Organic Programming scraps

Chuck Darling rebuilds her brain. Please see also "Organic Programming" and Ripples". 
==Day 0==
Please see "Bounce" and "Collapse"
==Day 1==
"How's Jazmine?" asks Tendo. 
"Actually happy in school," replies Raleigh. 
"That... I never thought I'd hear that sentence in real life," grins Tendo. 
"Marshal on deck!" calls an officer. 
Everyone scrambles to their feet with muted confusion. 
Pentecost, in full Marshal regalia, waves 'at ease' and says, "Officer Choi, Kiowa-S13 will be coming off radio silence shortly." 
"Yessir." Tendo reaches for his headphones. "Who are we expecting?"
"Classified, Officer." He looks like he wants to say something more, instead, "Good day, Officers, Ranger Becket." 
"Hey, Kiowa-S13, this is Tendo Choi in Anchorage, come in."
""Roger, Anchorage, Kiowa-S13 ETA 30 minutes.""
"Roger. Heard you may have a VIP on board."
""Couldn't say, Anchorage." Something in the background wails. "Under orders not to look around no matter how many times that alarm goes off.""
.
""Cadet Darling, my name is Caitlin Lightcap. Can you hear me?""
==Good morning, Darling==
Day 2
""Goood morning!, Cadet, how are you this morning?"" 
Day 3
""Charlotte? I'm Caitlin Lightcap in Anchorage. Can you open your eyes?""
Day 4
""Whew! Big storm outside, today. Good thing you don't have to go anywhere!""
===Day 5===
"Morning, Caitlin," yawns Yancy. 
She jumps. "Yancy! Good to see you!"
"You okay?" 
"Uh, project. Not going well." Weak smile. 
"Anything I can do to help--"
"Nope. Sorry, no, it's fine, thank you, though."
===Week 2===
""'Afternoon, Cadet. I'm helping Nurse Tremblay get you changed, okay?""
.
""Good to see you, Cadet. Mind if I put the radio on?""
.
""The swelling in your brain's going down nicely. We might be able to wake you up soon!""
.
"You're awake! Oh, Charlotte, this is fantastic. Do you know where you are?" 
==Bye, Darling==
Please see "Bye, Darling". 
===Recording===
>move to 'ripples'?<
A teeny tiny bit: 
"Can she walk?" 
"Not yet." 
"Can she talk?" 
"Her vowels are excellent."
==Marketable==
>move to 'ripples'?<
(An old, old scrap prompted into being finished by discussion of Nguyen and the Pietr reassignment meltdown on "Mako and Other M Words")
""Nguyen, have you found a replacement copilot for the Hansen boy?""
"I hadn't started looking, sir. I have yet to receive a prognosis on Cadet Darling's condition." 
""We're removing her from the roster. Begin your search immediately." 
"With all due respect, sir, I'm sure, given enough time, Cadet Darling will make a full recovery."
""If you think so. In the meantime, please prepare a list of more suitable candidates.""
""Sir--""
""Thomas, I'll be frank--""
An inappropriately-timed dad joke floats to mind. 
""Cadet Darling ... Isn't the kind of person we want in a Jaeger.""
Thomas bites back rage. ""Because she's black, sir?""
""Because she's not marketable, Thomas. We need someone the people can identify with, and that someone isn't Cadet Darling.""
PR says otherwise, but: "Of course, sir. I'll have DriftSci put out a notice." 
""Thank you, Nguyen. Good day.""
"Same to you, sir." 
Command nods, and the screen winks out. 
"How could you?!"
"Telly--" 
"You gave /up, Dad!"
"Telly--" 
"You're just gonna let them throw her away like that? Throw away everything she's done?" 
"Telly--" 
"We're gonna let her rot--"
"Telly, listen--"
"/They just want her to rot--"
"Telly, if--"
"--in some /frozen backwater--" 
"Telly, love--" 
"And we're just going to let them treat her like that?!"
"Telly, listen to me." 
She glares through her tears. 
"We can't fight them on this." 
"You /won't fight them on this." 
"But you know what we can do?"
"Let her die a failure?" 
"We're not going to do that, Telly; we're going to conveniently lose all the profiles for anyone command thinks is 'marketable' until they're forced to accept someone /we agree with."
Telly gapes.
Thomas fights back a grin. 
"That ... That's fucking brilliant." 
(As it will turn out, they out find eight applicants over the next year, and Command still needs to make concessions with Pietr, but the Nguyens don't quite consider it a victory because Pietr's too damn nice! (Hopefully this'll assuage guuuuilt >_< ))
==Check Up==
(A week or so after Chuck's out of her coma)
Something carefully, gently, eases Chuck from sleep. 
"Good morning," greets a pale blob with a dark halo.  
Can Chuck smell roses? 
"Are you sleeping well? 
Chuck's eyes slide closed, then back open over the grit in her eyes. 
"Is your treatment satisfactory?"
Chuck's breath rasps loudly in her ears. 
"Will you smile for me, please?" 
Chuck's eyes prick. 
"As lovely as ever." 
Cool, dry against her cheek. 
"Get some more rest, Cadet."
Soft against her forehead. 
"Sleep well." 
Cool, dry moves away. 
Chuck's eyes slide shut. 
==Tilda==
After morning exercises, Chuck declines a shower, leans away from the physio towards the veranda. 
"Just want to sit for a bit?" 
Chuck exhales loudly. 
The physio gets her up the stairs, the twenty half paces to the porch swing. 
Chuck sinks down almost too soon; the physio helps her arrange her legs in a way less uncomfortable should they lock and Chuck slumps into the pillows. 
"I'm going to help myself, though. Have your button." 
Chuck exhales loudly, hardly keeping her chin off her chest.
The physio heads inside. 
Tilda struts over, sniffs around, then folds herself onto the swing (and out of any sunbeams; if Chuck could feel anything beyond 'too tired to even consider sleeping', such as 'surprise' and 'flattered', she would be feeling them now), and puts her head in Chuck's lap. 
Chuck's eyes sting.
She curls her fingers. 
Tilda hisses. 
Chuck pulls back her elbow and locks her wrist, lifting her hand, fingers running through Tilda's feathers, pinky dragging behind and twitching--
Tilda lifts her head, studies Chuck's hand, then sticks her head against it, pressing her eyebrow ridge into the heel of her palm. 
==Update #1==
>move to 'ripples'?<
Nate finds herself almost mobbed upon arriving to GIRLs' night. 
"Have you heard anything?" asks Andrea. 
Nate shakes her head. "She's still in a coma, but--" A sly twinkle to her eye. "I /did learn that they've flown in a hairdress from LA who specializes in long hair." 
"So she still has her hair," says Juliet. "That ... that's good. Ay?"
"A positive outlook is half the battle," says Nate. 
==32==
"Why's it so warm in here?" asks Yancy, hoisting himself onto the bed.
Nurse Hilary spreads out a lot of antiseptic and butterfly bandages. "Either we're listening to studies that show patients do better--"
"Ow!"
"--with a warmer ambient temperature, or--"
Yancy winces.
"--we're being invaded by the Borg." 
==Update #2==
>move to 'ripples'?<
"Isn't it a little warm for a trench coat?" asks Juliet. 
Nate flips her hair. "I thought since I was playing detective, I should at least look the part." 
"'Playing detective'?" 
"The only way I was going to learn anything new was if I found it out myself so I snuck into the pool." Hangs up her coat. "She's walking, talking, and eating solid food." 
A collective sigh of relief and the group disperses. 
Juliet says quietly, "What aren't you telling us?" 
Cadet Darling could barely take two, assisted steps buoyed by water without falling, her vocabulary consisted of "fuck" and "you" (though mostly the former) in a variety of tones, and while she could handle biscuits and scones, her diet remained mostly liquid and intravenous. 
"Nothing I'm going to tell you," says Nate. 
Juliet sighs. "Figured." 
===The Girl Who Wants Not One Thing===
>move to 'ripples'?<
Please see "The Girl Who Wants Not One Thing".
>placement here is tentative<
==Platter==
(These potentially fit into time skips in "Platter" (and scraps)
Lightcap and the physio rinse off in the showers, Chuck slumped on the floor between them, head down, letting the warm water wash her to sleep. 
"Ready to go?" asks the physio. 
Chuck stirs. 
Lightcap gets one arm, the physio gets her other arm, and they draw Chuck to her feet. 
She wobbles but stays upright; the physio unclips Chuck's swimsuit, Chuck gets her arms out but can't coordinate her fingers into working her bottoms over her hip for the love of heaven--
"It's okay," soothes the physio. "You're exhausted. Caitlin has your housecoat ready--"
Lightcap turns off the water, fluffs Chuck's housecoat. 
The physio pushes off the lower half of Chuck's swimsuit; she wiggles it down--
Lightcap's right there with her housecoat and Chuck leans into it. 
The physio frees her swimsuit from around her ankles and there's the wheelchair and Chuck sinks down. 
.
As the physio pushes Chuck back to DriftSci, Lightcap asks, "Time for breakfast?" 
Chuck takes an extra deep breath, holds it, shakes her head slowly.
"Naptime, then." 
Chuck breathes out, slumping in the wheelchair. 
Lightcap digs around in her bag, finds Kirra's 'stop losing muscle mass' biscuits, hands one over. "Here you are." 
Chuck takes it with a loud exhale, brushing her fingers against Lightcap's. 
Lightcap squeezes back. "You're getting there. 
Chuck just nibbles her cookie. 
.
(Morning, Anchorage, DriftSci)
""--irra! Chuck, can you hear me?""
Roaring in her ears.
Heavens, she feels worse than usual.
""Chuck?""
Chuck forces open her eyes. 
Or at least she thinks she does. 
Can't figure out what she's seeing, if she's seeing. 
She exhales loudly, instead. 
""Phew, had me worried there for a second. Hold still.""
Chuck can't seem to move--ow.
Her right eye stings. 
Then her left eye. 
Chuck can maybe see component shapes of stuff?
Less roaring. 
""Chuck, we're in Medical. You had another seizure.""
Explains the quiet. 
""I'm going to run some tests, okay?"" 
Wait--seizures? She had a sei--she had /two seizures--
""I'm putting you under for a few hours. You'll feel better then.""
Seizures mean--
Nononononononono--
.
(Afternoon, Anchorage, DriftSci)
Chuck feels better. 
But.
But what?
Loud?
It's loud. 
Contrast returns: blacks lightens to greys and there's a pale thing. 
"Hey," greets Lightcap. 
Chuck smiles. 
"Had a nice nap?" 
Chuck nods, throws up. 
==Pencil==
(Six weeks into recovery, maybe. Chuck isn't so good with recognizing people yet, so even though she and the new person have history, she doesn't have access to the memory yet. Please help with the new person's voice as I can never get it TnT)
Chuck, wrapped in an incredibly itchy jumper and a blanket and two pairs of socks, drags herself into Lightcap's lab.
Lightcap talks excitedly with a new person, who immediately turns to Chuck and smiles warmly.
"Good afternoon, Chuck," greets the new person.
"Hey." Chuck shtumps to the couch, flops down. 
New person returns their attention to Lightcap. "As I was saying, we became aware of the scarcity of assistive equipment after one of the paternal unit's colleagues experienced a stroke. One of our research teams had some time between projects, so we asked them to come up with as many practical items as they could. This is the first product ready for testing." Retrieves something from their bag, puts a pack of thick coloured pencils on the table. Says to Chuck, "Care to give them a try?" 
"No." 
New person smiles, continues to Lightcap, "The team is currently developing clothing to maximize the comfort of those in long-term recovery. The prototypes are designed with less material in areas which place pressure on the skin and the fabric is impregnated with silver, which absorbs odors." 
"No more nerd smell!" cheers Lightcap. 
The person smiles a laugh, smoothing a mylar bag of something grey-green on the table next to the pencils. "We would greatly appreciate you giving them a real-world test." 
"Sure thing!" says Lightcap. "Chuck, change." 
Chuck scowls. 
"You're the only one here." 
"No." 
"Later, then." Attends the person. "Would you like to stay for tea?" 
"Certainly! I would /love to." 
Chuck sulks deeper into the cushions. 
.
"You have lovely hair," says the person. 
Chuck focuses on her tea, mumbles, "Yea." 
"I love your eyes, too." 
Chuck ducks her head. 
"What're you doing tonight?"
"Sleep." 
"Want company?" 
Chuck scoops up her cup and leaves for the couch. 
.
Chuck folds herself down beside her nest and paws at the sheets. 
One corner /ploings off the futon. 
"May I show you a trick?" asks the person who pops off an opposite corner and a third comes off, too. 
Chuck gathers up the bedclothes and scuttles away from the person. 
"Where are you going?" the person asks kindly. 
"Back. Off," Chuck snarls, then turns on her heel and scurries from the lab, down the hall, down the stairs--
Something's popped in her shoulder, all she can only smell stale sweat and laundry detergent, everything's slipping everywhere--
""AGNIS, alert Medical, please.""
""Alerting Medical, Miss Nate.""
Footsteps hurry down the stairs, "You're okay, you're okay," then hands rolling her on to her back. 
Chuck gets a foot against the floor, pushes--
"Nope!" says person, holding her against something warm, not hard, and with angles. "I think you've dislocated your shoulder."
Not again!
Chuck whimpers--awful, hate, weak pathetic you are so /stupid!
A nurse runs into view.
"Hello!" greets the person. 
"Hi," greets the nurse. "Taken a tumble, have we?" 
"I think it's your shoulder, correct?"
Chuck's tongue doesn't cooperate. 
Nurse kneels. "Well, it certainly looks like it--"
Chuck flinches.
"Yep, just a dislocation." Nurse digs a sling from their kit. "Hold on, just like that, please." 
Chuck draws away--
"This will hurt--"
It already does!
"--for just a moment, and--"
/pop! 
"All done!"
Chuck draws away--
"Let's get you to Medical for an x ray, alright?" 
Chuck protests, scrabbles for laundry.
"Get her head, please. Medical first, Cadet."  
"Routi...!"
The nurse gets Chuck on her feet. "It's a slight detour; your routine will be fine." 
==Wrinkle==
(March-ish)
Chuck cradles her fresh cocoa close, settles in at her workstation. 
""Would you like me to open your queue?"" asks AGNIS. 
Chuck hums, sips her cocoa, wrinkles her nose, and plugs away. 
.
When she takes another mouthful and her tongue does its best to shy from the taste, Chuck shuffles down the hall to Lightcap's office, offers her the cup. "Funny?" 
Lightcap takes a sip. "Tastes fine to me. Tastes weird to you?" 
Chuck nods. 
"Well--" Lightcap pulls up Chuck's chart. "You aren't due for a seizure." Rests her chin on her hand. "Maybe it's the milk?" 
Chuck nods. 
"AGNIS, would you be so kind as to let the kitchen know?"
""I would be that kind and will do so without condition.""
"You're wonderful."
""I know.""
"Just pour the rest down the sink," Lightcap advises. 
Chuck nods, plods back to the main lab, and dumps her cup in the sink. 
Her workstation looks really uncomfortable. 
Chuck drags herself across the lab, folds onto the couch. 
""Doctor, I am not to allow you to become lazy. Get the milk yourself or don't get it at all.""
Lightcap grumbles herself out of her office. "I'll be right back, okay, Chuck?"
Chuck yawns. 
"Here I go, not being lazy. Happy, AGNIS?"
""Very. Have a nice walk.""
Lightcap leaves. 
Chuck yawns again, slumps even more. 
"Hello, Chuck." Person crouching before Chuck. 
She would wave, but ....
"I didn't think you would remember me, yet, Chuck, but that's fine." 
Roses again. Roses from ....
Eh, whatever. 
"Are you doing well, Chuck?" 
Lightcap thinks so. 
"Do you think so, Chuck?"
Chuck's not supposed to think what she thinks. 
"Doctor Lightcap doesn't want you to be negative, Chuck. It will make you sicker, and that's not a good thing, right, Chuck?" Person takes her hand. "Are you getting enough to eat, Chuck?"
Too much to eat, even when she's not hungry. 
"You're hungrier than you realize, Chuck. I think they're helping, don't you, Chuck?"
You have a point, rose-smelling person.
Person chuckles, tucks her arm against her chest, stands. "I'll come by again in a few weeks." Kisses her forehead. 
Chuck's arm's warming up. 
She yawns.
==Update #3==
>move to 'ripples'?<
(From "Aye, Aye, AGNIS": 
[Jandrean runs into the Chucks and Pietr outside the canteen].
Andrea says, "This's Lachlan and Jason—"
"Hey," says Lachlan.
"Hi!" says Jason.
"—you've probably seen their brains a lot."
since they're in Anchorage every now and then as test bunnies which could mean Jachlan brings back updates about Kirra!
Aye, Aye, AGNIS#comm-5295
YES, PLEASE.)
Jason flops into bed.
"How is she?" asks Andrea.
Lachaln, deep in his textbook, says, "Hissed at me, nearly poured Egan's tea on him."
"I may have accidentally asked how she was doing."
Andrea sighs.
==Time may Vary==
===Lights in the North===
Lights in the North
-December 5, 2019-
Yancy leaned against the doorway to the J-Sci room and curtailed his obvious itch to hug Chuck. She was small, sure, but vicious as hell when she wanted to be; he liked his skin unmarred if he could help it. 
"Quit lurking Becket." Sergio nudged his shoulder but he just shifted to lean against the other side of the doorway, shuffling the food he'd made for the scientists into his hands. "Ooo. Food." 
"Yeah. I, uh, I made too much for me an' Rals; it's steak au poivre. Thought I'd bring down somethin' edible." he muttered softly, setting it down along with plastic forks and knives. "Might taste a bit weird cause I used shark instead of steak." 
"You Beckets and your weird Alaskan itch to fish in freezing-your-ass-off weather. How big was this one?" Caitlin asked as she pulled the lid off the plate. "... Damn. It doesn't even look like shark." 
"Five footer." Yancy hummed as he slouched in one of the squeaky chairs, kicking his boots up on the edge of the tableful of results. "Cause I'm a damn good cook." 
"Boots down, ya heathen," Chuck swatted his boots with a scowl on her face and he put them down without protest. 
"Sorry." Yancy peered up at her from under the fringe, "Just droppin' by with food. I'll, uh, I'll go now." He swung out of the chair and watched as Chuck slid into the warm space without even blinking. 
>remember Chuck taking over warm spaces<
---------
"Hey, Yancy?" Sergio caught up with him as he passed the no-longer interesting K-Sci door. 
"Yeah." he turned around and waited for Sergio to speak. 
"You like Chuck." 
"Nah. At least, not like ya think," Yancy admitted as he scuffed his boot along the steel-grated floor. "She's unhappy. I guess this place is... a reminder of what she coulda been." 
"So why do you care, kid?" came the skeptic and protective response. 
"Cause it ain't right," he growled as he slapped the bracer for the corridor. "Lab Bunny helps a little but he's not her co-pilot an' there isn't a Jaeger for her. She's stuck here, for better or worse." 
Sergio looked down and sighed heavily. "You can't stand to see someone like that but your presence only makes her even more sour." 
"I know." Yancy muttered despondently. 
"But you can't help and yet you try anyway." Sergio finished for him. 
>make less succinct. possibly make into a game of go fish with Dr Fern and Dwayne the ROck
---------
"That's about it." he shrugged as he shared a mental hug with Raleigh, making sure that his baby brother felt every last ounce of affection. He received surprise and a wash of affection that's been redoubled. "Do me a favor an' hug her? Or get Cat ta do it." 
"Sure. Just quit hanging around J-Sci, okay? Poor girl's got enough on her plate." Sergio suggested with a put-upon tone.
"If that's what's best-" 
"Serg, she fell asleep on the desk again. Can you-Yancy. Help me put Ducky to bed." Caitlin spoke as she spotted them both, barking her order with a tone that Yancy obeyed damn near instantly. 
---------
"Yes ma'am." Yancy cradled Chuck close as he walked to her room, tugged off her boots and quietly slapped his forehead when he realized that he had some chocolate left over from Mémé's last package. "Be right back." 
He left the chocolate with a crocheted heart that said only 'Hang In There' on it.
>reuse the chocolate and crochet heart part for when Chuck bites through her tongue<
---------
===Floating===
(Originally uploaded 21:12, February 10, 2016‎ as "Swimming" in "Anchorage Shatterdome scraps".)
Chuck floats in the shallow end of the Icebox's pool on an inflatable lounge chair with her water bottle, a tablet in a waterproof case, and sunglasses. 
""Hey,"" greets someone who is most certainly not /Ranger Yancy Becket. 
"Hey," says Chuck. 
""What're you doing?""
"Not being a hermit and exercising my core which is more than can be said for what you're doing."
A beat.
""You're right about that,"" Not Ranger Yancy Becket says sheepishly. 
"You should get on that."
Another beat. 
""Yea. Be seeing you.""
Category:Organic Programming arc
Category:Ficlet
Category:Scraps
Category:Chuck D
Category:Chuck D (ficlet)
Category:Chuck D has Drift damage
Category:Organic Programming
Category:Anchorage Shatterdome (setting)