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.

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[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.

[Rin doesn't nod about that, but the relevation doesn't seem to be a surprise - Vash let that one slip, though they don't say anything to confirm or deny that fact to Hilbert directly. They promised Vash they'd keep it confidential, and they're going to hold to that.

Besides, Hilbert has introduced some variables that need a lot more consideration than whether or not Vash wants Hilbert to know that Rin knows that they both know about him glowing like a safety strip light. They've barely reacted to a lot of things, since they finally gave in and lay down on the scanning platform, but this makes them go tense, their jaw clenching around their next words.]

We should probably test it properly.

[Agreement, of a kind, but - something about this gnaws at them. Anticipation of the pain, maybe. It has not been a pleasant few weeks. Or the implications, that are hovering at the edge of their brain but they just don't have the energy or mental space to process right now.

They just want to get this over with.]

Sure.

[Their fate is in Hilbert's hands.]

[ Hilbert makes a small noise of acknowledgement. This isn't going to be fun for Rin. But as far as Hilbert can tell, the best way to get more data from that mod is to try and cause a solution that would create the data. And considering that it logged disruptive behavior and insubordination...well, sorry Rin. ]

Stay in medical bay with me the rest of the day to help me run tests.

[ And Hilbert looks down at his watch, ready to notate the exact time Rin refuses, just to double-check later. ]

[This is going to suck.]

Fuck you.

[If they're going to refuse an order, they might as well make sure that it's a clear refusal - which has the added benefit of getting them the fuck out of here to stare at a wall the way they want (not really want, but they don't want to do that less than they don't want to be doing anything else right now). So they start to roll off the med scanner platform, for good measure.

It turns out they don't have to wait that long to feel the effects of the refusal. Despite the heavy degree of modifications to their legs, they've always moved easily and reliably on them, the mechanical limbs more or less part of their body. Not so right now, when a sudden spasm flashes through them. Instead of stepping away from the scanner, they land hard on one knee, expression set in a tight grimace.

Results are in already, it seems.]

[ The moment Rin goes down, Hilbert is right at their side. He adjusts his position so that he can help steady Rin, keeping them upright enough that they don't land on the other knee.

Yeah, those are definitely some results. And Rin is absolutely going to be feeling that for the rest of the day, something that (to his credit) Hilbert is a little apologetic about.

He lightly muses, ]

I do not think we will need to check mod tomorrow—unless you want to, of course. Still, I will up dosage of pain medicine.

[Rin has always disliked casual touch, but they tolerate the support in this moment mostly because trying to jerk away would almost certainly end with them landing on their face. A few moments to adjust to the fact that they just did that, and they struggle to their feet again, leaning into Hilbert's support just long enough that they manage that, before shifting away again into their own personal space.

The floor seems to have stolen all of their attention. Fucking fascinating, the floor. There's scuff marks and scrapes on the deck plating and everything.]

Right. Can I go now?

[It's abrupt and no small measure of rude, but Rin is at the end of their tether. And the last thing they want is to try it and get stabbed in the brain if this nightmare of a mod is going to zap them for it a second time.]

You are free to go, [ Hilbert says, with a nod. Rin probably wants to lie down or not talk to people or both anyway. Something like this, discovering that you have a mod in your brain that you don't remember getting but exists seemingly solely to curb insubordination...it must be terrifying.

Interesting as hell, of course. Vash and Rin have had changes to their physical form. Why hasn't Hilbert?

Still, if Rin wants to leave, Hilbert's not going to stop them. He's figured out all he needs to for the moment. ]

[Both sounds fucking great.

Rin doesn't wait for Hilbert to think better of it and give them another order - they're out, on the way towards the door. Later Hilbert can get more readings, they can get that upped dosage, they can figure out what the fuck to do about this.

For now, they need to not. At least until the next shipwide disaster strikes.]

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