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06:15
“Look alive, people! I want to get this shit over with as soon as possible.” Chief Amendiares fired up the slide show and began briefing the room. “Today. the hospital will be evaluated on how it handles a MASCAL scenario, the exact disaster to be announced upon commencement.”
The department heads groaned, dreading whatever grueling scenario they’d be forced to endure.
“Let’s not have a repeat of last year.”
“But we passed last year.” Dr. Linder protested. Chief Amendiares scoffed.
“Barely. That cyberpsycho scenario nearly did us in. Someone forgot to lock down the emergency department, and patient zero made it all the way to general surgery before MaxTac subdued them - by that point, they’d flatlined a dozen of our staff and a handful of patients.”
Dr. Linder mumbled as he slunk down in his seat.
“We were given a ‘meets minimal standards’ rating.” she placed her hands on top of the mahogany conference table and glared at the staff. “That won’t happen again or so help me I’ll be so far up your asses-”
“That we’ll have to visit Dr. Cunningham in gastroenterology?” Dr. Valerie quipped, leaning over to fist bump Nurse Vektor. The Chief narrowed her eyes at V.
“Maybe if you spent more time focusing on the task at hand and less time thinking of smartass remarks, you might have caught Dr. Linder’s oversight.”
Ouch. But true, I was a little...distracted that day.
“For all your brilliance, Dr. Valerie, you certainly choose the worst moments to act like a complete idiot.”
“Sorry, Chief.”
“Don’t apologize, just do your damn job - that goes for all of you.” Chief Amendiares took her seat at the head of the table and clasped her hands in front of her. “I’ve been informed that the protocol will be the same as last year’s, meaning that I will not be involved for the majority of the event. Corporate loves to make these things as dramatic as possible.”
Nervous laughter broke out amongst the staff. Chief Amendiares sat back in her chair and sighed.
“Listen. You’re all competent professionals. I know what you’re capable of. Show me that I’m still right to believe in you. Now go relay the message to your respective sections. Dismissed.”
“Yes, Chief.” The department heads replied in unison.
And now we wait for shit to hit the fan.
Dr. Valerie proceeded to the emergency room with Viktor by her side. She was running through various scenarios in her head, trying to guess which mock disaster awaited them.
“Got any idea what we’re in for, Vik?”
“Hmm, my money’s on a Megabuilding fire.”
“Interesting, I’m leaning more towards a city-wide riot. Blunt force trauma, CS gas, the works.”
“And stabbings?” Viktor grinned.
Dr. Valerie shot him an anxious look, recalling her own stabbing months prior.
“A city-wide riot though, that would be fun!” He exclaimed.
“You and I have vastly differing opinions of fun.” Dr. Valerie chuckled as they rounded the corner to the nurse’s station.
“Think of it, Doc - burn victims, burn victims everywhere.” He gestured in front of himself with a look of awe on his face.
“You’re a sick fuck, Vik.” Dr. Valerie chuckled. “But now that I think about it, the burn ward would be practically overrun. Nothing against that department, but I would love it if they got so overwhelmed that Stout ended up strangling Gilchrist.”
“Now who’s the sick fuck?”
“Still you, Vik.”
The staff were huddled around the circular table at the nurse’s station, anxiously awaiting Dr. Valerie’s brief. She spotted Nurse Álvarez off to her left and flashed her a brief smile.
“Good morning, everyone. As you know, today we have our annual MASCAL evaluation.” She looked down at her watch. “It could pop off any second, and I have no idea what we’re in for. Probably another shit show like last year. Any questions?”
Crickets.
“Really? None at all?”
“We all know to expect another shitshow, Doc. Just gotta be prepared for every possible scenario.” Nurse Álvarez grinned.
“That’s the spirit.” Dr. Valerie smirked. “Alright, seeing as there are no questions, you’re all dismissed. Stay alert and stay alive.”
08:13
When the hospital’s mass notification system activated, Dr. Valerie had just finished dressing a patient’s wound. Suddenly, yellow sirens were flashing at every corner.
Almost two full hours before they called it, they must be feeling sorry for us after last year.
The intercom began to sound throughout the hospital.
ATTENTION IN THE HOSPITAL
ATTENTION IN THE HOSPITAL
CODE YELLOW HAS BEEN INITIATED
Yellow? So it’s a biohazard this year, lovely. Please let it be something easy like avian flu.
She quickly disposed of her nitrile gloves and made a beeline for the nurse’s station. Her mind was already running through the biohazard protocol and evaluating her potential next steps.
Lockdown the department
Protect the staff
Set up triage
Expect the worst, hope for the best
“Showtime people, let’s fucking go. Code Yellow protocol.” She glanced at her watch. “Start time, 08:15.”
The staff sprung into action, rushing to their appropriate stations and preparing the department for the incoming scenario. PPE was promptly distributed, and the entire team was protected from head to toe within minutes. A group of evaluators in tailored suits strolled into the area with tablets in hand. One held a stack of lanyards with small rectangular screens attached. These were distributed to the staff along with an accompanying datashard.
“Good Morning, Night City Medical. In a moment, these screens will display your status for the beginning of the exercise. The datashard will transfer the information to your HUD, and it will update in real-time.”
Dr. Valerie accepted her datashard and slipped her lanyard over her head. Her eyes flashed orange as she inserted the shard into her neural port.
Name: Dr. Valerie
Position: Assistant Chief of Emergency Services
Status: Uninfected
Injuries: None
Starting off on a high note, which means I’m probably getting fucked when they update the info.
Her screen displayed the scenario.
Several biohazard bombs have detonated throughout Corpo Plaza. The agent is suspected to be Cyberware Overloading Virus-Inhaled Disorder (COV-ID). Those that were within the blast radius are experiencing respiratory distress along with severe cyberware malfunction. The NCPD has restricted all travel to the eastern bridge to contain the spread of the virus. An estimated three hundred people are making their way to Night City Medical for treatment.
COV-ID? Fuck me. So much for avian flu.
“Any questions?” Another evaluator asked.
The staff began to grumble a collective ‘no’ before Viktor chimed in.
“How long is this going to last? I’ve got a date at 19:00.”
“No, you don’t.” Dr. O corrected.
“They don’t know that.” Viktor mumbled.
“The exercise will continue until we are satisfied with your performance or when you’ve successfully treated all patients - whichever comes first.” The evaluator responded matter of factly.
“Phrasing.” Viktor coughed. V tried to suppress her snicker and shot him a disapproving look.
We’re gonna be here all fucking day.
“Any other questions?”
The staff shook their heads.
“Good luck, everyone. We look forward to seeing your expertise in action.” The evaluator smiled.
Which is Corpo for ‘get fucked’.
The evaluators left and continued to the next department. Once they were out of sight, V picked up the red telephone at the nurse’s station and called the hospital operations secure line.
“Hey there, Ops, this is Dr. Valerie in Emergency Services. What’s the situation looking like?” Her brow furrowed, and she jotted down notes on a nearby pad of paper. “Understood. Keep us updated if anything changes.”
She was about to brief the team when the first medical AV radioed in. Viktor took the call.
“Emergency Services, this is Nurse Vektor. Yep, code yellow is already in effect. Mhm, casualties will be dropped off at the triage area by the tents. Correct. How far out? Roger, we’ll be ready for you.” He placed the radio back in the charger. “We’ve got three immediates inbound, ETA five minutes.”
Here we go. Time to knock this thing out of the park and avoid Chief's boot up my ass. No amount of anal can prep for that.
Dr. Valerie took a deep breath and began delivering instructions.
“Vik, you’re going to be the triage officer on scene. Dr. O, I want you to take the walking wounded along with the deceased and expectant. Álvarez, you’ll be assisting. Parker, you’ll be with me treating the immediate and delayed patients. Dorsett, how are the surgical suites looking? Do we have the vinyl door barriers set up yet?”
“Finishing the final prep as we speak, doctor.” Nurse Dorsett replied.
“Nova. Vik, what’s the area looking like so far?”
Viktor brought out his datapad, a 3D holographic view of the area instantly materialized.
“Hot zone is five miles from here, Corpo Plaza.” He pointed to the area, enhancing the hologram. “The borrowed manpower section along with the NCPD’s medical response team are setting up the triage area, tents, and decon area here, 200 yards away from NCM.” He moved his finger to the new location. “That’s our warm zone. NCM proper is our cold zone; only casualties that have been cleared for entry will be allowed inside.”
“Let me make this crystal clear to all of you.” V pointed to the staff, her voice stern. “No one, not even the Chief herself, enters this hospital unless they’ve been cleared and have a green tag attached to them. If they try to rush you, shove a tablet of Lorazepam in their mouth and drop their asses. We don’t want to end up as this year’s Dr. Linder. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“Good. Now let’s go show those assholes what we can do.” V beamed.
9:33
“That was the last one, doc.” Nurse Parker announced, sending their last patient to the surgical suite.
“For now, just wait five seconds.” Dr. Valerie half-joked.
Five seconds passed, and their tent remained empty.
“That was five seconds.” Nurse Parker observed.
“You’ve been hanging around Vik too long. Speaking of which, since we have a little bit of downtime, I’m going to check on him real quick to see how triage is holding up. Hit me up on the holo if we get any patients.”
“Will do.”
Dr. Valerie left the tent and walked the short distance to the triage area. She looked down at her watch. They were an hour and a half into the exercise, and a large group of prospective patients had just entered triage. While some had no visible signs of ‘injury’, others had been given the complete moulage* treatment, resulting in some realistic-looking wounds. She noted that several amputees had been recruited for the exercise as well.
“It burns! Aaaaahhhhh. Fuck, it burns!!!” A man exclaimed in mock distress, hands placed delicately over his crotch.
“My eye! My eye!” The woman next to him screamed, clutching the left side of her face.
“Let’s see your screens.” Viktor said. “Oh, oh my. Gotta say, that’s unfortunate.”
“What do we have, Vik?” Minimal? Delayed?”
“Got a Mr. Studd that went airborne and found its way to this woman’s eye.” Somehow Viktor managed to keep a straight face while recounting this story.
Dr. Valerie blinked, admiring the evaluators’ creativity.
“I’ve seen plenty of Mr. Studd mishaps, but this might be my first ‘rockets off from the patient into someone’s eye’ case. Hmm, I’d call that delayed.”
“Agreed.” Viktor sniggered, placing a yellow tag on both casualties. “Make your way to the tent on the right; Dr. O will take care of you. Next!”
As the next patient walked up, Viktor and Dr. Valerie paused as they received an update on their HUDs. The time had come for their first test. Viktor cackled as he read his new fate.
“Oh, look, I’m dead!” He exclaimed, holding up his screen for Dr. Valerie to see. “Cause of death: fatal cyberware malfunction as a result of infection via faulty PPE.”
That’s just lazy storytelling.
V looked at her screen to confirm her new status and sighed.
“Exposed to an infected individual - quarantine until cleared. You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”
“Ouch. Tough break, Doc.”
“Fuck off, Vik.”
“I can’t; I’m dead!” Viktor smirked.
Dr. Valerie shot him a withering look before walking over to the nearest tent. She opened the flap and looked around the room, eventually locating her team members.
“Dr. O, Nurse Álvarez.” She called out. “Please tell me you're alive.”
“Well, I’m talking to you right now, so I guess I am.” Nurse Álvarez joked.
“Oh ha ha.” Dr. Valerie faked a laugh. “Smartass.”
“I got lucky this year, still alive and uninfected.” Dr. Olszewski replied, holding up her screen.
“It’s quarantine for me.” Nurse Álvarez groaned.
At least I’ll have someone to talk to.
“That makes two of us. Ten years I’ve been running these exercises, and they just had to choose this one to mess with me.” V scoffed.
“It happens, V. They find a way to take me out of the exercise every other year, it seems like. I’d consider yourself lucky for staying untouched for so long.” Dr. O remarked.
“I guess that’s fair. I just had high hopes this time around, really wanted to knock it out of the park, rub it in the evaluators’ smug faces.”
“The day’s not over yet.” Nurse Álvarez soothed.
Dr. Valerie looked over to her and flashed a small smile.
“No, it’s not.” Her smile widened. “And besides, that’s the best emergency crew in Night City working their asses off out there despite being understaffed. They’re gonna nail this fucking thing, even if we can’t be by their side. The evaluators are going to find out exactly what this department is capable of.”
“Stop it; you’re gonna make me barf.” Nurse Álvarez punched her lightly in the shoulder.
“Vomiting? Sounds like COV-ID is hitting you hard. We need to get you to quarantine, stat.” V grinned.
“Fuck off.”
“You know, I’ve been getting that a lot lately.” Dr. Valerie snickered before turning to Dr. O, her expression serious. “I witnessed something like this a few years back up in Oregon. Take Anderson with you; he’s one of our more experienced trauma nurses, he can fill in for Álvarez. If it’s anything surgical, hand it off to Dorsett. It’ll be just like that time when we had to tag team that AV crash, except this time I’m cutting out halfway through to be quarantined.”
“Thanks, V. Don’t worry, I’ll keep things running as smoothly as possible.”
“I know you will. I just hate to leave you and the others with all the work.”
“Don’t worry about it; it’s not like you chose to be put in quarantine. Besides, you’ve been wanting a break for a while anyway.”
True, haven’t had a break since the Christmas party. Has it really been four months already?
“Not exactly what I had in mind, but I’ll take it.”
“Try not to have too much fun.” Dr. O teased. “Now get out of here before they change your status to ‘deceased’.”
“Good point.” Dr. Valerie turned to face Nurse Álvarez. “Shall we?”
“Let’s see what fun activities they have planned for us.”
“Wait, we actually have to do it?” Nurse Álvarez asked incredulously.
“This is a live exercise. We need to evaluate how the staff instructs patients during a decontamination procedure.” The evaluator stated.
Dr. Valerie stifled a laugh. She wasn’t exactly thrilled with the news, but the look on Nurse Alvarez’s face was priceless.
It turned out that the ‘fun’ activities included going through the entire quarantine procedure, the first step being a chemical decontamination shower.
“Look on the bright side; at least we’ll get to shower together.” Dr. Valerie whispered, earning herself a glare.
“Somehow, I don’t think this will be as nice as that shower we had at Konpeki.” Nurse Álvarez scoffed.
“True, although we’ll have people scrubbing us with giant brushes this time around. It’s basically a spa treatment.”
“What kind of spas have you been going to?”
“The ones on Jig Jig Street, obviously.”
A nurse off to the side cleared their throat pointedly.
“Alright, alright, we’re moving.” Nurse Álvarez groaned.
Moving slightly awkwardly in full PPE, the nurse opened the inner tent flap and gestured for them to enter.
“Remove your clothing and place them in these bins.” They gestured to two grey bins at the front of the shower area. “Once you have been decontaminated, you’ll change into the provided attire and proceed to the isolation rooms. Do you have any questions at this time?”
Several, but I don’t want to drag this out.
“No.” They chorused.
“Just try to make it as quick as possible.” Dr. Valerie replied.
“We’ll do our best, doctor.”
They proceeded into the showers, stripping out of their clothing once the tent flap was closed. Warm water trickled, then began to pour from the showerheads above them, creating a light fog of steam. Two PPE-clad individuals emerged from the tent flap, armed with buckets and soft bristle brushes on the ends of long sticks.
Looks like our spa treatment has arrived - time to assume the position.
Dr. Valerie stood directly under the water and spread her legs, placing her hands behind her head.
“Follow my lead.” She instructed, struggling not to let her gaze linger on Nurse Álvarez’s wet, naked body. The warm water wasn’t helping her predicament.
“It makes it easier, trust me. But, like I said, just try to think of it as another day at the spa.”
“I take it this isn’t your first time?” Nurse Álvarez asked, mimicking the decontamination position.
“Second, actually. I had my first rundown when I was still a student at Night City University, except that time I was on the observing end.”
“How does it feel being on the receiving end?” Nurse Álvarez asked, raising a suggestive eyebrow.
“I think you know the answer to that.” Dr. Valerie grinned. “At least the water’s wa-woah! Can you at least give me a heads up before you do that? Christ.” She spat as one of the nurses began to scrub her more sensitive areas.
“And they didn’t even buy you dinner first.” Nurse Álvarez quipped, grimacing as the same treatment was meted out to her.
“The evaluators are definitely taking points off for that.”
They shared a laugh as they endured the rest of the decontamination procedure. It wasn’t long before copious quantities of orange suds were swirling down the drain. Eventually, they were given the go-ahead and made their way to the end of the tent. Another nurse presented them with masks and hospital gowns. The gowns were a much sadder version of the regular NCM gowns - brown, and utterly shapeless. A small gust in the back would leave little to the imagination.
“Missing my MaxTac uniform right about now.” Nurse Álvarez snickered, donning the gown.
“I’m sorry, did you say MaxTac uniform?”
“Apparently, COV-ID is fucking with your hearing. Yes, I did. Sure beats the hell out of this burlap sack.”
They can shove you in a full-body cast, and you’d still be drop-dead gorgeous.
“Speak for yourself. I think I look pretty fuckin’ amazing.” Dr. Valerie smirked under her mask.
Nurse Álvarez shifted her weight to her back foot and pretended to give Dr. Valerie a lookover.
“I’ve seen worse.”
Their banter was cut short when they were given their next round of instructions.
“Follow me.” A nurse instructed.
“Aye aye, cap’n.” V said with a mock salute.
“Captain?” Nurse Álvarez asked, smiling under her mask.
“What? Gotta have a little fun with this; otherwise, I’m going to lose my goddamn mind.”
They followed the nurse down a narrow corridor, eventually turning left and entering another wing of the tent. The nurse ushered them inside a room with a ‘4’ labeled overhead before closing the door behind them. The area was roughly the size of an emergency suite with a partition separating it from the adjoining room There were two stretchers a few feet apart with a small metal tray table in between.
“This place continues to give Konpeki a run for its money.” Nurse Álvarez moved towards the stretcher on the left.
“Our suite was seriously lacking in the stretcher department after all.” Dr. Valerie replied.
There was a brief knock on the door before the nurse entered, trailed by a vitals sign monitor and an assistant.
“Just need to grab your vitals. We’ll be back in a few minutes to collect a nose swab.”
Their blood pressure, temperature, and respiration rate were swiftly recorded. The assistant finished annotating the readings, tucking their clipboard under one arm before exchanging a few words with their partner. The nurse turned to address them.
“Please, make yourselves comfortable. You’ll be held here until your test results come back. If you test negative, you’ll be transferred to the hospital; If you test positive you’ll remain here for further observation. Any questions?”
Again, several, but we don’t have the time for this.
V and Judy shook their heads.
“If you need anything in the meantime, just knock on the door, and a nurse will see to you.” The assistant added.
“Sounds good, thanks, nurse.” Dr. Valerie said, taking a seat on the right stretcher.
The nurse and their assistant left the room, leaving it mostly silent save for the muffled commotion from outside. After a few minutes, V’s brow was furrowed in concentration, her foot tapping to some unknown beat.
“I’m getting anxious just lookin’ at you. What’s going on?” Judy asked, holding her knees to her chest.
“It’s stupid, don’t worry about it.” V said dismissively.
“What’s stupid is you not telling me what’s running through that skull sponge of yours. Now spill before you end up as an actual patient, again.”
“You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Nope.”
V sighed, falling heavily back onto the stretcher.
“Alright, fine. I thought I could enjoy this fun little break they’ve given us, but I can’t stand sitting on my hands like this. I need to be out there, doing something. I’ve been sidelined before; but for some reason, this time, it’s really fucking bothering me.”
“I’m willing to bet the evaluation has something to do with it, and I imagine you’re not exactly thrilled having to play patient either.”
“You’re not wrong. I’m stuck here doing fuck all while the others are out there busting their asses.”
“Yeah, and? It’s the same thing as enjoying your days off; you’re allowed to take a back seat every now and then, even if you didn’t exactly plan it. Of course, you’re never going to be available 24/7; you’d have to be some sort of medical Delamain to pull that off.”Judy grinned.
“I’m all for cybernetic enhancements, but I don’t think I’m ready to become an AI.”
“Thank god for that; NetWatch would be all on your ass.” Judy laughed. She noticed V had stopped tapping her foot and that her brow had softened. “Hey, Val. Just try to focus on the fact that Dr. O is in charge right now and not Dr. Lister. She’s the less idiotic version of you; the department’s going to be just fine. You’ve trained her well. You’ve trained all of us well.”
“Now you’re gonna make me barf.” V smiled. There was a brief knock on the door.
“Hello again. Sorry to bother you two, but I need to collect a nose swab to send off to the lab.” The nurse announced.
At least it’s not a stool sample.
“Ten eddies says I don’t sneeze.” V closed her eyes and pulled her mask down past her nose, already anticipating the tickling and burning that accompanied the swab.
“Twenty eddies says you do.” Judy countered.
“Deal.”
The nurse gently inserted the swab into V’s nostril, slowly twisting it. Her eyes began to water as she struggled to hold off the urge to sneeze. She felt a slight sense of relief after the first swab was done, confident that she could continue to hold out. She was wrong.
“Achoo! Ah, fuck.”
Judy held out her hand for the payment. V could tell by her eyes that she was smirking underneath her mask.
“Sorry, ‘fraid I’ve left my eddies in my other gown.” V mocked apologetically.
“That’s alright. I know where you work.” Judy shot back.
After the swabs were collected, they were left alone in the room once more.
“So, come here often?” V asked, stretching out along the stretcher and resting her head against her palm.
“Only when there’s a biohazard outbreak.”
“It’s a pity they rarely happen. I can get used to having some alone time with you, especially while on the clock.”
“That’s the dream, isn’t it? Getting paid to spend time with your output.”
“If you think about it, we do every time we share a coffee break. We’re even getting paid halfway into a shift together, right when we start to tear each other’s heads off.” V chuckled.
“Hey, at least we’re getting better. We’re up to what, six hours now?”
“Considering we were barely at one before our reconciliation that night I got stabbed, we’re making some damn good progress.”
“I think the department might collectively shit itself the day we manage to make it through a 12 hour shift together.” Judy snickered.
“Then we’ll face the wrath of Dr. Cunningham asking us why the entire emergency department is up in gastro with a case of the runs.”
Judy paused, envisioning the icy glare and stern words of the head of gastroenterology - and the potential letter of reprimand that would follow.
“Eh, worth it.”
They laughed; V felt herself relax. After all, this was just an exercise, and her staff were more than capable of functioning without her.
“Thanks, Jude.”
“For what?”
“For putting all of this into perspective, for keeping me grounded today. I know I can be a little intense when work gets crazy like this.”
“All in a day’s work.” Judy joked. “But seriously, I hate seeing you like this. You’re wound up tighter than a nun at 7th Hell.”
“Speaking of which, we should go back sometime. I heard their Friday nights get pretty wild.”
Judy snickered and shook her head.
“That would certainly wind you down. Actually, it would probably do the opposite. I remember the look in your eye when you caught a glimpse of your favorite BD star last time we were there.”
V felt her cheeks redden as she recalled their first time visiting the city’s most well-known fetish club. They had danced the night away, leather-clad individuals dancing in cages suspended from the ceiling while others literally fucked on the dance floor around them. It was an eye-opening experience for both of them.
“Good to know that all I need to do is mention 7th Hell to get your mind off work.” Judy teased.
“I’m a simple person; sue me.” V shot back. “I even forgot where I was for a moment when I caught a glimpse of you in the decon shower. You have no idea how hard it was not to stare.”
“I can imagine, those giant brushes were...” Judy imitated a chef’s kiss.
“Trying to tell me you have a thing for giant brushes?”
“Just what they were touching.” Judy stood up and moved to stand beside V’s stretcher. She reached out, tucking a piece of loose fringe behind V’s ear.
“We have another one incoming; put them in ward five.” A voice called out from behind the door. They heard someone enter the room next to theirs.
“You know, they won’t be back to check on us for about an hour.” A mischievous grin began to spread across V’s lips, hidden by the mask.
“How do you know that?”
“We’re in the third phase of the asymptomatic individual treatment protocol - leave the patient undisturbed for one hour, reevaluate and compare vitals to baseline. Adjust treatment as needed.” V fired off. “We’ve been here maybe ten minutes, still plenty of time.” She began to run her hand teasingly over Judy’s thigh.
“You’re seriously considering this right now?” Judy asked, keeping her voice low. V nodded
“You’re a little too good at convincing me to unwind.”
First, you casually mention that you own a MaxTac uniform.
Then you bring up beginners night at 7th Hell - which ended with me getting handcuffed, bent over a padded bench, and paddled six ways from Sunday. Christ, what a fucking night that was - literally.
That, and I still can’t shake the image of you wet and naked from the shower.
How old am I again?
“This is a crazy idea, even for you.” Judy stated.
“Crazier than fucking your patient slash boss in an emergency suite?” V asked matter of factly. Judy felt heat rush to her cheeks.
“Yes, actually. We were able to lock the door that time - and we didn’t have someone next door either. Not to mention the fact that these walls are hardly made of concrete.”
“Then it’s a good thing you know how to be quiet.” V whispered cupping Judy’s sex through her gown.
“You could stand to be quieter.” Judy shot back, inhaling sharply as V traced a finger over her slit.
“I’m...wha-... I’m quiet when I need to be!” V stammered.
“Prove it.” Judy husked. “It’ll give you a chance to earn back those eddies from earlier.”
“You’re on, Álvarez.” V purred. Judy’s breath hitched in her throat.
“You know I hate it when you do that.”
“You only hate it because you like it.” V leaned in next to Judy’s ear and lowered her voice further. “Deny it all you want.” She briefly removed her hand from Judy’s pussy, noting the newly formed damp patch. “I think the evidence is pretty clear.”
This time Judy was the one at a loss for words. She struggled to find a comeback as V resumed her teasing touch.
“Damn you.” Judy eventually rasped.
They removed their masks, setting them on the metal tray situated between the two stretchers. V withdrew her hand from between Judy’s legs and stood up, moving the tray to the corner of the room before pressing the stretchers together, remembering to engage the safety brakes. Judy shot her an amused look.
“What? We both know what’s going to happen.”
“I wasn’t complaining.” Judy grinned.
V knelt on the makeshift bed, positioning herself in front of Judy. She cupped Judy’s cheek, running her thumb along the lightly flushed skin before grabbing her chin and pulling her in for a hungry kiss.
“Let’s see just how quiet you can stay.”
V placed a hand against Judy’s chest, pushing her onto her back before moving to straddle her. She ran her hands over her breasts, kneading the supple flesh, smirking as she saw stiff peaks straining against the fabric of the gown.
“Always the fuckin’ tease.” Judy whispered.
“Always.”
V kissed her deeply, running her tongue along Judy’s bottom lip, begging for entrance. Judy refused, not wanting to let V gain the upper hand. Instead, she grabbed V behind the neck, pulling her down and kissing her forcefully. V hiked up Judy’s gown just enough to snake a hand underneath, sliding it up her belly and higher still. She ghosted her fingers over a nipple, taking it gently between her thumb and forefinger.
V abruptly pulled away from the kiss only to bury her head in the crook of Judy’s neck, planting soft kisses while her fingers continued to pinch and twist Judy’s nipple gently. She hissed as Judy twisted her fingers in her hair and tightened her grip, encouraging her to give her more. V knew this was Judy’s weak spot, and she had every intention of exploiting it. She ran her tongue along the rose tattoo on the side of her neck, hot breath whispering over the sensitive skin. V could hear Judy breathing harder and felt the grip on her hair tighten. Then, without warning, she sucked at the skin of her neck while twisting the nipple between her fingers, drawing a sharp gasp.
“That’s not fair.” Judy breathed.
“Who said anything about being fair?” V rasped against her neck, fingers circling the other nipple before twisting. Judy moaned.
“You’re going to regret that later.”
“I’m not sure ‘regret’ is the right word.” V smirked. “Sounds like I’m in for a good time.”
“You’re a brat, Val.”
“You haven’t complained so far.”
As much as Judy didn’t want to admit it, V had a point. She enjoyed putting V in her place from time to time, especially since her output knew exactly which buttons to push and how hard to push them. Judy had discovered she enjoyed ‘punishing’ V for her smart mouth and cocky attitude. V might have been in charge at work, but the bedroom was Judy’s territory.
“I can always stop.” V began to withdraw her hand from underneath Judy’s gown.
“No.” Judy responded without hesitation.
“I guess I can keep going.” V licked up her neck, tugging on the bottom of her earlobe with her teeth. “You’ve been pretty quiet so far after all; I want to see if you can keep it up.”
Judy dug her nails into V’s back as the other woman nipped along her collarbone, tongue occasionally darting out to trace languid circles. V was getting cocky, just as Judy hoped she would. She allowed small moans to escape her lips, spurring V on as she began to snake a hand between her legs. She could feel the heat radiating from V’s bare cunt and guessed that she was already drenched. V barely stifled a whimper as Judy slid a finger through her slick folds, circling her clit with her thumb.
“You forget that I know exactly how to unravel you, pet.” She purred, teasing her entrance.
V froze. Not only had Judy used the voice, but she had also addressed her by her recently acquired nickname. She should have seen this coming; Judy always rose to her challenges, and then some. It was one of the many reasons why she loved her.
“Let’s see just how quiet you can be.” Judy husked.
V was unable to stifle the moan that escaped her throat, swiftly biting down on Judy’s shoulder as two fingers entered her without warning. Judy began to lazily thrust her fingers, relishing V’s muffled groans. V began to grind down onto her fingers, but Judy was in no hurry to give her what she wanted. V had decided there were no rules for this game; so she would go all in as well.
Judy gradually withdrew her fingers, sliding them ever so slowly through V’s folds. V bit down on her lower lip, turning to face Judy’s ear. She was unable to form words, reduced to desperate little noises as she rocked her hips against Judy.
“What was that, pet?” Judy’s fingertips lingered at V’s entrance. “You’ll need to speak up.”
She’s really going there.
“Please.”
“Please, what? Address me properly.”
“Please, mistress.”
“Good girl.” Judy purred as she gently slid her fingers back into V. “Now fuck yourself for me. And sit up; I want to watch.”
V immediately complied, propping herself on her knees. Bracing herself on Judy’s shoulders, she began to move her hips up and down. She let out a shaky breath, trying to control the whine that threatened to escape her throat. Judy started to crook her fingers, forcing V to bite her hand to stifle herself.
V tightened her grip on Judy’s shoulder. A light sheen of sweat had formed on her brow, and her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes screwed shut as she continued to fuck herself on Judy’s fingers, moaning into her hand. Judy added a third finger, causing V to shudder. She could tell her output was close, inner walls clenching, trying to draw her fingers in deeper. V braced her hand on Judy’s shoulder once more, biting her lower lip as she chased her orgasm, hips rising and falling greedily.
“How much time would you say we have before they come to check on us again?” Judy suddenly withdrew her fingers and placed a hand on V’s hip to still her movement.
V inhaled sharply, quivering as she tried to focus on the question. She had been close, so fucking close.
“Seriously?” She asked, frustration evident in her strained voice. The look in Judy’s eye told her that she wasn’t playing. “I don’t know, ten minutes?
Judy grasped the front of her gown and lifted it just above her hips.
“Then you better get to work. if we still have time, I’ll think about letting you cum.”
V hadn’t known it was possible to be equal parts turned on and frustrated. She started to think about the remaining time, the possibility of someone walking in at any moment, consequences that could arise from their spur-of-the-moment idea.
Fuck it.
“Time’s ticking, Val.”
V hastily positioned herself between Judy’s thighs. The scent of her arousal was intoxicating, and her folds glistened in the ambient light. V bit her lip.
“If you say anything about a pelvic exam, I’m leaving you.” Judy deadpanned.
“You never let me have any fun.”
V kissed up her inner thigh, locking eyes with Judy when she was just shy of her sex. She raised a finger to the middle of her lips, reminding her output to keep quiet. Judy rolled her eyes. She stifled a high-pitched moan as V began to suck her clit, tongue occasionally swirling around the sensitive bud. V used the flat of her tongue to trace along her sex, lapping up the copious wetness. She grasped Judy’s hips, holding her in place as she began to suck harder on her clit
Judy had bitten her bottom lip bruised. She grasped a handful of V’s hair, holding her hard against her. V’s tongue pushed past her entrance, teasing briefly before fucking her in earnest. Judy grabbed the pillow next to her and placed it over the lower half of her face, releasing an unrestrained moan into the fabric. It muffled the sound - mostly. V continued to plunge her tongue into Judy’s slick passage, ignoring the burning in her lungs. She attempted to readjust her position, but Judy held her firmly in place.
Judy’s hips began to buck, and she tightened her grip on V’s hair. V inhaled sharply; the pain combined with Judy’s intoxicating scent further added to her arousal. She increased her hold on Judy’s thighs to maintain her tongue’s unrelenting pace. The fear of being discovered was gone, replaced by the need to make her output cum screaming. She moaned into Judy’s pussy, withdrawing her tongue briefly to trace a languid line along her slit, savoring the wetness. Her denied cunt was aching, but all she could think about was Judy.
She captured Judy’s clit between her lips, sliding two fingers into her hot wet cunt. She crooked them forward gently at first before increasing the pressure. Judy cast the pillow off to the side, inhaling sharply before letting out the most delightful, needy whimper that V had ever heard. Before long, she had added a third finger, pumping as hard as she could while continuing to suck on Judy’s clit. She felt Judy’s walls begin to tighten and flutter around her fingers. Judy’s eyes screwed shut, and her back arched as her mouth fell open in a silent scream. Her orgasm caught V by surprise as a rush of hot fluid soaked her chin and dribbled along her fingers. V gradually slowed her movements, delivering one last pass of her tongue through Judy’s folds before lightly kissing them. She had the biggest grin on her face as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
Judy was on her in an instant, crashing their lips together as she pressed V back into the stretcher’s mattress. V moaned into her mouth as Judy thrust two fingers into her soaked, slick passage; obscene sounds filled the room as she established a punishing rhythm. V’s breathing was ragged as she bucked her hips into Judy, desperate to feel as much of her as she could. She could feel her orgasm approaching, silent curses spilling from her lips. She looked up at Judy with pleading eyes.
“You look so fuckin’ beautiful right now; you know that?” Judy gradually slowed her movements until her fingers remained still inside V’s throbbing cunt. She swept away the sweat-drenched fringe from V’s forehead.
V groaned low in her throat from the loss. Time wasn’t on her side; she knew, Judy definitely knew. She rocked her hips against Judy’s hand, trying to get her to resume her movements.
“I guess I can let you cum now.” Judy lightly brushed her thumb over V’s clit. “You’ve been such a good girl after all.”
The praise sent another jolt of pleasure to V’s core, her inner walls clenched around Judy’s fingers.
“Somebody liked that.” Judy smirked, leaning down next to V’s ear. “Didn’t you, pet.” She husked, sliding a third finger into V.
“Yes, mistress.” V gasped.
“Such a good girl.” Judy purred. “Look at me when you cum.”
V didn’t have time to respond as Judy immediately began to thrust her fingers, curling them to brush against V’s front wall. V’s eyes slammed shut, and she bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood. She quickly remembered Judy’s instruction and slowly opened her eyes, stomach clenched as Judy brought her closer and closer to the edge. She was whimpering, breathing harshly as she locked eyes with Judy. There was no mistaking the hunger there. V’s vision blurred as her orgasm finally took her. She reached up and grabbed Judy behind the neck, pulling her in and releasing a shuddering moan into her mouth, which Judy drank eagerly. Judy continued to fuck her through her orgasm, eventually slowing her movement and withdrawing her fingers. She brought them up to her mouth, sucking each one individually as V watched.
“Fuck.” V’s chest was still heaving.
“That’s exactly what we did.” Judy smirked, leaning in to give V a tender kiss.
“And you know, I’d do it all again.”
“Too bad we don’t have enough time for another go.”
Oh shit, the time!
“Speaking of which, they’re going to be back any second now. Here.” V reached over to the metal tray table and grabbed the bottle of hand sanitizer.
“Good idea.” Judy chuckled, accepting a pump of the gel.
“Don’t forget your mask; you need it - got a lil’ something here.” V points to her lower lip, unsuccessfully suppressing a grin.
“Well, you’ve got a lil’ something there too.” Judy shot back. V felt the heat rise in her cheeks, quickly placing her mask back on her face.
At least these will hide some of the evidence.
She looked down at the messy state of her gown; Judy’s wasn’t exactly clean either.
These, on the other hand. Why couldn’t they leave us with a spare gown? Or at least a hairdryer.
V maneuvered the stretchers back to their original position, and they fixed each other’s hair as best as possible, laughing at their fruitless attempts. Finally, they sat on their respective stretchers, pretending that they had been model patients the entire time, hands placed strategically on the front of their gowns. Barely a minute had passed before there was a knock on the door.
“Hello again. Just need to grab another set of vitals.” The nurse returned with the vitals monitor and the assistant.
V and Judy held their collective breaths, hoping that the nurses wouldn’t comment on their state. When the assistant finished annotating the readings, they called the nurse over, pointing to the clipboard.
“Interesting. Your heart rate, blood pressure, temperature - they’re all elevated compared to when we brought you in. Are you two feeling alright?” The nurse asked with genuine concern.
They looked at each other.
“I feel great, you?” Judy stated matter of factly.
“I actually feel better than when I came in.” V responded confidently.
They sat there in silence, putting on their best poker faces as their hearts hammered in their chests.
“It’s probably just the equipment acting up.” The assistant eventually observed with a hint of nervousness in their voice. “Anyways. Good news, your results came back negative. We’ll be prepping you to transfer to the hospital shortly.”
V and Judy let out a sigh of relief before quickly realizing that there would be evaluators at the hospital - and they would notice what they’d been up to. Then, just as their hearts began to race, an announcement was made throughout the tent.
INDEX
INDEX
INDEX
V and Judy looked at one another, this time with huge smiles across their faces. The exercise was over; they could disappear now before anyone could notice what they’d been doing.
“Thanks for everything, nurse. Now, if you wouldn’t mind returning our clothes, it would be greatly appreciated.” V said.
“Of course, doctor.” The nurse nodded and quickly exited the room along with the assistant.
As soon as the door closed, V and Judy doubled over in a fit of laughter, wiping tears from their eyes.
“Dr. Valerie? Álvarez? A familiar voice asked from the room over.
“Palmer?” Judy asked in astonishment. Nurse Palmer from cardiology was one of the last people she’d expect to be next door. She appeared in their doorway soon after.
“Damn, I didn’t know you two got roped into this patient mess too.”
“We got ‘lucky’ this year.’ V scoffed.
‘We’re all bound to draw the short straw eventually.” Panam squinted, noting the state of Judy’s neck. “Damn, they did you up good with the moulage!” She snickered, pointing to her neck.
“What? Oh yeah, right, they sure did.” Judy chuckled nervously, hand moving to cover her neck.
“Everyone knows COV-ID is transferred from mouth to neck after all.” Panam winked before walking away.
Judy crossed her arms across her chest and turned to face V slowly, eyes narrowed. V’s cheeks felt like they were on fire.
“You just had to go for my neck, didn’t you?“
“Hey, at least I was quiet about it.” V quipped, holding up her hands innocently.
Judy rolled her eyes and walked over to V, entwining their fingers together.
“Come on; we need an actual shower now.”
“I know a place nearby, little place in Megabuilding H10. Does a thorough job; big, big brushes.” V grinned, holding out her hands for effect.
“Orange suds?” Judy asked, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
“The orangest in all Night City.”
“But does this place let me wear my MaxTac uniform afterward?”
“It’s the preferred attire.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Judy grinned.
Viktor to V:
