A Little Experiment Required

[Jason Campbell]

Jason had worked really hard on the interesting case young Zoe had brought to him. Well, he wouldn’t quite phrase it like that in front of her. After all, she nearly killed her girlfriend and, as they talked together, he found out she was not the first one Zoe put in that state. Her power was dangerous, to others mostly but also to her, mentally speaking. Jason still didn’t want to rule out to her the possibility she might be able to touch someone. He didn’t consider it very likely however, otherwise she would have shown signs already that she could stop herself. So in case that eventually became her reality, he agreed to help her.



Now it took a lot of work. And a lot of rats. He wasn’t going to inject himself with her paralytic over and over after all. He tested it on those little furry creatures. Had anyone entered his house ever since he took on the task of working on an antidote, they’d just have to go to the second bedroom he had turned into a small lab to find a whole lot of them, tucked nicely in cages.



He did all sorts of tests, he analyzed the samples he took from her, checked with the chemicals they used on Devyn so she could breathe again and so on. Making an antidote didn’t prove too hard. Making one that might not have too many bad side-effects should you get repeated dosage of it, well he still wasn’t certain he achieved that. He did his best and he warned Zoe to be careful, that the antidote was a last resort, not an excuse to touch people at will. She was smart enough to understand that without him telling her though.



He came to the school to give her another sample however. It was not an antidote this time but a temporary cure, or so he hoped. He’d rather not tell her the name he gave it (basically sample with the number giving away how many he tried before). He didn’t want her to feel discouraged. He had good hope for this one however. She couldn’t spend all day touching the person but he was confident it could last a few hours. How many exactly... well he wasn’t sure. It depended on who would get it, how quickly their body would assimilate it and many other variables.



To make it easier on the girl, he came to the school for most of their meeting. He was allowed to, since he was the on-call doctor here. And she was his patient. He wanted to know if she tried the antidote and how quickly you were able to see a result. It worked relatively well on him but the ultimate test would be to try it with her. As for the cure... well he would really need her to try it with someone. Someone willing to spend a long time touching her to know its exact limits on a human body. Yes, he was experimenting here. After all, at some point, it had to be tested on people. This was the reason why he entered the nurse’s office, waiting for Zoe to show up now that he asked after her.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

{man, the word "cure" makes me nervous, but i know what you mean xD }

Zoe had refrained from becoming too excited when Dr. Campbell had contacted her. It had been quite a while, but at the same time, he had quite a few things on his place. Surely he had several doctor duties which had to be completed quite regularly, plus there had been the recent attacks. Zoe had seen him when she'd been shot as well; it had been part of what had saved her from having a worse scar than she had now (and she wasn't entirely certain that her current wound wouldn't vanish with time). Still, she couldn't help but be excited when he contacted her.

She'd hurried to the infirmary, as requested. She'd wanted to be there early, so Dr. Campbell certainly wouldn't have been waiting all that long for her. The emotional British girl smiled at him, waving a few fingers. She'd opted for her lighter shirt, knowing that she'd have to pull it aside or down for Dr. Campbell to double-check her arm and what have you.

"Um, hello," she tried, trying to make her voice sound like it wasn't strained with a mixture of excitement and nerves. Zoe failed. Miserably. "So, um, is there an antidote or some kind of preventive...?" Zoe wasn't sure how to phrase it, and she did realize, albeit belatedly, that she should've nudged closer to the conversation. She swallowed and smiled nervously. 'Um, I'm sorry, I should... I'm feeling fine. Did you need to check on anything else...?"

[Jason Campbell]

{That's just me and my sometimes limited vocabulary }

Zoe must have been quite impatient to hear from him again. He did his best to work as quickly as possible, but tests took time and required some research. Not to add that he needed to work also. As interesting as it was, and gratifying should it work, this would not bring in any money to him. He had obligations. It was bad enough he ditched most of his friends, barely going out as he would rather work on this instead. Luckily, most of them understood. The others... well they could argue all they wanted when you put the life of a young woman in the balance, he exaggerated a bit with that one but who cared, how could you really hold a grudge against him for being even more of a hermit than he naturally was? Not to add that SPECTRE had left him exhausted. It took him an entire week to fully recover from it.

He smiled to the girl as she came in and waved at him. The last time he had seen her she was in quite a bad shape. He knew the healing process left a scar but in comparison to having the wound open, it was a very little price. He didn’t heal her to the point of regenerating her tissues and prevent a scar to form, only so the wound would be close. He did find a bit pointless to make it vanish entirely but he did want to know how she was and might not object should she ask him to.

“Zoe, I’m happy to see you,” he greeted her with as she entered the room. He heard the excitement in her voice. He had a smile at it. He expected no less. Who wouldn’t knowing they might have found a way to finally interact with others without problem? She even came straight to the point before nervously asking if he didn't come for anything else. “Well, I take that your wound no longer hurts, does it?” he asked. He did warn her the pain came from the mind and might stick for a while. “I do have something for you to test but first, did you try the antidote?” he asked her. He was curious as to the effects on humans after being in direct contact with her. He knew it might not have been the best and he did suggest her to first try it with a trainer if she was unsure. The same safety would be required with that one he assumed. Unless she already had the perfect test subject around.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

{read more books then, my friend}

Clearly Zoe was happy to see Dr. Campbell too. she nearly said as much, but figured that she'd not only said enough already, but that it should also be quite apparent that she was quite pleased. Dr. Campbell had asked her a question that required an answer, namely the one about her wound, which Zoe shook her head. It hadn't bothered her for some time, besides showing something of a scar. It would likely fade to be all but unnoticeable though, which of course didn't stop Zoe from wondering about it.

"Oh, um, no, I haven't," admitted Zoe, flushing. "I've just been quite careful about not using my abilities of late..." as she had since she'd gotten them all those months ago. Ever since she'd nearly killed that SPECTRE agent she'd been on her best behavior when it came to her power. Which did give her more confidence in being able to handle it.

"Did you want me to?" she asked, sounding nervous at the very thought. "I thought it was more for emergencies, sort of like how people with allergies carry those devices around with them..." Zoe trailed off, mostly because she couldn't remember exactly what said devices were called. She'd met a few people who might need them from time to time, but it wasn't as if it was all that common. All she knew for certain was that her mood had dropped, since she'd now convinced herself that she should've been a little less frugal with what he'd already given her.

[Jason Campbell]

{correction, I need to read more English books. Oh and btw I know Devyn’s fear or needles, I am so cruel here xD}

Jason wouldn’t say he was vain or selfish or any other adjective of the like that pretty much meant the same as these two. So was it selfish of him to assume Zoe would be happy to see him? Maybe if he said it out loud. It always sounded more selfish when said out loud. But in his mind, it seemed like something obvious. She should be happy, very happy, knowing the kind of news she wished to get from him.

He nodded as she answered his question regarding her wound. Not that he expected her to feel any more pain now. But it was a possibility. The mind could play many tricks on the body. “You might feel some pain every now and then around your scar, like a stretch. But it shouldn’t bother you too much,” he told her. Considering the size of it, he doubted it would hurt a lot. But, again, a possibility. It was a doctor thing to cover all bases, just in case. Harder to complain when he could reply ‘I told you so’.

He didn’t think not trying the antidote was anything worth of a blush. He thought she might not have done so, with all that happened. And she told him she was being careful. The nerves could be heard in her voice but Jason had came to the conclusion it was almost a normal state for the girl. Or maybe it was simply the fact of being around a doctor. He knew his job sometimes made people uncomfortable, mainly those who dealt too much with disease in their past whether it was on their part or a relative.

He nodded to her as she talked. “Yes, it is mainly for emergencies, like the EpiPen,” he admitted. Well, she got that part right and recalled this was a last resort. He was glad she didn’t think that because she had it, she could do whatever she wanted with someone and only had to give them a shot. Jason pulled out a small vial and showed it to her. “This, however, is of another kind,” he began to say. He gave her the bottle so she could have a good look before he’ll start with the whole explanation speech and his recommendations.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Feel some pain every now and then; that was pretty much true. Zoe thought that most of it was just in her head though. For a moment, she wondered if she should be bringing up the mental trauma, how she sometimes had nightmares or phantom pains or felt like someone was watching her. However, she did realize that Dr. Campbell wasn't that kind of doctor. No need to worry him about things like that. Plus, well, this visit was supposed to be mostly about the medicine, right? Zoe really wanted to get to that; she'd put aside pretty well everything else for it, in fact.

Antidote, like an EpiPen, Zoe was nodding, glad that she'd been accurate about that. Before she could say anything else, however, he'd pulled out a small vial. Zoe blinked, but leaned forward, feeling like that was what she should be doing. She stared at it, wondering what it was. Well, he technically said it was some kind of other kind.

"So that's... a preventative?" she guessed, looking up at Dr. Campbell. "As in something that should at least slow the effects of, well, me?" she hoped so, and she struggled mightily not to make her excitement and eagerness show. With that... well, there were just so many possibilities. She'd practically be normal, or at least like one of the mutants that could turn their powers on and off.

[Jason Campbell]

Considering the care he gave to her regarding the gunshot wound, he didn't think it required any more checkup. Especially if, as she claimed, she felt no pain anymore. He didn't tell her he could remove the scar. She knew of his ability, she saw what he could do, even got a sample of it. If she wanted the scar removed, she should ask him. Otherwise, it was meant to stay. “When it happened, I didn't ask too much questions, but how are you dealing with this?” he asked. He was no psychiatrist and if she needed one he clearly could not help her. He could however suggest she was followed by a therapist. Then again, the whole school probably could use one. He could only imagine how the kids recovered during the rescue mission felt right now. He had a feeling a lot of antidepressants will be required here.

His visit was not about this however. He didn't mind taking the time to make sure she was doing okay. But the bottle he gave her brought them back to the real matter here. He had one brief nod as she ask if this was a preventive. “I’ve tested it and did not get any major side-effects from it but you understand this was done relatively quickly. Still, I’d recommend you don’t try it too often in a short period of time on the same person,” he began to say. He had a long list of recommendations, as well as directives on how to use it. He wrote them all down for her to keep but he wanted to tell her also. Like this, if she had any questions, she wouldn’t have to call him for answers. “I don’t know the exact duration of it. It depends on many factors but I’d say easily one if not two hours,” Jason kept talking as he went to fetch her some needles. He approached her so she could see as he pointed at one line in particular. “No more than 0.5 cc alright? You give it the same way I showed you with the antidote. The effects will be almost immediate.”

Jason handed her the needles and the list he made for her. “Everything is noted here. Mind you, this is experimental. It’s not like I had you around to hold my hand the whole time so perhaps it would be best you try it first with a trainer, or now, if you have the time,” he told her. After all, there was plenty enough in the bottle he gave her to test it again with other people. He didn't want to give her only one dose and come back with more.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

How was she dealing with this? Poorly... adequately, somewhere in between there. Zoe was tempted to unload, to tell Dr. Campbell about her nightmares or about how she sometimes felt like someone was watching her or even about the broken camera lens. Maybe she could at least bring up Devyn; Dr. Campbell knew about Devyn, knew about their relationship, and he certainly hadn't shown any judgment against them before now. So maybe...

but no, no, the drug. The present. Zoe felt too elated to want to dig into her wounds and expose them to anyone, even a doctor who could possibly heal scars. Instead, she listened intently, her brown eyes practically shimmering with want and hope and joy and all those positive emotions. Duration, cc... wait...

"So I have to stick a needle in someone?" she asked, looking to the bottle. Zoe wasn't sure she could do that. That had been part of the problem with her using the antidote, and that had been done in a device that was decidedly more subtle. Zoe saw needles extended though, and that seemed to answer her question. She swallowed, pulling her gloved fingers around the needles.

Best to try with a trainer... or with him. Zoe nodded. She took a deep breath. She moved to set the needles down, wishing that her hands would stop trembling for a bit. She took another deep breath, closed her eyes, promised herself to do this. She opened them. Zoe reached down then, moving the needle, putting it into position. There was a moment where she stared before realizing that she needed to tilt the bottle back.

"Um,' she said, looking over at him, "I'm doing this right, right? I--it would probably... you can heal, so.." she realized she hadn't really responded to him, told him she had the time, but had just gone with it. Zoe should slow down; it was her nerves making her act like this, jerking about, leaping without thinking. Too much time with Devyn, obviously.

[Jason Campbell]

Jason wasn’t sure how Zoe was exactly. Physically, he knew there wasn’t really to worry about, other than the obvious she was dealing with every day. Jason could heal any physical ailment but he sadly had no effect when it came to mental problems. Should anything weigh on her, he was of little help. Even if he’d want to, he had so much work that he would most likely not be able to take proper care of this. Anyway, he didn’t want to suggest her to see anyone. He remembered when he was a teenager himself. The music and fashion might have changed since then, but the problems remained pretty much the same, and how easily one could drown in a glass of water. It might just be small problems weighing on her on top of the rest. Either way, having an adult patronizing her was probably the last thing she wanted.

Jason stopped his explanations when she talked of the needle. He was used to manipulate needles, you kind of have to master this when you practice medicine. Plus he showed her how to use the other one, for the antidote. “I’m sorry if that seems a lot. I suppose I could find a way to make pills out of it if you prefer, but it will take significantly more time for the effects to show up,” he told her. The injection seemed to him the best solution. Well, if she was nervous about it, he supposed it was all the more a reason to test it now then.

Without telling him whether she wanted to try it now or not, he watched her use a needle. Well, that answered it. He placed his hands over hers as they were still protected by her gloves. “Calm down. I know it seems a big deal but you will see, it isn’t as difficult as you think. I’ll guide you,” he said. Since they were alone in here, he assumed that needle was for him. And so he began telling her all he could about needles, how she should make sure not to have any bubble of air in it, how to properly inject it also.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

A lot, needles, pills eventually, Zoe shook her head. Needles would be fine. She knew Devyn, who would most likely be receiving the injection. Devyn would definitely prefer something that worked faster. the waiting would be atrocious, and, to be honest, Zoe wasn't sure she particularly wanted to experience it either. It seemed like Dr. Campbell had a good handle on this, and, again, Zoe firmly believed that she should leave something like this to someone with more experience, and Dr. Campbell certainly qualified there.

Hands touched hers and she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. When Dr. Campbell said to do precisely that, Zoe couldn't help but let out a little nervous laugh. She was tempted to ask if it was really that obvious but, well, the answer was right there. Instead she nodded; Dr. Campbell could and would guide her. She could do this. Zoe had steady hands, after all, photography required it of her.

Another deep breath, lots to learn, and Zoe nodded her way through it all. When Dr. Campbell finished, Zoe reached out with the needle. she adjusted it, took just what she needed, was careful, her hands balanced, most of the shake gone. she couldn't quite banish all her nerves, since, well, the whole experience was rather nerve-wracking. Zoe took a few deep breaths though, and then looked to Dr. Campbell. "Ready," she said, holding the needle, "if you are, that is," she bit her lip then, feeling like she'd just been impatient yet again.

[Jason Campbell]

As Jason explained a pill would take more time for the effects to show up, Zoe seemed content with the injections. He supposed he could turn it into a powder and make a pill. But at the same time he was stretching his knowledge of science with her. Not to add he could definitely use a more sophisticated lab than the one he built for himself at his house. Should this preventive prove to be all he expected it to be, he would give it to Bellefonte so they could make it for her here, which would definitely be easier for everyone. Well, unless she was to leave. She did say she was eighteen. Made him wonder whether she was in college already or planning to. At the same time, this was only sheer curiosity and didn't need an answer.

Nerves seemed to be getting the best of her a lot. Or was it just being in front of a doctor? Some people really couldn’t stand hospitals, even the school infirmary which was, let’s face it, a lot less frightening than one big building full of doctors and some dying patients. Still, he wanted her to relax the best she could. If he had to spend what could be the next few hours with her, he’d prefer to have her relaxed than tensed like a violin chord.

He watched over as he let her do the whole process on her own. She wouldn’t learn if he didn’t make her do it. And, as he said to her, it was best to do it here with an actual doctor in case something happened. He had a soft smile as she hesitated. “It’s alright, you can do it. I’ll stop you if there is anything,” he said, waiting for her to pierce his skin with that needle and inject the preventive. “You might get yourself ready to wait after that, if we want to see how long it will last,” he pointed out. This might be a little boring after all. And particularly long if she remained that nervous all the time.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Can do it, will stop, Zoe took a deep breath, working to calm herself as best she could. The breathing helped, as did the fact that Dr. Campbell seemed pretty well laid back about the whole thing. if he was calm, she should be. After all, he was the one putting himself in danger here, testing his own compound on himself and all.

"I can wait," she said, offering him another smile. She took one more deep breath before reaching to touch Jason lightly. He might be surprised by it, so she looked. "Um, I figured a little numbing would be nice," she said, flushing a little as she looked back down. Might as well use her powers for the better part, right? Though now that she thought about it, this might interfere. Best to just stop second guessing everything and go with it. Zoe moved the needle into place, her hands much stiller now, the calm having descended. It pierced; Zoe depressed the plunger, she waited, then she pulled it out, releasing the breath she held.

"I think some blood's coming up," she said, pointing. From what Zoe knew though, that was fairly standard for something like that. Happened when a needle pierced the skin and all.

[Jason Campbell]

Jason of course made sure he would spend as much time as required here at the school. He had no patient desperately waiting for him at the clinic. Unless there was an emergency or JJ decided to beat the crap out of someone without caring much about his own safety, he shouldn’t have to go. Of course, he didn’t really think about what to do of that time with Zoe. Other than holding hands or something of the like to show her power was ineffective.

He was a bit surprised when she touched him even before the injection. He didn't have the preventive in his veins yet so it will have an effect. Not paralyze him, she didn’t stay long enough but there would be numbness. She explained she did it on purpose. He was surprised she thought to do something of the kind. It was a nice gesture even if Jason was certain he could take one small injection. “That is a sweet attention,” he replied with a light nod of his head. He doubted it would have any bad effect. If the feeling was still there, it would only make the liquid work straight ahead. At most, he supposed he would no longer feel the numbness by the time she pulled the syringe out.

He turned his head to look as she said there was a bit of blood. “It’s alright. You’re piercing into a vein to inject the medicine, it’s normal for it to be a bit of blood,” he assured her. She mustn’t be used to it. He then recalled how she told him not liking blood really. He didn't want her to worry then and freak out because of a bit of blood. “Just take a cotton. It won’t bleed for very long,” he said, taking a cotton as he said it and applying it where she pierced his skin. The whole was so small, unless you had a bleeding problem, there really was nothing to worry about. “And of course, you put the cap back on the needle. Just bring them back here once they’re used, they will dispose of it.”

He took the cotton out after a few more seconds. It was fine. No more bleeding. He tossed it in the nearest trash can. To prove it worked, Jason took Zoe’s bare hand into his and kept it there for a moment. When he released her hand, he wiggled his fingers in front of her. “See? Of course, the duration of it depends on many factors. Height and weight of the person but also the amount of skin exposed to yours and how long the touch lasts. But you can keep your hand on my arm for several minutes without it to have an effect,” he explained, as if his little experience just now was not proof enough.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

When Dr. Campbell called what she did "sweet," Zoe flushed, fighting the urge to fidget or look away. Neither response would have been altogether conducive to her current action, after all. It seemed like her plan worked; the doctor had mentioned appreciating it and, well, everything seemed to be in order, minus the blood. Dr. Campbell explained that, and Zoe took a breath, nodding, remembering having seen something very much like that in times past.

So she pulled out a cotton swab, helping Dr. Campbell deal with the problem. She immediately switched attention when he talked about capping the needle, however, grabbing it and applying the little plastic cap. Bring them to him when used; get used to it. She took another deep breath. So far, this had all been rather painless. The only real overwhelming part had been mostly just her doing this for the first time and all the excitement that came from that. Zoe could feel her hands quivering ever so slightly, but she took another deep breath, focusing in as best she could.

Dr. Campbell touched Zoe's hand, and Zoe yelped, instinctively moving to withdraw her hand. Dr. Campbell proved stronger than she, and Zoe instead ended up watching as he wiggled his fingers. It appeared as though nothing happened. Her eyes widened, her mouth opening. They had...her fingers went to her mouth, her eyes welling, the sheer emotion threatening to overwhelm her. Wait, on his arm, right, right.

"We should," she said, settling in and grabbing his arm with both hands. In her eagerness and nervousness, Zoe nearly pinched. When she saw the little bit of white, she loosened, apologizing, adding "wouldn't do us any good if I squeeze so hard you wouldn't feel it anyway." Almost a joke. She took another deep, shaky breath, telling herself it was all going to be okay. His arm would be fine; this would work; she'd be able to possibly touch someone... touch... Devyn.

[Jason Campbell]

He knew the whole procedure was not ideal. She would have to give a shot to anyone she’d want to touch. She would still have to be careful if there were other people around. But at least it would give her the opportunity to be normal for a little while. “I have to admit, my goal was for one you could take so you could touch anybody for a period of time. But I’m afraid it would require more experience and a better lab than I possess,” he told her. He was sad he did not succeed. It was simply too much of the paralytic in contact with the antidote for it to really prevent a paralysis for more than a few minutes at best. Like he said, with better resources and better knowledge, maybe he could have achieved it. Still, he gave her this and it was already more than what she had right now.

Zoe was following his instructions to the letter. He gave her the list anyway, should she not remember a step when she would be on her own. He hoped the one she would test it on wasn’t too afraid of needles however. Because she would need some more practice with those before really be comfortable around them. He did feel she tried to take her hand away after he grabbed it. He tightened his grasp just a bit more, only to prevent her from doing so. He could not help a smile to show up on his face as she stared wide-eyed at him now that he was wiggling his fingers, no paralysis affecting him. This was the proof it was working.

He tried not to chuckle when she grabbed his arm. She must still find it hard to believe and needed further proof that it worked. He felt her nearly pinching and, as a reflex, was about to remove his arm but she loosened her grip, apologizing. He gave her another smile at her word. “I can wiggle my fingers again if you want to make sure it didn’t affect me,” he told her, slightly teasing. But he still played with his fingers just to show her he was able to move them. “I’m probably not the one you’d like to be in this position with right now. But it’s the first time I try it with you and I figured the nurse office was the best place to do so,” he told her, looking around them. If anything happened, everything was near for them to grab it. And she could call out a nurse.