OOC: Memory #4 (Hearing/Sight)
[Since the log this memory is in is locked for meta, I'm re-posting it publicly for my own and others' reference. The senses are hearing and sight, and the memory itself is from the episode "Ariel".]
The room was impossibly wide, the floors tiled in white, the walls also white except for panels where red light shone through. Overhead lights illuminated the whole place. Simon, dressed in hospital scrubs, was helping Qi, who had on a hospital gown, lie down on an exam table in the center of the room. She looked petrified with fear, her eyes wide and staring, her mouth moving silently. The goateed man Simon had seen and heard in his memories was also there, dressed in an EMT uniform.
Simon himself went over to a computer terminal when his sister was settled, working the controls as though he'd done this a million times before, sticking a tab into a slot on the machine, touching a few buttons. The goateed man backed off and Qi screwed her eyes shut as a projection appeared in the air above her, reading "HOLOIMAGER". The projection then disappeared abruptly to be replaced by one of Qi's own body, her skeleton and all of her organs and body systems visible. Simon pressed a few more buttons, and all of them faded away except for one... her brain.
Simon silently went over to her and began to manipulate the image of the brain with his hands, examining it closely, his face serious.
"They opened up her skull," he said, his tone eerily calm and clinical as the goateed man paced behind him. "That's a scalpel scar. They... they opened up her skull, and they cut into her brain."
"... Why?" the man wanted to know.
"The only reason to make an incision in someone's brain is- to lobotomize them, to go in and remove damaged tissue. Why... anyone would cut into a healthy brain is..." He let that trail off. "They did over... and over..." His attention was then caught by something on the image. "... They've stripped her amygdala," he said in a strained voice.
"... The what?" Simon took his hands away from the image as he spoke, and it rotated back into its original position.
"You know, ah... you how you get scared, or worried, or nervous, but you don't want to be scared or worried or nervous, so you, you push it to the back of your mind, you try not to think about it. Your amygdala is what lets you do that, it's like a filter in your brain that keeps your feelings in check." Looking thoroughly sickened, Simon stopped the goateed man from touching the brain image. "She feels everything. She can't not."
There was a pause before the goateed man said impatiently,
"Well, that's fascinating. Let's get moving."
"We still have twenty minutes," said Simon, confused.
"No. The plan changed while you were out. We're meeting out the back way in five." Unnoticed by either of the men, the image of the brain began to change colors as Qi awoke, and her brain began its endless cycling once more.
"I- I could use another couple minutes, I'm sure if we get in touch with Captain Reynolds-" said Simon uncertainly as he went back to the machine's controls.
"Captain gave his orders, we play it by the book." Any further argument was forestalled when Qi suddenly opened her eyes and began to scream. Simon hastily turned the machine off and grabbed the data tab as the goateed man clapped a hand over her mouth, muffling her cries. He roughly shoved the man's hand away, putting his hands on the side of his sister's face, shushing her.
"River, shhshhshhshh, it's okay," he soothed, but Qi shook her head, whimpering softly.
"Get her in the chair and let's go!" the goateed man snapped.
"No," Qi whimpered. "No, they come out of the black, they come when you call..." Simon continued trying to sooth her as she grabbed his wrist tightly.
"It's over. We're leaving." Qi, however, sat up sharply and glared at the man.
"Your toes are in the sand."
Then the memory faded...
The room was impossibly wide, the floors tiled in white, the walls also white except for panels where red light shone through. Overhead lights illuminated the whole place. Simon, dressed in hospital scrubs, was helping Qi, who had on a hospital gown, lie down on an exam table in the center of the room. She looked petrified with fear, her eyes wide and staring, her mouth moving silently. The goateed man Simon had seen and heard in his memories was also there, dressed in an EMT uniform.
Simon himself went over to a computer terminal when his sister was settled, working the controls as though he'd done this a million times before, sticking a tab into a slot on the machine, touching a few buttons. The goateed man backed off and Qi screwed her eyes shut as a projection appeared in the air above her, reading "HOLOIMAGER". The projection then disappeared abruptly to be replaced by one of Qi's own body, her skeleton and all of her organs and body systems visible. Simon pressed a few more buttons, and all of them faded away except for one... her brain.
Simon silently went over to her and began to manipulate the image of the brain with his hands, examining it closely, his face serious.
"They opened up her skull," he said, his tone eerily calm and clinical as the goateed man paced behind him. "That's a scalpel scar. They... they opened up her skull, and they cut into her brain."
"... Why?" the man wanted to know.
"The only reason to make an incision in someone's brain is- to lobotomize them, to go in and remove damaged tissue. Why... anyone would cut into a healthy brain is..." He let that trail off. "They did over... and over..." His attention was then caught by something on the image. "... They've stripped her amygdala," he said in a strained voice.
"... The what?" Simon took his hands away from the image as he spoke, and it rotated back into its original position.
"You know, ah... you how you get scared, or worried, or nervous, but you don't want to be scared or worried or nervous, so you, you push it to the back of your mind, you try not to think about it. Your amygdala is what lets you do that, it's like a filter in your brain that keeps your feelings in check." Looking thoroughly sickened, Simon stopped the goateed man from touching the brain image. "She feels everything. She can't not."
There was a pause before the goateed man said impatiently,
"Well, that's fascinating. Let's get moving."
"We still have twenty minutes," said Simon, confused.
"No. The plan changed while you were out. We're meeting out the back way in five." Unnoticed by either of the men, the image of the brain began to change colors as Qi awoke, and her brain began its endless cycling once more.
"I- I could use another couple minutes, I'm sure if we get in touch with Captain Reynolds-" said Simon uncertainly as he went back to the machine's controls.
"Captain gave his orders, we play it by the book." Any further argument was forestalled when Qi suddenly opened her eyes and began to scream. Simon hastily turned the machine off and grabbed the data tab as the goateed man clapped a hand over her mouth, muffling her cries. He roughly shoved the man's hand away, putting his hands on the side of his sister's face, shushing her.
"River, shhshhshhshh, it's okay," he soothed, but Qi shook her head, whimpering softly.
"Get her in the chair and let's go!" the goateed man snapped.
"No," Qi whimpered. "No, they come out of the black, they come when you call..." Simon continued trying to sooth her as she grabbed his wrist tightly.
"It's over. We're leaving." Qi, however, sat up sharply and glared at the man.
"Your toes are in the sand."
Then the memory faded...