[ A future relative to their current surroundings, that's for sure. The equipment available around them was several hundred years old by Jim's standards; there were no dermal regenerators here, no tricorders save the one Spock had arrived with, no replicators - hell, Jim had a keyring. Actual, physical keys were used to open doors. Imagine that. ]

Aboard a passenger shuttle, during an emergency evacuation. [ Jim clarifies, nodding at her assessment. ] No, there isn't. A planet's atmosphere keeps it in - it also filters out a lot of radiation, hence, you know. Unshielded exposure.

[ It's a big fuckin' needle, and Jim makes a face, unable to help himself. Oh yeah, that'll be super fun when his throat is closing up. ] Yeah, that would be the one. I should be okay; if I'm incapacitated, hopefully someone around me can administer it.

I'll send over my full records to you, I need to get them printed. [ He'd rather not download them off his comm just to plug them into the Aldrip system, on the off chance it gives the AI far too much access to his information (as if they didn't already know everything - though curiously, there were some gaps in the Council's knowledge that had already been made apparent). ] I have a complicated history, but hopefully none of it becomes imminently relevant.

[ Like the fact that he had a complete osteoregeneration at age 15, a procedure common in people over age 70 - or his induced puberty, to manually trigger the growth spurt he'd skipped out on. Or the more recent, curious entry that entered a time of death - and then a miraculous resuscitation 2 full hours later.

Best not to worry about it. ]

I should also submit myself to an eye exam. [ Jim admits this ruefully; clearly, if it were up to him, he wouldn't. ] Council forgot to send me here with my reading glasses.

[ From what Jim understands about the whole experience, he can't imagine Ethlyn is very far off in her assessment. ]

It looks pretty...invasive. [ Jim hedges, clearly reluctant, though in the end he'd do what needed to be done. Hypos weren't that bad, a pinch at most - sometimes more painful, especially the way Bones tended to do it, jamming the damn thing into his major artery. A vicious kind of glee to be had in it, at Jim's expense - but that's just how they showed their love. ] But probably a good idea, thank you.

That's a good question. [ Jim snorts, amused by the fantasy of taking the complaint all the way to the top. What he'd give to wipe the innocent expression off Jerry's face. ] I mostly just squint at the words until I'm too tired to try anymore.

You got it, doc. My life in your hands. [ Half a joke, half not. It's a miracle he hasn't accidentally eaten something yet that sent him into anaphylactic shock. Spock has been diligent in ensuring they don't keep anything in the house that would set him off, but even from a stray snack or something he picked up at a food cart - so far, he's been all good.

...he probably just jinxed it by thinking that, didn't he? God, he hopes that's not foreshadowing, but then, who is he kidding, with his luck?

Glassworkers. Wild. Usually Jim just got a test done for his rating and replicated his own glasses at home. He nods his acquiescence. ] Great. We'll just have to see how bad I am. It's been getting worse, the near-sightedness.

[ Especially since his death-and-resurrection, with so much radiation damage. Which, speaking of - ]

There's one other thing you need to know. [ Jim's hand absently moves to encircle his wrist, squeezing the joint. Partially to relieve joint pain, as he's so accustomed, but also an anxious gesture, to anyone who can read him particularly well. ] As I mentioned, I'm from a future time, so what I'm about to tell you is more advanced than Aldrip, and it's imperative that we keep this between us.

The file you're going to receive is...dense, and we can discuss it in more detail if you have any questions, but ah. Well. [ Jim squeezes his wrist and continues, blue gaze fixed on Ethlyn's unique pink. ] There was a period of time in my childhood where I suffered from severe starvation.

[ The report details Kodos' insanity in neat bullet points, but it's easier for Jim to just disassociate and barrel through. ] As a result, I had a stunted puberty, which they fixed but - anyway, part of my recovery required a full osteoregneration, which is a procedure where they regrow your bones.

[ Yeah. And he said full. ] Normally, the bones are just as healthy as the originals, but about two and a half years ago, I was irradiated. It weakened them severely, and I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis. [ Which, good God, the fucking irony. ]

At the same time, I was also diagnosed with SPS - stands for Stiff Person Syndrome. It's an autoimmune neurological disorder, and my immune system has always been shit. Guess the radiation pushed it over the top. [ A flash of a smile, and a helpless shrug. ] Not to mention the hypertension - I'm getting off track. Point is, SPS in this time has a 10 year life expectancy, and no known cure.

[ Jim reaches into his pocket and frees the hypospray from the confines, offering it to Ethlyn. ] Back home, we've developed a medication. Makes it survivable, hell, livable. Spock synthesized it here, so that's the good news. I want to give you this one to hold on to, but Ethlyn - I cannot stress this enough - no one else can see this. I don't know if what we do affects time, here, but...Spock and I are doing our best not to mess it up by accident.

[ Jim's definitely just pushed her medical knowledge quite a few steps further; like he said, if she has further questions he's happy to help her with what he can. While he's not a medical doctor, he knows enough about the advanced treatments he's a recipient of to be useful.

He nods, leaning back to brace his hands against the table again. ] It's possible. For all my time might know about space travel, time travel is still a mystery we're in the process of unfolding. I don't know what it could mean for my world, your world...if it has an effect at all, if it's negligible, if it's not.

So would I. [ The smile Jim offers her is gentle, empathetic. No one here has an uncomplicated history, of that, Jim's sure. He doesn't want to pry, but maybe if she comes over for tea sometime, they can talk in a more relaxed environment. ] But there's no way to anticipate what would change, yeah. It's more delicate than we can know.

You can't help but wish for more time. [ Jim knows exactly how that feels. Maybe they're all pretty similar, that way. ]

We try to focus on the here and now. [ They might not even have a future outside of this place, but the thought is too dark to voice for pre-10AM. Besides, Jim is…well, he’s guilty of telling Spock a helluva lot. Not anything he thinks could get them into hot water, but… ] And it's true...it could be an over-abundance of caution. But it won't hurt to be safe.