The man in front of you smiles as you hand over the taser and steps to the side and motions for you to proceed to where a young woman in traditional Korean garb is waiting. She bows low to you. "You are expected. Please name me Kae. You will please follow me." The woman turns and leads you through the next door into the bustling restaurant. The main dining room is busy and almost all the tables are full of customers, almost all of whom are Asian and probably Korean. The staff looks to be busy moving trays of food and drinks to the tables. The food may be foreign to you, but the aromas wafting from the table make your mouth water. Your guide leads to a stairway up to another level where two men in nice suits are standing guard. As she approaches the men, one moves a red rope from across the stairs and allows you both to ascend. The downstairs dining room was ornate in decoration, but the upstairs hallway is sheer opulence. Korean art and statuary lines the hall. You might not have any real knowledge of the value of such things, but if they are real it ought to be a lot. Kae stops at a door and slips her sandals off while motioning for you to do the same. Knocking at the door, she does not wait for a reply, but opens it and motions for you to go in ahead of her.

Kim Park is sitting at a low table and an attractive Korean woman is feeding him food from several trays in front of him. The man's girth is impressive but what is more impressive is that he can move with all that weight. He motions for you to take a seat opposite him and Kaekneels next to you and begins to put food from the large trays onto smaller plates to set before you. She takes up chopsticks and places some of the meat in your mouth. The taste is heavenly. Park nods at you. "I employ some of the premier chefs of Korea here. I am sure that you will enjoy the meal. Let us proceed through the first course before we conduct any business, please?" The two women continue to feed you and Park, placing morsels of meat and vegetables in your willing mouth. The "first course" seems to be quite long, but the trays are eventually cleared away and more brought out, at which point, the obese man drinks some tea and looks at you. "I understand that you desire to talk about repaying some of what was loaned to you?"

Lina imitated the bow as Kae greeted her. "Sure. Lead the way, I'll be right behind you." She followed Kae through the door into the restaurant proper. Being the only white person as far as she can see is a weird feeling. It makes her memorable and sticking out, which is not something she normally wants in the circles shes generally moving in. She's quickly distracted by the smells though, that do a good job of reminding her that her last meal had been during lunch break. They also poisitively make the soyfood pale in comparison. She can't decide just yet whether the lack of food since then was a good or a bad thing. At the moment, it felt like a pertty bad thing although the general atmosphere made it easy to guess the price category of this place... And the upper level pretty much confirmed her suspicions about that. The decorations looked like they were able to make a cathedral pale, if not in opulence (although they certainly had the ability to rival it there), then at least in pure monetary value and then some. She passes the guard and slips out of her boots. When the door opens, she enters.

She won't say she has expected someone... taller, as she knows most asians tend to be on the shorter end, but on first look, the guy looks as if hes as wide as he's tall. She thanks him for reacting to her call so fast and sits where she is supposed to. Following the first bites, she is more than willing to accept his statement about the cooks. It takes a while to get used to being fed the food, but with the superb taste, it beats having to restrain herself. Especially when this is only the first course. Lina starts to fear she will have to be rolled out of here, although it also has some positive sound to it...

"The food is extraordinary, Mr. Kim !" She wipes her mouth with a napkin and looks at the following course that is just being prepared. It looks like she is going to find out how much exactly her stomach is able to hold quite soon. "Indeed. With the job I have secured, I should be able to keep up with the interest I am due and by means of an inheritance, I have been able to gather a part of the money I owe you."

Kim Park looks at you and smiles as he waves a hand in your direction. "It is good to see you so industrious. And you keep your debts in mind, as well. I could wish all of my clients were as conscientious. I am pleased at your good fortune and hope that the loss of a relative was not too unhappy an experience for you. My condolences." After a few bites he continues, "I have heard of your new position." He waves a hand at your look. "Come, come. It should come as no surprise to an intelligent woman like yourself that I try to stay as informed as possible about the affairs of my important clients? In this case, your picture is all over the trids for your bravery during an attack on a street clinic. I have done my own investigating since and have some information that you might not have. For example, I happen to know that a good prosthetic leg for your companion is expensive and the hospital that employs you is balking at the cost. There is also talk from two of the administrators that continuing to fund the clinic at even the low current levels is only a drain on the hospital's resources and they will argue at the next board meeting that the clinic should be dropped." He lets this sink in for a bit then goes on. "I do have access to some of the finest artificial limbs in the industry from a plant in Seoul. Usually, they are reserved for high-ranking Korean citizens and their friends. I could make one of these available for your friend at a steep discount because you are a good client. How much of the loan were you going to try to pay down and would you instead consider that as a partial or full payment for the leg? And I do have some associates that might be able to convince the hospital board members to hold off on their idea for a time."

"There's proverb where I'm from, which says that borrowed bread lies heavy on the stomach. That's not to say I dislike doing business with you, you've been nothing but considerate, polite and helpful. Keeping my debts in mind and doing my best to pay them back is just a sign that I'm taking our business relationship seriously and also a sign of respect and gratitude for your help." Internally, she slaps her imaginary hand right into her imaginary face. All over the frakking trids ? What is next, them trying to pin a medal on her ? Jesus Christ ! Frag, that makes things even more complicated. Well, as it looks she'll have to deal with things as they come. She exhales and takes some tea to wash down some rice. Its goodthey are eating on the side, that gives her time to think. And after what she's heard, she needs that time. Mr Kim offers a lot, but she knows it's not really peanuts they're talking here. She does some math in her head and she doesn't really like the result of her calculation. Not to speak of dragging Lily and the others into underworld politics by getting them closer to a syndicate. Damn, she just doesn't know enough about the Seattle underworld to be able to make such a descision comfortably, and that doesn't even include Lily and... She wanted to say 'the others', but again, realizes that apart from her and Dot at the moment, there are no others for the time being.

"That's a very generous offer, Mr Kim. I'm carrying a stick with me that's holding 15.000 Nuyen. I don't know how far that would go towards that leg or trying to keep that clinic open, but I also know that I pile up too much additional debt on toop of what I already owe to you, that might well result in me not being able to keep up with payments. And if that happens, we'd both lose." She doesn't like the idea at all, but then, it's important to stay on Mr Kim's good side. But the fact remains, until Marta and ideally also Greta are back in business, things are hanging in the air. "So I guess the question would be how much money we are talking in costs and whether you'd be willing to accept alternative means of compensation. A favour for a favour basically ?" As she finishes the sentence and snags up another piece of vegetable, she has the feeling that this whole exchange reminds her too much of some mafia flick for her liking...

You may lift your cup to drink from, but every time you try to eat from the trays you find your hand skillfully moved aside by Kae, who carefully feeds you. The tasty morsels she places in your mouth are small enough that you have time to chew and respond to any question from Kim Park without appearing rude. You also find that you may decline some of the food by a simple shake of the head.



The fat man beams at you. “That is indeed a healthy payment down of your debt, or towards helping your friends and keeping the clinic open. However, it unfortunately does not completely offset all of the costs involved. I am told that a good but obvious lower leg can easily run at 10000, and that is without any enhancements. A good synthetic would be a couple of thousand more.” He expands his arms a bit. “But as I was saying, I like you and value you as a client. I would be willing to accept your stick in return for me getting a good leg to the hospital with the express demand that it go to your friend, as well as intercede with the hospital board.” He eats some more then adds, “It is interesting that you mention trading services. I understand from my sources that the hospital has been drawing back on the supplies they are providing you. Would you be interested in an alternate source of supplies? I would like to expand my circle of friends from beyond the perimeter of this neighborhood and this would help. Of course the meds and other supplies are not free and it would be a bad investment on my part to just give everything away. However, I have an idea that might benefit all of us. I would offer to meet your clinic’s needs in exchange for payment by you in one of two means. In my generosity, I would allow you to decide which is preferable to you. First, I have a source that tells me that one of the senior KE officers in the Special Services section has taken an interest in you. A personal interest. I would like you to encourage this relationship and see where it might lead. I could provide you with information about the activities of some of my, shall we say, less reputable competitors to pass on to him. He would be a hero and advancement would follow, I am sure. On a side note, if we had already had this conversation, you might have received enough advance warning of the attack to have saved all those lives. And second, I can certainly appreciate the coolness under fire that you exhibited in defending your clinic. I admire you, Doctor. On occasion, I have need of discrete medical care and would like to arrange for you to take emergency calls to assist my people in need. I would try to keep the calls to when you are not on shift, but some of my competitors might not feel disposed to honor that. Could you be on call? Oh, as a bonus, if you can see your way to doing both favors, I will reduce your personal debt by ten percent per month until it is paid in full. You will, of course be responsible for paying any interest owed.”



He pauses and looks at you from over the lip of a cup of tea.

"Fifteen thousand Nuyen for a good cyberleg without enhancements for my colleague and interceding with the hospital board. That's a fair offer I'm happy to accept." Her suspicion that Mr Kim has maneuvered her exactly into the position he wanted her in feels a lot more justified after his next suggestions. Especially after where he informs her that he had been in a position for an advance warning but had decided against that. For a moment she ponders whether she'd be able to get over to him and strangle him before the guard from outside makes his way in here. No, somehow she doubts Kae and her colleague are going to let that happen. So much for that... She tells herself to calm down and thinks of some things that help against showing too much of her frustration. 21...22...23... Better ! "Offering to cover the clinic's need is very generous of you, Mr Kim ! I'm inclined to take you up on that, but there are two things that complicate matters. One, I'm not a doctor and I have no medical degree. Two, at the moment, we're reorganizing and until that is done, we're very short on people. If things stay the way they are, I'm the only qualified member of day shift, so if I were forced to leave because your enemies are inconsiderate of my time, I could lose my position which means I'd lose the ability to keep up with my interest. Of course that would be the long-term consequence of the clinic not getting supplies, as we both know."

That is the one she is willing to entertain somewhat. The option with Stan is another matter entirely. She's been thinking about the sort of relationship the two of them have at the time, which is a rather fuzzy thing. Would she be willing to pursue a relationship even without the incentive she'd just been offered ? She is not a genius, but then, figuring out that taking that option would mean giving Mr Kim free reign over Stan and his family doesn't really take one. She's not really planning on spending the rest of her life here. It would be a comfortable way. An easy way too... She deliberately takes her time for the thought process, letting Kae continue to feed her some bits of the food. "I have to respectfully ask you for a few days to consider my options to make sure everyone involved gets the most out of it. Would you be willing to grant me that little concession ?" Which makes her think of another bit he has said a bit earlier.

"You mentioned your enemies, Mr Kim... Would you mind giving me a crash course in who is who in this part of town so I know who and where to stay away from ? After all, I'm your client, so your enemies might like to send a signal by treating me as their enemy as well, wouldn't they ?"

The fat man spreads his arms wide and smiles broadly. "Of course, you may take the time you need. Just remember that you could be receiving supplies soon after agreeing to the terms. Please hand the stick to Kae and she will see that it gets to where it need to go. And I am sorry about the inconvenience of my competitors, but there is little that can be done. However, I will say that most of the activities that might require your expertise do happen in the evening. And I would not worry to much about a license here, Doctor; most of the street clinics are staffed by people who only call themselves a doctor. At least you are honest about it, which is refreshing."

He eats a few more bites then motions for the food to be taken away. The two women remove the dishes to a side table and return to their positions to sit submissively. Kim Park laughs and you can see of his bulk roll with it. "Dangerous? No, Doctor, I have no enemies in this neighborhood. And only the criminals have anything to fear here. You may walk safely on any of the thoroughfares, but I would advise caution if you want to visit any of the rather narrow alleyways. Now, is there anything else I can do for you, Doctor?"

"It's not about the license, Mr Kim, that's the smallest of my worries. Legality and training aside, there is a difference between a trained surgeon removing a festering appendix and me doing the same. I agree that me doing it would still beat nobody doing anything, but I would still do something that I'm not originally trained in and that I used to be - or still am, that depends on the angle you look from - prohibited from practicing in and where I'm not supposed to have practical experience. Not that legality figures in too much into my current occupation anyway. But I see your point about your competitors and them not submitting to a schedule."

Which means people like to assume that a doc will always mean people pull through. Perhaps that's different over here where death has reverted back to a central fact of life. But then, if the people called her that, fighting it was like fighting windmills anyway, wasn't it ? Good thing that life doesn't like being subtle about not being easy in times like these ! She would have to refer to Stan or Paul to get to know more about who was pulling which strings here, stumbling around blindly any further would not help matters in the future. The curse of her life... So much to do and so little time. She handed the stick to Kae off-handedly.

"I have to say, your willingness to help has already exceeded my expectations by far. I wouldn't feel comfortable asking even more of you at this point. So with your permission, I would like to retire for the night and will be in touch in regards to the favours you requested ?"

Wednesday 6 June 2075 2212 Kim Park's Restaurant Little Korea Seattle

He smiles at you. "That is why I am here, Doctor; to exceed people's expectations." He nods and Kae stands to escort you from the room. At the bottom of the stairs, you see that a third man is on duty there. Kae stops in front of him and turns to bow to you. "It was a pleasure to have you here tonight. This is Kwai. He will see you safely to your transportation." The man in front of you bows. He is large, but when he moves you are pretty sure that not much of it is fat. He motions for you to follow him and he leads you through the restaurant, which seems to have passed the dinner rush. There are fewer customers and the flow of food and trays to and from the kitchen has certainly decreased.

Kwai is silent as he escorts you to the bus stop, where he waits with you for the bus to come by. Looking around, you see that there are a number of bars open and at least one strip club advertising full frontal nudity. A number of Caucasians can be seen milling about the street, either looking at the still-open store fronts or moving from one bar to the next. Your wait is supposed to be only fifteen minutes according to the schedule posted at the stop but stretches to just less than thirty. You are pretty sure that the presence of the large man near you keeps some of the drunks at bay. Kwai waits for you to board the bus before heading back towards the restaurant.

"My compliments to the kitchen staff !" Lina rises. Although she doesn't feel as stuffed as she feared, getting up does take more effort than it should, or at least she thinks it does. She follows Kae outside and greets Kwai as she meets him. He certainly looks big and unwieldy, but the impression is flawed. Lots of muscle, little fat. Add to that the possible chrome or equivalent... Best not to underestimate him, especially if he works on this post for Kim. She follows him towards the bus stop in silence, looking around as they walk. It sure looks quiet, apart from the usual occurrences. Bar goers trying to get from one joint to the next. Strip clubs. Some more... she likes to refer to them as 'tourists' in this setting. She doesn#t really expect the bus to be on schedule and she's not disappointed. The dented vehicle with the plethora of graffiti and other 'modifications' stops at the station almost fifteen minutes late. Lina thanks Kwai for the escort, gets her ticket and gets into the bus that carries her back towards home. She uses the drive to ponder several things, like what she knows by now, what she thinks she still needs to know and of course, how she can best close the gap between these two. With things complicating as they currently do, making informed descisions becomes tougher by the minute.

---SEATTLE---

The nearest stop for the bus in your neighborhood is four blocks away from the clinic. The street is quiet, with little of the foot traffic you saw in Little Korea. Most of the building in this part of your neighborhood are either apartments of various quality or small shops that are closed for the nigh. You pass two bars and one strip club, all of which have some people hanging about to hawk various recreational drugs or pimping for a hooker inside, but no one bothers you other than to wave or nod in your direction. You pass two pairs of Brotherhood Orks on patrol that stop you for a moment then let you go with a nod once they know who you are. One of the Orks passes on a message. “Hey, Doc. Tiny is looking to meet you personally in the morning. He will be around to the clinic maybe ten.” The clinic is lit on the ground floor although the upstairs apartment is dark. Entering, you can hear Lily talking to a patient behind the curtain, explaining why it is important that he take his meds on time.

---LINA---

Lina gets out of the bus and is glad she can. Its cramped and she doesn't want to know the last time floor and upholstery have been not doused in smell-ex but actually cleaned. Nope, the air outside is definitely a step up from that ! Also four blocs isn't too much of a distance for a little walk. With most of the shops and places closed down, it's pretty quiet, apart from the usual hangouts that generally only open at the later hours and now basically had peak hours. She moves past the people who mostly gather around the bars and strip club. The short control by the brotherhood orks is a mere formality, although the only lasting impression their meeting leaves with Lina is the lingering question who the hell Tiny was supposed to be and if she should know him in any way. Well, she'd see tomorrow at around ten, so she doesn't bother with the thought too much, just nods and moves on. The clinic is of course still open and upon entering, she hears Lily explaining to someone the importance of taking meds. Somehow she has an idea who she might be talking to and grins. So she simply waits in front of the curtain until Lily leaves. "I'm back, boss. You got a few minutes ?"

Lily looks tired as she steps out into the waiting room. "Lina? Sure, I have time for a good chat. Outer office?" At your nod she leads the way to the alley and leans against the wall as she pulls a pack of cigarettes out of a pocket and offer you one before taking one and lighting it. After a few puffs, she looks over at you and says, "Yes?"

Lina takes one of the offered cigarettes and lights it. So much for the easy part. The funny bit will be how to go on from here. While Lily is pretty much entitled to a few things, Lina is still on the fence on some details and whether it would be a good thing if Lily knew every unsavoury detail. Still, this is important. She's nervous, no use in denying that. And seeing what's at stake, she thinks she has every right to be. Doesn't mean she has to like it though ! "I've been to a meeting with the Koreans. Paying back some things and talking about this and that, I think you know how that stuff goes." Yes, with the situation the hospital is currently in and the requisitioning issues Lily has mentioned, Lina feels right to assume that Lily knows exactly what she's talking about there... "I don't know how things are at the moment, but he claims that the hospital might keep stepping back on supplies and offered to step in to keep us supplied. Now, I've asked for some thinking time because I don't know how you think about getting into bed with a syndicate, but also because I don't trust him more than I have to, especially when I can kind of see what this line of favour for a favour is going towards." Which wasn't a position that was hard to get into, after the things that had happened and especially the ones that had not happened. Her best guess is that Mr Kim will slowly drag the clinic into depending on him and his own until it is completely at his mercy. Which opens the conundrum of what to do to keep things moving and the place somewhat independent. Not an easy proposition if Kim's influence already reaches up to the hospital board to the extent he has alluded to. And if he's willing to mess with circumstances to keep things from improving. Lina doesn't like to think of what would happen if Kwai and some of his friends happened to show up one day to 'set some things into perspective'. She shakes her head to get that imagination out of her thoughts for a bit. For a moment she thinks she can see some dark clouds form in the distance. Damn fitting... "I'm not saying the air is slowly getting thin, but it looks as if the number of people who want it to is rising." She squashes the cigarette against the wall and throws it into the alley. "Fragging sweet !"

The night sky threatens to open up and drop rain on everything. You can almost taste the moisture in the air that presages a downpour. Lily smokes half her cigarette while listening to you then sighs. "A criminal syndicate as a backer? I don't know Lina. In some ways it might not be so different than now. The hospital is pretty much a controlling syndicate in its way, right?" It almost sounds as if she is asking for you to agree. "So it might just be changing one for another. I am a bit confused by what the Koreans would gain from having some degree of control on a street clinic located so far from Little Korea. I doubt that he would offer this from the goodness of his heart and it sounds as if you are not sure, either."

She takes a few drags off the cigarette as she thinks. "So is the favor thing from you or me or the clinic? And what favor or favors are you referring to?"

"Somewhat, yeah. The hospital only cares about bottomlines and hangs on its own corporate or public lifeline which means it has to ration the stuffs it can give out. I don't really have much experience with syndicates... But I'd imagine being that far away from Little Korea makes the installation a nice target for everyone who wants to take the spring out of the Korean's step. I remember what happened back home in '72 when the Vikings broke loose from the Ivans and started their own private war with those as well as with the Albanians, breaking out the machine guns and RPGs. Back in Pauli, we had HanSec to deal with that, although the rumour mill had some stuff about us getting involved, but luckily it was just that, rumours. Whether KE or even Korean reinforcements that are not atationed on-site would be able to intervene here in time is a valid question." With the answer most likely being a resounding 'Frag No !', just like the last time. "Add to that that the guy has influence on the hospital board, and I get the feeling that they're slowly pulling the noose taut. He mentioned that two doctors on the hospital board are in favour of closing shop here. For now he's holding them off, but it's one thing that could get ugly if he decides to throw everything in. On the other hand, the clinic is closed by the hospital, it closes and thats pretty much it. If these guys keep it open however long they see fit, they'll pretty much own the place and whoever works there. Not that the hospital doesn't at the moment, but I don't think they'd hang what they did and how much you owe over your head as forcefully. The way I see it, there are three courses of action at the moment. We can full-on cooperate with the Koreans. We can accept some of their offerings and try to keep them at arm's length, hoping they don't get interested in things going worse for us, or we can try to keep them away, which might mean fighting an uphill battle against issues with the hospital and whatever a bunch of miffed Komungg'o might decide to throw our way."

She pulls out another cigarette and lights it. "I guess the real question is what's best for the clinic and everyone involved... Cooperation is the easiest way in the short-run, but might in the long run lead to issues with K-E and perhaps some of the locals as well, depends widely on the Komungos and the way they're behaving in some far future we can't foresee. Refusing them... That one can be a bitch for us and the locals, if push comes to shove with some ugly and desperate measures thrown in for free. I'm not sure if the Brotherhood would be too keen on long-term conflict with the Koreans, how much K-E could help, if additional costs would shorten the general clinic's life-expectancy or how well getting some new allies would work. The middle option means postponing the ultimate descision in the best case or letting the Koreans slip in through the backdoor one baby-step at the time in the worst case." Lina drags at the cigarette, but somehow, the taste isn't as satisfying as it normally is. In fact, it tastes horrible. She grimaces in surprised disgust, but takes another drag, blowing out the smoke. "If this was about me alone with no-one else involved, I know what I'd do. After all, I'm not from here, have little attachments save for you guys and could vanish like this." She snaps her fingers. "But that's the problem, this is not just about me. Not anymore. A lot of people depend on what you and this clinic do. They will also get involved with everything. Which makes this fragging issue such a tough nut to crack."

Lina takes another drag, but then can't bear itanymore and squashes the cig under her foot. "Favour's coming from me. They'd like me to look after some of their people in my spare time. Might mix with end of shift time at times, but won't most of the time, piece of cake, right ? Told him I'll think about it. I don't like the way this guy is trying to use me as his door-opener into this place, which is another reason I wanted you to be aware of some of the things that are going on."

---LILY---

Lily smiles grimly as she flicks a half-smoked cigarette out towards the dumpster and takes another from the pack. Lighting it, she shrugs her shoulders and says,
“Yeah. Corporation or criminal syndicate. Hard to know which is worse. They both act the same, believe me. I have seen the worst of both and recently have had to fight the hospital for almost every medicine capsule and bandage, and you already know about the problems we are having just getting the supplies delivered. Sounds like your guy knows a thing or two about out troubles.” She smokes a bit then looks at you. “You were there in ’72? What a coincidence. I was over there, too. In fact that is how this clinic was born. Rachel and I were in the same unit, same shifts and we started talking. We were both so full of the ideals of medicine back then. Of the need to help people. She was willing to stay in the military and go wherever she was needed. She was just that kind of woman. I would tell her of this neighborhood. I grew up here, you know. My mom is still alive and has a place just over there about three blocks and I stay there to kind of keep an eye on her. But, anyway, I would talk to her of this place and how the people here really needed some sort of medical care, and I convinced her to come on over when her tour ended. She had already met and fallen in love with Hunter. Now, that woman is a real piece of work. She was an assault doctor with the Valkyries. Ever hear of them? Some sort of trauma unit for the Vikings. They would go in with the forward assault waves and set up treatment centers on the battlefield as the fighting raged on around them. I know, dumb Vikings, right? She has a backpack full of decorations for heroism under fire and was cited numerous times for going out and grabbing the fallen, no matter if they were Viking or Ivan or civilian and either treating them on the spot or dragging them back to a center if they could be moved. She is an expert in battlefield trauma medicine. She and Rachel were tight. Even I could see how much in love they were. But even though Rachel was the quiet one, she wore the biggest pants in the relationship. She just quietly told Hunter that they were coming here and hunter just said OK, like it had been her idea in the first place. I really think most of the life went out of Hunter when Rachel died. Getting set up here was a true trial. At first I was on my own and learning all the ropes because the others were still serving, and by the time they came over, it was mostly ready.” She flicks the second cigarette after the first, which had disappeared quickly, and looks at you. “But I don’t suppose you need to hear about all of that. You want advice on the Koreans.”

“I say go for it, but only if you are comfortable. If we are philosophical about it, we can look at the whole thing as just changing one master for another, right?
Besides, the quality of service might be better than what I am getting from the hospital right now. I just want to keep the dream alive, you know? But I want you
to promise to look into your own heart. You have been here a couple of days and might not have any real ties to us yet. So make sure that you are doing this for
the right reasons for you, not for me. If the clinic is important to you, then make the deal, as long as they don’t want to burn you. But we can still putz along
here and get by if you do not want to shoulder the Korean burden. It is your call.”

“Oh, and by the way, Tiny came by looking for you earlier while you were out. I told him to come back in the morning to catch you. I think he wants to thank you
for helping in the street. He is the Troll with the broken lamppost for a club. Try not to ask him about that until you really get to know him. It is a touchy
subject. What else you got to talk about?”

---LINA---

"You're all military guys, then ? I think Greta mentioned she was in Sarajevo, too. I meant to ask her about that, but, let's say other things became more important. Personally ? The place I was born is one of the local Vory strongholds and the Army was my ticket to get the hell out of Dodge. Didn't have too much to do with them, but that taught me to be careful when organized crime is involved." Lina exhales and crosses her arms in front of her chest. "At the moment, the most important thing is that this place stays afloat, we agree on that." Getting Marta and Greta back to their feet will be a start, but the question of supplies is another and as much as she agrees that dealing with the Koreans looks like one of the better alternatives, she can think of a few long-term consequences that aren't to her liking. With all that has been said and done, the team-up with the Koreans is more like a short-time solution. She resolves to see whether there are any viable alternatives or other options, if not now, then for later. She already chides herself to having gotten involved behind the scenes this much, but things are as they are now.

"Leave the Koreans and that stuff to me. I'll see how much supplies we can get from then and for how long." Lina already knows the answer to that one, again, it doesn't take a giant brainiac for that in her opinion. But opening the obvious alternative for the long-term support to Lily isn't something she's keen to do. Even if that means deciding whats best for the others in their stead. "But no, can't say I've heard about the Valkyries. Or I have and don't remember, hard to tell at times." She nods as Lily informs her about Tiny and what to loo out for when dealing with him. "Sure, won't ask for the lamppost then ! Thanks for the pointer." She wonders if she should ask about Lily's assessment of Dot's future status, but decides not to. Suddenly, she feels dead tired. So she just shakes her head. "Nothing for now, no. I think I'll just hit the sack. Thanks for the time, boss. See you tomorrow !" With that, she makes her way upstairs, directly to her room and just falls down onto the bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

Beyond any rational expectation to the contrary, the dim bulb on the stairway managed to survive the explosions that sent chunks of your wall to the street outside and still provides enough light to get you up the stairs. Someone has left a small light on over the kitchen sink, which provides you enough to get to your room, where you flop onto the bed. Your clock goes off just too damned early to suit you, and the snooze function only lets you skip one alarm. The second one jolts you awake and you climb off the bed. As you rush to the bathroom to use the toilet, you see Dot sitting on the couch. She is fiddling with the trid projector and there are two steaming cups of soycaf on the table near her. She waves as you go by. "Thought I would work on this thing and see if we can get something to play on it. It was pretty fragged but I used to be pretty good with these things. Got some caf for you." The last bit was said a bit louder as you closed the door. It is again a race to see if you can bare your butt and get it on the toilet before some peeper can see anything interesting. Relieved and in a somewhat better mood, you leave the small bathroom and gout to greet the day. Some part of your mind says that Dot seems far too chipper for this early and that means she might be one of THOSE people. You know the kind, morning sorts.

Lina finishes her morning business in a hurry not to attract neighbors. She ponders a shower but decides that that can wait a bit. So she substitutes that with a quick cat's wash and a few additional strokes with the brush to make sure her hair is not too much of a mess, but with the crumpled clothes, she still looks the part quite a bit. After her morning rituals are over, she joins Dot at the couch, thanks her for the soykaf and takes it. After the first sip she watches the younger woman work on the trid for a while. "So, how did you like your first day with us ?"

Thursday 7 June 2075 0610 Lily's Clinic Seattle Barrens

Dot chuckles as she continues to work on the thing in her hands. Her tongue protrudes just a bit as she concentrates on the work. "I liked it just fine. It was hard on the knees, but it let me feel like I got something done. Of course, taking a pee can be a challenge until we get the wall fixed in the bathroom, but it would not be the first time someone has seen my bare butt, no matter if dad thinks I am still a virgin." She looks up and grins, "Not that you really need to share that tidbit. I like to leave him his phantasies, you know?" She puts the trid player on the table and hits the on button and it begins to operate like it is supposed to. "See, good as new. So what about breakfast? Stuffer Shack again?"

"Yup, was an important contribution too. Nobody likes to wait for their turn staring at the blood of someone else. It was about time the mess vanished, so good job there. As for the pee, at least that keeps you on the feet and makes sure it doesn't take much longer than necessary. We don't really need to advertise the availability of free peep-shows. Nothing against community services, really, but I like to decide for myself who gets to see my ass and who doesn't. Can't have every creep check out the goodies just because they can." Lina nods and takes some more soykaf. "I don't really think sharing those tidbits is my business anyway, so your secret is safe with me." She watches as the trid unit comes to life. Like Dot says, almost as good as new. She has to admit she's impressed. Asked for the breakfast, she thinks, then nods. "Stuffer Shack it is." She has been thinking about storing some food here to allow for some cooking of their own, but after the kitchen was vaporized and with the rooms up here being more hole than wall, that'll have to wait. She empties her cup and gets up. "Let's go."

Breakfast at the Shack is nice, although you need to pay this time. Dot seems a bit quiet, looking at you, but finally saying, "Look, it really isn't too much of my business, but have you thought about the effect you are having on my dad? He has not talked about anyone as much as you for.............well ever, as far as I know. I have already had two messages this morning telling me he would be by at ten or so this morning. One was thirty minutes after the other and it was as if he had completely forgotten the first message. Now, don't get me wrong here, I am not trying to push you into my dad's arms or anything. That is strictly between you two, but please try to be careful with him. He was badly burned by my mother and has never really seemed interested in jumping back in the fire until now."

"Not too much, no." She admits between two bites and stirs her soykaf. "By the way you're telling it, he does sound pretty interested, enthusiastic, even..." A bit of food washed down with some more soykaf accompanies her futher thinking processes. Not only the scheme that Mr Kim had had in mind, but she's also somewhat on the fence regarding current developments. Not that she isn't flattered by being in demand (she is), but with the long-term ramifications and all that it has the potential to become pretty complicated. Especially if things get somewhere and she'll have to weigh protecting herself and others against the amount of modified truths that basically make up her existence here... Difficult. She doesn't really want to think about all that, but she knows that she doesn't have much of a choice concerning that. She nods, still in thought. "Thats a valid concern. I mean, I get you are worried and who wouldn't be in your position ? We'll see how it goes and I'll do my best to be careful."

Dot nods and says thanks. The two of you grab your things and head back to the clinic for the hand-off briefing with Lily, who shows you around the cots and talks about some specific med concerns she has with two of the patients. You note that three of the cots are empty and in need of the sterilization spray and cleaning. Lily tells you that she had to send those patients home because there are no meds in the clinic for their conditions. She stares at the cots for a few moments then straightens her shoulders, "I have sent another plea to the hospital this morning, begging for any help that they can see fit to provide. I am hoping that they will respond with a shipment of meds and other supplies." She turns to face the two of you, "Anyway, there you are. You two have the clinic. Please contact me if something comes up that needs my involvement."

She leaves and Dot turns to look at you. "Boss? What do you want me to hit first?"

Medication and other supplies seem to be becoming a problem. A nice little reminder to get back to Kim, or so it seems. Everything at its time, she catches herself thinking. "Roger, will do." After Lily has left, she is still pondering the empty cots as Dot asks her the crucial question. "Clean and wipe the cots and keep an eye on those that are still here. I'll take the entrance, see who's coming in and handle that. The patients on the beds don't require constant supervision, so once you are done with that, come to the door and assist there, I'm sure we can find something you can learn." She already has a few things in mind that she thinks might be useful for Dot, now she only needs to see if the fitting materials are available and how exactly she wants to go about it, but she's confident that something will come up. It always does, after all. So she just claps her hands once. "Right, holidays are over ! Let's go justify our paychecks."

Dot smiles and nods and moves to get the cleaning supplies before starting in on the cots. You return to the front and are surprised to find three people already waiting to be seen. You immediately wonder why you did not hear the bell at the door then remember there is no door. Settling in to the task, you start dealing with the minutia of treating people. All of the injuries are minor and can easily be treated with the basic meds that you have on hand, although that stock is also going down at an alarming rate. It is easy to lose track of time as the line of people just keeps getting longer, even though Dot comes out to assist you. A Brotherhood Ork enters the building at about 0930 and asks if you would please come out and talk to Tiny. Going outside you see the huge mountain of a Troll that had been swinging the lamp post during the fighting. He gives you a grin, but you note something off in it. He speaks in a halting voice and grimaces in what you assume to be pain, although it might be hard to tell the difference from his normal demeanor. "Doc. Tiny hurt some. Can please fix?" He points to his side with a finger about as wide around as your wrist and you can see where at least seven bullets have hit him. Some of the holes are seeping a bit of blood and pus and the skin has a sickly color to it around the wounds.

Lina starts right away. The line grows, but luckily most of the things are not urgent, so she can simply work on the people in the order they come in. Although the illnesses that bring people to the place are genrally the usual suspects, she nontheless has Dot bring her a medical encyclopedia, just in case something she isn't too familiar with comes up. The odds for that aren't as small as she would like to think, after all. Once Dot is finished in the back and jumps in to help, Lina uses her to keep people calm and to fixate limbs, apply sprayskin and other simple tasks. At the same time, she gives Dot a parforce ride through the territory, talking her through what she's doing while she's doing it and pointing out why she's doing what she's doing. They'll see how much sticks with the girl, but for now, it's the simplest method of giving her something to do and lay the groundwork for becoming more versatile and independent for the future. By 9:25, Lina has dealt with a lot of things she has training with, but she has also treated at least two people with pink eye and made her debut as a dentist by pulling four badly decayed teeth out of three squatters. Not what she signed up to do, but she's adaptable, after all !

When the Brotherhood guys turn up, things look somewhat nice. Good would be way too boastful, so nice would have to cut it. "We'll see... That depends on what you've come-" It's not the sight of the gunshot holes in the Troll's side that give her pause, they look positively minuscule in comparison to his size. The discoloration and the pus are somewhat more problematic. Getting over that with a human is one thing, but a Troll ? Most likely the bullets haven't gone in too far, otherwise Tiny wouldn't have shown up only now... She thinks. if the drekheads didn't use some abnormal ammo, the issue would most likely be either a contamination with outside stuff, meaning a 'normal' infection, or the bullets carried foreign material like clothing fibres into the wounds, which means they might have an oncoming blood poisoning. In light of the massive Troll, the pus and the discoloured wounds' periphery, she's more willing to bet on the former, but there's only one way to find out. So she asks Tiny to recount the issues he has and whether there might be any bits of clothing in the wounds while feeling for his temperature. Dot gets the mission to hold the floor inside and make sure people don't do anything dumb. She's only authorized to handle diagnostics with the encyclopedia and handle the stuff that can be ruled in by giving out medications.

Dot seems to be a quick learner, but her real experience is limited to what has been taught a med school first year. Fortunately, most of those who come in fall into the category of what she can do. With a bit of supervision, she should make a good aide and perhaps a doctor some day.

Four of Tiny's wounds seem superficial, but you are pretty sure that the other three are causing him a lot of trouble. He describes some ache and pain and your initial probe leads you to believe that the bullets are still in the wounds. After looking carefully, you believe that the infections are likely caused by some debris being taken into the wound. The bullets need to come out but there is no way this mountain is going to get into the clinic. Your options seem to be limited to doing something here where you are close to your instruments and meds, or going to wherever he lives.

Lina consults the encyclopedia to confirm what she thinks might become necessary and the book doesn't disappoint. Well, drek ! She looks over the Troll again and scratches her head while she estimates how much of the stock of anaesthetics would be necessary for a giant like this. She doesn't like the result she comes to. Unless of course the ganger's machismo will allow her to proceed without, but she doesn't want to bet too much on that. Even then, that's still thinking they can clear out enough and the infection isn't bacterial because if she needs to pump this guy full of antibiotics... Well, he'll take quite a few for things to work the way they're supposed to. Normally she'd also think the metabolism of a Troll could handle an infection, but with the Barrens being what they are, again, she doesn't want to rely on that. But first things first !

She assembles the tools that she thinks are suitable for the job, mostly probes, pincers and several scalpels. It's only at this stage she realizes that there is no way in hell this guy will fit into the clinic. It looks like she has the choice between getting the procedure going right here or going to some other place. However, she wonders whether any place that can house the Troll would be either available or offer cleaner circumstances out here. Worth a try, though. So she asks the accompanying Brotherhood ork whether they'd know any suitable room nearby. Perhaps she might be able to fit tiny into their ambulance ? Still better than the open street, although if would have to do if needed be... In any case, she adresses the troll next.

"So big guy, it looks like I'll have to get those bullets out of you and also scrape off some of the tissue around. I'll tell you in advance that it won't be pleasant in the best case and will hurt like drek in the worst, although we can't know that until we're there. Do you want something against the pain or do you think you can handle it ?" She wonders if they even have the right equipment needed for a local anaesthesia in these dimensions.

The Ork shakes his head and tells you that Tiny sleeps in the alley behind the Twisted Toad, the bar that doubles as the headquarters for the Brotherhood. "There are no rooms big enough. Quadro, the other Troll here is..................smaller and has a place, but Tiny just has some boards over the alley to keep the rain off. Outside, you do another mental comparison and come to the conclusion that the ambulance is too small to be useful. You might get part of him in there, but would have no real space to work from. And, sadly, your estimate of the amount of drugs it would take to fill the man with antibiotics would more than deplete your store of them.

Tiny grimaces in a bit of pain and touches the wounds. "Very sore, Doc. Can you take them out? I can probably take the pain." He motions to the piece of lamppost. "Just remember that I have a club." He watches your face and smiles at the reaction. "No, do not worry, Doc. I can take it. Just do it." He asks if you want him to sit on the street to give you better access.

"That shouldn't be the problem." So the street it is. With a sigh, Lina gets the box with the gloves and the bottle of desinfectant and gets to work after signalling Tiny to sit down. Unless its already freely accessible, she removes whatever might get in the way and generously applies the desinfectant to the irritated area. She hopes the Troll stays true to his word and doesn't move too much and also is sort of relieved she doesn't have to look for a needle long as well as strong enough to get sedatives into him and most importantly through the tough skin. She carefully inspects the wound channel with an endoscope after cleaning them and cutting out some of the damaged tissue. Well, that doesn't look too hard ! As carefully as possible she extracts the bullets before starting round two, which is locating and removing foreign materials. It takes time, but thats better than going at it too vigorously, especially as speed is not so much a factor than thoroughness is. Slowly and methodically, she finishes one wound after the other. It takes a lot of concentration and while her hands stay calm, without a doubt a benefit of years of training, she can feel sweat trickle down the side of her face and her forehead. As the treatment is coming to a close, she rinses the wounds again and puts on a moist dressing. As far as she can tell, thats about as far as she can currently get. She puts the instruments away and pulls off the gloves before wiping her forehead with a towel. She also hands him half a bottle of antibiotics. "Take those and make sure the dressing stays clean and in place. Come back tomorrow and we'll have another look at it. No hard physical activity until then."

The work is grinding, indeed. The bullets are small and the Troll is large. It is very easy for him to conceal the wound channels simply by sighing or grimacing. He takes the pain well, with only the grip on his cudgel showing any sign of the strain he is feeling. Byt the time you are done, you are almost certain that he would have snapped anything less stout than the metal lamppost. He takes the pills and smiles. "Thanks, Doc. Feels better already. I owe you one. I will come tomorrow." He stands and nods to you before moving off up the street, the Ork next to him.

While you were concentrating on Tiny, a van had pulled up just next to the crater, bricks and bags of mortar in the cargo space. Stan has mixed a wheelbarrow of cement and is laying bricks as part of a new front wall for the clinic. He turns to glop some more cement on the growing wall with a trowel in his hand. Seeing you there he smiles and nods. "You did good with Tiny. He is one big ass Troll." He motions to his work. "I am not the best you can get, but I am the cheapest and I do OK work. At least I think it is OK. What do you think?"

Lina walks up to where a front wall was supposed to be and takes a quick look at the foundation that Stan has already laid out while she has been busy. It looks solid enough, although she has preciously little knowledge about masonry. But as long as it's sort of straight and looks durable, she won't complain and is ready to assume it'll do its job. "Well, doing what I can with what I have. A bit like you at the moment..." She pretends to think for a moment. "Looks solid enough from what I can see. I'm pretty sure that the stuff will come out OK. I just... well, didn't expect anything like this, I thought a water thing was all we'd get and didn't figure you were prepared to burn your full day off. Every additional hand that is willing to help us is greatly appreciated, of course, don't take this the wrong way." Argh, think of something that doesn't let you leave the sentence hanging like an idiot ! "So, whats the plan for today ? I take it the front wall and the water thingy with lunch in between and then finishing off in the afternoon ? I'm afraid we don't really have to offer much more than the food from the stuffer shack and some soykaf. Sooo, is there anything I can excite you for ?"

Stan smiles. "Thanks. I think it will do. I worked my way through college as an apprentice mason, but it has been a while since I needed to do more than build a patio. I have a couple of window units and a door coming over later that I will try to get set up before I leave. Might not get all the bricks in, but I will do the best I can. And the heating unit is definitely on the list." He shrugs. "Lunch at the Shack is good. Dot tells me the food is passable." A small boy comes running down the stairs, stopping when he sees you. He looks like a miniature of the man kneeling on the remains of the sidewalk. Stan motions for him to come over. "Hey, big guy. This is Doctor Lina. Remember I was telling you about her?" The boy nods and holds out a hand. "Nice to meet you, ma'am?" He steps back and Stan smiles. "I brought my chief assistant with me to make sure that I do good work here. He had to go to the bathroom and I sent him upstairs.

The boy grins and says, "Hey, Dad, I could see you from a hole in the wall up there." He is pointing to the bathroom and Stan looks from him to you and stands up. "Well, Dot did not tell me about that little problem. I will go right up and see what I can do while some of this sets here. Come on, sport, show me this hole." The man and his son head up the stairs.

"It pretty much is, yeah, nothing out of the ordinary, but it fits its purpose." She nods. "But yeah, as I said, thanks for the dedication and willingness to sacrifice the day for us, it really means a lot." She looks over to where the kid appears. As the boy comes closer she shakes his hand carefully. "Hey, Tony, nice to meet you too ! Thanks for making sure everything is done right !" She gives Stan a stealthy wink as she says that. "Eh, it's after all just a little problem, nothing too noteworthy..." She doesn't think that deflecting the issue will do much good as Tony and Stan make their way upstairs. Hooooo, boy ! She reckons that's going to be one interesting lunch break... Lina turns and picks up the equipment she has used for Tiny and sorts it back for cleaning or takes the still usable parts back to the clinic where she starts to relieve Dot with the people still inside. Smaller problems, luckily. She cleans and then stitches or staples several deep cuts, splints two broken limbs and has to work through her encyclopedia to diagnose several people who have come with what looks like health issues not really related to any physical outside source, a part of this job she doesn't particularly like and that takes considerable time.

---STAN/TONY---

The morning passes quickly as you deal with a myriad of injuries and illnesses. The good news is that you are getting acquainted with lots of people in the
neighborhood. The bad news is that you are getting acquainted with lots of people in the neighborhood. Soon after getting started on your rounds of the patients
still on cots, you are disturbed by a loud buzzing. Going to investigate, you find Stan has set up some sort of power saw and is cutting pieces off some boards that
he has stacked off to one side. He turns with a piece in his hand and you see that he and Tony are wearing almost identical leather aprons and goggles. Stan nods
at you as he and his helper bring the board in and set it against the low brick wall and butt it up to the ceiling. It is almost funny to see that both aprons bear
the same “I am with the boss” line. Stan grabs some sort of gun from the floor and starts nailing the board up. When it is secure, he turns to you with a smile and
removes his goggles. “Sorry about the noise, Lina. Just putting up some studs for the wall. When we are done, you will not even know that there was a hole here. Just had a call and there will be a slight delay with the windows and door, but they will be here this afternoon.”
Stan turns to Tony and says, “Looks pretty good, boss. What say we get the rest done?” He and Tony put their goggles back on and go back to the saw. You go back to work and soon the buzzing continues, becoming just another part of the background noise. Dot comes to find you at noon, saying, “Hey, Lina, the work crew boss says they are about to go on strike if they don’t get fed. He will probably want the super deluxe chilli dog. Brat always wants the super deluxe chilli dog. Dad is a lot less predictable. I can watch here. Let me give you some money so you can bring me back a super deluxe chilli dog and some Soypepper.” She grins as she fishes out some scrip and hands it to you then takes your clip board and shoos you out to the front.
The work crew that is threatening to go on strike is standing in front of a nearly finished front wall. Their arms are crossed at their chests and they look fairly
pleased with themselves. From this angle you can see the studs and the brick half-wall is nearly waist high with siding panels on the outside. There are holes in
the wall for two windows and a door. Stan raises a hand as you open your mouth, “Wait, I know what you are about to say, but let me explain. The boss is a bit
short to help with the sheetrock so we are going to wait until the guys get here with the windows. Are you ready for lunch?” He ruffles Tony’s hair. “The boss is
calling a work halt for some food. I think a bribe is in order.”

---LINA---

The flow of people seems to ebb off slowly and Lina gets the impression that she's actually making progress towards resolving the line. She's doing the rounds at the cots, some of those freshly occupied when the buzzing noise from upstairs cuts most interaction with the people short, as she finds it hard to speak over the volume of the buzzing, that ebbs and flows in short bursts every now and then. Admittedly it cuts a few of the life-stories short that some of the people are, well, oversharing. Some of the more downtrodden people give her the impression that they're not here for the minor things, but more for having someone to talk to. Which is nice and something she can relate to, but not really something she's paid to do. Still she should probably go and see what's up with the noise. Not that she doesn't know what it is, she knows a power saw when she hears one, but the volume might become an issue. So she pauses working and gets upstairs to see what's what.

She finds Stan and Tony in matching outfits, one cutting boards, the other observing the spectacle. She frowns as he talks about the windows and door. Although she is pretty interested where all this stuff is coming from, she's not sure whether she should ask. For now, she decides not to, nods in acknowledgement and heads back downstairs. it comes as a surprise that the noise from upstairs manages to blend in with the other background noises so quickly. So she resumes her task until things manage to get slow and empty enough to warrant a break. So she gets out of her garb and stows away the equipment. "Well, we sure don't want to risk a strike, do we ? Although that crew boss looks like that super deluxe chilli dog is about as big as him. But OK, I'll take your advice then !" Lina takes the scrip and turns to leave, but can't help throwing a commentary over her shoulder. "I already got the perfect activity for you if the clinic goes too quiet of for the evening hours. Look forward to it, I certainly do !" Thus, she's wearing a wide grin of hardly contained glee and anticipation as she's leaving the inner building and stepping outside where the work crew is already waiting for her. By the time she reaches the two, she has put on her jacket and replaced the standard ammunition in her gun with gel, just in case. "In that case, the sooner we get that done, the sooner you guys can finish the job, right ?" She beckons the two to follow her and leads the way.

As you walk to the Stuffer Shack, you pass a handful of people that you know and they nod their heads at you in greeting. The waitress at the 'Shack and the man behind the counter call out your name as you come in and go to sit at a booth. Virtual menus are called up and Tony does not even read the menu, but orders the super deluxe chili dog and a Soypepper to drink. Stan, on the other hand, muses aloud about his choices as if he cannot make up his mind. He finally settles on a soybaconburger. After ordering he sits back. "So, we got the hole in the bathroom fixed. One of you should have said something about that earlier. After lunch, we will get the hot water converter up and running. I have the parts and equipment I need to hook it into your cold water pipes, that way you can have a continuous flow of water available. I will make sure that you know how to use it before we take off. I hope Lily has talked to someone about repairing the holes in your walls and getting a new kitchen in, although I think Dot will be eating here a lot as she is not a cook. She was always too much of a tomboy to be interested and then she caught the medical bug and it has been all study." He and Tony have healthy appetites and the food disappears quickly. After eating, Stan excuses himself and goes to the restroom, leaving you and Tony at the table. The boy looks at you rather seriously then says, "Do you play any trideo games?"

Lina greets the people back, trying to use the correct names wherever she knows them and picks the usual booth that has become something of her semi-standard choice. She pulls up the menu and ponders the offers, finally settling on a double krillburger with a salad on the side. Which makes her hope she wont find any surprise proteins in that salad, but perhaps the Shack doesn't feel generous today. In any case, she needs to do something to make sure she doesn#t make a habit of eating here several times a day, unless she wants people to be forced to roll her out at some point. Which she doesn't want, for the prevention of any implant-related issues alone ! "Eh, as I said, it isn't that much of a big deal, but thanks for dealing with it anyway." She thinks again. " Not sure if we really need a whole kitchen, I can survive with a camping cooker if need be, although having more sophisticated equipment might be a bonus. Point being, if we don't have too many people who know how to cook, a full kitchen might just be expensive room decor. But then, re-heating some frozen stuff doesn't really need much cooking expertise or insight into the mysteries of the process too many people simplify by calling it 'cooking'. But the warm water is awesome news !" She eats slower than the two so when Stan leaves, she still has some of the green stuff sitting in front of herself. Trideo games, hm ? She picks some salad pieces up with her fork. "No, I've never been much of a fan of those. Too loud, too colourful, perhaps I'm also a bit too old and slow for that kind of thing." She shrugs. "What do you play ?"

Tony initially looks a bit disappointed at your answer but brightens a bit when you ask what he plays. "Right now the best one is the latest Mario Kart Krash. It is super fun and not too hard to learn. I could show you some time, if you like." He goes quiet, looking down at his empty plate, then sort of looks up at you again. "So, do you like my dad?"

Mario Kart... Damn, that was a thing back when she was a kid, how many parts of this game are there ? Apparently, the answer to that question is 'a whole damn lot'. She wonders how good Tony is at that game, but by the way he is talking about it, it seems to be one of his current favourite pastimes, so some competence is safe to assume. "Sure, why not ? It sounds like a great game." She nods to support her statement and scratches the remains of the salad together, which she then methodically clears off the plate. "I do, he's a pretty nice guy. I also heard he's pretty good at work and a good dad." She lowers her voice and leans in to the kid. "Just between the two of us, is that true ?"

Tony looks up at you with a shy sort of grin and slides out of the booth, saying. “Best. Dad. Ever. Hardly ever gets angry or even raises his voice, but he sure lets you know if you disappoint him. Really makes you not want to do that again, you know? He can be a bit of a grump about grades, but it keeps me from just blowing everything off.” He slides in on your side and opens up a commlink and says. “I am not really too good at this yet. It came out a couple of months ago, but dad made me wait to see how my grades were for the year before he got it for me. Let me show you……………..”

Tony puts the ‘link down between you and starts showing you how to play. It is not hard to pick up the basic game, which is about all he really seems to know at this point. He seems to really enjoy sharing the device, and says, “Wow! You are really good. I thought you said you did not know how to play. But it is different with two controllers and a bigger screen. You should come over some time and try it at our house.”

Before you can say anything, you hear Stan say, “I agree. Especially if you can beat the big guy here. All I seem to do is crash into the wall. But seriously, if you have the time and nothing to do, you should come over. I could even come get you and we would love to have you see the patio we built in the back yard. Think about it.” He holds up a sack and adds, “Hey, boss, got your sister’s lunch and we need to get back and hook up that heat converter. The ladies are going to be able to take a shower tonight.”

The boy does not hesitate but turns the game off and slides the ‘link back into the overalls he is wearing. “Let’s go do it, dad.” He turns to you and smiles, “Thanks for playing with me. You really are good.” He steps away from the table and Stan offers his hand to assist you out of the booth. He holds onto it perhaps a bit longer than necessary for the task then drops it to walk with you back to the clinic. At the door, he hands you Dot’s lunch then he and Tony go to the van and unlock it to start taking some pipe and a tool box upstairs.

The game isn't as complicated as she thought, but then, some of her wires help with fidgety things like reaction time. Still thereare some things she still learns about first hand, like the infamous AI and its cheats. "Not knowing how to play doesn't know I don't know how to drive a car. Once you get used to the rules and the different interface..." A backyard patio, hm ? "Yeap, I'll definitely think about it, depends on a few things, but we'll see how things go over the next week or so." She gives the compliment right back. "Well, I had someone not too bad who showed me the ropes. Thank you." She lets Stan help her out of the booth and walks back to the clinic with the two of them. As Stan and Tony make their way upstairs, she takes over Dot's lunch and goes to look for her to send her off for lunch break. People have already been trickling in, but so far it looks managable. The cots are still where they are supposed to be and although she doesn't know some of the faces in the cots, everyone in there looks like they're supposed to more or less. So thats a plus. As soon as she finds Dot, Lina hands her the lunch. "Looks like you're on lunch break now. I'll have a few things prepared for you once you're back. How good are you with crafts or needlework ?"

---DOT---

Thursday 7 June 2075 1310 Lily’s Clinic Seattle Barrens

Dot takes the sack and looks inside, smiling. “Mmmmm. Super deluxe chilli dog and a large Soypepper. Hard to beat that. Thanks, I will go eat out in the break room.” Your question about crafts catches her off guard. “Crafts? Not with these thumbs. But let me know what you want and I can try. We can laugh about the results together.”
The cots do seem to be under control and there is a clear difference in the cleanliness of the place. Three people get the last meds recommended on their charts and are sent off home. The slow trickle of people into the clinic actually seems more of the minor injury type and everyone remarks on how nice the wall looks from the outside and how clean the place is. At 1400, a second van pulls up, parking next to Stan’s, and two men climb out. They look at the work done so far and one comes into the clinic, asking to see you. When you come forward, his slow drawl marks him as not from the Seattle area, “I should have known it was you, ma’am. Stan did say you were the prettiest woman about these parts. Got to say I agree.” He holds out a hand. “Conner Small, ma’am. Me and old Tim out there are here to help with some windows and a door. Maybe some sheetrock if there is enough time. Stan about?”

---LINA---

"I hope we won't have to laugh about the results together, but we'll see how well we can pull it off. Don't worry about it, enjoy your break." Lina makes a shooing motion towards Dot and returns to her duties while developing her nefarious ploy in the back of her mind. She can't help but notice the decided difference to how things have been the last two days and approves. With fewer people getting in and having to look at things that are quickly handled, things begin to loosen up and Lina can slow down somewhat. While picking up the pieces and sorting the equipment back, she notices the van pulling up and the guy who enters the clinic for a chat. She shakes his hand. "I'm more like the prettiest currently here, you should've been here a week ago. But thanks for the compliment. I'm Lina Karolek." She nods upstairs. "He's upstairs, busy with some piping stuff. You go there, turn, left and then up the stairs, you can't miss it !" Lina waits for Tim and Conner to go upstairs and then takes the liberty to go and note down their van's license plate, just to be on the safe side. After that, she prepares the surprise for Dot and starts to clean the 'lobby' a bit if there is still time.

---THE CLINIC---

There is some noise of the men greeting each other and then silence for a bit before Tim and Connor can be heard tromping down the stairs again. They go out to their van and open it to move a large window to the wall where it fits into the hole left there for it. They work around it and make sure it is in tight and sealed up before standing back and looking at the job. More footsteps herald the arrival of Stan and Tony from the apartment and Stan walks around, looking at the window from the street and from inside the clinic. He nods approval and helps the other two men put the second window and the door in place. By the time they finish the work, there is not enough time left to do more than get the inner sheetrock hung.

---LINA---

While the men are working, Lina has found some free time to prepare her little workshop for Dot. Thinking back to the tricks she had learned from Doc Schmidt, there are quite a few possible contraptions she'd be able to use. Looking through the clinic for things that might come in handy, there are quite a few items that she thinks will prove useful. Assembling her loot in a small box she has found, Lina also takes some paperwork with her and sets up a position in the front to make sure she can use the time until Dot returns productively and doesn't run idle too long.

Dot returns shortly after eating her lunch. She comes to find you, thanking you again for the food. "So what is this project you want me to embarrass myself trying to do?" Some noise outside gets her to look up. "Oh, I see Connor and Tim have arrived. Connor is sweet. He used to work with Dad when they were both just starting in the KE. I think he once said they walked the same beat for a couple of years. Then Connor left the force to go into construction. Tim is his right hand guy. They come over with their families once in a while for some beers and a BBQ on the patio. I have not seen either of them for a while due to living mostly at school. Oops, sorry. I did not mean to get sidetracked here."

"Simple. Keeping your future development in mind, we're going to broaden your range of available ATNs a bit to make sure you can get a bit more of a working-field related work experience with us people being able to share some more work. So once we're done today, you should be able to do sutures and achieve basic superficial wound closure." She reminds herself to get some more suitable things tomorrow, but for now, its about the basics. So she puts three implements in front of Dot that they will start to build familiarity and competence with. The first is a bottle of SpraySkin, a no-brainer, but there mostly for the sake of completion. The second is a surgical stapler. Not a very common thing in general non-surgical environment, but the implement of choice until Dot has mastered the suture kit. So before they even start on the suture kit, they cover the stapler in detail. How and when to use it, how and when not to use it, disassembly, reassembly, cleaning and maintenance, work safety. She has brought one of her shirts and uses it to demonstrate the correct handling and as something to practice on. Once she's sure that is covered, she passes Dot the suture kit. While they also have the shirt from the attack as practice material, the box also holds implements like a styrofoam cup, a box of rubber gloves and several sheets of paper. They spend the rest of the afternoon talking about knots, how to tie them and most importantly how not to tie them. Lina demonstrates the different knots and sutures useful in their field of work and has Dot watch her doing it several times. After that, Dot gets to replicate what she has seen, only she gets a rubber glove and a sheet of paper to do so and Lina is quick to have her start from scratch if things are not tight enough or too tight. Over the course of the day, Lina leaves several times for some people coming in, but keeps Dot with her new job and makes her repeat the procedures ad nauseam, checking on the progress after coming back, pointing out several important bits and pieces and, at times, slowly demonstrating the correct technique again. Her favourite trick by far is having Dot sew up a pubber glove that has one of its fingers under a book on the table, tying the knots without pulling the glove out from under the book. It becomes apparent rather quickly that the correct technique is way more important to her than speed. Dot can still pick up speed later, but ironing out kinks she picked up on the learning would take much more effort.

Dot is surprised at the impromptu lesson, but falls to it with a seriousness that you can appreciate. She is attentive and tries hard. Doing this correctly takes time and lots of practice, but you can see a distinct improvement in her skill as the afternoon wears on. She takes a couple of breaks to attend to other duties, but spends her free time at the counter doing stitches. At some point, you catch her looking up at you with wide eyes. When you ask, she sighs a bit and says, "You are very nice to do this for me, thank you. You are way better than the professors at the U. I actually feel that I can stop and ask questions without feeling stupid. And I also wanted to say thanks for spending time with Tony. He sent me a text that you are a wiz at the Mario Kart game and that he hopes you can come over some time to play it on the bigger screen with him. He is a great kid brother."

"Don't mention it, you came here to learn something, so you will learn something. You're quick on the uptake and dedicated and we lack the distinct university atmosphere, which might account for a lot as well. Keep it up and you'll go far." She nodded and glanced over to the cots. Not much to be seen that required her attention. "I can't say much about Tony, I don't know him enough for that, but consider my status as a wiz inofficial. I'll see if I can tone it down, but some of that comes from a few wires that give me an unfair advantage. But we'll see if Tony really needs to know that." She gets up and makes a short inspection of the perimeter. Nothing that warrants her continued attention for the moment. "For the moment, practice will be important. Once we get to the next stage, I'll still do the general examining, cleaning and excising. However, once I feel you are ready for it, you'll close the people back up. This will take some work off us and give you the opportunity to gain practical experience and a feel for the way tissue acts when it comes under the needle. Once we're there, I'll think of some other little things, like wound toilet or moving to everything thats not superficial, deeper cuts and gunshots for example, perhaps things like fractures, don't know yet. Anyways, as you might have guessed, I'm more for the practical hands-on stuff. For some of the things that are covered in a medical degree, like diagnostics or more complicated surgery that requires full, hm, stupefaction as well as other more doctor-y things, I suggest you talk to Lily, she has way more experience with that than I do." Which results from Lily being the only person left in here that Lina suspects to hold a MD, peartly because of her hospital ties, but also due to a sense of whats proper, that dictated that at least the boss here had to be someone with a medical degree. Especially when Dot really wants to go into the trauma field. "or is there something else you'd like to see granted special importance, something you're practically giddy for ?"

Dot smiles. "Yes, I did come here to learn something. This could easily be the best experience I could get. And it helps that you are willing to go the extra bit for me. I do appreciate that." Her skill seems to improve every time you come back to check on her and she seems very excited when you talk of letting her close up after a procedure.

Things are running smoothly in the clinic and you barely notice the time slipping by until you hear Lily calling to you from out in the street. "Lina, come out here, STAT. Bring the new kid....Dot, with you." Heading outside you see Lily standing in the middle of the street, looking back at the clinic. Stan and the others are on the curb, looking at her as she motions for you to come out to her. She looks at you and says, "And what part of this was your idea, Lina?" As you turn to see where she is pointing, Stan calls out that it was all your idea. Lily is pointing to the front of the clinic, but her eyes are not looking at the new brick half-wall or the new windows or the new door. Her eyes are focused on a sign lit up in neon red above the new windows. Three rows of letters spell out, "Lily's Grant Street Clinic", above "All Are Welcome", and then "You Can't Close This". Lily looks at you and mouths a thank you before turning away, her shoulders shaking a bit as you hear soft sobs.

"Not a problem." After what seems like a while, she hears Lily's voice from outside, but can't make out what's up. But then, being told to come out doesn't need much of an explanation. So she gets the emergency kit just in case and heads out with Dot in tow. At first she isn't sure what to make of the situation with Lily on the treet and the others on ther sidewalk, but as Lily beckons her closer, she follows suit and walks up. "My part of wh-" Oh. OK, that comes as a surprise. She frowns and reads whats on the wall. "Well... Uh... I..." She sounds a lot like an idiot, she realizes that during the deed. Looks like Stan and the guys had a few extra gimmicks he didn't think were too worthy of calling attention to. Not that she dislikes the gesture, she thinks its great, but she's still staring at the signs while trying to think of something witty to say and failing. So she just keeps standing there, looking from the sign to the people on the sidewalk, to Lily and back again.

To make matters worse, a number of people are coming to the street and coming up to give Lily a pat on the back, a hug, or just to say thanks. Lily manages to wipe her eyes dry and takes the accolades well enough. Stan comes up to you with the other guys in tow and says, "Lina, Connor and Tim need to leave. Unfortunately, they have a big project starting tomorrow so this is it for them for a bit." The guys shake your hand and Connor says, "It were a right pleasure, Lina. We are glad to have been able to help some. I sure hope that we see some more of you, hopefully in a non-professional capacity."

They climb into their van and manage to leave the street without running over anyone. Lily finally makes her way clear and takes you inside for your shift debrief. She is very pleased at your ideas for Dot and checks some of her work, praising her for her ability to catch on so quickly. After the brief, Stan and Tony take you and Dot upstairs and show you how the heat converter works. "You should get enough hot water on demand for both of you to take a shower, as long as you do not just stand there and waste the water. It will take about an hour to fill and heat the tank from empty. It is already up and ready for you this evening. Now, the boss and I are hungry and are going down to the 'Shack to grab something to eat. We would be honored if you two would join us, either before or after your shower."