Posted by Lieutenant Commander Bethany Kovra Gadi (Chief of Security) in side-sim: New Rhythms

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Aasrel Izei (Chief Medical Officer) in side-sim: New Rhythms

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Bethany Kovra Gadi (Chief of Security) in side-sim: New Rhythms
Posted by… suppressed (27) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
“Part of it,” Aasrel replied. “I have news.” He stretched in his chair, he had been sitting there a while. Doctor Th’rethiss had stopped by and planted the sample under Aasrel’s skin. It was a 24 hour test to see if there was a reaction.

Bethany sat up a little straighter. News was good. Whether it was positive or negative didn’t matter. It was information. “Tell me.”

Aasrel looked at her, meeting her gaze. “There was something in the tissue sample from your paracortex. An unknown neurotransmitters in huge quantities. It’s blocking the psylosynine from going where it’s supposed to. I need to look up what the neurotransmitter is, and once I do, I can find a way to block it.”

~ Aasrel

Bethany looked confused. “Unknown? How did I get an unknown neurotransmitter? Aren’t those produced by my body? Is it a virus or something? Human and Betazoid medicine is pretty complete. How is it unknown? Is that what made me start making psilosynine? I mean I’ve never produced it in the first place.” Rapid fire questions that probably had no answers or connections. “If it’s blocking the psilosynine is that why it’s going to my blood stream and making me sick? Won’t the same thing happen with this other one if you block it?”

Bethany

Aasrel answered her questions one at a time, taking her hand in his and squeezing it. “It has to be produced by your body and I’m going to find out why. But finding out what it is might tell me why. It’s not a virus. I think it may have caused a delay in your production of psilosynine. That is why it’s leaking into your bloodstream, because it can’t go where it’s supposed to. And yes, that could happen, but not if I can stop production of it… I don’t know till I find out more.” He squeezed her hand. “That’s what I’m going to do today. I’m going to find out what it is.”

~ Aasrel

Bethany nodded after he finished talking, Her gaze was focused on the middle distance while letting the information sink in. Her focus returned to him, “You’re going to the station. I’m going with you.” It was fact not a question. She had a strict buddy protocol for anyone leaving the ship.

“You’re sick. You’re staying. There’s a whole Security department that can escort me,” Aasrel argued.

“What about you? Were you and Th’rethiss able to start the donor sample testing?”

Bethany

He nodded and held out his arm, palm up, rolling up the sleeve. There was a circle in marker in the middle of his forearm. “If it turns red or itches or there’s a rash, it’s a reaction and you can’t donate. If it doesn’t, you can. We’ll know tomorrow morning.”

~ Aasrel

“Good. You’ll tell me the results either way?”

Aasrel nodded. “Promise I will.”

Bethany then gave him a long stare. “I’m going. My department is short handed and I’m still cleared for duty unless you AND Th’rethiss remove me from duty. And I had better be actively dying if you do that. Besides we’re not going to fight or run or anything like that. We’re going for a walk and to use a computer. It’s not open to discussion.” She had a stubborn streak as long as the Appalachian mountains. Just ask her uncles.

Bethany

Aasrel gave a long, suffering sigh, like he was used to stubborn patients. “Fine. But if you make yourself worse, I will talk Th’rethiss into taking you off duty. Let’s eat breakfast, then go.” Aasrel could be obsessive with things like this. He wouldn’t rest till he knew or he hit a dead end.

~ Aasrel

Bethany raised a brow but grinned. She’d won. “You know this is easier. If I stay here I will have hand to hand combat training,” she tossed over her shoulder as she left and headed to the lounge to eat.

Bethany

Aasrel followed her to the lounge. “You know, I have 24/7 access to sedatives.” He was joking of course, he wouldn’t do that, but he wanted to see what she’d say.

Bethany paused, turned, and stepped right into his personal space, into his intimate space. She leaned in, hand on his chest, and whispered in his ear. “Oh Doc, the extreme measures you would have to take to get close enough to administer it to me would so be worth it.” She stepped back and walked into the lounge.

Aasrel grinned but didn’t respond as they headed into the lounge.

Once they’d finished breakfast Aasrel was antsy and impatient about getting to the station to look up his mystery chemical.

~ Aasrel

Bethany ate fast and was done when he was. “Let’s go.” They passed through the airlock, checking out with the Chief on duty. Once on the station proper, she tucked her hand into his elbow and leaned in, as if they were sharing intimate secrets. “Slow down, relax. If you look in a hurry, people will want to know why and start following us.”

Bethany

Aasrel deliberately slowed his pace. “I want to look this up and get out of here.” He kept his voice low and leaned into her as he said it. “Where are we going?”

~ Aasrel

“So do I, so let’s not attract the wrong kind of attention.” She allowed her cheeks to flush as if he’d said something risqué to her. “Public access terminal. Like a digital library. Two levels down and about half way across the station.”

Bethany

“Lead the way,” said Aasrel softly. He put an arm around her and pulled her into him. “Should we see how many times I can make you blush for real before we get to the terminal?” He grinned playfully. Joking… Unless she said yes.

~ Aasrel

She stepped in closer to him, her steps matching his rhythm. Her arm slipped around his waist and her hand tucked into the back pocket of his pants. “Oh well I think we can count that as one, because the possibilities are so stimulating.” They entered into a small crowd of people disembarking from another ship before they were able to turn down a central passage that would lead them to the lifts.

Bethany

It would be an interesting place to be, if he weren’t so worried about how dangerous it might be. Instead of worrying about that, he kept his focus on Bethany. “Then I’m off to a good start. Too bad we weren’t at your quarters this morning or I could be off to a better one.”

~ Aasrel

Bethany placed a kiss right below his jaw, “Now I asked if I could go back to my quarters last night, you said no.” She would have had no problem repeating the previous morning. She was not one to blush easily or give away what she was thinking, but she didn’t mind with Aasrel, and those were enticing memories.

Bethany

“You’re sick. I want there to be lots of yesterday mornings. Can’t do that if I let you die of this.” Her kiss made him smile. He leaned into her as they walked. “You won’t be in Sickbay tonight.”

~ Aasrel

Bethany laughed softly and waited for the lift. “Does that mean you are staying the night?” Lots of people were moving in and out. She watched them like a hawk about to snag a rabbit of the ground, though they didn’t notice. As far as they knew she was immersed in the man next to her. For once her eyes came in useful. They were both Betazoid causing those around them to assume they were engaging in private communication. There were some curious stares, but so far nothing that concerned her.

Bethany

Aasrel grinned. “Do you want me to stay the night?” The truth was, the night he’d slept over he’d slept really well despite his nightmare. Had he been alone, he wouldn’t have gone back to sleep at all. And last night, he hadn’t slept. He’d spent all night in the medical lab with an energy drink (or two). A decision he was starting to feel the consequences of.

~ Aasrel

The lift arrived, people filed out and then their make shift group got on. Bethany gave him a teasing look but stayed silent until they got off, two decks down. She moved toward a large sign showing a map of the station. She ‘studied’ it for a moment and then they moved on. “You are always welcome to stay the night. We can’t have more mornings if we are in separate rooms.”

Aasrel smiled again. “Then I guess I’m staying over. Because I liked that morning.”

The blush was obvious to more than just him that time. “The feeling is very much mutual. I would make mornings like that a habit…or maybe an addiction.”

Aasrel looked at her and smiled. “An addiction I would want.”

She paused at a serving window and purchased two drinks. She handed one to him, “Grape juice from Earth.” The meandered along until she was certain a woman who had boarded the lift with them wasn’t following them, and then headed toward their actual destination.

Bethany

He sniffed the drink before trying it. It… Wasn’t his favorite, but it was okay. He kept his arm around her as they walked. He’d studied the map while Bethany had stopped in front of it. They weren’t headed the right way at first, and then they started going to their real destination. He figured Bethany had a reason, but kept quiet.

~ Aasrel

Bethany grinned, “It’s very sweet I know. It was the only non-alcoholic option. They think it’s wine, but it’s not.” Rounding a corner she dropped her still full cup in a trash receptacle. She nodded ahead of them. “There it is.” She walked in and moved toward a terminal several rows back and sat down. They were open access terminals. Her fingers flew across they interface, several things popping up across the screen and then disappeared. She slid over to the adjacent chair. “There ya go. Nice and secure.”

Bethany

Aasrel tossed his cup when she did. He sat down after she slid over and began searching. Then he used the interface to search. “A neurochemical… Not Betazoid....” He spoke to himself quietly as he kept looking. It was about fifteen minutes of searching he found the answer. “El-Aurians have a neurochemical matching the one in your sample. Like Betazoids, it makes their empathy function.”

~ Aasrel

The only thing that prevented Bethany’s internal reaction from showing was years of training. “What?” she asked quietly. Then shook her head, they could discuss that later. She leaned in again, “Ready to go?” She couldn’t place it, but she suddenly had a very bad feeling. She felt twitchy and that was never good.

Bethany

“Give me another few minutes.” Aasrel typed furiously, trying to find more info. El-Aurians. Anything about them. How their empathy worked… Bingo. He found it. He put it on a data stick, then closed out and stood. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

~ Aasrel

Bethany reached over before he stood up and tapped a few commands, clearing out their trace and resetting the terminal. Then she slipped back onto his arm as they walked out. She scanned the crowd as they walked. She kept to the same easy pace, but there was a subtle tension in her. She suddenly took him by the hand and pulled him into a clothing shop. She grabbed something off the nearest display and held it up. It was hideous and very revealing. She laughed, “What do you think?” Her eyes watched the crowd behind him.

Bethany

Aasrel caught on instantly that it was a ruse. “Hmm. Not that one, I think.” He said and smiled politely. “Maybe a different top?” What was wrong? His eyes were asking her. How he wished for telepathy now. He was getting worried. Scared. He desperately wanted to look behind him, but he kept his attention on Bethany.

~ Aasrel

She grinned at him and dragged him further into the shop. She put the outfit down and stood really close to him, “You promised me a new outfit, so you have to help pick. That way I know it is something you like.” Her voice changed, there was a smooth drawl and twang to her voice now. She gently pushed him toward the racks. Her voice feathered across his ear. “We’re fine, just shop.”

Bethany

“Oh, alright, fine. Let’s see, then…” It was hard to focus on tops when he knew they weren’t here for tops. “What about this?” He pulled out a blue top with a low V in the neck. “Do you like that one?” He hadn’t really chosen it, just picked something at random.

~ Aasrel

Bethany wrinkled her nose, “Oh darlin’ that color with that skirt. Perrrfect,” she purred and had by now made her way toward the back and had several things in hand. “Come on I’ll model them for ya.” The clerk pointed the way and then shook his head good naturedly and shared a wink with Aasrel. Bethany chattered away about the clothes and he would just love the way it looked on her. When the clerk turned to help someone else, she grabbed Aasrel by the hand, put a finger to her lips, and dragged him out the back access to the shop.

She hurried them down through a few turns and corridors before she slowed. “We’re okay. Well okay, we should be. I spotted someone that I don’t want to spot me. I’ll tell you later. Cardassian. We need to get back.”

Bethany

Aasrel followed her lead at every turn. When she finally slowed and told him what was going on, he seemed concerned. “Okay, let’s go. We’ll talk about that and what I looked up.” He put his arm around her and pulled her to him. “Leisurely pace, right?”

~ Aasrel

Bethany nodded and leaned into him, “Right.” She slipped her hand back into his pocket. They almost made it back to the lifts when she spotted Vaec, watching the crowd. So he had seen her. She muttered a dark expletive. “Go back to the ship.” Her arm slipped from around him and she gave him a gentle push toward the crowd. Vaec wasn’t interested in people he had no knowledge of and would leave Aasrel alone, unless he got in the way. “Go.” Bethany slipped down a side corridor.

Bethany

Aasrel stood still in the crowd for a moment. He could do what she said, return to the ship. It would be safer. The way she was acting, this person must be dangerous. But… He couldn’t get the idea out of his mind something might happen. The way she’d looked when she dragged him into that clothing shop. Her face when she’d seen someone, he hadn’t seen who, in the crowd, just now. Could he really let her go alone?

He gave the lifts one last look, then slipped quickly down the same side corridor, following Bethany.

~ Aasrel