001 ✚ voice

[sufferably]

_{( A few hours after arriving, and after meeting up with Jim and figuring out some basics, because he's not about to make a public post that makes a fool of him in front of a bunch of people, Bones picks up the comm and says, rough southern accent and all-- )}

Alright. There's obviously no point asking about how to hail a ship that's in orbit two hundred years in the future.

_{( A great start, by Dr. Leonard McCoy. He sounds all business, and you can almost hear him rolling up his sleeves. )}

If this is a city of heroes, I'm willing to bet it's also a city of danger. _{( He says that derisively. )} If you were going to rate this place based on how easy it was to get sick, injured--how would it compare to your home ti--that is, world? Are buildings getting knocked down, people getting crazy interdimensional diseases?

I like to know what I'm working with.

Comments

[sufferably]

I always heard it the other way. More you know, the further you've got to go.

[professorlionface]

You mean the more you realize how little you know? Well, certainly! There are boundless things to learn in the multiverse, and eventually you have to acknowledge how small your part in all of that can be.

But, once you have, you realize that expanding your knowledge can also expands the paths available to greater knowledge. Sometimes not necessarily for you, personally, but your work can also prepare that path for others to surpass you.

[sufferably]

That's how it's supposed to go, right? _{( And his tone is just slightly less annoyed, for a moment. )}

I suppose that means you've got some kinda system, with all the coming and going, here?

[professorlionface]

There are some systems, yes, but they've been thrown out of sorts a bit lately due to new circumstances. The going's always had a risk of being only temporary, but now...well, no promise it will be home, either.

[sufferably]

Well, doesn't that just stand to reason? If you can get here, if everyone came from somewhere else.

[professorlionface]

It may, but for years it was safe to assume that Lachesis simply pulled us to her universe or sent us back to our own. Individually.

What's changed is that now we're being pulled to these other places en masse, for what seems like a specific purpose, then returned here after a few days or so.

[sufferably]

...so she's screwing with us.

_{( Or using them for some actually nefarious purpose but that's a lot to process. )}

[professorlionface]

To be fair, that's never not been the case. But this time it seems she may be using these exercises to help inform us of the undertakings of a common foe.

[sufferably]

And just sending out a memo was too much trouble?

[professorlionface]

When they're crossing universes? I should think so.

[sufferably]

Exploratory missions don't really work when they're forced.

[professorlionface]

Yeah, well.

Tell that to Janeway.

[sufferably]

I don't suppose you're talking about the lesions. _{( Because that... would not make sense. Curse you and your not!future references. )}

[professorlionface]

You wouldn't understand, don't worry about it.

But our whole situation could be seen as a forced exploratory mission. Things will occur here that threaten not only our own well-being, but perhaps the stability of the entire world. Being thrust into yet another alternate universe to fact-find how to prevent that I think is a small price to pay.

[sufferably]

_{( Everything about this makes him chronically uncomfortable. And part of him wants to go "screw the stability of the entire world" but even he couldn't force that much uncaring. )}

You always so matter-of-fact about stuff like this? Heading into other dimensions, the entire world being unstable?

[professorlionface]

Dr. McCoy, I'm a superhero. Stuff like this is just a part of life, as far as I'm concerned.

[sufferably]

Most people don't take to life that well.

_{( He is maybe a little impressed. )}

[professorlionface]

I thought I'd already made it clear that I think a little joie de vivre can be vital to conquering difficult circumstances.

[sufferably]

You did, maybe. Guess I'll see whether that actually works.

[professorlionface]

So you'll give it a try?

[sufferably]

Maybe.

_{( And then, so dryly: )} For science.

[professorlionface]

I've never heard a better justification given to an undertaking in my life. There is no nobler purpose.

[sufferably]

Depends what you're doing with the science, at the end of it.

_{( Because otherwise we're sounding too much like Spock and that's gross. )}

[professorlionface]

It's more methodology than purpose I'm concerned about, in most cases. Of course, I suppose there are some particularly drastic purposes to avoid, but that would generally go without saying.

[sufferably]

Lots of things should go without saying, but don't.