2013-02-26 Shell Shock and Recovery

The medical bay is quiet, so quiet in fact that it's ultimately impossible to determine the time of day. The Doctor is silently working at a computer terminal that seems to be connected to a vertically-positioned medical capsule.

Inside this capsule is a sight that may be familiar to most of the X-Men. It is a large cloud of black smoke, with tendrils slowly rolling around each other in a constant state of flux. However, that black cloud doesn't seem to be moving as much as it usually does. One might even go so far as to guess that Shift, as he is, may be sleeping.

"Isn't he old, though? It was probably creative when he started," Cessily tells Jocelyn, chatting as they come in. "Hey Shift," the metal girl says with a wave, turning to head for the tank. "Okay for a couple visitors?" A hand reaches out but she refrains from actually knocking on the tank.

Jocelyn looks over at Shift as she enters. She's getting her first real taste of the place, as she looks around. Well, there was certainly more here than she thought. She looks over at Shift, trying to see if there was more or less of his life signs present than when she last saw him. She doesn't touch any of the medical technology, however, for fear of damaging it. "Possibly," Joceyn comments to Cessily. "I suppose early adopters get a pass on the whole creativity department". She looks over at Shift again, some concern touching the young girl's face.

A lot of things had happened up in the Arctic. Time had been lost that will never be regained, a battle of near apocalyptic measure had gone down and people both good and bad had got caught up in the worst of it. It might seem unfair that Domino survived the experience with nary a scratch, though having been under the effects of an x-gene inhibiting drug is enough concern that she makes time in her schedule to get herself checked out. She rather appreciates her good fortune, its effects may be more subtle than the powers of some but it also plays a hand in every little thing that she does. It had only been first noticed the moment that it was gone.

Something else that she had missed along the way? Shift being reduced to a dark fog within a jar. She stops short in the doorway a short ways behind the other new arrivals, suddenly uncertain of what to say.

When in doubt, fall back to the basics. "You look like shit, dude."

"He can't hear you," interrupts the doctor, his tone of voice suggesting a touch of mild annoyance. "And any requests for visitation must go through me!" After punching a few commands into the computer, the doctor turns to view those who have entered with a mild sigh and a look of apology. "However, I suppose if you all ask -nicely-, I may be able to bring him out of his slumber." He eyeballs Cessily and Jocelyn closely for a moment, before turning his attention toward Domino.

"Now, now. Be nice. Shift has developed himself quite a situation. It would seem that his molecular structure is trapped in this gaseous state, which presents quite a few problems. For one, it's impossible to feed and nourish him. For another, his mental processes are... different. He isn't developing any additional cognitive functions right now, and if he remains in this state for too long, we are going to begin seeing memory loss." He bites his lower lip for a moment. "I can bring him out of this state forcibly, and I need to do so in order to give him nourishment. But... I can't promise that it will be pretty." He pauses for a considerable moment, before adding quietly, "It may do him some good to see friends."

Oh, great, the doctor's giving her stink eye. No fun. She takes a small step back. "We just wanted to see if he was doing okay," she explains. "Don't do anything that wouldn't help just for us."

Jocelyn focuses on Shift for a moment, though she does turn to glance at Domino. "He might look like shit, but he's actually doing a lot better than he was before, I think. His energy is much stronger than it was earlier," Jocelyn says. "He's just...stuck," Jocelyn explains, turning her eyes back on Shift. "I could reach him before, but that was when he was weak. That's not the problem here, I think. It might help him to see friends though, but only if you think it's okay, Doctor," Jocelyn says, looking over at the man. "Sorry for not alerting you. Fairly new arrival here". She shrugs, her palms facing upward in an apologetic manner.

The look that Dom gives back to the Doctor needs no words to accompany it. 'Go ahead, try and throw me out.' See how far that flies.

"He was worse than this?" she asks Jocelyn, both surprised and ..sympathetic?

The offer to bring Shift back around is somewhat unexpected, though she's already got other ideas on her mind. She's spent a lot of time around the guy, more than any other person at the Institute. In that time she's learned quite a bit about what makes Shift tick, how his powers work in tandem with his own state of mind. He can turn into other forms of matter as well, each one connected to a trigger. Liquid, which..frankly she doesn't want to try and trigger given what had done the trick last time, and reinforced solid.

The trigger for that one is easy for her.

"Have you tried pissing him off yet?" she up and asks the Doc with a meaningful glance following a moment behind. "Serious. Make him mad, he turns to rock. Get on his nerves, try to force a shift. I could help."

"Things get strange for people like us, "Cessily tells Jocelyn. She steps up to the tank and puts her hand on it. "Does that really work?" Cessily asks Domino, a skeptical look morphed around her face.

"Don't you worry, I will do what I will," answers the doctor, while once again briefly giving Cessily the stink eye. Jocelyn's report, however, draws his attention most directly, even moreso than that hairy eyeball given to him by the mercenary. Her apology is dismissed with a wave of the hand. "You're one of the new students. Stream, from Detroit."

It would seem the doctor has done his research.

"That makes perfect sense. His mutagene is triggered by heightened emotional states. Nothing more than chemical reactions of the body to the brain's stimuli. Which... -also- can affect energy output." He snaps his fingers twice, then moves back to the console quizzically.

"One thing at a time, Domino," the doctor urges, while tapping in a series of commands. "We want to make sure he's stable in his -normal- form before you pull any tricks. Got that?"

The medical capsule begins to hum and glow an eerie red color, which seems to have a direct effect on the motion of Shift's gaseous state. The tendrils of smoke begin to move faster, as if being agitated.

"He was wisps of smoke, barely anything to them," Jocelyn says with a small frown to Domino. "He must have been that way the entire time we were there". "Only reason I picked up on him was because it was so scattered around the room we were all in, and I've seen him in that form before, so I knew what to look for". It turned out that random power demonstration her first night here was helpful! She listens to Domino's suggestion, however. unsure if something like that would work. "Yeah. Energy sensing. Fair warning, you have to sedate me to hook me up to any of this stuff. Otherwise I'll short it out". The doctor should know that, as she doubts he'd appreciate his equipment being roasted by a student by mistake.

"Hey Doc, is Hank down h-" Bobby Drake, surprisingly dressed in long sleeves today, stops short as he enters the infirmary. He's got a sling in hand, seeking to return it after having worn it for a day following his and Shift's encounter with the lions in Queens but no longer needing it. Looking around at everyone, he blinks a few times before offering a wave. "Hey. Please tell me you're all just visiting," he says, looking at the ladies.

Been like that the entire time they were there. That's..a long time. Man, he's lucky to be alive at this rate, from what it sounds like. Domino nods once and quietly steps aside to take a seat up on one of the counters, stretching her back with a few tiny pops. As it is she's trying to figure out what would most grate on Shift's nerves should she get the chance to try this little stunt. Strike fast, strike hard. What's the most sore nerve in him these days..?

Eh, it'll come to her.

"Thanks for finding him," she finally says back to Jocelyn. She had been so distracted that night by everything else, it's very fortunate that someone else on the team figured it out and helped get him back here.

Bobby's arrival is met with a glance and an incline of the merc's head. "I'm here for a post-chemical injection check-up, but I do so love to multitask."

"Ma'am please." says a harried nurse from down the way.

"I said, I'm fine. Use this space for someone who really needs it." replies an insistent, yet calm female voice.

Moments later, a curtain is pulled back and Carol steps out of a medical cubicle area, zipping up her motorcycle jacket. Yeah, she got dressed before anyone realized she was planning to head out.

"Seriously, I heal a lot faster than most people realize. Kinda helpful. Plus, I need to go file my report with Director Fury soon. There's a -lot- of things that need doing."

While the doctor seems busy working on reviving Shift from smoke form, he does in fact fire a response Bobby's way. "No, he isn't!"

A few moments later, the machine stops buzzing at the precise moment when those tendrils of smoke rapidly re-form into the man they are all familiar with. Kwabena immediately slumps down, as if his body was weaker than it ever had been before. The capsule unseals with a pop and the hissing of pressurized air being released into the room, and the doctor rushes in to steady the African.

"Take it easy, Kwabena," says the doctor quietly, before quickly injecting something into his arm. "Everyone, give us some room."

He begins quietly leading the shell-shocked mutant out of the capsule and over to one of the empty medical cots. It's worth noting that Kwabena still wears his X-Men uniform, though it's been stripped down to a pair of gunmetal gray shorts, bare feet, and a similarly colored tank top.

"Of course," Jocelyn says to Domino. Shift was the first person to greet her when she arrived with Scott, so she had a bit of a soft spot for the guy. She watches as the doctor sets to work, though she does turn to Bobby. "Down here to see how Shift is doing," the young girl tells him. She was a bit concerned.

Jocelyn is still watching the doctor work when Carol arrives, and the girl shields her eyes briefly before they adjust. The woman was still like a headlight on a dark night to her. She blinks a few times before lowering her arm. "Glad you're doing better, Captain Marvel," she says in greeting to the woman, not all that surprised she's healed up that fast.

Then Shift is returned to normal, and she watches quietly, giving the needed space that the doctor requests, just waiting to see how he reacts.

"Hello Mister Drake," Cessily says, seeing Bobby come in. "I haven't seen him. He was teaching earlier, maybe he's still doing office hours?" she suggests with a faint shrug. Cess' head twists further, further than it should. "Captain Marvel!" she says with surprise. "H....how are you?" she asks, thinking back to the distinctly broken woman she met the other day. But back to the important thing, to Shift himself. Cessily straightens herself out and moves back to give the doctor room, as requested. "Hey," Cessily says quietly. "How do you feel?"

"Damn," Bobby sighs. He wanted to talk with his fuzzy blue friend about something he only trusts his fellow original X-man with. It's not the only reason he came down to the infirmary but it was an important one. "Hey," he greets Dom, walking over to a cabinet to put away the sling. He nods as they others mention being here to see Shift. "Oh good, I was coming to see him too," he remarks, leaning against a counter near Domino. Carol gets a wave from Bobby. "Yo," he greets. The icy mutant quickly falls silent when the doctor begins work on Kwabena, watching intently. He's a little relieved when Shift returns to flesh and blood but doesn't move from the spot just yet.

Her eyes flickering towards Shift's tube and the young man within it, Carol just lingers quietly for a moment. Then it hits her... and she nods quietly to herself before she looks to Jocelyn and Cessily. "Oh hey... tell you what. That is a title, a moniker that honors a good man who's no longer with us. I like honoring him by using it but you folks don't need to worry about titles with me. I'm just Carol okay?" she asks as she holds a hand out first to Jocelyn and then to Cessily. "How is he?" she asks with a gesture towards Shift.

"That's still a cool trick," Dom says to no one in particular as Shift comes out of the jar and suddenly -is- once again. Complete with clothes! Though he's already looking solid enough, does she need to do anything at this point? He's whole, he's (momentarily) on his own feet, he's solid enough to get stuck with a needle. Right now she's inclined to think that he doesn't need to be angry, he just needs some good bourbon in his system.

Hey, check it out. Carol's here, too. "Danvers," she offers in a greeting that lacks any real emotion, managing to keep her expression neutral as the name 'Fury' is brought up. Dom won't admit it outright, but she's rather upset with the other woman. Carol isn't a mutant. Those drugs wouldn't have had any effect on her, right? Yet she played the victim the entire time everyone else was down there, getting tested on. She could have stopped it. She could have done -something.- The woman's a SHIELD agent and a total powerhouse, and she played possum.

At least when they were stuck in Latveria they had -all- been stuck.

"Domino." replies Carol towards the lucky mutant. "You two did great on the field back there." she says to them. A smile spreads over her face and she says to Jocelyn, "I think you and I should probably practice that energy siphon trick so it doesn't catch me off guard next time." And then to Cessily, she says, "Oh, and seriously, thank you for helping me to the plane. I'd had... better days you might say."

Then her attention flits towards Domino... and she raises a brow as she hears the mild chill in the other woman's tone. She's not clueless, she knows there's something wrong between the two of them and like any good soldier, she goes the direct route. "Do we have a problem Dom?" she asks as she folds her arms over her chest. Well, more like over her upper abdomen (since the artists seem determined to make her chest too big for that).

"Wish I could do that," Cessily says jealously. "Only my costume can shift with me. Unstable molecules are really really expensive," she adds. "Oh," Cessily says. "Wow. Really?" she asks. First name basis? With Captain Marvel? "I...I'm Cessily," she sputters, rather awestruck.

Jocelyn takes Carol's hand when she offers it. "I'm Jocelyn," the girl responds, a little less starstruck than Cessily is by the presence of Carol. She's maybe a little more hardened to, well, most things than Cessily is? She lets the doctor attend to Shift. "So, are both of you doing alright?" she adds, looking at Domino and Bobby. She had a bit before her next check-in to make sure nothing else was messed up, thanks to that lovely drug. The teen was worried about everyone, to a certain degree, from that mess.

Bobby tenses at the mention of Fury as well, shooting Carol a look. He doesn't trust the whole super spy thing in the least bit. Shaking it off, he watches the girls get starstruck over Carol. "They're expensive but the Prof can handle the bill. Just gon't make a habit of wrecking 'em, Cess," Bobby teases. When Jocelyn asks about him, Bobby waves a hand. "I'm good. System's clear of that junk and I'm all healed up from almost being eaten by a lion," he says, not mentioing any power issues that have been bothering him. "What about you? You doin' okay, kiddo?"

"We've all had days like that," Cessily says to Carol, rather humbly. "How could I not?" she asks with a faint shrug. "I mean I've never met a super hero before...one that's not a mutant, that is." Her eyes narrow. "You're not, are you?" she asks, and then claps a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, that was so rude," she says.

"I'm doing pretty well," Jocelyn says to Bobby. "Nothing so far, though they're waiting for the test to come back for certain". Jocelyn nods, then, to Carol. "Sure. First time, and we didn't exactly have a chance to practice beforehand. I just recognized the impending sign of explosion". It's at that moment a nurse walks up and asks Jocelyn to join her for a moment to go over the results of her tests. "Excuse me a minute". And the girl follows the nurse.

The doctor promptly begins inserting an IV into Shift's arm, which is connected to fluids that will help to revitalize his body, which is looking a bit starved. His cheeks are even sunken in just so, and his palor is a bit less African-dark than is usual.

His eyes, having been a bit listless, seem to begin focusing. He looks around at those in the room, and a hesitant smile forms on his face, recognition setting in. However, when he speaks, the words come out in his own language. "Kwim de pana. Kwim sah. Kwim peek'tu prana bwim'tak."

"I was afraid of this," the doctor murmurs.

What are you really mad at, Domino? -Is- it Carol? Maybe SHIELD? Fury gets on everyone's nerves, it happens. More likely, she's just ticked off at herself for becoming the victim yet again. Had she learned nothing from the Latveria raid? At least the reasoning behind this last assault had been justified. It wasn't focused on some megalomaniac posturing, Trask had been the first to pull the trigger.

She could have handled things better. She -should- have. Danvers is just an easy target. One that's now staring at her, looking all expectant.

Dom releases a long breath, answering first by reaching for a flask inside of her trench and offering it to Carol. "We don't."

Things are so much easier when she works alone. That way there's no one else to point the blame at when things go wrong.

"Glad you were there to help."

When Kwabena starts to come around and talk, Dom's expression sours. "Great, the boy's gone native on us."

Bobby nods to Jocelyn. He's been trying to check on all the students after everything that happened. He's still angry they even dragged the kids along on that mission and got them caught in the first place. He keeps that in for now. A slightly wary look is shot Dom and Carol's way, the icy mutant hoping a fight doesn't break out. When Dom defuses things, he lets out a relieved little breath and turns his attention towards Kwabena. Of course the other language just makes him blink. "Uhh..."

Smiling to Cessily, Carol just shakes her head, "Being a mutant or not being a mutant, isn't what makes a person a hero or not. It's who they are deep down. Lots of heroes have no powers at all and just do the best they can for others. But no, I'm not a mutant. I had a run-in with one that left -me- powerless and without any memories once. Charles helped me when all -I- wanted to do was give up. So I help him and the students out whenever I can."

Then, eyeing the flask, Carol lifts a hand briefly, before shaking her head and saying, "Dom, don't do that. I've been sober what, two months now?" she asks as she looks towards Shift again. "Makes sense. Trauma will make a person revert to memories of the past that they have an emotional connection with. That's why Latveria sucked so badly for me. The only memories I have an emotional connection to are of the last few years."

"Oh, Bobby isn't it?" asks Carol as she turns her attention his way. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" she offers, holding a hand out, "I mean aside from watching each other from across the field now and then."

A faint 'oh' comes up from the silver girl. "I'd be nice if everybody thought like that," Cessily says. "So....thanks again, and I'll just leave it at that, I guess," she says. She spins to look at Shift, as he lapses back into his native tongue. "What can we do!?" she asks the doctor immediately.

"He's shell shocked, to put it mildly," answers the doctor. "After what happened to him, I'm not surprised." He seems to approve, however, of the way the visitors are reacting. Nobody is bum rushing the patient or raising much alarm. He does eyeball Carol and Domino warily for a moment, but there's no need to rush them out of the infirmary just yet.

"Talk to him," he says, walking past the group of visitors. "Try to get some English out of him. It will do him some good. Make a connection. His vitals are stable, and he needs to stay 'awake' as long as he can, so we can get more of those nutrients into him." He pauses near Bobby, patting one of the first X-Men on his shoulder, before disappearing to help one of the other patients.

That isn't the response Domino is expecting to get. For a passing moment she looks genuinely surprised, "That so?" It's been ..gosh, about two months since the two women had hung out in a social sense. Completely missed that memo, she did.

The albino is about to help herself to a drink before reconsidering, instead tucking the flask back away. She's trying to -not- be at odds with Danvers, here. Behave.

Now there's something else to think about, as well. That desire to just give up. Memories of the escape are fresh, as are the memories of what happened on their way out of that place. Bobby may be keeping his own thoughts away from the others but he isn't alone.

This is a -school.- Why is she even -here?-

"How about you, kiddo," she suddenly asks Cessily. "How are you holding up?"

Hell of a time to have another attack of conscience.

There's a small flinch from Bobby at the pat, Iceman not expecting to get touched right now. He seems relieved when the Doctor leaves though, lifting his collar a moment to glance down at his shoulder. Whatever he sees get another relieved little sigh from him and he turns his attention back to the others. "The one and only," he replies to Carol. "Sorry, I've been busy with...all this," he gestures vaguely to the school at large. "So, how ya holdin' up, dude?" he asks Kwabena.

Returning, Jocelyn nods to the group. "Clean bill of health," Jocelyn responds to the group. That should put Bobby at a little more ease, that Jocelyn is okay. She doesn't even have a mark where she got winged by a bullet, which is still surprising to the girl. "At least so far". She hopes she's gotten all of that stuff out of her system by now. She hears the doctor's words and decides to try a slightly different approach. "Yo Shift. Dey treatin' you right down 'ere? Feedin' you gud?" Yeah, it's a bit of Detroit ghetto speech (and a bit thick), which she doesn't break out all that often, but she's hoping it jars Shift back into English. After all, it does require a small bit of mental translation into normal English for most people anyway.

Okay, so people are now crowding around Shift, making Cessily just a touch redundant. She keeps half an eye on him on the cot, as Bobby and Jocelyn sidleup to either side. "What?" she asks, looking back at Domino. "Oh. Me? I'm fine. Getting smaashed is....disorietning. No lasting damage, though." Hey, at least somebody asked. She /did/ have a sentinel fall on her. "What are you doing here, though? You're not a teacher, are you?"

Steadily noticing the concern from Cessily, Kwabena does his best to try and give the student an encouraging smile. "Kwim pan de Cessily," he answers her, nodding steadily, before turning to answer Bobby. "Bobby. Pen fwa. Pen fwa mutana." He shrugs a bit, not seeming to be bothered by the fact that nobody can understand him. "Pench'ta muna spee fwan."

Perhaps he doesn't even realize that he's speaking in his native tongue? Acute shell shock can do that... those who have such field experience might realize that this is a classic case of a brain blocking out certain facts, even when they are staring him in the face.

Suddenly, Kwabena turns to sneer at Jocelyn. He leans forward just so and grins at her. "Dey treat me fine. Mintwa kwim sana. Doctah, me pana."

Okay, so, progress is good, right?

Well, Carol is an officer, a soldier. She's not a shrink. She just steps back from the crowd around the smokey mutant. "For the record, you all did great. I only wish that I could've gotten you all out sooner." Okay, so there's some guilt there in her mind. "I mean, they couldn't inhibit my powers, but if I'd taken any action... I couldn't have attacked them and at the same time kept everyone else safe."

Then she flickers her eyes to Domino and mentally *clicks*. She nods to the other woman slowly, understanding hitting her, "I get it. I took my time, trying to wait for the right moment. Scott showed up and provided that moment. At least everyone got out, right?"

That's it..? Just 'fine?' Dom has to wonder if Cessily got involved with more fights involving gunfire and giant robots! When the question is bounced back she hesitates, glancing off to the side as narrow shoulders start to hang lower. "I have no idea." She's not a teacher, though apparently it's fun pretending to be one. The second part of the student's question goes unanswered, 'no' seems like too curt of a response and she's not at all prepared to follow through with the results of such an answer.

Carol is given a slight nod, at least. "Didn't want to risk playing your hand too early in the game. Yeah..last I heard, anyway."

Wait up a sec, here. Kwabena's speech hiccuped. He didn't lose the memory of it then, that's good. If it were down to the two of them she'd probably just point a gun at his head and try to snap him out of it, which only further presses the question further into her mind.

'Why are you here?'

'Right -now- I'm here to make sure Kwabena's okay.' And after that..? Dom sets her jaw and hops off the edge of the counter, casting that intense stare upon the Ghandian. "-Snap out of it,- Tuesday."

Bobby is slightly more at ease, at least where Jocelyn is concerned. Since Domino asks the question for him, Bobby just listens to Cessily's reply. "Good to hear, Cess," he speaks up. Carol gets an arched brow. "They couldn't screw with your powers but what about the gas and the sedatives?" he asks.

"Uh," Bobby rubs the back of his neck as he looks down at Kwabena. "Right..." he trails off, having no idea what was said. Jocelyn just gets a look as she goes all Detroit on them but he doesn't comment. "She's hear because she's helping the X-men and has been working with us for awhile. Don't worry about it, Cess," he speaks up again.

A grin is returned to Kwabena when he grins at Jocelyn. "Yo yo, gud dey treat you gud. Doctahs be gud peeps. But you gotta hear da lady. You gotta lot o'stuff floating 'round yer head. Gotta come back from the trip man. She be needin' to talk with ya. Youse get it, Shift?". Yeah, she's trying to redirect Shift's attention to the response Domino had. Jocelyn is paying attention to the rest of the conversation around her, but her focus right now is on helping Shift snap out of it and bring his mind back a little bit.

(INCOMPLETE)