The Hallucination Epidemic (Reprise)

Who: Seymour, Alandra, Rosette, Kevn, Keto, Super Jay, the Tree and
anyone else in the medibay
Where: The Medibay
When: During the mania of the hallucinagenic plague
<<SNIP>>
Keto rolled his eyes and got on with checking Rosette. After a minute
he just explained. "There's nothing to worry about, it's just another
of the hallucinations around here, I've been getting them all day.
Most of them will go away over time, although that infernal tree has
stayed around for five years."
The Big Pink Tree quivered in the corner and knocked over a tray of
scalpels.
"Fool!" shouted Keto.
Super Jay kept on poking his arm. "Ah, losing your temper eh? I'm
wearing you down eh?"
Keto sighed and got on with his work.
<<END SNIP>>
The medibay continued to get more and more crowded as crewmembers
started to pour in from all over the ship. Some were there to be
treated for hallucinations. Others had been injured. Still others
had merely hallucinated that they had been injured, and one poor guy
had lost his left arm in reality but was convinced it was just a
hallucination.
This ship attracted all sorts, Keto mused for somewhere around the
millionth time.
"You're fine, rub some ointment on it," he muttered to the patient he
was currently treating, advice mostly spurred on by the fact that he'd
completely forgotten what the man's condition was.
"But...there's an army of tiny staplers following me around and
stapling my shoelaces to the floor!" moaned the patient. Keto heard
several small clicks from down at floor level, but decided that
looking in that direction would only lead to trouble and more work.
"Ointment!" he said firmly, thrusting a vial of liquid at the hapless
crewman. The vial contained some of the little stock that Keto still
had left over from the previous hallucinogenic plague several years
before - unfortunately, it didn't seem to be working in the majority
of cases.
In fact, it seemed to be about as effective as trying to ignore the
hallucinations - a tactic which was demonstrated to be futile as
Keto's patient stood up, took a step forward and promptly fell flat on
his face.
"Next!" shouted Keto over the rising noises of the crowded medibay,
"Medical staff, I need organisation here! All those patients who have
life-threatening injuries, hallucinations or hallucinations that are
likely to cause life-threatening injuries, need to be treated
immediately! The Tree knows where the anti-hallucination ointment is
kept but, for pity's sake, make sure it doesn't spill any on itself!
At least, not while I'm not there to watch!"
Keto strode through the crowd, snapping orders at people (most of whom
weren't actually members of his department, but he was on a roll).
Jay, still imbued with his super powers, kept popping out of the crowd
at intervals to poke Keto in the shoulder, causing the irate doctor's
blood pressure to steadily rise with every contact until, finally, he
snapped.
"LOOK!" he growled, grabbing Jay's finger, "If you poke me one more
time I swear to all that is unholy that I will endeavour to
hallucinate you melting from the inside out."
"You really want to let go of that finger," said Jay, raising an
eyebrow and lifting his arm slightly. Keto's feet lifted off the floor.
The two of them glared at each other for a moment.
"Okay," Keto said, through clenched teeth as his feet waved slightly,
"We'll call this a truce. For now. While you're gloating about these
super powers you seem to have acquired, it might be more fitting for
you to use them to help these people, hmm?"
"By getting them as far from the medibay as possible?" asked Jay,
lowering the doctor back to the floor. Keto snarled.
"By HELPING us separate these people from their accursed
hallucinations so we know which is which!" he snapped, "Take that
thing, for example! It's obviously the work of a diseased mind, so
take it outside and lock it away somewhere!"
"That," said Jay, "Is Seymour."
"Precisely my point!" nodded Keto, "Diseased, I tell you. Get him,
the hallucinations and everybody who doesn't need immediate, urgent
help OUT of my medibay so that my staff can COPE with this mess! And,
hopefully, give me enough time to concoct some kind of cure! Satan
knows I must have enough samples of the disease by now!"
"What is it with you and the 'hail Satan' today?" asked Jay,
curiously. Keto sighed, then gestured towards his own left shoulder.
Jay peered.
There was a small, red-clad demon sitting on it. It bore a remarkable
resemblance to Keto.
"You're going to tell me that's one of those guiding voices, right?"
asked Jay, "Your temptation to evil, or something?"
"Sort of," sighed Keto, turning away, "Actually, that one's my
conscience. The OTHER one is my temptation."
"KILL THEM ALL!" Jay heard a tiny voice squeak from Keto's other
shoulder, and decided not to investigate further.
==============================
OOC: Tag Jay, or anybody else in the medibay (which looks to be an
increasing number of people!) ;)
- Chris (JHXMT)