The Needs of The One

Posted on Thu Apr 18th, 2024 @ 3:17am by Commander Grace Vetur & Lieutenant Commander Aaron Marcus & Lieutenant Haruna Mizuhara

1,566 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Standing By
Location: The Brig - Deck 9 - USS Ontario
Timeline: TBD

[Brig]

Haruna had finally woken up from being sedated. She sat crossed legged on the floor rocking back and forth slightly. She kept her gaze low, avoiding all eye contact as she sat there. She let out the occasional sniffle as tears ran down her cheeks. She had messed up again, lost her control again. This is how it had always ended for her, every ship she had never been accepted, she had ended up breaking and this was the last time.

"Brig to Captain Vetur." The security officer who was manning the brig console said. "Our little crazy Engineer is awake... She's sat here crying ma'am" he reported over the comm.

"The doctor is on his way," Grace replied. "Please give him access to speak with her."

"I'm not crazy." Haruna replied in a sniffle. "I'm not crazy." She repeated. She lowered her voice to a low whisper. "I'm just different."

Having been dismissed by the Captain on the Brig Aaron made his way to the Brig. The reports of what the Chief Engineer had been doing ran the gauntlet and were strange indeed. A relatively healthy individual who snaps is something that Aaron is more than happy to take a look at. Well anything could have caused the temporary break with sanity, and he would get to the bottom of it. He decided that for the time being it would be best for him to chat with the Lieutenant alone and bring the Counselor in if they would be needed.

Aaron made his way to the Brig with his nose buried in the PADD and a little more bounce to his caned step. Within minutes he walked into the Brig. He turned to the Brig Officer and spoke with his usual curt and dismissive tone. "Ensign you are dismissed. Before you tell me what protocol is or what Commander Chernova said know this. Your prisoner is my patient as of right now. So, as of now anything they tell me falls under Doctor & Patient confidentiality. Now that cannot happen without you leaving. If the Commander gets angry tell her that. Besides she is hot when she is angry." Aaron leaned on his cane in silence as he waited for the Ensign to process everything and leave. Once he left Aaron turned to the cell.

His demeanor shifted from one of arrogance to one of a listener. He wanted to get this patient's story. Of course Aaron knew better than most that all patients lie, so he would look for what was beneath the words. "Rise and shine Lieutenant. Your road out of here begins with me. I am Doctor Aaron Marcus your friendly Chief Medical Officer. Now, why don't we start with what happened."

Haruna looked up slowly, tears still glistened and twinkled in her eyes as she continued to sit there. "It doesn't matter..." she sniffed. "They're going to send me away again. All because I lost control... again." She said through her sniffles.

"I am going to level with you. No one is going to send you away unless myself or Dr Rose tells them to. So, lets start at the beginning. Tell me what happened. If you promise to be on your best behavior I will join you in there and take a seat so we can talk. Besides I can barely run so I am an easy target." Aaron tried to get her trust. He also knew that if he needed he had his cane as a defensive weapon.

"I don't hurt people..." Haruna said. "Only myself..." she added. She rolled up one of her sleeves to show him the assortment of bruises she had. "It always happens when I fall out of things, or down Jeffries Tubes. There's a big one right here that hurts, I think it happened when they used that gas to knock me out," she explained as she hovered a hand over the right side of her stomach.

Aaron decided to take a proverbial leap of faith. He deactivated the security field. "Computer seal the brig. Authorization Marcus Alpha two." The computer chimed its response and Aaron took a seat on the bunk next to Haruna. Do you take falls a lot? How long have you been taking these falls?"

Haruna avoided eye contact as she spoke through her sniffles. "It comes with the job." She said as she continued to look down at the floor. "I know every inch of this ship." She explained simply. "Every system, every deck plate, every light bulb. I see and hear it all..." she continued to look down. "The starboard power coupling is out of alignment right now by two microns. Its been driving me crazy since I woke up in here and that's two sections away..." she couldn't help but let the tears flow out of her eyes.

"Section thirty six..." she cried. "Subjunction twelve Beta. Send someone to fix it! It's high pitched misalignment t hurts!"

The machine of medical knowledge that was Aaron's mind began running through any number of diagnoses where hearing is augmented. However, before anything he wanted to test the engineer. He tapped his comm badge. "Dr Marcus to engineering. Would you send someone to section thirty six subjunction twelve beta. It seems that there is a power coupling out of alignment. Please advise me what you find. Marcus out." He turned to Haruna. "Tell me Lieutenant how long has your hearing been that good? Or is it simply because your engineering skills are that good?"

"I've always had acute hearing." Haruna sniffled. "And I remember everything I hear, see or read." She told him. "It helps to know what to listen for, once I've heard it, it stays in my head."

"Have you been this way since childhood?" Aaron paused for a moment and cocked his head as he observed Haruna and thought how to proceed. Thus far the theories presented on the Bridge are proving to be correct. "Have you ever seen a doctor for any of these abilities? Why do you feel the need to listen in on people?" The climbing through the walls was probably the most disturbing of symptoms that Aaron had heard.

"I don't mean to listen in. I just hear it all." Haruna sniffled. "And ice already been this way, ever since before I was born..." she looked up at him. "And yes, I remember 'that' experience..."

"Well, let me start somewhere. As to the listening that is going to have to stop, that is if you wish to remain not only on this ship but in this fleet. People do not like eavesdropping and in some cases it can be a crime. If you can hear it then listen in your quarters and no one is the wiser. Along with that when coming to attend meetings or briefings or anything of that nature you need to use the door. Not the Jefferies tube access. If you can do those two things to start it would go a long way with the rest of the crew." Aaron could tell that Haruna knew they were in the wrong, and that there was something wrong with them. However, to the doctor this did not seem like anything that should remove them from duty, at least once the treatment took full hold.

"It doesn't matter..." Haruna replied sadly. "They're still going to send me away. Just like everyone has ever done..."

"Ensign Gribbins to doctor Marcus. We're at that power coupling, it is indeed out of alignment... How did you know sir?" A voice came out of the doctors comm badge with a tone of confusion.

"The Chief Engineer informed me of it. Lieutenant Mizuhara would like it repaired. Thanks Doctor Marcus out." Aaron closed the comm channel with a smile. This little exercise just showed him that the Lieutenant wasn't wrong about what they can hear. He now knew that he could definitely get Haruna to be a model officer. "Listen no one is going to send you anywhere unless I tell them to. At the moment I have no interest in getting you off the ship. In fact it is quite the opposite. With ears like that you can make sure this bucket stays together. But, you have to do what I said. Can you make those changes?"

Haruna stared at him for a few long seconds. You could almost see her processing the information, analyzing every word the doctor had said. She eventually gave him a small nod. "Yeah..."

"Excellent! We are going to have to have some more meetings like this, and you are going to have to meet with Counselor Rose. But, I know we made some progress today, and I think in due time we will have a treatment plan. until then relax, I will get you out of here and at least returned to quarters as soon as I talk with the Captain." Aaron stood up. "Haruna I want you to know that I am going to help you, I am going to make sure that you remain on this ship and your current position. I don't make promises easily as most people are not worth making promises to. However, I promise you this will be done."

Haruna nodded silently in response.

OFF

Lieutenant Haruna Mizuhara
Chief Engineer

Lieutenant Commander Aaron Marcus
Chief Medical Officer

Lieutenant Commander Grace Vetur
Acting CO

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