The 122nd
Chapter Sixteen: To The Doctor
Once again, Bryan found himself on sub-level two at the western elevator staring at the three gray doors. This time, however, he wasn't going to go to a meeting with the admiral. His destination was the medical lab on sub-level two. He wanted to speak to private Jake or corporal Landon and see how they were doing. After all, he was the reason why they were in there. Bryan decided to take the left door as he stepped out of the elevator. The door opened automatically and he proceeded down a short narrow hallway until he came to the entrance to the lab. There were two illuminated wall spaces next to the door that were labeled "Med Lab". Behind him was one of the side entrances to the command center which even Bryan did not have access to. The only thing Bryan knew about it was that there were powerful computers and many high-ranking officers that monitored all sorts of things. The end of the hallway was another gray door that was closed. If Bryan remembered correctly, the hallway passed through the entire sub-level, making a rectangle shape from the view on the map.
Bryan approached the door to the medical lab and it had a card reader with a small screen on the wall adjacent to the door, exactly like the one at the door to the library. Bryan reached into his pocket and pulled out his security card. He inserted it into the card reader and it quickly spit it back out. The door opened immediately afterward and the screen went from red to green. Inside the medical lab, everything was white. The floors were white tiles, the ceilings were white tiles with lights at fixed points, and the rooms within the lab contained thick glass walls. Bryan stepped into the lab and the door behind him quickly closed shut. Bryan inspected the door into some of these rooms and saw they were different from the ones outside the lab. They opened vertically like the gray doors, but they were colored white and contained two large windows that encompassed most of the door. Inside some of the rooms were examination chairs and computer terminals. In one such room on his right in the corner, there was some open space next to the chair and on the wall adjacent to the next room, which could be seen by a long glass window, were some shelves right below the window with medical tools and equipment.
Before Bryan could make out any further details, a woman approached him. As he looked at the woman, she was wearing a white jacket similar to those who worked in the medical field back on Earth would wear. Her pants were white as well and she wore a gold name tag. It read Lauren. Bryan glanced at Lauren as she approached him and, surprisingly, he found himself attracted to her looks. She smiled at him when she came within a few feet and she said "Welcome to the med lab. Haven't seen your face here before. Is there anything I can do for you?" Lauren seemed to have a country accent in her voice. Bryan replied and said "Yes, do you happen to have a private Jake or a corporal Landon here?" Lauren said "We can look at the manifest of patients if you'd like, but I'm going to need to see proper clearance before I can allow that." Bryan smirked and took out his security card again. He presented it to Lauren and she nodded her head. "Aye captain. Please follow me." Bryan chuckled, thinking of the old sea captains back in the colonial days on Earth.
Lauren led him straight ahead until they were at the end of the lab. She then made a right to a room on the corner of the lab and the lab doors opened automatically. Bryan followed her inside and looked around at the room they were in. It was a very plain and blank room except for a couch and the computer terminal on the wall opposite of the door. Lauren said to Bryan "It'll be just a minute. If you'd like, you can take a seat over there." She pointed at a couch on the wall next to the doors which they entered the room from. Bryan decided not to be rude and took the seat closest to the door. The couch was a brown color and it contrasted well against the white floors and ceiling. Bryan sat there and waited for Lauren to look up the information about Jake and Landon. Eventually, Lauren said "OK, if you can just type in the last four digits of your serial number on your security card." Bryan got up reluctantly and walked to the computer. On the screen, it asked for the patient's security card number. Bryan guessed the reason why the computer asked was so Lauren would not be held accountable if the captain were not a captain after all. Bryan held back a chuckle as he took out his security card again. He found the last four digits on the back and typed it in carefully. He looked at Lauren after the numbers were typed in and nodded his head. She walked back to the computer as Bryan backed away and she said "Thank you. The information should come up right after this." Bryan nodded his head without a vocal response and waited to see what the screen would reveal.
Lauren pressed the enter key and the computer took his information. It remained a steady blue for a minute before a lot of information filled the screen. Lauren was ahead of him as she scrolled through it quickly and Bryan barely was able to scan the information. Finally, she stopped somewhere close to the bottom and turned to Bryan. Bryan glanced at Lauren lost. She said "Corporal Landon is in the med lab on sub-level four. His condition was more critical. Private Jake is here. He should be in section A, room three. I can show you where it's at if you'd like." Bryan responded "Go ahead." Lauren pressed a red key and the screen filled with information suddenly went blank again. She said to Bryan "Follow me please, sir" before heading to the door. Bryan followed her and they left the room. Lauren led Bryan down a hallway past four rooms to his left in what Bryan assumed must be section B of the medical lab. There was a door at the end of the hallway past the last room that closed off what would otherwise be a fork in the hallway. It opened automatically and she turned into the room nearest to the door on the left. The door leading to that room opened automatically as well and when they entered the room, Bryan saw private Jake laying down on an examination chair.
Bryan smiled and said "Hey buddy... how are you?" Jake glared at Bryan and said "Do you have a minute? I need to speak to you alone."
Bryan approached the door to the medical lab and it had a card reader with a small screen on the wall adjacent to the door, exactly like the one at the door to the library. Bryan reached into his pocket and pulled out his security card. He inserted it into the card reader and it quickly spit it back out. The door opened immediately afterward and the screen went from red to green. Inside the medical lab, everything was white. The floors were white tiles, the ceilings were white tiles with lights at fixed points, and the rooms within the lab contained thick glass walls. Bryan stepped into the lab and the door behind him quickly closed shut. Bryan inspected the door into some of these rooms and saw they were different from the ones outside the lab. They opened vertically like the gray doors, but they were colored white and contained two large windows that encompassed most of the door. Inside some of the rooms were examination chairs and computer terminals. In one such room on his right in the corner, there was some open space next to the chair and on the wall adjacent to the next room, which could be seen by a long glass window, were some shelves right below the window with medical tools and equipment.
Before Bryan could make out any further details, a woman approached him. As he looked at the woman, she was wearing a white jacket similar to those who worked in the medical field back on Earth would wear. Her pants were white as well and she wore a gold name tag. It read Lauren. Bryan glanced at Lauren as she approached him and, surprisingly, he found himself attracted to her looks. She smiled at him when she came within a few feet and she said "Welcome to the med lab. Haven't seen your face here before. Is there anything I can do for you?" Lauren seemed to have a country accent in her voice. Bryan replied and said "Yes, do you happen to have a private Jake or a corporal Landon here?" Lauren said "We can look at the manifest of patients if you'd like, but I'm going to need to see proper clearance before I can allow that." Bryan smirked and took out his security card again. He presented it to Lauren and she nodded her head. "Aye captain. Please follow me." Bryan chuckled, thinking of the old sea captains back in the colonial days on Earth.
Lauren led him straight ahead until they were at the end of the lab. She then made a right to a room on the corner of the lab and the lab doors opened automatically. Bryan followed her inside and looked around at the room they were in. It was a very plain and blank room except for a couch and the computer terminal on the wall opposite of the door. Lauren said to Bryan "It'll be just a minute. If you'd like, you can take a seat over there." She pointed at a couch on the wall next to the doors which they entered the room from. Bryan decided not to be rude and took the seat closest to the door. The couch was a brown color and it contrasted well against the white floors and ceiling. Bryan sat there and waited for Lauren to look up the information about Jake and Landon. Eventually, Lauren said "OK, if you can just type in the last four digits of your serial number on your security card." Bryan got up reluctantly and walked to the computer. On the screen, it asked for the patient's security card number. Bryan guessed the reason why the computer asked was so Lauren would not be held accountable if the captain were not a captain after all. Bryan held back a chuckle as he took out his security card again. He found the last four digits on the back and typed it in carefully. He looked at Lauren after the numbers were typed in and nodded his head. She walked back to the computer as Bryan backed away and she said "Thank you. The information should come up right after this." Bryan nodded his head without a vocal response and waited to see what the screen would reveal.
Lauren pressed the enter key and the computer took his information. It remained a steady blue for a minute before a lot of information filled the screen. Lauren was ahead of him as she scrolled through it quickly and Bryan barely was able to scan the information. Finally, she stopped somewhere close to the bottom and turned to Bryan. Bryan glanced at Lauren lost. She said "Corporal Landon is in the med lab on sub-level four. His condition was more critical. Private Jake is here. He should be in section A, room three. I can show you where it's at if you'd like." Bryan responded "Go ahead." Lauren pressed a red key and the screen filled with information suddenly went blank again. She said to Bryan "Follow me please, sir" before heading to the door. Bryan followed her and they left the room. Lauren led Bryan down a hallway past four rooms to his left in what Bryan assumed must be section B of the medical lab. There was a door at the end of the hallway past the last room that closed off what would otherwise be a fork in the hallway. It opened automatically and she turned into the room nearest to the door on the left. The door leading to that room opened automatically as well and when they entered the room, Bryan saw private Jake laying down on an examination chair.
Bryan smiled and said "Hey buddy... how are you?" Jake glared at Bryan and said "Do you have a minute? I need to speak to you alone."