Zombie Strippers From Mars [open to anyone that'd have an excuse to be in Medbay]

[on_your_nerves]

Faffing about on his omnicom had Sherlock mildly entertained for a bit, but it didn't last long. Five minutes into the movies John had brought, the consulting detective had slumped back on his Medbay bed insisting that movies were boring (because everything was boring at the moment) and demanding to be knocked unconscious until he was allowed to leave. When John pointed out that injuring him further was slightly counterproductive in regards to him getting out of Medbay, he went into a world-class sulk.

It wasn't so much that he was bored as the fact he was bored and there was an entire spaceship to go poking and prodding around in. The boredom was multiplied and magnified by the fact that there were things to do, advancements in forensic science (and biology and chemistry...) he could read about and so on.

There could be zombies somewhere! Actual living, breathing zombies! Never mind the part where zombies weren't alive and didn't breathe.

At first, the crime rate--or lack thereof--had had him worried this whole venture would be hopelessly tiresome, but apparently, there was more going on than met the eye. (Zombies!)

After his "your movies are boring" based tantrum, John had been in and out of the Medbay, taking advantage of Sherlock's little fit of petulant disinterest in anything but leaving to go prod around the ship himself.

Nothing to do. The whole ship was out there waiting for Sherlock. And where was that tea he asked for from that random stranger? He'd conveniently kept the biscuits given to him by that other random stranger.

"Zombie strippers. Honestly."

At this point, he was fairly certain John selected one-third of the movies they watched because of the explosions in them, one-third because they involved some sort of historical warfare, and the last one-third because of how much he thought Sherlock was going to yell at the screen. Of course, toss in the ones John watched because the actresses in them were attractive and it messed up all the proportions.

Comments

[on_your_nerves]

"Bored."

Obviously.

"...And that's what I was saying to John. If they're dead, their nerve impulses aren't firing correctly, so technically speaking, they shouldn't be coordinated enough to pole dance. Never mind the impossibility of zombies even existing in the first place--I'm told the ship had some at some point. I'd love to get my hands on a sample; were any preserved?"

[doctorbatman]

"Zombies are terrible at everything but shuffling and moaning unless the bodies they're made from were enhanced by something before they died, in my experience." Doc replied. "My life would be so much easier if they weren't real, but at least where I'm from they totally were."

"I think we've got some small samples around somewhere. I've made all kinds of records, personally." He thought about it for a moment. "They're all full of medical jargon and me doodling things but you can have a look at them if your REALLY bored."

[on_your_nerves]

Sherlock held out his hand and made a grabby motion with it. The records. Please.

"I am that bored."

Bored enough to be talking to ninjas.

"What material is your mask made of, by the way? I'm curious. It would have to be able to breathe for you to wear it as often as you do."

[doctorbatman]

Doc pulled out his omnicom and dug up the appropriate files, along with a few other medical notes on some of his more bizarre cases. Seemed like this guy could use all the stimulation he could get.

"Oh, uh, I think it's a stretch cotton blend? I never really checked with my mom and she made it for me. I know it's treated to be fire retardant and to resist water to a point. It's pretty comfortable but maybe I just think that because I wear it constantly."

[on_your_nerves]

"Your mother made your ninja mask for you?"

To be fair, his mother had done the same for him, once upon a time. It's just that he hadn't gone on wearing it into adulthood.

[doctorbatman]

"Yep. My dad's and my brother's too. It's a tradition thing."

[on_your_nerves]

There was a pause as Sherlock went on, "Forgive me if this is a terribly obvious question, but you're from an entire family of ninja?"

It wasn't that there weren't signs of it from looking at him, but it painted a somewhat ludicrous picture, so he needed to reorient his sense of reality a bit. A lot of things on the ship had been doing that lately, some worse than others.

[doctorbatman]

"Yup, everybody in the family back seven generations or so now." Doc replied with a nod. "Think of it like a family business, except the business is assassination and espionage for profit."

[on_your_nerves]

He realized just in time that asking how good they were at it probably wasn't a good question to ask.

Instead he settled for, "One would think that assassination is a bit counterproductive in regards to that whole Hippocratic Oath...thing."

[doctorbatman]

"Well, yes. That's why I stopped taking assassination gigs anymore once I got through college. Killing people has become a last resort sort of thing for me. My parents weren't exactly impressed given that I'm basically doing the OPPOSITE of what I was raised to do but..."

He shrugged as he checked over some of the readouts from Sherlock's bed and monitors.

"My mom isn't here to nag me about it so I can get on with the helping people and not have to listen to her complain about how I would make better money contract killing for the CIA. It works out."

"You could call me the black sheep of the family I guess."

[on_your_nerves]

"Yet despite choosing an entirely different occupation, you still wear the mask your mother made you."

Curious.

[doctorbatman]

"Well, yeah. It's a family tradition thing. I've worn a full mask since I was a child, I feel naked without it." he shrugged, pulling over a stool to sit down.

"It's a security measure too - that if I'm ever persecuted by other ninja and have to dissappear - even from the radar of people who can find me almost anywhere - I can take off the mask and literally no one I've met would know me anymore. It's a get out of life free card to go and start over somewhere new."

"Besides. If my mom ever comes out of those pods and finds out that I don't have it anymore she'd straight up shank me. Not worth the risk."

[on_your_nerves]

"That's actually rather brillant," Sherlock mused.

If he'd been able to disappear from the radar just by taking off a mask, he would have been able to forgo all the running and hiding and disguises and aliases.