The Range [Wednesday evening]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Today had felt... off. Triela couldn't put her finger on it, but she suspected that more and more days were going to feel that way as her little memory lapses grew more and more frequent. Earlier today she'd needed nearly a minute to remember what room she was in.

Now she was carrying a small notebook which she hoped had all the vital information she might need if it suddenly... wasn't there.

She wondered if she should be relieved that all she'd done so far is forget things. From her experience with Angelica, misremembering was a lot worse for everyone involved. She was hoping she'd be spared that.

Of course, thinking about all of her little problems wasn't very productive, or relaxing, or good for her peace of mind. So she needed something to distract her from it all. The range seemed like a good place to do that. She was planning on going through a few hundred rounds. It would be nice to lose herself in the simple rhythm of aiming and firing.

Triela was pretty sure that it was as close as she was going to get to an active mission ever again.

[Open range!]

Comments

[showmetheproof.livejournal.com]

After classes, and Support Reserves, Scully headed down to the gun range, wanting to get in some practice again. It'd been a while, since before Hawaii and small children, so she nodded to Triela as she came in, fussing with the eye protection.

"Hello, Triela."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Leda hadn't seen Triela in a while. So she was pleased to have made this "date" to meet up and shoot at stuff.

"Hey you. Long time no see."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

For half a second, Scully got a blank sort of look. Then Triela nodded back. "Hello."



"Scully."

[showmetheproof.livejournal.com]

Scully finished loading her gun, and gave Triela a curious glance at that delay. "Distracted?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"Yeah."

Sure. That was it.

[showmetheproof.livejournal.com]

That was less than convincing, but Scully nodded slowly, then let it go for the moment. "How was your Spring Break?" she asked. "I don't think I saw you on the beaches."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"I didn't go." The Agency had decided that a week off was a great opportunity to recall her for some tests.

[showmetheproof.livejournal.com]

"Did you stay here, or go somewhere else?" She sighted on her target, and squeezed off a quick six shots before turning back, waiting on an answer.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"I was back in Rome. They wanted to do some tests."

[showmetheproof.livejournal.com]

"Ah." Scully remembered Triela mentioning some of her medical issues before; the transplants, and medications that made her health uncertain. With real concern, but keeping it low-key, she said, "How did that go?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela shrugged.

"They don't tell me much."

[showmetheproof.livejournal.com]

A small surge of outrage rose in Scully, but she kept her voice calm as she asked, "How do you think you're doing?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela's lips twitched upward. "Yeah. Been a while. How's it going?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

...

Another shrug.

"Not all that well, I suspect." There were signs. They weren't exactly subtle.

[showmetheproof.livejournal.com]

Scully stopped re-loading her pistol, and looked over at Triela, remembering her own prognosis from two years ago. "Is there anything..." Right. They wanted to see how she fell apart. Her jaw set. "... that can be done?"

Not that they would do. That could just be done.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"No one's suggested anything." Triela paused to fire a couple of rounds downrange.

At least that still seemed to work.

"Apparently they've learned a lot for the second generation of the technology, but..."

[showmetheproof.livejournal.com]

"But?" Scully prompted, then turned and fired, taking some of her simmering frustration on Triela's behalf out on the targets.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"I'm first generation."

[showmetheproof.livejournal.com]

Scully found it harder to be detached about this than she had about her own diagnosis. Call it the result of teenage reactions; or having gone through bad expectations and come out the other side. She kept her voice level, though.

"Do you have any ideas about the prognosis, even if they didn't share them with you? A time frame, a course of development..."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela pursed her lips. "Previous experience with other first-gens suggests... three to six months."

[showmetheproof.livejournal.com]

Scully stared, floored. "From now?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Another slow nod. Then Triela emptied her clip.

"It's just a guess."

[showmetheproof.livejournal.com]

Scully turned and fired the entire clip into the heart of her next target.

Then stopped, reloaded, and did it again.

Paused.

"Can I help? Is there anything I can do?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"I doubt it. Unless you happen to be an expert on cybernetic modification or mental conditioning." Preferably both.

[showmetheproof.livejournal.com]

"We could find someone here, maybe," Scully said, her voice quiet. "This is a hub for many different kinds of medicine. It's not impossible. Or research in Special Collections."