a low wall to take out another victim.
Aliana tilts her head slightly as she considers, 'Can anyone try it?' She asks rather hopefully...Course she has never held any sort of weapon save a dagger...but she can learn, right?
Too bad Riley's that victim. He begins snickering quietly as his wrist unit registers Clara's hit, buzzing softly. He ducks behind another wall, snickering, "Wench!"
Clara stares for a moment, then bursts into laughter and instantly swirls to do a running dive over a wall in a random direction. "Sorry!" she calls, obviously not sorry a bit. Hey, maybe it wasn't intentional, but it works. She pops up a moment later a few meters away to take aim at a holograph, only to pull in her fire before shooting another bystander.
Niko casts a vaguely dubious look after Guido, but the older man is already rummaging up a wrist unit for him. Aliana's question garners his attention once more. "I'm not exactly sure. I do know that I'm not authorized to issue a tangler--that would just be bad. Maybe we can ask the Chief, once this game is over? It shouldn't be -too- much longer." And, from the look of him, he's itching to join. He even takes the band that Guido gives him.
Aliana ohhs then grins, 'I think I'll watch for a bit then..Is that okay?'
Riley is relentless in his assault on holograms, well and truly caught up in the amusement factor of shooting at things that don't -really- shoot back for once. Terribly stress relieving and all that. Duck, slide, drop to the floor, shoot, that kind of thing.
Niko nods affably, sliding the band onto his wrist. "Oh, sure. By all means, watch all you want." We'll make more. "It's fun to watch -or- play." With that, he heads into the firing range area, ducking promptly behind a wall in an attempt to keep the others from noticing him. Guido looks absolutely pleased, and says cheerfully to Aliana, "The game won't be on for all that much longer. You really should watch, though. Let me know how it turns out. I'd better get going."
Clara gasps slightly as she goes to one knee to avoid being hit, then falls to one side to pop a shot off around the wall at another holograph, somewhere to the side of one that had just fallen to Riley's tangler. No one should be grinning this much while trying to shoot things, particularly not a medic. Nope, she doesn't notice Nike, since she's back up and around another obstruction, stalking a holo. That is a holo, right?
Aliana grins as she waves to Guido...at least she waves in the general direction his voice came from cause she never really looked away from the game.
Guido doesn't quite laugh maniacally as he leaves. That would give him away. Nor does he twirl a mustache with one finger. Matter of fact, he does no stereotypical villain things, but instead just looks smug.
One step, two steps, three... Riley edges his way around a massive holographic pillar, silently stalking a hologram. His tangler is held lightly in a two handed grip trained on the back of the unreal opponent. So intent is he, that he doesn't notice Niko, Clara, or the one armed man watching from the other side.
Niko has, for better or for worse, decided to take Guido's advice in one, at least, and is gleefully stalking a certain fluffy-haired non-hologram. Yes, he's gunning for Riley, and looking vastly amused about the whole thing. He doesn't shoot, though, as doing so might alert Riley--or Clara, for that matter--to his presence.
Blissfully unaware of any Guido-inspired Niko evilness, Clara pulls in her gun upon realizing what she'd been stalking was a fair sight taller than the rest of the holos. Instead, she goes down in a leg-folding kneel to snap a shot at the one-armed holo from underneath a low causeway, muttering something under her breath about not having anything to climb on.
Riley gets his shot on the stalked hologram and ducks at Clara's shot as well. Alerted to her presence he swiftly turns around a corner to get away from her. This however brings him up very short indeed as of course there's Nick.
Have you ever had a moment in which you have to make a decision very quickly? Niko, spotting Riley, is at a cusp, and reacts almost instantly, gleefully lifting his tangler to take out his target--namely, Riley. Even if Niko weren't a relatively good shot, this would not be a difficult one to miss.
Clara is already well away though, having done a quick roll underneath the causeway only to slip around a wall on its far side and in between a set of oddly shadowed pillars. She hesitates around one edge slowly, only to be pegged in the shoulder by a holo before she takes it out in return. Of course, she hasn't heard Niko's shot, either.
Aliana watches the scene with obvious fascination, head bobbing as she tries to keep up with the action.
There's just one problem. See, the game doesn't work the way Niko -thinks- it does. Riley and Clara aren't using real guns. There's no dampner field. So Niko's gun is live. Hence Riley is tangled. He topples to the ground, crumpling with a quiet thud as his nerves are temporarily disabled. Hmmm, now -that- wasn't very nice was it? As if to add insult to injury, the shock to his body edges Kyara's stuff past the last point and he turns entirely, and inexplicably, neon green. Now wouldn't -that- be a cool effect at Q-zar?
Niko stares at Riley in utter horror for a moment. "What the hell was -in- that pudding?" he hisses. Then, naturally, he yells, "Clara!"
Niko moves over to Riley, too, of course. Naturally.
Dopplering nicely, Clara's voice calls out, "Oh, nice try, Niko. You can join the game, but I'm not -that- easy of a target!" By now, her voice seems to have circled around somewhere and behind the two men, still unaware of just what's happened.
Riley just lies there. It's not easy being green after all.
Niko stammers some vague sort of apology to Riley, then holsters his tangler, attempting to home in on Clara's voice. "Look. I'm not even remotely kidding. I have -no- idea what I just did, but he's -green-, and he's... well, what happened to the dampner field?" No, no stress in his voice at all.
Aliana eyewidens as she sees him turn green...oh yeah and lie still, but he's green! It shouldn't have this fast.
"Dampner field?" Clara's voice is astonished as she suddenly pelts out of hiding, hurdling a low wall. "What dampner? We're using holopistols, aren't...oh hell!" she manages in strangled voice and drops to Riley's side as well. "You -tangled- him? My god, what happened? Did you not get the pudding out of your sidearm even?"
Riley is probably going to say some unique things when the effect wears off. He's probably thinking of them right now, since of course a tangler leaves its victim conscious and comprehending. But for now he doesn't move much.
Aliana seems to be considering Riley for a long moment then notes, 'He is a nice shade of green tho'.
L'the walks in, his step fluid.
Niko is quite obviously shocked by Clara's words. "-Holopistols-? He didn't say anything about--" He cuts off his words, a briefly murderous look crossing his face. Then he shakes his head, saying, "This never happened on Evinast, Clara, I swear. I didn't do it -intentionally-. And I have no idea why he's -green-." Of course, since the game's still going, he can't really hear Ali.
Aliana is by the firing range...stealthily moving closer towards Riley, unaware there is a game going on.
L'the blinks a couple times, turning his head as he scans the room, his weight balanced on the balls of his toes.
Clara snarls an oath, not particularly ladylike either, and glances around for an emergency stop. "I don't even know how to shut this blasted thing off!" She purses her lips at Niko for a moment. "This -isn't- Evinast," she notes succinctly, and rapidly trades her scanner for her weapon, starting to run it down Riley from forehead to chest. "He's conscious...it's a normal tangling. But green!" She sounds flustered. "Can you carry him?"
Aliana asks quickly, 'Can I help?' After all....'
L'the blinks a couple more times, and wanders over, peering at the /green/ man on the floor. His fur ripples as he shudders. Good thing that wasn't him. His silvery fur is much prettier than that...putrid...colour.
Niko eyes Aliana. Five feet tall. Then he eyes Riley. Six foot eight. "I don't think so, Aliana," he murmurs. Then he nods to Clara. "I -think- so, yeah. He's taller than I am and all, but..." He takes out his tangler again, eyeing the settings and carefully keeping the end of it pointed towards the ground. "He shouldn't be out -much- longer."
Aliana could like carry a foot or something, but she does move out of the way.
"Niko, I don't know if you noticed, but he's -green-! I don't know what you shot him with, mister, but I know I for one would like a good long examination of your sidearm when I'm done with him!" she snaps out, then returns to regarding the scanner readout. "All systems normal...aside from. Being. Green," she repeats, exasperated. "Blue, I'd understand. But green? Green!" She's stuck. Someone thwack her.
L'the can't help it, a low rumbly laugh emerges from him.
Niko reholsters his weapon, but nods to Clara, his, "Aye aye, ma'am" clearly reflexive. "And I've noticed that he's green, yes. It's kind of difficult to miss." Personally, Niko would understand -yellow-, as the pudding was butterscotch and all.
Maybe that explains it! Yellow and blue make green!
Clara tucks her scanner into the back waistband of her pants and casts up a frustrated look. "Fine. If you won't help, I'll carry him up myself," she notes, still in a voice that brooks no argument. She edges around to Riley's other side, then rolls her eyes. "Oh, who am I kidding," she mutters, and moves to bark into her comm.
Niko protests, "Clara, I'll help, of -course- I'll help. I mean, I -did- this and all." Maybe it's part of military ethics. You tangle your boss and turn him green, you help him out. And with that, he reaches down to heft Riley, the better to pick him up.
Aliana did offer...but nooo. Ali watches the green giant carefully...yet still trying to remain out of the way.
The worst of the effect begins fading, thankfully Niko must have had his weapon on one of the lower settings. Riley begins shaking violently, the normal process of having his nerves return to their normal state.
Aliana takes a quick jump back and closer to Clara, "What's he doing?'
Clara tucks a stalk of asparagus, er. No. Wrong commercial. She moves in to help, then lets out another surprised oath which rapidly turns to consideration as she gestures downwards. "Down! Get him on the ground!" she orders, helping as well. "Normal reaction, nerves coming back online," she says to Ali without looking back.
Niko promptly moves to help get Riley back on the ground. As he does this, he murmurs something under his breath in Hellenic, likely a prayer to the patron saint of fools. That, or to the Easter Bunny, though Riley would make one helluvan Easter Egg.
Riley manages to get an arm beneath himself to half sit up despite the still near convulsive shivering, "W-w-w-hat happened?" There's another pause as he regards one hand, brows managing to furrow somehow. "G-g-green?"
L'the shakes his head at these humans, and looks around for something interesting to do. To bad they're in the target shooting area...
Aliana affirms rather helpfully, 'Green'
Clara slips an arm under the Jolly Easter, uh, Riley, jaw clenched. "Tangled," she explains firmly. "You're going to be fine," she adds, then shoots Ali a -look- before noting apologetically. "Green. Can you make it upstairs?"
Niko's murmuring doesn't stop, though he does shift rather nicely from Hellenic to Standard. "Admiral Addison, sir, I'm so sorry." He's not scared at all, no. "I had no idea that would happen."
L'the blinks with renewed interest at this Riley person. Admiral?
Riley is more than willing to accept the aid of the arm, as his head is still ringing, and although not half so bad as it was, he's still shaking like a leaf in a stiff breeze. He clambers to his feet somewhat waveringly. "Nick, if you call me that again..." He pauses, realizing how difficult a decent threat would be to carry out at this point. "I'll fall on you." That he could manage. He mmhmms to Clara, "Uh, sure, yeah..."
Aliana just watches intently...and she thought she was consigned to a dull night.
Niko, looking exceedingly cowed, decidedly sheepish... heck, invite the rest of Old MacDonald's farm. In any event, he's quite obviously highly bothered by what happened, and bobs his head in a nod to Riley, remaining silent to keep from putting his foot in his mouth. He gets to his feet as well, staying close enough to Riley to offer any needed help.
Clara doesn't move away from Riley as he stands, but instead slips her arm about his waist and hauls his over her shoulders. "Lean on me," she suggests rapidly, jerking her head at Niko. "Take his other side. You're not falling on anyone, Addison. We're getting you upstairs so I can figure this out. Green." That last in a flustered mutter.
Aliana chews her lip as she glances at Niko...then his gun, "Could that thing have turned him green?'
Riley is more than game to lean on Clara, at least enough to retain his balance. In deference to the smaller woman he keeps most of his weight on his own feet. Determined to shake the effects of the stun he carefully enunciates his words to keep from stuttering. His tone is almost conversational, "Um, why am I green?"
Niko promptly moves to do as Clara directs. See? He's a good flunky. Aliana's question earns her a baffled look, though his, "I have no idea" could be directed to either her or to Riley.
"Because you're a frog?" suggests Clara, starting to head for the distant door. "No telling, Ali. I -want- your weapon after this, Niko," she shoots sidelong quietly across Riley.
Riley gives Niko an exceptionally grateful look, leaning on the younger man as well. Tangling is nit really good for motor control, and Riley's really short on that and balance at this point. Seeing as he's not getting an answer to being green, he tries tack two. "Why did I get shot? Did I insult someone's mother?"
Aliana ohs thoughtfully as she tags along behind the trio.
Niko nods emphatically. "Of course, Clara. Definitely." His glance flicks to said weapon, brows lowering to beetle over his eyes. Then, at Riley's question, he looks decidedly chagrined. "That was my fault, Chief." Well, and Guido's, but Niko would rather settle that personally. "I, uh, misunderstood how all this works. It's rather different from the ones on Evinast."
Clara snorts vaguely, still heading for the door. "He thought we had a dampner field on, Riley," she adds in mitigation. "It's not his fault. Just a misunderstanding."
Riley seems to find that more than a little funny and snickers softly. In fact he's snickering almost helplessly considering the situation. "Nick, I have got to say, this takes the -cake-. Talk about startling me out of half a year's growth." He nods at Clara, understanding dawning and making this even -funnier-. "I wish," he says as the procession heads doorwards, "I'd fallen in such a way as to have seen the look on your face, Nick."
Niko relaxes palpably at the snickering. "Well," he says slowly, moving along with the parade. "If this ever happens again, I'll try to accommodate you, Chief."
[travel spam to 2nd floor snipped]
Aliana comes in from a hallway.
Aliana sneaks in after...no sense waiting for the elevator.
Clara rolls her eyes at both men, shaking her head firmly. "Shoot him again, Niko, and I regenerate non-broken bones. Got me?" she notes with quiet sweetness. "And this -isn't- funny. You're green!" Boy, she's good with the obvious today.
"Hey, bet I could tell you how many ears of corn were in a niblet?" Riley's humor is undullable, except for perhaps by his inability to walk straight. Maybe he hit his head and triggered cheerfulness rays or something.
It says a lot for Niko's distaste for regeneration that he doesn't even make a comment about sadistic doctors, instead saying quickly, "It was only a joke, Clara. I'd never do anything like that -intentionally-." Of course, he's managed to shoot Riley -unintentionally- already, so if he does it again, he's up a creek, isn't he? Of course, Riley's words elicit a startled snicker.
You head towards the Medical Bay.
Riley arrives from the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
Niko arrives from the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
Aliana arrives from the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
Tara glances up from her amiable conversation with Kramer. "Oh hey, Doc, it's almost been five ho... " *blink* "Pissed off pistachio pudding this time, Addison?"
Clara makes a frustrated sound as she steers both men towards the bioscan. "Nah, he got kissed by a frog. Shouldn't you be asleep Valentine? Kramer, check her IV," she calls over. "Up we go, Riley," she says, forcing good humor as she starts to snap on various equipment.
Riley manages with help to lever himself up onto the biobed, although he sinks back on it rather quickly to lie flat. He's a bit punchy what with the aftereffects of being tangled, the events of previous days, and we won't even touch being green. He's snickering in fits and starts still. "Could somebody wake me up or something? Even for one of -my- dreams this is a bit surreal."
Niko takes a step or two back from the bioscan bed once Riley is settled, the better to give Clara room. Tara gets the briefest of glances, and a mild doubletake, but his attention focuses quickly enough on the frighteningness that is Riley. I mean, I've heard of calling someone a string bean before, but this is ridiculous...
Clara is nearly a whirl of activity, slapping on this monitor here, laying out instruments there. She finally grabs a remote from the wall unit as well as a fresh hypo and snaps the latter to Riley's neck. "Blood sample," she mutters. "Need a spinal fluid sample...this'll have to do." Her words are mainly to herself except for a short, "You're already awake."
Tara snickers- she can't help but be amused by a green Addison. "What happened?" she asks the room in general.
Okay, the words 'spinal fluid sample' do a -lot- to sober Riley up from his snickers. He's quiet a moment, peering up at Clara before deciding she's just not a lot of fun to watch when she's moving that fast and the whole world is still shaking. So he closes his eyes, that's easier. "I must be. I don't think I even have -nightmares- that involve the words 'spinal fluid'."
Aliana watches this whole thing with quite obvious fascination...much better to watch when its not being done to one.'
Niko grimaces just a bit at the dreaded phrase that doesn't infest Riley's nightmares. He glances towards Tara, clearly hearing her question. His expression suggests that he knows the answer, too, but being a nice guy, Good Kid (tm) and a gentleman does not mean that he will share -this- particular tidbit of information. Telling Riley is one thing, telling Tara is quite another.
Aliana shows no compunction in this...but then she didn't really see what happened did she? "Riley fell down and turned green.'
Clara has already turns away to feed the sample into the computer for analysis, then taps a rapid pattern into a flat keypad, eyes tracing over the lights flashing over a simulated human form flashing up on the wall monitor. "Dunno," she offers easily at Tara. "We're getting that genetic scan we wanted, Riley," she adds distractedly.
The worst of the shaking has worn off, but Riley still doesn't look particularly inclined to move as the part where all the nerves get revenge for the evil done to them by aching a lot has hit with a vengeance. Tanglers may be humane in the long run, but they have their side effects. "That's good. Can't hurt."
Tara blinks at Ali, then flashes a slightly panicked look at Riley. "Whatever happened, I didn't do it! Cold water's one thing, but /this/ is a bit much!"
Niko has been tangled enough that he can follow the progression, and winces in sympathy, murmuring another apology to Riley. Perhaps it's the masochist in him, but he shakes his head at Tara, saying, "No, you didn't. I did."
Clara runs the remote stylus over the patterned lights, the display flashing abruptly to one of an enlarged strand of DNA, then lets out a low whistle. "Someone get the man a chocolate bar? He needs it," she manages, nonplussed. "Niko? Hey, come help me with some of the chemical compounds? I'm not recognizing some of these," she adds, perfectly willing to admit needing help from a chemist.
Aliana eyewidens at Tara...then suddenly her boot draws her complete attention.
Riley's ears all but prick up at that. To hell and high water with being green, Tara's over there -admitting- to the cruelty of water tampering. "I -knew- it! Water tampering wench!" Clara's comments however garner him some confusion, though he's not -about- to complain about chocolate.
Tara blinks at Niko now- everybody's taking turns getting blinked at. Then she grins. "Tell me how." A lovely fuschia blush creeps up her face at Riley's words. She decides to focus on what Clara's doing.
Aliana's communit crackles to life and announces "Hello Person.... green... the gills.... see..." in Roland's voice.
Aliana jumps and peers at her communit...then peers down at it and whispers.
Ruxtenboor arrives from the Second Floor Elevator Lounge.
Aliana says "He is right here...and he's a very handsome shade of green, actually." into her communit.
Niko moves to peer over Clara's shoulder, ignoring Tara, and blinks a lot. "Heck, I've -made- that," he says, indicating one of the compounds. "I didn't know it could do that. Dang, college could've been a -lot- more fun." He rattles off the name. See, since -chemistry- involves systematic nomenclature, he didn't have to memorize the name. He can just figure it out by looking at it.
"Wait until she's well to torture my patient, Riley," Clara snaps over, then gestures at a scrolling list of compounds to Niko. "That's what's in his bloodstream," she explains. "I recognize this one, and this is the chemicals from the coffee. But what's -that-?" Bah, Latin makes -sense- though.
Aliana's communit crackles to life and says "... is... If it... probably... and... Got..." in Roland's voice.
Ruxtenboor walks in holding his arm, "Does anyone hear know how to... wow, I didn't expect this many people in here. Anyway, would any of you happen to know how to heal small cuts along ones arm."
Aliana freezes as she looks at Niko, eyes widening...and is that a bit of sweat on her upper lip? Nah...she jumps yet again at the comm.
Aliana says "Camera?" into her communit.
Tara gives Ali a look of joy. "/Camera/!"
Riley wasn't going to exactly leap up and torture Tara, seeing as he's still pretty effectively flat on his back, but he does look rather sheepish and offer Clara a rather apologetic look. He decides just to be quiet and think of things to do to whoever invented the tangler. He feels like he's been hit by a fruit truck.
Niko rustles up a piece of paper and a pencil, neatly detailing the structure in question and murmuring as he does so. "... chloro... cyclobuta... this. See?" He squints at the structure for a moment, then nods. "It looks like it could possibly react oddly with the melanin. I -think-. But that's just a guess. I've got some texts upstairs that could be helpful."
Of limes. A fruit truck of limes.
Aliana edges closer to Niko, watching him draw, 'What's that a picture of?'
Clara peers down at the pencilled in structure, then shakes her head at jabs the stylus at the monitor again, the picture on the screen melting from DNA into chemical compounds with the appropriate labels floating about it. "There...just type in the references. It's all in the system," she explains, handing over the stylus. "And...yeah. Yeah, that could react, but not with melanin..." She casts a thoughtful look at Riley.
Aliana starts to look a wee bit worried as she glances from Clara to Niko.
Ruxtenboor looks around and seems to relize that people here are preocupied so he begins to look around for a sink or something to clean his arm.
Niko glances briefly over his shoulder to Aliana, and rattles off the name of the compound. It's got numbers and various chemical-sounding stuffs in it. Brows arching at Clara's correction, he nods, and moves to do just that, fingers tabbing lightly.
A nearby nurse, trying hard not to laugh, mutters softly into her comm unit. "... Anya,... gotta see... /green/... camera?..."
Aliana ohhhs, then speaks into the comm unit
Riley is being inoffensive, he's just lying there with his eyes shut against the bright lights and people muttering scary things. Maybe if he doesn't think about it too hard, it will go away. He does think though to add, so as to be part of a grand historical tradition, "Ow."
Aliana says "Someone is getting a camera no" into her communit.
Aliana's communit crackles to life and announces "... camera.... digital... can... pictures/film..." in Roland's voice.
Tara's shoulders are shaking as she stares at the floor. Perhaps she's weeping with sympathy for Riley. Yeah, right.
Ruxtenboor finally finds an old fashioned sink amidst all the high-tech apparatuses that abound throughout the room. It just happens to be close to Riley's bed so Rextenboor, while washing his arm, obviously happens to casually glance over at Riley. He peers a little closer then goes back to wahing his arm.
Clara scoots over to the bioscan area to rest an arm on one side as she bends to peer at various readings. "Not too much longer now, Greg," she mutters absently, focused on her work completely as she taps at a few number sequences. "Got anything, Niko? I'm seeing an odd reaction in the mid dermal layer, but it's reacting oddly. You're probably right about the melanin..."
Ruxtenboor finishes with washing his arm and turns to Riley, "You've changed something about yourself. Is it your hair?"
Niko looks like he's starting to get some sort of clue, his expression shifting from worry and irritation to absolute fascination. "This is amazing," he murmurs. His words turn fragmentary as he continues to type--something about external sources. Clara's words jar him to the fact that, no, this isn't some sort of neat laboratory experiment, it's his boss. (And he loves his boss.) "It looks like an equilibrium reaction, Clara. I don't suppose you've got any levels like this from when the evil pudding incident happened? The numbers would've been lower then... maybe not detectable."
Riley flashes a brief grin up at Clara, chuckling softly. Ruxtenboor's question garners a look and the suggestion, "I parted my hair differently this morning." Considering Riley's bangs are a loose hanging batch of fluff, this is patently ridiculous.
Aliana starts to back very very slowly away from Niko...remembering a good piece of advice she told someone...nice think about being small, easy to sneak away.
Ruxtenboor nods, "That's what I thought it was." He waks over towards Aliana, "So whisky girl, so you know where they keep any anti-bacterial stuff in this medical place?"
Aliana shakes her head slowly to Rux...eyes still on Niko.
"What in the world could have nudged -that- balance into equilibrium," Clara splutters, coming up back behind Niko and staring at the various symbols. "Yeah, that's an external source all right, but there was -nothing- like that from the pudding. There...what's that in the equation?" she asks, pointing at one compound. "That's...tanin?"