Infirmary Bound

Log Info

Title: Infirmary Bound
Emitter: N/A
Characters:Jack Bowen (Jackhammer), Sullivan Prieto (Vesper), Miranda Weisse (Whisper) and Stephanie & Steven Moore (Chimera)
NPCs: N/A
Place: Steranko Institute - Infirmary
Time: 4-29-2010
Summary: Post Toy-Store battle Stefanie is in the infirmary and gets some visitors.

Steranko Institute - Infirmary
The Infirmary is a marvel of contradictions. The layout and style of the building is fresh out of the 1950s — but the technology inside is more than capable of dealing with super humans, and aliens, and even the occasional mystical creature from beyond space and time. Seriously, there's a tesseract chamber in the basement — JUST in case. The two story building is arranged with several wards, and a rather large ER/Trauma center.


After the truly unpleasant events under the toy store it was a bit dicey getting Stephanie to the infirmary of the institute. Fortunately the gender ambigous teen is possessed of an iron determination and despite truly egregious injuries she managed to make the trip. Several hours of surgery later, and a full day of bed rest after that, and she's just now waking. The girl is covered in bruises, ugly dark ones, and swathed in bandages. Her gender is a lot more obvious since the hospital gown isn't really very concealing. Hooked up to an IV, she's thankfully not intebated. At the moment she's propped up in bed, and reading one of her brother's favorite books - Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster-Bujold. Her dinner tray, about half eaten, has been set aside in favor of book.

Liv slips into the infirmary with hackles raised. Needles, people who tell you to do inexplicable things for your own good, and an endless sea of sterile white … what's not to be hostile about? She carries a small vase of flowers, which looks like a sympathy bouquet purchased by someone who has never even walked into a flower shop before and simply pointed at things going, "That's pretty," … which is probably exactly how it was created. She peeks her head around the doorway to Stephanie's room and knocks once. "Hey, are you in?" she says, nerves guised with humor.

"So, this is the infirmary," says a voice from outside. Jack's just met his dorm's newest resident, and is showing her around. He'a also carrying a small shopping bag in one hand, as he opens the door to let Miranda in. Again, ladies first. He's been acting like that the /whole/ walk over, mind. "Considering the students here, the setup here's top o'the line, with some extras for the tough customers. Heck, they had to get a high-powered laser to break my skin." Which was /not/ a pleasant experience for Jack, no sir. "And, there's our little heroine," he says, praying Stephanie is home or it'll get awkward calling him that.

Miranda actually doesn't seem put off by the courtesy, and seems to have enjoyed the walk. She hangs back a little when Jack goes to introduce Stephanie, or tries to. Unfortunately, Jack's manner really makes that hard to do.

"Nope. I'm not, please leave a message at the tone." Stephanie looks up as she sees Liv and the (probably random) flowers, a faint flash of smile to show that she's teasing. A bookmark is placed in her book, and the covers closed so she can set it aside. Reading in front of a guest would be rude! And then Jack and Miranda make their appearance, and she shifts up a little more, a little surprised at the new arrivals. "Well, truthfully, Steven did most of the work, and I don't even know if we won. I'll assume we did though since I'm here…" And not dead. A faint wince as she shifts, and then a smile to welcome Miranda in. "Hello. I'm Stephanie."

"These are for you. I hope you like … uh …" Liv gestures helplessly at the flowers. She's not sure what most of them are. She sets them down on the nearest convenient surface and turns to study Stephanie. "How are you feeling?" she asks anxiously. "I mean … how long until they can get you back up on your feet? Is there …" she cuts herself off, hands stuffed in her pcokets. There's a dose of guilt mixed in with the concern. Jack's entrance with Miranda brings her swiveling about. "Hey," she says with a weak smile.

There's a tip of the fedora as the others turn to him. "Evening, ladies," he says. "I wanted to visit Steph and Steven, but it's good to see you too, Liv. And we did win, Steph." Yes, he's taking Steph's dual nature in stride. At least on the outside. Inside, he's still stymied. "At least, if that Sister Mystica broad ain't gotten out on bail already?" He gives Liv an inquisitive look, at that. "And this young lady is Miranda Weisse. Newest resident in Baldwin, and I'm vouching for her right here an' now."

Miranda smiles faintly. "Glad to meet you, Stephanie. I'm avoiding working on my term paper, so Jack offered to let me tag along." She's carrying a large purse, large enough to hold her laptop at least. She glances at the book Stephanie is reading. "Good book. What page are you on?"

"Thank you for the flowers." Nope, Steph has no idea which variety they are either, but they're fragrant, pretty, and a sweet gesture on Liv's part. "The doctors said that they'd consider letting me…" A glance to Jack, and a slightly tremulous smile. "…that is to say, us, move back to Rider." Yeah, get the impression she doesn't talk about that dual nature much? Or ever. "Well…at least we won, hooray for our side!" She holds up one hand, her fingers showing a victory sign before looking to Miranda. "Glad to meet you too, and if Jack vouches for you, well, there it is then." A brow quirks. "Page 168, at the very top." She answers with a hint of quizzical to her tone.

"Not yet," Liv says with a dubious quirk of her lips. "I've seen people walk …" Her voice trails off into air. "But her current plans have been disrupted. Even if she does get out, she'd be back to square one." She offers to Miranda, "Sullivan - Liv for short. Prieto. Has he called you doll yet?" A slight twitch of smile, then the expression smooths out again. She looks encouraged by Stephanie's words. "That's great," she says. "Better than I thought when … well, it's great.

"That's good news, babe," Jack says to Stephanie, as he moves to her bedside. "Sorry I got swamped by the pile of misfit toys back there, or I'd have tried to take the hit for you." He's got just enough confidence to think he can take it. He will pay for this mindset, someday. He hands over the small plastic shopping bag. "Got this for you. Some company til you get back to the dorms."

Miranda's lips twitch in a smile, "Ah, so Helda's just used the fire suppression systems then." Ok, that's a little freaky. She smiles at Liv, "The first thing he said directly to me was 'You got it, doll'… It doesn't bother me though. There's a lot worse things to be called, after all."

"Well…they said they'd consider it, I'm betting that they'll keep us here a week before they -really- consider it." And despite her youth, Stephanie is a pretty good judge of character. "I guess there was a lot of internal bleeding, so they had to open us up, fortunately they said we probably wouldn't have scars." Not many anyway, which really, all things considered isn't too bad. She takes the little bag from Jack, and then her expression gets a little misty eyed as she takes out the tiny chocolate colored teddy bear inside. "Oh..so cute, thank you, Jack." If he permits it, she'll even hug him, though carefully. As Miranda remembers the exact passage just from the page number, Steph looks impressed. "Wow! I bet you're a super brain, aren't you? I'm a tepe, my brother's a teke." A soft giggle. "Doll, babe, the hat…Jack, you're positively an anachronism." And she doesn't seem to think that such a bad thing.

"I'm so glad I'm too old to play with toys," Liv says. "I'm never going to look at Barbie the same way again." Beat, frown. "Not that I didn't always think the bitch was up to something." She shrugs to Miranda. "True - even if we did just get attacked by a legion of demonic toys. I've just never heard it outside of movies." She frowns, less heartened by the elaboration. "Damn." The bear does get a grudging smile from her, lips twitching. "That *is* pretty adorable." She considers Stephanie's brief power explanation, and ventures the slow, "So how does that work, exactly? Is it …" Then she holds up a hand, retreating into her shoulders and shell. "No. I'm sorry. Shouldn't have asked."
Jack accepts the hug, and returns it, also gently. He makes sure he's careful, because of his strength. "I am what you see, doll," he says in response to Stephanie, before he gives Liv a smirk. "Well, I always thought so too. That dame had that big house, and was a vet, worked at McDonald's, surfed and was a mermaid. I always knew she was connected."

Miranda shrugs a little. "I have perfect recall. Absolute, total, perfect memory. And senses several times sharper than human-normal. It's … not always fun." She awws at the teddybear, and grins. "That is *very* adorable." She laughs at the discussion of Barbie, and leans back against the wall, listening to people banter.

As Liv gets self-conscious, Stephanie swallows, and looks a bit nervously. "Well…do you know what a chimera is in medical terms?" Stephanie looks ready to bolt, which would probably not do her a bit of good, but then she buckles down. "My brother and I are fraternal twins, but…we sort of merged, so some of my genetics are his, some mine, we're kind of a blend. When I'm in control we're female, when he is, we're male…though I seem to be the 'default'. We time share the body." And apparently they are always together in mind. The teddy bear is cradled against her chest and she focuses on him, fussing with the little ribbon around his throat as she speaks. "Anyway…my mind is telepathic, I can do illusions too, or mentally bonk you with the power of my will. Steven can fly, do force fields, deflect things…and of course lift them with his mind, as you no doubt saw. I can't run his powers, he can't run mine." She looks up then to join the banter. "They cancelled the run of Illuminati Barbie…but nobody knows why. DunDUHDUH!" Her gaze shifts to Miranda, and then she winces. "Wait…your senses…you can't shut them down?"

"I think maybe my problem was Barbie reminded me of my mother," Liv deadpans. A little grimace of sympathy for Miranda's description. "That has to be hard. I know I get law citations floating up in my head at random times, and that's bad enough." She listens to Stephanie's explanation in silence with her eyes politely averted, giving the other at least the space of not staring. "Wow," she says quietly, then adds almost as if it's not meant to be heard, "That sort of sounds nice."

There's a bit of silence as Jack takes in Stephanie's explination, and he makes a decision in his head, somewhere. "Well, all I can do is hit things real hard," he says, with a quick grin sent Liv's way. He reaches over and gently squeezes Stephanie's shoulder. "Well, look, Stephanie, Steven, it don't matter, okay? You're one of us, and all that jazz, all right?"

Miranda shakes her head, "No, I can't. It is all senses, all the time. I use earplugs sometimes. Sleep in a sensory depravation chamber. My mother had it worse, she was a receptive/projective Empath with no off switch." Her eyes darken briefly, "I miss her. A lot." She smiles a little, "So… you and your brother always have each other there mentally, even though only one of you can be physically present at a time? I think that must be nice, as long as the two of you get along. You always have someone to back you up."

"It can be, it would have been a bit nicer if we were both girls, or boys…it gets a little weird sometimes, but yes, we get along great." Stephanie seems on the verge of tears at the ready acceptance from everyone. "You guys know that just the medical condition was enough to make most people think I'm a freak." She actually does tear up as Jack squeezes her shoulder, and offers unconditional acceptance. And then she wipes her eyes, resolve firming as she looks to Miranda. "I miss my mom too. And…well…let me try something…" She focuses on Miranda a few moments, and then looks a lot more tired. For Miranda the effect would be profound — she can sort of sense a flutter about her thoughts, but then her senses dial down to normal levels, well, still a bit over but the difference is night and day. "Did that work?" She asks. "I can't sustain it very long, but if you ever need a break…"

"You're one of them," Liv says wryly, "you don't want to be one of me, really." She grins, but one gets the feeling she's not really joking. "Then fuck them. If you're a freak, then we need more of those." She points at Miranda. "Right," she says. "You're never alone. You can just … take a break from reality and know someone is there to catch you. You … never have to worry about being the only voice in your head wondering if it's the right one." Her voice drops off a bit by the end. And then she steps back into humor by offering, "Do you two want my mother? I'll *pay* you."

While trying not to look scandalized at the swear that Liv lets out, thanks to being born in the wrong decade, Jack emphatically nods. "Good. Now no tears. You're gonna rest, and you'll be up and about in no time." He waves off the offer. "I already have a mom. Dad. Grandpa. Great grandpa's friends…" He shakes his head. "Anyways, what did you do for Miranda here, anyway?"

Miranda blinks, and blinks again. She runs her hands over the fabric of her blouse, of her slacks. "Is this what most people's senses are like? It's so -quiet-…. The smells are -gone-…" A shudder runs through her and her body seems to relax. "I don't wear blue jeans because the fabric is too coarse. People think I'm a snob because I tend to wear silk blouses and long skirts or slacks. It's not that I'm a snob, it's that I need fabric that won't chafe…" She smiles at Stephanie, "I don't expect you to hold it… but I'll have this to remember, whenever things start to get to me. Thank you."

"You sound like Steven." Stephanie says to the fierce Liv. "And no…it seems to us that you're a little too eager to sell." She wipes her eyes again, looking to Jack. "I tried to use my illusion power to dull Miranda's senses…I guess it worked too." She beams to Mir a sec. "Yes, that's pretty much what normal senses are like." She sighs, and slowly Mir's senses dial back up, but she does have that memory. "I'm sorry, too weak right now to do much with my powers." The doctors will probably be pissed if they find out she used them. "But yes…we're never alone, I don't even really understand what that means. I mean…we've always been together, always. Our earliest memories are shared. When we sleep we dream each other's dreams, when I'm not sleepy and he naps I feel him always there, just in the background. Always."

"Blast," Liv sotto voces - though once again, there's that sense that many a truth was said in jest. A wry little smile as Miranda assesses her surroundings. "Like it?" she inquires. "I'd never think you were a snob, though." Says … the girl who hasn't been seen out of a floor-length skirt since she arrived. She quirks the pierced brow. "I'm surprised you can do anything, at the moment." She considers the description, wistful. "That sounds … blissful."

"Sounds a little cozy, like Liv said," Jack answers, and rubs the side of his face as he looks from Steph to Miranda. "Okay, that's cool, but take it easy. You're supposed to be recovering, and no overdoing it til you get the all-clear from the doctors." He takes a step back. "In the meantime, I'll go check in on Miles, see how he's doing. And get some of the pizza before the others in my dorm eat all of it."

Miranda nods, "Don't strain yourself over me, Stephanie. You need to be resting." She smiles, "We should go and let you rest.. but if there's anything you or Steven need while you're stuck here, just give us a call, ok?"

"Can I ask you something, Liv? What did you mean by 'one of me'?" A smile. "Neo to neo, not-freak to not-freak." Stef can't help but shrug. "It is…normal. Well, normal for us. Hard for me to say what it is or isn't having never experienced anything else…does that make sense? I mean, I love my brother, we get along darn well, we've only had a couple fights ever. But being together…that's what's normal, being alone? That sounds terrifying." She nods as Jack admonishes her. "I shouldn't have, but…darn it…it needed doing!" Yup. Stubborn, go figure. A smile. "Tell him we said hi?" She nods to Miranda and Jack. "Sleep sounds pretty good." And then she looks to each of the three of you, her mis-matched eyes quite intense. "Thank you." And then. "Thank you." And finally. "Thank you. I…I hope we can all be friends."

Miranda smiles shyly, "I hope so… it would be good to have friends." And slips out quietly.

"Can be?" Jack pauses at the door to turn back to Steph, and tips his hat again. "Already are, babe," he says, and does a little gun-finger point while clicking with his tongue. "See you later." And then he goes.

"Give him another thanks from me, too, would you?" Liv asks. "Good to see you, Jack." She grimaces. "I'm really sorry it got that … ugly." This last statement is addressed to Stephanie as well. She starts doorwards, hesitating on the question. "I just mean that I'm dodgy company," Liv continues. She grabs a handful of the skirt and pulls it up. No, she's not flashing leg, but rather showing off the tracking band around her anklet. "I'm a felon," quickly, coolly. Word will get around eventually, best put it out there. "So not exactly the lot you want to cast in with. But thank you for being there - both of you. I'm honored to have met you."

"Well…you fought the baddies too, right? Not sure about the anklet, but White Collar is one of our favorite shows and Neal has one of those and is a hero, right? I mean…dodgy, but still a hero. Or how about the guys in Leverage? They're pretty dodgy too and yet they're the good guys. I think it isn't who you were, but who you ARE that matters." Settling back against her pillows, Stephanie smiles brightly. "If you start acting evil and stuff, well, then we'll re-evaluate—but sorry, like Jack said, we're friends now. So you're stuck."

Liv laughs. "Stuck," she says, shaking her head. "The attitude of people at this school completely floors me. It's like the mirror inverse of the way I expected things to go …" She smirks a bit. "I can play Sophie if you want …" a second's blurring of her features, and she's doing a credible Leverage impression. Then it wavers and drops back into Liv's usual face, wearing a quirked smile. "I appreciate it. I don't understand it, but I appreciate it. And I'd gladly be your friend. Is there … anything else you need, or should I let you rest?"

"How about a hug, and then yeah, I need to sleep. Using my power took more out of me than I'd expected." Stephanie smiles and once hugged she nods. "I know, right? This place…I…yeah, it is totally not what I expected. It's really nice to be surrounded by folks that have these amazing abilities. People that look at a gender flipping set of body time-share twins and go 'Ehn, whatever'." She claps at the Sophie. "I like Parker the best. Can you do that stuff too?"

"A hug?" Liv looks startled, then smiles - more relaxed, more genuine - and slips back to give Stephanie a rather ginger hug - hey, she's all bandaged and banged up! "Well, I wouldn't say enh, whatever - like I said, I am impressed and a little envious - but the way people accept it all …" A chuckle. "Unfortunately, no. It's just the shape - side effect of my nature. Though I can pick a pocket in a pinch." She pauses, looks genuinely abashed. "Damn. Uh …"

"That's pretty cool. I mean…my illusions, they don't fool cameras or the like…so to actually SHIFT like that is pretty neat." A pause. "Of course we sort of rearrange our genetics when we swap…but that's not really the same thing." Stephanie laughs a little and then nods. "No worries, we need to chat some more, come by again? And next time we do the crime fighting thing YOU can get banged up, deal?" Steph's totally teasing.

"I would love to be able to create illusions outside myself," Liv says. "I mean, mostly I do the petty shit …" For instance, her tattoo shifts to the other collarbone now. "Hmm, I don't see why, if you can swap between the two of you …" Her tone is thoughtful. She shakes herself out of that and makes a face. "Oh, deal," she says. "Good night, Stephanie. I'll see you soon."

Stephanie grins. "Good night, Liv. See you soon." And then the rather battered teen lets herself slump into slumber land, though the eyes peek open a moment. "Night Liv." Intonation is slightly different, that was probably Steven. Okay. That's odd.

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Finis
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