~Prologue~ Welcome to the EGRC
A cool breeze blows over the endless sea of green, pink, and blue as the sun continuies it's daily chase of the moon. A large fowl crows, "Wark!", signaling the start of a new day for it's brood. From the grass wet with morning dew one by one the yellow feathered birds awaken. Sleepily scrounging for breakfast . The Alpha surveys the grasslands for predators. After all is fed and a clear path detected, the leader Warks for the entourage's attention. The group falls into step and with another commanding call the flock takes off at neck breaking speed; on a yearly migration to warmer climates. They run freely under cerulean skies. Completely oblivious to the great unrest that is the beginning of this tale...
'Crap, it's already Ten o' clock? Got to hurry!' the driver punched the gas petal with an osmium foot, accelerating the vehicle from 45- 75mph in seconds. Bypassing the Chocobo crossing sign in the process.
'Why did the Asylum have to be so damn far way.' whined the brunette.
She turned on the radio. A wave of static and broken radio transmissions played back till she was able to land on a country blues station."Ugh. I hate country." She complained; but being the only station available, she vouched to bear with it till she got to her destination.
"Mother tried to tell me to take the job in Junon. That it'd be easier, but did I listen noooo... I just had to get the one two hours into the sticks."
She recalled the day she was accepted as the new Psycho therapist at EGRC.
~Flash Back~
Martha calmly chopped onions and potatoes for the night's congratulations party.
'I 'm really happy for you, honestly. But I just don't know Katelyn, it's so far away. What will happen if you have an emergency? Or heaven forbid some of those loons get lose!'
The guest of honor waved a dismissive hand.
'Don't worry, I'll be fine. The place is well armed, and magic proof, thanks to the Olivert seal.'
She hovered over the crock pot.
'Anyway, that's only 'if ' they get out.'
'Well for some of them, that's a big IF.' Martha retorted smacking her daughter's hand away from tasting the stew before it was ready. She placed the chopped ingredients into the slow cooker with the rest of the vegetables and beef.
'You can be a Psychologist just as well here, as you can out there sweet-heart. And without all the dangers too.'
Rubbing her hand Katelyn debated another attempt to snag a taste of her mom's stew.
'Well, at least the pay is better, and they have an excellent health and dental plan...' she said in her deffence.
'Besides, I thought you liked the dangerous ones.' She smiled slyly gesturing to her father, an ex-soldier, asleep on the couch.
Her mother caught the gesture and giggled.
'I do. However, I just want you to be...Safe.' Martha hugged her only daughter tightly.
Katelyn hugged back. 'I know you do, and I love you too Mom.'
~End Flash Back~
She instantly regretted having chosen to work so far away from the city; and the cheapest gas station.
'Too bad they don't pay for the commute...'
Mother tried to tell me, not everything that glitters is gold~ The radio blared.
"Oh shut up!" She snapped turning the radio off again with a huff. The car rattled over the bumpy terrain, as a sign reading EGRC 6 miles, became visible.
"Finally."
She slowed and took a sip of her Luke-warm coffee. Hitting a dip, in the process, and spilling the mocha onto her white vest.
'Dammit!' She looked the splotch, then angrily placed the coffee mug in the cup holder, grabbed a napkin and futilely tried to remove the stain.
"Why won't you come out!" Sighing she reached over to the glove compartment to pull out her over used Roar of the Earth CD.
"Nothing calms my soul more than this." She placed it into the player, and hummed and ba-bumbed to the music until the Asylum came into view. A slightly visible domed barrier could be seen hanging over the EGRC.
The Evil Genius' Rehabilitation Center, was a thirteen floored white and pale blue colored building, surround by large electric metal gates and barbed wire. Towers with sharp shooters evenly spaced in eight directions, manned twenty-four hours a day, deterred many of it's occupants from running away. The windows of the building differed in size between it's three wings; larger windows in the middle wing, and much smaller windows for the adjacent wings. The middle wing was much smaller than it's neighboring dorms. Having only six floors; it held the main entrance, check in/out, the employee lounge, Gym, Psychologists offices, and in the basement, the magic nullifying device excavated from the ruins of Olivert. The left wing contained the criminally insane ward of the asylum, their cafeteria, bathing, and recreational facilities. The right wing was the mirror image of the the left, and was where the normal mentally instable patient's dwelt. It's exterior had a lengthy walk of stairs leading to a great revolving door at it's center. Covered walkways and ramps lined the sides of the central walk way for personnel and disabled patients to travel. Accompanied by large flower pots and elaborate water fountains to give the building a more comforting feel. The parking lot was just as fancy with four sectors. Eight-teen rows and fifteen columns of parking spaces covered by a glass roof, in each sector.
Katelyn, pulled up and parked in the employee parking lot. She took off her soiled vest, tossed it to the back seat and grabbed her briefcase when she heard a call.
"Morning Katelyn!~"
'Oh, Gods no...' she grimaced. She'd been trying to avoid her overly friendly colleague, Charles Aldridge, after he'd failed at gaining her affection at the company Christmas Party last year. She inspected her outfit.
'Great, I just had to wear the skirt and shirt combo that looks like a "little black dress" without the vest to go with it.'
Locking the car door, she glared at the damaged vest through the car window; as her personal ill omen approached.
"Late again?" The blond jokingly reprimanded.
Katelyn slowly turned around trying her best to remove the forlorn look on her face.
"Morning Dr. Aldridge."
"Please, call me Charles."
'Stop calling me Katelyn' she mentally retorted,
"Right, anyway traffic was rough leaving the city, a flock of Chocobos blocked the interstate for quite awhile."
"Well, it is migration season; but you know it'd be a lot easier if you just moved out to Ft. Condor."
'So I can be closer to you? Fat chance.' she thought.
"Don't you think it's time to live on your own for a chance? It could be fun. Besides, your parents are old enough to take care of themselves."
Unconscious tears welled up in her eyes. "I can't leave my family stranded!" she stared."
Dr. Alderidge took a step back.
"Since the Shin-ra lost face a few years back, no Soldier member has been able to receive any retirement pay!"
Katelyn's parents had been through hell since meteor, and had spent most of their savings for their daughter's education. It was really all they could afford to live in the apartments on the outskirts of Junon.
"My folks are just barely getting by with dad's disability checks... I have to take care of them!"
"Whoa calm down, I didn't mean it like that." he offered her his handkerchief from his breast pocket.
'I'm fine..." Katelyn refused his coddling, whipping the shallow tears from her face with her hands.
"Well, if you need to talk-"
"No. I'm late enough as it is." She asserted. She walked off across the parking lot.
"Then call me if you ever need anything." Dr. Aldridge called after her.
Katelyn approached the doors and waved to the security guards as she approached their post.
"Everything alright?" one security guard stopped her at the gate.
"Huh?"
"Just noticed that gentleman down there giving you some grief," he gestured in Mr. Alderidge's direction. "Should I have a few words with him?" the guard punched his fist into the palm of his hand and smiled.
The offer was tempting, but violence wasn't her prefered solution to the problem, and it would only bring her more trouble in the future.
"No, that's quite alright." She smiled.
"Well if you change your mind, you know where to find me."
"Thanks."
Katelyn slid her employee key card through the check point on the other side of the revolving doors, skipping over the weapons checks that the visitors and new admissions had to go through. On the other side of the turnstiles, she noticed Ms. Cain happily ballet dancing down the hall humming a theatrical ballet suite; waving hello to the personnel as she passed by.
"What's up with Elaine?" she asked the desk attendee.
"She's just excited about her daughter's lead role in her school play."
"My baby's going to be a star!" They heard a cry from down the hall.
"Sometimes I wonder about the doctors here." the receptionist stated. "Like Old Ludwig in room 135 and his obsession with over sized stamps. I heard he growled at a janitor once for attempting to re-arrange his collection of boxes so he could vacuum the floor. Or the maniac laugher on the 4th floor..."
Katelyn chuckled, "They do seem a bit wacky themselves at times; but, you have to be if you plan to work here. Especially with their presence." she pointed to the west wing of the hospital.
The receptionist laughed nervously "Right."
After her brief chat at the main desk, Katelyn trekked over to the elevators to catch a ride to the third floor.
"Hold the elevator!" she heard another one of her least favorite people, Nurse Evanthrall, call and instinctively mashed the close button. 'One annoyance per day is my quota.'
The personnel beside her looked at her.
"What?" she asked the other passengers.
They all shuffled nervously, a few coughed and turned away.
Ms. Evanthrall, was a constant gossiper who'd chew your ear off all day if you gave her the chance. Katelyn had taken a chance and indulged in polite conversation with her once. The consicuence of which left her three days behind in paper work. She didn't want to make that mistake again.
"Ding." the elevator stopped on the third floor, and the doors opened with a metallic swoosh.
Outside the elevator she took a moment to look over her schedule, "Let's see I've missed the first two appointments, but I should be able to make the next one."
The therapist closed the hand held notebook and walked towards her office. She took a moment to look over the documents stuck in her wall cubby.
"OK, so I just have to turn in my patients analysis reports and reschedule the missed appointments." she stated and unlocked the door, walked up to her desk, and promptly began work by dialing the security office.
"Hello, security office. How may we be of assistance?"
"Yes, this is Ms. Katelyn Avon. I'd like to arrange for the transportation of the patient in room 1341-C."
"Ok, one moment." the secretary keyed in the information in the hospital's database.
"Transportation for patient D-3521, threat level SS from room 1341-C has been accepted by team 562-R. They'll be arriving shortly."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." came the voice from the other end.
'I've got to get me a secretary' she thought as she finished up her patient reports from the previous day.
Thanks for reading and please review with any comments you want. Corrective Criticism is very much appreciated!
-Renee