Post by SummerCrow on Apr 21, 2015 0:35:40 GMT -6
Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!
Your phone snaps you awake. You feel around under the break room couch, not bothering to open your eyes. Your hand finally closes around your phone, and you roll over to read it. As you snap open the case, a single message instantly opens.
To: Dr. Greg Hawke
From: Dr. Jeremy Quinn
Subject: Emergency
"Everything in this damn hospital's an emergency..." you mutter to yourself. "Still, to be contacted by the Chief of Medicine directly, it must be important," you add in your head.
Prep for emergency operation, theater 4. Briefing in 10.
"Room 4, huh?" You rub your eyes and force yourself to stand. You grab a cup of coffee as you slip out the door, chugging it as you walk down the hall. Even at 2AM, the halls of St. Agatha's Hospital remain crowded. It's not surprising, seeing as it's the only real hospital in the county, and the best of all the hospitals in the surrounding counties. You call the elevator and wait, wondering what kind of case you'll be working. "An emergency at this time in the morning usually turns out to be a drunk driver - or one of their victims - but the Chief doesn't normally get personally involved with those kinds of cases. Maybe a hospital benefactor was involved?"
The elevator doors snap open, and a woman greets you. Her blond hair is tied neatly in a bun, her makeup immaculate. Her short skirt and loose sandals mark her as not-a-doctor, but it still takes you a moment to recognize her as Alice Wright, head of the hospital's research department. Seeing her out of the basement is a rarity - she hardly ever even goes home.
"Dr. Hawke? You are coming, right?" she asks, holding the elevator door open. "We've got about eight minutes now, before briefing."
"You're joining us, Dr. Wright?" you ask, slipping into the elevator. The 3rd floor button is already lit.
"Apparently," she sighs. "I don't know what was so important Quinn had to drag me away from my lab, though. I swear, if anything happens to that Azotobacter I left incubating, I'll have his balls for a desk decoration."
Something about her expression makes you doubt she's kidding. Fortunately, the elevator dings and lets you out before the conversation can continue. As you step out, you jump back against the wall just in time to avoid a woman charging down the halls. Her fiery red hair and dark skin lets you identify her in an instant - Dr. Kelly Powell. A younger surgeon at the hospital, and full of energy. She became a trainee about the time you graduated to a full-fledged surgeon, come to think of it. At any rate, you remember she was one of the others on call tonight, and she appears to be heading towards the operating suite. By the time you think all that, she's already rounding a corner further down the hall. She didn't even notice she almost plowed into you.
You arrive at the door to the operating suite a few moments before you're due, and one of the nurses greets you at the door. You've worked with this one a few times - Lily Brown. Dressed in black scrubs that compliment her dark hair, she stands at attention at the door. She glares as you arrive, Dr. Wright following close behind. "You're pushing the time limit," Nurse Brown tells you, pantomiming pointing to a watch. "In, in," she tells you as she opens the door and shoos you in.
Inside, a brown-haired man in a shoddy brown coat stares through the glass to the operating chamber. If you didn't know better, you'd think he could be a drifter, or maybe some two-bit private eye. But, no, this man is Dr. Jeremy Quinn, Chief of Medicine of St. Agatha's. He barely acknowledges your arrival, merely pressing a button on the intercom. It crackles to life, and he calls into the operating room. "Dr. Shepherd? We're all here." You look around the room and see Dr. Powell already sitting in the back of the room. Nurse Brown steps in behind you and closes the door.
"Almost ready!" comes the answer from the other side. You look through the glass at what you only assume is about to be your patient. A man in a white uniform with black, large-rimmed glasses and short-trimmed brown hair hovers over the operating table. He flits between IV bag and oxygen mask. You know he's not just any anesthesiologist - Dr. Samuel Shepherd is the best the hospital has to offer.
The patient himself seems normal enough. Long, black hair, neatly combed. If he weren't in a gown, you imagine he'd be wearing some sort of fancy suit. What surprises you is the lack of obvious external injuries. You were expecting a mangled, half-alive body just pulled from some flaming car wreckage, but he seems perfectly healthy, if a bit gaunt. You grab the patient's chart from beside the door.
Patient Name: Rand Johnson
Age: 21
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 160lb
A diagram of his body has a large circle around his upper intestines with the word "aneurysms" written beside it.
"Aneurysms, Chief?" you ask Dr. Quinn. Your intuition tells you something's not right here.
Quinn shakes his head. "Read the history."
You flip to the next page. Another chart, almost identical to the last one, except it was made two days ago, and the patient was two pounds heavier. The same spot is circled, marked with the word "aneurysms." You flip to the next page, same story. A brief time difference, a bit of a weight difference, and aneurysms in the intestines. The last page shows the patient was first admitted for dehydration and stomach pain a week ago after being found in the woods - not an uncommon story, lost hikers end up at St. Agatha's all the time. But the aneurysms are definitely odd...
"What's up with these aneurysms?" you think aloud.
"I don't know!" Dr. Powell answers. "I was the one that treated him the last two times, and I know I didn't miss any. What's more, some of the aneurysms were in the exact same spots - places where I'd already cut out a bulge!"
"The patient isn't responding to treatment," Dr. Quinn adds. "Dr. Powell barely managed to prevent a disaster during that first procedure. We gave him heavy anti-hypertensives, but still Dr. Powell had to cut him open a second time. And now, despite our best efforts, here we are again."
"So, it's just another aneurysm treatment?" you ask. "I'm sure Dr. Powell could handle that easily enough."
"Unfortunately, it's not that simple," Dr. Quinn tells you. "A letter arrived this morning... Er, yesterday morning," he corrects himself. He pulls a crumpled sheet of paper from his coat and hands it to you.
Reaper's Scythe - Gladari
is all that is written on the paper. "Why does this feel familiar?" you ask yourself.
"On a whim," Quinn continues, "I had Dr. Wright here run a few tests for me. Dr. Wright, care to report the results?"
Alice looks a bit embarrassed. "I sort of passed that off to an intern... I never really got around to looking at the results myself. See, there was this interesting mutation in my Azo-"
Quinn cuts her off. "Well, fortunately, your intern completed the tests, and brought them right to me. And I have to say, I'm somewhat glad to hear you passed this off to an intern - maybe he made a mistake."
Dr. Powell scratches her head. "Er, Chief? You want to clue the rest of us in, or keep being dramatically vague?"
Dr. Quinn pulls another paper out of his coat. "I ordered a chiral reaction test. It came back positive." Everyone in the room falls silent.
Dr. Powell breaks the silence. "Er... Which means what, exactly?"
Alice clicks her tongue and crosses her arms. "What are they even teaching you kids in school?"
Lily leans against the wall. "It means he's probably infected with GUILT."
Understanding flashes across Dr. Powell's face, and gives way to concern. "...Oh."
"Right, just to make sure we're all on the exact same page..." Dr. Quinn begins. "GUILT (Gangliated Utrophin Immuno Latency Toxin) is a bioweapon created by the terrorist organization Delphi a few years ago. The UN dismantled their organization, and the medical organization Caduceus proceeded to wipe out all traces of GUILT... In theory, anyway. GUILT itself... takes many forms. Each is a minuscule organism which attacks its host from the inside, but their physiology and methods of attack are so vastly varied, it would be difficult to make any assumptions about this... "Gladari" without more data to go on."
"Why here...?" Dr. Wright wonders aloud. "Why now?"
"There's no use worrying about that for now," Lily points out. "Right now, we need to focus on the patient."
"Right," Dr. Quinn agrees. "I managed to get a call in to Caduceus, and an emergency response unit has been dispatched... But it will be several hours before they arrive, at least. I'm not sure Mr. Johnson has that long."
"What makes you say that, Chief?" you ask.
The intercom crackles. Dr. Shepherd's voice calls out from the other room. "Uh, we've got a problem. If this thing's right, the chiral reaction's increasing..."
"The GUILT's becoming active, then... We don't have a choice," Dr. Quinn says.
(A) Look at Quinn (increases score at the end of the operation)
(B) Look at Powell (slightly improves Powell's assistance during the operation)
(C) Look at Brown (tools last longer and replenish faster)
(D) Look at Wright (additional dialog and insight during operation)
(E) Look at Shepherd (small bonus to patient vitals when stabilizing)
Your phone snaps you awake. You feel around under the break room couch, not bothering to open your eyes. Your hand finally closes around your phone, and you roll over to read it. As you snap open the case, a single message instantly opens.
To: Dr. Greg Hawke
From: Dr. Jeremy Quinn
Subject: Emergency
"Everything in this damn hospital's an emergency..." you mutter to yourself. "Still, to be contacted by the Chief of Medicine directly, it must be important," you add in your head.
Prep for emergency operation, theater 4. Briefing in 10.
"Room 4, huh?" You rub your eyes and force yourself to stand. You grab a cup of coffee as you slip out the door, chugging it as you walk down the hall. Even at 2AM, the halls of St. Agatha's Hospital remain crowded. It's not surprising, seeing as it's the only real hospital in the county, and the best of all the hospitals in the surrounding counties. You call the elevator and wait, wondering what kind of case you'll be working. "An emergency at this time in the morning usually turns out to be a drunk driver - or one of their victims - but the Chief doesn't normally get personally involved with those kinds of cases. Maybe a hospital benefactor was involved?"
The elevator doors snap open, and a woman greets you. Her blond hair is tied neatly in a bun, her makeup immaculate. Her short skirt and loose sandals mark her as not-a-doctor, but it still takes you a moment to recognize her as Alice Wright, head of the hospital's research department. Seeing her out of the basement is a rarity - she hardly ever even goes home.
"Dr. Hawke? You are coming, right?" she asks, holding the elevator door open. "We've got about eight minutes now, before briefing."
"You're joining us, Dr. Wright?" you ask, slipping into the elevator. The 3rd floor button is already lit.
"Apparently," she sighs. "I don't know what was so important Quinn had to drag me away from my lab, though. I swear, if anything happens to that Azotobacter I left incubating, I'll have his balls for a desk decoration."
Something about her expression makes you doubt she's kidding. Fortunately, the elevator dings and lets you out before the conversation can continue. As you step out, you jump back against the wall just in time to avoid a woman charging down the halls. Her fiery red hair and dark skin lets you identify her in an instant - Dr. Kelly Powell. A younger surgeon at the hospital, and full of energy. She became a trainee about the time you graduated to a full-fledged surgeon, come to think of it. At any rate, you remember she was one of the others on call tonight, and she appears to be heading towards the operating suite. By the time you think all that, she's already rounding a corner further down the hall. She didn't even notice she almost plowed into you.
You arrive at the door to the operating suite a few moments before you're due, and one of the nurses greets you at the door. You've worked with this one a few times - Lily Brown. Dressed in black scrubs that compliment her dark hair, she stands at attention at the door. She glares as you arrive, Dr. Wright following close behind. "You're pushing the time limit," Nurse Brown tells you, pantomiming pointing to a watch. "In, in," she tells you as she opens the door and shoos you in.
Inside, a brown-haired man in a shoddy brown coat stares through the glass to the operating chamber. If you didn't know better, you'd think he could be a drifter, or maybe some two-bit private eye. But, no, this man is Dr. Jeremy Quinn, Chief of Medicine of St. Agatha's. He barely acknowledges your arrival, merely pressing a button on the intercom. It crackles to life, and he calls into the operating room. "Dr. Shepherd? We're all here." You look around the room and see Dr. Powell already sitting in the back of the room. Nurse Brown steps in behind you and closes the door.
"Almost ready!" comes the answer from the other side. You look through the glass at what you only assume is about to be your patient. A man in a white uniform with black, large-rimmed glasses and short-trimmed brown hair hovers over the operating table. He flits between IV bag and oxygen mask. You know he's not just any anesthesiologist - Dr. Samuel Shepherd is the best the hospital has to offer.
The patient himself seems normal enough. Long, black hair, neatly combed. If he weren't in a gown, you imagine he'd be wearing some sort of fancy suit. What surprises you is the lack of obvious external injuries. You were expecting a mangled, half-alive body just pulled from some flaming car wreckage, but he seems perfectly healthy, if a bit gaunt. You grab the patient's chart from beside the door.
Patient Name: Rand Johnson
Age: 21
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 160lb
A diagram of his body has a large circle around his upper intestines with the word "aneurysms" written beside it.
"Aneurysms, Chief?" you ask Dr. Quinn. Your intuition tells you something's not right here.
Quinn shakes his head. "Read the history."
You flip to the next page. Another chart, almost identical to the last one, except it was made two days ago, and the patient was two pounds heavier. The same spot is circled, marked with the word "aneurysms." You flip to the next page, same story. A brief time difference, a bit of a weight difference, and aneurysms in the intestines. The last page shows the patient was first admitted for dehydration and stomach pain a week ago after being found in the woods - not an uncommon story, lost hikers end up at St. Agatha's all the time. But the aneurysms are definitely odd...
"What's up with these aneurysms?" you think aloud.
"I don't know!" Dr. Powell answers. "I was the one that treated him the last two times, and I know I didn't miss any. What's more, some of the aneurysms were in the exact same spots - places where I'd already cut out a bulge!"
"The patient isn't responding to treatment," Dr. Quinn adds. "Dr. Powell barely managed to prevent a disaster during that first procedure. We gave him heavy anti-hypertensives, but still Dr. Powell had to cut him open a second time. And now, despite our best efforts, here we are again."
"So, it's just another aneurysm treatment?" you ask. "I'm sure Dr. Powell could handle that easily enough."
"Unfortunately, it's not that simple," Dr. Quinn tells you. "A letter arrived this morning... Er, yesterday morning," he corrects himself. He pulls a crumpled sheet of paper from his coat and hands it to you.
Reaper's Scythe - Gladari
is all that is written on the paper. "Why does this feel familiar?" you ask yourself.
"On a whim," Quinn continues, "I had Dr. Wright here run a few tests for me. Dr. Wright, care to report the results?"
Alice looks a bit embarrassed. "I sort of passed that off to an intern... I never really got around to looking at the results myself. See, there was this interesting mutation in my Azo-"
Quinn cuts her off. "Well, fortunately, your intern completed the tests, and brought them right to me. And I have to say, I'm somewhat glad to hear you passed this off to an intern - maybe he made a mistake."
Dr. Powell scratches her head. "Er, Chief? You want to clue the rest of us in, or keep being dramatically vague?"
Dr. Quinn pulls another paper out of his coat. "I ordered a chiral reaction test. It came back positive." Everyone in the room falls silent.
Dr. Powell breaks the silence. "Er... Which means what, exactly?"
Alice clicks her tongue and crosses her arms. "What are they even teaching you kids in school?"
Lily leans against the wall. "It means he's probably infected with GUILT."
Understanding flashes across Dr. Powell's face, and gives way to concern. "...Oh."
"Right, just to make sure we're all on the exact same page..." Dr. Quinn begins. "GUILT (Gangliated Utrophin Immuno Latency Toxin) is a bioweapon created by the terrorist organization Delphi a few years ago. The UN dismantled their organization, and the medical organization Caduceus proceeded to wipe out all traces of GUILT... In theory, anyway. GUILT itself... takes many forms. Each is a minuscule organism which attacks its host from the inside, but their physiology and methods of attack are so vastly varied, it would be difficult to make any assumptions about this... "Gladari" without more data to go on."
"Why here...?" Dr. Wright wonders aloud. "Why now?"
"There's no use worrying about that for now," Lily points out. "Right now, we need to focus on the patient."
"Right," Dr. Quinn agrees. "I managed to get a call in to Caduceus, and an emergency response unit has been dispatched... But it will be several hours before they arrive, at least. I'm not sure Mr. Johnson has that long."
"What makes you say that, Chief?" you ask.
The intercom crackles. Dr. Shepherd's voice calls out from the other room. "Uh, we've got a problem. If this thing's right, the chiral reaction's increasing..."
"The GUILT's becoming active, then... We don't have a choice," Dr. Quinn says.
(A) Look at Quinn (increases score at the end of the operation)
(B) Look at Powell (slightly improves Powell's assistance during the operation)
(C) Look at Brown (tools last longer and replenish faster)
(D) Look at Wright (additional dialog and insight during operation)
(E) Look at Shepherd (small bonus to patient vitals when stabilizing)
