Infirmary

[ShelBel]

(( Okay... another combo post... ))

Gus caught Callista's glance and nodded once. Give him something, he thought. Just a tidbit. See where it goes. You can do this, Callista.

Turning toward Jensen, Gus stepped back a few steps. "Do me a favor," he said softly. "Get Danny Marshall down here. He knows what's going on. We could use his expertise in this."

Jensen nodded. "Will do." The younger doctor slipped out and headed for the observation room, knowing it was hooked up to the paging system. Once he'd paged the security chief with a callback request and the extension of the observation room, he sat back and watched the scene below with a frown creasing his forehead.

Come on you two, he thought intently, staring at Nick/Janus. Remember something. Give us something so we can let you go and not treat you like a prisoner in your own skin, your own base...

[Gen Blue]

[ Isolation room 2 ]

Nodding to Aaronson, Cal admitted, "I found Beowulf but not Berea." She deliberately prounounced it as Janus did originally. (Bare-ee-ah)
Janus wrinkled his brow. "That's not right," he said, confused, "It's supposed to be Birea." (Bye-ree-ah)
He picked up on Cal's small smile. "You found that, didn't you?" Excited, he hopped off the bed and started toward them.
The man stopped abruptly, "Sorry, sorry." It was Nick who was speaking now, "He's nervous. As you might guess." He moved back and leaned against the bed.
"Pardon. I won't do that again. I have no wish to be zatted."
"And neither do I. Thank you."
"STOP!" Cal shouted, "One at time, please."

[ShelBel]

Danny stuck his head in the door. "Dr. Winchester?"

"Colonel Marshall." Jensen couldn't help but grin. "Always feels strange to say that, I'm sorry. Have a seat. I understand you were there when the general called in for assistance and was brought in?"

Lt. Col. Marshall nodded. "Yes. I'm fully aware of his... condition."

"Dr. Aaronson would like your assistance. We're trying to, for lack of a better word, interrogate the symbiote without giving away too much of what we know- which, admittedly, isn't much, but still. He figured that you could perhaps be helpful in that regard. Sargeant Mykonos has done the bulk of the research, and she's probably the one person on base most familiar with the general; she can read him like a book, essentially."

"You need the two of us to confer and collaborate," Danny finished. Jensen nodded.

"That's the idea, yes. Try to spur the symbiote's memory without tipping our hand, weak as it is."

Danny glanced down into the isolation room, watched as the general excitedly got up from the table, stopped himself, and sat back down as Callista became slightly agitated. He nodded. "Not your typical interrogation."

"No." Jensen sighed. "So far, he's shown no sign of aggression or duplicity. We want to give him the benefit of the doubt without being bleeding hearts."

"Got it." Danny turned to the scene below them thoughtfully. "I know Sgt. Mykonos, I think she can handle this for now; I'll just keep a watch. When she's done I'll catch her and we can discuss it further."

"Thanks, Colonel. I'm sure Dr. Aaronson will want speak with you as well when they're done in there."

"Playing things close to his chest, is he?" Danny smiled. Jensen nodded.

"No choice in the matter, really," he admitted. "As I'm sure you recognize."

"Indeed I do." Danny continued to watch, his eyes following the movements of the people in the room below.

"We need to start a small watch on this wing of the Infirmary," Jensen continued. "Cover story for the time being is that Nick picked something up in the wreck and needs to be isolated."

Danny looked up with a grin. "Close enough to the truth. Innoculations?"

Jensen nodded. "For everyone who has come into contact with him."

"The crew that responded with me is still here, they're cooling their heels in the entry- we figured it was safer to seal off things as much as possible. Everyone else that's come and gone has been previously here- like Sgt. Mykonos- or is Infirmary staff."

"Excellent. I'll get those 'innoculations' rolling, then. Will you let them know?"

"Will do." Danny stood up. "I'll go down and radio the guys while I wait by the iso room door. Don't want to miss Sgt. Mykonos."

"Thanks, Colonel." Jensen headed for the lab; they would need a good few bottles of saline prepped to look official for the vaccinations.

(( OOC: Feel free to grab Danny for whatever use you think up. ))

[Gen Blue]

[ Isolation room 2 ]
(( a continuation ))

Even though Cal was expecting it, it was still startling to see the change of control. One moment Nick was standing there and next it wasn't him any longer. I guess I can read him like a book. "Yes, I found a mention of Birea."
"And the project? Did they tie into the project?" His eyes flared for a moment as Nick tried to keep him still.
"You tell me," the sergeant countered warily, "How would they be involved?"
The man quivered all over as the two entities in the single body fought for control. Suddenly, he swung around the bed and began pacing on the far side, away from his visitors.
"I'm not sure. I think they were in charge. Beowulf is the Asgard. I know that." He faced the other two and countered with another question, "How much of your birth do you remember? Can you tell me the name of the doctor or nurse?"
"No," Cal admitted. "But, I thought symbiotes had eidetic memories."
"We do," Janus sighed.
Cal blinked as she witnessed the 'change of command' again.
"He's had no frame of reference to interpret what he remembers. That's the problem that we were working on when you came in," Nick commented testily.
"Fine," Cal snapped back, "We'll leave." She turned and bumped Dr. Aaronson toward the door.
Nick's shoulders slumped and he stared at his slippered feet. "Please don't," he said quietly.
Cal stopped but didn't turn around.
"We need your help, Callista. What Nikolai wants to try could be hazardous ... to him," Janus added.

[ShelBel]

Gus laid a hand on Callista's shoulder and stepped between her and Nick/Janus.

"Tell me what he's thinking of trying," Gus said quietly, "And if there is anything we can do to help or make it less dangerous."

[Gen Blue]

[ Isolation room 2 ]

Nick sat on the bed and tossed his hands in the air, "It's not dangerous. I just want to try to hypnotize him. I do it to myself almost every night to help me sleep."
At the puzzled looks, he continued with his explanation, "When I was in Middle School, back in the Dark Ages, one of my teachers taught a bunch of us this technique to help us relax and improve our concentration in class. It also helps ME to remember details. I thought it would help Janus."
Callista nudged the doctor and whispered, "Watch for the change over." This time, she wasn't surprised when Janus spoke.
"My race doesn't sleep or lose consciousness like humans do. We have to keep an active awareness of ourselves and our hosts. The danger comes in that this may work too well. If I ... go under ... as you put it, I'll lose my influence over Nikolai's body."
The implications dawned on Nick. Bojemoi!!! That would NOT be good.

(( Middle School = 13 years old, 39 years ago. ))

[ShelBel]

Gus chewed his lip, thinking. "I see your point. Judging from the xrays and bloodwork, if you 'go under' and lose control, Nick could die- and take you with him. Best we could do is hook him up to monitoring equipment and try to keep things from going south."

He fixed Janus with a thoughtful gaze- now that Callista had mentioned it, he could see the difference in posture, body language, and speech patterns. "Its risky, but you both know that. We can't really forbid you from doing it; there's no way for us to stop you. But if you're determined to give it a try, we can at least try to monitor the situation and keep it from getting out of control."

The door behind them opened and closed, and Danny Marshall stepped in. "We need to know," he said simply, stepping past Callista and toward Gus. "Not just to unravel the mystery behind our 'guest', but to absolve General Blue of any suspicion. It's essential to him regaining any measure of freedom and quality of life."

Gus nodded, and turned back to Janus/Nick. "Its up to you two."

[Gen Blue]

I didn't realize that you had to think about what you were doing. I assumed that you had autonomic control, Nick apologised to Janus.
~It's almost automatic and most hosts would never notice if my attention wandered.~ He didn't push for a decision one way or the other.
Thank you. Again. To his friends, the man said, "We have to do this. There are different levels of hypnosis. I'll try to keep it as light as possible," he shrugged and added, "If a symbiote can be hypnotized at all."
Cal bit her lips to keep from protesting. It's his choice, it's his life.

[ShelBel]

Jensen finished printing up the labels for the vaccinations, placing them carefully on the vials of saline he'd prepped. With that done, he grabbed a plastic wheeled cart and began loading it with the supplies he'd need- the saline, a container of disposable syringes, a sharps container, a box of latex gloves, cotton balls and antiseptic and bandaids. And a tourniquet.

Sucking in a deep breath, he made his way to the entry of the Infirmary to begin the 'innoculations'.

[Gen Blue]

<continuation>

Janus caught the woman's distress, ~She's going to be very angry with me if something goes wrong, isn't she?~
She'll be angry at me not you. It's my decision to do this.
~Do you think it will work?~
We can only try. Nick brought all that he knew of hypnosis to the forefront of his mind. This is what we're going to do.
Janus absorbed the information. ~And you think the lowest level will be enough?~
It is for me but, then again, I've practiced for years.
Janus hesitated, he truely liked his host and didn't want to cause him harm. ~If you think it will be safe ...?~
Gus will make sure it is. Looking up at the Doctor, Nick said, "Whatever you can do will be appreciated."

[ShelBel]

Gus nodded. "Lets get you hooked up and the room prepped then." He turned and pressed a button on the intercom. "Sujie, bring a full monitoring contingent in here, including a crash cart."

It was only moments before Dr. Kinagi came in, followed by the PA Gus had assigned to monitor Nick/Janus and toting several pieces of equipment on wheels. It took a while, but eventually they had Nick wired for just about every monitor available and arranged carefully on the gurney, trailing wires like a marionette.

"Okay," Gus breathed, stepping back. "I think we're set. Sujie, go in and make sure the O.R. is set up and ready to go for brain surgery in case this all goes south on us. And if you find Jensen, tell him to monitor the situation in here as soon as he can."

Sujie nodded and headed for the operating room, leaving the four of them- himself, Callista, Nick/Janus, and Danny Marshall- alone. Gus turned back to Nick/Janus.

"Whenever you're ready," he said softly.

[ShelBel]

Jensen was just finishing up the last innoculation when Sujie stuck her head around the corner. "Do you have a minute?"

"Just a sec." He finished up, taped a cottonball to the inner elbow of the security lieutenant, and nodded in dismissal. "All done here. What's up?"

"Gus wants you down in Iso 1. They're..." She paused, searching for a description that would make sense without giving away excess information- "... trying a new therapy on Nick and want another hand in case it doesn't work out."

"I'm on it." He got up. "Everyone that's been in physical contact with the general has been innoculated and advised of the situation." Sujie nodded in acknowledgment; the wheels on the cover-up were well in motion. "You setting up the OR?"

She nodded. "Yup, just on my way. I've got Smith with me; between the two of us we should have it ready to go in a few minutes."

"Hopefully we won't need it," Jensen sighed as they walked back toward the Isolation wing. The SFs at the mouth of the hallway nodded and let them pass without comment. "Wish us luck, Sujie."

"Break a leg," she grinned, and turned into the OR. Jensen continued on to Iso 1, stepping in and closing the door behind him quietly.

Nick/Janus lay on the gurney, wired within an inch of his life to every conceiveable monitor. A crash cart rested nearby. A shiver of forboding ran through Jensen. "Did I miss the party?" he asked softly.

Gus turned to him. "No, we're just about to start. Nick is going to try and hypnotize Janus, essentially, and we wanted to be prepared. He's just about to start."

"Gotcha." Jensen stepped closer, taking over the opposite side of the bed from Gus. "Ready whenever you are."

[Gen Blue]

Nick took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "If this goes as I hope, it's going to be as exciting as watching grass grow."
I wouldn't mind some time to just sit and watch grass grow. Cal drifted a few steps closer and touched Nick's hand. "Good luck."
The man twisted his arm around to give her hand a squeeze, "It'll be fine. Don't worry. I won't make you have to train Sharp."
Despite herself, Callista laughed. "See that you don't."
Nick glanced over to the doctors, "Now you know who really runs the place." Wiggling a bit to get comfortable, he added, "I'm going to have Janus do all the verbalizing so have the recorders running."
The man closed his eyes and started the silent litany that he'd learned so long ago. As long as I don't fall asleep first.
~Nikolai, what if ...?~
Nick cut him off, You don't worry about 'what if'. That's the doctor's job. You just listen to what I'm telling you. There's not going to be a 'what if.'
~Yes, sir,~ Janus sighed.
Nick started repeating the traditional words, You’re getting sleepy. Very sleepy. You’re relaxing. You hear nothing but the sound of my voice.
After a few minutes of this, he told the symbiote, You’re going to go back in time. Back before us, before the ship, before your foster host. Do you understand?
~Yes.~
Say it aloud. I want you to describe everything you see, hear and feel so everyone will know.
~Yes. Everyone knows.~ Janus mumbled the first word, then got louder.
Even Nick was only slightly aware of his surroundings now, he was concentrating so much on his task.

[ShelBel]

Gus watched Nick's vitals carefully. "Good, good," he murmured, watching the generals heart rate slow slightly. "How's he doing?" he asked Jensen across the gurney quietly.

"Beta waves seem to be decreasing," Jensen replied just as quietly, "although with the dual readout its a little hard to decipher. They're not quite synchronized. Alpha waves are increasing slightly, levels consistent with beginning sleep stages." He looked over his shoulder at Gus. "So far, so good."

"Vitals look excellent," Gus confirmed, looking down at Nick as Janus spoke, quietly at first but then stronger.

[Gen Blue]

It wasn’t long before Nick led Janus back to his beginning. What do you see?
~I don’t see anything. It’s wet and warm and dark. It’s very nice. I like it here.~
You know you can’t stay. What’s happening now?
~My eyes! It’s too bright! Leave me alone. Nooooo! It’s cold. It’s dry. It hurts.~
It doesn’t hurt. You don’t feel the pain. You have the cold and dry but it doesn’t hurt.
~I don’t like it here. There’s strange things here. Ewwww! They’ve got parts sticking out all over.~ He yelled, ~It’s touching me, it’s touching me!~
Calm down. Shhhh. Calm. Calm. What does it look like?
~I don’t know.~
Yes, you do. Does it look like me?
~No. It looks like Callista but, it has glowy eyes. Callista’s are nicer.~
Nick had the urge to laugh but held it back. Is there anyone else there?
~There’s a funny looking gray … person?~
What are they doing?
~They’re poking me and making noises to each other.~ He paused, then added in surprise, ~Hey, they’re talking. I can understand them.~
Tell me.
~Hello, Biria. I see we have some viable larvae from this group.~ Janus did a fair imitation of an Asgard’s light tones.
~Yes. There are six left.~ The other speaker was obviously a Tok’ra. ~There were ten.~
~Do you think they’ll survive implantation?~
Janus went back to the narrative of his experience, ~I’m finally in water again. It tastes odd but it feels good. I can see lots of others like me in pans on a table. They’re not moving though. There are some in here with me. I’m the biggest.~ He sounded pleased with himself.
After a few seconds, Nick prompted him, What’s happening?
~One like you just came in. He’s tapping on the glass now. STOP IT. If he puts his hand in here I’m going to bite him.~ A weird hissing squeal echoed in the room. ~HAH! Try it again and I’ll bite you again!~
Janus, calm down. Nothing is going to hurt you. You’re perfectly safe, it’s only a memory.