Story Seed - Poison City

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"It's worse than HQ thought sir." Adams picked up his hand scanner and showed it to Sergeant Kline, "See here? Hydrogen sulfide levels are through the roof, carbon -monoxide and -dioxide levels are significantly elevated as well. It's no wonder we haven't seen any sign of even insect life."

Kline nodded, "Check the soil anyway. You two, fan out and see if there is any salvage worth reporting to the recovery teams. I'm going to check on Murphy again." The sergeant watched his three remaining men get busy and then headed to where Murphy was propped up. The man's leg was glistening wetly with a deep red bloom. "Murph, how're you doing? Need another chem?"

Murphy looked up, his face was pallid and glossy with perspiration. "I've had better days sir, but at least the pressure cuff is keeping my atmo clean, even if it's not helping my leg any. I don't think any more chems is a good idea, you've got me loaded up more than I'd normally give to any of you if I'm speaking frankly. I'm pretty groggy as is."

"Aye, but if you pass out that'll leave us to fall back on basic field medicine to treat our medic. I don't need to tell you that seems like a cluster." Murphy nodded wordlessly, tiredly. "Adams says the atmo here is worse than expected, nothing but poison. Hell, it's bad enough even the roaches are dead. I got the others doing a final sweep before the extraction skiff gets here. ETA is just over fifteen minutes. You going to be OK 'till then doc?"

"Y-yeah, just hurts like hell. Kinda ... burns ..." Murphy's nodded forward and Kline saw a readout on his HUD go to orange; the medic was unconscious, and his vitals weren't strong.

The sergeant tapped his long range comms, "Charlie Vector Seven, can you put the burn on? Our medic just went You-Cee, and there's a ton of blood. We need to get him evaced and in the hands of somebody who knows something." There was a buzzing in his ear in reply and then he nodded, "OK, but I can't do anything here, this place is too toxic to risk opening his suit and trying to get at the wound. Best time requested, I'll send up a buoy."

Kline tapped a few buttons on his gauntlet and a buoy drone deployed from his suit's backpack storage, quickly gaining altitude as it broadcast a homing beacon and flashed a bright halogen pulse once a second. "OK folks boat's coming in early, wrap it up and head to the El-Zee. Roberts, I'm going to need a hand with Murphy, he passed out a bit ago."