[Unfiltered Audio: A Recording of the Plague Year] Monday, Week 19

[damn_it_jim]

[There's no video for this, but the background noise is clearly a hospital, between the intercom pages and the general noise of too few healthy people trying to treat too many sick. Bones is back in his native element, it seems.]

This is Dr. McCoy. We've got some new directions on this disease outbreak, but they aren't all that pleasant. This is Yersinia pestis that we're dealing with -- the Black Plague, bring out your dead, all that medieval ghoulishness. Not being medieval, however, we have antibiotics and can treat the plague if you're not an idiot and don't try to tough this out. If you're running a fever, if you've got a wet cough, if you've got chest pain and can't breath and your muscles feel like fire, get to the hospital. We can't keep you unless you're on death's door, but we can give you drugs and send you home to recover. Take the full dose, even when you start feeling better, or I'll personally put a boot up your ass if you cause antibiotic resistant plague because you can't follow simple instructions.

Unfortunately, you won't likely be out of the woods yet. This isn't garden variety plague, some geniuses genetically modified it. I don't know which strain they're working with yet, but I do know that they engineered a second stage, likely viral, into the Yersinia bacterium. Taking the antibiotics to treat plague will likely let it into your system all the faster, and isn't that just a pretty little paradox?

Take the antibiotics anyway. Treating whatever this second stage is will be harder. We're going to do it, because no long-dead madmen are winning this one on my watch, but until we can tailor an antiviral, your best shot is to cure the plague as quickly as you can, and save your body's immune response and reserves for fighting off whatever this is the old fashioned way.

And that brings me to my final point...

[He pauses then, as if aware of just how potentially bad an idea this is, before shoving on ahead anyway.]

You paranoid bastards behind the dome. I know you've eavesdropped in the past, so listen to this now. I know that anybody keeping a force dome running with that much power has to have a higher level of technology than what we're suffering with out here. Give me access to a lab, and I can end this. We've got gear that can keep me isolated from you. If you really are superior to the rabble out here, then prove it. Find some common humanity and let me put an end to this plague.

Comments

[Audio]

[kazeninaru]

[Haruka recognizes that voice. She takes a break from trying to milk a cow-- not her idea of a good time, thanks-- when the message comes through, and even deigns to answer.

She sounds annoyed.]

So you mean even though we got better, we are going to get sick again?

[Audio]

[damn_it_jim]

Don't crab at me, take it up with the people who decided to make weapons out of some of our worst diseases.

Rest up while you still can. Don't be stupid.

[Audio]

[kazeninaru]

[There's some cursing on the other end, but it's in Japanese, so unless McCoy knows it-- or his universal translator is still on, here-- he only gets the unintelligible side of it. Still, it's pretty obvious it's swearing.

When she's got that out of her system, she finally switches back to English.]

Same symptoms as before, then?

[Audio]

[damn_it_jim]

That, I don't know yet. There are a few possibilities, although I'm thinking probably a 'no' on the one based off Ebola virus.

Expect a fever, at least. I'll know more when I can see more cases.

[Audio]

[kazeninaru]

Great. Nothing on this planet is ever easy, is it?

[Grumble grumble.]

[Audio]

[evervarying]

Weren't you just at a lab?

[Audio]

[damn_it_jim]

Containment wasn't up to my standards. More of an ex-lab, now.

[Audio]

[evervarying]

An ex-- Right. Tell me they weren't experimenting on people in there, because being on three planets where that's common practice would really be too much.

[Audio]

[damn_it_jim]

They weren't experimenting on people in there.

[Bones' delivery is perfectly deadpan, and also perfectly, obviously, humouring her request.]

At least not where I could see, and it's been a good century since the place was active, at least. But you don't get hard lethality data from a computer simulation, that's for damned sure.

[Audio]

[evervarying]

What the hell is wrong with this planet?

[Audio]

[cantcatchme]

Waitwaitwait, I have to deal with being sick again? Uh-uh. No way. That's just... Jesus!

[Pietro does not sound happy]

...Wait, Dr. McCoy? Your first name isn't Hank, is it? Big guy? Hairy? Bright blue?

[Audio]

[damn_it_jim]

If you find a way to complain yourself into staying healthy, let me know. Otherwise, be smart about it when symptoms start up again -- take it easy and make sure you've got someone to bring you food and keep an eye on yo--

What? Are you hallucinating, kid?

Re: [Audio]

[cantcatchme]

Hey, the first round was... pretty rough. I don't really relish the idea of a second.

Huh. Well, you're either not the Dr. McCoy I know of, or you haven't done the Mr. Hyde thing yet. You don't know Charles Xavier, do you?

[Audio]

[damn_it_jim]

You're not even the one stuck trying to keep people alive. Let me know when you start showing symptoms -- I want to figure out what this second stage is as soon as possible, so don't try and tough it out.

And I've never heard of a Charles Xavier. Are they one of the ship people? Locals don't seem to have last names.

Re: [Audio]

[cantcatchme]

Hey, if it'll keep me alive...

[Yeah, he was considering going to the hospital next time. He had some sense scared into him, at least.]

There was a Charles from the ship, but he's gone now. And, uh, Jocelyn, who I guess was Charles from another universe or something. Weird. But he and the Doctor McCoy I know are, like, best buds or something. Blue could tell you more.

[voice]

[jimkirk]

Bones. Tell me you aren't sick.

[voice]

[damn_it_jim]

No time to get sick, Jim. I won't allow it.

How's the group you're with? Anyone come down infected after leaving?

[voice; encrypted as best he knows how]

[jimkirk]

Good, keep it that way.

No one here's sick. Weird, right? I don't know why we're immune or whatever.

So, you really think they got stuff in the dome that could fix all this?

[voice; encrypted as best he knows how]

[damn_it_jim]

Probably left before you could get infected. Try to keep it that way, yourself -- I have enough people to try and keep from dying without adding you.

And I'm sure they do. I doubt they'll share the space, but now I can be morally superior at them when they refuse, and you know me and my love of moral superiority.

[voice; encrypted as best he knows how]

[jimkirk]

Yeah, I know, you and your morals.

[ like Jim doesn't have his own moral code. ]

But what if we could get into the dome? We could get the stuff for you, and to hell with the guys denying it. I mean, yeah, I'd hate to deny you the chance to look down your nose and all, but...

Audio; and yup, he sounds awful

[arrowminded]

Hope you know what you're asking for.

Filtered Audio:

[damn_it_jim]

Let's just say I'm not holding my breath on an answer. Isolationist loons...

You sound like hell. Have you been to the hospital yet, or am I going to have to make a house call?

Filtered Audio

[arrowminded]

Started my meds right on schedule, Doc. Feeling better already.

Filtered Audio

[damn_it_jim]

Good boy. Find a way to bottle being sensible and shoot people with it for me, will you?

Filtered Audio

[arrowminded]

You had me from "shoot people".

[There's a long pause and then]

Did Dr. Banner take the drugs?