<USS Avalon> "Unexpected Diagnosis"

Unexpected Diagnosis
Elissabeth Marksbury
Featuring Commodore Andrew Brookman (with permission) 
and Admiral Mordecai Pew

 

"The vivid dreams have stopped."

"Mmm, yes, I can see that," Commodore Andrew Brookman said offhandedly as he 
studied the read-outs once more. "The headaches and nose bleeds too, I would 
assume."

"Yes." Elissabeth tried not to squirm. Yesterday marked her 33rd day of tests 
and diagnostic scans. Of questions and studies. She was on a first name basis 
with Brookman?s staff. She?d been there so long, she was starting to wonder if 
they had any intention of shipping her back to the Avalon.

It had been a great time to brush up on the latest in security training and 
equipment. Spending this much time with James Maturin was wonderful. And being 
in the perfect position to ask some well-placed questions was a blessing as 
well. But she missed her home.

"That should do it." Brookman?s voice was as quirky and chipper as ever. "If 
you?ll wait just a few minutes, Admiral Pew will join us in my office and I 
believe I can finally explain all of this."

"Admiral Pew will be there?"

"Let?s just say he has taken personal interest in your case."

Elissabeth nodded and hopped lightly off the bio-bed.

***

Forty-five minutes later, she was seated in Dr. Brookman?s office across from 
his desk. Admiral Pew was pacing behind Brookman in front of the window, while 
Brookman himself remained quiet for once. The silence, ordinarily welcome, was 
about to drive Elissabeth crazy. Military protocol with these men had been 
stripped to only the barest of respects and they were three people awaiting a 
diagnosis.

"Sit down, Mordecai," Brookman waved his hand at the aging Admiral. "My tech 
will be here any minute and you?re thinning out the carpet. I just had it 
redone last year. Talarian Rose, it?s called."

Pew still hadn?t said anything past the initial pleasantries. Elissabeth could 
tell he had something on his mind and hoped it wasn?t her. There was enough 
people worrying about her.

"Sorry sir," a fourth person said, as she rushed into the room. "Just arrived." 
The technician handed over a data crystal and large sheet transparencies. "It?s 
not easy getting those made."

"Yes, yes, thank you, Susan," Brookman waved the technician on and the door 
closed silently as ever but with an odd sense of finality. "Well now!" 

His smile and demeanor were way too chipper for bad news, Elissabeth surmised, 
but you never could tell. 

The Commodore moved to the far side of his desk and flipped the light on a 
board to which he placed the first transparency and ordered the room lights 
off. "The brain is a very complicated organ. Not to insult your intelligence my 
friends, but these," and he held up the data crystal, "can be so complicated to 
read at times that even fourth year medical students struggle. So," he gestured 
to the transparencies, "I had these made to simplify things.

"Okay, this is the first scan we ever took of Ms. Marksbury here when she came 
to us. It was not something I noticed before because I was not looking for it. 
But here," he took out a tiny pointer and began his demonstration, "is a the 
tiniest of scar tissue fragment, located in the hippocampus - uh, that would be 
the area of the brain responsible for memory. Like I said, I would?ve never 
noticed it before as it is almost non-existent."

"What does that mean?" Lissi asked softly, trying to get the doctor back on 
track.

"It means your memory has been altered before. Several times, in fact, as I 
began to look at this. Most likely with a synthetic administered to your limbic 
system and telepathic interference." Brookman let the words settle over them.

"What did they do to me?"

"To the best of my knowledge... you?ll have to understand though that I?m 
merely guessing. These are medical techniques 500 years in the future and -"

"Andrew," Pew cut him off.

"Yes, well, just so you understand. Anyway, I believe due to past trauma, 
Elissabeth, that you are oddly susceptible to telepathic bonding. You make 
connections with telepaths - deep connections that I don?t think they are even 
aware of. I think... well, I think your ignorance is the cause for the pain and 
nosebleeds. I believe that with the right series of medications and some 
training that you could control your abilities..."

"You... what?" Lissi asked with incredulity.

"I?ve talked my theory over with the Admiral as things have developed."

"I beg your pardon?"

"We weren?t trying to keep anything from you, Elissabeth," the Admiral stepped 
forward out of the shadows. "Dr. Brookman wasn?t even certain until all the 
tests were run. But it?s true. And it?s also very valuable."

"I don?t understand. So, I?m not dying?"

"No, no, no! Not at all. At least no more than anyone else," Brookman chuckled. 
"You?ve made connections on a deep telepathic level with certain people without 
either of you being aware of it, Elissabeth. The side effects for you have been 
enormous. But we hope to change that. To teach you how to take advantage of 
this ability... to... well..."

"We have a new assignment for you," Pew finished.


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