Dr. Newton Geiszler (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sciencesaggressively) wrote2016-07-01 08:33 pm
sciencesaggressively) wrote2016-07-01 08:33 pm
Entry tags:
july 1
Every once in awhile, the day gets away from him.
Newt hadn't even realized it was past seven until his phone had buzzed with a text from Kate saying that she'd be home late because she was going out for an impromptu dinner with some of her coworkers. He'd shot her back a message saying he was only just leaving the lab, which hadn't even surprised her at all, and it takes another half hour before he finally manages to drag himself away from the blood samples he's been studying. His stomach rumbles as he steps into the elevator with a yawn, and he rubs at the back of his neck as he tries to remember whether or not he'd actually eaten anything since lunch. Allison had force-fed him, as she usually does when she doesn't seem him wander out into the lobby during his lunch hours, but Newt's pretty sure that he hasn't touched anything other than several cups of coffee since then.
When he walks out of the building, the sidewalk is pretty much empty, aside from a couple shadowy figures further up in either direction, and Newt's at a crossroads. Pizza is one way, burgers the other, and life is so goddamn hard right now that he doesn't even know what to do.
"Make a move, genius," he mutters to himself, willing what he is totally identifying as a hunger headache away as he feels the pressure starting to grow at the base of his skull. "Nah, the bar. Burgers and beer, that's where it's at."
Semele's seems like a good choice for that so Newt sets his sights in that direction, walking with renewed purpose and a determined expression.
Newt hadn't even realized it was past seven until his phone had buzzed with a text from Kate saying that she'd be home late because she was going out for an impromptu dinner with some of her coworkers. He'd shot her back a message saying he was only just leaving the lab, which hadn't even surprised her at all, and it takes another half hour before he finally manages to drag himself away from the blood samples he's been studying. His stomach rumbles as he steps into the elevator with a yawn, and he rubs at the back of his neck as he tries to remember whether or not he'd actually eaten anything since lunch. Allison had force-fed him, as she usually does when she doesn't seem him wander out into the lobby during his lunch hours, but Newt's pretty sure that he hasn't touched anything other than several cups of coffee since then.
When he walks out of the building, the sidewalk is pretty much empty, aside from a couple shadowy figures further up in either direction, and Newt's at a crossroads. Pizza is one way, burgers the other, and life is so goddamn hard right now that he doesn't even know what to do.
"Make a move, genius," he mutters to himself, willing what he is totally identifying as a hunger headache away as he feels the pressure starting to grow at the base of his skull. "Nah, the bar. Burgers and beer, that's where it's at."
Semele's seems like a good choice for that so Newt sets his sights in that direction, walking with renewed purpose and a determined expression.
no subject
Anything that has to do with Kieren is carefully locked away, out of sight of prying eyes and people who'd be a little too curious for their own good. Granted, he does fit into that very same category, but he's using his supergenius intelligence for good. Derek may think he wants to get a hold of shit like werewolf blood just for a science project, but that's only kind of true. He has no interest in turning his friends into experiments, Newt just wants to know if there's other stuff he can do with what they're carrying in their bodies.
Werewolves, for instance, tend to be able to heal themselves. What that could mean if that trait could be extracted would be goddamn miraculous for the regular ol' mortals in the city. Could've come in handy after he'd been shanked in that alley a couple years back, anyway. He should start throwing that in Derek's face to see if that'll get him a sample.
"I'm not exactly shouting about what I'm doing with Kieren from the rooftops," Newt explains, "not only because it could get me fired. Liability and all that, you know how it is. But yeah, it's not so bad. Hold on a sec, let me grab one of Kieren's blood samples, I'll let you take a look."
no subject
But maybe there's more to Kieren's blood than all that. He's never thought about it much, though that seems foolish in retrospect. It's just that, well. Kieren doesn't really have blood, that's half the trouble. The dark black gunk that oozes from his nose is hardly like any blood Sirius has ever seen before, though he knows it must be. Knows it can't easily be anything else.
He watches Newt more carefully now, growing both more curious and more worried by the moment. "Is there something awful about his?" he asks. "I'd assume it isn't normal, both from what I've seen and... given what he is. But is there anything at all you can do with it?"
no subject
It's not like he's ever actually cared what his bosses thought of his work in the past. He'd drifted with a half-dead kaiju brain against Stacker's wishes because he'd known it was their best option for finding out how the hell to deal with their situation once and for all and goddammit, he'd been right. He knows helping Kieren is right, too, there are no qualms about that. He's decidedly qualmless.
But that doesn't mean he'd be happy to get fired over it, either. Winning the lottery might have gotten him and Kate a condo but having a job is what's going to allow them to keep it.
"Anyway," he continues, "you need to try to chill, my friend. All your questions are starting to make me nervous." It takes him only a moment to find Kieren's sample, and he beckons Sirius to follow him as he places it under a microscope. "You look at this one, then I'll show you a blood sample taken from a regular ol' Joe Schmo. The answer to your question is, I do what I can and then I iron out the kinks. That's all I can do right now without having access to whatever research the lab rats from his world had that could tell me exactly what was needed to keep him stable."
no subject
He doesn't apologize and doesn't smile, but quickly follows Newt to a Muggle contraption he barely recognizes, watching as Newt slides a glass plate inside it. There's a smear upon it that Sirius can only assume is a sample of Kieren's blood and it takes him a moment to figure out where it is he's to look through. Even after he does, he can't say he understand at all what it is he's looking at and he pulls back a moment later, frowning.
"Is there something I should be seeing?" he asks, feeling stupid in a way that makes him highly uncomfortable. "I know his blood is different from ours. He shouldn't have any to begin with, should he? Isn't that half the mystery?"
no subject
Newt gives Sirius a pointed look, but it's not in poor humor. He gets it, the guy's need to make sure someone he cares so much about gets taken care of in the best possible way, but the simple truth is this is something Newt doesn't necessarily want to rush.
He's made a few rash decisions here and there in the past, namely drifting with kaijus and ending up with a goddamn hivemind connected to his head; but in terms of direct danger, he'd been the only one whose life was at risk. If things had gone a nastier route, Hermann would've found him dead after round one. This is different, this is someone else's life, and Newt's not taking that lightly. Sure, the whole process may seem slow-going, and it is; but there's good reason for it that he hopes Sirius understands.
no subject
Sirius can't quite bring himself to say it, can't voice the fact that Kieren could die. Well and truly. Again and for good this time. That this condition, whatever it is, could win.
"Maybe there's something I can do to help," he says instead, feeling a bit more frantic now. "I don't understand any more about your Muggle science than you do magic, but perhaps we could work together. A spell that could work with these blood samples, a charm to alter it somehow. Anything at all."
no subject
If there was something he could do to speed up this whole process, Newt sure as hell would've done it already. He's sure the same can be said of Sirius and whatever spells he's capable of doing, the issue is that neither of them have been able to come with something that can help in the long-term. They're between a rock and a hard place, the both of them, and it sucks but right now, that's the way it is.
"And hey, if you think you can cook up a spell or whatever to rev things up, that's fine by me," Newt adds, dropping his hands to his hips. "Preferably, a Fix-Kieren-for-Good spell would be best, but I'm guessing you've tried that one already."
no subject
"I've tried," he confesses at Newt's suggestion and his sigh should be every indication of how disappointed in himself he is for his failure. "My magic doesn't seem to work entirely with this sort of condition. The best I've been able to do is heighten his senses here and there, make it so he can taste and touch. Those spells do nothing to control his organs though, really, and they're not long-term.
"I've a mate who knows blood magic, though," he adds, thinking of Kell. "Might there be something in that? I could introduce him to you."
no subject
That's still his goal, of course, and he thinks he'll get there eventually; but it's going to be through trial and error. He's used to that, though he realizes a lot of people aren't, and for all that he's got his quirks or neuroses or whatever, Newt has learned to be somewhat patient when it comes to his work.
But if it'll make Sirius feel better to organize a meet-up between him and a guy who does magic with blood, so be it.
"Sure," he says, "there definitely might be something there. We can meet up, see what happens. Who knows, with our powers combined, we might just figure out an answer sooner than later."