A Memory Faded

[DarkTails]

The operative immediately informed Nova of the situation. "Admiral, there's a slight issue. She doesn't want to leave the CO's quarters and according to the operative, seems very distraught, shaking. I think we might have to go to her for this one."

Nova ran the possibilities through her head of why Reyes was suddenly like this. PTSD? Thinking something may have happened to Hemlock? She didn't know, but placed a medical team on standby and asked for the datapad with her psychological analysis sent to her for review.

[Spectre]

The report from her psych eval, as well as information she personally gave them, described her as more level headed than most of the crew aboard. In fact, her own notes on it stated that she'd felt it was her sole duty to attend to the needs of all of the crew, and even Hemlock in particular. Nothing in her profile, nor the records provided, showed that she had much issue in the past, and certainly nothing that caused her to do anything like this.
From outside the records, and due to both what Hemlock stated and how the two socialize with each other, it could be possible that she was just reeling from the backlash of Hemlock's situation. As her CO, friend and only real family on the ship, losing him would quite possibly ruin her life more than any gunshot could.
She continued to lie on the sofa, mumbling to herself.
"Please... just don't... I can't do this..."

[DarkTails]

The operative got a little closer, his forte wasn't particularly comforting people after all. Nova had more experience in that department, but would have to do something until she arrived. "Ma'am please.. calm down, nothing's happening. There no reason to be upset.." The operative truly did suck at making people feel better. His only reassurance was that Nova was on her way, figuring she'd be able to calm her down far better and easier than he ever could.

Meanwhile, Nova placed the medical out of sight but not too far from the CO's quarters. After going inside, she relieved the operative and had him leave the two alone. She got a little closer than the operative, kneeling down to the sofa. "Reyes.. what's wrong? What's going on?" Her tone was soft, comforting, being entirely well meaning, wanting to calm Reyes while also trying to find out what triggered this episode. "It's just us, you can talk to me, please, what's going on?"

[Spectre]

"That.. stone... It's been here for too long..."
She sniffled a bit, uncovering her face enough to look at Nova. "I.. I don't know why he kept it... I really don't.. I really wish I could just.. tell you what's wrong here, but I don't even know if he's still all there.."
As she gazed at Nova, the agent would see some sort of a strange purple flicker in the deep recesses of Reyes' eyes. They quickly dispersed, but were still evident enough to be seen clearly. Her eyes themselves, both a sort of bluish-hazel in color, were lined with layers of tears, and the sockets seemed to be reddening from the salt.

"Please don't hurt him... He's the only family I have left..."

[DarkTails]

Nova became very suspicious after seeing the flicker of purple in Reyes' eyes, but remained calm on the outside. "We're not going to hurt him. We're only doing what we need to know everything that happened to you and your people. That stone won't be around to bother you or anyone again. It'll be locked up after I study it a little more, unable to speak or do anything to anyone again. And don't worry about Hemlock, I'm doing my best to look after him. What did you mean by you don't know if he's 'all there'? Did something happen?" Nova's voice remained soft, speaking like she was trying to comfort a friend, despite not knowing Reyes at all, she was still concerned.

One of Nova's men kept tabs on Hemlock in his forced quarters on Juneau, to keep Nova informed, while her lab team went over the stones design and trying to figure out it's ability to speak.

[Spectre]

She lowered her head to the couch, scrunching her face a bit as if in pain, which by the light groan she made, wasn't far off.
"Matthew.. He's.. I don't even know anymore... Ever sine he's found that stone, he's not acting the same..."
She sat up, despite the clear pain she was enduring. She raised her arm up, wiping her tears away with her sleeve.
"He doesn't eat nearly as often as he did.. He's more stressed.. and I think that stone's not just effecting him, either..."

She blinks again, the flicker returning briefly again, but Reyes remaining calm through the stabbing pain she kept feeling in her head.


Hemlock, by contrast, was quietly thinking to himself in the quarters he didn't want. Occasionally he'd look up at the operative watching over him, scoffing at times before looking back into nothingness.
He looked up once more like usual, except this time he spoke.
"So.. When should I tell your boss that she won't find anything on that stone?"

The stone, which had elected to remain quiet for the time being, simply acted as it was. A stone. While it did glow at times, and the engraving on the outside heating up, it remained rather uneventful.

[DarkTails]

"I've noticed. In your eyes, Reyes. It's getting to you too. Come with me, well find out what's causing all this and fix it, please." Nova now knew the stone was playing a part in what's happening at the moment. If it's doing this to her, what's it been doing to Hemlock? The operative watching Hemlock repeated what he said to her through the radio they had.

"Hemlock says the stone is nothing of importance, but it's clear that's a lie. What could it have done to him?" Novas voice remained soft, but now concerned as well.

[Spectre]

"Maybe he's.. effected......?" These words alone put Reyes' attitude into jeopardy. The possibility of a small stone turning her superior, mentor, best friend and only true family left against her? The very thought of it nearly provoked tears again.
"Matthew.. what have you done..."

She hesitantly stood up, using the side of the sofa as a crutch to push herself up.


Hemlock looked up to the operative, watching the split moment he finished transmitting what he'd said before to Nova.
"Hey, you've got your agent friend on the other end of that thing? Tell her I wanna talk, and no.. don't worry. I can't bite even if I wanted to."

[DarkTails]

The operative reluctantly hands the comm device to Hemlock, telling Nova who will be speaking.

"Hold on a moment, ok? He wants to use my operatives comm link to talk to me." Nova adjusted herself to her back was leaning against the sofa. "Hemlock, you there?"

[Spectre]

"That I am. By now, you've probably come to conclusion I'm crazy, huh?"
His vocal patterns seemed to be a little critiquist, and now seemed to sound like he was actually crazy, aside from the fact that he clearly wasn't.
"You're wasting your time. Try looking up something on that stone, and you'll come to the same conclusion I did. There's nothing you can deter from that damned thing except that it talks, is clearly alien, has a wicked sense of humor and obviously gets to people."

"I've spent almost every moment of my free time trying to find out what that thing is, and I have almost twelve years of experience dealing with things like this. This thing isn't something you can just take to a lab and figure out."