Day 47: Recreational Field [Second Shift]

[vsyourface]

Scott wasn't really what one would call the sporty type, at least not currently. In the past, maybe. He could have called himself a hockey player at one point - in grade two (it totally counted). And he had been a jock in high school, hadn't he (he had at least played a lot of Track & Field for the NES, anyway)? Regardless of what his athletic

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[cmdr_exposition]

The rec field was certainly different in the daytime. Hayes was inclined to call it an improvement, what with the shortage of obviously homicidal things running around loose. Somehow, though, it wasn't as much improved as one might have thought, because knowing about the other Institute, it just looked fake. It was just different enough to set you on edge... like synthesized food, if synthesizers occasionally produced poison.

He didn't feel much like playing around. He didn't feel much like anything today, but sitting back on the sidelines and looking some more at the sky was a pretty decent option.

Hayes hadn't quite decided whether the change was more comforting or more disturbing, but at the moment he was leaning towards comforting. It meant that whatever world he was in, the planet was not completely in the possession of the enemy. It meant that, whether he personally could get there or not, there was some place somewhere that was free. It didn't mean much in the way of reasonable hope for himself, but if you could think of

[hes_deadjim]

The doctor shielded his eyes against the sun for a moment. It was like a whole 'nother world in the daylight: now that he could see it without the blackness and mist, he could see that the field itself was relatively large, well kept, and empty of this planet's native fauna. McCoy found his eyes drifting back to that place in the field where he'd first encountered the captain. Like the rest of the field, it was pristine, no torn up grass and mud, no shredded cloth, nothing. You could almost forget that a creature had attacked Jim earlier.

He had a set of medical logs and his own eyes saying otherwise. Even if the staff were seemingly devoting all their energies into covering up their own mistreatment and reckless handling of patients, he wasn't going to forget it anytime soon.

A familiar set of shoulders was nearby. It almost looked like Mr. Hayes was somehow basking in the sun.

"You almost look like you're enjoying yourself, Commander," McCoy said.

[cmdr_exposition]

Originally, Hayes had wanted to be alone- okay, he'd been sulking, he could admit that- and he still would have liked to be. Ideally. But McCoy was okay. At least, he wasn't annoying, or disquietingly removed from Earth, or so young as to set Hayes' teeth on edge with the mere fact of his being here. On the whole, if he was going to be bothered, his cellmate might as well be the one to do it.

So he waved McCoy over and kept the near-smile he'd had before. "That sounds about right," he said, "I almost am. I mean, look at it."

Objectively speaking, there wasn't a whole lot to look at; just a few wisps of cloud that didn't particularly look like anything. It might not mean anything to McCoy subjectively, either, but Hayes was in no mood to ponder cultural differences and was just going by the idea that of course blue skies were significant to Earthlings.

[hes_deadjim]

McCoy looked. He saw a blue sky, some clouds, and a gentle breeze. It reminded him of Georgia, except he remembered it being more humid. But, even so, it made all the difference when you had a wide blue sky overhead and solid ground under your feet. Certainly a nice change of pace after being cooped up in a clunking deathtrap.

All right, he was being unfair, McCoy admitted to himself. The Enterprise was a handsome ship, top of the line and with the best crew and captain a man could ask for. As homes went, he could easily do worse. The ship itself couldn't be in better hands than Scotty's. It wasn't at all some clanking garbage scow. He might appreciate living beings more but even he could see she was a beautiful vessel

[cmdr_exposition]

The comment had probably been meant innocently, but it stung. Hayes hadn't resigned himself to the Institute quite yet, but he had spent too many years compliant if not actually comfortable in fallow slavery. You survived, that was all. You learned that romantic, noble, doomed defiance only got innocents killed, and you either did what you'd sworn you'd never do and got used to it, or you became one of those people who took the whole "live free or die" idea literally.

There had been too many of those in the first few years. Those, and the ones who shut themselves in their houses and wouldn't come out because then they might have to see the sky. Hell, Hayes had gone through that stage himself, if only for a few days...

...and Doctor McCoy, from his free Earth, wouldn't understand any of that. So he tried to keep the defensiveness in his voice to a minimum when he said "I didn't say it was worth it."

[hes_deadjim]

Hayes might be generally pleasant, with an even temper than most people he knew but McCoy caught the trace testiness all the same. He was as human as the rest of them. He'd hit something unintentionally with his comment

[cmdr_exposition]

Obviously Hayes hadn't done as good a job keeping his annoyance to himself as he'd hoped, but the doctor was apologizing rather than getting defensive in response. Which, since he was sure he hadn't been that snappish, probably meant he'd figured out what he'd said wrong. That was a little embarrassing, actually, but nothing he couldn't deal with.

"Just don't try to lecture me on being a prisoner," he said wearily, turning his eyes back upward for what comfort he could get from it. Maybe, eventually, some overeager young spacer with a starship would turn up in it out of nowhere. It wasn't very likely, but it hadn't been very likely the first time around, either. "I've gotten very good at it."

[dual_worlds]

With each day and night that passed, Spock took whatever opportunity he could to listen to Martin Landel's announcements over the intercom. Unfortunately, most of them were rather cryptic, and provided little to no information regarding their location, or their ultimate purpose for being held captive here. The supposed system malfunctions that occurred shortly after his arrival were likely going to be the only tangible clues he'd receive from the staff for a long while

[hes_deadjim]

"I assure you, Mr. Hayes, it's from a completely medical standpoint," McCoy said. "But I'll keep that in mind in the future," he conceded anyway.

Maybe he should have left the commander to it. The conversation had gone from neutral, polite to awkward in a matter of moments. McCoy supposed he only had himself to blame for it. Even if he couldn't quite wrap his head around just the thought of an enslaved Earth, Hayes had lived it. Just because he didn't fully understand it, didn't mean he could just go mouthing off in front of him

[cmdr_exposition]

Hayes resisted the impulse to say something sarcastic; after all, the last thing anyone needed in dangerous circumstances was for him to go picking a fight with someone friendly over a minor failure of tact. The VUX had been conquered that way, come to think of it, and he had no desire to follow that example.

He probably shouldn't mention that train of thought to the Admiral later. Speaking of failures of tact

[dual_worlds]

Though the manner in which his body had suddenly stiffened was not entirely lost on Spock, the first officer decided it could have been the result of several factors otherwise unknown to him. Ultimately, it was McCoy's remark that was met with a brief raise of Spock's eyebrow. It would have made more sense if he had said that to him after his unfortunate incident in the hallway during his second night in Landel's, even if it wouldn't have been terribly appropriate. As it was, he chose not to give those words an outright response, and so he was satisfied to leave it at that, particularly once the doctor formally introduced him to Commander Hayes

[hes_deadjim]

Well wasn't that even more awkward. Maybe it was too much to expect Spock to know a little something about social grace when it came to associating with non-Vulcans. McCoy watched Spock just study that extended hand for a moment as if it was a briefly fascinating equation. He didn't take it, of course. The doctor knew full well why he didn't. He still could have handled it better, such as saying something. McCoy frowned at him.

When the explanation wasn't forthcoming, he sighed.

"Spock's a touch telepath," McCoy said as way of explanation, seeing as how the Vulcan wasn't going to even bother trying to excuse himself. Hayes didn't have that much (or any) experience with Vulcans. He didn't know why Spock thought it fair to expect him to make the adjustments that the crew of the Enterprise had made by now. At least give the man warning.

"Vulcans don't indulge in too much physical contact. Or manners."

[cmdr_exposition]

It hadn't actually occurred to Hayes that the man was anything but human. He supposed he should have been more open to the possibility, since he already knew two bodyswitched aliens, but even now that he was looking he couldn't see any of that uncomfortable awkwardness in Spock.

Not that it mattered, really. The point was that this was just a cultural issue, and even if it had been a while since Hayes had really dealt closely with aliens, he wasn't going to be thrown by something as simple as not liking to touch.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said instead, dropping his hand again. "It's hard to tell who's not human around here."

[dual_worlds]

Spock didn't believe he'd ever been mistaken for a full-blooded Human before, particularly since it was no secret that his physiology favored his father's side. In fact, if he had known he was going to be stranded in a version of 21st century Earth beforehand, he would have taken greater measures to secure himself some sort of hat to at least make his pointed ears less apparent. Judging by Hayes' reaction, however, perhaps his appearance was not as off-putting as he would have anticipated. Or perhaps he was merely being polite. Spock couldn't discount that possibility, either

[hes_deadjim]

McCoy met Spock's glance and shrugged. It seemed awfully strange that Hayes didn't notice he wasn't fully human. It wasn't like a Capellan or Argelian, where you'd only be able to tell that they were alien from an internal scan. Those Vulcan ears and sharp eyebrows stuck out like a beacon. Maybe it was Hayes trying to be polite, trying to avoid bringing attention to the issue. McCoy had no problem staring at Spock's ears himself, but it figured someone meeting him for the first time would err on the side of manners

[cmdr_exposition]

It was obvious the two had served together for a long time, but amusing and familiar as Hayes might otherwise have found their banter to be, a bigger surprise had occupied his attention and his surprise was evident. This was how he looked as a Vulcan? He looked even more human than a Syreen!

"They're actually not that unusual," Hayes pointed out. "For a while there was even a fashion for having that done with cosmetic surgery- supposedly it improved their hearing, personally I suspect they just thought it looked cool." He paused for a moment to consider how to put the next part. "I've just never heard of any species this similar before. Was some kind of exogenesis involved...?"