War of the Worlds, Chapter One
By Lucky_Ladybug
Mr. Smith entered the hospital and looked around. He spotted a friendly, white-haired doctor and went over to him.
"Hello," he greeted him.
"Oh, hello," the doctor replied. "I'm Dr. Mark Sloan. You must be Mr. Smith, the new receptionist."
Receptionist? Mr. Smith thought to himself. Aloud he said, "Oh, uh, yes, yes I am."
"Well, welcome to Community General, Mr. Smith," the doctor said.
"Thanks," Mr. Smith replied.
"I'll go tell Norman you're here," Mark went on. "You can start setting up at the desk over there." He gestured to the desk by the front doors.
"Uh, okay. Thanks." Mr. Smith went over to the desk. Mark continued on down the hall to find Norman.
When Mr. Smith was sure he was alone, he said aloud, "A receptionist, huh? Well, at least you didn't make me a doctor!" He laughed at that thought.
******
When Mark entered Norman's office, he found the administrator looking at the newspaper. He didn't look happy.
"Mark! Look at this!" Norman exclaimed indignantly.
"What is it, Norman?" Mark asked.
"This!" Norman shoved the paper at Mark. "Read this."
"'Suspicious green light seen hovering over Community General Hospital last night'?"
Norman gave a curt nod. "Someone actually took a picture of it. Look!" He turned the page, displaying a black-and-white picture of a strange, oblong-shaped light, just several feet from the hospital's roof. "They think it was a spaceship!"
Mark gave Norman a funny look. "A spaceship?" he repeated.
"This could be terrible publicity for the hospital!" Norman moaned. "Who would want their loved ones treated in a place reported to have close encounters with the third kind?"
Mark sighed. "You may have a point, Norman, but I don't really think it was a spaceship."
"I don't believe in them either, amigo, but why take chances?" Norman exclaimed.
"Well, what exactly are we supposed to do about it?" Mark asked.
Norman threw his hands up in the air. "I don't know!"
Mark gave Norman an amused look and headed for the door. Suddenly, he turned back around, remembering why he'd came in the first place.
"Oh, by the way, Norman, the new receptionist is here," he said.
Norman looked up, distracted. "That's good," he said.
******
As Mark walked back down the hall, he met up with Jesse.
"Hi, Jess," Mark greeted them. "What're you up to?"
"I just read the story about the spaceship," Jesse began.
Mark grinned. "Oh, you did, huh?"
"Yeah, and I was just thinking." Jesse glanced around, then said in low tones, "You know that new doctor? Adam Winfield? Have you ever noticed that he's acted . . . strange?"
"Strange?" Mark repeated.
"Yeah," Jesse said, "like one time we saw him talking into his cell phone. He was muttering in some kind of strange language. It didn't sound like any language we have on Earth."
Mark started to laugh. "I know where this is headed," he said when his laughter had subsided. "And, no, I do not think Dr. Winfield is an alien."
Jesse sighed. "Well, at any rate, don't you think he's acting strange?"
"Well, Jess, I haven't actually had much contact with him," Mark replied.
"I think maybe I'll run a check on him," Jesse mused. "See if his references are good."
Before Mark could say anything, Jack came running up to them.
"What's the matter with you?" Jesse asked.
"Jack, you look like you just saw a ghost!" Mark declared.
"You're not going to believe me," Jack gasped, "but I saw Dr. Winfield in his office. He was talking into his cell phone in some weird language. When he hung up, he closed his eyes and brought his hands together like he might be going to meditate. Then he just disappeared!"
"You're kidding!" Mark exclaimed.
"No! And I wasn't hallucinating, either," Jack said. "I asked several of the nurses if they had seen him go into his office and they said they had. And he definitely didn't ever come out! I went in and looked for him!"
"That does it!" Jesse said. "You have to admit, Mark, that doctors don't usually vanish into thin air, right in front of you!"
Mark nodded. "It definitely does sound odd."
"So I can run the check on him?" Jesse asked.
Mark sighed. "Go ahead, Jess."
******
Mr. Smith was going over some papers when a young doctor with sandy hair came up to him.
"Hey," the doctor greeted him. "You must be the new receptionist. I'm Jesse Travis."
"What can I do for you?" Mr. Smith asked.
"Well, I need a personnel file," Jesse replied. "It's very important."
"Uh, well, you know I can't just be handing around personnel files to anyone," Mr. Smith said.
"Yeah, I know," Jesse said, "but like I said, it's very important. I need to have Dr. Adam Winfield's personnel file right away!"
Mr. Smith was about to refuse, but something told him to go ahead, that it was okay. "Alright," he consented. He went over to the filing cabinet. After a bit of a search, he found Dr. Winfield's file and handed it to Jesse. "Here you go. But be sure to bring it back before too long."
"Oh, thanks," Jesse said, hurrying off. "And don't worry, I'll have it back soon!"
******
Mark was in the doctors' lounge when Jesse came in, looking very serious.
"Hi, Jess," Mark greeted him. "Did you find anything out?"
"Did I!" Jesse exclaimed. "I called all the places that Winfield used as references---John's Hopkins, St. Thomas, Lakeview---and get this: None of them have ever heard of a Dr. Adam Winfield!"
"No kidding!" Mark paused. "Hmm. This is bad. We'd better talk to Norman about this."
On their way to the administrator's office, Amanda suddenly came running up to them. "Have either of you seen Jack?" she asked.
"Jack?" Jesse repeated. "No. Why?"
"Well, he told me about seeing that Dr. Winfield vanish into thin air," Amanda said. "Then he told me he was going to poke around in his office. That was nearly an hour and a half ago now!" She paused, then went on. "I haven't been able to find him anywhere!"
"Oh." Mark looked serious. "This could be bad."
"Did you check in Winfield's office?" Jesse asked.
"Yes," Amanda replied. "I couldn't see him anywhere!"
"We'd better go look," Mark said. "Jesse here just found out that Winfield's references were apparantly forged. He could be up to no good!"
******
They found Dr. Winfield's office and Mark peered in. "It doesn't look like Dr. Winfield has come back," he said.
They cautiously went in.
"It looks like Jack or someone was here," Amanda commented. "All these papers have been rifled through, and this desk drawer is open."
"Here's a heavy encyclopedia on the floor," Jesse said, pointing. "I wonder how it got down there?"
Amanda walked over closer to the desk. Suddenly she gasped.
"Amanda! What is it?" Mark asked.
"There's someone back here," Amanda replied, kneeling down on the floor behind the desk.
"Well, what's up?" Jesse asked. "Is he okay?"
"I don't know yet," Amanda said. "He's sprawled on the floor back here, and he's not moving." She gently turned the limp person to face her. "It's Jack!"
By Lucky_Ladybug
Mr. Smith entered the hospital and looked around. He spotted a friendly, white-haired doctor and went over to him.
"Hello," he greeted him.
"Oh, hello," the doctor replied. "I'm Dr. Mark Sloan. You must be Mr. Smith, the new receptionist."
Receptionist? Mr. Smith thought to himself. Aloud he said, "Oh, uh, yes, yes I am."
"Well, welcome to Community General, Mr. Smith," the doctor said.
"Thanks," Mr. Smith replied.
"I'll go tell Norman you're here," Mark went on. "You can start setting up at the desk over there." He gestured to the desk by the front doors.
"Uh, okay. Thanks." Mr. Smith went over to the desk. Mark continued on down the hall to find Norman.
When Mr. Smith was sure he was alone, he said aloud, "A receptionist, huh? Well, at least you didn't make me a doctor!" He laughed at that thought.
******
When Mark entered Norman's office, he found the administrator looking at the newspaper. He didn't look happy.
"Mark! Look at this!" Norman exclaimed indignantly.
"What is it, Norman?" Mark asked.
"This!" Norman shoved the paper at Mark. "Read this."
"'Suspicious green light seen hovering over Community General Hospital last night'?"
Norman gave a curt nod. "Someone actually took a picture of it. Look!" He turned the page, displaying a black-and-white picture of a strange, oblong-shaped light, just several feet from the hospital's roof. "They think it was a spaceship!"
Mark gave Norman a funny look. "A spaceship?" he repeated.
"This could be terrible publicity for the hospital!" Norman moaned. "Who would want their loved ones treated in a place reported to have close encounters with the third kind?"
Mark sighed. "You may have a point, Norman, but I don't really think it was a spaceship."
"I don't believe in them either, amigo, but why take chances?" Norman exclaimed.
"Well, what exactly are we supposed to do about it?" Mark asked.
Norman threw his hands up in the air. "I don't know!"
Mark gave Norman an amused look and headed for the door. Suddenly, he turned back around, remembering why he'd came in the first place.
"Oh, by the way, Norman, the new receptionist is here," he said.
Norman looked up, distracted. "That's good," he said.
******
As Mark walked back down the hall, he met up with Jesse.
"Hi, Jess," Mark greeted them. "What're you up to?"
"I just read the story about the spaceship," Jesse began.
Mark grinned. "Oh, you did, huh?"
"Yeah, and I was just thinking." Jesse glanced around, then said in low tones, "You know that new doctor? Adam Winfield? Have you ever noticed that he's acted . . . strange?"
"Strange?" Mark repeated.
"Yeah," Jesse said, "like one time we saw him talking into his cell phone. He was muttering in some kind of strange language. It didn't sound like any language we have on Earth."
Mark started to laugh. "I know where this is headed," he said when his laughter had subsided. "And, no, I do not think Dr. Winfield is an alien."
Jesse sighed. "Well, at any rate, don't you think he's acting strange?"
"Well, Jess, I haven't actually had much contact with him," Mark replied.
"I think maybe I'll run a check on him," Jesse mused. "See if his references are good."
Before Mark could say anything, Jack came running up to them.
"What's the matter with you?" Jesse asked.
"Jack, you look like you just saw a ghost!" Mark declared.
"You're not going to believe me," Jack gasped, "but I saw Dr. Winfield in his office. He was talking into his cell phone in some weird language. When he hung up, he closed his eyes and brought his hands together like he might be going to meditate. Then he just disappeared!"
"You're kidding!" Mark exclaimed.
"No! And I wasn't hallucinating, either," Jack said. "I asked several of the nurses if they had seen him go into his office and they said they had. And he definitely didn't ever come out! I went in and looked for him!"
"That does it!" Jesse said. "You have to admit, Mark, that doctors don't usually vanish into thin air, right in front of you!"
Mark nodded. "It definitely does sound odd."
"So I can run the check on him?" Jesse asked.
Mark sighed. "Go ahead, Jess."
******
Mr. Smith was going over some papers when a young doctor with sandy hair came up to him.
"Hey," the doctor greeted him. "You must be the new receptionist. I'm Jesse Travis."
"What can I do for you?" Mr. Smith asked.
"Well, I need a personnel file," Jesse replied. "It's very important."
"Uh, well, you know I can't just be handing around personnel files to anyone," Mr. Smith said.
"Yeah, I know," Jesse said, "but like I said, it's very important. I need to have Dr. Adam Winfield's personnel file right away!"
Mr. Smith was about to refuse, but something told him to go ahead, that it was okay. "Alright," he consented. He went over to the filing cabinet. After a bit of a search, he found Dr. Winfield's file and handed it to Jesse. "Here you go. But be sure to bring it back before too long."
"Oh, thanks," Jesse said, hurrying off. "And don't worry, I'll have it back soon!"
******
Mark was in the doctors' lounge when Jesse came in, looking very serious.
"Hi, Jess," Mark greeted him. "Did you find anything out?"
"Did I!" Jesse exclaimed. "I called all the places that Winfield used as references---John's Hopkins, St. Thomas, Lakeview---and get this: None of them have ever heard of a Dr. Adam Winfield!"
"No kidding!" Mark paused. "Hmm. This is bad. We'd better talk to Norman about this."
On their way to the administrator's office, Amanda suddenly came running up to them. "Have either of you seen Jack?" she asked.
"Jack?" Jesse repeated. "No. Why?"
"Well, he told me about seeing that Dr. Winfield vanish into thin air," Amanda said. "Then he told me he was going to poke around in his office. That was nearly an hour and a half ago now!" She paused, then went on. "I haven't been able to find him anywhere!"
"Oh." Mark looked serious. "This could be bad."
"Did you check in Winfield's office?" Jesse asked.
"Yes," Amanda replied. "I couldn't see him anywhere!"
"We'd better go look," Mark said. "Jesse here just found out that Winfield's references were apparantly forged. He could be up to no good!"
******
They found Dr. Winfield's office and Mark peered in. "It doesn't look like Dr. Winfield has come back," he said.
They cautiously went in.
"It looks like Jack or someone was here," Amanda commented. "All these papers have been rifled through, and this desk drawer is open."
"Here's a heavy encyclopedia on the floor," Jesse said, pointing. "I wonder how it got down there?"
Amanda walked over closer to the desk. Suddenly she gasped.
"Amanda! What is it?" Mark asked.
"There's someone back here," Amanda replied, kneeling down on the floor behind the desk.
"Well, what's up?" Jesse asked. "Is he okay?"
"I don't know yet," Amanda said. "He's sprawled on the floor back here, and he's not moving." She gently turned the limp person to face her. "It's Jack!"