Dictated

[modernholmes]

 [If anyone has happened to run into Conan over the last few days they might have noticed that he's been a little sluggish in his responses.    That his voice has been hoarse and that he seems to be sneezing a lot.  Not that anyone has had much chance to talk to him with all the running around he's been doing this week.

What is a cold compared to all the things there were to investigate here?  

Whatever this illness was, Conan had been determined to ignore it.  With the result that this wasn't just a cold anymore.  

It is the dizziness and coughing that at last force Conan to accept that he needs to rest.  He reaches out for the journal and dictates into it in a  hoarse and stuffed up voice.]

I think I'm a little sick.  If anyone needs me I'm going to be in my room.

Comments

[modernholmes]

[Conan debates with himself. He still had very little expectation that this doctor would get anywhere. It was designed to be the perfect poison, after all. Not even the woman who had created it could find a cure. Not without the original formula.

It had been designed to be the perfect undetectable poison, after all.

But as annoying as it would be to give blood samples to two scientists, it was better than revealing Haibara's role in this. He was not prepared to sacrifice that secrecy. Better to risk himself, always.]

As expected.

[atadiscoverer]

... I'm wondering if it would be worth the risk to try and wish up some of my equipment from Altantis. That means that my work will go faster and adds the security that only holders of the ATA gene can access the data...

If the castle lets me, that is.

[modernholmes]

I don't trust in what the castle provides.

[atadiscoverer]

I wouldn't trust in my ability to exactly duplicate Ancient Technology, either...

[modernholmes]

What is this ancient technology you keep talking about?

[atadiscoverer]

It's what this is.

[He shows Conan the scanner]

It's the technology from a race of aliens we call the Ancients. Mostly because they lived millions of years ago.

[Deja vu.]

[modernholmes]

...That explains this, then.

[atadiscoverer]

Aye. The Ancient Database is one of the most comprehensive databases in existance. This device is only linked to the medical side of it, so it is a wee bit odd that this Apotoxin doesn't show up on it.

[modernholmes]

Not odd at all.

[atadiscoverer]

Well, the Ancients were incredibly smart. We haven't even began decoding the Ancient Database on Atlantis, but we're already sure there's a cure to several forms of cancer there.

[modernholmes]

...Who were the ancients?

[atadiscoverer]

The first evolution of our form. They're a race of intelligent aliens who came to the Milky Way millions of years ago.

[modernholmes]

Of course they were. [Conan hated that that was even a possibly valid explanation.]

[atadiscoverer]

Different world, different rules.

[modernholmes]

Explanations like that make me miss the rules of my world.

[atadiscoverer]

You're telling me.

[modernholmes]

But I think what you are saying is that this is a very old database, correct?

[atadiscoverer]

A database that has the exact formula for morphine, over a million years before it was discovered.

It wouldn't surprise me if somewhere in the database there was something similar.

[modernholmes]

I wouldn't put much hope in something like that.

[atadiscoverer]

Hope is one of the best human responses.

[modernholmes]

I prefer pragmatism.

[atadiscoverer]

[Carson merely shrugs at that, moving to pack his stuff up.]

Remember to take that medication, and you'll be right as rain in no time.