Sign Me Up

Posted on Sat Oct 26th, 2024 @ 8:13am by Ensign Isaac 'Zac' Hughes & Ensign Alexandra 'Lexi' O'Connery

Mission: Remnant
Location: Gym
Timeline: Day 407
2671 words - 5.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Lexi hummed to herself as she jogged at a slow pace on the running machine. She was getting faster on her damaged leg than the last time which was a relief because she did not want to have a slight limp for the rest of her life when she got cold or got too tired. She wanted to be back to the height of her fitness again which was why she was there jogging close to midnight instead of in her quarters asleep. She wanted to give William some space on the evening with the stresses that were going on but also she knew he would not understand why she was pushing herself a little.

She glanced back as she saw someone else was joining her in the gym. “Hey, doc.” She called wondering why he was there but she did not want to pry.

When it came right down to it, Isaac Hughes was a fraud. Here was a man who had devoted his life to the accumulation of medical knowledge, who had submerged himself in study and had a wall somewhere in another universe decorated with various accreditations that stood testament to his investment in his career. A man who, despite not always finding the life of an academic easy, had persisted in forging a distinctive path with the kind of unorthodox innovation that had eventually found its value in the adaptive lifestyle he was now forced to adopt. It was true enough that his current situation was well beyond his aspirations and that his tenure with Earth Starfleet was meant to have been temporary, but if nothing else, he was a man who knew how to learn, in his own way. He'd never stopped.

He was also a man who still missed cigarettes, and hamburgers and proper coffee, and had a love-hate relationship with gym equipment that was usually the result of ongoing neglect on his part. Life on board had robbed him of the outdoor pursuits that had taken the place of more purposeful exercise, and the ongoing pressures of dealing with the crew's health, alongside supporting his newly awakened colleagues, and juggling his own personal life and adjustment, did not make the prospect of intentionally jumping up and down in one spot all that inviting. It had taken an honest reflection of how much form he'd lost for the doctor to begrudgingly carve out some sort of workout routine, though it usually involved hitting the gym right before the night shift, which had become his usual rostered duty.

Though, if he was honest, it was more often a case of being kicked out several hours into the shift, once Lottie had realised he'd skipped weight day again. The trudging march of defeat at midnight was becoming a predictable reoccurrence.

The gym wasn't always empty at this time, but it usually was, and this was certainly the first time Isaac had crossed paths with Lexi at this time. Unwinding the towel from around his neck, the doctor paused and flicked the woman a playful salute. "Ensign. Sent to the gallows too, I see."

Lexi smiled and shook her head. "Not really. I am giving William some space and he will not overly question where I am for a little longer. I want to ... well my leg." She indicated where her leg was covered in scars. It had been a long couple of months but she really wanted to get back to some fitness. She did not know what he knew about the situation but he could see from where her leg had been saved from when she had been buried in the tower.

Hughes turned his head on the side slightly to regard the limb. He hadn't played much of a part in the ensign's treatment or recuperation, and so admiring the obvious success of a very complex reconstruction came without any kind of self-accolade. "Impressive mobility, I'd say, for this stage in recovery. Muscle tone looks good too."

"I am trying. I used to jog the ship daily but I am taking it steady with doing it on here now as it's so late. How about you doc? What brought you down here?" She asked wanting to getting his attention from her to him. She did not see people often at that time of night so it was likely he had thoughts like her.

"Guilt, shame and a measure of self-preservation." Despite the nature of the response, Hughes was smiling. "I'm not one for crowds when I'm wheezing myself to better health." He set his kit aside and took a moment to stretch, having learned the hard way in recent times that being cooped up on a starship didn't leave a man as supple as he was used to. There had been a time in Isaac's life where conditioning was just a part of daily routine, owed mostly to the pursuit of construction that tended to build muscle and endurance just by the sheer contortionism that came with trying to assemble furniture. He hadn't lost it entirely, being mostly muscle despite his slender build, but there were definitely days where he didn't feel as spry as he once had.

"Ah, so we are on the same page with guilt, shame and a measure of self-preservation then." The small blonde teased with a laugh. She knew that they both had different reasons for the guilt, shame and self-preservation but it was similar feeling in them both. "I won't judge but I will have to call medical in the wheezing becomes worrying."

A quiet chuckle carried all the way to the second treadmill, currently set up facing the one O'Connery was already using. Isaac wasn't sure that watching him mimic an uphill endurance run was really much of a spectator's preference but he wasn't up for dragging the solid piece of equipment back alongside either. Adjusting the settings, he heaved himself up and settled for the brisk pace of a warm-up walk. "Hard to believe I used to walk to work most days."

"Where did you used to work?" Lexi wondered. "I joined Earth Starfleet straight from university to... well to escape someone but I think I took that a little too far so I never really had a place of work outside of this place other than random bar and shop work." She said trying to look on the bright side of it all. It was not a thought she would share with William but she did with Hughes knowing he would not worry to much.

"Well, they put me through all that space travel training, of course." The irony being, Isaac thought, that none of it really prepared you for the eventuality of living in the environment. "Prior to that, I used to bounce between a clinic in New Sydney and a rehab centre just outside of Glenbrook. Childhood stamping ground," he added, pausing as a sudden rush of nostalgia made him realise how much he'd avoided thinking specifically of home just recently. In just a few years, Cassie would inherit the family property and as difficult as it was to accept that, no matter what happened for this crew, his life was forever out of reach, there was comfort in knowing that he'd taken the time to pass on the stories his grandfather had shared. Isaac frowned for a moment before his expression cleared. "Great hiking, almost didn't feel like exercise."

"That sounds nice. I went to University in the UK and I walked everywhere. Ship life and Earth Starfleet Academy are very different to university life." She admitted thinking of all the times she had been persuaded to take a car instead of just walking somewhere when she was at the Academy. "Sounds lovely. What brought you to Earth Starfleet?"

And there was the million-credit question. By now, Isaac realised there were any number of different stories to be found amongst the crew in regards to their career choices. Many of them had transferred from other industries, far more than he'd realised at first which had helped in feeling less like a fish out of water. Hindsight rendered his story a little melancholy, however, and it wasn't entirely the doctor's desire to burden the young officer with his baggage. "An opportunity to try something way outside my comfort zone," he eventually settled on. "I have...had..." He paused, wobbling his hand back and forth as a see-saw between which tense was correct, "a step-daughter whose mother passed away before she got to travel the stars. This was meant to be a year of living vicariously through her dreams."

"Ah..." Lexi nodded growing quiet as she picked up her pace just a little faster and harder for a moment as she realised they were all fighting their own mini battles as well as a group to stay alive. "I bet they are both proud of you."

"I choose to hope so." A wane smile conveyed sadness without evidence of overwhelming grief. A year was a long time to come to grips with the inevitability of certain outcomes and it was perhaps fair to say that the doctor was still trying to process the difference between now and several months previous when he was not an imposter in an alternative timeline. Rationally, he understood that his life was gone, but since he'd already forced himself to accept the possibility once, it was hard to know how to handle the situation differently. Obviously, the sliver of hope was gone but Isaac had never been convinced it was there to begin with.

"Hope is all we have right now when it comes to home." The woman pointed out quietly offering him a big smile. She stayed quiet letting him think for a long moment seeing the thoughts flattering across his eyes. "So what do you do for fun?" She asked as she started to the process to cool down her running having reached her breaking point.

"Now or then?" Reaching out to adjust the pace upwards by a reasonable margin, Hughes offered a faint huff of laughter drenched in resigned acceptance. "By preference, I like being outside and using my hands to make things. By current restrictions," he gestured towards the ceiling and then considered what might count. Nish would have said he didn't get out enough, Isaac was more inclined to view it as having no place that didn't feel over-crowded to go. "Group of us used to play cards a fair bit. I've been trying to learn guitar for 15 years," he landed on something that actually sounded like a hobby.

"I meant on board but I think you do not get out enough. Maybe you could create a card group?" She wondered. "Some of us play board games on a Thursday. Card games feel more like a Monday night thing." She added thoughtfully trying to suggest something that he enjoyed. "You can't be the only person onboard with an instrument either."

"Actually, the Captain and I have already been in discussion about cross-pollination of non-essential skills. Despite being limited by resources and space, creating a community that thrives will require opportunities to expand and grow long-term. I am hopeful I can create a dedicated mental health hub within Medical to cater for the management of big projects like skill-share. It won't maintain momentum without organisation."

Lexi turned to look at him and nearly fell off the machine jumping off at the last second as she took in what he said now she could concentrate and was not trying to jog. "I want to help." She declared.

Already half off his own machine in anticipation of emergency assistance, Isaac wound up having to negotiate his own moment of thwarted clumsiness and took the excuse to use his shirt to wipe his face before turning his attention to the unexpectedness of the ensign's enthusiasm. "An initiative like this requires the cooperation of everyone...," he started, not sure that he'd quite understood her.

"No I mean I want to actively help with mental health. I have been trying to do morale-boosting things to help with mental health." She explained. "I mean... sir." She added hopefully. They might be same rank but in grand scheme of things he was higher on the chain of command than her.

That was all it took to turn Hughes' stern expression of thoughtfulness into a gentle half-smile. "Isaac is just fine, especially off-duty." He'd never been comfortable with the rank structure and, where he got away with it, tried to ignore his. His authority was in the medical field; in all other matters, Zac felt somewhat of an imposter. "Have you any formal training?" It was a question asked out of interest and more as a way to gauge where her passions stemmed from than any judgement about her suitability.

”But this is kind of work related.” She pointed out before blushing at the question about formal training and look her head disappointed. “No… just languages. I was just trying to do things to boost morale and get people together.” She explained shifting uncomfortably.

"Well, communication is a vital skill in the realm of mental health," Isaac reassured. "And the entire point is encouraging people to step outside their current skillset to expand their experience, if not their expertise. What kind of things have you been doing?," he asked, climbing reluctantly back on the treadmill but setting it for an easy walking pace so that he could keep up with the conversation.

Communication was her forte and it had been vitual at points so that praise made her happy. “Games night, book club, movies, crew parties.” She explained thinking of all the things she had been trying to organise over the last year to boost people’s interest and create more community on the ship.

"Are the crew generally receptive to your efforts?" As much as so many of these people felt familiar, Isaac knew better than to assume he knew anything about them. Getting a baseline for their willingness to engage in social efforts would be a strong starting point for knowing how much work it was going to take to get other initiatives off the ground.

Lexi nodded brightening that he had not instantly dismissed her efforts. "Yes. People come along regularly." She looked hopeful that he was taking her seriously. She wanted to help her crew mates and this man wanted to help more. "Can I help you?" She asked, the hope slipping into her voice.

"I don't see why not," Isaac smiled, though his keen gaze scrutinised the woman's eagerness. Intuition suggested there was more to the request than a simple desire to plan social events. "Though in what capacity is somewhat dependent on how far you want to take things. Were you hoping to retrain?" The doctor's expression, eyebrows slightly raised, seemed at least open to the prospect.

Lexi shrugged not so sure for moment at that question. “I am not sure at this stage but I am at least considering cross pollination if the ship could handle me.” Lexi said instantly slipping back into her bright and breezy persona.

Amidst the slight acceleration of breath as the treadmill picked up the pace, Hughes laughed. "There's plenty of scope in arguing that provocation promotes growth. Keeping people on their toes is certainly a good way to avoid stagnation, at least. Think about it, at least. I'm not sure if I'm qualified to provide formal accreditation but we could probably cobble together something of substance."

"I will, Sir," Lexi assured quickly. She was pretty sure formal accreditation would be useless in the long term if they did not at least try and boost things. "I'll leave you to your run but you know where I am when you want to discuss this more." She said turning narrowly avoiding the running machine again but with a laugh she quickly side stepped and ran out feeling happier but not wanting to push her luck.