IC Inbox (v1.0)

[jumpthegun]

You've reached Dr. John Watson. Please leave a message.

Comments

[jumpthegun]

[Oh, wonderful. This is even better.]

The last time the nanomachines started shutting down, everyone above ground nearly died, even the people who shouldn't have been affected by radiation.

[armoured]

I think that's because they were malfunctioning but still inside us, so they were poisoning our systems further.

[He might sound slightly desperate, but he's trying to keep a lid on it.]

You know what my body is, Dr. Watson, it can't be poisoned by radiation or frozen in the cold. The nanomachines are hurting me more than helping, and without them I could do so much more. Please help me.

[jumpthegun]

I'm not gonna help you kill yourself, Al. Because that's what'll happen if you're wrong. How many bloody times d'we have to go through this? How many ways are you gonna ask me to help hurt you? I know you want to help other people. But we don't win at this game. You can't get those damn machines out of your body and we won't be able to until we reach the center. Focus on getting everyone there. That's how you can be useful.

[That's... probably unnecessarily harsh, but John's not in the best place to be gentle or mince words.]

[armoured]

[Ah.

He was expecting a refusal, but not one as vehement and angry as that. It's unfair to say that he wants Dr. Watson to hurt him, when all he wants to do is help in some small way. Getting people to the centre is the end goal, everyone is working towards it, but this-- He could do this, maybe one of the only people that can possibly safely remove them. Sure, it's risky, but--

It's too much. Ed, and then House, and now this. His voice is very tight and very small.]

Fine.

[He's not going to argue this here. He'll find someone else to help, or he'll do it himself, or he'll find something. He has to find something, because he can't cope with being so helpless any more.]

Goodbye, Dr. Watson.

[jumpthegun]

Goodbye.

[He'll regret being so short later. For now, John is just doing what he has to, to protect an idiot kid from himself.]