Professional Concern

[Annabelle O'Halloran 0]

(This log takes place *before* last week's sim)

 

Anna moved away from Will's side, following Debbie to an area in the ruined shuttle that permitted the CMO enough room to change the bandage on her leg. She felt a little bewildered, still confused as to why she'd blacked out when she'd followed Kat to help her get a sample from the goat. She was banged up and a little bruised--but she'd gotten off lightly compared to others in the shuttle and aside from the headache that refused to go away completely, she felt fine--not lightheaded or shaky.

 

"How can I help you, Debbie?" she asked, wincing as Deb removed the bandage to reveal the wound caused by the metal piece that had become lodged in her leg during the crash.

 

The adrenaline rush she'd experienced immediately following the crash had begun to wear off. That, and the fact Deb had taken as little pain medication as possible, explained why her leg was starting to ache miserably. It didn't help that she hadn't had time to properly close the wound. That wouldn't happen until they were back on the ship. For now, her quick fix would have to do. There were far too many other issues to worry her.

 

She eased down into one of the seats that had managed to survive their sudden impact with the ground. At the moment, her primary concern was the science chief hovering by her side. Anna's sudden blackout was troubling. Even worse was her behavior during the few moments she regained consciousness after Kat brought her back inside the shuttle. Then there was another blackout after which Anna awakened and remembered nothing at all.

 

Deb smiled wearily at her friend and colleague. "I just need to sit down for a minute," she replied to Anna's question. "And I need to talk to you about what just happened. You passed out while you were with Kat. You regained consciousness for a minute or two after Kat brought you back inside." Deb paused and looked into Anna's eyes. "You were extremely aggressive....punched Kat in the face. And you were speaking in a totally foreign language....one the translators couldn't understand." The CMO shifted her weight in the wobbly seat and tried to extend her leg a bit more. "Anna, has anything like this happened before.....and I mean anything even remotely like this." She nodded toward the other woman's wrist. "You must tell me because I fear something is terribly wrong and I'm afraid it's connected to that bracelet."

 

Deb was in obvious pain, and Anna's concern for her was such that for a moment she didn't realize that Debbie had asked her to follow her not because she needed assistance but because she...well, actually, Anna wasn't exactly sure what Debbie was telling her and her confusion was obvious as she replied, "I struck Kat in the face?"

 

Appalled, she sank down on the broken seat across from Debbie and shook her head. "I don't remember doing that...or saying anything. I did black out for a moment there...and it's happened once before...yesterday, actually," she added slowly, not sure what to say. "And it was just for a moment...in my office. My headache had gotten so bad by then...and I went to sit down but the next thing I remember is standing in front of the closed door and a paperweight from my desk was on the floor..."

 

Unconsciously wrapping her hand over the bracelet, as if to protect it, Anna met Deb's stare, her expression stark. "I can't believe I hit Kat. Whatever is causing my headache must be causing me to behave erratically but as for another language, well, it's possible I just garbled my words. The dreams haven't come for several nights now, Debbie so I don't know that the bracelet has anything to do with me blacking out. There must be something physically wrong with me," she said with real bewilderment.

 

Deb cautiously leaned back in the chair concerned it might topple over if she moved too quickly. Anna could be right....the bracelet might not have had anything to do with what just happened. But Debbie's gut was telling her otherwise. "You sucker punched Kat," she said softly. "And as for garbling your words, I don't think so." She lowered her voice even further. "You transformed into another person. Your facial expression....the look in your eyes....it wasn't you, Anna." The CMO glanced around to insure she hadn't been overheard. "Has this happened before?

 

"No, it hasn't," Anna answered, unconsciously lowering her voice to match Debbie's tone. "If it had, someone would have noticed...the people in my department...Will. As for striking Kat...I don't know why I did that. I don't remember doing it but I feel terrible about it, of course." She glanced over to where Will was sleeping, her expression softening, then turning even bleaker as she looked back to Debbie. "I could hurt someone else...do even more damage. When we get back I'm coming to Sickbay for a full evaluation. It's connected to these awful headaches, Debbie, it must be."

 

"But when did the headaches begin?" Deb knew her friend might not want to admit it, but the odd bracelet was playing a role in Anna's bizarre behavior. "We both know they started shortly after you put that thing on and realized you couldn't get it off." Debbie rubbed her face with her hands and took a deep breath. She didn't want to put Anna on the defensive but that bracelet had been nothing but trouble since it first arrived on the scene. "You mentioned dreams.....what kind of dreams?"

 

"I haven't had them for a few days," Anna replied. "But the first couple of nights after I first started wearing the bracelet, I had some vivid dreams that I am sure were actually memories of events experienced by the previous owner. It was frightening at first..." Her voice trailed off and she swallowed dryly remembering the terrible anguish of seeing the man she loved struck down in battle and then awakening with the certainty that something had happened to Will. "However," she continued after a moment's hesitation, her tone firm again, "I got used to the oddness of it and even when I experienced some similar occurrences while awake, I found them intriguing rather than frightening. Jon Shamor has seen stones with similar properties used for memory storage. I am sure that's what the dreams and strange flashes of deja vu regarding taste or sound have been about. I'm still studying the effects of the bracelet and though I'm sure it would be easy enough to remove, I am loathe to do so until I feel my research is complete."

 

Deb listened attentively growing more and more alarmed as Anna explained the effects the bracelet appeared to have had on her. Jon Shamor had been around for a long time. She was willing to put stock into his opinion that the odd stones were probably used for memory storage. It seemed the memories accumulated in those stones had been working their way into Anna's subconscious for quite awhile. Could it be they were now manifesting themselves on a more conscious level? Was that maniacal stranger who attacked Kat Schawnsee the bracelet's previous owner?

 

Now Deb had a royal headache to go along with her throbbing leg. How could Anna have allowed this to happen? And why didn't she speak up when she started having those strange dreams? She already knew the answers so there was no point wasting her breath asking them. Anna was a scientist and a good one at that. The best scientists were more often than not possessed by insatiable curiosity. A mystery such as this alien artifact would be irresistible. An inquiring mind were their greatest asset. But it could also be a huge liability. Especially if the scientist in question held a command position on a ship of the line.

 

This wasn't the time or the place for a lecture so the CMO bit her tongue. Besides, Will was starting to stir and Anna was far more focused on his well being than on her own. At the moment, she seemed befuddled by her mysterious attack on Schawnsee rather than worried she was becoming possessed by the bracelet's former owner. And, under the circumstances, Deb didn't entirely trust her judgement to diagnose the problem.

 

"We'll talk when we get back to the ship," she said quietly, maneuvering out of the rickety chair. "In the meantime, if you feel peculiar in any way, shape or form, come see me immediately."

 

"Of course, I will," Anna assured her, having no intention of adding to Debbie's burden while they were trapped down here. She rose to her feet as Debbie did, worried that her friend's injured leg might not hold her. Hopefully, Jon and Wade's efforts to direct the Reaent to the shuttle's position would pan out and Debbie and Will could both get the treatment they needed as soon as possible. Her behavior towards Kat was worrying of course, but she was convinced that whatever was causing the headaches was behind it. She was just grateful that Kat didn't seem to be holding it against her--she'd been too eager to get back to sample collecting with Wim to pay it much attention.