Day in the Life Of

Roleplay Library
1

OOC: I just wanted to get this thread going again, as it had probably some of the more interesting posts I’ve read.

This is a case study of sorts of how the same situation would be handled in different parts of the country.

IC:

Coocoobad Police Precinct #9

The fax arrived from HQ about 1945.

The important part was something like this.

— Begin quote from ____

A Jason TIDGELY, 28, has failed to return to his halfway house by 7’O Clock curfew. The description of Mr. Tidgely this morning was that he was wearing a red tank top and blue jeans. He is 189 Centimetres tall and weighs 88 kilograms. Mr. Tidgely was on day-parole for Aggravated Sexual Assault dating to 1995 in the Brackett area. Mr. Tidgely will likely try to return to Brackett, Starlight City, or the surrounding area, as he has numerous acquaintances. Citizens are to be advised not to approach him if spotted, but to call 999.

— End quote

“Hey Tik. Tik? TIK!” The officer receiving the fax called for his supervisor. After a brief explanation, Sergeant Tikhonov explained how the fax was useless.

“If he’s headed up north, he’s changed his clothes. Plus, the idiots didn’t give us hair or eye colour…or even skin colour. It’s useless, I won’t have the officers in the field grasping at straws like this.” Tikhonov’s Lieutenant called Headquarters, but by then, Tidgely had already boarded a bus, which would have been a mistake, only the police officers at the bus station didn’t have the description, because their supervisor had also decided it was useless.

The only thing HQ had done right was notify the SCPD that he was on the way and sure enough, when the last plane from Panjuhr rolled in, he was on it.

Aubrey Police Headquarters, Washington Avenue, East Aubrey

The automated e-mail from the halfway house arrived at 1915. The desk Sergeant looked it over. Basically, a parolee had violated conditions by not reporting to the parole officer at the halfway house and was now to be arrested. The email had been typed up as part of his release and included all vital information and was sent automatically, when the parole officer didn’t check off in the computer system that she had arrived for her meeting. Over the in car computers, the standard e-mail for a wanted person came out.

— Begin quote from ____

Name: RODGERS Shiela June
Gender: F
Age: 34
Wt: 45
Ht: 145
Status: Paroled, 3 FEB 07 reg. ARMED ROBBERY, Feb 04.
SUBJ FAILED TO MEET WITH PAROLE OFFICER AND IS SUBJECT OF NATIONAL WARRANT. ARREST ON SIGHT. SUBJ HAS RECORD OF VIOLENT CRIMES AND MAY BE ARMED.

— End quote

The alert went out across the city.

0205, Garden Island, Central Aubrey

The patrol unit assigned to the two small islands along the Arthur Currie Causeway responded quietly to the reports of a car driving erratically. Sure enough they found it and after running the licence plates and discovering it was stolen, they pulled it over for the arrest, as with two of them in the car, it was ok. The typical commands followed.

“LEADING WITH YOUR HANDS, EXIT THE VEHICLE”

“STOP”

“LIE ON YOUR STOMACH”

With that, the driver was cuffed and searched. She produced a Konhoa Driver’s licence that was a horrible forgery. Her actual one was found hidden in the vehicle. When her name was run, it was revealed that she was the parole violator the city had been warned about. With this new charge of giving a false name to a peace officer, she would be headed back to jail, as her parole was revoked.

2

Neorvins Road Infirmary, Neorvins Road, Coldfield District, Western For’af, East Dannistaan
09:00 EPT

It was the first day of full service for the new hospital, which had opened it doors for business shortly after the visit from President Drapeau and Prime Minister Kerk. There was a lull, as there always is, during the graveyard shift. But once the city of For’af had woken up and rush hour was under way, the number of patients visiting the Accidents and Emergencies department sky rocketed.

“Please line up to the left for the A and E reception! Please keep the right hand side of the corridor clear! Thank you!” shouted a nurse through a megaphone. The line for treatment snaked right around the block and around itself at least 3 times. Many of the people in the line were people from the deprived communities, mostly East Dannistrians who lived in the southern slums of For’af and Bai Lungese from the BL-town areas in the north of the city. Many people in the line will have relied on unlicensed medics in the past, often with tragic or very painful results. So the new hospital was a massive godsend and many were taking advantage of the free care it was providing.

“Please line up to the left for the Accidents and Emergency reception! Please keep the right hand side of the corridor clear for access! Thank you!” the nurse repeated in Mandarin. Other staff started handing out number tickets to order and prioritise the people in it. Water was handed out to those needing refreshments. The line moved as quickly as it was filled, resulting in a still very long line as people waited.

Cubicle 4, Accidents and Emergencies Department
10:00 EPT

“…and how long has your leg been hurting, Ms. Ha’nah?” the doctor asked the patient, a Dannistrian women in her 40’s. She was struggled to sit up on the bed to answer the doctor as a nurse took down some notes.
“Since last Tuesday. It’s been hurting before then, but nothing as bad as this!” she gritted her teeth as the doctor examined it.
“It sounds like a fracture but I’ll have to send you to the X-Ray department to be sure. We’ll wheel you over there shortly and the pictures should come through in about 15 minutes,” the doctor replied
“Thank you,” Ms. Ha’nah seemed greatful as she was helped into a wheelchair and taken to the X-Ray department.

3

Hospital #11421, Chiron District, Malev
Maternity ward

The red light was blinking.

“Doctor Zanik?” The young adept’s voice was whispered at first, then gained full color when his mentor failed to respond. “Doctor Zanik? There’s a red light on tank seventeen.”
“I saw it.” Cornelius Zanik, M.D., double-checked the panel of lights just in case. In truth, he wasn’t quite sure the first time. Sure enough, the red light was blinking. Had it been the blue light, or the white light, there would be cause for concern. The red light meant that months of anxiety would soon be over, one way or another. “Well then, let’s get to work. Tell Siobhan to make the call to the parents. They’ll want to be here.”

The young adept hurried off. In any other nation, she would be called, quite accurately, an intern. Maternity was the second of twelve such brief “internships” she would have to undergo before she began her formal education. Each would take at least three months. It had been fifty years since Zanik had made his own rounds. The Physiologue Caste had always required this of their adepts, and would have it no other way. Alone once more, he made the short walk down the hallway to number seventeen’s chamber. The hall was quiet, empty save for a few nurses making their rounds between the tank chambers. He found the chamber, shut the door, and flicked on the lights.

It was not as if the room had been entirely dark before. It had been lit, but only in the manner that the hallway, Zanik’s office, the rest of the hospital, and indeed most of the city was lit. That is to say, a surface-dweller would have found it almost intolerably dim. For such an operation, this was intolerable, and so the room was bathed in light that a surface-dweller might actually have found normal. Zanik did not envy surgeons, who had to deal with much more, and so often found themselves half-blind off shift.

The light illuminated a metallic, conical machine about the size of a mid-sized stove. It was ringed with rows and rows of assorted tools, and supported a large, cylindrical tank filled with a thick red fluid. A round-looking, undefined dark object floated in the center of the tank. As the lights came on, a holopool on one end of the machine flickered to life, projecting the illusion of a sheet of information:

— Begin quote from ____

Patient #328815
Gua: Rob, Francesca Loh
S: Male
Pft: 113
M: 2.03
Ins: 5/3/07 — 4/2/341
Prog: Complete
Path: see Attached
TTU: Negative
VacStat: All but 341, see Notes
GenEng: HonBiogen standard model 4th Ed. upgrades #0011
Op: ReIsh 6/11/07 — 4/42/341
OB: Normal
Ins: ChironInd plan, renewed annually
Notes: Cranial damage in first trimester prior to Ins., 6/11 ReIsh att. to treat, complications not expected but more likely than usual

— End quote

“Doctor Zanik?” There was the voice again, as the young adept hurried in, followed by a pair of nurses. “I’ve reached the Lohs. They’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“Then let’s not disappoint them. Have you ever seen an artificial birth before, Miss Bowes?”
The intern shook her head. “No. Just natural. My sister insisted on it. She says it’s more natural or something. There are always a few”
“And there’s a first time for everything.” Zanik let a smile cross his face, washed his hands at the room’s sink, put on a pair of gloves, and turned to the machine. “For your benefit, I will explain as I go. It would be wise to take notes.”

“I will begin by disengaging the flotation.” Zanik began pressing buttons on the machine’s console. “This is to minimize the risk of the next step. The clamps are to operate manually if the automated systems shut down.” As he spoke, the dark shape in the tank drifted downward, settling on the bottom. “The next step is to drain the amnion tank.” Sure enough, the red fluid quickly lowered, leaving a meniscus that crawled slowly down the inside of the tank in meandering rivulets.

Once the fluid had cleared, the shape within was clearly revealed. It was a mass of silvery parts, technological substitutes for the biological mechanisms of a uterus. Over and within it was draped the sleeping form of a tiny, wrinkled human infant with a full head of fuzzy black hair. As Zanik dictated his next action, the sides of the tank withdrew into the base of the artificial womb.

The doctor and both nurses abandoned the console and took positions around the infant. “Heart rate and breathing are normal. No sign of cranial complications. We will remove the placenta before detachment.” Zanik reached into a cavity in the artificial uterus, and there was a sharp click. He pulled out a small, round apparatus, and handed it to a nurse, who set it aside in a tray. The other nurse joined the doctor in detaching additional parts of the artificial uterus and handing them to the first. At last, all of the parts were gone, save for a small breathing mask attached to the child’s face.

Picking up the infant, Zanik set him in a plain metal bassinet attached to one wall of the room. “Ceasing sedatives in three…two…one…” He gently removed the mask, and a piercing cry rang out. He turned to the young adept. “Lung function is normal.” He had used that line on every adept making rounds here for the last thirty-seven years. “Miss Bowes, please retrieve the diagnostic cart. It should be right outside.”

One hour later, Francesca and Rob Loh left the hospital with a healthy baby boy.

4

Metropolitan Clinic - Generalist Ward
Commune* of Kêrâl-Centre, Mariya Khanate

Dovakhan has a national insurance and social welfare scheme known as Social Security. It has four classes (A-D) covering things ranging medical care, retirement security, disability, and unemployment. For example, working adults are enrolled in the «Class A» programme which pays for most medical care and pharmaceuticals.

In return, recipients pay premiums each month based on their salary and lifestyle choices. Also to continue to benefit from the programme, receivers must undergo a medical exam at least once a year to determine their continued eligibility in the specific programme as well as the premium they must pay, if any. Today, Dâvîdê Mârvâlît, a 50 year-old engineer, is having one such exam performed on him by his registered GP, who keeps his private practise** at the local clinic.

For about half an hour, the middle-aged engineer moves around the exam room and has all of his vital signs, physical specs, and bodily fluid composition checked. Finally, the doctors comes in with a clipboard to give his findings.

«It’s a good thing that you’ve kept your weight down, Engineer, because your heart has been taking a beating from your smoking habits. And yes, I know you’re still smoking, your heart and blood scans are telltale signs.

Of course, you are aware of the health effects, but you should also know that this is why your Social Security premium is so expensive. Admittedly, you make too much money to be 100% covered**, but your payments would go down substantially if you put down the cigarette!» the GP said somewhat accusingly.

«I know doc, I’ve been trying to quit… but you know how it is» Dâvîdê replied with a hint of shame in his voice.

«Yes, that’s why I’ve specifically checked to see if you’re a good candidate for this new drug, called Varencline. It helps you quit by blocking your nicotine receptors. It has worked wonders with all of my patients. You’ll see if you agree to let me prescribe it to you» the Doctor said.

«OK… I’ll give it a try» the patient replied.

The GP then wrote up a prescription on his pad, specifying a few weeks worth of the standard dosage and handing the paper to his patient.

«Well, that concludes our session. Please hand the guy at the billing office your your Social Security and Mutual*** cards so he can scan them. By the way, are you still with the Engineer’s Guild Mutual?»

Answering in the affirmative to the doctor’s question, the Engineer shook his hand and promised he’d do his best to quit for next time. He pulled out his two health insurance cards and took them to Billing, which was down the hall. One was the green «Vital» card that carried his Social Security information and basic health stats, the other was an orange card issued by his Mutual. Both were smart cards that would be read by a special cash machine and whose information would be sent to the two companies for processing.

«The difference paid by your Mutual was 150 Lîröt****, and the percentage breakdown will show up on your receipt. Our secretary will telex your results to the Social Security Office as soon as possible. I don’t think it will change, but you’ll receive notification of any premium adjustment, which would take place in one month from now. Finally, be sure to notify the Doctor if you stop smoking, because you’ll be eligible for a discount at that time. Please have a nice day» the cashier said while his machine printed a paper slip for the patient’s records.

Engineer Dâvîdê Mârvâlît walked out the door, across the street, and stood at the platform to wait for the number 5 tram back to his house. After a couple of minutes, he finally pulled out a neatly-rolled cigarette and began to smoke it. He told himself that it would be the very last one, really… maybe.

  • Township, in this case the township that comprises the oldest part of the capital city of the Mariya Khanate

** Doctors in Dovakhan are private healthcare agents, as opposed to be being employed by the health system, though they often keep their offices in government or non-profit sponsored clinic buildings that allow patients easy access to healthcare. Nurses may be private or public, depending on the facility they operate in.

*** Above a certain salary, the more you make, the less you are covered by Social Security, Class A. In this case, most people take up a secondary insurance with a non-profit «Mutual» organisation, sometimes provided through their employer.

**** 30$

5

Bornsville, Tudor Oblast
Brian’s Gun Shop

The Brian’s chain had been a problem since day one. The advertising, the slogans, had all come true. They were arming criminals, no doubt, but almost totally legally. Almost. Their problem was that they sold to exporters, who took the weapons from Coocoostan’s total lack of gun laws and exported it to nearly total-opposite Kelssek. The clerk was even kind enough to have an M16 with the underslung Grenade Launcher on the counter when the Starlight City Police walked in and arrested him, as one of his deals a few days ago had been an undercover police officer. Of course, since they’d waited, he’d never know who. But what about the other end of all this?

Coocoobad Federal City
Little Pyongjing

The ambulance attendants had slowed their pace once it was clear their patient was gone. Slumped on his side on the sidewalk was a man in his late teens, dead of a drug overdose. They had called the police naturally, with the patrol units handling it routinely. It was only when the drug was located and in such large quantities that the Anti-Gang Unit was called in. Captain Arkatov was again working, the twenty-eighth straight day and the Sergeant of this part of town’s night watch was there to breif him.
“It’s Kelssekian Coek Sir, it just has to be. He’s got the better part of a Kilo and he’s just a user. Just the look of it is quite pure, of course, we’ve got samples for the KMP lab.”
“Isn’t the National Police Lab good enough Sergeant?” Arkatov was testing the man.
“Sir? They’re of poorer quality and we won’t get the results back for six months. If we tell the mounties about this drugs for guns scheme, they’ll help us.”
“That’s right. Where’d it come from?”
One of the rank and file AGU, his face smothered by a balaclave, pointed to the “Freedom Bar”, little Bai Lung’s only one and for good reason. The police had been here so much that the city refused to licence anyone else in the area. Arkatov walked in in quite the rage, as the four weeks of scenes like this consumed him. He took the nearest patron’s drinks and smashed them on the floor. “Who is selling this to you?!” he shouted at the bartender. The man stared at him, so Arkatov kicked over a table, sending the five people sitting at it running into the street. “How much business do you want to lose?” The man wasn’t talking, so Arkatov stopped and had him detained, thereby closing the bar. He was upset that he’d become so violent and would be the first to admit a few weeks on the beach in the Graysons or something would be in order…right after this case was over. Now that organized crime was largely gone and the Cheka was under control,this Guns for Drugs swap had to stop.

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