The Stories We Keep Secret

[losthunter]

Hunter has received a few phone calls after completing his memorial to Kendra, and getting the opportunity to display the artwork in his dimension. His goal of finding the other people who might have had Kendra affect their lives had been successful. And now he is ready to go speak to them personally.

But first, he didn't want to go alone. And at the same time, he didn't want those he was meeting to know that he didn't trust them. So he called Faris to join him in the adventure. Hopefully he would be able to put more of Kendra's memory to peace by doing this.

Comments

[poetwarrior]

Faris doesn't understand such a mindset that excludes others. K'da, by their very nature, can never be alone. But he certainly accepts that humans are not the same.

"What can I do to help you?"

[losthunter]

"I am just grateful that you were with me during this whole adventure. It helps knowing that I am not alone."

"This has been an emotional journey... I feel a little tired."

[poetwarrior]

Faris places a paw on Hunter's knee. "Perhaps you should return home and rest."

[losthunter]

"That's a good idea." Hunter stands up, and sits back down again almost immediately. "Whoa..."

"That was some dizzy spell."

[poetwarrior]

Now Faris is concerned. He hadn't noticed anything that could cause such a thing, but even K'da are prone to sudden illnesses, as humans are. "Are you unwell?"

[losthunter]

"Just really tired... almost exhausted..." Hunter didn't think he was on his feet that much. Or that he was this emotionally drained.

He tries standing again, and wobbles slightly this time, but keeps his balance. Barely. "I should really get home."

[poetwarrior]

Faris is about the perfect height to let Hunter use his back for support, and is quick to get under the human's hand. "Perhaps you should seek medical attention," he suggests, craning back his long neck to look up at him in concern.

[losthunter]

Hunter is glad that Faris is here. He keeps his hand on Faris' head for support, as he opens the PINpoint to get them back to his apartment.

"I don't even know if I would have the strength to get to a hospital."

[poetwarrior]

That admission is alarming. Such a sudden onset of exhaustion seems unnatural and possibly ominous. "Then we should call for assistance." Even as he attempts to convince Hunter of this, of course he'll help Hunter to a seat in his apartment, or his bed if that is his intention.

[losthunter]

"I agree with that..." Hunter will head towards the couch. It seems like a better option than the bed right now. He is a little afraid that if he gets into bed right now, that he might have troubles getting out of bed later.

He holds out his PINpoint. "My vision has gotten blurred."

[poetwarrior]

Faris accepts the PINpoint in one paw. Despite the ominous circumstances, he remains calm, as a warrior should. "Who shall I contact?" He doesn't know the correct number for whatever emergency services the Nexus has, nor that of New York. Or if there is someone else that Hunter would prefer be contacted.

[losthunter]

Hunter's contacts are listed by how often he touches base with them. So Verity is at the top. But he doesn't ask for her, since she should still be on honeymoon mode. Or at least, he hopes she is.

Jim is also near the top. "Try Jim. He knows you."

[poetwarrior]

Faris is glad for the easy access to Hunter's contact list. While K'da paws are more dexterous than they look, manipulating tiny objects requires a great deal of concentration and room for error. He touches the quick-dial for Jim, and sits down on his haunches next to the couch.

It doesn't take long for Jim to pick up. "Kirk here."

"Captain," Faris says, as he keeps an eye on Hunter. "You must come to Hunter's home at once."

"Who... Faris?" There's the sounds of movement, objects being disturbed as Jim reacts to the message. "What's wrong?"

"Unknown," the K'da answers. "He became exhausted quite suddenly. I do not believe he is well."

Jim curses under his breath. "I'm on my way. Should I get Bones?"

[losthunter]

Hunter can barely keep his eyes open. But every time he closes his eyes, some dark memories keep appearing in his mind. And he is unable to actually rest with those dark memories haunting him.

And so he is almost trapped in a situation where he can't close his eyes because of the memories, but he feels so tired he just wants to close his eyes.

It is hard to concentrate on what Faris is telling Jim. But the mention of Bones makes Hunter nod slightly. "If he is available..."

[boldygoing]

"All right, hang on. I'll grab him on the way." Jim closes the channel, and it's only a few short minutes before he and McCoy arrive. Jim is in very casual civilian clothes, but McCoy is wearing the same type of white uniform he had at Starfleet Medical, when Jim was a patient. He's also carrying a small medical kit, and reaches for his tricorder and scanner almost the moment he sees Hunter. He doesn't even look twice at Faris.

"Hunter, are you conscious?" the doctor asks, waving the whirring scanner over him.


[I goofed slightly, forgot Faris can't read English. We'll assume either Hunter has pics next to his contacts or that there's some translation tech for PINpoints]

[losthunter]

"Barely..." Hunter tries to sit up slightly, but he just doesn't have the strength.

[Assumption made ;)]

[boldygoing]

McCoy is quick to put a hand on Hunter's chest to keep him from rising, a reflex honed from years of dealing with restless patients. "Don't try to get up," he says, his voice automatically defaulting to a more soothing tone. His gaze flicks to Hunter's face for a moment, assessing his level of consciousness, before returning his attention to the readout on his tricorder, trying to figure out what's wrong. "Can you describe how you're feeling?"

Behind him, Jim watches in concern. Faris gets out of the doctor's way, coming to sit next to the worried captain.

[losthunter]

Hunter doesn't even fight the sensation of the hand on his chest. He returns to laying down on the couch. The tricorder will identify that whatever is affecting Hunter is causing extreme exhaustion on his body. It is almost like there is a parasite in his system causing the symptoms. But there is no physical read-outs of the cause.

"I feel so exhausted. I just want to sleep. But I can't..."

[boldygoing]

"Can't physically?" McCoy asks, wanting to make as much sense out of these readings as he can. He can see the drain on Hunter's systems, but not the reason.

[losthunter]

"The images I see when I close my eyes..." His eyes flutter restlessly for a moment. "They are just... I just can't rest easily with those images."

He shakes his head. "I thought it was all the PINpoint travelling I did today. But Faris is not showing any symptoms..."

[boldygoing]

Right, Faris was there. Jim looks down at the K'da. "What exactly happened? Where were you?" Though he doesn't entirely mean to, his tone automatically shifts to the one he uses onboard the Enterprise, the one he thinks of as his Captain Voice.

As a warrior, Faris responds well to the demand for a report. "We were traveling and speaking to other humans that were aided by aspects of the oracle. Most were pleasant, and spoke positively of her. However, the last human was clearly agitated and upset by the subject. I was not required to intervene before the situation became violent, though it could have. Hunter did not appear ill until after our departure from the medical facility."

"Medical facility?" McCoy repeats, looking up with a frown. Since his scanner isn't giving him much useful information, he resorts to an older diagnostic technique, manually checking Hunter's vitals and pupil response.

"It's not possible he picked something up there, is it?" Jim asks, frowning in worry. "That's way too fast."

McCoy shakes his head. "I doubt it. I've never heard of any disease that strikes that fast."

[losthunter]

Hunter's heart is going a tad faster than a normal heart would. And there seems to be a slight discoloration at his left arm, almost hidden underneath the rose-bush tattoo.

"The others... they were all given magical abilities by Kendra too." Hunter explains softly. He doesn't like to think about it, but he has to make the suggestion. "This could be an effect of Austin's abilities."

[boldygoing]

"Magic?" McCoy repeats. He's still wary of the whole thing, aware that it's because he doesn't understand it. Magic isn't something he can diagnose or treat. "If it is, I don't know how much I can do."

Jim is the one to spot the discoloration, since he's much more familiar with Hunter's tattoos than McCoy is. "That almost looks like a bruise."

[losthunter]

"Austin grabbed my arm right before we left..." Hunter trails off. He struggles to collect his breath for a moment.

[boldygoing]

McCoy digs into his medkit for a hypospray and presses it to Hunter's shoulder. "I'm giving you a shot of tri-ox," he explains as he does so. "It should help you breathe." That's the immediate concern, but now that that's been addressed, they have a bigger issue at hand. "You should be in a hospital. There's only so much I can do here. But if it is magic, all I'll be able to do is manage symptoms."