Players:
Summary: Ordered to stop creeping people out with his melted hands, Mike is sent to the medBay to get it FIXED, and luck brings Jono to visit.
Date: January 22, 2010
Log Title Getting A Grip
Rating: PG-13
Xavier Mansion - Medical Bay
The Medical Bay contains the latest medical equipment to patch up students and X-Men with the smallest and worst injuries. Six beds line the walls for injured patients. Equipment lines the walls, medicine in the cabinets, and more serious medical supplies locked in cabinets. One this about this room it screams sterilization.
The other night when Mike was left under the gentle grow-light of one of the Shiar medbays, nothing happened. Well not strictly nothing. All the mold and tiny bugs and viruses on his chassis were destroyed. But no healing; his hands remained a melted mess, barely able to close into a clamp-like form. The tread was just melted too badly, and some of the pushbars deep inside were twisted.
So he's come back to the medbay after one of the teachers saw him and was told, "Get someone to FIX that!"
He looks around the room. No Dr. Reyes (he always misses her) … So he sits on a medbay and just tunes idly, trying to find something that isn't New York screaming its terror to the world.
While not a doctor by any means, Jonothon enters the medical bay during your waiting period. Not that he looks any different than the last time you saw him. A different black tshirt perhaps, but really, it looks as though he doesn't change his clothes at all. Never mind he really does. «..What's up, mate?» Asked as he sees you there. Came down to check on people, only to find you. Silver and gold glint from the broach he wears, but otherwise most everything about him is dark. «How you doing?» While not his responsibility, Jono's decided to help the students where he can.
Mike looks up, his eyes lighting as Jono enters, then dimming because nobody likes staring into oncoming brights.
"Hi, Jono," he thinks, and for a change it's not a rush and tumble of words, "I'm waiting for someone who knows how these things work to show up. I'm not supposed to leave until I get my hands fixed. They're …." and he snickers mentally, "DISTURBING some of the other kids."
He shrugs, because shrugs are a language that Jono appears to be fluent in, and thinks, "Actually it is pretty inconvenient. But the flesh-heal setting didn't work on me, No flesh."
And yes, Jono would link with you so that you can be heard. Going to start doing that most times around you. Having no voice sucks. Being told about your hands has him frowning. «Let me try.» Motioning for you to lay on the medical bed, if you aren't already, the man pulls the monitor screen for the bed over to him. «Not a doctor, but I've had to use these a time or two.» More like two or so thousand times. Being an X-men isn't the healthiest of professions. As he works the touch screens, sliding things here and there, touching buttons, and working menus, he glances over to you. «Thanks for helping. I know it cost you.» All of them in one way or another. «You okay otherwise?»
Stretching out on the bed in the default position, Mike relaxes a bit, and watches the pretty lights reflecting onto the ceiling.
"No thanks needed, man, and 'what is the cost of a hand compared to a man's soul?' Anyway I haven't heard anything, do you know what's up with this Lucas guy? Nobody knows, and there is fighting among the inmates over whether we did a bad thing bringing an enemy here who could kill us all. Chained to a bed, broken bones, and sedated."
Mike may be overconfident about the danger posed, or not posed, by Lucas. Then again, Sabertooth was kept here, back in the day, not that Mike knows anything of that.
"What're you doing? Something tickles."
«That's a sticky topic.» Lucas he means. «Beyond that, no I honestly have no idea what's going on with him. Beyond that I believe he's possessed by a demon.» Jonothon also believes Lucas is enjoying it, but doesn't say that. «Can't say whether it's good or bad. I went along in hopes none of you would get killed, not because I thought it was a good idea. Now we all have to deal with the consequences - good or ill.» What is he doing? «Think I got it.» Eyes are on the screen as he hits a fairly large button on the screen. Green means go. «The beds can deal with people like you, they just need the proper settings. Guess the other kids didn't know the proper ones.» People like you, not machines like you. «Give it a minute and it'll do more than tickle.» Hopefully, not hurt.
The display flashes a number of symbols in the original Shiar user interface language, which basically mean, "Design information acquired, specification loaded, repair procedure identified, upgrade to spec part B? Y/N [N] No upgrade selected, repair continuing to A."
Arms swing out slightly carrying Mike's arms along, and a shell extends around each of his damaged hands. It's not clear what's happening in there and Mike's thoughts are interrupted completely several times as the design pages his consciousness to extradimensional storage… then back. Fortunately back.
A progress wheel starts showing completeness. It'll slowly creep along at one click per second, until after 360 clicks, the shell releases.
If anything the medical equipment down here might find a mechanical life form easier to repair than a biological one. You emerge and Jonothon lays a hand on the edge of the bed. «Well?»
So Mike blinks. Click click. "It doesn't itch." He raises his hands and looks at them. The tread pattern on his palms is different. Originally it had been a bit thicker, with spots where there had been studs inserted - because the truck Mike originally stole had winter tires on. The new pattern is sleeker in some respects. One of the hands drifts over to touch his left side where Lucas' tail had gouged a huge long scratch in the paint like an angry kid keying someone's car… and somewhere during the process that's also been repaired.
"Woah. This is cool. Can you show me how to work that?"
Mike sits up, wishing he could grin widely.
«Good.» That it doesn't itch. Jonothon begins to push that screen away, but you ask about it so he halts that motion. Shifts away so that you can sit up, even as he turns the screen. The reach isn't huge, but you can move it a distance. «Sure. There are things you can't do as you don't have access, but the basics are all there.» Resetting the screen, the man takes you through the beginning menus. Most are in English, if only to make it easier on the majority of people living here at the school. Shi'ar script lurks about the edges. «You need to change this option here. In organic life forms. More or less. You don't need to be too specific, for the tech will scan and figure most of it out by itself. If it can't do anything you'll need to find one of the doctors.»
Mike goes through the menus to make sure he's gotten them right. Awesome. "So if like, one of the guys was poisoned, it would be able to help fix it? Or like Zach's burned arm?" Burned being an understatement, it looked like half his bicep was gone, really nasty, but it might have been less.
Jonothon nods about it being able to cure poisons. «It can't fix everything, but it sure does a lot.» With that he steps away, leaving you with the monitor. «This place is amazing. I notice it changed your hands. You okay with that?» A motion to you as you work the menus. Of course you will find certain options denied you, for not even Jono has complete access. If only so he doesn't mistakenly kill someone by picking the wrong thing.
Mike nods, and thinks, "It's cool. That winter tread pattern was a drag sometimes, I'd get stuff caught in it, this is much better for hands."
He looks at the sole of one foot, "See, the feet are still winter tread, which is fine with me, I can put in studs when it gets icy."
He pauses, and says, "Thanks for not getting upset with me the other night. It's really hard not to get into that too-close thing with my driver. But I didn't want to do that without warning… I got into so much trouble for doing it to Jerry…"
Amusement shows in eyes, the appearance of laughter wrinkles a sure, if subtle sign, and Jonothon watches as you check your feet. Leaning against another medical bed, he tucks hands in pockets and shrugs for the apology. «Don't worry about it, mate. You're talking to a telepath. That's one of the drawbacks.» Getting too close to people is always a problem when you can literally get into their minds. «What happened to Jerry?» It's one thing to out stubborn a link you were trying not to make, but establishing that link? Yeah, Jono's curious. So many kids with so many amazing powers.
Mike tries to figure out how to explain this. If he could blush his paint job would be that red color he wanted instead of the white.
"I guess he was … It was really fast with him. I changed his bike, he wanted to try out this sweet custom Hayabusa that he saw in one of the magazines, when he got on it was like we turned into one person, and it felt … wow. Uhm," and here we have the 15 year old preacher's kid wondering how to ask the older guy whom he has started to form a hero-fixation on, because dammit, the man lets him TALK, and that means more than it does for just another kid.
"I smoked pot with a friend once. It made me so dizzy and felt really good at the same time… this was like that only more, and no dizziness, just like being best friends and sharing the speed and … anyway when I changed the bike, his clothes changed to what the guy in the picture was wearing. It never worked that way for anyone else. And Jerry got kinda hooked on it."
Having no idea you would blush if you could, Jonothon listens without interrupting you. If you were worried about any kind of disapproval, or disgust, you'll be sorely disappointed. He's seen too much, and was raised in a country with slightly different beliefs. «Why'd you get in trouble for that? And I don't mean the pot. ..Unless you did.» You said you got in trouble for the bonding, so he assumes that. «Did things turn out badly because he got hooked?» Yes, he's making assumptions about things here, but he doesn't share them. Can see why someone could get addicted to that kind of bond. Hell, he's had trouble with power rushes in the past.
Mike makes the motion of a sigh of relief, even if he lacks the lungs to sigh with.
"Yeah. I got in trouble for the pot. Grounded for a month. The thing with Jerry … He learned I could Merge (yes, it has the capital M) from a friend of mine… Jerry's a senior. He had a girlfriend he almost dumped. For me. Jason, my age, captain of the Chess Club, we were oK friends - he saw me Merge with my mom's car once, and he asked me so I showed him. He wanted to make friends with Jerry so he told him… I got to school one day and they started fighting in the lunch room. The principal acted like I'd been. Doing IT with them. Mom and Dad were called in. Funny thing is, two weeks later they were back to normal, just friends, no more need for speed."
This would probably play well as a comedy on Disney.
Some things click inside of his head and Jonothon nods. Your faith, possible involvement with someone of your own gender.. he forgets some Americans are really anal about that. Shaking his head, he'd chuckle if he could. As it stands only the motion occurs. Rather like your sigh. «So the link's addictive. I appreciate you being careful on the drive home.» No, no temptation at all to try it. Jono's about as closed off as a telepath can get and still use their power. He doesn't want to bond with anyone mentally, or emotionally. Most the time he won't even touch people. «I do think your parents made a big deal out of nothing, but that's just me. You were careful and nothing happened. So long as you remain aware of the possibility you should be fine.» Unless you like it. Then that's your choice.
Mike nods, slowly, and says on the link, "I think Mama and Papa were pretty fair about it. Mama pointed out that they were using me, and it was treating me like a thing not a person. Which I could see. Papa made me work at the shop with him - he used to be a priest like Mom only instead of Anglican he's Orthodox, and so he became a mechanic cause he wouldn't try to make her stop. Mama said it wasn't so much that Jerry was a guy, but he was older and almost 18 and he shouldn't have taken advantage. And when Papa broke my eye on accident when I was Merged and it came out metal when I emerged, she was too busy being mad at both of us."
That last bit is accompanied by a bit of a guilty laugh, "Papa got really curious, we were experimenting and didn't know it would happen."
«Sounds like your mum was right.» About them using you. You were a source of pleasure, so yeah, addicts would fight over you. Jonothon shrugs for most of it, for all he doesn't mean to make little of that you got hurt. «Thing you need to worry about is if you want to make that link or not. I wouldn't want such a thing, so I appreciate you being careful. Others may attempt to use you again though. When people get addicted to something they aren't rational about their fix.» A little pause and he adds, «Hopefully we won't accidentally break you if we need you to do that car change thing again.»
Mike nods, eyes flashing a reflection off one of the lamps.
"You were the first time I managed NOT to make it, and I think it was because you have this wall thing. That was one of Papa's orders … I am (the mental voice changes to an older man's - sampling in mentalspace!) not allowed to have any driver until you learn how to not make that link be so deep."
He looks at his hands, flexes the fingers.
"I stole a car and it was totaled, the wreck was compacted. My dad woke me up from whatever I was in so I could emerge, and this is how I came out. It doesn't matter if I get damaged now, it won't make me more machine."
He catches sight of a clock, and says, "Oh no. I have homework due tomorrow already and my fingers work now - I better get going. Thanks, Jono. You can drive me any time you want, man."
And he hurries toward the door.
You hurry off, so Jonothon has little time to do more than nod and lift a hand in farewell. «..Cheers.» That's such a line to end on, that he can't even begin to say anything about it. Oy. Still, he's amused. So earnest a kid, and not angsting as much as others would. Heh.
