=======================
"when times get rough, and friends just can't be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down." Simon and Garfunkel - "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
----------------------
"So Lifeline, are you gonna hit the titty bars with me in Boston when we get done with this mission?" Shipwreck gave the medic a grin.
Lifeline glared at his partner, "Shut up Shipwreck. This is not a joke or a game." He was intensely concerned about this threat, with his medical training he knew just how bad it could be. He really didn't have patience for the sailor's wisecracks.
Shipwreck held up his hands, "I was just kiddin'. It's how I deal with stress, OK?"
"Then see Psych-Out and find a new way." Lifeline's voice was terse as he drove.
"Hey man, who put a stick up your butt?" Shipwreck grumbled and crossed his arms, tipping his hat over his eyes.
Lifeline ignored the pouting occurring in the passenger seat and continued, "I think it would be better if we split up. I'll get information from the hospital. You can do...whatever it is you do." His eyes focused on the road ahead and the task at hand. He was very unhappy with being paired with Shipwreck, but all he could assume was that Hawk had his reasons for the assignment.
"Look barnacle-breath, cut out the insults. I'm just as upset as you are and I'd like to save my anger for Cobra instead of wasting it on you. I would suggest you do the same." Shipwreck's tone was quiet and serious.
Lifeline blinked and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You're actually right," he admitted reluctantly, "But I still think splitting up will find him faster, ok?"
"Whatever." Shipwreck sat in sullen silence until they reached the village green of Boston, near Mercy. "Drop me off here." Lifeline pulled the car to a stop, Shipwreck flipped off his hat, grabbing behind the seat for two bottles of cheap whiskey.
Anger flared in Lifeline, "We're on DUTY!"
Shipwreck's eyes narrowed at him, "And we're fishing for an alkie. You have to have the right bait to catch the fish, got it?" He slammed the door of the car shut, hiding one bottle in his coat, taking a swig of the other one. Lifeline pulled away, but Shipwreck could still hear him muttering angrily over the comm link. He laughed and shut it off.
------------------
They had both changed clothes before they left and now Edwin Steen was in scrubs and a white coat. He had the proper identification that he would need, as long as no one got in-depth, which he doubted they would. He got out of the car, locking it and hearing the beep of the alarm engaging. He walked into the hospital and went straight to the ER. He went into the lounge to catch some of the nurses on break.
He lucked out, there were two women chatting over coffee. They stopped dead, mid-word, when Edwin walked in. He gave them a congenial grin, "Hi..."
The brunette regarded him suspiciously, "What do you want?"
So much for pleasantries, "Hi ladies, I'm from Holy Heart Hospital, and I was hoping someone here could help me."
Now they seemed a bit interested, "Maybe, what do you need?"
He grinned, thinking to himself that he was made for undercover work, "See, we had this guy come in, and he took my clothes out of my locker." Both nurses snickered at him, "Yeah, I know, funny. But...I was planning on proposing to my girlfriend tonight and the ring -"
"OHMIGOD!" The blonde nearly shrieked, "He took the ring too?" The brunette was still laughing at the situation.
"I don't think he knew it was in there. But I'm supposed to meet my girlfriend and her parents in an hour. And I think she knows it's coming. So. I gotta find him. He mentioned he comes here too? Called Murky Marcus and has a problem with the bottle?" Ed was really starting to get into the swing of it now.
"Oh you poor thing. He usually does come here. I wonder how he ended up at Holy Heart! But he usually sleeps under the railroad bridge about two miles south of here." The brunette hadn't completely stopped laughing, but she did have pity on his story.
Lifeline filed the information quickly then moved to the door, "Thanks ladies, hopefully I'll find him in time!"
"Good luck" they both called after him as he ran out the door.
-------------------------------
Shipwreck left the car that he had shared with Lifeline on the trip down and took a few more swigs of whiskey. He kept the other bottle hidden and started moving in large concentric circles to try and find any gatherings of homeless. He lucked out quickly, finding a group of men huddled by a ... was that a TV? Hector chuckled to himself, thinking, "Only in America would the bums have TV." He went over to them and saw them get a fierce protective look in their eyes. He held up his hands to them, "Hey man. I jus' wanna fine a place ta see da game." His words slurred easier with the alcohol in him and the smell from his breath made them calm down. Many were in the same position of falling into a bottle and not being able to get out.
Hector crouched down and watched the game for a few moments, between the snow and static. He handed the other bottle out to share, which earned him the trust and respect of the alkies. After they had all shared out the booze quickly, he asked off-handedly, "You guys seen Marcus around? I owe him the last of this bottle. Good man that."
The other men nodded their heads in agreement, "He can be an asshole sometimes but he'll always try and help ya out." The homeless man jerked a thumb behind him. "He's under the trestle. He wasn't feeling well. I think the bottle'll cheer him up." The men laughed as Shipwreck felt his stomach drop and stood up.
"I better get this to him quick then." He plastered on a big fake grin and tried to not start running. He had tried to memorize the men at the television in case they needed to be quarantined later but the most important thing was getting to Marcus. He remembered his comm and turned it on quickly as he was running, now out of sight of the civilians, "Lifeline! Lifeline, come in!"
Lifeline's annoyed voice was there right away, "I've been trying to contact you Shipwreck; I found where Marcus is. I'm just pulling up now."
"STOP!" Lifeline winced as Shipwreck yelled into his ear. "I'm almost there on foot. I found him too, but his buddies told me he's sleeping now because he wasn't feeling good earlier." He placed much emphasis on the last phrase, in case there was a way that Lifeline would miss it.
"Oh God." 'Wreck could hear it was more of a prayer than a curse. They arrived at the trestle at almost exactly the same time.
"So how do we handle it?"
"I'm going in. I don't want to start a huge scene yet. If he's still mobile, I'll help him get to the car and drive him to base. You radio ahead and tell them about the cargo, alright?"
"Hell no. I know what you are talking about there Lifeline and like it or not, we're partners in this mission. Sink or swim together. Let's go." Shipwreck gave a rakish grin to cover up his own fear. What he and Lifeline were talking about was a suicide mission. If this man was infected already, they'd be giving up their lives to contain him. He heard Lifeline radio back to base and explain the situation, but it sounded like it was coming through a tunnel, far away. This was not how he pictured his life ending. All that worrying about his genetics, for nothing.
They came up on the trestle and saw a body lying on a ratty blanket. Lifeline approached him first, "Sir?" The body didn't move and Ed tried to move to get a better view, using his flashlight. His voice was raspy when he finally spoke to Shipwreck, "He's dead."
Hector gulped, "Plague?" This was it, end of the road for the sailor boy. He looked up though as he heard an odd laugh come from of Lifeline. "What? What is it?"
Lifeline couldn't help the laughter that was bubbling through him, the relief that someone would be dead never was an emotion he thought he would feel. "I think it's hepatitis. His skin's as yellow as the sun. Nothing to do with what we know of the plague. We'll take precautions bringing him in, but I think we lucked out sailor-boy."
Hector sighed in relief. "Thank God. I really didn't want to die with you. I always wanted to die with some redhead with really big breasts mid-"
"Stop right there. I don't want to know the rest. Please. I didn't really want to die here with you either." He paused as he finished zipping the man into a body bag they had brought with them, "But thanks for not making me die alone."
A grunt of acknowledgement was all he got from Shipwreck, because that was the properly male response to an emotional moment, "Let's just get the hell out of here before that thing breaks in his neck."
"when times get rough, and friends just can't be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down." Simon and Garfunkel - "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
----------------------
"So Lifeline, are you gonna hit the titty bars with me in Boston when we get done with this mission?" Shipwreck gave the medic a grin.
Lifeline glared at his partner, "Shut up Shipwreck. This is not a joke or a game." He was intensely concerned about this threat, with his medical training he knew just how bad it could be. He really didn't have patience for the sailor's wisecracks.
Shipwreck held up his hands, "I was just kiddin'. It's how I deal with stress, OK?"
"Then see Psych-Out and find a new way." Lifeline's voice was terse as he drove.
"Hey man, who put a stick up your butt?" Shipwreck grumbled and crossed his arms, tipping his hat over his eyes.
Lifeline ignored the pouting occurring in the passenger seat and continued, "I think it would be better if we split up. I'll get information from the hospital. You can do...whatever it is you do." His eyes focused on the road ahead and the task at hand. He was very unhappy with being paired with Shipwreck, but all he could assume was that Hawk had his reasons for the assignment.
"Look barnacle-breath, cut out the insults. I'm just as upset as you are and I'd like to save my anger for Cobra instead of wasting it on you. I would suggest you do the same." Shipwreck's tone was quiet and serious.
Lifeline blinked and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You're actually right," he admitted reluctantly, "But I still think splitting up will find him faster, ok?"
"Whatever." Shipwreck sat in sullen silence until they reached the village green of Boston, near Mercy. "Drop me off here." Lifeline pulled the car to a stop, Shipwreck flipped off his hat, grabbing behind the seat for two bottles of cheap whiskey.
Anger flared in Lifeline, "We're on DUTY!"
Shipwreck's eyes narrowed at him, "And we're fishing for an alkie. You have to have the right bait to catch the fish, got it?" He slammed the door of the car shut, hiding one bottle in his coat, taking a swig of the other one. Lifeline pulled away, but Shipwreck could still hear him muttering angrily over the comm link. He laughed and shut it off.
------------------
They had both changed clothes before they left and now Edwin Steen was in scrubs and a white coat. He had the proper identification that he would need, as long as no one got in-depth, which he doubted they would. He got out of the car, locking it and hearing the beep of the alarm engaging. He walked into the hospital and went straight to the ER. He went into the lounge to catch some of the nurses on break.
He lucked out, there were two women chatting over coffee. They stopped dead, mid-word, when Edwin walked in. He gave them a congenial grin, "Hi..."
The brunette regarded him suspiciously, "What do you want?"
So much for pleasantries, "Hi ladies, I'm from Holy Heart Hospital, and I was hoping someone here could help me."
Now they seemed a bit interested, "Maybe, what do you need?"
He grinned, thinking to himself that he was made for undercover work, "See, we had this guy come in, and he took my clothes out of my locker." Both nurses snickered at him, "Yeah, I know, funny. But...I was planning on proposing to my girlfriend tonight and the ring -"
"OHMIGOD!" The blonde nearly shrieked, "He took the ring too?" The brunette was still laughing at the situation.
"I don't think he knew it was in there. But I'm supposed to meet my girlfriend and her parents in an hour. And I think she knows it's coming. So. I gotta find him. He mentioned he comes here too? Called Murky Marcus and has a problem with the bottle?" Ed was really starting to get into the swing of it now.
"Oh you poor thing. He usually does come here. I wonder how he ended up at Holy Heart! But he usually sleeps under the railroad bridge about two miles south of here." The brunette hadn't completely stopped laughing, but she did have pity on his story.
Lifeline filed the information quickly then moved to the door, "Thanks ladies, hopefully I'll find him in time!"
"Good luck" they both called after him as he ran out the door.
-------------------------------
Shipwreck left the car that he had shared with Lifeline on the trip down and took a few more swigs of whiskey. He kept the other bottle hidden and started moving in large concentric circles to try and find any gatherings of homeless. He lucked out quickly, finding a group of men huddled by a ... was that a TV? Hector chuckled to himself, thinking, "Only in America would the bums have TV." He went over to them and saw them get a fierce protective look in their eyes. He held up his hands to them, "Hey man. I jus' wanna fine a place ta see da game." His words slurred easier with the alcohol in him and the smell from his breath made them calm down. Many were in the same position of falling into a bottle and not being able to get out.
Hector crouched down and watched the game for a few moments, between the snow and static. He handed the other bottle out to share, which earned him the trust and respect of the alkies. After they had all shared out the booze quickly, he asked off-handedly, "You guys seen Marcus around? I owe him the last of this bottle. Good man that."
The other men nodded their heads in agreement, "He can be an asshole sometimes but he'll always try and help ya out." The homeless man jerked a thumb behind him. "He's under the trestle. He wasn't feeling well. I think the bottle'll cheer him up." The men laughed as Shipwreck felt his stomach drop and stood up.
"I better get this to him quick then." He plastered on a big fake grin and tried to not start running. He had tried to memorize the men at the television in case they needed to be quarantined later but the most important thing was getting to Marcus. He remembered his comm and turned it on quickly as he was running, now out of sight of the civilians, "Lifeline! Lifeline, come in!"
Lifeline's annoyed voice was there right away, "I've been trying to contact you Shipwreck; I found where Marcus is. I'm just pulling up now."
"STOP!" Lifeline winced as Shipwreck yelled into his ear. "I'm almost there on foot. I found him too, but his buddies told me he's sleeping now because he wasn't feeling good earlier." He placed much emphasis on the last phrase, in case there was a way that Lifeline would miss it.
"Oh God." 'Wreck could hear it was more of a prayer than a curse. They arrived at the trestle at almost exactly the same time.
"So how do we handle it?"
"I'm going in. I don't want to start a huge scene yet. If he's still mobile, I'll help him get to the car and drive him to base. You radio ahead and tell them about the cargo, alright?"
"Hell no. I know what you are talking about there Lifeline and like it or not, we're partners in this mission. Sink or swim together. Let's go." Shipwreck gave a rakish grin to cover up his own fear. What he and Lifeline were talking about was a suicide mission. If this man was infected already, they'd be giving up their lives to contain him. He heard Lifeline radio back to base and explain the situation, but it sounded like it was coming through a tunnel, far away. This was not how he pictured his life ending. All that worrying about his genetics, for nothing.
They came up on the trestle and saw a body lying on a ratty blanket. Lifeline approached him first, "Sir?" The body didn't move and Ed tried to move to get a better view, using his flashlight. His voice was raspy when he finally spoke to Shipwreck, "He's dead."
Hector gulped, "Plague?" This was it, end of the road for the sailor boy. He looked up though as he heard an odd laugh come from of Lifeline. "What? What is it?"
Lifeline couldn't help the laughter that was bubbling through him, the relief that someone would be dead never was an emotion he thought he would feel. "I think it's hepatitis. His skin's as yellow as the sun. Nothing to do with what we know of the plague. We'll take precautions bringing him in, but I think we lucked out sailor-boy."
Hector sighed in relief. "Thank God. I really didn't want to die with you. I always wanted to die with some redhead with really big breasts mid-"
"Stop right there. I don't want to know the rest. Please. I didn't really want to die here with you either." He paused as he finished zipping the man into a body bag they had brought with them, "But thanks for not making me die alone."
A grunt of acknowledgement was all he got from Shipwreck, because that was the properly male response to an emotional moment, "Let's just get the hell out of here before that thing breaks in his neck."