3347/A Perfectly Ordinary Check Up

A Perfectly Ordinary Check Up
Date of Scene:	12 September 2020
Location:	Medical Lab
Synopsis:	Hank and Moira take a look at Gabby's nanomachine problem, and start to formulate some ideas for fixing it up.
Cast of Characters:	Moira MacTaggert, Gabby Kinney, Henry McCoy

---

Moira MacTaggert has posed:
It's a quite morning at the X-mansion, which is to say that Moira MacTaggert has had three conference calls already with her research lab on Muir Island five hours ahead, and this equates to three half-drunk and now long-cold cups of coffee arrayed around the med lab, smelling acrid and foul amidst the otherwise crisp, clean air.

The big screen now displaying only some background research, the doctor has taken to one of the more comfortable chairs, wreathed in an ugly fuzzy brown jumper that is at least partially hidden by her lab coat. All is still and calm as she sits and reads the latest draft of a paper one of her postdocs sent her on a tablet, eyes darting quickly across the text.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney had never really been fond of doctors given her unique upbringing, but she'd come to trust Hank McCoy and most of those here at the mansion. Enough so that she tried to keep up with her regularily scheduled check up. Bearing a plate loaded with a few ultra-sugary donuts she knocks on the door before stepping through with a cheery, "What's up, Doc?" Of course as soon as she spots Moira she pauses to stare, and slooowly glance around with eyes narrowing skeptically. "Either Dr. McCoy has a lot to explain, or I'm missing some information." It's shrugged off easily enough by the short dark haired girl.

The most notable thing about her are the scars on her face that go over her eyes. They were too clean, too methodical and too much like one another to not to have been purposefully inflicted. At least they spared her green eyes which were in perfect shape, and she wears a grin in spite of her scars. Black hair is swept back from her face with some pink barettes and she's currently dressed in leggings, high-top sneakers, and a definitely oversized t-shirt with laser kittens on it.

"Want a donut?" She offers with a heft of the plate.

Moira MacTaggert has posed:
Ach, so much for peace and quiet. Moira looks up at the sound of the knock, and she gives a wry smile at the exuberance of the new arrival into the lab, unfolding herself from the chair with a bit of a wince as her hip creaks - how long has she been sitting still for without realising it. "Dinae ye worry, lassie," she says with a reassuring smile, her accent thickly, almost impenetrably Scottish, and in fact exactly identical to Rahne Sinclair's to anyone with a good ear. "The good Dr. McCoy and I have had to switch the rota up a wee bit, but you're in good hands. I'm Dr. Moira MacTaggert, I'm a very old friend of this place. And I'm very partial to a donut, I should set up appointments with you more often! Thank ye!"

She takes one of the proffered snacks and lifts it to the youngster in a little toast before heading over to the computer and calling up a schedule and clicking through to the attached files. "Well, let's see what you're in for..." A student down in the sub basement level is never a sign of a skinned knee or a twisted ankle, after all...

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney mouths a silent 'ooh' of understanding when Moira explains. The proffered donut that is taken results in her setting the plate down on an open spot that doesn't look TOO dangerous to have food next to, before she takes up one herself to chomp a bite out of. "Yeah, Dr. McCoy likes them too. He's got a huge sweet tooth," she tattles as if it weren't already common knowledge.

Following further in she heads for the table/bed thing there often used for examinations. It takes a hop or two before she can get herself up there, but she manages without asking for help. Plopping herself down she lets her legs swing as they dangle. "Oh, it's nothing serious really. Just a checkup to make sure I'm not dying like my sisters."

Moira MacTaggert has posed:
Chuckling at that little tidbit about Hank, and the possibility of profiting off it if other students come down here with bribes intended for her hirsuit colleague, Moira settles herself into the computer chair and studies the file. Many decades of practice have made her a fast reader indeed, and though she's hard to surprise by this point she does give a slow blink at what she's seeing, her good cheer leeching away a little, though she fixes a smile back on her face as she turns round to the youngster. &R&R "Gabby, aye? Well, that certainly does warrant a checkup, I agree. You've surely been through the wars to get here. Why don't ye pop yourself up on the bed and we'll give ye a wee scan, and you can tell me if you're feelin' alright an' suchlike."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
There's a delectable plate of donuts, missing a few, on the table beside the computer Moira had been perusing. Gabby was on the examination bed with a half-eaten donut being held in one hand to keep from getting crumbs or sticky icing anywhere else. She watches Moira a moment with a soft smile almost apologetically. "Yeah, I know it's kind of bad, but it's okay. I don't feel anything so that's why I have to get the checkups," she explains with a shrug. "I mean I could be stabbed right now and I'd feel fine. In fact, I have been before."

Swinging her legs up she stretches out on the bed taking a moment to tuck the rest of the donut into her mouth. Her free hand gives a thumbs-up at Moira before she licks her fingers clean. "G'head!"

Henry McCoy has posed:
Late, he's late, he's late for a very important date! Henry wooshes into the medbay, having received a reminder on his phone for the examination he'd scheduled for Gabby. "Sorry I am late, I got caught up in some research... still, not a good reason. I'm sorry Gabby." He comments, hearing voices, head down as he is tugging on his lab coat. Perhaps he'd forgotten that Moira had taken the rotation - his mind was all over the place. He'd been a bit off kilter after the exploration of the tunnels with Rogue.

His feral side had been triggered - very aggressively. He was still shaken from trying to regain his composure over the last few days.

As the coat is fully tugged on, he looks up. Blink. "Oh! Moira!"

Moira MacTaggert has posed:
Moira has another of the offending donuts, also carefully avoiding messing up the lab by keeping it in her left hand, taking nibbles at it while she sets everything up for the scan. She can't help a look of slightly startled displeasure when Gabby says she's been stabbed, and it's followed by a look of faint thought as she tries to work out if that would be troubling to the youngster to dig into a little more. She settles for nodding and hitting the activate button for the scanner, which sends a line of blue light out that starts taking passes over Gabby's head, and is saved from thinking about it more immediately as suddenly they have company.

"Hank!" She's as suprised to see him as he is to see her, and she hides the remaining bite of donut reflexively behind her back. "It's alright, we've got this, aye Gabby? Although you're more than welcome to stay an' take a look at these readings with me if ye like."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney had shut her eyes against the light. Not that it hurt but it was always a little weird of a sensation while she was getting scanned. It means she misses Moira's concern over her mention of being stabbed... At least she hadn't mentioned any of the other numerous issues she's been involved in as well. When she hears Hank enter she resists the urge to turn her head to the side, though she does lift a hand to waggle her fingers in his direction.

"Hey Doc! It's okay, we're good. I thought you were taking a rest as it was?" Oh the urge to look up. She at least opens her eyes now to peer in that direction trying to dutifully remain stil for the rest of the scan. "I brought donuts! There should be some left," she points out with a little gesture toward the computer. "But yeah it's okay if you're here. You okay?"

Henry McCoy has posed:
There's a bit of a sheepish smile. "Of course." He offers to Moira. "Gabby is an interesting patient - we're trying to find a way around her nanomite problem." He nods, not interested in interrupting Moira's examination. "A new set of eyes would be very much appreciated." The man offers over honestly. "I don't ... there's a bit going on upstairs for my focus at the moment." He taps the side of his temple.

A grin is sent in Gabby's direction. "Thank you very much, Gabby. I always appreciate a good doughnut." He grins, looking over to where she indicated. "How've you been feeling?"

Moira MacTaggert has posed:
Moira gives a careful nod at Hank's guarded explanation, and reaches out a hand to give him a gentle squeeze on the upper arm. "We'll see what we can do, aye?" she says softly. "Working on a bit of a brain teaser might be just the thing." She doesn't linger in the contact, calling the results to the big screen so there's no awkward peering over shoulders, and popping the rest of her donut in her mouth quickly as Hank turns away.

"Now just whose tech is all of this?," she says, slightly muffled. "It's a right sneaky bit o' hardware..."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Welcome!" Gabby offers cheerily to Hank, quite glad that she could bring some happiness. Even if it's just in the form of carbs and sugar. Lacing her fingers together she rests her hands over her stomach keeping still other than her feet which rotate and swing at the ankle. Kind of like a cat tail twitching. It was the only way to vent some energy while having to remain still.

At Moira's questioning she pipes up with the answer matter-of-fact: "Alchemax Labs. I was one of their clone experiments. When none of the prior clones presented with the X-Gene active, they started using us to test new 'products' on to create better soldiers. These were from the test to make us impervious to pain. It worked... Kind of." Here she pauses with her expression turning into a scowl. "Those who were older started dying from them. We couldn't feel pain so it'd just be an overwhelming exhaustion at first."

Henry McCoy has posed:
The Beast moves over to sneak one of the doughnuts, even though he's been invited to partake. Cat habits, perhaps? Then he's back to the monitor, regarding it with Moira. "With Gabby's regenerative powers, I am wondering if removing the nanotech would cause her any physical damage at all? I imagine there will be some strain on you, Gabby - regaining sensation in your body all at once might add up to a lot of aches and pains you were unaware of. Or an overwhelming amount of sensory information all at once."

The blue doctor hrms. "That is, if we can remove these pesky little nanobeasts. I think we need to sort out the how, then before we proceed, sort out the ramifications."

Moira MacTaggert has posed:
A dark cloud gathers over Moira's expression at Gabby's detailed description of her situation. "Some people are despicable." Her voice is cold and quiet, jaw clenched. "Doin' this to children..." She stalks over to Gabby's side and touches her arm. "We'll figure somethin' out. For you, an' the others if we can. Come an' take a look at your results."

She shuts off the scanner, plenty of data now taken, and with a few taps calls up a graphical representation of the levels and activity in the nanotech holding more or less steady for now. "I'm guessin' you've been through the usual," she remarks, tilting her head up towards Hank. "Control system hacking, targeted irradiation, blood filtration an' the like... There might be an angle on flaggin' them as hostile to the body's systems an' letting her take care of 'em herself, but immune systems are complicated enough even before you bring in a healin' factor."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney glances up at Moira when she comes over to offer that bit of comfort to her. The cloudy expression she wears remains a moment more as she levers herself up to sit, but she forces a smile for Moira. "Thanks, but it's just me and Bellona now. She's in New York mostly. Doesn't get along with people much," she explains. "But if we can find out a way to help her, that would be great. I've got the healing factor at least. Bellona's only mutation was to be an albino." There's a pause and quieter she she adds, "The rest of my sisters died either from this, or during our escape from Alchemax."

Scootching off the table to her feet she follows back toward the monitors. Her greeting to Hank is to just step in close and give him a hug wordlessly. "I'm okay with not feeling pain, if it's not harming me. It was kind of overwhelming when you-know-who shut them off for that bit." Of course that was totrture. "I mean we didn't even *know* they were nanomachines till then. Just knew something had been done to us."

Henry McCoy has posed:
"We've tried some of that. I hadn't tried hacking - it's not entirely my speciality." Henry admits, nodding as he munched away at his treat. "I think the flagging the nanites as a foreign body would work, given the speed of her recuperative powers." He says, finishing off the doughnut just before Gabby offers a hug.

He blinks, returning the embrace with a nod. "I know. It was meant to be... and to feel, bad." The man grumbles. "Sorry I couldn't get you out of that, Gabby." He says, after a moment. "But Moira has a good idea, most definitely. My main concern is making sure that removing the nanotech won't impede or harm you."

Moira MacTaggert has posed:
There's no doubt that Moira is furious on Gabby's behalf, wanting to protect the sweet young thing from all the harm she's faced, but steps aside as she sees that there's already a trusting bond between her and Hank that she doesn't want to intrude on.

"If we're relyin' on the healin' factor for the solution, we might not be able to use the same thing for Bellona," she muses out loud. "If we can figure out how to talk to the little buggers, we could turn 'em down gradually rather than turnin' them off. Kitty might be able to help us there, she's got a wicked mind for that sort o' thing."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney steps back from Hank after the hug. She was just the hugging sort after all, and she did have a bit of a history with Hank. "It's okay. None of us were in a good position at the time." Rather than dwell on that particular incident though she turns her attention to the scan results lifting a hand to rub at her chin as if she were very interested, and able to understand them. Then again with as much time as she spent in a lab maybe she can peice together SOME of it. Just a little.

"Well... yeah, that's true. If it's to help Bellona then I'd be okay with that. She's older than me so I don't know how much time she has." A worrisome thought really. "It's okay if you need to test things on me to check then. I don't mind."

Henry McCoy has posed:
There's a tic at the thought of testing on a person. Henry hrms, nodding. "If we can get them out of Gabby, we might be able to better examine and determine the best course of action for Bellona. And yes, Kitty would be an excellent person to speak on the hacking and software side of things. It is up her alley, so to speak." He grins a bit at Gabby's interest, feigned or not.

"I want to do right by you and your sister, Gabby. I'd like to see if we can get this sorted out sooner, rather than later, so we can save you and Bellona some pain and anguish."

Moira MacTaggert has posed:
"You're a brave wee lassie," Moira says with an appreciative smile at Gabby's offer to be a test subject, but she shares Hank's reticence to take her up on it. "We'll figure out as much as we can with tests an' simulations first. Sometimes in this field ye have to jump straight to a do-or-die real life trial run, but if ye see how this is all holdin' steady here," she points at the visualisation on screen, "I'm hopin' that means we've got a wee while yet before it's that desperate, though we dinnae have scan data on your sister to say for sure. Is she doin' alright, do you know?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney gives a thoughtful nod at the suggestions made. They were the experts here on such matters after all even if she was the one that had the issue. It was kind of nice that they did at least discuss things with her. "Yeah, simulations are great, but if it comes to needing a full on test I get that too. Plus," she adds with a glance to Hank, then to Moira, "At least I can consent to it, right? Bellona's ... very mistrustful of people. If it comes to it I can probably talk her into it though. She trusts me."R
Here she pauses with lips pressed together into a thin line. "She hasn't been back to the manor in months. The last scans we had on her were from when we both showed up here and didn't know what was causing the issues to begin with. But she *is* doing okay right now, we check in with each other daily." Her hand drops to pull her phone from her pocket indicating it. "The quicker the better though. Then maybe she can have a chance at a nicer life, too."

Henry McCoy has posed:
Henry mmhms. "Do you mind if we involve Kitty in this, Gabby? This is your body, and your sisters, and the future of both of you. I don't want to force anything, or involve people you are not comfortable with." The man explains, looking to the younger woman.

A grin over to Moira. "Thank you for ... your eyes on this. And the suggestions. I'd love to work with you on this, if you've got the availability?"

Moira MacTaggert has posed:
Moira gives a heavy little nod at Gabby's assessment of her sister's situation. "It's no wonder she's a little short on trust, but I'm hopeful we can figure out a real solution for both of you," she says.

"I'd be delighted to work together on this. Two heads are definitely better than one for this sort of thing, and yours is a very admirable one indeed."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney grins at them both with an eager nod. "I don't mind if Kitty helps. I want to help Bellona out and I haven't been able to do that much so far." With that, she glances back down to her phone. "I'm gonna check in with her now and let her know we're working on it. Thank you both!" She gushes before practically skipping out of the medbay. At least she was in good spirits again.