Part 26: - Filler before the storm

26 - Filler before the storm

(Music: Same old, so listen to this piano version of the Caduceus theme instead.)





"....From GUILT?"

Why do we keep him around, again? Oh, right, protagonist...

"The tests haven't come back yet, but judging from the symptoms... Anyway, you need to help them immediately- Chief's orders!"

"We're on our way!"



"What's the situation?"

"...The tests came back positive. It's definitely GUILT. But, the symptoms don't match. Looks like an all-new strain. And, in my opinion, I think this one's airborne."

"Airborne?!"

"We need to collect GUILT samples before treating these patients. If the strain manages to spread, it'll be a total disaster."



"Good call, Leslie. We have to minimize damage whereever possible. It's in your court, Derek. I don't think I have the skills to handle this one. I'll take care of the oldschool GUILT patients. Good luck, man!"

"Yeah... Good luck on your patients, too!"

"No prob."



The patient's name is a mash up of House's Hugh Laurie and Edward Vogler.

"The GUILT we saw in Africa!"

"According to Dr. Niguel, this strain is far more contagious than before. The thorns become highly toxic when vaporized."

"...So we'll need to drain the mist before the infection spreads."

Don't worry, you didn't miss anything. Though Derek and Angie haven't seen the new strain yet, they were given a backstage pass to the plot and all know about it anyway.

"Correct. Please be careful, Dr. Stiles."



(Watch This Operation: Mission 5-3, S Rank, Best Possible Solution.)



You're not making any sense, Angie!

"If the poison escapes.... ...Well, just don't let that happen. Let's begin the operation. Good luck."

Have none of these people heard of a HEPA filter?!



I'll remove it with the foolproof method for now. You can see the best possible solution in the video.



If you also decide to use the "back into a corner" method, this will probably happen to you, and you will freak out. But don't worry, that's normal.



"the toxin!"

There it is. That's a vapor cloud created by the Triti thorns when you pull it out. It happens with something like a 1/10 chance, and begins to float left or right. If it reaches out-of-bounds, it's a nonstandard game over.



Derek and Angie pack up their things and leave this patient to be killed by someone who barely knows what they're doing, and you begin treating a new patient that got infected from the poison cloud.



You think I'm joking, but I'm not:



"Get out of the way, Derek! Move onto the next patient, okay? Stay calm!"

"Understood."



"Dr. Kasal managed to contain the infection. Thank goodness it only spread to one other person."

Except that were in the Northern Suburbs and the new guy was apparently infected in the South Downtown area. Logic, Trauma Center, logic!



But I can't be bothered to start over, so let's try that again. That patient's name was Shane Carter, by the way, named after Shane West and John Carter from ER, but let's rewind time and not subject poor Mr. Carter to this agonizing illness. I imagine you could just keep infected patient after patient to see how many there are in reserve, but I don't really want to go through endless Triti operations, if that's alright with you.







You don't say...

"I'm glad we were able to stop it."



"Great work, Dr. Stiles... Do you think this will be over soon?"

"Doctor! A case of the Tetarti strain has been confirmed nearby!"

"...Well, it's not over yet. Tell them we're on our way!"





"The Tetarti case is here. Derek will be operating? That's a relief. This strain is too contagious to treat in a regular operating room."

...So they'll operate in a truck instead. Trauma Center, you might want to be careful or I'm going to have to send you to the corner and make you think about what you said for awhile.

"I'm moving onto the next hospital. Good luck, you two."



This one is named after Dr. Dorian in Scrubs and Dr. Eric Foreman from House.

"The serum is ready, Doctor. Hurry!"



(Watch This Operation: Mission 5-4, S Rank.)

"Let's begin the Tetarti excision procedure. The GUILT seems to be stronger than usual. Please be careful."



Someone earlier in the thread asked about the Tetarti diverticulum colours. It's supposed to be really subtle, you might not even realize what it's supposed to be until right before it bursts. They are in the same place every time, though, so you can always just memorize them, or learn to pick up on the very slight shades. For instance, here the left one is purple, the top one is green and the bottom is yellow. It's very hard to see, but the colour is there.



"The poisonous sacs have been excised! The Tertarti should appear soon."



After a few rounds...



Following this quote by Angie, the Tertarti start to get extremely fast and disappear very quickly. If you have a bad time keeping track of things out of the corner of your eye, this might not be the level for you.



Except that they're still really no big thing.

"The Tetarti is gone! *sigh* That was tough. It looks like Caduceus has the terrorist attack under control!"





"We've been receiving updated reports from Caduceus international. ...They've confirmed GUILT cases in at least four California cities..."

"How did you respond?"

"I've sent medication and treatment instructions to hospitals in those cities. Hopefully the doctors can take it from there. ...A phone call...?"



New Secretary of Health: "Sidney, we're concerned about some of the decisions you've made today..."

"We're in high alert, sir. I would ask that you please make this brief."

New Secretary of Health: "I certainly appreciate your circumstances, but I'm calling in regards to the medications you issued to several hospitals. I'm afraid you're going to have to abort those shipments."

"...I bed your pardon, sir?!"

New Secretary of Health: "You don't have clearance to issue those treatments to the public! Most of them haven't even started the FDA approval process."

Oh. ...Nice going, Sid.

New Secretary of Health: "If those drugs reach the public sector, the pharmaceutical industry won't be happy. If you really insist on using those treatments, you're going to have to administer them there, at Caduceus."



"The patients would die before they even got here! We're cutting it close as it is. I won't listen to this!"

New Secretary of Health: "I heard you were a difficult man, but I believe we have a problem.You've read the reports. We both know your funding is in jeopardy..."

"...I've heard enough of this crap! Excuse me. There are important matters which demand my attention."

".......Those bastards!"

"Hmph. The politicians seem restless. I assume Richard had been holding them back while he was Secretary. ...Now that's he's gone, nothing stands in their way."

"They don't understand what Caduceus stands for. Our entire purpose is to do what other medical organizations can't! ...I need to speak to Victor."



"I need you to take care of something for me right away. Please send copies of our GUILT reports to all major hospitals."

"...You sure that's okay? I mean, that's a pretty big deal."

"Don't worry, Victor. I'll take full responsibility."

"Heheh. I was actually expecting you to do something like this. Already prepared all the files."

"Then send them, Victor."



"...I've never lost a fight."

...Okay. That man earned some respect from me.



Flight Attendant: "Are you alright, sir? You don't look well."



Flight Attendant: "......"

"I have to deliver this as soon as possible. People's lives are at stake."

Flight Attendant: "Ah, I understand. I've seen that mark on your bag before, actually."

"...?"

Pilot: "May I have your attention please! Our expected time of arrival has changed. It is no longer 3:25 PM. Because of a... strong tailwind, we should be arriving early, at 2:45."



"-Community Hospital, San Diego.-"



"*chuckle* ...It's good to know Derek is working hard."



"Alright, I'll get things ready. You should change your clothes. We also need to contact any doctors who are off duty."

"It's going to be a long day, Mrs. Fulton!"

"...He's here earlier than usual."

"Yeah, Dr. Jaeger never gets here on time! What's going on? This must be really serious.."

"Doctors come when they're needed. Let's get started, shall we? I can't let my own pupil show me up!"

Next Time: More GUILT! More Aum Shinrikyo! This time, it's personal. ...Again. Twice!