Radioactive

Posted on Thu Oct 27th, 2016 @ 11:30pm by Colonel Damian Highsmith M.Eng & Lieutenant Ryan Rose

Mission: Bad Moon Rising
Location: Shuttle Bay 2
Timeline: Concurrent with 'Comfortably Numb'

ON:

Damian stepped out of the turbolift and into the corridor, pressing himself against the bulkhead as a medical team came through with a stretcher containing a moaning and bleeding form. Moving forward, he rounded the corner and entered the shuttle bay where a barrage of sounds, sights, and smells assaulted his senses. He felt like he was wandering like a blind man, simply ambling about until he could be given a purpose. Suddenly, he was startled as someone grabbed his wrist and stopped him from moving further. Whipping around, Damian saw a man that was covered from head to toe in a silver radiation suit.

"Sir, you need to exit this area right now!" the man yelled through his helmet speakers, his voice echoing through the deck. Several people stopped and turned to stare. Apprehensively, Damian stepped back towards the door and found himself shepherded by two decontamination technician in similar radiation suits. Finding himself being hustled into a sealed dome, he found himself on the receiving end of an all to familiar procedure- radiological decontamination. He stripped off his clothes and tossed them into a canister that sealed itself. Stepping through a small, cramped tunnel, he found himself being scanned and bombarded by stinging jets of scalding water and suds. Feeling an intense scrubbing and tingling sensation as his hair stood on end and suds erupted all over his body. Stepping through a wall of intense sprays and a jet of air that dried him off, he found himself in yet another sealed off room where a fresh uniform awaited him with a radiation suit and a small, black square with a white circle of paper- a dosimeter to make sure he didn't absorb too much radiation.

Ensuring that he was dried off, Damian pulled on the uniform and the radiation suit, leaving the helmet hanging like a hood behind him. Walking into another sealed off area, he noticed Ryan directing activities throughout the bay, an Engineering Officer standing behind him.


Ryan was feeling the 20 hours straight he'd been working, but things were still critical and needed to be dealt with. They hadn't had any new cases of radiation poisoning in 2 hours, so that was at least going in the right direction. The engineering officer was standing too close, trying to make sure he was understood through the impediment of the helmet speakers. It was more psychosomatic than anything else, no doubt. The speakers were perfectly clear, and standing closer wasn't going to change that; but it would be rude to say anything so Ryan just focused, or tried to, on what the man was saying, and not the knot of anxiety that was growing in his gut, and increasing the longer the man stood within his bubble of personal space. It was rather a relief to see the Captain, and be given a legitimate excuse to step away. "I'll be right back." He told the engineer and headed to the Captain.

"Sir." Ryan spoke respectfully, and gave the CO a nod.


Damian nodded solemnly in return. He noticed that man looked exhausted, his eyes haggard. "Doctor, how long have you been awake?" he asked in a concerned tone. He was genuinely surprised that someone could keep up the frenetic pace of a rescue in addition to his normal duties as long as this man had done. Turning as he heard footsteps, Damian saw the tall and lanky form of Lieutenant Thorne walking over, a frown clearly visible through the clear visor of the radiation suit.


Peeling back the hood and visor, Cameron wiped his sweat soaked brow with a bare hand. Raising his eyebrow, he looked to Damian and then to Ryan. "Afternoon, sir." he said before rounding on him. "You know, I told you that you needed to get some rest. Did you?" he asked, his eyes narrowing to small slits. Cameron knew that he hadn't heeded his request to hit his rack and get some sleep but he couldn't bring himself to relieve him of duty.

Ryan's expression was one of a petulant child. "I was just checking in with engineering. I don't want to leave until things are stable." He told Cameron, then turned his attention back to the Captain. "Davis has the most current report." He told the CO. He knew his yeoman would have it, the woman's efficiency was nearly mind boggling.

Damian couldn't fault the man for his commitment in the slightest but the safety of his people came first. "I'll get the report from the Chief when we're done here but you're no good to me or anyone if you're dead on your feet. Now I'm giving you two hours to finish up here, rotate your medical staff out, and report to your quarters to get some sleep. Understood?" he said, the authority evident in his voice. He had to admit that this was a smooth operation that Ryan was running but he needed to sleep before he collapsed from exhaustion.

Ryan flinched involuntarily at the tone of voice. Under normal circumstances, he'd be able to control his reaction, but in his state of exhaustion his mind
was on high alert. "Yes sir, understood."

Cameron motioned for the senior officer to come over to him. Damian, being slightly frustrated obliged the man's request and began to speak in a near whisper. "Sir, Doctor Rose has been exhibiting signs of overwork like sleeplessness, increased irritability, and tremors. He'd refused any form of rest until you came down here and relieved him-" Damian held up his hand before the counselor got too far in.

"Lieutenant, I understand that you've been observing signs but in case you haven't noticed-" Damian stopped as he motioned to the deck that was packed with escape pods and a sealed triage area. "-we need all of the medical staff that we have. He'll be out of here in two hours, if you feel it prudent, keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't come back here until you feel he's ready." Damian said, an air of authority in his tone. "In the meantime, get me a plasma torch." he ordered as another escape pod landed on the deck after being deposited by a tractor beam.


Cameron reluctantly nodded. This was going far beyond his normal duties as a counselor. He was not and never had been a babysitter but here he was attempting to keep watch over a slightly reckless but closed off doctor who seemed to have a death wish. But somehow he found himself following on with a minimum of resistance. Pondering the possibilities, he chuckled slightly.

:OFF