Starchild: Dark Reign

Chapter 5

Nursing Specialist Tabitha Turnings had the night shift for the security ward where all the high-risk patients were administered to under lock and key. These individuals were considered non-rehabilitated and needed 24 hour care—under a careful and watchful eye.

And the woman went about her rounds like normal—until she reached Suite 207-B; where she was met by a small security force of Praetorial Guardsmen.

Tabitha stopped for a second and crossed her arms in mild disgust.

"Come on Tanners...are we going to keep doing this until I get off work tomorrow morning?"

The new security chief held up his hands in blind apology. "Hey, I'm sorry, but you know the rules. Only those with an Alpha clearance can pass through those doors."

The woman sighed heavily and batted her eyes at him deliberately.

"I am cleared for access on every wing of this hospital facility, Charlie. You want to scan my personnel badge too? I got it right here." And she pulled at the small zip line on her breast pocket, so the transparent, circuitry filled badge, would reach the built-in scanner plate on the desk in front of her.

It beeped twice and then went green.

"See?" She muttered in solid triumph.

One of the guards manning the desk looked back at the security chief in mild amusement. "She has your comm link number down cold."

Instead of dragging out the inevitable, the man in question sighed.

"Go on," he relented in quiet defeat. "Harper? Jones? You're joining her."

"But—?" One of the younger men started to protest. "Sir...that suite just gives me the creeps. It's gotten so dark and cold since the last time anyone's been in there. Because of you know who is in there."

"So am I your fucking wet nurse? Make the necessary adjustments on the environmental controls. That's what they are there for!"

Both men looked at one another and got up slowly. "Fine. But I'm taking Sally in with me."

"Sally?" Tabitha motioned with some personal amusement.

"Name for his pulse rifle. He has a new girlfriend all of a sudden," Harper explained—granting the night nurse access to the other room.

Tabitha grinned despite the seriousness of the situation at hand—before opening the door and walking right into a freezer.

Chafing her arms for a moment, she cursed.

"You're right about that," the woman observed. "What the hell happened to the environmental controls in this room? Are they on the blink?"

Jones moved to the room's side panel—located on the inside facing the door—and checked.

The thing beeped several times in response to his probing, but refused to engage.

"Yeah, it must be a faulty unit. The temperature gradient refuses to budge one iota. It's stuck at minus seventeen Fahrenheit."

"Why there? The nurse asked, trying to repress the chill that was now seeping into her body. What she was wearing was not made for subzero temperatures of any kind. Any place.

The man shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Can you fetch me robe or a jacket or something so I don't freeze my butt off here?"

"I can get one from one of the storage lockers outside," Harper volunteered then. "Won't take me more than a minute." Then he disappeared and left Jones and the night nurse all by themselves.