Posted by Lieutenant Commander Alexis Kane (Assistant Chief Medical Officer) in Holodeck- Memories Of Time And Places Long Past

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Dr. Solomon Kane (Research & Development) in Holodeck- Memories Of Time And Places Long Past

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Alexis Kane (Assistant Chief Medical Officer) in Holodeck- Memories Of Time And Places Long Past
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻
For the past few weeks, Kane had been busy after his ‘normal’ working hours. He hadn’t discussed what he was doing with Alexis… not that they had that kind if relationship. If he had thought about it, he probably wouldn’t have worried about it even then. Alexis was always buried in her PaDD reviewing a case or reading a new paper on some theory or advancement or another. Except when they slept. He was always with her, and made sure that the lights were on when she finally went to sleep.

But many hours had seen him on the holodeck. And the deck he was in was sealed and locked from any access while he was ended with… whatever it was he was doing.

A little over three weeks after the behavior started, Alexis got a message on her PaDD. Holodeck two. Tonight. 2200. It wasn’t signed, but it was obvious who it was from.

Kane, R&D

To say that Alexis didn’t notice his absence would be incorrect. She did, but such was the nature of his ‘extra’ assignments that it wasn’t unusual for him to work long hours, nor for him to not speak of it. This stretch was long than usual, but it wasn’t as if she didn’t see him, and they were always in each other’s ears. With all the time spent on Dalton, it wasn’t like Alexis didn’t have her own work to catch up on. Cmdr Walker hadn’t said anything about the sudden absence, but she wouldn’t give him reason to need to say anything.

It would be a lie to say that Alexis didn’t like all the reading and research and the mountains of work on her desk. She loved it. However, she would never admit she missed watching Lucy together after their shifts. Though she was absolutely certain, Solomon knew she did. Sitting in her office reviewing test results, the message flashed across her screen. I will be there.

At 2159, Alexis, wearing blue jeans and a soft knit peach sweater, pressed the controls for the holodeck knowing full well it wouldn’t open unless Solomon was ready for it to do so.

Lt. Cmdr. Alexis Kane, Assistant Chief Medical Officer

The doors slid open to reveal the standard black room with yellow grid. Kane was standing in the middle of the room with a PaDD of his own, tapping commands in as the doors slid closed behind Alexis.

He didn’t look up, but from the trademark cascade of hair covering his profile, he said “Hey. How goes the records reconciliation with Dalton?”

Kane

“I had to add a few test results from our trip here, to cover the diagnosis, but that was easy enough. You wiped that ship’s computer so there is no way to tell that we didn’t do the tests. She’s doing well, PT is happy with her progress, and she’s learning to pay attention to her bio-rhythms again. I don’t see why she can’t return to light duty soon, at least in an observation or consultation capacity. Until PT clears her, I wouldn’t allow her to handle experiments.” Alexis shrugged. Dalton was doing well, but her corridination and strength control needed to be refined a bit more before handling something that would require caution.

She was curious, and it was clear from the look she was giving him, but she also had endless patience.

Lt. Cmdr. Alexis Kane, Assistant Chief Medical Officer

Kane nodded, but said nothing for a minute. Then he exhaled deeply and said “Ok. Done.” He looked up at Alexis and said “Ok, so I was thinking a few weeks ago about your dad and everything that went down with your mom. And I realized that we weren’t really on equal footing. You and I went through the ugly s#!t that was your mom; but you only know my ugly s#!t secondhand from stuff I’ve told you. I don’t want that to ever cause a problem, so…” and tapped the PaDD and the yellow grid was replaced with an instantly depressing and claustrophobic city scape.

Alexis gave him a perplexed look. They couldn’t go back in time and they certainly couldn’t cross realities to go back. Alexis knew there were things she would never understand past an intellectual level. He wanted to tell her, and she would listen.

They were standing on the roof of an obviously dilapidated structure on a hill or rise, with he neighboring buildings directly attached. There was a haze all over and in the distance massive structures rose above the cramped, crowded, and dirty surrounding city. Advertisements in bright lights and garish colors stabbed the haze from the sides of buildings and floating billboards. Vehicles of types and makes Alexis had never seen clogged up skyway, and the streets below were crammed with pedestrians and ground vehicles. The sky itself was dark, light nightfall… but something about the place made it seem like the darkness never really went away. The overall technology level was obviously old… far older than Alexis had ever dealt with; and something about it seemed… ‘off’. Like nothing looked or was quite where it should be. Kane looked around and then took a breath.

“Welcome to New Detroit.”

Kane

It was dirty, filthy really, and reeked of … Alexis didn’t have a word for it. It was not as bright as she would have liked, but not so dark that she panicked. It was dark enough to make her desperately want to turn the lights on. She moved next to him, but turned slowly looking at it all. This was where he was born, without a family, even without a name when he was found or… left? He was forced into a gang, owned as a slave to the syndicate, survived a building explosion, was forced to learn Mandarin just to have a normal conversation. And it was here he joined the New Detroit Fire Department because it was the hardest job to get. They were elite and unique among this city. That was even in their own records of their version of this place. It was also here he left because he was tired of saving people for the destruction to just keep happening and then joined Star Fleet.

Seeing it made the things he had told her more vivid, but she’d never really experience it the way he did. It was just light and energy images. Something about it though was not right. Alexis couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. It couldn’t be an error in his program. She turned again, slowly, trying to figure out what it was. Something Solomon had mentioned once came to her suddenly - The Uncanny Valley. “It’s like the mathematics of the universe is off by one trillionth. Not enough to destroy it, but enough to make it not right.” Alexis hand slipped into his and she looked up at him, “Is this how you feel all the time?”

Lt. Cmdr. Alexis Kane, Assistant Chief Medical Officer

Kane wasn’t looking at her, he was looking out over the city. “Yeah…” he said. He was quiet a moment and then looked at her. “Except with you. Thats how I knew you were special. The first time you walked into the lab… I felt it. Like… a harmonization of some kind. I knew that you and I were matched somehow. I don’t know how… don’t really care. All I know is that wherever I am or what I am doing, it’s never quite right. Except when I am with you. Even here…” and he looked out over the city. “When I made this… I made it down to the very last detail. I made this place like my New Detroit. So where you see it as ‘not right’, I saw it as exactly how it should be for me.” He looked back at her and said “Except right now, it’s not. I see it like you do. Twenty minutes ago? I saw like I always had… through my perception of it. But as soon as I ran the program with you standing here, I saw it.” and he grinned. “Weird, huh?”

Kane

“It’s an interesting observation. If I left, do you think you would see it as you always had?” It would be an interesting set of observations to study. Alexis knew that wasn’t the point of the simulation though. Alexis eyes scanned the cityscape again. “I’ve never seen a city with this level if technology but also so polluted.”

Lt. Cmdr. Alexis Kane, Assistant Chief Medical Officer

“Yeah… it was a real garbage dump. Some places, literally. You want to take a look around?” He looked at her and said “I have the program set to ignore you. Nothing you say or do will effect the simulation in any way. You can just watch and listen, if you like. But I can show you how it was… living here.”

Kane

Alexis wasn’t thinking if it as a dump, but more the extreme lack of responsible leadership that allowed the city to become like this. It was, or the New Detroit in her reality, was a Federation world. Who was caring for the people here? She squeezed his hand for a moment, then she nodded once. “Show me.”

Lt. Cmdr. Alexis Kane, Assistant Chief Medical Officer

Kane nodded and took her hand. “Okay. If it gets to be too much, just end the program, okay?” he said. “This building is one of three apartment buildings. As far as quality goes? They are considered not at all bad. Keep that in mind as we go downstairs. And yeah… stairs. No elevators or lifts. Not that there would be enough power to run ‘em even they were installed.”

He led her inside and to a stairwell. The stairs were concrete and covered in graffiti. He led her down the stairs, and the lower they went, the more crowded the place became. People were sleeping in hallways and on the stairs themselves. More than a few of the ‘apartments’ they could see had no doors. Most of the lighting in the halls came from either far too bright or far too dim lighting in the ceiling. A few of the forms on the floor and stairs seemed like they had perhaps not moved in a very long time.

As they came to one landing, a teen was sitting down and leaned against the wall. A needle protruded from his arm below a piece of rubber tubing, and his arm was discolored and swelling. “Hijack. It was a nasty drug that the Syndicate created and tested here in New Detroit. Super addictive and highly lethal.” Kane said as they walked past the form.

Soon they came to the front door, transparent aluminum broken and shattered in the frame. Kane led Alexis out and onto the street. From here, nothing of the view they had from the rooftop was visible. It was humid, and the air clung to them like some kind of parasite. The smell was wholly disconcerting. People, vehicles, rotting garbage, and all manner of raw waste fought a battle for supremacy… but sometimes, just for a moment, there was the smell of something truly wonderful. Food of some kind, but it was quickly swallowed by the overwhelming stench of so many crammed together.

Kane led her to the left and down the crowded street. True to his word, Alexis simply passed by or through the masses of foot traffic. They had not gone far when someone screamed. Everyone froze and all eyes looked at the source: a human woman in her mid-thirties. He companion, a human male of about the same age had a look of shock on his face; and then he simply fell face-forward onto the concrete side walk with a sickening crunch. The handle of a blade protruded from his back. As soon as he hit the ground, two figures moved forward and in an instant had emptied the dead man’s belongings into their pockets and they disappeared into the crowd. The crowd, for their part, simply moved again… people stepping over the body as if it was a particularly noxious bit of trash. Kane took Alexis’ hand and pulled her down the street. The last view of the seen was the woman, the dead man’s companion, staring down at the figure the city had already forgotten.

Kane