Another Emergency

[Sage]

A woman walked into the room a little out of sorts, she almost jumped when she saw the doctor. Dr. Kinnard sent her off to call Nox. Hopefully he would inform Sasha and they would stop blowing up his wallet with messages he would have to read later - preferably when he could it with the hardware he was missing very much at this moment.

Sage smiled at the good doctor. "The unknown does not scare me anymore. My parents cut open my head while I was awake and implanted a microprocessor and circuitry directly into my brain. The procedure alone could have killed me. And now the device is doing what my parents could not. I am not seeking medical expertise. If I were I would not be seeking the help of Dr. Marcil. He is a doctor in only the fact that he has three PhD - bio-mechanics, neurology and cybernetics and he works for a company who specializes in nano-technology."


Sage crocked his finger and beckoned the doctor closer so that no one would overhear his words. Paranoia was always there even when he wasn't getting into places he shouldn't be. Sage whispered, "Your secret is safe with me."
He had many secrets, he shared none unless forced to. He was great at keeping secrets. "I am at your mercy regardless of the prescribed treatment of my ailments in the files give, or if you deem more experimental methods beneficial. I die either way Dr. Kinnard. Could be from my parent's experiment, Dr. Marcil's exploration, powers unknown, or years down the road of old age."


Sage smiled at the doctor again leaving the melancholy far from him. "But however it plays out, you have just earned a ring side seat at the show. I will insist to Dr. Marcil you be present if it is deemed necessary to cut me open. And each time he deems it necessary from here on out."
A second option, a fail safe, but whatever it was he trusted her because she trusted him with her potentially dangerous secret. Sage didn't think she was offering services she herself could not render.


Edited by Sage, Oct 27 2016, 07:54 AM.

[Morven]

Her face grew very still as he relayed the story of his implant. It was not an emotional account, but hearing it from his own lips rather than reading it in his files set a sharp shiver up her spine. Morven could not imagine doing something so heinous to her own flesh and blood (or anyone, really, but particularly them); she would sacrifice anything to protect Lyall, to keep her safe, to keep her happy, and thinking of parents experimenting on their own child flexed every protective instinct she had.

He beckoned her closer, and she obliged, though at a respectable distance. Her lips tipped up as he whispered that her secret was safe, and she knew then that he had understood the subtext. Sage's attitude was fatalistic towards his treatment, but that was fine; she wouldn't be doing her job if she didn't take the necessary precautions to explain his options. They were limited as it was. Without spreading the threads of light through his body she could not hazard a guess at how much she may or may not be able to help - but as with Soren, she was determined to do what she could. And she believed she could do something, at least. "Let's shoot for old age, shall we?"


Morven didn't say that she had already intended to be there regardless, but the permission was appreciated. She didn't anticipate obstacles, not if Marcil was connected to Paragon Group as she now suspected - but having Sage insist could be no bad thing. Any work with the power ought to wait - if caught, she had no doubt the consequences would be unpleasant, but her fingers itched with the desire to do something now - and without Marcil over her shoulder. "Then do you mind if I take a look? It requires contact - I use a touch at the temples. You'll feel no pain - in fact you will probably feel nothing. The thread of power is purely investigative. It won't harm you."

[Sage]

Sage's smile widened when Dr. Kinnard spoke of dying of old age. "I will endeavor to reach a ripe old age."


She seemed eager to get her hands on him which made the paranoia creep inside. She claimed it was exploratory in nature - it wouldn't hurt. He'd not feel it. But it was precisely the thing you would say to a child to reassure them about getting a dreaded shot. Needles and doctors had never bothered him - at least not until he'd overheard his parents discussing his death.

He'd made a choice moments before to trust her, but now that she was ready and wanted to look Sage had to make the choice again. Trust was not something he gave easily. Yet moments ago he had trusted her - fully.

He was getting in his own way. Sage leaned back against the bed and nodded. "Though perhaps before you start, locking the door and pulling the blinds before our intrepid nurse rejoins us might be a good idea."
It was a let's hide what we are doing suggestion, but Sage knew he was stalling. He wished Sasha was there to hold his hand. Hell, he'd settle for the annoying little brother of Aurora Durante at the moment.

No amount of trust was going to erase years of paranoia and fear. But he trusted her. He whispered mostly to himself. "I trust you."

[Morven]

Indecision flashed discomfort across his features. Perhaps she asked too much, but it was why she asked rather than acted. He deserved the choice.

Morven retreated to shutter the blinds, but moreso to give Sage space to work through the bite of his demons. "I think a locked door might encourage more questions."


The whispered words might be permission, but he looked braced for something terrible. Given what she now knew of him and his past it simply wasn't enough to ease her own conscience - even if she considered it for his own good. So while the doctor in her itched to discover what she could of his condition, morality softened her expression into patience. She moved closer, but did not touch him; only explained the process as best she could, given there were no terms for any of this.

"They look like threads to me, made of light, and they... braid together into patterns that will sink beneath your skin. The process provides feedback, like a scan I suppose. That's all I'll do. There's no schooling for it, but I've had the ability since I was nineteen. This isn't an experiment. But I won't force you, and I certainly won't make you do something you're uncomfortable with."


If he changed his mind she would abide by it, and it was only after he agreed the second time that she pressed her hand to his temple. It wasn't strictly necessary to close her eyes, but it did help her to concentrate as the power warmed her from the inside out and flowed into him. A moment later she retreated, frowning.

"There's damage to your brain tissue, and the resultant swelling is causing pressure - the likely cause of both the headaches and blackouts. It's probably been happening incrementally for years before you've had symptoms."
She paused. That was not new news, but it certainly gave her a clearer picture - the injury spread like poison. It made her wonder what his parents' long term prospects had been - or had they even considered that their experiment would work, let alone live to prosper?

"I can adjust your medication to help ease the swelling and relieve symptoms, but it won't reverse the damage already done or stop the progression of it."
She didn't say it, but doubt plagued her opinion - that even if Marcil was able to fix the tech, Sage might find himself in the same situation twenty years from now. "I could try to do something to help - but I won't lie to you, it would be a risk."

[Sage]

Dr. Kinnard explained the process. Sage wished he could store the information away for later. It was an interesting concept really but he could hardly think past the fog in his head. And he couldn't make a note in his wallet since it was now powered down. Before she left he'd have to ask for a pad and pen - going old school was going to suck. But Sage did not like being able to keep things on tab to do later.

He didn't feel anything other than the cool touch of the doctors hand on his temple. She closed her eyes and Sage felt awkward just staring at her so he followed suit. It was still weird.

Her hand left his head and he opened his eyes to see her frowning. He didn't like the look. He didn't know why she was frowning, but she hadn't learned anything new it had been the same answer as before. He didn't want to stay in the hospital. They sucked - the clothes sucked. He wanted to be warm - he was freezing. He was always freezing but more so now with only the paper gown and his boxers on. It was not comfortable.

She offered to ease his pain. He didn't think she could have done much, but she then offered to help. He smiled at her. "Can't be any riskier than walking around with a ticking time bomb in my head. I'd like to be able to leave the hospital and not spend the entirety of my time in Moscow in this room or similar. I have a friend I'd like to see again and I suspect he doesn't like hospitals anymore than I do."
Nox had spent three months in a similar hospital bed in Moscow after coming here except he'd been in a full body cast. Plane crash survivor - weirdness had surrounded the whole thing. Just yet another question Sage had for Aurora's annoying little brother.

Sage took a deep breath and summoned his courage. Risk was easy to talk about but when it came down it he was terrified. The meds took the edge off but he could feel it on the edge of his being. "I'm at your mercy, Dr. Kinnard. Do what you can and don't feel bad if things don't work out as planned. I trust your judgement."
Sage closed his eyes this time he didn't want to know when she was going to start. He imagined he was back home in his server room with the comforting blue light the cold air streaming around him and the images and visual processes of his implant displayed on the walls. It was his safe haven, he needed it now.

[Morven]

"It could kill you,"
she said bluntly. He had a devil may care attitude, which certainly took the pressure off her, and it wasn't a bad way to approach life. But she wanted him to understand the seriousness - both of what she offered, despite her better judgement, and the potential consequences. She was fresh out of medschool, and not a brain surgeon. Though she did trust in her abilities, and she wouldn't have offered to help if she didn't think she could do something to help.

This time she did lock the door, not simply because she didn't want to get caught, but because it concerned her what such an interruption might do to her concentration. When she returned he'd laid himself back and closed his eyes, so he didn't see the moment Morven closed her own eyes and steeled herself with a breath.

The power lit her like a beacon, spilling confidence and light as she pressed her hand to his head. The threads trickled in gently, slow and steady. Morven's brow furrowed as she settled into the delicate work; much moved on instinct, coaxing the tissue, soothing the irritation. Threads of spiderweb complexity sunk through his skull; such intricate tiny work. Nothing existed beyond the dazzling pattern.

She erred on the side of caution, working with his body rather than forcing it. The pressure eased incrementally, until she felt she had done enough. The results might not last, but it would give him time at least; she was satisfied that his pain would be less and he was unlikely to collapse in the meantime. She moved back, seeking the chair Sage's things had occupied previously, not quite sure how much time had passed. A flick of the power unlocked the door before it winked out entirely. "Do you feel any difference?"

[Sage]

Sage had taken a deep breath the moment Dr. Kinnard touched his head again. It was that fear of death that everyone had. The idea that your life would be no more, you would no longer see the ones you loved or be able to touch them. But Sage knew in his right mind that he was going to die if they couldn't fix the thing in his head. He let the bitterness of what his parents had done to him carry him through the unnerving feeling.

His body was numb from the pain meds. He wasn't feeling proper to begin with. But even through the fog of the medication Sage felt the difference. His head hurt less. He felt less off. But the fog of the medication blurred those things. Maybe that was a good thing.

He gave his doctor a small smile. "I feel different. But I think it will be more apparent once the medication is out of my system."
He really wanted to feel himself. "I would like to leave this hospital and return when Dr. Marcil instructed."


He knew leaving was a risk. But everything about his existence at present was going to be a risk. And Sage would rather be normal than in a hospital bed. He knew he couldn't touch the processor. It was failing and it would be hell not touching it. He knew he'd have the shakes and withdrawal symptoms. He could pay that price if he got to see Moscow. It might be his only chance. He smiled at the doctor. "I don't want to die in here. And I don't want to die alone. At least out there I'll have my friend."

[Morven]

Exhaustion mired her own smile into something sedate. She'd settled down hard on the chair, faintly surprised at how much energy had been sucked out at the healing - though the rush of triumph she felt at having made a tangible difference elevated her somewhat. That and fact she didn't want Mr. Parker to realise how much it had taken out of her urged her back to her feet.

"I would advise against it,"
she said plainly. But she also understood the need to grasp choice. If things went poorly with Marcil, he might be living his last weeks. Morven had felt death's breath herself and she wouldn't wish anyone to face it alone. "At least wait until your friend gets here."

[Sage]

Sage nodded his agreement. "I can agree with that. But I think more is necessary."
He grinned at her.

Sage was not nearly so confident that he wasn't going to have issues - of another nature. Every time removing the wireless connection from his port to plug into the wired connection of the secure server, he's gotten the shakes - moments of withdrawal where he felt like the world was going to crash in on him at any moment and rip his world away. The medication he was taking now curbed those moments. He felt nothing. As the medication left his system it would reek havoc on his body. He knew this.

Sage frowned as he continued. "My current situation is tenable. However once these pain meds and other things begin to leave my system, I don't think the withdrawal symptoms will stay at bay. The flow of information directly into my brain is much like a drug. I can't under my doctor's advisement use my implant and worsen the already horrible situation."
Sage leaned back against the hospital bed and sighed. "I can wait till Nox gets here, but if I think observation of my condition the medication leaves would be warranted."

[Nox]

Nox was feeling better. Aria was safe even if she was still incommunicado. But at least she was safe. He could wait for more.

Flights of fancy were few and far between as the days passed after meeting Kali. Moments of danger seemed to bring her to mind. A strange deja vu feeling happening every time his adrealine spiked - which happened to be every night with his nightmares. Thankfully Elyse hadn't had another episode of them - not that she told him anyway. He knew she hadn't slept that night after he'd fallen asleep and then woken up from his own nightmares. He had lain in bed just holding her until the sun came up. It was an odd feeling. An odd thing to do but he'd done it because he wanted to protect her.

Sage's plane was to land this afternoon and he had been busy showing Cruz how to erect stone walls around the perimeter of Dorian's estate. A fucking estate! They had started in the back and the walls rose eight feet into the air. They had covered the entire back line of the land Dorian owned before he'd had to leave. Cruz had been disappointed, but Nox trusted him not to touch the power without guidance - at least not yet. It was still dangerous but the man was getting the hang of the simple things.

By the time Nox had reached the airport he'd been thirty minutes late and Sage was nowhere to be found. He had waited an hour before all the while sending the hacker texts. Nox had wondered where the fuck he'd gone.

It wasn't until Nox was back at Dorian's pacing the hall that he got a call on his new wallet from an unknown number. Nox answered it cautiously, "Hello?"


Mr. Durante. I'm calling on behalf of Sage Morgan. Do you know him?"

"I do."
Nox tried not to panic. He was not dead...

I'm calling from Moscow University Hospital to inform you that your friend is safe and in our care. He wishes you to join him at your convenience."

"Thank you. I'll be there soon."
Nox hung up the phone and then let Elyse know where he was going. He also told Christian just in case it mattered. He seemed to know everything anyway.

The metro to the University was quick. He probably could have walked it easily. He'd been there plenty of times now with Cruz, he almost knew his way around the campus. Once inside he found out where Sage was staying and found the door closed. The nurse at the station outside spoke to him. "The doctor is with him now. She should be done soon I'm sure."

Nox nodded and sat down in front of the door and waited. He wasn't exactly looking forward to seeing Sage again. It had been almost 6 years since he'd taken Aurora to the prom and taken her virginity. He almost had the urge to deck the man for doing that to his sister. But Aurora had needed it, he wasn't that mad about it.


Edited by Nox, Dec 1 2016, 07:42 PM.