Doctor doctor, gimme the news

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

After the meeting, and after some bickering with the Emergency Medical Hologram, down at the bottom of the Hub, Brainy is arranging the MedBay to his liking and familiarizing himself with the medical equipment and its functions.

Right now, for instance, as anyone walks in the door, he's wearing some sort of scanning goggles and a rather sinister-looking surgical glove with micro-scalpels, little lasers and surgical saws on the fingertips.

This makes him look like a green-faced Freddy Krueger with mad scientist goggles. For anyone that walks in like he instructed him to at the meeting, this is the first thing they see.

"Hmmmm."

Comments

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

Ax crossed his arms, frowning. He was an Andalite warrior. He had spent over two Earth years battling mind-controlling parasites and nearly being killed (or worse) in a variety of unpleasant and disturbing ways.

And that glove was still giving him "the willies".

"You spoke of the laboratory earlier, during introductions." Before Brainy had gotten into an argument with the Doctor, and before Tobias had shown up. "I am very good with electronics. Where would you like me to start?"

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"There is a room across the hall with the lab that's in need of repair and reconstruction," he says, putting the glove away, and glancing up at him with the scanner goggles.

He pauses, squinting at him with the goggles, then flips down one of the visors on them and stares some more. Then he quirks an eyebrow, lifts the goggles to the top of his head, pulls out his omnicom and starts scanning Ax with that.

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

Ax nodded once. "I will-- What are you doing?"

He hadn't planned on being scanned. He wasn't sure if Stacy's equipment would be able to determine that he was an Andalite in morph, and he hadn't been eager to test that in front of someone else.

Ax tried to step out of the way of Brainy's omnicom scanner.

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

Brainy follows him with it.

"You...have a small, contained wormhole in your body. Super-cooled micro-spheres of compacted genetic material..."

He glances up.

"What are you? You're not a baseline human."

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

Ax ducked behind a piece of medical equipment.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. Buh-bout," he lied, peering over the top of the machine at Brainy. The other alien hadn't said anything yet that would indicate that he was a Controller, but...

Ax wondered if he could demorph in time, if it came down to a fight.

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

Be still, Ax, Brainy's doing SCIENCE.

He follows him with the scanner.

"You are not baseline human. Humans do not typically have their own private wormholes integrated into the quantum fabric of their biology. The DNA samples I'm picking up on that are contained in your body seem to be mostly Earth fauna in nature, though I'd need direct samples to verify, but several aren't..."

Hmmmm.

"The stutter--are you perhaps unused to verbal communication? Because this method of DNA storage is similar to the form template storage of the Durlans--who are shapeshifters--even if the wormhole is highly unusual..."

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

He'd actually be fascinated by the SCIENCE if he weren't so busy trying to figure out if he needed to tie Brainy up for three days.

Ax's eyes narrowed over the top of the equipment. No Yeerk he had previously encountered would have continued the charade this long if they suspected an Andalite. And Brainy clearly associated a morphing ability with these Durlans, who- or whatever they were. And yet...

"Shut the door."

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"Stacy, shut the MedBay doors, and do not allow them to be opened until I command it."

He knows they're soundproof. He's already tested it. The doors close and seal.

||Privacy lock activated.||

"You're not human, ergo, to be your doctor, I need to know what you actually are. Divulge."

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

"This information stays between us," Ax said, moving out from behind the equipment. "I intend to tell the rest of the crew once I have determined that it is safe for me to do so."

He kept his eyes locked on Brainy's face as he spoke. When Prince Jake had been infested, the Yeerk had reacted to the sight of an Andalite, even though it had advance knowledge of Ax's presence. If Brainy were infested, he might give himself away in the same fashion.

"I am an Andalite."

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

Brainy shakes his head, betraying nothing but confusion.

"That word means nothing to me. Is that your species? There is no equivalent in my universe."

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

Ax relaxed a hair or two, and briefly glanced toward the door. If it had windows to see through, they were apparently covered.

"Yes, that is my species," he answered. "We have technology that allows us to copy DNA through physical contact, and then transform ourselves into that creature. As damage to the body is not encoded in DNA, I am unlikely to need your assistance as a doctor."

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"Why not reveal your true form to the rest of the crew?" he suggests, not understanding the secrecy. "While some are unfamiliar with other species of sentients, overall the group has been rather accepting so far. I'm sure you won't face hostility, even if you're non-humanoid."

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

Ax crossed his arms.

"I am not worried about hostility from the crew, I keep my silence in case the crew itself has been subverted by the Yeerks." The amount of hatred that an Andalite could pack into that single word was rather startling.

"If you don't have Andalites in your universe, I doubt you have Yeerks either, so I will explain: they are a parasitic species bent on enslaving the universe, capable of dominating their hosts in such a manner that it is near-impossible to detect a difference between the infested and the uninfested."

Ax took a deep breath. "I am one of a mere handful of guerrilla fighters protecting Earth. The rest of my people are...focused elsewhere."

Brainy might recognize that particular tone of voice. 'Focused elsewhere' indeed.

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

He recognizes the tone. 'Focused elsewhere,' of course. That's bureaucracy for you. Oh, that silly UP, they were useless all the time that way, too.

"What is the method of infestation?"

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

Possibly worse than useless, if what Tobias had said was true. Quarantine? Really?

"They crawl through the ear canal and wrap themselves around the brain," Ax said, shuddering a little in revulsion.

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"How are they capable of doing that without damaging the structures of the ear?"

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

Ax explained the mechanics of it to the best of his ability. He didn't have in-depth knowledge, he hadn't been particularly interested in Yeerk biology.

"Is that satisfactory?"

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"As satisfactory as learning about the concept can be. It sounds absolutely disgusting," says Brainy. He walks over to the scanner, and hits a few buttons, so that a screen pops up, then hits the button, and the scan starts.

"Watch the screen."

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

" 'Disgusting' is a far more polite word than I would use," Ax said. He tilted his head, eyes flicking between Brainy and the screen he had indicated. "What are you doing?"

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"Proving I can be trusted."

And there is a scan of his brain that shows up. It is...a very odd-looking brain. Namely because it's got more wrinkles than a centenarian's left nutsack. He's got some crazy sulci and gyri action going on.

It is also distinctly slug-free.

"Now the problem at hand is--how do I trick the entire crew into getting a scan? My omnicom might suffice, but if the Yeerk is integrated in that well with their biology, it may simply register it as additional neural matter."

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

Very slug-free. Ax was going to want a closer look at Brainy's brain later. It looked fascinating.

He turned away from the screen, frowning thoughtfully. "My friends usually determine whether or not someone is a Controller by watching them for three Earth days. The Yeerks must abandon their hosts at least once during that time period to absorb Kandrona rays while in the Yeerk Pool. It is much more low-tech than your scanner, but it does work." He paused. Well, since he could trust Brainy... "There are four of us now, counting you."

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"That know?" He pauses. "If these creatures need to feed, there would have to be such a pool for them to feed at here. It's entirely possible your fears are unfounded."

A pause.

"But considering we're unsure of who has captured us and why..."

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

Ax nodded. "I told Lyta shortly before the giant cockroach attack that we were involved in when you were waking up in the Pod Caverns. And Tobias is an ally of mine from my home universe."

"It is entirely possible," he agreed. "However, there has only been one Andalite Controller, and I do not intend to be the second."

He wasn't counting the time with Aftran. She was a... 'friendly' Yeerk, and that had only been for a few (utterly horrifying) minutes.

"I do not think that Stacy is involved with the Yeerks," he said. "If she were, we would not be having this conversation."

[cabbage-butt.livejournal.com]

"But if one of these Yeerk pools existed, she'd likely be aware of it, wouldn't she?" A pause. "Except her sensors are obviously damaged."

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

"If she is aware of it, I doubt she would answer our questions," Ax said, rolling his eyes. He had heard a litany of ||Information classified|| before he'd given up questioning Stacy.