milliways_bar | (no subject)

(no subject)

Ray's looking for a couple of people tonight, one of whom is physically incapable of fitting through the door. He'll go outside soon enough, but right now he needs dinner.

The bar seems to think he has too many fried things lately. Dinner involves squishy white stuff, brown rice, and spinach.

At least he got it to give him his usual green soda.

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There's a brooding, troubled Ghostbuster sitting nearby.

Brooding seems to be in the air tonight for a number of people. Ray heads over Peter's way. "Yo, Pete," he says. "What's up?"

Peter's still focused on the DOOM so he doesn't respond, or seem to hear.

Ray is not really very good at the whole 'survival instinct' thing, so he does what comes naturally and pokes Peter in the shoulder.

There's the sense of a *shove* back at Ray.

Then Peter blinked, and glanced up, "Oh, it's you."

Not being used to that kind of response from Peter, Ray stumbled back a step or two. "Nice to see you too, Pete," he said. "Jeez, what happened?"

Peter frowned, not sure what he meant, "What are you talking about?"

"Generally you don't freak out when I talk to you," Ray points out. "In fact, most of the time, you notice when I talk to you. What's got up your nose?"

Peter blinked, "What? Freak out? And did you say something before?" He frowned in thought, trying to recall.

"Um... yeah, I did," Ray said. "And when you didn't answer me I poked you and you pretty much- look, maybe we should just drop it, okay?"

Peter frowned, "What did I do?" He wasn't upset, just concerned now.

"Jedi mind shove or something. I couldn't tell."

"Whaaat? At you?" Peter blinked, and shook his head.

"Oh God, sorry, Ray, mind went out to lunch for a bit I think."

"Just thinking about something this snot-nosed kid mentioned. About sewers, and using them as an escape route. Got me thinking what *else* might be using them for that in our world."

"Yeah, that was roughly my reaction," Ray said dryly. Then he sobered. "I guess you wouldn't want to hear about the part where we ran into the Spawn of Cthulhu in the sewers of the animated continuum, huh."

Peter blinked, "I thought that guy got wasted already?"

"I didn't say recently. It was during the process of tracking him down. You were talking about horrors in the sewers, after all."

"Oh. Great, that thing can breed?" Peter headdesked briefly.

"Just something about escape route, and that you can get anywhere in the sewers. And the fact they're weakened already. What do you think the odds are of something wanting to escape into our world?"

"Only when the stars are right, and they probably aren't in your time."

Ray considered the possibility. "I'm more afraid of the subway tunnels, myself," he admitted. "But that's just one world's worth of experience. They're both underground and potentially dangerous anyway."

Peter nodded, "The slime went through older tunnels. Other you was mentioning the old Pneumatic Transit line for one."

"That's about as old as the subway gets, yeah. Gosh, that was a nice piece of engineering work. The sewers are older, of course, but the pneumatic subways really did do the heart good to look at." Ray smiled. "Though I imagine not so much with the slime in them."

Peter nodded, "Yeah, you were going all oooh over it when we found it under the street. And no, huge river of slime that was pulsing, and probably would've sent an empath screaming for their mommy, not of the good."

"Gotcha. You know, one of these days we ought to do a subterranean survey of the city.." Ray winced. "Although not any time soon. The only person I'd feel obligated to bring along would be Naraht, and... he kinda got sick in my world. Really sick."

Peter frowned with concern, "His kind can get sick? How bad we talking here? You think something from our world contaminated him?" If Naraht hadn't been to Earth before, his immune system wouldn't be prepared at all. Crap...

"Apparently so," said Ray soberly. "There aren't many diseases they're vulnerable to, but the ones they do get have a tendency to be deadly. Naraht's Bound- the Bar won't let him get to the Enterprise's sickbay- so we're hoping that means that he's got a better chance of being healed here than there, and asking around among the local doctors and healers."

This gets a really worried look, and a response of

"Shit."

Ray rubbed at his nose with one thumb.

"Yeah."

"There's a cure at least, right?"

Ray looked away for a long while.

"... we don't know," he said at last.

"Great..." Peter thunked his head against the table softly.

He then came up sharply as he realized something.

"You're not blaming yourself for this, are you?"

"Naraht already told me not to do that," Ray said wearily. "It's pretty hard not to, though."

Peter sighed, "Thought so."

He softly said, "Do I have to remind you he chose to go to your world to help out? He knew the risks. Shit, we put our own lives on the line with every major bust. He knew that, too."

"He didn't know about this risk." Ray looked up briefly. "Admittedly, he says this kind of thing is a danger every time he beams down somewhere, but like I said, it's still hard. If I hadn't had him there and he hadn't had to do what he did... meh. He told me not to kick myself about it. It's just hard."

Peter nodded, "I know, Ray. But how much worse would you guys have been without him?"

He sighed again, "Where is he now, and any luck with doctors or healers yet?"

"Yeah, I know. I know. I don't think we'd have made it anywhere near in time."

He rubbed at his face with one hand. "Downstairs, in Baby. Faith and I got him there. The cells are much nicer when you're in them of your own accord, and they respond to voice requests same as the Bar, so this way he gets a comfortable environment and stays in isolation so as not to infect any other silicon life that might be in the Bar."

"My point exactly, so quit kicking yourself in the ass over it. You didn't know."

Peter nodded, "He can get visitors who aren't silicon-based, right?"

"Yeah. Just don't go shaking hands with any trolls after coming into contact with him." He rubs at his face again. "God, I think I need to get outside for a walk... could you check on him before you head to bed, Pete? I'd appreciate it."

Peter got up, "I'll do that now."

He then clapped a hand on Ray's shoulder, projecting *Comfort, reassurance, STRENGTH*

"Take it easy, Ray. Make sure you at least try to sleep tonight, ok?"

Ray nodded. "All right. I'll try. Pete."

"You do that. I mean it." And his tone indicated it was an order not a request. And there would be ear pulling if not obeyed.

And Peter headed to the cells. (http://www.livejournal.com/community/ways_office/63540.html?thread=1631796#t1631796)

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