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Jean-Luc Picard (tea_earlgreyhot) wrote in marinanova,
@ 2013-09-01 13:23:00

Entry tags:

data, geordi la forge, helen magnus, jean-luc picard, seven of nine

[ day 234 ] action :: open
It’s late in the day and Jean-Luc is just leaving the hospital. Aside from the fact that it takes something of great magnitude to get him into any kind of sick bay, an abnormal experience had been made even more surreal by the cold sterility of the bots. Nevertheless, something had happened that made him feel that a medical exam was necessary. It had just been several ticks in his chest, right where his artificial heart implant was. It usually ran without fail, almost unnoticeable to the point that he forgot that he had an artificial heart at all. Given the unknowns of the medical advancements and knowledge of the prison, he had thought it best to reassure himself that all was well without drawing too much attention to the issue or himself. He knew how concerned both Data and Geordi, and possibly even Seven, might be were they to know that he felt... unwell.

It's his distrust of the bots as a whole which had him heading toward the clinic that Helen runs. He might run into anyone along the way, but he opens the voice function to Helen as he moved through the dome.

[ Voice locked to Helen ]

Doctor Magnus, [ He clears his throat, realizing his error. ] Helen, perhaps you might find the time to meet me at your clinic as soon as you’re able.

ooc: Picard is on a trek from sector 5 to sector 3. Anyone can run into him between point A and point B. Or afterward. Technology fail!

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action;

borg
2013-09-01 05:17 pm UTC (link)

Seven imagines that, much like herself, Captain Picard undergoes weekly check ups with Doctor Crusher to monitor both his biological systems and how they are interacting with his artificial heart and the remnants of Borg technology that are still present throughout his body. His implants are less noticeable, given that he was assimilated for a relatively short period of time when compared to the eighteen years she spent as a drone, but they're there. Just because someone can't see them like they can hers doesn't mean they aren't there. Someone who was once assimilated by the Borg never stops being Borg. It's one of the harsh realities of being liberated from the Collective, and one of the reasons why she's doesn't necessarily enjoy the prospect of returning to Earth.

With her implants as visible as they are, she can't hide what she is and once was. She'd be a walking reminder of the Battle of Wolf 359, of what was almost accomplished during the Battle of Sector 001. The Borg might be indirectly responsible for the creation of the Federation, but they very nearly prevented it from coming into being in the first place.

"Captain?"

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action;

tea_earlgreyhot
2013-09-01 06:50 pm UTC (link)

Hearing his title as he left the hospital, Jean-Luc turned and spotted Seven. He hadn’t necessarily wanted to get caught leaving the medical facility, but he supposed if it were anyone, he would prefer it to be her. She wouldn’t immediately jump to conclusions or get overtly concerned, or so he thought. He clasped his hands behind his back and offered a curt nod and a tight, closed mouthed smile to her. “Seven. I trust you’re well?”

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action;

borg
2013-09-03 11:34 pm UTC (link)

He was correct; she wouldn't. Seven assumed that Picard was merely undergoing routine monitoring, something that is the norm for ex-drones like themselves. Borg technology was complex and temperamental when it was one with the Collective, outside of it, a simple chemical imbalance could set off nanoprobe production or cause something to fail. It made the fact that the components they were left with after being liberated from the Borg couldn't work with their bodies at time as much as their bodies could no longer function without them ironic.

Perhaps there was deliberate strategy in that in the hope that wayward drones would find their way back to the Collective. It would be just like them.

Just like her. (Seven despised the Queen more than she thought possible, especially from POV of a being who considered contempt and hatred to be an irrational emotional response that often clouded one's judgement.)

"Yes. And you?" She wasn't prying, merely making conversation. She's been working on her conversational skills, taking advantage of the setting in order to broaden them.

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	action; tea_earlgreyhot 2013-09-04 12:22 pm UTC (link)
	"Yes, according to the bots in the hospital, I am the picture of health." Said with a bit of irony, of course. He shouldn't have expected the bots to understand his particular physiology in the first place, which is why he was headed to see Helen. If she said that all seemed well, he would trust it more than he would technology diagnosing technology. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

action;

borg
2013-09-08 12:05 am UTC (link)

That implant over her eye raises slightly upwards, pulled by the remaining muscles in her forehead as high as the skin attached to the circuitry the outer casting of her implant hides will allow. Members of Voyager's crew have likened her tendency to do just that to the way Vulcans lift a brow in curiosity, interest, and so on. She supposed that if she were to take anything they said about her as a compliment, it would be something that compared her to a logical being. Vulcans were still irrational at their cores, far from the perfection the Borg sought to obtain, but they were considerably more Borg-like than the majority of the races the Collective encountered.

"I am pleased. I wish for you to remain in good health, Captain."

It's still awkward — talking to him, that is. Seven regarded him as the only person truly capable of understanding what it was like to be her, to be liberated from the Collective and still be Borg. He had an easier time of it than she, it was true, but he'd been through it. He'd been assimilated, lived as a drone, and had to figure out how to live again without those whispers in his ear, without their song. No one else, no matter how much they compare and claim, can understand what that's like. She appreciated that perspective as much as she was sorry he had possessed it at all.

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action;

tea_earlgreyhot
2013-09-11 11:04 am UTC (link)

Even a simple comment such as that, coming from Seven, was very telling and much appreciated. He understood her in a way that no one else could. Both in their shared experience with the Borg, and in his insight over the years of Data's exploration of humanity. She was very much like Data, learning and exploring what she might wish to be rather than remaining stagnate in the parameters that might be expected of her.

"Thank you, Seven." He paused, deciding he could ask without getting too deep into it. "May I ask you a personal question?"

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	action; borg 2013-09-15 10:56 am UTC (link)
	Seven nodded and answered, "Yes," wondering if he were going to ask her again about her relationship with Data. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	action; tea_earlgreyhot 2013-09-15 11:06 am UTC (link)
	On the contrary. His question this time is of a very different nature. So different, and so uncomfortable for him, that he hesitates for the briefest of moments before voicing the curiosity. "I wonder, do you ever... feel the Borg technology as it functions? Inside, I mean. Does it ever -- do you ever feel it?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

action;

borg
2013-09-15 11:30 am UTC (link)

His question was an unexpected one, something she would never have guessed he would be comfortable asking of her, nevermind the answers only she were capable of providing him with. Nobody has ever asked her this before -- not even the Doctor, but she supposed he didn't feel the need to, being that that she has never expressed concern or discomfort in relation to how her remaining implants are functioning in conjunction with her reawakened biological systems.

But she wasn't as comfortable with her permanently augmented state as she seemed. Adapted to and okay with were two entirely different concepts.

"Yes. Constantly," was her response. "It is--" No, it wasn't uncomfortable. It was-- "I have adapted."

The way she said that, however, implied what she wouldn't say: She had adapted, because she was left with no choice but to adapt. The Doctor did what he could, but she would be unable to survive without the technology she'd been left with. Eighteen years was a long time to be a drone, and having been assimilated as a child meant that her insides were more mechanical than biological. She spent the majority of her 'Borg childhood' inside a maturation chamber.

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	action; tea_earlgreyhot 2013-09-17 11:22 am UTC (link)
	It was an answer he had expected. She was right. It wasn't uncomfortable at this point. But her answer, while direct, also didn't explain this new mystery something he had felt. "Understood. May I ask what it feels like for you? A hum? A tick? How would you describe it?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

action;

borg
2013-09-21 02:16 pm UTC (link)

"Warmth," was the most immediate answer she could provide him with. "Hums and ticks. Also... tension. A sort of tightness that isn't so much uncomfortable as it is noticeable."

She pulled back the sleeve on one arm, exposing the area where the augmented parts of her hand that still contained the assimilation tubules met her flesh. The skin was discolored, green and black, metal disappearing beneath it, flesh pulled taught over parts of it.

"There is pain, sometimes, when implants malfunction -- disorientation."

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	action; tea_earlgreyhot 2013-09-23 10:06 am UTC (link)
	This is disturbing on so many levels. But most important is that she is putting words to what he is feeling right now. And that worries him. He draws in a deep breath when he sees the exposed area to hide his discomfort and gives his uniform top a quick tug. "Understood. And how often would you say this occurs for you?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

action;

borg
2013-09-29 10:53 am UTC (link)

"The sensations are frequent, a near constant for me."
His questions are not unwelcomed, but they are beginning to cause her concern. What prompted them?

She rolled her sleeve back up, dropping her arm back to her side. "You must remember, Captain, that I possess more Borg technology than yourself. From what I understand, Doctor Crusher was successful in removing the majority of your implants." The Doctor had referenced Crusher's removal of Picard's Borg implants while tending to the removal of hers. "I was a drone for much longer."

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