Chapter 17: Operation The Doctor will see you Now
The front door to the Bray GPs surgery burst open with a resounding crash. The handful of patients and staff present in the waiting room turned together to be met by the sight of two men dressed in business attire overlaid with military harnesses and equipment.
The leader advanced through the sparsely populated waiting room, those waiting in line clearing the path ahead as the man approached the reception desk.
"Get Doctor O'Malley!" the man ordered by way of introduction to the staff behind the desk.
Seemingly as if summoned by the request, a large man in a doctor's coat with a mop of bright blonde hair stepped out from the back office. His reaction to the disturbance was to merely reply "You know we have a backdoor you could use"
"No time" the leader interrupted. "We have a serious casualty"
Two more of the men emerged through the open door, carrying a third injured man limping between their shoulders. The man was alternating between screams of pain and desperate pants. The source of his anguish was evident as the thigh of the man's left leg was mess of torn fabric, fresh scar tissue and bright red weeping wounds.
Doctor O'Malley let out a dejected sigh at the sight before him. "Bring him in the back" O'Malley motioned towards the treatment room at the rear of the clinic.
The soldiers carried their injured comrade into the back room. O'Malley glanced over at the nurse beside him. "Nurse Bright, send the other patients home and cancel any other appointments. I'm going to be busy for the rest of the day"
Before she could respond O'Malley followed them into the treatment room. "On the table" O'Malley instructed as he moved to sink to scrub up. O'Malley took his place next to the patient on the treatment table. "Now, what seems to be the problem?"
"XCOM!" one of the other soldiers yelled in a sudden outburst.
"I meant what's wrong with the patient" O'Malley clarified.
"Some kind of new energy weapon" the EXALT leader replied. "I've never seen anything like it before"
"Well, let's take a look" O'Malley moved closer, shifting occasionally to view the wound from a variety of angles. "Severe localised skin burns. No sign of lingering shrapnel or other projectile. Although it doesn't seem alien in origin"
O'Malley stepped away from the patients table in spite of the persistent screams of his patient as the man's comrades struggled to keep him on the table. O'Malley reached into his desk and retrieved a digital camera before returning to the patients table.
"What you doing?" the EXALT operative asked.
O'Malley lined up the camera and snapped a picture of the wound. "Gathering useful intelligence" O'Malley continued his work in spite of the interruption. "I'm sure the lab can make use of this"
"But he's in pain" the operative protested.
"And who is the doctor?" O'Malley questioned, persisting regardless. "He's made it this far, I'm sure he can survive for another thirty seconds while I gather some intelligence"
But the EXALT operative wasn't going to leave it. "You have to treat him-"
O'Malley snapped upright to point a finger at the other EXALT operative. "You" turning his finger towards the one with the mouth. "Take him out back and stand guard"
Despite their clear feelings to the contrary the EXALT operatives left without further objection, leaving O'Malley, the squad leader, the other EXALT operative and the patient in the room. Now that the disturbance had been resolved O'Malley could finally focus on his work. "We'll see what the intelligence unit can make of these" O'Malley lay the camera aside and retrieved his clothing shears. O'Malley started by cutting away the remainder of the man's trouser leg, clearing access to the wound.
O'Malley began removing the strands of fabric that had become burnt into the wound, eliciting a sharp wince or abject scream of pain as each piece was removed. Having removed the sources of infection O'Malley proceeded to clean and dress the remains of the wound.
Stepping back, the doctor appeared satisfied with his work. "I've patched him up as best I can in the short term. But without knowing what kind of weapon we're dealing with I can't confidently say towards the long-term effects" O'Malley removed his gloves with a sharp snap. "He's going to be off duty for a while, make sure that intel has an appropriate cover story in place"
O'Malley moved away to wash his hands and dispose of the remaining waste. "That's quite a shit show you created outside. Put in a request for media suppression. We'll probably have to have a word with the local police as well" O'Malley discarded the waste in the appropriate bin. "Bring him back in after a day to change the dressing or if he gets any worse"
O'Malley moved away to wash his hands in the sink. The EXALT squad leader and his operative helped their comrade onto his one good leg, shuffling across the polished treatment room floor.
O'Malley called after them. "And use the back door next time"
EXALT Rule 376: EXALT is a black ops operation, therefore don't go causing a scene around registered facilities
376a: Well done for covering your faces by the way, there's no chance anyone could know who you are after that
