Universal Displacement

Shock and Awe

Sutton pushed herself up off the cot as she attempted to bolt out of the room the moment the main crew were out of sight. There was no time to waste on things like medical care or rest at a pinnacle point like this!

"Wait, miss!"

A nearby nurse reached out just as she was stepping away from the cot, the woman's arm shooting out and catching Sutton right across the ribs before Sutton could dodge or soften the blow.

Fire erupted and flared across her muscles and bones and she saw stars.

The pain was so sharp, so consuming, that all Sutton could do was gasp sharply for breath. It felt like all the air had been knocked from her lungs, and she practically crumbled while gapping like a fish out of water.

"Oh dear; that's not a good sign! Have a seat, I need to have a look at that."

Sutton sat because the pain made it hard to function and she didn't stand a chance against a nurse who'd clothesline her right where it hurt, accidentally or not. The medical team were quick to inspect her ribs, meaning her view of the doors was blocked by a curtain and her shirt was all but pulled off.

"Get me ten ccs of Terakine," the nurse called out behind her.

"Aspirin 's fine," Sutton wheezed. "I mean, I'd ask for a Vicodin but I need as much of my wits as I can manage right now. Not saying I have a lot, I just need what I do have."

The nurses, much like ones in any universe, ignored her and did their job as they knew best, but Sutton was just about fed up with hypo-sprays to the neck when they had no payoff. The nurses managed to wrap her ribs with what amounted to an ace bandage, put a sturdy brace on her knee, and re-bandage the fingers on her right hand in an efficient amount of time. There was nothing they could really do about the bruising by her eye or on her limbs. The moment they finished and backed away to put away their supplies, Sutton made a break for it again. Generally she was able to move a bit faster, but the brace made it a tad bit more difficult. Still, she made it out the door and started down the corridor this time before the nurses could catch up to her.

Sutton continued hurriedly down unfamiliar hallways and passed curious members of the crew as she limped by.

She still had time. She still had time, right?

Khan was locked in the brig now and Marcus hadn't arrived yet. There were still precious minutes open for possible action.

But enough time to put a wrench in Khan's plans and get her case of souvenirs back?

She tried to believe that there was.

Maybe she appeared to know where she was going, or maybe people couldn't leave their posts, but she wasn't exactly stopped as she tried to find her way around the Enterprise. It was harder to navigate than she had anticipated. There was no signage posted on the walls giving directions, no nice holographic blinking boards announcing "BRIG THIS WAY" or "LEFT TURN FOR THAT STUFF YOU NEED". And honestly, at this point, some help would have been really nice.

The brace on her knee was making it difficult to move as quickly as she felt she needed to and only added to her mounting frustration and anxiety. The corridor finally opened at a lift and Sutton hurried to it with renewed determination.

She reached the doors causing them to open and moved to walk through them just as Bones stepped around the corner from the right. Sutton barely managed to not run into him, twisting on her right foot in a circle to avoid hitting him and trying to dodge into the elevator.

"Whoa!"
"Hey, what are you doing out here?"
Sutton tried to get around the doctor but he blocked the door and she wasn't able to pass him before the frosted glass doors slid shut.