redshiftlogs | Following Up Following Down [closed]

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Following Up Following Down [closed]

Who: Qubit, assorted
What: Qubit needs to contact a few people about the whole Longinmouth situation.
When: i don't even know. time isn't real
Where: Anchor
Warnings: N/A

1. for Ben & Pratt, separately

[ Both of them will get the same text, but at slightly different times. ]

I need to speak with you. In person, if possible.

It's about the incident with Carlisle.

2. for Kieran

[ There's no point trying to contact Kieran over the network. He couldn't read to begin with, and now he's blind as well. So Qubit tracks him down in person, checking in first at the Medbay, only to find out he's been released and relocated into the dormitories.

He finds the appropriate door and knocks. ]

Kieran? It's Qubit. Are you in?

3. for Onni

[ Carlisle is Qubit's friend. He'll stop at nothing to help him. But there's only so much he can actually do - he may be able to help Carlisle suppress the psionic side of his abilities, but that was never going to be anything but a stopgap, a treatment of the symptoms rather than the underlying cause.

The cause is magic. And magic is far outside his wheelhouse.

He does know a handful of magic-users in Anchor. Initially, he thought about asking Loki, but the man's trustworthiness aside, he's been Ported out. Reynir's wards might be useful for containment, but that's not his objective right this second. There's still one avenue he needs to explore, one that's a total unknown. Onni Hotakainen, the Finnish mage.

So one day, Onni will be getting an audio call from him: ]

Onni Hotakainen? This is Qubit. I'll get right to the point - there's an urgent matter that I believe only a mage may be able to resolve, and I need to know if you can help. The safety of everyone in Anchor is at stake.

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[Kieran had done his best to avoid staying in the dorms for as long as he could, much rather preferring the openness offered by his--yes, his--barn in the agricultural area to the cold confines of the available dormitory rooms. But now the barn that felt like home poses a threat to life and limb and there are other practical reasons for him to stay close to his friends. The new room doesn't feel like it's pressing in on him, at least, even if the 'solution' to that particular problem is pretty terrible in its own right.]

[When Qubit knocks on the door and announces himself, Kieran's head perks up. He hadn't spoken to Qubit in quite a while even before the whole incident a few weeks ago, so to hear his voice is a pleasant surprise.]

Yeah, I'm here! J-Just hold on a second.

[It's slow going, but Kieran manages to find his way to the other side of the room, arm outstretched as he feels along the path. Another moment passes as he finds the panel in charge of unlocking his door and presses it. His eyes are covered with a strip of cloth, but that doesn't stop his smile from almost reaching them. He's in better spirits now that he's no longer trapped in the hospital, even if he's not entirely back to his goofy self.]

Hey!

You heard about that?

[ Ben isn't exactly sure what Qubit means by the 'incident' with Carlisle. Is he talking about when Ben wore himself to the point of collapse fighting off monsters the guy had created by accident, or the time Carlisle had gotten into a snit at him for daring to suggest he should maybe try not doing that in the future? ]

We can meet. I'm down in the library at the moment but I can come to you if that's better.

[ Qubit waits patiently outside the door - well, not quite patiently, but a passable imitation - until it slides open, and there's Kieran. Maybe it's for the best that he can't see the look of pity that crosses Qubit's face. Poor man. He didn't deserve any of this. ]

Afternoon.

[ He pauses briefly, but ... no, he doesn't like to beat around the bush. ]

I heard about what happened. Are you doing all right?

Library's fine. I'll be there in 10.

[ And he is. With the epidemic clearing up and the maintenance bots returned to duty, he looks and feels a bit more put together now than he has for the past few weeks - probably a good thing, since he's pretty sure this is the first time he and Ben have properly spoken face to face. Qubit greets him with a nod as he approaches, hands in his pockets. ]

Ben. How are you doing?

Sure.

How'd you find out about that?

I'm up by the ranch but I can come to your lab.

[Kieran adjusts his attention when he hears Qubit speak, nodding his head down to address the height difference between the two.]

[His smile wanes into something a little softer. It isn't any less warm, but it's definitely not as enthusiastic as before.]

Yeah, I'm managin'. Everyone's been real helpful.

Wanna come inside?

[He steps away from the door to allow Qubit space, placing a palm against its edge so he can stay oriented.]

No, the ranch is fine. Need to pay it a visit anyway. I'll meet you there in about 15 minutes.

[ He didn't miss the question, but he's not going to answer it until he gets there. He doesn't know what Pratt and Carlisle's relationship is like, beyond that Pratt's the one who called him to help Kieran - so he knew Carlisle was a healer, which ~~I'm pretty sure~~ even Qubit didn't know until after the incident. But with said incident in mind, he's not sure whether saying "Carlisle told me what happened" will help or hurt his efforts. ]

[ As promised, in about fifteen minutes, he's walking up the dirt path to the ranch. ]

[ Ben is glad that this meeting is taking place somewhere so familiar to him and where he feels so comfortable, because he has had some... awkward talks with Qubit in the past, and he's more than a little concerned what all this is about, particularly if it needs discussed in person. He's in his favorite chair, tucked away in a corner, a book open in his lap. But he tucks a bookmark in it when Qubit wanders in, and shuts it. He doesn't put it away, though, keeps it clutched in both hands. Ben looks the same as he did in all those video chats - the only difference being that it's clearer in person how still he is.

Privately, Ben thinks Qubit's hair is a lot More in person than he's realized, but he's obviously not going to say that. ]

Fine. You said you needed to speak to me, about Carlisle?

[ Oops, he accidentally forgot how to small talk. But he's also got a feeling Qubit won't mind getting right down to business. ]

Edited 2019-11-27 23:47 (UTC)

[ That feeling is correct! He did want to make sure Ben wasn't injured, but he doesn't appear to be. A bit nervy, perhaps, but that's not unusual. They can get right down to brass tacks. ]

That's right. I'm trying to put together a timeline of events, for starters.

[ He pulls a chair over and takes a seat, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, hands low and fingers loosely interlaced. ]

Can you tell me what happened that day?

Sure. [ Qubit enters the room and has a look around. Whatever it looks like, it's pretty clear Kieran hasn't been living here long. ]

I'm glad the others have been accommodating about it. Are you living down here full-time, then?

[ Ben doesn't answer Qubit right away. He returns his gaze, steady and honestly maybe a little bit unnerving, his face neutral. Internally, he's debating whether he should find out what Qubit is after, first. He's obviously after something. Are there any circumstances where telling him could lead to people being in danger, or more trouble for his friends? None of it is a secret, exactly. But even so, Ben takes his time, deciding.

And what he decides, eventually, is that it's better to share his version of events than any distorted ones that might have come across Qubit's ears, and that he will just ask afterwards why he wanted to know. ]

I can't tell you how, for all of it, but I can tell you what happened.

[ He rubs at his chin, another long silence settling between them as Ben goes through it in his mind, deciding what to say, where to begin. Swallowing, he starts, with the kind of steady caution that gives away how much emotion is being kept in check underneath it. ]

I was walking, and I heard screaming. I ran towards it and I found a bunch of men torturing Kieran. They had- beaten him badly, and gouged out his eyes. Pratt was already there. We showed up almost at the same time, and he was - trying to get them off him. But the men had guns and knives... he and Kieran were in danger. So... I used my powers, and I killed them all.

[ In the rush of all of it, Ben doesn't really remember if Pratt had managed to kill any of them, before he ran up. It's all a horrbile blur. But if Qubit is asking these questions in order to accuse anyone of anything, Ben's not going let Pratt be one of those people. He'll take responsibility for all the killing, and face whatever consequences come with. ]

We tried to calm Kieran down, but he was bleeding so much. We weren't sure he would make it to the medbay, and Pratt said he knew a healer. He texted him while I-

[ Ben breaks off there, shifting uncomfortably; his knuckles, where he's holding the book in lap, have gone white. He drops his gaze and rides it out, the awful memory of holding Kieran against him, telling him he had to stop the bleeding and how badly it would hurt, to just yell at him and hit him as much as he needed. As awful as everything that day had been, none of it had been worse than that moment, for Ben. Listening to Kieran screaming, because of what he was doing, holding him still and hurting him, even if it was saving his life...

He exhales a slow breath, pulling his composure back together. When he does, he lifts his eyes to Qubit once again. ]

While I tried to slow the bleeding. Carlisle showed up and told us to keep Kieran still. So we did. I told Kieran it was all gonna be okay. But... it wasn't. Carlisle said to be prepared for anything, but I didn't think-

[ Ben breaks off, shaking his head. He had let a little anger creep into his voice, there, and he is still trying to keep this objective. ]

He was healing Kieran, the bleeding stopped and his eyes reformed, but. It was like these sort of... lines of death were spreading across the ground. All these trees near us just... started withering away, like he was sucking the life out of them. He was bleeding from his face, but it was black. He pulled away and I - got Kieran away from him, because the ground all around him was rotting.

[ He stops, there, eyes narrowing slightly as he watches Qubit. Once more, his doubts are back. Is he here to make excuses for Carlisle? On his behalf? How much does he know already.

All Ben says, though, is: ]

You with me so far? Any questions? It's about to get weird.

[ Qubit does have questions. He has several questions. There's a lot to unpack in there.

Most of the story is consistent with what Carlisle told him, although obviously it adds some context before his arrival. He'd known Kieran's injuries were severe, but he hadn't realized they were life-threatening. And who were his attackers? Where did they come from? Why would they do this? It doesn't make sense.

A second possibility occurs to him. Were there other attackers? He doesn't think Ben would intentionally harm Kieran, but if "I might accidentally kill you" was a legitimate worry of his... Until he has more evidence, he shouldn't rule it out.

Another detail stands out, though, drawing his eyebrows downward and his hands up to rest on his mouth. "Carlisle said to be prepared for anything." That means he knew something could go terribly wrong, yet he went ahead anyway. Understandable, perhaps, if the alternative was to let Kieran die, but ... it means some of this may have been preventable. If he'd only saved Kieran's life, and not tried to reconstruct his eyes, would that have been something he could handle?

As it was, he couldn't. The rest sounds about right. Sucking the life out of his surroundings, spewing black bile... and at that point Carlisle felt himself slipping and aborted the heal.

Qubit nods. ] Go on. I'll hold my questions till the end.

[ Qubit really isn't giving anything away. In a way, though, that's easier. Ben can just get through it, lay it all out, as he saw it, and then they can discuss why Qubit is asking.

He takes a moment, though, thinking of what words to use, how he can capture the hectic, horrific events that follows. ]

Carlisle was... having some sort of a fit. Like a seizure, almost. It looked really painful. And- and the bodies - the parts of the bodies of the men who'd been attacking Kieran, who I killed, started... moving. Coming together. But also, rotting. Like time was sped up. And there were um, animal skeletons, too, that came up out of the ground. Like... someone had buried a horse there years ago and its bones were getting pulled to the surface. And all those bits sort of... mooshed together into this... this thing. This, like, ten-foot-tall corpse monster.

It came at us, so, I did my thing again and beat it down. But every time I - beat it down, or tore it in half, it would just reform. So I had to keep fighting it. I was - making progress, it was coming back a little smaller every time, but... using my powers. Is. Extremely painful, for me. And I was getting exhausted.

[ Ben rubs a hand against his forehead, remembering that nausea, the weakness, being terrified he wouldn't kill it for good before he passed out, that his friends would die. He isn't looking at Qubit any longer, wrapped up in remembering the events. ]

There were more than one of the monsters, at that point, and one of them ran at Carlisle and Pratt. And then it kind of- stopped. All of them stopped. I stopped. Like- like something was controlling me...

[ He hadn't been able to identify the feeling, back then. He hadn't really thought about that particular part of it, before now. But suddenly, it all clicks, and Ben looks up, eyes wide with sudden realization. ]

My sister, her powers - they let her control people. Tell them what to do, and they have to do it. It felt like that.

[ Was that something Carlisle had caused? Ben can't be sure. He doesn't have any proof.

He gets through the rest of the story in a rush. ]

I shook off... whatever it was quicker than the remaining monsters, and I dealt with them while they were still frozen, and this time they didn't reform. Somewhere in there... Pratt had grabbed Carlisle, to drag him to safety, and his hand was all-

[ Ben gives a shudder, small and suppressed, but goes on: ]

All rotted and... bleeding. But he was okay to walk, and Carlisle wasn't wigging out, anymore, so we all started off for the medbay. At some point, Carlisle was just... gone. I don't know when he separated off. I was - pretty close to passing out.

[ And he folds his arms over his chest, not really sure if he should add this next bit. But it's possible this had been part of qhat Qubit was referring to when he mentioned the incident, so: ]

A couple of days later I texted Carlisle. I wanted to check up on him. Offer... I don't know. Advice? If he needed someone to talk to about having shitty powers that are hard to control. He said I should just convince Kieran to let him finish healing him. I told him that wasn't gonna happen until I was sure he was safe. Carlisle... did not like that.

[ Ben sits back in his chair, a kind of punctuation, lets out a slow, irritated breath. That argument still rankles, but that's not the point, now. He meets Qubit's gaze, steady and level, asks: ]

Now. Why did you want to know?

[Kieran didn't come into Anchor with much, and what little he had is left back at the ranch. It's not like any of it would do him well here. After all, what use are his tools now? He hasn't gotten used to feeling his way around enough to work on building things, and a revolver has no meaning outside of exponential danger to everyone if he can't see who he's aiming it at.]

Yeah! It ain't so bad. Miss Cho lives next door. She keeps on tryin' to feed me and give me all sorts of things, and everyone else comes by to visit pretty much every day. If it ain't one person, it's another.

[Just that love and care by itself has been enough to pull Kieran out of that post-trauma funk. He'll always be grateful for it.]

[He presses the panel again to shut the door, and once he's satisfied that he's heard that now-familiar woosh and click, he navigates over to one of the chairs and parks himself in its seat.]

[He has definitely noticed that his question went unanswered. But fine, he needs a break anyway, his current plan to pretend nothing is wrong with his hand is likely not the smartest. He has it bandaged up and he'd kept it clean, but he really needs to be resting it. Instead he's been trying to get the sprinklers to work. ]

Morning.

[Time is meaningless.]

[ Generally speaking, Ben's account lines up with Carlisle's, but provides him with a lot more detail. A group of unknown assailants would explain why there were human corpses present for Carlisle to reanimate, for instance. Even though recalling the events is causing him a great deal of stress, Ben is an excellent witness, rational and articulate. Gold star.

He's also filled in some details that Carlisle left out. Qubit frowns when he hears the bit about the mind control. He doesn't think that omission was intentional, though - given the state Carlisle was in at the time, he may not even have known he was doing it.

He also didn't mention further contact with Ben - or that he still wants to finish his work on Kieran's eyes. Qubit rolls his eyes and sighs in exasperation. Ben made the right call. Of course Carlisle still wants to help - it's a point of pride for him - but it's far too dangerous, and he should know that. God damn it, Longinmouth.

But then Ben's got a question for him. Qubit pauses for a second. It's only fair, though, and given that Ben's already offered help to Carlisle after all that...

Qubit takes a deep breath through his nose, exhales. Yeah. He can be forthcoming here, he decides. ]

... Because Carlisle came to me for help.

[ He rests one hand on his temple, the other gesturing loosely as he speaks. It's a serious matter, so his body language isn't relaxed, exactly, but it's informal. Still, his eyes betray a peculiar intensity as he explains. ]

We arrived in Anchor at around the same time, and I've been working with him on and off ever since. As I understand it, his abilities stem from a sort of... magical affliction he has, and his condition seriously worsened shortly before he was brought here.

[ I.e. he died from it. And then un-died. And turned everyone in his hometown into zombies. It wasn't great. ]

So now when he "channels" that type of magic, his body rejects it, as you saw. And he's... still coming to terms with what that means for him. Albeit slowly.

Afternoon. [ Yeah, he's just a pedant. ]

[ Since he's looking out for Pratt's hands, he can't fail to notice the bandaged-up state of the right one. Should you really be out doing farm labor with that injury, sir? Signs point to no. Qubit nods and gestures toward it. ]

How's your hand?

That's good to hear.

[ It probably is the best option, for the time being. The Agricultural Zone is still largely untamed; it's far too dangerous while Kieran's still adjusting. Cho's ensuring his basic needs are met, and he has friends dropping by to visit regularly. Physically, he should be all right.

But he's been living out of that barn for a reason. Kieran's an outdoorsman. The dorms are comfortable, but sterile. And without sight, the lack of familiar sounds and smells must feel even starker.

Qubit heads for a chair, too, and habitually goes to move it - but catches himself and puts it back before taking a seat. ]

I hope you haven't been cooped up in here the whole time, though.

Naw. I make sure to go out every chance I get.

[Qubit’s hit the nail on the head when it comes to Kieran’s need to catch the sounds and smells and the sensation of that distinctly-manufactured-but-still-better-than-nothing hint of a breeze granted by the Agricultural Zone.]

Usually someone will take me to the park or just walkin’ around the halls. I really wanna go back out to the ranch, though. Branwen and Eavan ain’t seen me fer a while now. I bet they’re gettin’ nervous.

[Thankfully, they have Pratt out there taking care of them, but Kieran is their leader.]

And, y’know, I miss ‘em somethin’ fierce, too.

It hurts.

[No use saying it's fine because there's clearly a bandage on it that he's not wearing for fashionable reasons.]

But it'll heal up. No permanent damage.

[ Ben listens without interruption: he hadn't known that Qubit and Carlisle were friends (which is what he's sort of reading in between the lines here, with the arriving at the same time and working together, and judging from the fact that Carlisle went to him to seek help, when he had refused it so adamantly from Ben.

Qubit was probably right not to tell him all this earlier. If he'd known Qubit was a friend of Carlisle's he might have been less harsh in his recounting of what happened, but less truthful.

The new information about Carlisle's condition makes Ben rub as his mouth, considering. After a long pause, he asks: ]

So it wasn't being brought here, itself, that changed his ability to heal?

[ Ben's not sure Qubit is really here to be answering his questions about Carlisle, but he feels justified in asking this one, particularly because he had gotten a different impression when talking to Carlisle himself. But then, thinking back, he doesn't remember the exact wording. Only that Carlisle said his powers were screwy, lately. It was Ben who had just assumed that getting brought to this place was the cause. But evidently, he's got some kind of magic disease? Or curse? All this isn't really Ben's wheelhouse. He wonders if Cole would understand better. But it might be rude, to ask him.

He sighs when Qubit says that Carlisle is coming to terms with the change slowly. Ben genuinely feels bad for him. There's some guilt, now, for how snippy he'd been in their text exchange. Perhaps the way Carlisle had asked Ben to convince Kieran to endure something he was afraid of had touched on a bit of a nerve, and he'd been unduly harsh.

But things can't stay the way they are. He IS sure of that. ]

Can you help him do that? Come to terms with it. Learn his new limitations, before something like this happens again, and I'm not there to... to keep it from getting any worse?

[ Ben's eyes lock onto Qubit's, level, steady, questioning. Ben wants someone to help Carlisle. He had offered, but he doubts now that the man will want much to do with him. Certainly he probably won't want to be vulnerable around Ben. So maybe this is the best solution. ]

And- is there anything I can do, to help you do that?

[ To Ben's first question, Qubit shakes his head - ] Not to my knowledge. Though I can see why you might think that. [ His own abilities were compromised when he was brought here, after all. (Wait, has he ever told Ben that? Maybe not. Well, it's not really relevant at the moment.) ]

[ To the second, he pauses a second, then sighs. ]

I'm trying to, believe me.

[ But he's wearing a lot of hats around here as it is, and this last month in particular has spread him pretty thin. If nothing else, it's driven home the point that he can't save Carlisle alone. ]

I have a few ideas how, but magic's not exactly my best subject. I'll need to consult with our other magic-users before committing to any particular course. In the meantime, I think you're already on the right track. Your powers and his are very different, but your experience could still lend him valuable insight.

[ Maybe Ben can do for Carlisle what the Plutonian did for Volt, once upon a time. Not so drastic as allowing Carlisle to live a normal life - that ship's already sailed - but allowing him to live among people, at least. ]

[ Ben still doesn't even know what Qubit's abilities are... which he hasn't forgotten, but he's waiting for the opportune moment to ask, and that moment just hasn't ever seemed to come up. Usually when he's talking with Qubit, there is some other urgent matter at hand.

Right now, for instance, Ben is mostly focused on whether Qubit will be able to give Carlisle the help that he couldn't. And he's... not feeling remarkably confident. Qubit's heart seems like it is in the right place (honestly, that generous assumption is much more on Ben than any of the evidence he's been presented) but he looks kinda worn out.

He nods his understanding when Qubit mentions his lack of familiarity with magic, interjects a quick: ]

Yeah, same.

[ He's always relied on Cole, to explain all things magical to him, or at least do his best to. But then, that isn't a resource Qubit can really draw from, considering that Cole is probably still scared of him. Well... there are other people, right? Someone can help, as an expert in the field...

When Qubit proposes Ben using his own expertise at having awful powers, he drops his head forward, rubbing at the back of his neck. ]

I... don't know. I mean, I offered. Like, repeatedly, and he just sort of asked for my qualifications and then totally blew me off and got super offended when I wouldn't just agree to do whatever he wanted. I'm sure... he's probably a nice guy once you get to know him, or whatever, but I feel like now he's not exactly gonna want to trust me.

Edited 2019-12-08 21:42 (UTC)

[ So he's been getting fresh air, too - with assistance. That's another thing to consider, the loss of independence can't be easy for him, either. ]

I've just been up to the ranch myself, actually. Pratt tells me they're doing well. [ But that's a poor substitute for Kieran getting to see them himself (er, so to speak), so he adds - ] I'd be happy to escort you up there sometime, if you like.

[ Qubit sighs. Carlisle, please. So far he's been able to pierce through Carlisle's stubbornness with relative ease, but that's only because he's so familiar with his own (and so skilled at herding cats). ]

"Nice" might be too strong a word, but he means well. He's just ... very, very stubborn, at times. I'll talk to him.

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