12-14-2019, 05:26 PM
Veiled Questioning, Part 2
December 5th, 2019
[REDACTED, Eiria
"Madame Ducette? Madame Ducette? Are you awake?".
She woke immediately, opening her eyes and kind of half-glaring at the person who stood over her.
"I am now," she groaned.
Doctor Wilson stood by her bed, checking her vitals. "Sorry. You slept like a rock. I was starting to worry. It's ten thirty. Would you like me to get you breakfast?".
"Sure, but what I'd really like is to go home," she said hopefully. "I feel fine, I probably just hadn't eaten enough and passed out. I forget sometimes, when I'm focused on something."
She shook her head. "You probably should keep track of that. And your blood sugar looks fine. We need to make sure you are all right first. Pancakes or Scrambled Eggs?".
"Ooh pancakes sounds lovely," she said, hiding her disappointment. She had been hoping they would tell her more about what she'd overheard the other day.
"I'll be right back with that!". She said, smiling as she left.
Ducette sat up as soon as the Doctor left. She glanced around the room. She wondered what hospital she was in, whether or not they would get annoyed if she just walked out.
The Door opened, and the doctor she had seen yesterday, Doctor Carson, came in. "Finally awake?". He smiled. "How are you feeling today?".
"Good, I feel fine," she replied. "I was wondering if I could go for a walk? I feel like I could do with some fresh air."
"I feel fine," she insisted. "Staying in bed is only going to make me feel worse."
"Well, even if you feel fine, we don't know if it's viral. We have immunocompromised patients here, and that could put them in serious danger".
"Oh," she said, disappointed. "But I really do feel fine. If it was a virus, surely I would still be presenting symptoms?"
"Well, we'll run some tests today, and if you're clean, you can go outside all you'd like. I'll talk to Dr. Percy on doing the tests after you eat breakfast".
"Okay, sure, sounds good," she nodded, glancing around again. She was a little confused. What she'd overheard did not match with what they were suggesting. It was suspicious, but she wasn't going to let on that she found it so.
Dr. Wilson came back, holding a tray with pancakes, Bacon, and a milk carton. "Here you go". Then she turned to Dr. Carson. "I assume Percy's getting everything ready ten minutes early, as usual?". He laughed. "You assume correctly. He always jumps the gun a bit".
"She took the tray and ate some of the pancakes, knowing she needed to keep her strength up if something was going to go wrong. She watched the pair closely, searching for anything suspicious looking.
Dr. Carson picked up his clipboard. "I'll see you in there!". He said, leaving. Dr. Wilson did the same. "When you finish, buzz me with the remote, and we'll begin the tests".
"Of course," she said through a mouthful of pancake, pretending she was distracted by her meal. She was thinking. She wondered what these tests would be. She could try and run for it, something was telling her to do so... but she was curious, and she wanted to know. So after she finished eating when buzzed the remote as asked.
Dr. Wilson came back in. "All done? Well, follow me, then!". She lead her to a room, where Doctor Carson and A new doctor, who she presumed to be Doctor Percy, stood by an MRI machine. Doctor Percy came up to her, hand out to shake. "You must be Marie. I'm Doctor Percy, Nice to meet you!".
"And you," she replied, nodding, looking around the room and taking everything in.
He Gestured to the Machine. "We'll be viewing your brain, and doing some Psychological tests and evaluations, just to make sure your brain is Intact, and that you fainting wasn't caused by a something serious. Do you suffer from Claustrophobia?".
"No I don't," she said, though she narrowed her eyes at the machine.
"Good. The MRI machine is a bit tight, and it can give some people panic attacks. Just making sure. Shall we begin?".
"Sure," she said lightheartedly. She still didn't know what was going on, and her suspicions only grew, but she was determined not to let it show.
"Okay, you can hop on this bed here, and we'll get started".
She got onto the bed, after pausing for a second to consider whether or not she should knock the doctors unconscious and make a run for it. She decided against that.
The bed was drawn back into the machine, and a buzzer beeped a few times. It beeped a few more times over a couple minutes, and then the bed extended again, and Doctor Wilson gave her a thumbs up. "That's done, now we can begin the psychological evaluation". She gestured to a table with two chairs in the corner. "You can take a seat".
She walked over to the table and sat down. She had a very bad feeling about this. Suddenly, she wished she had run.
Dr. Wilson noticed her tension. "Relax, everything's fine. Just some questions to check your mental health. We don't have a record of a Childhood assessment, so let's just do one now, and get it over with".
"Of course," she smiled though her heart had sunk. "I guess I must've been more claustrophobic than I thought."
"Ah. Anyway, first question. Any major fears or traumatic events we should be aware of?".
"No," she said, speaking truthfully. Nobody who was easily traumatised would be as stable as she was after the childhood she'd had.
"Okay, Next question. Who was your greatest role model growing up?".
"Célia Peliēt," she answered. "I wanted to be an athlete when I was a child, and seeing her successes when I was a little girl was inspirational. Of course, I changed my mind about my career in the end."
"Célia Peliēt, the Swimmer? She was awesome. Next Question. What is a Big Motivating Factor for you to pursue your current career?".
"I have always had a talent for organisational skills... this isn't a job interview, I can be honest right?" she asked and then lowered her voice slightly. "To be honest, it pays well, and I like the money."
She laughed a little. "I get you. Next Question. Do you or did you once have depression or Anxiety?".
"I have never been diagnosed with either," Ducette replied carefully.
"Do you have Suicidal thoughts?"
"No I do not," she replied.
Dr. Wilson took some notes."Okay. Do you often get Migraines?". While she was taking notes, the Security officer from yesterday snuck in and was talking to Doctor Carson in a whispered tone.
"No I don't," Ducette said. She strained to hear what they were discussing. Her urge to run was becoming increasingly strong.
"Okay. Next Questio-". The Officer Tapped her on the Shoulder. "Yes?". His voice was low and soft. "I have something to show you quick". She put down her notes. "Sure. I'll be right back, Madame". She went over there, and after a few seconds, the doctor's face showed confusion, and anger. She whispered angrily, but only parts of her sentences were legible. "Not possible..... How would that...... Forgery?! You're lying....".
"Excuse me," said Ducette all of a sudden, her urges to run becoming uncontrollable. "I desperately need the bathroom. Can you show me where it is?"
Dr. Wilson looked up, slightly panicked, edging away from officer Vaughn. "Of course, I'll show you". Officer Vaughn tried to grab the doctor's arm, but she dodged. "Follow me". After they got out, she frantically locked the door. "Quickly, we don't have much time. He will get the door unlocked soon. My car is in the parking garage, that way!". She pointed Down the hall.
"What's going on?" Ducette asked, confused and slightly alarmed.
"Officer Vaughn must be working with an intelligence agency of some sort. He's gone rouge, and now he's accusing you of crimes, and threatening me if I don't let him have you. Now, follow me!". She started walking briskly down the hall, dodging other doctors and nurses in the hall.
Ducette hesitated. She wasn't sure she trusted the doctor any more than the officer locked in the room. Yet, she hadn't seen a single window and didn't know where she was going, so she followed the doctor regardless.
She opened a closet door before they passed it and got a doctor's coat. "Here, put this on as we walk. You'll be warmer and less conspicuous". She then led her to the end of the hall, and opened it. It was a parking garage, and she passed a few cars before unlocking hers and opening the back door. "Quickly, get in on the floor! We can't let anyone see you!".
"Why are you helping me?" she asked, confused.
"You're my patient. If you're under threat, it's my duty to protect you. 'Above All Else, Do No Harm', remember? And I am breaking Several Laws to do so, so I need to know the truth. Why is he chasing you?".
"I don't know," she lied.
"Please don't lie. I'm getting sick of being lied to. If you're a mass murderer, at this point, I won't be surprised. Just tell me how big of a crime I am committing by helping you. Are you a thief? Killer? Spy? Hostage Taker?".
"Okay," she said, pretending to look around to give her time to think. Why had they discovered her? What had she done recently? Documents, she'd altered documents. Well, she had a cover for that, and everything else. "I was paid to alter some documents at work by a woman. I like money, and it was a good deal, if a bit illegal."
"Okay, but why would Vaughn act like that? He acted like you were working for the devil, and he even claimed you were a Kerlian agent like they were talking about on the news. What were they called?". She kept frantically driving and looking over her shoulder. "Auoras, was it?".
"Kerlian?" she said then shook her head. She could play her part well. "I knew there was something funny about that deal. I wouldn't have taken it, but, well, I enjoy a little gambling and I had a debt I needed to pay off. The person who paid me asked me to change the records for a Kerlian immigrant. Maybe she was an Aurora!"
She pulled into a parking lot of an apartment building. "My apartment's on the second floor". She opened the door, and started walking up the stairs. "Just out of curiosity, what did she pay you to edit?".
"You don't need to shelter me, I can hide myself," Ducette said, pausing at the bottom of the stairwell and ignoring the question. "I've hidden from the people I... people I owed money to before."
She stopped. "Maybe so, but if you are being pursued, they have your house under watch now. You'll be safe here".
Ducette stepped backwards, testing the other woman's reaction.
Dr. Wilson took a moment, waiting. "Look, id you want to go, fine. You'll be caught and arrested. Can't you just stay one night, so we can make arrangements, and you can be on your way?".
"What arrangements? Have you done this before?" Ducette asked, surprised.
She bit her lip. "Once". She said quietly. "My best friend was a spy. We were practically sisters. I helped her escape. Haven't seen her in years, since she left. Nobody knows besides me, and now you".
Ducette was startled. She wanted to ask more. She was curious, but... it seemed too good to be true. Still, if there was a chance she could get help, she'd have to consider it.
"One night," she agreed, then started up the stairs. She needed to discover if she could trust the doctor.
December 5th, 2019
[REDACTED, Eiria
"Madame Ducette? Madame Ducette? Are you awake?".
She woke immediately, opening her eyes and kind of half-glaring at the person who stood over her.
"I am now," she groaned.
Doctor Wilson stood by her bed, checking her vitals. "Sorry. You slept like a rock. I was starting to worry. It's ten thirty. Would you like me to get you breakfast?".
"Sure, but what I'd really like is to go home," she said hopefully. "I feel fine, I probably just hadn't eaten enough and passed out. I forget sometimes, when I'm focused on something."
She shook her head. "You probably should keep track of that. And your blood sugar looks fine. We need to make sure you are all right first. Pancakes or Scrambled Eggs?".
"Ooh pancakes sounds lovely," she said, hiding her disappointment. She had been hoping they would tell her more about what she'd overheard the other day.
"I'll be right back with that!". She said, smiling as she left.
Ducette sat up as soon as the Doctor left. She glanced around the room. She wondered what hospital she was in, whether or not they would get annoyed if she just walked out.
The Door opened, and the doctor she had seen yesterday, Doctor Carson, came in. "Finally awake?". He smiled. "How are you feeling today?".
"Good, I feel fine," she replied. "I was wondering if I could go for a walk? I feel like I could do with some fresh air."
"I feel fine," she insisted. "Staying in bed is only going to make me feel worse."
"Well, even if you feel fine, we don't know if it's viral. We have immunocompromised patients here, and that could put them in serious danger".
"Oh," she said, disappointed. "But I really do feel fine. If it was a virus, surely I would still be presenting symptoms?"
"Well, we'll run some tests today, and if you're clean, you can go outside all you'd like. I'll talk to Dr. Percy on doing the tests after you eat breakfast".
"Okay, sure, sounds good," she nodded, glancing around again. She was a little confused. What she'd overheard did not match with what they were suggesting. It was suspicious, but she wasn't going to let on that she found it so.
Dr. Wilson came back, holding a tray with pancakes, Bacon, and a milk carton. "Here you go". Then she turned to Dr. Carson. "I assume Percy's getting everything ready ten minutes early, as usual?". He laughed. "You assume correctly. He always jumps the gun a bit".
"She took the tray and ate some of the pancakes, knowing she needed to keep her strength up if something was going to go wrong. She watched the pair closely, searching for anything suspicious looking.
Dr. Carson picked up his clipboard. "I'll see you in there!". He said, leaving. Dr. Wilson did the same. "When you finish, buzz me with the remote, and we'll begin the tests".
"Of course," she said through a mouthful of pancake, pretending she was distracted by her meal. She was thinking. She wondered what these tests would be. She could try and run for it, something was telling her to do so... but she was curious, and she wanted to know. So after she finished eating when buzzed the remote as asked.
Dr. Wilson came back in. "All done? Well, follow me, then!". She lead her to a room, where Doctor Carson and A new doctor, who she presumed to be Doctor Percy, stood by an MRI machine. Doctor Percy came up to her, hand out to shake. "You must be Marie. I'm Doctor Percy, Nice to meet you!".
"And you," she replied, nodding, looking around the room and taking everything in.
He Gestured to the Machine. "We'll be viewing your brain, and doing some Psychological tests and evaluations, just to make sure your brain is Intact, and that you fainting wasn't caused by a something serious. Do you suffer from Claustrophobia?".
"No I don't," she said, though she narrowed her eyes at the machine.
"Good. The MRI machine is a bit tight, and it can give some people panic attacks. Just making sure. Shall we begin?".
"Sure," she said lightheartedly. She still didn't know what was going on, and her suspicions only grew, but she was determined not to let it show.
"Okay, you can hop on this bed here, and we'll get started".
She got onto the bed, after pausing for a second to consider whether or not she should knock the doctors unconscious and make a run for it. She decided against that.
The bed was drawn back into the machine, and a buzzer beeped a few times. It beeped a few more times over a couple minutes, and then the bed extended again, and Doctor Wilson gave her a thumbs up. "That's done, now we can begin the psychological evaluation". She gestured to a table with two chairs in the corner. "You can take a seat".
She walked over to the table and sat down. She had a very bad feeling about this. Suddenly, she wished she had run.
Dr. Wilson noticed her tension. "Relax, everything's fine. Just some questions to check your mental health. We don't have a record of a Childhood assessment, so let's just do one now, and get it over with".
"Of course," she smiled though her heart had sunk. "I guess I must've been more claustrophobic than I thought."
"Ah. Anyway, first question. Any major fears or traumatic events we should be aware of?".
"No," she said, speaking truthfully. Nobody who was easily traumatised would be as stable as she was after the childhood she'd had.
"Okay, Next question. Who was your greatest role model growing up?".
"Célia Peliēt," she answered. "I wanted to be an athlete when I was a child, and seeing her successes when I was a little girl was inspirational. Of course, I changed my mind about my career in the end."
"Célia Peliēt, the Swimmer? She was awesome. Next Question. What is a Big Motivating Factor for you to pursue your current career?".
"I have always had a talent for organisational skills... this isn't a job interview, I can be honest right?" she asked and then lowered her voice slightly. "To be honest, it pays well, and I like the money."
She laughed a little. "I get you. Next Question. Do you or did you once have depression or Anxiety?".
"I have never been diagnosed with either," Ducette replied carefully.
"Do you have Suicidal thoughts?"
"No I do not," she replied.
Dr. Wilson took some notes."Okay. Do you often get Migraines?". While she was taking notes, the Security officer from yesterday snuck in and was talking to Doctor Carson in a whispered tone.
"No I don't," Ducette said. She strained to hear what they were discussing. Her urge to run was becoming increasingly strong.
"Okay. Next Questio-". The Officer Tapped her on the Shoulder. "Yes?". His voice was low and soft. "I have something to show you quick". She put down her notes. "Sure. I'll be right back, Madame". She went over there, and after a few seconds, the doctor's face showed confusion, and anger. She whispered angrily, but only parts of her sentences were legible. "Not possible..... How would that...... Forgery?! You're lying....".
"Excuse me," said Ducette all of a sudden, her urges to run becoming uncontrollable. "I desperately need the bathroom. Can you show me where it is?"
Dr. Wilson looked up, slightly panicked, edging away from officer Vaughn. "Of course, I'll show you". Officer Vaughn tried to grab the doctor's arm, but she dodged. "Follow me". After they got out, she frantically locked the door. "Quickly, we don't have much time. He will get the door unlocked soon. My car is in the parking garage, that way!". She pointed Down the hall.
"What's going on?" Ducette asked, confused and slightly alarmed.
"Officer Vaughn must be working with an intelligence agency of some sort. He's gone rouge, and now he's accusing you of crimes, and threatening me if I don't let him have you. Now, follow me!". She started walking briskly down the hall, dodging other doctors and nurses in the hall.
Ducette hesitated. She wasn't sure she trusted the doctor any more than the officer locked in the room. Yet, she hadn't seen a single window and didn't know where she was going, so she followed the doctor regardless.
She opened a closet door before they passed it and got a doctor's coat. "Here, put this on as we walk. You'll be warmer and less conspicuous". She then led her to the end of the hall, and opened it. It was a parking garage, and she passed a few cars before unlocking hers and opening the back door. "Quickly, get in on the floor! We can't let anyone see you!".
"Why are you helping me?" she asked, confused.
"You're my patient. If you're under threat, it's my duty to protect you. 'Above All Else, Do No Harm', remember? And I am breaking Several Laws to do so, so I need to know the truth. Why is he chasing you?".
"I don't know," she lied.
"Please don't lie. I'm getting sick of being lied to. If you're a mass murderer, at this point, I won't be surprised. Just tell me how big of a crime I am committing by helping you. Are you a thief? Killer? Spy? Hostage Taker?".
"Okay," she said, pretending to look around to give her time to think. Why had they discovered her? What had she done recently? Documents, she'd altered documents. Well, she had a cover for that, and everything else. "I was paid to alter some documents at work by a woman. I like money, and it was a good deal, if a bit illegal."
"Okay, but why would Vaughn act like that? He acted like you were working for the devil, and he even claimed you were a Kerlian agent like they were talking about on the news. What were they called?". She kept frantically driving and looking over her shoulder. "Auoras, was it?".
"Kerlian?" she said then shook her head. She could play her part well. "I knew there was something funny about that deal. I wouldn't have taken it, but, well, I enjoy a little gambling and I had a debt I needed to pay off. The person who paid me asked me to change the records for a Kerlian immigrant. Maybe she was an Aurora!"
She pulled into a parking lot of an apartment building. "My apartment's on the second floor". She opened the door, and started walking up the stairs. "Just out of curiosity, what did she pay you to edit?".
"You don't need to shelter me, I can hide myself," Ducette said, pausing at the bottom of the stairwell and ignoring the question. "I've hidden from the people I... people I owed money to before."
She stopped. "Maybe so, but if you are being pursued, they have your house under watch now. You'll be safe here".
Ducette stepped backwards, testing the other woman's reaction.
Dr. Wilson took a moment, waiting. "Look, id you want to go, fine. You'll be caught and arrested. Can't you just stay one night, so we can make arrangements, and you can be on your way?".
"What arrangements? Have you done this before?" Ducette asked, surprised.
She bit her lip. "Once". She said quietly. "My best friend was a spy. We were practically sisters. I helped her escape. Haven't seen her in years, since she left. Nobody knows besides me, and now you".
Ducette was startled. She wanted to ask more. She was curious, but... it seemed too good to be true. Still, if there was a chance she could get help, she'd have to consider it.
"One night," she agreed, then started up the stairs. She needed to discover if she could trust the doctor.
<t></t>