Ensign Roy Bancroft - We're All Climbing Something
Carter Schimpff
((Deck 3, USS Artemis-A))
Roy was en route to a late dinner in the Main mess Hall – no more cooking for him, thank you very much. Not after what he’d dubbed The Great Risotto Incident.
He passed the wide entrance door to Holodeck 4. Took four more steps.
Stopped.
Then backed up, frowning at the wall panel.
// HOLODECK 4 - INTERFACE //
| SIMULATION IN PROGRESS
| LT STORM, ALEXANDRA
| 05:24 ELAPSED
|
| CLIFF CLIMBING 01
//
Bancroft: oO A little R&R for Lieutenant Storm… good for her. Hopefully something peaceful. Lavender fields, butterflies. Maybe a chocolate fountain– Oo
His expression soured as he read the display more closely.
Bancroft: ::sighing:: Cliff climbing. Son of a… biscuit.
Now came the moral calculus.
On one hand: She was a Lieutenant. He was a lowly Ensign. One did not simply barge in on superior officers mid-recreation.
On the other hand: He was her physician. And cliff climbing didn’t exactly scream “take it easy” like he’d gently recommended during her last physical.
A medical judgment call, then. Risk assessment. Duty of care.
If he ignored it and her cortisol issue escalated as a result, it would be his beans in the fire. And if she didn’t get hurt, well… it would still look bad in the logs when someone inevitably asked why he hadn’t said anything.
Bancroft: oO You’ve already dodged one airlocking, Roy. What’s a minor breach of protocol between colleagues? Oo
He sighed again, his shoulders slumping in resignation.
Bancroft: Computer, medical override, authorization Bancroft One-Three X-Ray Delta.
((Holodeck 4, Deck 3, USS Artemis-A))
The doors whooshed open to reveal… beauty.
A sheer cliff face rose high above a valley floor dappled in gold. A ribbon of waterfall sliced down the cliff face, glittering in the simulation’s beams of sunlight. Birds wheeled overhead. Somewhere, a holographic insect chirped with unnecessary optimism.
And there she was – Lieutenant Storm – dangling a quarter of the way up the cliff, every muscle flexed in precise tension, legs braced, body focused.
Roy closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose, the roar of the waterfall swallowing the all other noise like a black hole.
He cupped his hands around his mouth.
Bancroft: ::shouting:: Lieutenant Storm, ma’am! This is a long way off from a light jog!
Storm: I can’t hear you. Can you repeat that? ::Inclining her head toward the waterfall, though she wasn’t going to turn the volume down in case he was going to chide her.::
Bancroft: ::deadpan, to himself:: Oh good. She left the ‘ignore the doctor’ setting toggled to on.
Storm: ::Over her shoulder:: I tell you what. I’m over halfway to that ledge up there? Do you see that?
Roy raised a hand to shield his eyes.
Bancroft: ::squinting:: I see it! Looks… unnecessarily high. You know you can simulate lower cliffs, right?
Storm: If I stop here for too long in this awkward position, my muscles will freeze up. Let me get up there, and then we can talk.
Roy sighed again and stepped forward.
Bancroft: ::muttering:: Next time, I’m prescribing yoga.
(( Holodeck 4 – Cliffside Ledge ))
A soft hiss and two faint blue contrails crested the edge of the cliff. Roy rose slowly into view like a budget superhero, the thrusters at his ankles working far too hard for his liking. Perhaps vintage jet boots hadn’t been the most pragmatic choice. Points for style, though.
Bancroft: ::hovering, deadpan:: Spock called. He wants his boots back.
He touched down on the ledge with a slight wobble, wincing as the boots let out a triumphant whirr-pop that sounded suspiciously like something mechanical giving up.
Bancroft: Don’t worry, I’m not here to ruin your fun. ::beat:: I just… well… scaling vertical death traps wasn’t exactly on the list of ‘keep it balanced’ exercises we talked about.
Storm: Response
He eased himself down to sit beside her, letting the silence stretch for a few moments – long enough to let the simulated breeze pass between them.
Bancroft: You’re in excellent shape, that much is abundantly clear. ::more gently:: But usually, when people pick something this intense… and this isolating… it’s not just about the endorphins.
He picked up a loose pebble, turned it over in his hand, and tossed it off the edge.
Bancroft: I don’t need to know the details – unless you feel like sharing. But if you’re chasing silence, or pain, or control, or all three – just… be honest with yourself about what this is. That’s all I’m asking.
Storm: Response
Roy picked absently at a piece of lint on his uniform, then let his hand drop to rest on his knee.
Bancroft: ::nodding:: Fair. You’re allowed all of that. Hell, you’re even allowed to ignore me – provided you keep showing up for duty in one piece. ::beat:: But… as your physician – and possibly your friend – I’d like more than just ‘in one piece’ for you.
He glanced down over the ledge, then back at her with a quiet smile.
Storm: Response
TAG/TBC!
===
Ensign Roy Bancroft
Medical Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240205RB1