Of Sound Mind and Body (Milton Work Thread)

As Milton had left Cog Town to prepare Morgasimer's arrival on Junction along with those of her people that would join them, his ride back up to the plaza of Junction was already waiting for him. Out of the door came an escort of 2 metal-clad Mekor machine humanoids, resembling a human only in body structure as their skin gleamed with rugged metal plates and their faces reflecting only their glowing white eyes and rigid mouths, uttering only growls of the cores inside of them whirring with energy as they point their Nanovolt Rifles out towards Milton. Standing between them with a look of concern and anger was Dr. Meli Klein, arms folded with one hand beckoning Milton forward as Anni peeks out from the vehicle's door.

"So Milton, I've been keeping a close eye on your vitals ever since you left for this place. Do you realize how long you have been around critical levels of toxins? Honestly, I expected the human portions of your brain to at least act reasonably. I was this close to just activating your override and having you come back here myself. Now then, share what you found on your investigation. We're going back to the lab to get your respirators inspected. Get in."

The ride back to the lab was an onslaught of questioning as Dr. Klein hoisted him up onto the operating table, the mechanical limbs of their repair system opening up his chest to view his inner machinations, his glowing blue core pulsating with the Stream and electrical energy pumping through his system. The tech-heads started rummaging through his body as they gave him a separate respirator to breathe through as they examined the insides of his respirators.
"Oh lord, it's like I thought. There's a bit of sludge forming on the inside. We're going to need to sanitize this stuff and clean out your respirators before any of this accumulates. See you in a bit, Milton."

That was the last thing Milton heard before he suddenly found himself slipping into a deep sleep as the other men and women surrounding him began to clean his metal lungs out...


Milton woke up about an hour later with his chest finally closed and the lab members going about their business at the other tables, wiring and repairing other mechanical parts on either a Mekor citizen in need of repair and updating or a new device to harness the unnatural energy of the few sources of Stream they had with the lab. Seeing that the time was still within Dr. Klein's operating hours at the office, Milton decided to check up on how Dr. Klein was handling business. From the conversation Milton could pick up, the young sandy-blonde woman was suffering from some type of disorder that was starting to have her sink into a depressing period for the past few weeks. Dr. Klein kept an attentive ear open as she scribbled notes on her condition that, just as she was going to do now, would fall upon Milton to try identifying the disorder and recommending the proper treatments as Meli had installed in his memory.

"Milton, glad you're awake again. Ms. Ziya, this is my assistant and apprentice to the craft, Milton Oak. Milton, check the records for antidepressants best suited for dysthymia."

"Citalopram comes up as a highly recommended medication according to your previous inquiries. But according to the medical procedures outlined in Junction, psychologists are commonly not allowed to prescribe medications unless in a specific type of condition in which a psychologist is the only qualified medical official for the affliction."

"First of all, those are Junction's rules, not mine. I have enough credentials to prescribe meds back home already. Besides, even if this note won't get her meds, it'll at least give the psychiatrist who takes a look at her a good idea on what she needs. Here, I'll just have you sign here and we can write up your diagnosis for whoever needs to see it. I'll also be scheduling a therapy talk session for you every week. Milton, seeing as how you'll be needing more of the experience with depression-induced conditions, I'll be leaving it to you. What days work best for you?"

"Um... Thursdays."

"Then Thursdays at, say, 6 would be most beneficial. Milton, add that to my calendar. Thank you for your assistance, Ms. Ziya."
Meli Klein waved goodbye to the quiet young woman as she quietly shuffled out of the office into the streets of Junction. With the notation made on Meli's computer as Milton's wires sent the information, the young robot decided to lay down on the chair most psychologists would have in their office. Meli wasn't satisfied with his earlier report and wanted to interview his actions later once he was stable. With this in mind, Meli slid over to sit by him and perform as the armchair psychologist.

"So, you met that alien named Morgasimer at a drilling site, entered their highly toxic city, and made an attempt to bring the citizens of this recently established city to Junction? Considering you came home empty, I imagine your meeting with this Tagiser did not result in what you expected."

"You guessed right. I couldn't convince him to leave the planet as long as Gaia remained a threat. His attachments to his fallen comrades and some unspoken pride are preventing him from thinking logically in this regard."

"Yes... As we're well aware, any and all organic beings aren't going to see eye-to-eye on the importance of certain factors. But the fact you poked your nose into a foreign government's affairs is already troublesome enough. You are not an assigned diplomat to Junction, so whatever you say and do will impact these alien races' perception of our city. Just don't make a habit of it. But that function you mentioned in that moment where that spirit appeared... what did you call it?"

"The Arcana Trigger? What about it?"

"Well, we ran a system diagnosis to see if any functions were added during that time. Compared to the readings and signals we got from that time... well..."

"It doesn't exist. This Arcana Trigger function... isn't in your AI functionality, yet it knew how to execute it. What in the world did you experience down there?"

[END]

Final Word Count: 1,050 Words