Return Engagement
"Robbie. Robbie, wake up."
"Buh. Jus' ten more minutes, mom"
"Oh knock it off you big baby!"
"What?" Rob blinked and pulled the covers down from his head. Deb was standing there smirking. "Y'know it's rude to wake a guy up on is day off."
She just grinned.
"What?"
"You are SUCH a boy, you know that?"
"Last I checked."
She laughed, "Oh come on. You can go back to bed, I'm just checking on you."
"Why'd I give you that key again?"
Deb just rolled her eyes, "Just wanted to make sure everything is okay this morning. Don't forget, you've got the rest of the week off, too."
He nodded. "Okay."
"You. You're okay, though?"
"Yeah, still weirded out though. I'll be fine Deb. Get outta here." He gave a tired smile.
She smiled back and nodded. "Okay. If you need anything..."
"I'll call you, mom." He smiled while he said it.
Deb rolled her eyes again and left with a small smirk on her face. He heard the door slide roughly shut and click closed, then the bolt slide home. He gave an amused smile and pulled the covers back over his head. He woke a couple of hours later and lay there in bed for a while, contemplating his situation. He still wasn't completely convinced this wasn't some elaborate dream, but the reality of the situation was slowly seeping in. He briefly wondered if it was safe to take a shower, but the clammy feel of his skin decided that for him. He did decide to wrap the arm in plastic first.
He did feel better after the shower, despite having most of his arm in a plastic wrap cocoon. After he got dressed he puttered around the kitchen for a bit, made a sandwich for lunch. Finally, he decided that he'd been stalling enough. He walked over to his desk and sat down in front of his computer. Not really sure where to start, he started a bit small. He knew Larry was checking on things, but he couldn't let it sit until then.
He searched on the one thing he was fairly certain of. The good Doctor Marqea. It was certainly public record that he worked for the CDC. There also seemed to be oblique references that he was a lieutenant in the army at the same time.
"Odd. I thought the CDC was civilian."
The news feeds seemed to paint the picture of a dedicated researcher who helped a lot of people, until he was unceremoniously discharged from both. That's where the information got *really* vague. No mention at all about why he was discharged. The tone was suggestive of some kind of falling out.
"Hmm. But then why was he able to get such a good position as a doctor here?"
Robbie was pondering that when he felt the tingling in his left hand. It felt like an itch, but when he tried to twitch them to relieve the itch, they didn't budge.
He looked down, his hands resting on the keyboard. Rather, his gloved hand was on the keyboard, the middle two fingers of his left seemed to be resting in the keyboard.
Alarmed, he pulled, popping the keys off the device. It didn't hurt this time, just felt vaguely uncomfortable. Almost like something was pushing his fingers up. He watched, fascinated despite himself as the plastic seemed to replace the top knuckles on his fingers. He felt slightly distant as he reached for the phone and dialed Larry.
"Hey, bro. Didn't think you'd be up yet."
"Yeah, I was going to dig a bit myself. But, I think I ran into a snag."
"What's that?"
"I absorbed some of my keyboard."
"Not funny, bro."
"No, it's not."
"Crap. Can you meet me downstairs?"
"Yeah. Yeah, be right there."
He really didn't remember locking up and going downstairs, but he almost walked right into Larry once he walked out into the lobby. He blinked and looked around as if waking up.
"Come on. I have a feeling that we should get you to see the good Doctor."
Rob nodded and allowed him to steer him out to Larry's car. They sat in silence until Larry pulled into the hospital's parking lot.
"Uh, Rob?"
"Yeah?"
"Let's be smart here. I don't want you to tell Marqea that you filled me in."
"Why not? Deb knows, I don't see what the deal is."
"I know, look it might be best if he thinks only two people are aware of the situation. Just in case. You know, in case someone needs to go to the authorities later."
Robbie stared for a moment. "You really can be paranoid, you know that right?"
"Humor me?"
Rob looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. I'll go along."
"Good. Now let's get you up to see the doc."
"Buh. Jus' ten more minutes, mom"
"Oh knock it off you big baby!"
"What?" Rob blinked and pulled the covers down from his head. Deb was standing there smirking. "Y'know it's rude to wake a guy up on is day off."
She just grinned.
"What?"
"You are SUCH a boy, you know that?"
"Last I checked."
She laughed, "Oh come on. You can go back to bed, I'm just checking on you."
"Why'd I give you that key again?"
Deb just rolled her eyes, "Just wanted to make sure everything is okay this morning. Don't forget, you've got the rest of the week off, too."
He nodded. "Okay."
"You. You're okay, though?"
"Yeah, still weirded out though. I'll be fine Deb. Get outta here." He gave a tired smile.
She smiled back and nodded. "Okay. If you need anything..."
"I'll call you, mom." He smiled while he said it.
Deb rolled her eyes again and left with a small smirk on her face. He heard the door slide roughly shut and click closed, then the bolt slide home. He gave an amused smile and pulled the covers back over his head. He woke a couple of hours later and lay there in bed for a while, contemplating his situation. He still wasn't completely convinced this wasn't some elaborate dream, but the reality of the situation was slowly seeping in. He briefly wondered if it was safe to take a shower, but the clammy feel of his skin decided that for him. He did decide to wrap the arm in plastic first.
He did feel better after the shower, despite having most of his arm in a plastic wrap cocoon. After he got dressed he puttered around the kitchen for a bit, made a sandwich for lunch. Finally, he decided that he'd been stalling enough. He walked over to his desk and sat down in front of his computer. Not really sure where to start, he started a bit small. He knew Larry was checking on things, but he couldn't let it sit until then.
He searched on the one thing he was fairly certain of. The good Doctor Marqea. It was certainly public record that he worked for the CDC. There also seemed to be oblique references that he was a lieutenant in the army at the same time.
"Odd. I thought the CDC was civilian."
The news feeds seemed to paint the picture of a dedicated researcher who helped a lot of people, until he was unceremoniously discharged from both. That's where the information got *really* vague. No mention at all about why he was discharged. The tone was suggestive of some kind of falling out.
"Hmm. But then why was he able to get such a good position as a doctor here?"
Robbie was pondering that when he felt the tingling in his left hand. It felt like an itch, but when he tried to twitch them to relieve the itch, they didn't budge.
He looked down, his hands resting on the keyboard. Rather, his gloved hand was on the keyboard, the middle two fingers of his left seemed to be resting in the keyboard.
Alarmed, he pulled, popping the keys off the device. It didn't hurt this time, just felt vaguely uncomfortable. Almost like something was pushing his fingers up. He watched, fascinated despite himself as the plastic seemed to replace the top knuckles on his fingers. He felt slightly distant as he reached for the phone and dialed Larry.
"Hey, bro. Didn't think you'd be up yet."
"Yeah, I was going to dig a bit myself. But, I think I ran into a snag."
"What's that?"
"I absorbed some of my keyboard."
"Not funny, bro."
"No, it's not."
"Crap. Can you meet me downstairs?"
"Yeah. Yeah, be right there."
He really didn't remember locking up and going downstairs, but he almost walked right into Larry once he walked out into the lobby. He blinked and looked around as if waking up.
"Come on. I have a feeling that we should get you to see the good Doctor."
Rob nodded and allowed him to steer him out to Larry's car. They sat in silence until Larry pulled into the hospital's parking lot.
"Uh, Rob?"
"Yeah?"
"Let's be smart here. I don't want you to tell Marqea that you filled me in."
"Why not? Deb knows, I don't see what the deal is."
"I know, look it might be best if he thinks only two people are aware of the situation. Just in case. You know, in case someone needs to go to the authorities later."
Robbie stared for a moment. "You really can be paranoid, you know that right?"
"Humor me?"
Rob looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. I'll go along."
"Good. Now let's get you up to see the doc."
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