InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "What are the 39 steps?"

Hannibal (i_consume) wrote in we_coexist,
@ 2011-07-06 22:03:00

Entry tags:

hannibal lecter, henry mccoy

Youth in medicine (Hank)
Hannibal was not often apprised of new doctors coming to the hospital, he just didn't really have the time to bother with it. Especially considering how often they rotated right back out. But since the disappearance of Simon, he'd been keeping his ears open, hoping that the doctor would return. He felt as if he wasn't quite finished with the project that he'd started there. Things would be easier with River, of course, without the meddling and concern of her brother, but there was unfinished business. Simon had had in him a darkness that Hannibal had wanted to cultivate. He was holding out hope that Doctor Tam would reappear, though he knew it wasn't likely to happen, nor was it likely that if Simon did show back up, it would be the same man.

So it happened that he was made aware of another young doctor, apparently also brilliant, who was now working on staff. The more that Hannibal heard of him, the more curious he became. He had not encountered many others who held his youth in the profession, and he wanted to. He wanted to meet a mind that could rival his own without the years of training that most doctors had. He was informed through gossip that the new doctor, a Henry McCoy, was only 18. The age that Hannibal had been when he'd arrived in The City. Four years ago, now.

He listened for more, but there didn't seem to be anything else outside of the brilliance and the age. Nobody knew anything particularly personal, which was obnoxious. Hannibal thought that if there was going to be gossip in the hospital, it should at least be well informed. He caught brief mentions having something to do with size, but he couldn't get anybody to be straightforward about it when he asked outright.

So it was with this scant information that Hannibal Lecter sought out Henry McCoy on the lower floors of The City Hospital.

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i_thebeast
2011-07-09 03:24 am UTC (link)

Hank had been... actually enjoying himself in the hospital. He was still having difficulty with the more abrasive patients, of course, but most were very well mannered and seemed genuinely nice. Helping people one on one, even for mundane and straight forward cases, was turning out to be a lot better than he'd ever imagined it could be. Well, once the patient seemed convinced that he knew what he was talking about. But Hank was slowly starting to get the hang of letting the larger words that had always gotten him mocked and tormented as a child back into his vocabulary and keeping a professional and on-task demeanor, both of which seemed to make individuals being treated by a boy their children or grandchildren's age feel much more confident in their doctor.

"Well, Mrs. Simmons, I'll definitely take the bow tie under advisement," he smiled at an elderly patient as he accompanied her to the door of the emergency room, patting her shoulder and then straightening. "And make sure to get those slip guards installed in your shower before you use it next. Remember you promised that our next meeting wouldn't be like this one."

"Then come over for tea tomorrow, you can meet my granddaughter. She's single, and very pretty," the little old lady smiled up at him. Hank blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'll certainly try to find the time," he mumbled, then grinned as she was wheeled out. "Goodbye."

"Careful. I've seen her granddaughter, and she's twice your age at least," the woman at the nurse's station laughed as he walked back. She held up a new folder when he put his on the desk. "Another patient, doctor?"

"Ah. Not yet. I just need a cup of coffee first," Hank said, checking his watch. Yes. It had been hours since his last break, and he didn't see anybody dying in the waiting area. It wasn't a pleasant thing; to walk away when people still needed help, but he'd yawned too many times while checking Mrs. Simmons for injury and treating the sprained ankle she had gotten to trust himself with being able to see another patient just yet. Just one cup.... and perhaps a Twinkie. He'd found the perfect nook in the break room to hide them away from any snack thieves. The wonderful cake took his attention almost completely as he said goodbye to the nurse and turned, walking towards the break room.

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i_consume
2011-07-10 05:10 am UTC (link)

Hannibal had spied Dr McCoy when he was talking to the elderly lady. He had watched the man interact with the patient, make sure that there were no dire cases waiting, and then retreat into the break room, where Hannibal followed. There was nobody else in there at this time.

Moving in his eerie, cat-like silence, he placed himself just inside the door and took a moment to study the one who was the age he'd been when all of this crazy City life had started for him, felt a string of kinship there due to that. Another doctor, coming into a situation where for all intents and purposes he was out of his element, yet doing well at his job despite it. He also felt a little bit of annoyance that Henry McCoy had obviously not been tortured with being placed in classes he didn't need to be, as Hannibal had been.

So the City could learn. Just not fast enough for his liking. Hannibal felt that it should know people prior to bringing them in, thus being able to place them where they fit the best. Not guessing and grasping at them blindly.

"Other than being careful about the age of the young woman you're being set up with, I should also advise you to be wary of the ones that the City produces. They are bland. Like movie extras. You want to find the ones that have been brought here, if you crave any kind of emotional or mental stimulation at all." He spoke before making his presence known, as he was fond of doing.

Hannibal took another look, trying to find this uncharacteristic largeness that the gossip had gone on about. Other than the feet, Henry McCoy seemed to be a most normal size.

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i_thebeast
2011-07-10 06:00 am UTC (link)

Hank had just been reaching up for his hidden treats when he heard the voice and started, bumping into the shelves and knocking over a box of splenda. He quickly grabbed it, righting it before there was a spill, then backed away and turned quickly, eyes big. He had tested himself, he knew that although his senses were quite keene they were not superhuman in any way, but he'd never been followed and not known it before. Perhaps it was the preservation instinct of being bullied when he was young, there'd always been at least a feeling when somebody walked in somewhere behind him, however quietly.

"Movie extras?" he repeated dumbly, looking the other up and down. A doctor, certainly, and a younger man. Hank didn't recognize him, but he didn't often leave the emergency room or first floor, so that wasn't too surprising. He was still very new, after all. It took him hardly a second more to get back into the moment and semi recover from the surprise. "Well, yes, they seem a bit... simple. But perhaps they're just a simple people. Still, thank you for the advice."

He stood in silence for a moment, then pushed his glasses up his nose and took a few steps forward, cautiously offering his hand. He couldn't clearly decide if this man was a surgeon or not, and since many of the surgeons he knew didn't like to shake hands he wasn't sure how his offer would be received. Better to try and be rejected, though, than not try at all. "I'm sorry. I don't know your name. I'm Henry McCoy, but you can call me Hank if you prefer." Adults tended to more often than people his own age. Not that this man seemed so much older than him, but still, he was clearly an established medical officer.

"So then, you're an imported person yourself?" he asked. He wondered if this was one of the people with powers Baba had talked about. It might explain the aura around him.

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i_consume
2011-07-16 02:46 am UTC (link)

"The City has bred them to be here for us. They are so that the people it brings in are more comfortable. Imagine how you might feel if there were only those of us who are brought here. We are few and far between compared to the numbers of humans one is used to interacting with. You would feel the strangeness of it, the emptiness. The City wishes you to be comfortable. Yes, they are simple people, but not in a way that you might be used to. Their simplicity is quite dumbfounding, really."

Hannibal shook the hand offered to him, politely. Despite his work as a surgeon, he didn't act as snobbishly toward his hands as they did. He found it absurd. As if a handshake would ruin the tendons one used to perform surgery. A hammer, perhaps...

"I am Hannibal Lecter. It's a pleasure to meet you, Henry." He didn't move from his spot. "I am, indeed, an imported person. I came here at the same age I've heard you are. Under similar conditions. I found myself pleased to hear of another young doctor. A contemporary, if you will. I've been here for four years now, so obviously I am no longer 18. I hope you are having no troubles with the staff here."

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i_thebeast
2011-07-16 05:33 pm UTC (link)

This man was extremely eloquent. It reminded Hank a bit of his father, the way he phrased things. Sometimes Hank picked up on it in his normal speech, sometimes he could do it intentionally, but he didn't speak in such a way normally. He gladly shook the others' hand, then listened to him, tilting head head thoughtfully and nodding. "Yes. Yes, I imagine. It's quite remarkable an idea though, isn't it? That a City is providing something to captured inhabitants. Providing people, who for all intents and purposes are true people.... you know, besides the simplicity."

He was fascinated by that concept and wondered if they were perhaps clones or something. He scratched his head and then listened to the other's story. "Pleasure's all mine," he said, blinking. Another young doctor? That sounded fascinating.

"Well, I'm not a true doctor. Well, I mean, I've got my degrees and education, of course, but I was trained to be a scientist and researcher, not a physician with bedside manner. I suppose the City wanted another doctor, as that was the place employing me when I got here. But yes, the staff here are very helpful. Nobody's given me too much of a hard time, and they were happy to point out the odd item or two I was unfamiliar with... this hospital is quite advanced in comparison to what I'm used to."

He thought about it for a moment. All of the City seemed just a bit more advanced. Similar but different enough to make it unsettling. "Is it a lot like where you were from?"

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i_consume
2011-07-16 09:27 pm UTC (link)

"It provides more than people." Hannibal assured. "The job, your housing. You will find that your cupboards will always be filled with food, and your wallet always carrying money. You will get to where you need to be, unless the City wishes for you to encounter somebody, and then you will not be able to get where you need to go. If you need a car, it will provide that as well. Anything you desire, it gives. Just remember that it's all at a price. Should it desire, it will make you fall in love with a stranger or create a race of zombies to take over."

Hannibal gestured to the nearby table, though he took Hank to be a strong boy who could stand for hours. He didn't need to sit himself quite yet, but figured they would both be more comfortable if they were sitting, and it was a friendly action.

He sat in one of the chairs without waiting for his companion to do so, and adjusted himself minutely so he was comfortable in it.

"You seem to be doing quite well with your patients, so I would not worry about that, were I you. But that's very interesting, being a scientist first. I'd like to hear more about this, and your education." He smiled and then shook his head. "No, I found things quite strange when I got here. I was born in 1933 in Lithuania. I lived through the second world war as a young man. The instruments, the available cures, the incredible machines, it all amazed me. You'll get used to it, and quickly, I presume. Your intellect will allow that. Unless I've been mislead about that. I hope it's not so."

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i_thebeast
2011-07-16 10:14 pm UTC (link)

"Yes, I've noticed many of those things. Well, not the love or zombies..." he said, amazed at the idea. Make him fall in love? Make somebody fall in love with him? The scandal of it made a shiver run down his spine as he also made himself comfortable in the seat at the table with him.

"Thank you. It took a bit of getting used to... you know, with the age difference of most physicians and the younger professionals like us, but people are kinder once they know you know what you're up to," he said, finding it strange and delightful that he was talking to somebody as an equal. The timeline pleased him though. "Really? I was born in 1944, but in the United States. Lithuania in Europe? Wonderful. I've never been overseas... though, you know, I would really have loved to study there." He paused, thinking again about all the things he wouldn't get to do that he wanted. He sighed to himself.

"Well... I've always enjoyed creating things. Being a doctor is nobel but... there are other matters to tend to that could help people on a global scale, and I prefer to put my intellect to that. I studied biophysics and genetics at Harvard University. I am going to try to find some lab in the City where I could continue my work. After my hours here if need be." He wouldn't openly talk about why it was so important to him to keep working on genetics, but he knew he would be more likely to find such a place to work if he questioned professionals who'd been in the city longer, and Dr. Lecter seemed the perfect candidate. "Where did you study?"

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i_consume
2011-07-16 10:23 pm UTC (link)

"Yes." Hannibal said, politely. Lithuania was in Europe. But it was Hank's first blunder, and Hannibal didn't feel the need to point it out. The boy was merely enthusiastic, he thought. "Europe is not possible here, but there's a chance that you could find teachers from there in this place. Or similar ones at the very least. Quite literally anything is possible here. You might go looking for a building you know to house such professors and discover it made just for you. It wouldn't hurt to try, anyway."

He leaned forward a little bit, his smile soft. "Think not of the things you won't experience now that you're here. There are many other things that you'd never get to know if you hadn't been brought. Take the chance for the new, and run with it. You will find it can be just as, if not more, enriching."

Of all the people he'd said similar things to, Hannibal thought that Henry McCoy would be the one most able and willing to accept and implement it.

"I studied medicine in France, and was the youngest to graduate from medical school there. I had begun an internship in America at Johns Hopkins when I was brought here." He answered the second question first. "There are labs here you are more than welcome to have access to. I am the head of diagnostics and it would be very easy for me to arrange one. You could even have one of your own, if you wish. That only you have a key to. It might make it easier to control the experiments you wish to try. I know I find it much easier to go about my work alone."

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i_thebeast
2011-07-16 10:43 pm UTC (link)

Hank nodded. The sentiment did sit well and he grinned. "I suppose any man born in America could have gone to Europe at some point in his life. But we must have been selected specially for something, yes? The few I've met not from here are very interesting. Yes, there's definitely more positive here. And men like us get to see advanced machinery and technology while we're still young enough to play with it."

He nodded. "I was the youngest in Harvard. Not that I studied with others much to make it an issue with anybody but the advisory committees. I was happier to leave and begin work... and grow a few feet." He could have dealt happily with a foot or two less, but it was what it was.

At the mention of the labs his interest perked immediately. "Really? That... I mean. I won't like. A lab of my own would be more than fantastic. I tend to work with... sensitive or volatile projects." He paused, then leaned forward. "I do wonder.... I mean, I haven't met too many from other worlds, but have you encountered anybody with.... abilities? You know. Beyond the abilities of a normal man."

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i_consume
2011-07-16 11:04 pm UTC (link)

"My sentiments echo that." Hannibal nodded. "We don't know what the purpose is yet, but I believe that there is one. That we were brought here each for what we are, who we are. You were chosen as I was."

He liked the shift in attitude from Hank. It said much about his character. He also liked what he heard about the other doctor's schooling. He, himself, had run through the gauntlet of classes in a very short amount of time and did not interact much with those that they dared call his peers.

Henry, however, Henry was somebody who he could call his peer and would do so willingly. Moreso, even, than Simon Tam. He felt Hank's intelligence went beyond that of Dr Tam's, and his early training felt familiar and warm.

"I wouldn't worry too much about what you work on." Hannibal said, thinking of his own zombie experiments. "What you do is your own. Nobody will police you or stop you from what you want to try. Just always be aware that there are possible consequences and be sure that you would be willing to stand up and accept them. That's all that can be asked of you."

Not that a whole lot had happened to him after his own problems. He didn't know if the charm would work twice, but he didn't have a lot of faith in the law system of this place.

"I have met quite a few. Yes. Vampires. Demons. Mind readers. There are all kinds here. You don't seem as if you'll have an issue with that in the least. Coming to terms with the types of people you could meet. So I won't give you a warning to that effect. But I should say that you might want to be ready to hear anything about yourself, anything at all. People may know you from your own future or past, or from entirely different timelines."

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i_thebeast
2011-07-17 12:25 am UTC (link)

Hank nodded. It only made sense, after all. Whoever built this city had access to technology beyond most peoples' wildest dreams, of course they would be careful about who they brought here, to benefit and contribute to the created community.

The news about him being able to work on what he pleased made him quite excited. From what he'd seen of this facility it had all the financing it could need, so he could only think that any research labs here would receive equal funding. That would be nice, even with moderate constraints he could do a lot; he was used to fighting for most of his budget with the government. As for the consequences.... "I rarely work with anything that could pose a real threat, but I will keep that in mind. Anyway, good science almost always involves risks."

The information about... vampires and demons? That was surprising to the young man. Fantasy creatures. But mind readers... Hank felt a tug of excitement. Mind readers could be mutants. "So my suspicions seem confirmed. There are alternate realities, and whoever took us here has access to them." He took a moment to ponder that before he glanced over. Hannibal was from a time just before his own, so he wouldn't know, would he? Unless mutants were ousted or created earlier in his world than Hank's own. "Well. Quite the dream come true for a geneticist. And it must surely be interesting for diagnostics, dealing with sentient creatures of other species?"

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i_consume
2011-07-17 01:34 am UTC (link)

"From that point of view, yes. But it's not my only focus. I am also a surgeon, a scientist of sorts, a newly practicing psychiatrist, and a budding forensic anthropologist. The different sorts of beings within this place are intriguing on all levels. Not to mention the mix of culture that they bring in. From all worlds, all times, one gets to see the art and hear the music. You should visit the library. Vast wealth of knowledge. You might have heard the term before, but you haven't experienced it like this. The library here really does live up to the idea."

One could literally spend hours a day in there and never get through half of the information provided. Hannibal had not yet given up on that, but he'd slowed himself. He felt he had a very long time to work on his education, why rush it?

"The City itself brought us here. And yes, it has access to all realities. There's a girl named Fred who has some theories on that, I believe she'd be better suited for that discussion. I've found that poking too deeply into the mysteries of this place leads to punishment of sorts. It leaves you to your own devices if you leave it alone. Some won't see reason, of course."

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i_thebeast
2011-07-17 04:06 am UTC (link)

"That sounds like a wonderful set of pursuits," Hank grinned. He had a fondness for history, and read of it often. The library sounded fantastic, and he decided to seek it out as soon as possible. His reading speed was frustratingly fast, as he found trouble turning pages quickly enough to not get bored with a typical text.

"A young lady... named Fred?" he repeated, then smiled and shook his head. "So many things here are so similar and yet... just a bit off. But I'd love to find her if she knows of such matters. If not to discuss this place in general then the theories of universes in general. I wouldn't want to invite the city to interfere with my work, after all."

He scratched his chin, then smiled over at the other doctor. Feeling quite pleased at having met him. He didn't even know quite where to begin except to just marvel at the similarities they shared. "So... enjoy the diverse immigrant population, keep your nose out of the City's inner workings to avoid trouble, be on the lookout for the City affecting you, and visit the local library," he said, re-listing what he'd heard. "Those are the basic tips of life here?"

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i_consume
2011-07-21 09:10 am UTC (link)

"Ah." Hannibal bragged, just a little. "Those are just the science based interests I have. I like to branch out all over the place, to be quite honest. I made my way through medical school preparing and drawing the specimens for lectures and texts."

He did like to show off a bit, he couldn't deny that part of himself. And why should he? He expected Hank McCoy to do the same for himself should he have the backing qualifications.

"There are quite a few you might enjoy talking to, actually. There was a recent symposium of sorts that ended up being quite false, but it would have made for an excellent place for those of us to meet up. Perhaps something could be arranged of that nature between the two of us."

Hannibal thought a moment and tried to think of anything else that he might need to add to keep Henry safe, entertained, and well adjusted. "I think you've about got it. Questions are bound to come up. All you can do then, is ask."

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i_thebeast
2011-07-21 11:18 pm UTC (link)

An artist too? This Hannibal was certainly an accomplished man. Hank nodded. "It's good to assist your study with other pursuits. I've found I quite enjoy designing and building my own equipment for the lab. Unfortunately that means I'll have to start over here but... with better base technology I'd probably be doing that anyway."

"A symposium of people from different universes would be... well, pretty fascinating," Hank grinned, though he wondered how one could have been 'false'.

He nodded and grinned, leaning back in his chair and sipping his coffee. It was a great idea, getting a lab here. Then he could still practice medicine and keep an eye out for other mutants, supernaturals, and various other people of inhuman or advanced human nature. Plus he was enjoying the mundane work just a little bit. The people here might be simple but they tended to be very nice.

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