duty of a doctor

the strength of all things

#themockingbirdsings #bobbimorse1 #p: the strength of all things

themockingbirdsings:

Another failure. The latest experiment had been totally overtaken by the virus, she knew as soon as she got the first specimen under the microscope that all of them had failed yet again. The saying “the definition of insanity is repeating the same action over and over and expecting the same results” completely discounted the scientific method, but it also felt terribly accurate right now.

It was times like these that Bobbi kind of wished she smoked. She would have some excuse to be sitting on these steps outside the East Wing. Terrible for the health, of course, but there were definitely worse things out there right now. Instead she found herself playing with a folding knife, just to have something to do with her hands.

She heard something vaguely, then looked up, realising it was a voice talking to her. She took half a beat to process what Moira was saying, “Oh! Yes, fire away.” She gestured for Moira to go ahead, and rose to her feet from where she sat on the step.

The death of their subject had been terrible setback, and even Moira knew that they were nowhere closer to finding a cure than they were now. Sighing, she didn’t know where to go in hard or soft; they were working diligently on this ‘cure’, after all. And science wasn’t something to be rushed.

“I know that this is a terrible idea, but we need a live specimen. One that’s lived on for quite a while. It’s dangerous, yes. But if we can collect enough tissue samples, we can test out different vaccines.” And then Moira sat down beside Bobbi, sighing. “And maybe even entertain the possibility that anyone who was affected is gone forever. That, to get rid of an infestation...we might have to take extreme measures.”

Opening the binder in her hand, the older woman flipped to a page with a blueprint. “This is a containment chamber plan that I had been working on in Muir Island. It was designed to keep Beta-level mutants, and with a few tweaks, maybe even Omega level. I can redesign it, make it more...efficient. One...zombie, and I’m sure we’ll get results. I can feel it.”

trade mistakes

#heytherehawkguy #clintbarton1 #p: trade mistakes

hey-there-hawkguy:

There was a moment of hesitation, and he immediately berated himself for revealing his issue. He knew he wasn’t exactly the most low profile resident at the estate, and she was probably comparing the unassuming deaf guy in front of her to the large-than-life media presentation of him. Slowly she raised her hands and haltingly spelled out her name. He lit up at the sight, a gracing her with a grin.

My name is C-L-I-N-T. He responded, taking his time to spell out his name, one finger of his left hand resting against the wrist of his right to hold his hand steady for her. “It’s nice to meet you, Moira.” He said, switching to English. He offered her a hand to shake. “I uh, yeah.” He admitted with a small, embarrassed shrug, “Clint, though. You can call me Clint. There’s two Hawkeyes, so it’s a little confusing, sometimes.” He glanced at Lucky, who had managed to wedge himself about halfway under a couch in pursuit of a scent. “Kind of? He saved my life once, I saved his in return. But he’s been living in LA with Kate–she’s the other Hawkeye–but yeah. I guess so. His name’s Lucky.”

Moira sighed in relief, smiling back. Teaching at a school meant backing up on communication skills such as sign language. Watching his hands move, she nodded in acknowledgement. “Code names can be tricky like that. I have lost track of the number of code names some of the X-Men have.” She shook her head, a fond, faraway memory making her heart squeeze a little too tightly for her liking.

“Lucky. It’s a cute name. Dogs are known for their exceptional loyalty, even before their domestication. Unbridled enthusiasm combined, they made good guards and hunting partners.” She pursed her lips; this particular dog was all to content with sniffing the couch clean. “Kate as in...Kate Bishop? Ahh yes, the other Hawkeye. I’ve met her around the gym, mostly. She’s good with the arrows.” It was a lame comment, and Moira was usually better than that.

Laying Down Roots || OPEN

#akahowlett #p: laying down roots #laurakinney1

akahowlett:

Laura made a gesture to indicate that she was going to move out into the sunshine, so that Moira would know to follow her as she went. “You think they have the capacity to mutate further?” She asked, she didn’t want to think of what came next for the big ones.

“They’ve tapped into the emergency broadcast channel. That should help a bit with bringing people in. Hopefully people who fit the bill, not that we would turn people away if they didn’t.” Unless they were megalomaniacal chaos gods from Scandinavian myth. That had been a weird day. “When things are more settled down there’s going to be work on a new section of the grounds, we’ll start expanding things. I mean, ideally we’ll outgrow this house and when that day comes, we’ll have the resources to settle people outside the main building, but still within the walls.” While she did hope they would have many new arrivals, she also knew that slow growth was better.

Moira followed the girl out, shrugging. She was despondent, and most of what she was saying was simply theoretical. “That’s the thing about biology, about life. We find a way to strive and conquer, we find a way to survive. Who we are...who we have become, is all evolution. Now, I can tell for certain, but if it’s organic...it will evolve. It will find a way to mutate, become better than it is right now. Survival of the fittest, like they say.” She didn’t like what she had theorised, and that is why Moira was even more determined to find a cure. Or poison. Whatever fit the bill.

“Expansion sounds profitable. This place has provided quite the solace, a place to start from scratch.” Hands tucked in her pockets, the scientist looked at the structure intently. All the people in these rooms, most of them super-powered, others super-heroes. And then there were people like her; resourceful, lending a hand wherever. “I hope we never outgrow these walls. Or one day, we can tear them down to go home.”

the strength of all things

@themockingbirdsings

The water shortages didn’t actually bother Moira until much later, when she decided that she needed a little time off from all the farm work she had decided to give a hand in. The lab work was fruitless, and she had pushed for collections of live specimens. She had even volunteered to make a special arrangement for the specimens; containment units strong enough to keep in the strongest of mutants.

But the water; her shower had to be cut short and there was nothing to be done. so she decided to just walk around the perimeter of Haven. It was a beautiful structure, and while she had always admired the greenness of Westchester County, this was something to beat. And it made her miss her own haven, her own lab and her own things.

“Doctor Morse, if I could just have a word? There’s something from the last files that I feel we need to...work on. If I could just...”

#themockingbirdsings #bobbimorse1 #p: the strength of all things #[ forgive me ]#[ this is bad ]

trade mistakes

#heytherehawkguy #clintbarton1 #p: trade mistakes

hey-there-hawkguy:

Lucky had recovered himself after the crash and trotted back to Clint, tail waving happily. He deposited a slobbery tennis ball at the Avenger’s feet, giving the purple Converse he wore a long sniff before looking up with a wide, doggy grin. “Gross.” Clint hissed under his breath. Lucky paid him no notice, wandering off to sniff around the room.

She sounded like she was underwater… in another room… down the hall. He could hear the faintest mumble that he guessed was her voice, but, like a dummy, he’d left his hearing aids in his room upstairs. It wasn’t like he was expecting to have a long heart-to-heart with Lucky or something. Why would he need them?

Because you’re in a mansion full of people, you dummy. He thought to himself, shaking away the persistent ringing he’d been left with since the attack that had damaged his ears.

He drew closer, a hesitant smile painted on his face. “Sorry, could you repeat all that? I uh… uh… I can’t hear you.” He asked slowly, unsure about revealing his disability to her.

Moira paused for a second, her eyebrows crinkling when she understood his deal. It took her a while to remember BSL, and then ASL. With her limited knowledge, she held her hands up before slowing signing her own name. And then she put her hands down, standing up to face the man.

If she wasn’t mistaken, he was one of the Avengers. Moira had heard about the team, even seen them on TV a couple of times, on the news. With a straight line on her face, the scientist tried articulating her words. “I...am....Moira. And you...must be...Hawkeye...amiright? Is....that...your...dog?”

Laying Down Roots || OPEN

akahowlett:

It was surprising how quickly, after so long living in a lab, Laura could quickly assume the way scientists spoke. “Unfortunately when there was a live subject for Dr Morse to study, it had the capacity for deception, and an intern let it out when it was playing dead.” Laura cringed, that had been a bad day. “Since then everyone’s accepted it’s too dangerous to study the live ones.”

She poured the bucket Moira had been using back into the large bag of feed, and tied off the opening so that rats wouldn’t get into it. They needed more cats around here to deal with the vermin. “I’m sure the help in the hunt for the cure will be appreciated. And we are in dire need of people with a medical background.”

“Oh yes, I’m familiar with that. I was told about it...what a shame, really.” Whatever she had gathered from the files was useful, but not quite helpful enough yet. But Moira wasn’t panicking about it; even with limited resources, their progress was going as expected. One couldn’t just rush science.

The woman nodded, looking around the barn before replying back. “I suppose so, yes. We need all the hands we can get on deck. These...creatures are going to evolve. And we have to get better at either curing them or ending them. But I believe we can cure them; maybe both. And we need soldiers, strategists, medics...all the plannings of a well fortified haven. In a manner of speaking.”

Laying Down Roots || OPEN

#akahowlett #p: laying down roots #laurakinney1

akahowlett:

Laura gave a nod, “I’m glad they survived long enough for us to go get them from the cabin. We lost some, but they’ve more than repopulated since no one was collecting eggs when we moved them here.” She nodded over to the stall with the chicks.

“To be fair, I had a lot of weirdness going on, and most people who did meet me face to face did not enjoy the experience.” She was not liked among her fellow students in the time she did attend. When it was decided that she would do better away from the school, her dad had to entirely change the way that he taught, opting for week-long intensives rather than more regular combat training.

She paused at the question, frowning slightly. How was anyone these days? “I turned twenty, five days after the world ended.” Honestly it wasn’t her worst birthday ever. “What made you decide to come here?”

“Whatever this virus is, it’s...a strange one. Really hard to study since it’s so messy to collect samples. It’s quite a surprise that it’s not airborne.” Moira spoke like a scientist, and that part was amazed at what she little she had found anyway. Looking at the chickens clucking peacefully, and pecking whatever they could find, the woman set down the feed bucket.

Eyebrows furrowed, the scientist tried to curb the urge to hug the child. While Xavier trained soldiers, Moira had always wanted to nurture their talents. Being a mutant was hard, and the X-Men? Yeah, not a fan of that idea. Pursing her lips, she kept those thoughts to herself. “I thought it would be...better for me to be where the people are. Maybe I could even lend a hand at a cure for this disease.”

blarblarnyar

People I fangirl | Olivia Williams | 46-47/50

#fc #[ QUEEN ]

Laying Down Roots || OPEN

akahowlett:

“Be my guest. They’re greedy, but the eggs are coming out great.” You did have to crack them into a cup first to make sure you didn’t tip a bloody one into your scramble, but the yolks were a deep orange and full of flavour. In the early days at the tower when the eggs they scavenged for were still good, the ones from the store were very disappointing to Laura. She scattered more feed on the ground.

“I can imagine. If you’re using conventional fuel, that would be starting to go bad.” It was one of the things that people didn’t think of when it came to disasters. Oil based fuel had a shelf life. “I’m Laura, Logan’s daughter.” She tossed another handful, “I was around the school but I wasn’t a student there for very long. Not as a teenager, anyway.” She didn’t think her unconventional early learning counted.

Following her actions, Moira took some feed in her fist and scattered them. She watched the hens scurry over to her space, could even hear some of them clucking as they walked in a hurried pace. “They do look quite healthy, been taken care of very well. They are quite versatile, chickens, I mean.”

“I thought I recognized you. Laura Kinney, one of Xavier’s students. I’m sorry we never got a chance to meet face to face..” But Moira was very familiar with her files. Everything that the school had on her, at least. And her heart went out to the girl. But that was the thing; mutants were much stronger, more adaptable. Almost to the point of bravery, really. Giving the girl a warm smile, she would have even patted her shoulder if she weren’t helping her feed the chickens.

“How have you been, Laura?”

trade mistakes

#heytherehawkguy #clintbarton1 #p: trade mistakes

hey-there-hawkguy:

Lucky the Pizza Dog had made it to Haven, but he had a bad habit of wandering off and pestering people. Some, like the children and the civilians, welcomed him. Others were less than thrilled at the intrusion of a one-eyed, kinda smelly mutt. Clint had made it a habit to know where the dog was. And honestly, he just kinda missed the mutt, too.

With the rainy weather outside though, tensions were running higher than usual. Clint, with all his brief landlord experience, had been pushed unceremoniously into the role of solving problems for the occupants of haven and soothing flaring tempers. Even he needed a break, which is why he was throwing a tennis ball down a long corridor for Lucky to chase.

The over enthusiastic lab mix hurtled down the hallway after the ball and into the next wing of the house, where a large sitting room was. Clint trotted to keep up, noticing a figure sitting directly in Lucky’s path. “Heads up!” He began to warn them, but the dog dodged around the person’s seat, continuing his skidding trajectory into a nearby wall. Poor Lucky. He didn’t stand a chance on the marble floors.

She’d turned towards him, her lips moving. With the distance remaining between them, he had no idea what she’d said. Without thinking, he blurted,

“What?!”

Moira watched the dog run, almost like it happened in slow motion. The smell followed the dog around, and for a moment, it made her think of Rahne. Her daughter. Looking up to meet the man’s eyes, she had put two and two together; that must have been his dog. And this man looked...well, not like a civillian, but Moira wasn’t playing the guessing game.

“I said...is that your dog? I am surprised he’s not on a leash. He’s quite a big thing.” Not like it mattered to Moira, not really. She liked dogs. She liked all sorts of animals, and watching the mutt trying to find his footing on the floor was amusing. She smiled wide, watching him.

Then she turned her attention to the owner. She was not in seated position, feet touching the floor and back straightened. The rain was quite unfortunate, but it was relieving; Mother Nature’s way of coping with change, Moira supposed. She should probably have introduced herself first. “I’m Doctor Kinross. Moira Kinross. Pleasure to meet you, Mister...” The scientist waited for a name.

Laying Down Roots || OPEN

akahowlett:

The barn had once been a stables, it had been modified for their needs. A heat lamp was suspended in one of the stalls, and a few dozen chicks were crowded under its warming light. Another stall had a cut out in the wall that led out to a small pen, so the two piglets that had been brought down from Canada could move inside and outside as they pleased. The large barn doors were left open, the mature chickens were free to roam and then able to return to roost.

Laura heard the small side door open behind her as she scattered seeds in the doorway of the barn. She glanced back, “Oh, hello,” she replied as she nudged a hen off of her foot, she was effectively getting swarmed by hungry birds. “Are you the one who flew in the day after we all arrived?” She knew she had not seen this woman around the tower. She took another handful of seeds from the bag that hung on the wall, out of reach of the flightless birds, and tossed them out among the increasingly insistent fowl.

Moira smiled; this felt almost homely. “Can I help? It seems like there are far more chickens here for one person to handle all by themself.” She offered to take an extra bucket, in an attempt to bring the crowd of fowl away from the girl herself.

“Why yes. That was my plane’s last flight for now, actually.” The woman sighed, shaking her head. At least Moira made sure all her research and her lab work was safely locked away, with the things she couldn’t bring with her on plane. “I’m Doctor Kinross. Moira, to some of Xavier’s students. You’re...or were a student there, right? I’d like to think I’m good with faces, but sometimes, they just slip out of your mind so easily...”

#p: trade mistakes #marvelzombiesopen

trade mistakes

Moira & OPEN

Moira usually found a sense of comfort when she was within the confines of her lab. It was unusual, for sure, but so was the world out there. When she was studying to become a researcher in a field so new, the scientist found comfort in science. Something so constant, never changing.

While she spent years looking after the mutants, finding new ways to advocate for them, this was certainly a change. It seemed like now, the tables had turned to a new problem. But the principles were the same; science always had an answer.

But while staring at microscopes for more than the recommended amount of time had it’s fair share of modern discovery, it had it’s chances of being a pain in the neck. So here she was, sitting in the open space of the house, looking out the window while her mind was still inside the lab, thinking about the samples in the lab.

So of course, the voice startled her as much as a touch would have. “Huh? I’m afraid I heard none of that...”

Laying Down Roots || OPEN

akahowlett:

The first few days at Haven had been some of the busiest Laura had ever experienced. She had help of course, but hands and knees in the dirt planting was laborious. It was, however, the best time for it. The seeds she had started indoors in the winter had begun to flourish, and it was time for them to leave the tubs she had planted them in on the balcony of the tower, and fend for themselves out in the open here. It wouldn’t be long before they had peas, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes and onions. It probably wouldn’t be enough that they wouldn’t also have to rely on tinned and frozen foods scavenged from around the place, but it would be nice to have fresh vegetables.

It was still early in the morning, a few days after the garden was finally done being planted. Laura was just finishing watering for the day, it was best to do it by hand; they had not had any rain for two weeks, according to the monitors Tony had set up. “The climate might have a bit of a hiccup as it adjusts to not having to fight with emissions,” or at least that’s what she thought she had heard the billionaire say.

She headed up to the barn, where the chickens – the population of which had boomed since they were brought down from the Howlett farm in Canada – were pecking around at the grass outside, looking for the seed that Laura was about to start feeding them. A goat with a swollen, pregnant belly was further off, eating the longer grass and occasionally looking longingly at the fenced-off vegetables. Laura took a handful of grain and tossed it among the chickens, causing a cacophony of excited clucking.

The first few days in Ironhaven had made Moira homesick. She missed Muir Island, her lab and her homestead. After everything that she had gone through, that island was her home. But she would learn to love this place. Hopefully she would. So long Rahne was happy, so was she.

The scientist decided to discover the place instead. It had looked beautiful from the skies, right before they landed. And from what she could tell, they had begun an agricultural program within, which was nice. Nudging open the doors of the barn that she happened to come across on her walk, Moira was surprised to see the structure full of life. And another human.

“Hello there, dear...”