Cold Call - [Sibby-verse 1]

12

I eyeball Ra-Ra, still confused and she administers another bolus of naloxone through the IV.

                "You're prob' gonna be sore later, by the way. You're in no condition to nav this ship which, you're the only kisser left aboard. They'll be here sooner or later to get you on the helm.
        Eds with Dells, Zee, Cat and these merchies or civs that were aboard Pity Treaty and Capitalist are trying to get the bridge from Addie-Lit. We're all scattered about the ship, brawling or hiding. Those who took skill-sess are salivating on how they're gonna meet Resolute to follow orders. Addie told me to find you, thought you were dead which...basically you were till a few minutes ago.
        Can you talk to Eds?"
                "No...was in middle of 'claring him incompetent so Addie could take command...skill-sess was to placate folks into submission."
                "Stars alive!"
                "Get some suits. Addie's gotta pilot in her staff,"
                "Oh good..."
                "Ev'one need to be in suits...need to get Trip-C on chop and let 'em know what's burnin'."
                "Wanna evac off this ship?" Ra-Ra asks, getting up and grabbing some suit rings out of a drawer.
                "Yes and no. Addie gonna get us to Three and Four and meet 'em. I'd like to get on boards."
                "You need a change of clothes 'fore you go anywhere. I don't want you standing up right now." She slides a steel bracelet on my wrist, a pressure suit. "Let's get to sickbay so I can jack you into the sys'. You still gotta boatload of sedatives circulating."
                "Flush me." I order.
                "Uhhh...not here, you know better Jay." She frowns.
                "Emergency." I frown at her.
                "I don't care. It might finalize the OD I rescued you from. Your Eye only blunted it so much and prob' the only reason you're still alive. With a flush. And why you need new clothes."
                 I look down. I do indeed need a change of clothes. "Could release what it absorbed outta my system." I belatedly realize.
                "Correct. Relax and lemme roll you on the stretcher since your speech is clearer." Ra-Ra unrolls the stretcher next to me.
                "Kay." I try to slide flat.

Ra-Ra then hip rolls me a bit, slides the stretcher underneath me and wrestle to slide me over, with me haphazardly helping and somehow, I'm on the stretcher. She activates it, it inflates and snuggles me in tight. She loads the diascanner and the drip bags on the stretcher while whipping out a blanket and throwing it on top of me.

She slaps the stretcher, and it whizzes me down the corridor with dispatch and soon we're in the Medbay. Once there, the stretcher aligns itself next beside a medbed, then on top of it and deposits me on it. The medbed's alarms immediately go off and Ra-Ra and I hook me into the bed, running lines so that the comp-sys' can manage my system flush. I try to shimmy out of my clothes which Ra-Ra helps me as Lito suddenly appears bedside as a tremendous, loud ruckus starts nearby...sounds like its coming from above deck...in the general direction of the bridge, in fact. 

I see I have a ton of messages in my Eye loop all blinking urgently and scaling upwards in alarm. Again, I hear my Eye rattling off my vitals with the appropriate alert of too much sedative in my system and advising I report to Medbay for critical care.

                "Welcome back to the land of the living, good to see you!" Lito sounds truly relieved.
                "Good to be seen instead of viewed." I quip, while trying to direct Ra-Ra. "Least for now."
                "I know how to do this." Ra-Ra gently but firmly reminds me she's a doctor. "You need to lay back and relax, Jay."
                "Where are we?" I look at Lito while complying with Ra-Ra.
                "Medbay."
                "I already know that! Our co'ords!" I specify.
                "You don't know that?" Lito frowns.
                I exhale. "I can't Align."
                "Oh."
                "He's incapacitated. Capitalist will reacquire him soon enough, no worries." Ra-Ra says, as the ruckus gets even louder.
                "Ah well, I believe we're not too far out from Endeavors really but I'm not sure. How'd you get off the bridge Ra?"
                "Back escape door that surprisingly wasn't guarded."
                "Alright so look. There's an active battle for the bridge, Eds and loony gang are NOT on our side. Far as I know, there's no other kisser aboard,"
                "Addie's got her mainhelm laying low somewhere aboard." I interrupt.
                "Oh, good."
                "We need to get Trip-C on the chop if Addie hasn't done it yet." I state.
                "Can you Eye her?" Lito asks.
                "Not at the moment...Eye is down or otherwise busy. We need to support Addie. I was declarin' Eds incompetent when I guess he sedated me. Don't even remember that part. She was gonna force Eds hand 'cause she's not answering that cold call. Can they get on the bridge?"
                "They locked it down but...might could." Lito answers.
                "Did Raven and Caddy get that algorithm to lock Eds out the command structure?" I ask, remembering.
                "Yes, they say." Lito relates. "You wanna try to regain control?"
                "We're outmanned if so." Ra-Ra says.
                "They're gonna be thirsty for a kisser too." Lito adds.
                "Well, long as Addie holds the bridge, we ensure she keeps control." I say.
               "I think that's imperative, prob' should get you to the bridge if you can."
               "He's GOT to finish the flush, he's not outta the woods yet until that's done, go watch the door or something Lito." Ra-Ra orders. "I'm letting Addie know I got Jay and all."
                 Lito blinks a couple of times. "Alright, on it." And he heads towards the doors as there's sounds of an approaching ruckus.
               "Clothes." I direct Ra-Ra.

She doesn't want to assist me in redressing but complies. I do not want to be caught in my skivvies in any way shape or form.

               "Open up!" someone yells out from the other side of the door.
               "No!"
               "Look, we know you got mainhelm in there. Let us in before that wackjob CO of this tincan comes down here with his crew. This is Heart! I didn't take the skill-sess alright!"

We all eyeball each other. I nod to Lito, my flush session ends while Ra-Ra helps me shimmy into some new clothes. Lito opens the door and a large crowd of frowning folks come in that kicks up my heartrate. It is indeed Heart of Unit Six. I sit up and swing my legs over the medbed's edge as I become aware of my Eye regaining function.

               "Look, we don't want anymore trouble or peeps getting hurt but are you thinking 'bout getting back on helm Jay?" Heart asks.
               "Poss'." I say.

The crowd erupts with some pushing and shoving.

               "Calm down!" I yell and stand fully upright while aware that my body is swaying to and fro that hopefully I'm successfully hiding. "Look, my aim ain't to meet Resolute but to get outta here, inform Trip-C the clips and ev'body walk away from this alive. I was in the middle of commandeering this op when Eds sedated me!"
               "Can tell."
               "Yeah."
               "You don't look too good,"
               "Speech all slurred,"
               "He can barely stand let alone nav us outta here intact!"
               "We're prob' all dead anyways,"
               "Look, not gonna lie, we're in a situation. We need to keep Addie-Lit in control of the ship, step one." I interrupt these negative Nancy's and now the crowd is with me. No need to go against them at this point and they're quite correct in pointing out my stat. The deck appears to be in motion for me.
               "Eds and the loonies are looking for you, right now, to getcha on helm and for them to take the bridge back." Heart says. "What's your plan?"
               "Same as it's been – get outta this alive. Is Addie still on the bridge?" I ask.
               "Believe so."
               "Should be."
               "Bridge is locked up, for now at least."
               "Here comes Eds!" someone in the back of the crowd yells out.
               "Back route to the bridge!" Lito's gotta firm grip on my elbow with Ra-Ra on the other side.
               "We'll hold 'em off! Get outta here!"
               "Go go go!"