Day 56: Tasty Burger (Noon)

[human-sponge.livejournal.com]

Peter didn't know if he and Firo had left on the best terms, if only because the younger man was still so confused about what was going on in this place. The change in time period had a lot to do with it, but it had also sounded like he'd had a lot going on in his life before ending up here. Then again, who hadn't? Peter had just exploded before his arrival.

It was hard to think back to that night, to the way he'd stood in Kirby Plaza while burning up with nuclear overload, when he was in this quaint snow-covered town. This was the sort of image you'd see on the Christmas card; it wasn't supposed to exist.

Still, his walk with Firo had been rather long all things considered, and so Peter finally decided to leave the teen to his devices and go warm up somewhere. The best way to do that would be by putting some hot food in his stomach, and so he ended up backtracking to the Tasty Burger. He could have gone ahead to the Twin Pines, since the food was obviously better quality there, but the walk was longer and his face was starting to get numb.

Letting out a small sigh of relief as he stepped into the lively fast food place, Peter fished the proper coupon out of his pocket and went to stand in line, eyeing the two young girls at the counter as he waited for it to be his turn. Once he'd eaten, he could really start searching the shops for what to buy.

[Claire Bennet.]

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[dual-worlds.livejournal.com]

The captain clearly agreed that there was something more troubling triggering McCoy's behavior. The pieces were slowly beginning to fit together, indicating a larger, ongoing problem that needed to be addressed. Even before Kirk spoke, Spock recognized the way he drew his shoulders back, a sign he'd decided on a course of action.

In truth, a mind meld was the logical course of action, and so it didn't surprise him when Kirk asked if he could perform one. The doctor's physical symptoms, as well as his irrational behavior, pointed toward the possibility of mental trauma that needed correction. Even if that wasn't the case, however, Spock knew he ought to be able to at least glean more information concerning McCoy's condition if he had access to his mind.

"I should be able to do that, yes," Spock quietly answered. After participating in one himself a relatively short time ago, he was sure Kirk understood the seriousness behind the request. If it was the only way to gain a clear understanding of what was plaguing McCoy, though, Spock was willing to do it. As first officer, he shared the responsibility of his subordinates' safety and health.

"Whether Doctor McCoy would consent to it is another matter entirely, however," he added as he met Kirk's gaze. "He harbors distrust toward us, even if he himself may not entirely understand why." That was what made this whole situation all the more unpredictable.

[doneinthree]

Spock didn't waste a second in nailing the key complication in his plan. "I don't suppose you'd also be up for knocking him out first," Kirk mused. He could only imagine how his Bones would react to having a Vulcan dig around in his brain; now age him by a few curmudgeony years, and throw in some natural cross-universe apprehension plus completely irrational paranoia from god knows where, you had a recipe for ugliness. Every line of McCoy's angry tirade was still fresh on his mind.

In spite of having expected that Spock would agree to conducting a mind meld on Bones, Kirk found himself wavering for just a second over the wisdom of it. Was it callous or reckless to be dumping all of this on Spock, considering he'd just had an entire night of...? Okay, nothing, apparently, but just because Spock didn't remember anything didn't mean something hadn't been done to him. But what else could they do now aside from keep an eye on him, and continue dealing with things as captain and first officer? Even Spock would probably agree that an erratic CMO was their priority concern.

If there was the possibility that the same thing could happen to Spock, that maybe this was just the prelude to more fracturing of self-identities, that one day Kirk might find himself forced to admit that he couldn't trust Spock's judgment anymore... If that was the case, and he was getting Spock to dwelve into Bones' mind when they still weren't even sure what had been done to him last night— Quit it, Kirk ordered himself. Questioning his own decisions, entertaining vaguely worrisome what-ifs — he didn't have the luxury of losing confidence right now.

"That was a joke," he added belatedly, realizing there was a chance Spock might take him seriously. (It wasn't the worst idea, but first he should probably try options which weren't practically guaranteed to aggravate crew relations. Well, more than they already were. Sigh.) "I'll talk to him. You just make sure you prepare... whatever it takes to prepare for that, and meet me tonight. If Doctor McCoy refuses to go through with it..." He had no idea. He couldn't let Bones continue on as if nothing was wrong, but he couldn't force him — or Spock, at that — do something so invasive against his will. Kirk gestured vaguely with one hand in lieu of a more coherent statement. "We'll figure something out."