Frankenstein's Human

Posted on 29 Nov 2013 @ 5:39pm by Petty Officer 3rd Class Vermeer Talbot & Chief Warrant Officer 3 Alexion Wylde

1,689 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 04 - Exodus
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 4, Sickbay
Timeline: MD 08 - 1330

[ON]

There was a light. It sounded cliche, but there was a light. He had felt as if he had been in darkness, with flashes of actions. As if he himself was pulled along for the ride, watching himself do things. The rational part of his brain remembered running, remembering the feeling of himself transforming and becoming more and more disconnected.

Disconnected. That was a good word. Or as if he had been swimming far down at the bottom of the ocean and was resurfacing. Slowly, ever so slowly...

PO3 Vermeer Talbot gasped as he opened his eyes, the light too bright as his brain tried to readjust after having been assimilated. He blinked, his hands going to grab the biobed. He was restrained. But rather than panic, it made him feel better. Safer. Smells like sickbay. Means I am on a ship. Not the Venture, I saw her blow up. I think.

"Talbot? Talbot, can you hear me?" Alexion Wylde frowned as he moved closer to the bed, moving into the man's limited vision to look down at him, and simultaneously block some of the light out of his view. "He is regaining consciousness," he talked across to a nurse, watching her move to get a hypo to help relax him. "Talbot, can you tell me your full rank and name?" he asked, but his eyes were on the readouts. He'd been in surgery for a long time with Vermeer, working hard but slow to try and get what he could of the implants off and out of him. It had to be done in layers though, to be safe. He'd replaced his eye already though, important not just for his brain to cope with regular human sight again, but also for the psychological state of the patient.

Ver frowned as he swallowed, taking a breath as he moved his head slowly. "P..." he swallowed, his mind piecing things together. Borg. He remembered that. He remembered the Borg. "Ten of Nine..." he said, before relaxing with something that sounded like a chuckle, although pained and tired. "Joking...It's Petty...Petty Officer...Vermeer Talbot...Third class...USS Venture..."

Alexion nodded, relaxing at seeing his memory and speech doing well. "You are on the Galileo. Do you remember the ship? Do you remember Venture and Galileo together?" he asked, encouraging him to process and think more.

Ver frowned, taking a deeper breath as he tried. He opened his eyes again, but it was too bright. His head hurt. His body hurt as well and he turned his face away. He was trying to think. "I...Venture is gone..."

Alexion nodded, touching his arm with a firm grip, to ground him. "Yes. The saucer section of Venture remains in tact and is safe. However the other half, the stardrive section, was destroyed. There are some survivors though, here onboard, and we have brought some of you back from the cube," he spoke slowly and clearly so he could take it in.

Ver opened his eyes, taking a breath as he forced himself to look at him. "I was a Borg," he said. Not a question, it was a statement. He knew that. He was aware of it. But he was talking, in real life, with a man. And he looked down his own body, slowly, to see what was there...if he was still human.

"Not any more," Alexion said firmly, trying to make him look at him again. "I had you in surgery and removed some of your implants. Your arm hadn't been removed yet, it is all yours. And I have - returned your eye. You will need more surgery, but not yet. Now, you rest and recover."

Ver looked at Alexion, meeting his eyes for a moment before finally giving a weak nod. "I...suppose I am lucky then," he said, his voice still rough, but returning. His vocabulary was returning, but because he was tired his natural accent was thick. "Got me arm."

"All yours," Alexion agreed, squeezing it with a slight grin. He was tired, with so much work, but each success made it worth it. In truth, assimilation was a difficult thing to reverse, and the longer a person had been a drone, the harder it tended to be. There was no formula, each person was different, and that meant not all could be done well. "You are going to feel bad for a while," he shook his head. "Physically, I mean. Tired, lack of energy, disconnected, feeling and sensation may seem erratic and coordination and movement might seem difficult. Headaches from the readjustment to the eyesight. In truth, I would prefer that everyone stay here, but in reality too many of you are being reversed to keep everyone in."

Ver nodded at the words, even if he didn't process it all. He understood that he had not been a drone for long. Back in the queue most likely, not being someone who usually was picked first anyway. But Alexion's voice and calmness was reassuring. For him, it was somewhat of a lifeline right now. "I can go somewhere else. Just need a bed. Rest will sort itself..." he said and touched his face, slowly, to feel where he knew the Borg implant had been on his face. "It's like it never happened." A praise. He couldn't feel a scar.

Alexion gave a smile at that as he leant to him, looking his face over. "I did my best," he assured. "You still have some implants that I will work on in the future. Do not be...alarmed by them," he considered for a moment, holding his breath. They were all trying to find room for everyone in recovery. "If you have no objections, you could recover in my quarters. I have a son though. A teenager by human standards. We could share and you take his room until you are better or they can find another room. Or I could search who hasn't got a roommate."

"I don't know if I could impose," Ver said and met his eyes, with gratitude. "He has seen enough...someone who doesn't have a room mate would do well for me."

Alexion nodded as he moved to get a padd and dragged the chair over to sit next to him. In honesty? He welcomed the break for a few minutes. "Okay," he set it to search for junior crew without room mates. "Refine..." he mused as he refined the search to men, enlisted, similar rank range, similar age range. "There are one or two that fit, here," he gave a small smile as he saw Gabriel Stark's name. He picked him, knowing that Stark's team had tagged the guy and got him home. "Done. We cannot have spare beds in a time like this," he tsked. "But understand," he said, his featured stern as he pointed to him. "This is not you being discharged. You are still my patient, under my care and under my orders. This is simply finding you a place in which to recuperate."

"I...of course," Ver said, surprised at what he was doing for him. It meant a lot and he smiled gently, nodding. "I...have a weird question," he finally said and looked down. "Will...I mean, my eyebrows...will they grow back? My hair in general?"

"Yes," Alexion chuckled, nodding as he let out a breath at the question. "Of course. "I could - help them along?"

"I...no. You have better things to use your resources on," Ver said quietly, searching his face for a moment. "It'll grow.."

Alexion held his eyes for a long moment, leaning to him, keeping his voice low. "I think it would do you good," he said with a quiet tone. "To let your body take back control instead of technology, even if a small thing."

"I agree," Ver said and the nod he gave was firm. More like his old self. He closed his eyes tiredly, swallowing. "I feel like I have been in a fight anyway."

"Well you have been," Alexion arched an eyebrow and a gruff, wry sound of laughter. "Your body would have fought hard against the invasion. And then the drone part would have fought hard against the reversal. In all, you have been to war."

Verswallowed as he shook his head at the words. "I know I like machines and all that...didn't mean I wanted to be one."

Alexion gave him a small, wry smile, nodding in agreement. "A bit much, wasn't it."

Ver smiled weakly, looking at him for a moment. "I am just...glad I never had the chance to hurt anyone."

"In times such as these, I think you must be grateful for the simple thing," he agreed with a nod, touching his shoulder.

Ver nodded as he met his eyes, giving a weak smile. "Thank you for...turning me back to myself."

"I was just doing my job," Alexion shook his head and waved a dismissive hand. "You do yours and get better so you can keep this ship in one piece."

"If they let me stay," Ver said and smiled as he looked around. "I always liked smaller ships. They have a better personality."

"I think they will be grateful for all the help they can get at the moment," Alexion shook his head slightly, the corner of his lips tugging into a smile.

"I appreciate it...makes me feel less useless," Ver confessed, closing his eyes tiredly.

Alexion just squeezed his shoulder before getting up. "Get some rest. Things do not seem as bad once the night has passed."

"I hope not," Ver said and swallowed, shaking his head weakly. "Thank you...for making me myself again."

Alexion just shook his head with a dismissive smile. "You will be well," he said softly, moving back to check the others.


[OFF]

Petty Officer 3rd Class Vermeer Talbot
Engineer
formerly of the USS Venture
[PNPC - Aria Rice]

&

WO Alexion Wylde
Doctor
USS Galileo
[PNPC - Scarlet Blake]

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