FTEC, Wednesday [06/16]

[usedtotravel]

Martha had every intention of entering some files into the computer today so they could be sent away for shredding and stop taking up space in the clinic's cabinets. But somehow, the computer had been set to Spanish, and Martha wasn't comfortable enough in her language skills to try to enter the data anyway. She had a feeling that figuring out the

Comments

[showmetheproof]

Scully wanted to update her boss about recent projects and developments, and check in about her work.

"Dr. Jones? Are you busy?"

[usedtotravel]

Martha peeked up from where she was going through the main desk in search of a translation dictionary, and smiled. "Not really," she said. "How are you?"

[showmetheproof]

"Quite well, thanks." Or just fairly well. "I wanted to check in with you about a couple things I've been up to. And show you the results so far on one of my analyses."

[usedtotravel]

"Ooh," Martha said, perking up more. "All right then, go on. What have you found?"

[showmetheproof]

Scully brightened, and pulled out her files on Karla's analysis. "I have the student in question's OOC Handwavey permission to discuss this with you, since you're a doctor too. She has a fang set into one finger that secretes venom. She's immune to it herself, but I mentioned that if I analyzed it, an anti-venom might be possible." She handed over the results to Martha from the mass spectrometer. "The main components seem to be glutamic acid and a form of tetrodotoxin. I could scarcely believe it."

[usedtotravel]

"Honestly? You're certain?" Martha said, looking over the results. "Does she want the fang out, or...?" She trailed off, because really, you never knew with the students around here and their cultures.

[showmetheproof]

"No! Oh, no. I'm sorry if I gave that impression. The fang is for self-defense." And Karla had already used it that way, so it was unlikely she wanted it removed. "She milks the fang once a month, which keeps the venom from building up. But she was interested in an anti-venom, in case an accident occurred with another student. I could see something like that happening during one of the invasions I've heard so much about."

[usedtotravel]

"Ah, I understand. That would be a good idea. If it were possible, of course, which I don't think it is," Martha said, looking over the results again. "This is amazing. I don't know how she's alive, but this is amazing."

[showmetheproof]

"Isn't it? I can understand the glutamic acid, but the tetrodotoxin..." Scully lifted her hands in a can't-believe-it gesture. "And you haven't run across anything here that could act as an antidote? I know there isn't anything available where I'm from in 1999, but I was hoping to be wrong."

[usedtotravel]

"As strange as this place is, it isn't quite that out there," Martha admitted. "It's possible there's a substance here that could work, or that one of the island's geniuses could manufacture something, but I don't know of any answers off the top of my head."

[showmetheproof]

Scully looked downcast. "Oh. I was hoping to tell Karla there was a solution. Since I know running anti-venom tests would be nearly impossible. It would take a real lab, and a grant for animal testing, and -- well. Still unlikely." She sighed. "So I suppose all we can do is administer life-saving measures, if someone is accidentally hurt. And hope they get here to the clinic in time."

[usedtotravel]

"I wish we had a solution as well. It's certainly something to keep investigating though, if we find any strange substances. God only knows what could end up here in a given week," Martha said, eternally optimistic. "Honestly, we have some amazing healers here. I wouldn't be surprised if their skills surpassed any kind of anti-venom measure. I don't suppose she knows what people do at her home in a situation of accidental poisoning? Or do you think it doesn't matter there?"

[showmetheproof]

Scully frowned and said, "I think mostly they're just so careful it doesn't happen. She's been apprenticing with their version of healers, from what she said. Studying other medicines as well. They use magic there, mostly, but she said there wasn't an antidote that they knew of." Her face smoothed out as she added, "I was talking to Ino about her world's medicine as well. It sounded fascinating. I wish I knew more about Eastern medicine, because it sounded remarkably similar."

[usedtotravel]

"My knowledge is pretty significantly Western-based too," Martha said. "There's a lot to learn here, that's for sure."

[showmetheproof]

"Definitely," Scully said with restrained enthusiasm. "Oh, and did Johns Hopkins send over Mr. DeTamble's files, like they said they would?"

[usedtotravel]

"Yes, they did," Martha said, pleased to actually have a positive answer. She found where the files had been stashed, and offered them to Scully. "I didn't look at them, but I assume everything you need is there."