Episode 2
“Get this man into the medical transport immediately and
prep 10 units of stabilizer Nano-Meds into the injector.” Doctor Foxfire
immediately began rapid firing her orders the second her response team appeared
on the scene. The bulky transport slid to a halt and a pair of medical service
robots exited to begin following her commands.
“We need to get him back to my facility quickly,” the Doctor
confessed mostly for her own benefit. “It looks like it is going to be a rather
long night for this gentleman,” she added. Dr. Foxfire had seen her share of
grizzly scenes over the length of her young career. But this man had been
mauled by something that defied natural logic.
The fact that this man was still clinging to life was an
absolute miracle. He had lost a tremendous amount of blood and his right arm
was completely gone. Savage wounds covered most of his body; his ribs looked
shredded with a possibly punctured lung. The poor soul looked like something
had chewed off part of his lower leg and the slash to his face might cost him
his eye as well.
“Hurry up and get him loaded Red,” Dr. Foxfire told one of
her assistants bearing a crimson band on its arms. “Blue, I want you to pilot
us straight back to the facility with the utmost urgency while I try and get
this man stable.” The blue-banded bot faithfully complied and took its place at
the transport’s helm while its red-banded cohort directed Gabriel into the rear
on a hovering board of tetrasteel.
“Nano-Med Injector,” Foxfire requested as the hatch had
barely closed and the vehicle began to make its way with all the available
haste. Her autonomous assistant handed her the small canister containing a
compressed mixture of medical nannites with clinical poise. The tiny
technologically crafted creations were a staple of modern medicine. Once
injected into the body they could spread throughout to halt damage to the body
or repair it. However it took a skilled physician to administer the precise
mixture and placement of the injection. Even as miraculous as medicine had come
in all these years; it couldn’t bring back the dead or fix flesh that was no
longer there.
With a whispered hiss the device she delicately pressed
against Gabriel’s body released the microscopic minions and set them to work.
They rushed to form artificial platelet barriers to try and seal off the
breeches to the body and stop the continued blood loss. Nannites scurried to
mobilize themselves to mend failing tissue and began releasing chemicals to
help boost the ones Gabriel’s body was already marshaling.
Dr. Foxfire’s brow furrowed as she found herself becoming
displeased by the information her monitors started to report. Despite the
nannites impressive efforts the terrible trauma suffered by her present patient
was looking to be too much. She despised the notion of ever having to say those
painful words; “I am sorry, but we couldn’t save him.” With all her training
and technology at her disposal she could not accept that as an option.
“Ready surgery for an emergency operation,” Foxfire demanded
as she hurried to aid man who mysteriously had managed to hang on this long
already. “Make every single piece of cybernetic replacement we have in
inventory available and I want it done an hour ago.” Responding to her request
the facility A.I. appeared on one of the transport’s screens to address her.
“I must remind you, Doctor, that our current inventory of
such components is unfortunately limited. As such it is unwise to waste them
needlessly when the availability of them being restocked is unknown.” Whoever
had created the advising A.I. had to have a distorted sense of humor, Foxfire
decided. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that?” She stated to the
virtual face starring back at her from the screen. “For something named after
an important founder of medicine you show a complete lack of understanding with
regard to your namesakes primary teachings. To a black hole with the inventory,
this man is dying and if I have to put everything I have into him to prevent
that I will. Including your circuit boards, understand?”
“Understood,” the A.I. confirmed. “The facility and
requested materials will be awaiting your arrival, Doctor.” Listed on the
screen an itemized inventory replaced the artificial administrator’s face.
Foxfire was going to have to have a serious long talk with that A.I. after this
she noted. “Appreciated, Hippo,” she
sarcastically commented as the vehicle rolled to a stop finally.
Making the most of every precious moment, Foxfire leaped
down from the transport’s rear hatch and sprinted her way to the waiting
operating room. Instinctively her banded bots followed automatically behind her
with their unconscious cargo in tow. With all the speed she could muster,
Foxfire set herself to surgically seeing to Gabriel’s wounds. Working long into
the night and part of the following day she tirelessly toiled to tend to the
extensive trauma.
By the end she reluctantly had to admit that she had done
everything within her power to save him. Including the fact that she did end up
having to use most of the available cyberware components she had in stock.
Unfortunately her medical facility had never been established with the notion
of having to treat such massive trauma cases. For the most part it was only
intended to handle first aid, common illnesses and the occasional birth.
Now it was all a matter of waiting and watching. She would
have to leave the rest in the hands of her patient. The dedicated doctor had
kept her promise; all she could do was hope that her patient wasn’t going to
let her down. After a few hours rest she would check on him again to monitor
his condition. In the mean time she could use a nap herself, but first a quick
records check to identify her patient was in order. Either way she would need a
name to put with the face later awake or otherwise.
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