themnemosyne | MED_A_Hilbert to ALL

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wolf 359: alexander hilbert

MED_A_Hilbert to ALL

[ it's Dr. Grumpus, bothering everybody about medical crap again! ]

Now that we have two medical officers awake and have recently returned from an alien planet, basic check-ups will be re-implemented. Check-ups will be BASIC: a P-HYMN-1.A scan, check on bracelet, and basic questions. These are mandatory for all crew members. There are only a handful of us, it is small ship, do not make me come and find you.

There is no set schedule for check-ups yet, as the moment I set schedule, it will inevitably have to be changed thanks to an off-planet visit or emotional manipulation from giant space alien or whatever will be thrown at us. Needless to say, after any ship-wide event affecting all or multiple members of the crew, you will at least undergo basic once-over.

As always, feel free to ask myself or Dr. Baizhu for assistance should you develop pains, unexplained symptoms, or deviance from the norm.

I also would like to thank crew members for continued assistance with the quarantine process involved in providing medicine to Captain Drake. Anyone who wishes to join that roster, please reply here.

I hope that is all. Please do not do anything that gives me cause to make shipwide announcement.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I will see you soon.

[ And then, about ten or so minutes later, Hilbert makes his way to the hanger. He clears his throat a little, just to tell Rin he's there, before continuing, ]

Should take only minute or so of your time. Please tell me when you have reached stopping point in sample processing.

[Rin doesn't glance up from their scanner - they're focused on the particular sample they're processing, which in this case simply seems to be scanning it through a black box, and waiting for the machine to beep. They wait for exactly that before stepping away again, reluctantly peeling off the tinted faceshield.]

Which one first?

[ Hilbert had mentioned to Baizhu that it would be easy to give Rin a quick scan if they were doing something else. He's pleased to see his hypothesis wear out. ]

P-HYMN-1.A first. Can do that while you are working.

[ And he'll do just that, moving his scanner so that it gets a good scan of Rin's body, recording all their vitals. ]

[They were going to say yes, or they wouldn't have responded! Probably. Though maybe the inclination to let Hilbert hunt them down was a stalling tactic borne of the assumption that Hilbert would need the medical equipment to perform his scan - it's hard to tell. Certainly it wasn't an explicit invitation to get things over with as soon as possible.

But since it's apparently fucking happening anyway -

Their expression goes flat and unimpressed as they stop where they are, work halted despite Hilbert's invitation to continue going. It's not a protest as such, but it's not exactly approval of Hilbert's efficiency, either.]

Fine.

[Before they can move on, though... the scan catches something. Some strange inflammation in their brain, something that Hilbert's experience can tell him is odd, compared to the usual migraine patterns - particularly centered as it seems to be around an odd little mod, all tangled up among the nerves at the base of their skull.]

[ Ah. Hmm. That is...interesting.

Hilbert goes quiet for a moment, looking at the scan. He keeps his expression calm, he keeps his voice level, but it's obvious something's caught Hilbert's attention. There's no trace of panic or worry in his voice, just a hint of mild curiosity as he asks, ]

The mod at base of your skull. What can you tell me about it? Always best to hear about these things from patient.

[ Especially since he knows he won't be able to do any deeper probing until they get to medbay...and Hilbert isn't entirely sure if Rin would be fine with that. ]

[Hilbert isn't the only one going momentarily still and quiet. For a moment Rin is practically a statue, it's hard to even track whether they've remembered to keep breathing.]

I thought the neural interface was at the front.

[They sound entirely calm as they respond - no one's freaking out here. Their leash tells a different story, full of markers of sharply mounting stress, but it hasn't beeped - yet.]

[ Oh. Hmm.

That's not good.

Hilbert's voice is calm, as if they are talking about the weather and not about a mod that's potentially in the wrong place. ]

Entirely possible that there is something faulty with scanner. But that is not what it is showing. Here.

[ And Hilbert turns the screen so that Rin can see what he is seeing: the mod at the base of their skull, inflammation and stress seemingly tied to that solitary mod. ]

[Rin spends a subjective eternity staring at the screen. Some of that might simply be inexperience in interpreting the readout, no matter how simple the scan's imaging may be - puzzling out a cross-section of one's own skull is an Experience.

Given their eerie stillness in the face of this information, though, and the continuing elevation of their biometric markers - whatever reaction they're having to this just isn't showing on the outside.]

How likely is the scanner to image a mod that isn't there? [Trick question.]

Not likely at all, [ Hilbert says, without any hesitation. ] I checked scanner this morning. Everything works. What we see on screen absolutely is there.

[Another silence, for just a moment too long, their hands balling momentarily into fists at their sides. They don't reach up to touch their head - useless impulse, it's not like they would be able to feel it through their skull.]

I didn't know about any mod there, or what it's for.

[Yeah, now the leash is beeping. Their jaw is wedged so tightly it's a surprise they got the words out. Then;]

The headaches haven't stopped.

I will up dosage of pain medication.

[ There's a pause. Some hesitation. A moment to himself before Hilbert hesitantly asks, ]

If you want, scans can be run to determine precise nature of mod. Will have to be more targeted than simple P-HYMN-1.A scan. Will have to take time in medical bay. But I am certain I can figure out what this is.

[ Because Hilbert is certain he can do anything if he puts his mind to it. ]

[Maybe they would have said no, distaste for the concept and paranoia overriding the desire to figure out what the fuck this thing was. There were ship and personal medical records to query before they submitted to something as invasive as a detailed medical scan.

But the image of their own skull, with that mod entangled in it, overlays in their vision with a picture of a body sprawled out on the ground. And it -- Rin -- the body --

There are other people there, there are questions in their ears. But one piece of information is the one that sticks, that rocks them, physically and literally - in the here and now, they jolt in place.

Its governor module killed it.]

Fine. [Present again in the moment, they blurt the phrase out sharply.]

[ Well. That's unexpected.

Unexpected yet interesting. After all, Hilbert has an idea of what this might be. Vash's changes involved his eyes, his body randomly glowing. Rin's involved a new mod. He still doesn't know how these things happen, why some people gain physical changes while others gain mental, but something new out of nowhere...that's interesting.

Idly, Hilbert wonders if he'll ever gain something like that. He's piecing together a different existence, but that's it. Nothing physical.

Still. There is work to be done. ]

Meet me in medical bay when you have a moment. I will start preparing necessary scans.

[The only response to that is a nod - otherwise, they're right back to staying still again, at least until Hilbert leaves - after that they're going to find a corner to go scream in. Silently.

The rest of the things have been fucking weird, but this - something new in their brain - They want to rip the thing out, or maybe just go to their quarters and lock themself in to watch shows for the rest of time. But someone would probably drag them out, and trying to watch anything recently has caused the worst of the headaches. They'll have to settle for the next best thing, of finding somewhere to just sit and turn off their brain for a while. It's not going to be very effective.

All of which adds up to this - when Rin finally does show up in the medical bay, they've gotten approximately no work done in the intervening time, and they're twitchy as hell even before they step through the door, scanning the space like they expect an ambush to be waiting for them there.]

[ There's no ambush. There's just Hilbert, getting a full body scanner set up, occasionally looking over to the side as he types things out and checks the settings. When he hears Rin enter, he looks up and gives them a little nod.

They are absolutely twitchy as hell. Best to make this quick. ]

I have this set up for full-body diagnostic scan. Will register proprietary information assigned to mods by company that created them.

[ Mods implemented in a different universe or created under the table, though...might be a problem. ]

Scan will also provide usage statistics if logged by the mod. No matter what, should at least be able to give us a quick view of what this is and how best to treat that. [ Hopefully. ] Please lie down on table. Is there any other information you want me to try and find with scan?

[Making this quick would be the best thing for everyone involved, particularly their nerves. They're already fighting the urge to say fuck it and walk right back out, and Hilbert's explanation doesn't offer much in the means of reassurance. The technical specs of their mods are on file, but the scan is a form of being seen so much more invasive than just eyes that it makes their insides clench.

There's a lot of things in that data they'd rather detach a limb than talk about. They're going to have to talk about it anyway.

Standing in front of that full-body scanner, there's a moment, the tension in them building, until it just - hits overflow. Not a release from tension, but it's like everything they feel about the situation has simply burned out their nerves, and suddenly they can't find the energy to care about it. The wave of it, somehow, is the only thing that unlocks their voice.]

It would make sense if you compared the scan to all of my mods on record.

[What's the chance there are more mystery mods now, after all? If this has to happen, it has to be thorough. What else inside them has been changed without their knowledge?

They'll lie down on the full-body scanner platform eventually. They will. They just... need a moment to stare at it first.]

[ Hilbert isn't going to rush Rin. Whatever's going on, this is obviously important for them. They've got to work through something before committing to that full scan. If Hilbert rushes them, then the likelihood Rin doesn't lie down on that platform will only increase.

...that being said, hurry it up a bit. ]

Of course, [ Hilbert says, as he grabs his scanner. ] Retrieving your records as we speak.

[There's a lot there - and a lot of places to read between the lines. A lot of early installs, presumably around a first catastrophic event, with a period of regular maintenance - followed by a sharp drop in the frequency of additional data, replacement, servicing, or upgrades of the integrated tech as might usually be expected with mods this extensive - but then again, medical care is more piecemeal, on the fringes.

For their part, Rin finally ekes a nod out from behind the malaise.]

Fine.

[Time to get this over with. They settle themself on the platform with resignation, staring up towards the ceiling. They obviously know how this goes, settling with arms at their sides, motionless - with their differed rate of breathing they manage to look almost eerily still.

When Hilbert starts up the scan... most of it comes up normal. There's proprietary information on some but not all of the tech in their body, regular usage diagnostics as expected of a concert of parts that they rely on for movement, life, and more. The one at the base of their skull... It has a [Company] name, different from the others. And it has a log of activations that the scanner can register, semi-regularly over the course of the past few weeks - including one, not minutes earlier. Delay - Punishment Level 1.

[ A lot of this is making sense. The proprietary information is interesting. Where did Rin get these from? Some of the mods feel under the table in a way that Hilbert can't explain. But the one at the base of their skull...that's interesting. Different name, different mechanics.

Hilbert adjusts the scan slightly, inputting on the control module to download the log of activations the scanner ran. No matter what, Rin would want to see that also. ]

Well, obvious thing is of note. Mod at the base of your skull is from a different company entirely. Registers activations. Most recent one is 'Delay - Punishment Level 1.' Attempting to download full log, but does that phrase mean anything to you?

[They don't actually want to look. They kind of don't want to move, really, which works because Hilbert's still scanning, even if it's less a reason not to interrupt the information-gathering and an excuse not not dredge up the need to care about whatever the fuck is in their head. About the sprawled figure that flashed through their head, just before.

But that was a question, so. They should probably answer.]

I don't know what that means.

[Reluctant, flat.

The log loads further down - scattered timestamps accompanying;

Disrespectful response - Punishment Level 1
Disrespectful response - Punishment Level 1
Unauthorized deviation from work - Punishment level 1
Order refused - Punishment level 2

And on it goes. ]

[ Disrespectful response, order refused, unauthorized deviation from work... ]

It looks like infractions log, [ Hilbert muses. ] Think of the sort of records teacher would keep of disobedient pupil. It does not log any actual actions. Nothing physical is logged. Only things like refusing orders, backtalk, and so on. Punishment levels are displayed accordingly.

[ Rin has this new mod that they don't know where it came from. Rin also has debilitating headaches that seem to come from nowhere. The log lists received punishments. Hilbert is already running through his mind, coming up with possible hypotheses. ]

You have only started having these headaches recently, yes?

Right. [They have to take a moment to think about it - they didn't tally an exact date/time the headaches started, but...]

Two months. [Notably long before they asked for help with those headaches - or more accurately, they slipped up and Hilbert offered. But they're not going to note that.] The medication dulled the aftereffects but there were still spikes. [The information they'd meant to tell Hilbert, in fact, before all this.]

All my mods were the same... group. As far as I knew.

[ Hilbert turns his attention back to the data log of that mod, scrolling down to try and find the infraction with the earliest date. Hopefully it is two months ago. If not...well, he'll work on a secondary hypothesis. ]

Do the headaches have any notable trigger? After working with particular chemical or stressful day, for example.

[ Or after you back-talk someone who's your supervisor. ]

Watching media.

[That had been the immediate and obvious one - they'd assumed something about the motion of the video feed. But reviewing it now, with triggers in mind - the others take a bit more piecing together. The problem is, it doesn't narrow things down, considering how much they use the CL-10.]

Most connected to CL-10 use and messaging. [...] Not during data or sample work.

[All the way back, at the end of the list, and - sure enough. 2524-12-08-18:16:28.]

[ Watching media and goofing off slightly could be construed as an unauthorized deviation from work. If most are connected to the CL-10 use, then that could be a disrespectful response.

All of this provides another, worrying question. Who the hell would create a behavior policing mod to begin with? ]

I have a hypothesis about how that mod got in there and what it is doing. You are not the only person to have had physical change since waking up from cryosleep. The second person is...unconventional, [ Vash is a weird genetic experiment, ] so I was not sure if he was outlier. It seems physical changes are something we must worry about as well.

I also believe new mod might have connection to your headaches. There is a log in the mod tracking dates and times of disruptive or disrespectful behavior. Hypothesis: once behavior is logged, you are punished with headache. Proposal: I give you order, noting exact time it is given. You tell me to fuck off. Tomorrow, if you have had headache, we return here and I will give you scan again, checking for any new additions to behavior log.

MED_A_Hilbert to ALL

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cw for some medical/neurological descs (for my future ref)

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