thisavrou_log | You want to pick that shit up?

Entry tags:

You want to pick that shit up?

Who: Erik Lehnsherr & Adrien Arbuckal
When: Sometime after arrival
Where: MedBay
What: Erik offering assistance to help clean up MedBay
Warnings: N/A

Courser sat off to the far side of the space, his colorful barbed tail wrapped around his paws and his head tilted curiously to the side as he watched his companion.

Adrien was currently crawling up on a piece of equipment that stood floor to ceiling. It appeared to possibly be a cryotube of some sort though it held no liquid, which was probably a good thing given the crack across the clear front of the tube.

The doctor had given up on thoughts of trying to fix the tube itself. The crack was extensive, the clear material of the front was completely unknown to him -was it some sort of glass??- so he had no idea how to repair it. He did suspect that a airtight sealed mechanism like this one was not something you wanted to put duct tape across and call repaired.

So he was investigating the possibility of harvesting parts.

However, this meant that he was having to wriggle himself between the ceiling and the top of the tube, which looked about as ridiculous as it sounded. And this was why the bahari was observing the attempt with a mildly amused expression on it's felinoid features. Though Courser made no noise, the tip of his tail twitched, resulting in a remark from the doctor.

"I am not stuck!"

Courser's head cocked the other direction and his tail twitched a couple more times.

"I'm NOT!"

....

He was stuck.

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Erik finds the med bay without too much difficulty, and arrives precisely on time. Ever since the doctor had reached out to him, it has been a priority on his list. He only hoped he could actually manage to repair some of the equipment. The Savrii technology was far beyond anything he had encountered on Earth, and the learning curve is proving to be a challenge. While he is confident that he will be able to master it eventually, such things will prove little comfort to people who need medical attention now.

With any luck, he won't break anything while attempting to repair it.

Upon entering the med bay he discovers a creature that is not at all humanoid. No matter. some of his best friends have had tails. Though they usually had hands to go along with them. How does a doctor like that perform surgery? It would be rude to ask. He clears his throat. "Doctor Arbuckal, I'm Magneto. I'm here to see what I can do with the equipment you need to have repaired, as we discussed."

He hears a thumping noise coming from somewhere above and looks up to see... Feet? Sticking out from some kind of large cylindrical apparatus. "Hello?"

Courser had turned away from watching his companion get himself stuck, towards the door and was watching Erik with alien eyes. His nostrils flared slightly, taking in the man's scent, even as his whiskers twitched and he gave a soft sneeze in response to being directly addressed.

About in time with the sneeze, came a dry flat tone in a lilting accent that might remind someone from Earth of Scottish.

"Doctor Arbuckal is currently stuck in this fucking tube," he said. "And don't call me Doctor Arbuckal. Adrien is fine." Still seated on the floor, Courser gave a lazy wave of his tail, that somehow might have come across as a more congenial greeting than the grouchy, cursing doctor.

There was a pause and then, with a grunt, Adrien began to wriggle for all he was worth, banging and crashing in between the tube and the ceiling until he managed to pop himself free. Unfortunately, in popping himself free he also completely lost his balance and sent himself tumbling to the floor to land right on his ass not a few feet away from Erik.

Slowly drawing up his legs, and attempting to wrap himself in the shreds of his now completely tattered dignity, Adrien rolled forward and started to get to his feet.

"Yeah, that's it. I'm taking a maul axe to this thing." He peered at Erik for a long moment, before motioning back at it. "Unless you'd like the honors and do I actually have to call you Magneto? Can't it just be Erik?"

While Erik was prepared to speak to the alien-dog creature, it does make things easier that the doctor is actually human. The man collapses on the floor in front of him. Erik winces. "At least we're in the med bay," he observes.

Doctor Arbuckal, Adrien, observes him for a long time and Erik takes a quiet breath.

There is a misconception that all Abrahamic religions have the same conception of the afterlife. In fact, Hell is an invention of the Gentiles. It is that fact that Erik has been holding onto to keep himself sane, and now keeps first and foremost in his mind. Because if Hell were real, then he would know that he is in it right now.

But this man is not Charles' doppelgänger. Which is for fortunate for Adrien, as it means that Erik does not have to kill him. It's just an unfortunate coincidence. Possibly more unfortunate for Erik himself than anybody else. He lets out the breath.

"I take it you have met my predecessor." So much for deciding how he'd like to be addressed. At least he hadn't made the mistake of attempting an alias. He considers insisting on his chosen name, but this is a mission of finding potential allies. A less hardline approach is necessary. "Erik is... fine."

He glances at the cylinder Adrien had been... doing something completely necessary with. He steps forward to examine the thing, "Was this one of the things you'd like to have repaired, or should I come back with a maul axe? Though a sledge hammer might be-- strange." He frowns and slides his fingertips over the cracked transparent panel, feeling a resonance in the substance.

Be fair, Erik. You could certainly try to kill him, but you'd have to take a number and even then it wouldn't be particularly easy.

As for how he knew the name, Adrien reached up and scratched at the back of his neck, but as Erik wasn't asking further questions, he let the matter drop for the time being. Better to focus on work and the equipment.

"After an extensive examination of this piece of equipment, I wasn't going to try to waste time on repairing it," he said, coming forward and reaching out to point at the crack that Erik was exploring.

"I've never seen material like this, but I suspect this tool was intended to have 100% quarantine effectiveness, not just liquid, and if that is the case I don't want to try to repair a breach like this without the appropriate materials." And who knew if those materials were even on this damn floating scrap of space junk.

"At this point I believe it would serve our immediate needs better to break it down and use its parts to repair equipment that isn't as badly damaged or in need of such a specialized level of repair to be made functional."

It's better if we don't get into the topic of just how far Erik would be willing to go on the subject of saving and/or avenging Charles' life and just agree it's better that it won't come up as he himself is unlikely to survive such a thing.

Erik listens closely as Adrien explains the purpose of the broken cylindrical apparatus, his thumb stroking the surface absent-mindedly. "I agree that a seamless repair would be crucial. But, if I may, I'd like to attempt a repair." He knocks the thing lightly with one knuckle. "This is transparent aluminum. Which was theoretically possible in my time. I'd appreciate a chance to get to work with it."

He hesitates, that familiar, frustrating uneasiness creeping under his skin. This man may look like Charles, but that has no relation to whether or not he is a mutant. But regardless of Adrien's own status, if he has known a version of Erik in the past then he's probably already aware of some things. "I don't suppose there's any point in trying to be discrete about how I plan to do this."

Edited (toddler got to the keyboard, didn't notice all the blank space they added) 2017-10-14 00:08 (UTC)

If it was truly transparent aluminium, or something similar, Adrien was willing to give Erik the opportunity to repair the equipment. Though he had made triage choices on what pieces to try to save and what to use as scraps, the truth was he'd like to ensure that at least one of everything was brought back online.

At the question, he simply arched an eyebrow and then shook his head.

"Not especially," he said in a neutral tone, that Erik might come to realize was his usual way of speaking. "But if it helps, I can go into the other room and you can pretend I don't know what you're doing out here?"

It was a genuine offer. What mattered was the work and getting this MedBay functioning to help people. There wasn't time for delicate sensibilities and he wasn't going to bother either of them with this particular dance. If Erik wanted the illusion of privacy, Adrien would give it to him.

Adrien's offer to go in the other room draws an amused expression from Erik, not a smirk but not quite a smile. "I'm not going to make love to it, Adrien. I just want to know if you're going to try to hit me with a crowbar while I"m working."

He focuses on the cylinder, spreading his hand over the base of the crack and feeling his way into it. The edges of the crack are angry, and want to come together. He starts to coax them to reunite.

All the while keeping his awareness stretched out in case Adrien did try the crowbar option after all.

At the mention of the crowbar, Adrien's face morphed into what have been an almost comical level of ... why would ..da fuck?? before he reminded himself who he was talking to. Lifting his hands in a gesture of 'no crowbar' and he stepped back to let Erik work in peace.

Erik's awareness would alert him to the fact that the doctor had genuinely moved off to re-engaged with a piece of equipment he'd been able to sort out and was currently getting up to snuff. The individual who appeared most curious about Magneto's work was the creature he'd first met at the door.

Courser had come closer, nostrils wriggling curiously as he took in the scent of the metal as Erik worked the edges of the crack. Seating, the tips of his colorful ears reached close to five feet in height, bright eyes inquisitive, whiskers arched and ears perked upwards as he cocked his head to the side. Every so often, he turned his head to sniff at Erik and then back to the work he was doing, obviously trying to work out the olfactory connection.

From within the depths of the equipment he was working on -some sort of diagnostic bed- Adrien cautioned.

"Courser, it's rude to sniff strangers."

The animal glanced over his shoulder and appeared to give his companion a pointed look before turning back to Erik and blinking up at him, sneezing delicately.

Adrien occupies himself with other work as Erik painstakingly knits the aluminum back together. He relaxes, as much as he ever does, and focuses more fully on the task at hand. It is more difficult than he anticipated, and even he isn't so arrogant to assume it will be easy. The molecular structure has been ... shifted in a way that he has to understand before he can replicate it. He refuses to allow an ugly jagged tin-colored seam mar the glasslike appearance.

He is aware of the creature, which he can only comprehend as "dog-like" despite the various obvious differences. Whatever it actually is is a bit beyond his ken at this point.

He'll catch up soon enough. One thing at a time.

"I don't mind," he says to Adrien when he corrects the beast. Gingerly, he scratches the top of the creature's head as he continues work. The material groans as it stretches, strains to reunite. But eventually, he manages to seal the crack.

Maybe.

He steps back, wiping his brow with a rag. Fine detail work is often more taxing than the big, explosive displays. He's not entirely confident of the quality, but at least it's all one piece, now. "Is there some way to test how functional this is, now? I haven't worked with this type of material before. I'd be more comfortable if there's some kind of controlled test before it's used to treat anybody."

At the scritch between the ears, Courser rolled his eyes towards his companion with a pointed look. It was an expression that Adrien ignored completely as he gave a small sort and focused back on his own work.

When the question came, the doctor paused and set down his tools, before walking over towards Erik and the tank.

"Unfortunately we've yet to secure power to every piece of equipment in here, and since I had expected to be junking this, I re-routed its power supply to another tool." AS he spoke, he leaned in and studied the area where the crack had been. The work Erik had performed was impressive.

"Besides. This is meant to be an airtight bio-hazard chamber. I'd have to concoct some sort of airborne gas that we could then measure the exterior atmosphere to ensure it didn't leak. Not that I can't do that, but it hasn't been a priority. Still ... it looks much better now than it did before."

"A logical course of action," Erik says as Adrien examines his work. It would be unreasonable to anticipate that somebody like him might arrive to help. He smiles slightly. "At least we can tell it's aesthetically pleasing. And perhaps it could be used to store grain if it is not air tight." His frustration with his continued unfamiliarity with the alien technology finds its voice in dry quips.

He looks around to see if there's any other obvious thing for him to do, but is distracted by the creature. Courser. It's not particularly canine at all, now that he gives it a closer look. Instead, it seems much more feline. Which is a disconcerting thought in an animal that big. "I'm going to assume your... animal companion is not of Earth," he says. "Every Earth cat that size is a predator too dangerous to domesticate."

Don't worry Erik, there is plenty that still needs to be moved around and some of the equipment is pretty damn large.

The dry quip earns the metal master a flat look; he gets the joke, he just has no sense of humor at the moment. Instead, he moves away from the fixed unit and starts to walk a short circuit around the MedBay, mentally cataloging what else he needs help with.

"You would assume correctly," he said, in response to the statement about Courser. "He's a species known as bahari and was a gift from an officer on my previous ship."

Courser, continued to sit close, his barbed tail waving lazily as he listened to his companion and watched Erik.

"Bahari come in two subsets, the beserkers and the trackers. Courser is the latter. It means he's a bit smaller and a little more domesticated than his cousins, but he still killed and ate approximately two hundred and eighty Savrii before we left." Adrien paused and then amended. "Well, killed approximately two hundred and eighty Savrii, I don't think he had time to eat them all ... though someone is a little on the plump side."

This last bit was aimed at the tracker, who gave his ears a disdainful flick and then turned to preen his colorful scales. Adrien snorted, face impassive, and then came back to stand a few feet away from Erik.

"Though if you ask most people, the murdercat is more sociable than I am so, make of that what you will. Alright, I don't know how much time you have, so I'll lay out the projects and you can choose what you feel suits."

With that, Adrien launched right into a professional mode, as if discussing murder and other unsavory topics was of little interest.

He has more equipment that needed mending, bits of metal that had been bent or strained and could use straightening out, as well as a survey for structural weakness. He'd been relying on Erik to tell him if the damaged parts could be repaired or if they needed to be replaced. Additionally there was obvious scrap that needed to be moved, preferably out of MedBay, maybe to a general scrap pile? Beyond that there were a couple of tables and cabinets that had ripped out of their moorings, and needed to be re-anchored.

And as he walked through these repairs, Adrien also began to think out loud about some basic layout changes for the Bay itself, to make it more user friendly and also set up an area for biohazard quarantine. It may have been worth noting that the doctor seemed particularly invested in biohazard security ... or perhaps Erik's patience had grown thin by this point and he was distracted by looking for a cabinet to shove Adrien into.

Adrien is not amused with Erik's witticisms. His loss. Erik is very funny, according to him. "Bahari," he repeats softly, making sure he notes the inflection. "Fascinating. Courser here is quite formidable, I will count us lucky that he isn't quite so aggressive as his brethren." He offers a hand to the creature, so that it can get his scent. "Good work. If the opportunity arises, I hope I will live up to your example," he says to the creature.

Erik glances sidelong at Adrien when he comments on his sociability. "I prefer to make my own opinions on others," he says. For him, it is often the ones that the rest of society has deemed unacceptable in some way that best understand him anyway.

The amount of work to be done is considerable, and Erik listens attentively as Adrien explains it all, following him about the MedBay. The first mention of biohazard security doesn't seem odd. Somewhere around the fifth, Erik starts to wonder why this particular topic weighs so heavily on the good doctor's mind. "I can anchor the tables and cabinets today, and move the scrap to the workshop. Some of the mending I'll take to the workshop and make the students do for practice." There were a lot of young people without much to do. Which, as Erik knew from experience, had a potential to lead to disaster. The more busywork he could invent for them the better.

"For the more complicated things, I can set up a regular time to come here every day and work on them until everything possible is in working order, if that is agreeable to you. And in the meantime, if you would like to draw up some specific outlines of what you would like this place to look like, I can see what I can do. It may require the work of somebody more familiar with the network, as well." Erik has been working with Yori on better understanding how the network functions, but he's not about to risk the operation of the MedBay on his beginner's work.

Once they have completed the circuit, Erik taps a finger on the newly-repaired apparatus and arches an eyebrow at Adrien. "How much of a danger are biohazards on this station, exactly?"

Adrien was nodding along with Erik's input and suggestions, even if he did wince slightly at the idea of having to draw. Oh well, he could fake something.

As for the question, he turned back towards the man and arched an eyebrow, but whatever immediate response he was going to give, he stopped and adjusted before he began to speak.

"We're trapped aboard a vehicle out in the vacuum of space. Our breathable environment is dependent upon a completely enclosed life support system. Even with the input from the green area of this station, we are dependent upon the resources trapped within this structure."

It was not his intention to sound patronizing. He just understood how it could be hard to imagine such a large structure, like this station or a massive ship, running out of air. Not unless you stopped and really thought about it.

"If at anytime this environment becomes compromised, be it a leak or an airborne contagion, the speed that contagion could spread at would be accelerated and our time to contain it would be a rapidly closing window. In that instance, the only truly effective treatment is one hundred percent deterrent."

He paused and glanced at Courser, if anything his expression managing to become even darker than was his norm.

"I've been on a spaceship, when an attempt to murder the entire crew through the deliberate release of a contagion was executed. It was highly unpleasant."

Erik doesn't miss the face Adrien makes at the mention of drawing up plans. "Or you could tell me what you want and I can draft up plans until you're satisfied. I just don't want to start tossing bulkheads around until we're clear on what you actually want."

The look Adrien gives him when Erik questions his commitment to biohazard prevention immediately makes him feel it was a foolish question, and so he endures Adrien's extensive explanation. Despite Adrien simply informing him of the precarious realities of their situation, he can't help but feel it is a dressing-down. By the facts, if not by Adrien himself. "It's good that we have you as a doctor, your experience is invaluable." He grips Adrien's bicep a moment, an attempt to express some sort of sympathy for his traumatic past.

"I expect should anyone be so foolish as to attempt such a thing again, we will be able to quickly eliminate the threat." It is not a promise he makes lightly. Should anything threaten Charles and the children, Erik will destroy it. He knows he is capable, and will not hesitate.

The bicep under Erik's fingers tensed, as did the entirety of the doctor's body. Physical contact was not his strong suit and Adrien had to consciously force himself not to draw back in complete shock. He tolerated the contact, everything he knew about Erik telling him it should be fleeting.

"I don't expect the concerns from my world to make their way here," he said and as soon as he was released he took a few steps back, re-establishing personal space. "Quite honestly, at this moment we're our own worst enemies."

Erik doesn't miss how tense Adrien becomes, which was precisely the opposite of what he was trying to do. He leans back slightly as Adrien steps away. "True, but there's also no point in ignoring your expertise."

"When are we not our own worst enemies?" He asked, feeling rather philosophical about it. "The population does appear to be in relatively good health, and so long as we remain a closed system there won't be any pathogens introduced, correct? The greatest threat to the public health right now is the public. Perhaps we should focus on repairing any sort of equipment that can be used to treat traumatic injuries before we worry about the rest of it."

Adrien puts space between them, but it's done in a way that suggests he's a man who generally does not invite people into his personal space; rather than anything to do with Erik personally.

Once he has that safe buffer he begins to talk, direct and to the point about matters here and now. Nothing more about his past or about him personally.

"A fair assessment," he agreed. "We have a lot of equipment and inventory from our pacdiscs, enough to handle some general wear and tear on the crew as people work to get this place up and running, but it would be best to avoid careless injuries.

Getting some of these basic diagnostic pieces up and on line would take the strain off our supplies a little. Also I'd like to see about getting the R & D equipment up and running. That might be our best hope to replicate some of the medicines we currently have a finite supply of."

Erik doesn't pursue Adrien around the MedBay, but stays where he is and follows him only with his eyes. Erik's own concern is closer to the belief that the various inmates will begin injuring each other purposefully, but doesn't correct Adrien about it. He has been there longer. Perhaps, for once, Erik's suspicions of humans will be proven wrong. "How confident are you that our fellows will take all necessary safety measures?" He asks, his tone wry.

The mention of R & D leads to a shift in Erik's posture. He stands up a little straighter as his shoulders tense. He tilts his head slightly as he looks at Adrien, appraising him anew. "What sort of R & D, exactly?"

"At the moment, my goal is to find a way to replicate the medicines we have in such short supply," Adrien answered, appearing not to notice the change in Erik's posture.

Courser noted it and the bahari calmly moved in between the master of metal and magnetism and his companion. He made no other move beyond that but the message was clear; Erik could stay on his side of the invisible line just drawn.

Adrien continued to explain, while distracted by looking under something.

"There is no indication of any sort of supplies coming our way, not any time soon, so we're going to have to make the most of what we have. If we can find a way to replicate either the medicines themselves, or replicate their components into a holistic substitute, that will at least give us some breathing room in terms of treatment options."

Erik notices the creature's reaction even if Adrien doesn't. His fights his instincts as he listens to Adrien's explanation. He does not have to reach for available weapons, neutralize the creature before attacking the doctor. Carefully concealing his effort, Erik breathes slowly and focuses intently on what Adrien is saying, that focus drowning out the awareness of various implements he could weaponize.

It's not necessary.

"A sound plan," he agrees. As if Adrien needs his approval. "You are the doctor, after all. I'm just the fix-it man." He looks about, remembering what they said earlier about what needed to be done first. "I can start anchoring the cabinets now, if you'd like."

Erik was willing to try an attack, but if he slowed down and thought about the situation for a moment, he might realize he is not at the advantage he believes himself to be. Specifically, Adrien has already alerted Erik to the fact that he knows him and is aware of what he is capable of doing. The master of magnetism, however, does not have the same set of intel on the doctor.

For now, however, Adrien nodded to Erik's suggestion to work on the cabinets.

"You'll discover that they seem to already be laid out to fit a certain way. I don't see any reason to change that, just the need to re anchor them to the bulkheads. If you need me for any questions, I'll be down working on inventory of the medicine cabinet."

The tension is still there. It never goes away easily. Never completely goes away at all. He is going to be irritable and on edge for the rest of the day, he knows that already. But his heart rate is slowing, and it's not as much of a struggle to focus on what Adrien is saying. He is already irritated with himself. Of course he's not going to be using unwilling test subjects. The population on the station isn't that big, and Erik would hardly be the only person to object.

The fact that he still has these reactions despite knowing how illogical it is extremely frustrating.

He nods. "If you decide you want them rearranged later, I should be able to do that. Within reason." He doesn't quite smile, but he tries.

Adrien paused briefly and then glanced over at Erik directly. The truth was, he was used to hostility and arrogance from this man and he knew enough to understand that the latter, at least, was legitimately earned. The former? Well he understood some of the roots and part of the motivations, and it had always served his purpose to allow certain assumptions to stand.

What he was not used too was Erik's dry sense of humor. This was ... new and Adrien tried to read it, before giving up on the attempt. His people skills sucked.

"I'll try to remember to keep my expectations within reason," he responded in a flat tone. There may have been shades of a returned dry amusement, but the doctor's reserve might make it too hard to make out.

Erik starts anchoring the cabinets, starting with the first one by the door and planning to move clockwise. He can feel Adrien's gaze on him but declines to comment on it. He hasn't yet encountered alternate versions of people he knew before. Adrien's uncanny resemblance to Charles is the closest he's experienced to that. He can only imagine how odd it must be.

He chuckles softly at Adrien's comment. "If you keep them low enough, you'll never be disappointed. I believe that's how the saying goes."

In truth there is an enormous amount Erik could do with the space, but whether or not any of it would be conducive to medical care, he has no idea.

"I know better than to fall into that trap," Adrien remarked, almost under his breath but he didn't look inclined to elaborate.

He then put his attention on his own work, trying to give Erik space as well as quiet in which to concentrate.

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You want to pick that shit up?

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