Yet Another Random Turbolift, Day 41 (afternoon) - [private/unfinished]
Gaila had a theory that someone had set up yesterday's turbolift trap? Well then, Leonard just wasn't gonna take the damn things anymore.
Which explained why he was currently, dangerously close to an infarction. Shit, he thought he was in better shape than this.
Leonard finally reached the level the Science labs were on. He'd tried his ( Read more... )
Which explained why he was currently, dangerously close to an infarction. Shit, he thought he was in better shape than this.
Leonard finally reached the level the Science labs were on. He'd tried his ( Read more... )
"Lord, so help me..." In a panic, he grabbed his comm and tried using it as for as long as he'd have it. Got the nurse that'd just called him on the horn, began barking orders before she could get all her "Hello?" out. He didn't get any further than, "Tell Tyler ta use the sonic separator to--" before he was cut off. His comm, and likely Tinny's toys, were as good as dead.
Or as good as skipping stones as he threw the device at the turbolift doors. "Sonovafuckinbitch!" Normally, he didn't get that violent. Especially when it served no purpose.
But then, he normally didn't get in situations where someone's grudge against him was costing a potential life.
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He turned sharply at McCoy as the doctor lost control. He moved to stand in front of the man with his arms wide and hands held up.
"Woah, doctor. Just calm down, alright?" he told the red faced man in front of him. "You're angry, I get that, but we're not gonna get out of here by throwing things at the door. In fact, I'm not sure how we're going to get out of here, but I know getting mad at the situation isn't saving us any more time. So just take a few deep breaths, okay?"
David's face was stern and he certainly wasn't pandering. He'd grown up with two brothers, both of which had tempers (though both were pale in comparison to his own). Some of what he said was his training, but most was the invaluable experience of dealing with similar situations in his life with his peers.
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"How it typically goes is that after several hours of boredom, frustration, anxiety and -- just 'cause I seem ta bring that kinda thing to the yard -- angst, someone eventually rescues our sorry asses," Leonard pushed out through gritted teeth. Attempting to get his anger in check, but not because some damn green psychologist told him the doors wouldn't open to his anger alone. And... kinda exactly because he had. "As fer gettin' mad.... well, it's the only damn thing I can do right now. While some poor kid lays on a slab back in my Sickbay, possibly dying!"
.... Yeah, so much for that attempt. Some people just need to test theories even when they know it won't work. And nope, that little outburst didn't do a lick of damage to the roof.
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"Fair enough. I wasn't aware you'd been through this before," David nodded, slipping his hands into his back pockets, calmly. "You have every right to be angry, but cut me some slack on this. I'm not exactly up to date on the turbolift issues. I think we've sort of fast forwarded from the usual and cut straight to the frustration. But, from what I understand, and who I've met, the medical department here is one of the best. I imagine that if a way out there exists to keep this person alive without your presence they'd probably find it."
David sighed, he weight of the situation suddenly very obvious. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked, genuinely. He wouldn't be able to effect what was on the outside of the turbolift, but he could make sure everything was going to be okay on the inside. At the same time he took his suit coat off. He wasn't claustrophobic, but the knowledge that they might be here for a while was enough to make him feel like he needed a little more air.
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Good to know he was taking care of his issues in right order. Next was likely to be a divorce lawyer, the head of Starfleet Medical, and Saint Peter. Damn, how he loved a plan.
Leonard had a right mind to give Tinny just the opposite of what he preached. It was that last question, though, that stumbled him. Got him off his high horse. The man seemed rather sincere. Leonard owled at him for a moment, then remembered to blink and shut his flytrap. Forced whatever attitude he was about to let loose out as a deep, long sigh instead. Then began pacing, hands on hips and eyes on the floor before him. Because while he might be a bit chagrined about his behavior, he was far from through with his angry energy. Not while he was still stick in here.
"... Sorry. I have every faith in my staff too. Jus dun sit well with me, doin' nuthin' when somebody needs my help. 'Specially 'cause of some jackass with a grudge he can't bring directly to me."
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"I'm not following," David replied, understanding him but not the specifics of what he was saying. "Why would anyone have a grudge toward you? You don't think this is about the exercise in engineering?"
David, being the ear for the crew, had heard a good deal about the anxieties and anger that the faux trauma had inspired some of the crew members. Grief had many faces and one was loss of control of a situation. Some stages he'd seen in a few involved in the incidents. But overall, he thought the exercise did good in testing response time, if not a bit haphazard and harsh.
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At the same time, though, the thought of ending up in an impromptu counseling session with the man was very unappealing. Leonard actually had known a few psychologists in his time. They all had that annoying habit of working you even outside of work. He preferred to share his thoughts with the ones he chose to share them with. Didn't need his motivations questioned and analyzed, especially as he had some psychology training already. Was necessary if he was gonna be a doctor on a damn starship, after all.
.... Not that there was any workplace resentment, of course.
In the end, Leonard just decided that maybe he owed the man a little information. Just what he needed to know to understand this situation. That didn't have to get too personal. "Look, for the past three days now I've been gettin' trapped in turbolifts. Always with someone else, at random times, the exact same way as this has gone. 'Cept the lights haven't gone out yet," his voice trailed off with the tone of one waiting for a specific sound. The sound of the other boot dropping. The lift was eerily devoid of any sound, save their breathing, which.... wasn't much better. Just made him think of how dead quiet it must be, being a sardine. "... Yeah, so anyway, the last person I got trapped with, Gaila in Engineerin', thinks the lift was sabotaged. How an' why? I'm fuzzy on the details. But there ya go."
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He waited patiently for McCoy's decision to finalize, picking up his personal PADD and putting it down again, aggravated, remembering its inactivity. He couldn't even look over files let alone tell his patient that he was most likely going to miss their appointment. The gears in McCoy's brain finally figured out the doctor's next words and David looked up, interested.
"Well, I'm probably the worst person to be stuck with regarding the technical aspect. During my entire childhood our house only had one vidscreen. My dad was a technophobe and my mom came from a family who grew all their own food."
He grunted, putting the PADD down on his coat.
"Have you talked to engineering about the--" And then the lights went out. It wasn't even a fade but suddenly they'd been on and now they were off. David blinked rapidly to make sure his eyes were still open. He had terrible night vision. He sighed. "Have you talked to engineering about how frequently this is happening? Maybe they could find the source."
He now spoke to no one and just assumed that McCoy was where he'd been before.
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Besides, very quickly both halves of his brain were focused on a new problem. Delayed reaction.
Oh great. Apparently, it was too much to ask the Universe to cut him a little break. He thought he'd dodged one of the more anxiety-producing facets of the usual song and dance. No such luck. One minute Leonard was looking at Tinny's regrettable sock selection -- he may have a 'sock disability', as Momma used to call his trials and tribulations in maintaining a decent sock drawer, but at least Leonard knew when things just did not go well together -- the next he was looking at a whole lotta nothing. This was not how he'd wanted the psychologist to disappear. Fuck.
"Course I have. What parta my behavior led ya ta believe I wanted t'keep doin' this?" he snapped out without a thought. Immediately regretted it, admittedly a little more because it gave away just how agitated he was getting than because it was undeserving of the man. Leonard had been able to keep his anxiety in check only because of his anger was greater, more distracting. But being rendered one more degree of helpless? Fuck, with a great heaping side of fuck.
"... S-Sorry," he forced out as a sigh. "Yeah, it's been reported. 'Gain, Gaila thought it was deliberate. I think she was gonna look into it more. S-Say... could ya do me a favor an' not lean 'gainst the walls? Much appreciate it."
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He became amused as Leonard let his aggravation show. Perhaps it was better that it was dark because he didn't think the doctor would take very well to being grinned at like David was doing now. But he grew concerned at the apology. It meant the Leonard wasn't comfortable around the psychologist. But, then again, as David had already established, the CMO wasn't exactly fond of him.
The question caught him off guard, though. He'd read the CMO's history but hell if he remembered anything except the aerophobia. Or, he supposed, was it space phobia? The file looked fuzzy in his mind's eye. He'd seen so many.
"Hm? Um, sure," he replied, uncertain. "I can't really, I mean, I can't really see much. I don't...how much do you want me to scoot out?" Was there a light source in the middle of the turbolift that David didn't see from his corner? He felt a bit uneasy leaving a place that he could feel, at least. But it didn't bother him enough to leave the doctor anxious.
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Okay, that was enough of that. Leonard scrubbed his face in the dark. Sighed and wondered about sitting down too. On the one hand, he still had a lot of energy to burn, especially now. And he was getting good at blind pacing in a turbolift. But again, it was damn dark. He wasn't that great as to guarantee he wouldn't veer off course. Run Tinny over with his damn long legs and all.
Right, sitting it was then. Before he ended up accidentally in Tinny's lap.
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He heard Leonard sit down and turned his head at the direction of the noise.
"Hey, where are you?" David asked. The darkness was starting to make him a little uneasy.
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That little rant died off while he focused on sitting down. He felt around himself cautiously to make sure he wouldn't run into any walls. Or psychologists. So far, so good. Well, as good as one could get sitting in a tin box just wai....
Goddamnit, that was getting old even for him.
"Huh? I'm in a damn tin box just... sittin' 'round." Wasn't sure snarking about it was considered progress, but if he could stop that mantra, for even a bit... And speaking of uneasy utterances, now that he thought about it that was a damn peculiar question for a man of Tinny's profession to ask. And had there been some stress in his voice? Leonard wasn't too sure if he was merely projecting, but sometimes panic spoke to panic better than anything else. "... I have no clue exactly, but I think I'm to yer left an' front." A moment of heavy silence, then he asked, "You're not claustrophobic, are ya?" That'd just be too damn rich.
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"Heh, does that mean the captain tends to get into hairy situations? That's...well it's not comforting in the least. But the fact that he gets out of them is, at least, reassuring," David said truthfully.
He heard the doctor sit down and scooted a little closer to the sound looking nowhere because there was nowhere to look. David didn't have the type of mind that could imagine where he was. Visual cues were very important. Colors, shapes, signs; he was a visual person. Without all of this he felt like he was in a vacuum.
The doctor's comment, though, gave him an opportunity to chuckle as he rubbed his face. "Good point."
He took a breath as McCoy spoke again. He scooted a little to where McCoy indicated and was about to break the silence with something, anything, when the doctor spoke yet again.
"No," David said, truthfully. "I do get a little anxious without any visual cues, though. I get a little uneasy when I can't see where I'm at. I'll be okay, though."
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Restlessly, Leonard grasped for something to take his mind off that. In this case, it meant literally reaching out to grasp something. He was the type of person who could imagine surroundings and navigate them without visual cues, to some extent. He made a quick guess on Tinny's location based on what he'd seen last of the man, and the direction of his voice in the dark. A bit of aimless hand waving, then his hand landed on what felt like the man's ankle. Leonard patted it awkwardly. Mentally latched onto the first thing he could think of to say.
"Yeah, Jim's a magnet for trouble." Okay, so the thinking part hadn't been too organized. "But, yeah, he gets outta them well 'nuff. Didn't they give ya a file on the whole Narada Incident?"
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"Oh yeah," David said. "I actually had a session or two with some of the people who resigned from service on the Enterprise back in San Francisco at the Academy. I actually perceived Spock, at the end, to be the greater risk taker. It's a dangerous match, I'm sure."
He paused, feeling more comfortable as they talked. "I hear you're a damn fine doctor," he said. "That you like to listen and that your patients trust you. I imagine you get to counsel as much as I do," he said, not completely aware that he nearing a sensitive spot.
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