{Losing memories begins and ends with the senses

[myheadisaprison]

Eway/Wonderland-verse PSL with hypoxic
{The Beginning}

Comments

[hypoxic]

Nearly a minute longer. We'd discussed minimizing risk by being spatially aware.

[But he trails off as he gets a better glimpse of the dazed look on Cisco's face.]

....Your pupils are dilated. Did you hit your head? There could be a concussion.

[thisismadfreaky]

[There's a word in there he isn't catching, and he's squinting, trying to figure it out when he notices Fitz looking at him.]

What? [Absently, he reaches up to touch the back of his head. Ah, the power of suggestion.] No, I don't think so.

[hypoxic]

We should probably check you out nonetheless. Here, sit down.

[He pushes a chair closer to Cisco and urges him into it.]

You remember what month it is, yeah?

[thisismadfreaky]

[He feels fine, but if it will make Fitz feel better, he'll let him do his little checks. He can be fussy about things like that sometimes.]

Well, no... we stopped counting awhile ago. Are you sure you didn't hit your head?

[hypoxic]

That's... Not true.

[And it's worrisome that Cisco would say that.]

What about other recent events? You know where you are, what's been going on?

[thisismadfreaky]

Yeah it is. Has been for...a really long time now.

[Cisco frowns a little and shrugs.] There was something with rabbits recently. One of those holiday ones. Everyone woke up with a plastic egg with something inside of it. I got this. [He holds up the necklace he's wearing, which has a cross on it. It didn't mean much to him, but he wore it simply because...it was his.] Not sure why, though.

[hypoxic]

[His lips press together. Cisco's hurt. Cisco's badly hurt.]

We ought to have Jemma give you a full checkup as soon as she gets back to the lab. Perhaps crossing dimensions has scrambled you a bit...

[thisismadfreaky]

[He shakes his head, smiling in a very unconcerned about the situation sort of way, patting his friend's arm.] You're fretting for nothing. I'm fine, Fitz. Promise.

[hypoxic]

I promise you, Cisco, you aren't fine. You're just confused. We'll take some scans and make sure it's just bruising on the brain and nothing more serious than that.

[This is his fault. He pushed the issue before Cisco's powers were ready for it.]

[thisismadfreaky]

[Cisco stares at him for a long moment, yes, very, incredibly, deeply confused. But for all the wrong reasons. But it all sounds very important to Fitz, so he won't fight him.]

If you insist. [He shrugs a little and, since it seems that he's done until later when he can see Jemma, Cisco spins in a slow circle in the chair.] What do we do between now and then?

[hypoxic]

[This. Is. Terrible. But he needs to keep Cisco awake and engaged for the foreseeable future at least.]

Well. ...Cisco. Why don't you tell me a bit more about your experiences while you were away. Do you remember anything about what happened -- where you visited?

[thisismadfreaky]

You keep saying that. Like I left here. But I didn't. [He pauses in his spinning when he's faced back around to look at Fitz again and tips his head.] This is the other place.

[hypoxic]

You're babbling nonsense... Do you even hear yourself?

[He'll need to set up an MRI. Do they even have the right equipment to manage that?? ]

[thisismadfreaky]

[If he hears Fitz's concern, he certainly doesn't acknowledge it.] What were we doing before? Where were we trying to go? Do you remember? I haven't remembered for a long time, and I didn't think you did either, but you seem different.

[hypoxic]

[It hurts to hear. Cisco's powers must have backfired horribly this time.]

We've been trying to go home, Cisco. It's been our project for years now.

[thisismadfreaky]

[He laughs a little, like that's the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard.] What are you talking about? we are home.

[hypoxic]

[There's a crash then, as he loses his grip on what he'd been holding.]

It's mindwiped you. Wonderland always pushes back. Oh dear...

[thisismadfreaky]

[His eyes widen a little at the crash, but otherwise he seems mostly unphased. Well, other than being confused, but that's his new default setting, isn't it?] You worry too much. You know, I've always said that. You're gonna worry your head right to dead, you know that.

[hypoxic]

Cisco, we're not home. We're prisoners here. This isn't where we belong. Something's been affecting you. We'll find out what it is, I promise.

[Really, telling someone not to worry just makes sure they worry harder.]

[thisismadfreaky]

Where else would we be? Why would we be there instead of here? There's nothing wrong with here. Well-- there. The other here I was in before. It's weird, like there's two of them. [He laughs a little.] Wouldn't that be quaint? Two Wonderlands.

[hypoxic]

Two Wonderlands...

[He rushes back to a stack of papers, flipping through them.]

We're already aware that the mirror dimension forces an exchange of mass when a body passes through. But what if other parallel realities require the same...?

[thisismadfreaky]

I only understood some of that. Too many words I don't know anymore. [He sounds exasperated at it. Why would he do that? He leans back in the chair, watching Fitz curiously.] What're you lookin' for?

[hypoxic]

[ It pains him to hear it. ]

How many words do you think you've lost, Cisco?

[thisismadfreaky]

[He shrugs, seeming unphased by it entirely.] I dunno. Stopped counting awhile ago. No sense in counting what you can't know, is there?

[hypoxic]

It's actually quite important. Wonderland is a memory siphon. It steals at a rate of only a word or so every year. If we can estimate your rate of vocabulary loss, that might give me a sense of your condition.

[ If he's a duplicate Cisco, that's a different scope entirely. ]