Bones' room: Friday night card game - (Scotty, George, Original Jim, and Bones); door's open...

[dctr_mccoy]

The day had started so well... Leonard should have known it would have gone to shit slowly after that.

But no one died, he reminded himself though he had for a moment worried that there would be murder committed in his infirmaryBut at the moment, all he thought of was putting it all out of his mind. Even Jim

Comments

[amplenacelles]

There was a distinct problem with carrying two bottles of good rum. Both were fairly heavy, making them impossible to carry with one hand, and both were fairly valuable making Scotty a bit reluctant to set them down. Rather than face the problem of knocking without hands, however, Scotty simply resorted to knocking on the bulkhead with his elbow. He managed to hit the PADD on the threshold, but it beeped at him rather than sliding open freely.

"Oi, lads, yer' not completely pissed wit'out me, are ya?"

[dctr_mccoy]

More booze... "Get in here, Scotty," Bones called out from his suddenly comfortable chair. "We're just a little pissed..."

He looked around the room. "I think you know everyone?"

[amplenacelles]

The door snapped open with a swish and Scotty ambled into the room with a bit more cheer than was strictly necessary. His bottles quickly joined the stash already present and he poured himself a couple fingers as he regarded the three.

"Aye, in passin," he inclined his head to the not-quite-Captain and George. "So wha'd I miss?" he asked as he lifted his drink and drained a decent portion of it.

[dctr_mccoy]

"Just talking about embarrassing names and our friends. Speaking of," he looked over, inviting Scotty to sit down, "I heard you've got another little friend on board. Younger?"

Leonard did not look pleased at this. "We're not gonna start that shit, are we?" he asked, sort of worried.

[amplenacelles]

"Aye," Scotty answered as he dropped back into a seat. "Cannae be more 'an twenty, an I'm right hopin' he doesnae flip out when he figures what's happened."

Scotty swirled his drink idly and eyed the Doctor. "This alternate reality business is enough tae' make a mate mad."

[dctr_mccoy]

Wincing at the news, Leonard shook his head. "Poor kid," he said. "He hasn't figured out who you are yet?" That had to be weird...

"Alternate realities," he growled. "You know, I'm about ready to start a betting pool as to who shows up next," Bones muttered, refilling his glass. "It's not even a matter of 'if', its 'when'... when is the next doppleganger going to show up."

[original_fine]

Jim looked at his Saurian brandy and winced.

"As long as I don't get split into two again, I'll consider myself lucky," he said.

[dctr_mccoy]

Bones coughed, spilling a bit of his drink. "Jesus, he said, "don't tease like that - don't we have enough of you guys? And now George and Winona?"

He slumped into his chair, the warmth from his drinks spreading and making him relax. "The universe isn't equipted to deal with this many Kirks, I'm pretty damned sure..."

[original_fine]

Jim shrugged.

"Depends on if they're evil or robots or whatever," he said. "Though Spock keeps telling me I wasn't evil so much as... aggressive, dominant, and compassionless."

[dctr_mccoy]

"You mean the mirror-you?" God, how had he forgotten about that - "You never met him? The other you, from that plane of existance?"

Maybe, Leonard told himself, one could only appreciate this sort of conversation when really buzzed. because now, at this point, it all sort of started to make sense.

[original_fine]

"Oh, no, not him," Jim said. He frowned. "I suspect he's dead. I all but gave Spock-with-a-beard my blessing. No, I meant the one that was actually me--the transporter split me, the real me, into two halves. One had all my... good qualities, if you count compassion and table manners among those. The other had all my aggression and lust and selfishness. Neither was especially fit to lead."

[dctr_mccoy]

The long stare Bones gave Jim wasn't meant to be rude, but his brain was processing what he was hearing, and it sent him into a whole new realm of confusion. "You were split in two by a transporter?" he repeated. "I hate those fuckin' things. I mean," he shuddered, shaking his head. That's the sort of nightmare I have, comin' back all fucked up like that."

"Do you remember any of it?" he wondered, refilling both their glasses.

[original_fine]

Jim laughed. That was Bones all over--though he felt a little guilty about feeding into the man's eternal anxiety over a technology that usually behaved exactly as expected.

"All of it," he said. "Um, twice, as it were. It was a little strange, trying to re-integrate the two halves of my personality. Each half convinced it was me, and that the other was a weak impostor. I don't recommend it." He grimaced. "No one needs to see themselves quite so clearly."

[dctr_mccoy]

Leonard hung his head for a moment - was this the sort of shit that they were going to experience, going out into outer space like some sort of fuckin' pioneers, going to places that they had no business being in?

"Wow," was the only response he ended up vocalizing. "I mean, part of me wants to know all about everything that's happened to you guys. What sort of problems you had, what kind of fights, battles, fuck, even the good times. But I-" he hesitated, stopping. "I'm not sure how much we're supposed to know."

He arched an eyebrow, frowning. "I'm no physicist, but doesn't it fuck things up, knowing too much?"

[original_fine]

"Maybe," Jim said casually. "I know... I know that time, and 'fate' for lack of a better word, behave strangely. That you can't always predict how the future will play out, even when you know it. That said, I'm not sure how much your adventures will have in common with ours. So much is different already. And yet, so much is the same. Things that have no right to be... Everyone being on this ship, now, when in my time we don't get there for years. Both of you being called 'Bones' despite meeting under totally different circumstances."

He took a good sip.

"Makes you think."

[dctr_mccoy]

"Jim gave me that name. Hated it for months," he admitted laughing. "Now, it's the best thing in the whole world - well, almost. There is another name, being called, that makes me feel just a little better," he grinned.