Return - medical

Posted on Sun Apr 9th, 2023 @ 9:36pm by Lieutenant Kell Asaa Dr & Lieutenant Commander Isabelle Savette

1,110 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Investigate the Chintoka Shipyard Buildup
Location: Sickbay-Quarantine
Timeline: Pre-Briefing

{ON}
Kell exhaled as she approached the barrier around the biobed. She hadn't really gotten to know Isabelle as she'd hoped before something so dangerous... but here we were, who knew the shipyards would lead to this. She was glad they'd taken quarantine protocols to the fullest extent on their return. She glanced over at the other containment field with Cdr Dex in it only briefly before squaring up her attention in front of her.

Kell observed the counselor, who looked a bit nervous, which was to be expected after her harrowing experience. Finchley hadn't given her many details, but she'd known him long enough to know this was as serious as it gets and to take no chances. She also gave little reflection on the other thing he told her.

Isabelle sat on the biobed in quarantine, it made sense that she and Dex had been placed in full quarantine given what had occurred. She sat, rubbing the back of her neck, which was still bugging her, and had been since she’d been infected with the Borg nanites and implants.

Kell reached out and cleared up the opaqueness of the wall so Isabelle could see her. It was a bit of a shock she was sure, since the Betazoid wouldn't have detected her as she usually would. No doubt the lack of the normally torrid mix of minds around her was small comfort for someone used to that, but no one was within a short distance and the fields of the containment fields would mask out a lot... on purpose in this case.

Kell smiled, a bit tiredly. "Hi Isabelle. Long time no see eh? I didn't mean to startle you, but given the circumstances I have filtered out the majority of the thoughts around us and forbid anyone to get close... except me for now, of course, and I have protection as well. I'll need you to describe the sequence to me, and the escalation of symptoms..." Her voice changed as something flashed across her forearm PADD. "Damn this thing is fast..."

She returns her attention to Isabelle. "Sorry, that wasn't very professional of me. Please tell me what you can, as quickly but as succinctly as you can. The Captain was a bit urgent and gave me highlights, but I need the details from your end so we can make sure this is over and done."

Isabelle nodded. “It’s fine” She offered a smile. “As for sequence of events, I wish I could tell you the full sequence. Dex and I found a lab, well Dex found it first, we entered and I looked around while Dex surveyed a skeleton she found. I don’t remember touching anything, but I must have come into contact with something.”

Kell nodded. "It wouldn't take much, sometimes just close enough proximity could expose you..."

Isabelle paused to think. “I started to feel unwell a little while later, the first sign was Borg type implants popping up on my skin, then I saw blue discolouration coming up underneath the implants. The fever came much later, just before Dex found the vial containing the cure, that she gave me a dose of. It seems to have worked, the implants started deactivating and the blotches seem to have gone.”

Kell sighed heavily, studying Isabelle and looking at her displays, her fingers tapping across the PADD. "It makes sense they would have an appropriate antidote handy, whether that's what they were designing to combat the condition, or they'd created the condition and needed to control it, or take care of any accidental exposure.

"I do show the spread has stopped, and is degrading in most areas, but..." Kell paused as Isabelle's eyes caught hers. "Not all... I believe I can remove the dermal abrasions and the components the nanites built on your skin, that's all inert now. But there is still some vacant activity on the ones that have integrated into your nervous system. They haven't gone totally inert, and this level of integration will be tricky to deal with. I'll give you a monitor that will alert us if they activate for any reason, but I will work on a safe solution for you as quickly as I can."

Kell turned off the containment field. "I want to review this data before we do anything more, so for now you're cleared for duty. There will be a briefing shortly, I'm sure, and we can set something up after that to remove the epidermal affectations. How's that sound?" Kell gave her what she hoped was a supportive smile.

Isabelle nodded. “That sounds good to me, I’m starting to get an understanding of what ex-Borg must feel like without ever having been part of the collective!” She offered a smile. “From what I know of ex-b’s a lot of them have components that can never be removed due to their complex nature. To be honest I served with someone who was an ex-b she had reprogrammed nanites to maintain the condition of her internal implants. I could contact her if you need any input in that direction?”

Kell grimaced as the mention of the Borg. "Well you now have your own story to tell! And yes, any input is always welcome, although let's hold off on outside contact for now since it's not immediately urgent. I need to confer with the captain first, and we can get the majority of these taken care of in-house. The other I do want to be prepared before we tackle it, but at least you're not unaware of the risks. You will have a say, but if it's safer, and you're comfortable with the part that's closely integrated, we can let it be for a while and just monitor it closely."

Isabelle nodded. “I think I’d be more comfortable with that, but I’ll be glad to get rid of the external implants. They’re already starting to annoy me!” She smiled. “As soon as possible after the briefing would be great.”

"No worries, I have the time. It's rather meticulous but not particularly complicated. I have opened up my schedule for it but let's see what the briefing reveals, and you get some good rest first. We can do this tomorrow, in a few hours, and you'll be as good as new... well, for the most part." Kell smiled, confident Isabella would be alright.

Isabelle nodded. “Sounds Good to me, thank you Kell I appreciate your help.”

"That's what I'm here for. We really should plan some downtime though!" Kell watched her go, waiting to conduct cleanup and wrap the shuttle contents.

{OFF}

 

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