Gamma Emission: Unintended Side-effects

[Sweno]

This short fic is something that has been bouncing around in my head for a while now. Mainly it was due to wondering what having super-powers would do to the
rest of a persons life, when they aren't showing the villian of the week the error of their ways.

-----------------------------

Gamma Emission:

Unintended Side-effects

If someone told me I would be punching freakshow in the jimmies while dressed like a streetwalker six months ago, I would have them sent to the psych ward. Now
I just hope that I don't get fined for indecent exposure in another six months.

I came to Paragon City because they needed nurses, and the pay wasn't anything to scoff at either.

Sure I knew there where risks, but you follow procedures and make sure to wear protective gear and you'll be fine. At least that was the plan. The army has
a saying about plans and enemy contact that is fits the ER just as well.

Ideally each heros powers, gear, and whatnot is kept on file. That way when they are teleported in we know if they should be sent to the mages on level 3, the
surgeons on level 4, or the mechanics on level 5. More often then not it doesn't matter what floor someone is sent to, someone from another floor is called
in to take a look at things. Mutants fighting Circle of thorns, Battlesuited normals being hit with an energy ray of some sort, the lines end up blurring real
fast. And we just try to keep them alive and get them back on their feet.

I don't know how many times I ripped my gloves reaching into some jagged metal hole in someone's side, or how many times strangely glowing goo was
spattered on my clothes. Sure, we are supposed to go through decontamination before changing levels if there is anything on us that we can't name. But with
the recent Rikti aggression there are times when I don't have 4 minutes to spare.

It doesn't really matter what the cause of was any more, just that it happened. I got exposed to one too many weird combinations of chemicals, spells, and
otherworldly energies. The end result of which is that I can beat the xray machine when it comes to millirad output.

The first few days I was a mess, convicted that I had somehow gotten exposed to enough radiation that I became 'hot' enough to trigger the sensors in
the mech lab. I calmed down three days later when I was a) still alive, and b) not suffering any of the classical symptoms of radiation sickness.

Over the past few months I have learned to control my abilities. On a good day I can keep my output below the dosage you get from handling a smoke alarm.
I'm not going to mention the bad days. The more calm and collected I can be, the less I emit.

But the ER is hardly a calm and collected place. It was strongly 'suggested' that find another avenue of employment. Hero Corps was quick to offer
alternative income. Some people may criticize them for being mercenary or profiting from a bad situation, but all I know is that they helped me get back on my
feet.

New housing (installing lead shielding in my old apartment wasn't an option); a new job (bombarding people with high energy particles for fun and profit);
and, most importantly, I feel like I am helping people people again (the doctors always did say preventive care is best).

But life isn't all roses now that spend my days (and sometimes my nights as well) introducing various malcontents to my particular take on high energy
physics.

Sure I can modulate the type of radiation I put out. Everything from low power doses that stimulate healing, to heavy particle bombardment that leaves the
person wondering which way is up. But it doesn't change the fact that I'm still outputting radiation of one form or another. And it does have a
cumulative affect on anything near me for long periods of time. More specifically anything I'm wearing. Depending on how hard I have to work, a shirt can
last three to five incidents before it starts to put out more radiation that I do when relaxed. Pants tend to last a week. Gloves and shoes can hold out for
two too three weeks. I spend most of my time fighting evils of one kind or another, but what do I worry about when I get home? If I have enough saved up to pay
for clothing this month.

When I first started out it was long pants, t-shirt, sweater, heavy boots, jacket.

Now it's short skirts, cutoff t-shirts, converses, and a long jacket that more often than not gets left at the door. The less cloth there is to absorb
radiation, the longer it lasts. Any distractions this may cause are purely unintentional.

The only thing worse than my clothing situation is my dating prospects. My current style of dress may get me plenty of inquiries at the bar, but those quickly
dry up once they learn what happens when I get 'excited'. As much as people laugh at my jokes about 'healing energies' and 'ensuring the
next generation of mutants' on missions, I have yet to meet a guy willing to expose his family jewels my tender mercies. The only guy I can think of that
wouldn't mind would be Positron, but there is no way that I'd date someone who seems to get that much enjoyment out of sending new heroes on a
glorified scavenger hunt.

I'm starting to wonder if I'll have to switch sides to get any.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

[Wiregeek]

I laughed - well done, Sweno!

You gonna roll a version of Gamma on redside?
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

[Rev Dark]

I quite enjoyed this, well done

[Acyl]

Agreed, this is really cool. The origin story is just totally different and hilarious. Never thought what it must be like to be one of those poor folks working
in a Paragon hospital. =D

And the effects of radiation on everyday life...hah, just hah.

Thing is, though, this is Paragon City. I'm sure besides Positron there's, y'know, invulnerable guys, undead guys, robot guys...

...not that the latter is, y'know, necessarily a good idea, but Citadel totally has that android sex-symbol thing going for him, he's like a buffer
Brent Spiner...

(ok, maybe not)
-- Acyl

[Ankhani]

As Jackie noted: "Been there, done that, had to change the batteries"

--

Regardless, it is quite a fascinating story. Realism and hero powers can combine to make much amusement.
---

The Master said: "It is all in vain! I have never yet seen a man who can perceive his own faults and bring the charge home against himself."

>Analects: Book V, Chaper XXVI

[Bob Schroeck]

Realism and hero powers can combine to make much amusement.

You know, I hear there's this fanfic series that tries to do that kind of thing, in between anime crossovers and whatnot. Something about a drunk in the title...
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Sofaspud]

I think I know the one you're talking about, Bob. Isn't that the one that hasn't been updated in, like, forever?

*ducks*

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

[Bob Schroeck]

Oh, it's been updated, just not where any readers can see it.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Foxboy]

MEanie! (


''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[Sweno]

Gamma Emission:

Nucleosynthesis

What a difference a day can make. Granted I still have clothing problems, and my monetary situation hasn't improved all that much, but things are
definitely improving on the boyfriend front. I met him while investigating a rather disturbing trend in freakshow activity and we got along like gangbusters.

We chatted while we waited for the walking toasters to try their inevitable energizer bunny impression, and I found out he isn't bothered by my radioactive
tendencies (It was at this point of the night that my libido firmly reclassified him from 'dependable teammate that does nice things to a pair of
jeans' to 'foxtrot uniform charlie kilo'). What followed was pummeling on freakshow peppered with complimentary innuendo, a quick post-combat break
to clean up, dinner with large side of suggestive conversation, and a much more enjoyable form of recreation safely ensconced behind the lead shielding at my
apartment.

Explaining to my Hero Corps contact this morning that, no I hadn't joined the Circle of Thorns, wasn't fun; especially once she clued into what had
happened. (Apparently a fellow tenant had heard something, saw the 'spooky green glow' leaking out from under the door, and immediately jumped to the
wrong conclusion). But she was nice enough to classify it as a 'Unexpected Power Manifestation', which means that they foot the bill for a new bed as
long as I get a medical checkup later this week. On the plus side I now have a bed that doesn't act like a night light, on the down side enduring the
extensive physical later won't be fun. I swear there is a lab tech who is convinced the bacteria in my gut are the solution to the worlds nuclear waste
problems.

So now I get to sit on my new bed and sort through everything in my bedroom and see what is salvageable, while ignoring how delightfully sore I am in all the
right places. I have come up with a few conclusions:

1) I need better shielding in the bedroom, as everything within 4 feet of the bed is now going in big radioactive waste container

2) The use of accelerated metabolism last night was both my best and worst idea ever

2a) whomever does a comprehensive study on how powers can be applied to the bedroom will become the next Alfred Kinsey

3) Afterglow is a far too literal term in my case.

4) I'm calling in a favor from one of the mages at the hospital, I need sheets that will block all electromagnetic radiation above the visible spectrum. I
don't care if the spell turns them purple.

5) The fact that this looks to be a long term relationship is far too cool to contemplate.

------

Since I have had several people ask about the clothing issue in game I figured I'd lay out my logic here.

Gamma's clothing slowly becomes more radioactive the longer she uses her powers while wearing it (and no, fighting skyclad isn't an option).

At some point they become radioactive enough that even if she isn't outputting anything, walking around poses a health risk to those nearby.

The less cloth there is to absorb radiation, the longer it takes to reach that danger point (a thick bulky sweater has more mass, and therefore will absorb
radiation faster, than a cutoff t-shirt)

Clothing that is enchanted to not absorb (block) all radiation would cut down on her abilities far to much (and it is a ways outside of her price range)

Clothing that is enchanted to not absorb (let it pass through) all radiation has a nasty habit of being see through, and hence defeating it's main purpose.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

[Ebony]

This really reminds me of Plutonium Lady, my rad/rad over on Champion. Due to the nature of her powers, she spent her first 20 levels in a containment suit,
living in a shielded wing of the Terra Nova reactor. She's gotten her powers under control, and reacted to the prospect of never being able to take the
suit off outside a shielded area by becoming something of an exhibitionist. Every successive costume slot has been more and more revealing.

She was fun. I should go back and play her again.
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com

"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."

[Sofaspud]

CAn't... breATHE... laughing... *choke*

Curse you, dangit! Now, whenever someone spouts off with "gather for AM", I'm going to have to suppress mental images of a superhero orgy.

I like these. More? Please?

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

[Render]

Bwah ha ha! That's a use for AM that had, until now, escaped my attention. And... afterglow. Hee.

[Sweno]

Gamma Emission:

Fissionable Goods (pt 1)

I used to enjoy being at the hospital. Being able to help people is one of the nicest feeling in the world. But now the rush of transporter room is the last
thing I need, and my training as an ER Nurse isn't much use anywhere else. All the possible interactions of powers and drugs means that if someone is here
for long term observation they are assigned to two specialists: one who understands what makes them tick, and one who understands what sent them to us in the
first place. The conversations that result from those collaborations make my head spin, and I am far from alone in my confusion.

Which is a long winded way of saying that I no longer fit in, and it bothers me more than it probably should.

The Hero Corps mandated checkup fell somewhere between mind-numbing boredom and dread. It wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, the guys and gals in
the radiology department smiled and greeted my nicely enough. But I could see the questions in their expressions that they were polite enough not to ask. All
the normal checkups where scheduled months in advance. To get one with only a few days lead time wasn't normal, not-normal meant someone didn't
understand something, and the unknown scares people.

At least Julie made polite small talk while we ran through the first half of the physical and waited for the particle physicist specialist to arrive. Julie is
one of the nuclear specialists-in-training I worked with during the first three weeks when we where still trying to figure out what was going on with me. The
tests and questions were familiar in their regularity, I remembered asking them hundreds of time to patients myself. The fact that I was on the receiving side
of them didn't bother me. When we got to the end and the specialists still hadn't shown I wasn't too worried. Things happen, and saving someone
else's life is far more important than making it to my checkup on time, or at all.

I followed Julie as we left the examination room, knowing I'd have to at least sign a few more forms. The dread started to form when she made a left
instead of right at the end of the hall. This wasn't the way to the checkin desk or the more heavily shielded experimental room I had half been expecting
to spend some time in.

"Julie? Where are we going?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to know.

"Oh don't worry. It's going to be fun." Her reassurances utterly failed their objective. "Dr Shaw has been setting up some equipment in
Terra Volta."

That didn't sound like any definition of fun that I knew of. As we walked into the transporter room the only thought that kept circling my head was: I hope
Denis isn't there. Denis is one of Dr Shaw's protégée's who has taken an unnatural interest in contents of digestive tract, and how I'm still
able to process food despite the fact that all the bacteria should be long dead from the radiation.

------------------

I'm off to work, part 2 goes up when I get back.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

[Terrenceknight]

Hehe Poor Gamma, she just doesn't have much luck does she. Anyways Their may be a Terra volta TF later today or tomorrow, does gamma need a respec? *grins*
I figure she'd be right in her element right near the reactor core.

[Sweno]

Ok, I wasn't planning it to be nearly this long. But my muse apparently likes Gamma too.

(warning: some vague naughty bits at the end)

--------------------

Gamma Emission:

Fissionable Goods (pt 2)

Teleporting from the hospital to somewhere else is not normally done, but it is possible. From what I understand the capability was designed into the system
before the use of transponder tags became widespread. It was planned that an emergency medical team could be deployed as long as there was one signal to lock
onto, enabling a first responder on scene to quickly and effectively get the necessary equipment onsite. As the use of transponders grew in the hero ranks
recalling them to the hospital became a much better idea, instead of sending doctors into hot zones. But the capability is still there, and I was grateful for
it today.

As the control room to the Terra Volta Reactor faded into view I noticed it seemed a lot more crowded then the last time I remembered. Stepping out of the
Portable Transport Ring on the floor and looking around confirmed my first impressions. Dr Shaw somehow managed to cram half the sensor equipment from an OR
into here.

"Ahh, there you are Lisa." Dr. Shaw greeted me as he stepped around a particularly large machine, the function of which I couldn't guess at.
"I trust your feeling up to this?"

"Up to what? I'm still not sure why we are here." Thought I could guess, I wasn't particularly eager too.

Dr Shaw shot Julie a questioning glance. Her only response was an impish "What? I didn't want to ruin the surprise."

Returning his focus to me, Dr. Shaw straighten his lab coat and assumed his 'I'm going to tell you something your probably not going to like, but
it's not my fault' stance that I have grown to recognize from my time in the radiology department. "Your Hero Corps liaison was worried that you
have outgrown your current level of residential shielding and wanted us to reassess your capabilities."

"And your going to figure this out by having me prance around the reactor without any shielding?" I heard a snicker off to my right and figured that
Julie had achieved her objective, seeing me stuck somewhere between astonishment and disbelief. I'd been in there before, but that was because some idiotic
sky raiders got it into their heads that taking over the reactor was a good idea. That didn't mean I wanted to spend any more time than necessary having
massive doses of radiation pass through my flesh. Some small part of mind still worried that I would wake up one day riddled with cancer. It hadn't
happened yet, and there where no signs of it ever happening, but that didn't mean I wanted to flaunt my potential immunity in Fate's face.

Seeing that I didn't blame him for upcoming insanity Dr. Shaw relaxed and launched into a explanation "Well not necessarily prancing, but we do hope
to gather some concrete data points on how your internal critical point is influenced by -"

"Stop," I interrupted him "just stop. I'll read the results myself when we are done." Or I'll try to and have Julie explain all the
bits I don't understand to me.

Dr Shaw frowned for a moment. He had most likely spent most of this morning crafting an explanation that sounded reasonable enough on the surface, but
contained enough technical terminology that even Julie would have a hard time telling him why this was a bad idea. It was a tactic I had grown far too familiar
with when we where trying to figure out what was going on in the beginning. The frown didn't last very long though. He smiled and gestured to Julie,
"Julie will help you get outfitted while I finalize the setup with Mr Oaklow."

I hadn't even noticed the technician before, he was wedged in between two large racks of equipment. He had time to give me an abortive wave as Julie pulled
me out of sight behind something resembling the bastard child of a MRI and an ECMO.

"You realize you owe me dinner for not warning me about this." I insisted as I started to strip.

"Sure," Julie acquiesced while affixing a variety of sensors to my chest, head, arms and legs. "And your going to tell me in excruciating detail
what you did to get a UPM on your record. You have better control than that."

"Oh am I?" I challenged with a small blush. Explaining the circumstances behind my Unexpected Power Manifestation wasn't something I was eager to
do, even with as close a friend as Julie.

"Yes you are." she insisted. "Cause I made sure that Denis had other things to take care of right now."

"Oh, you are a life saver" I laughed as I gave her a quick hug.

"Yeah, Yeah. I know" Julie said as she handed me a lab coat to cover up with. "Now get out there and get me my doctoral thesis." Her last
statement was only partially in jest. She was working on better designed sensors and protective gear for radiation. I probably would play a large part in the
final outcome, but it was a small price to pay for the rational insight and patient explanations she brought to my powers.

I tied the lab coat closed, picked up the myriad of wires I was now trailing, and walked back to see Dr Shaw and Mr Oaklow going over a checklist.

"All set?" Dr Shaw asked. I nodded and handed me a headset. "This should keep us in contact while you are in the reactor. If at any time you
feel something go wrong, just say so and we can port you back to OR-5C."

I put on the headset and gave a gruff "sure". OR-5C is the operating room used for heavily radioactive (or potentially heavily radioactive) patients.
I spent my first 3 days there after found out about my powers, stressed out enough to make the wards shimmer on the walls, floor and ceiling. I was the best
place for me if I lost control, but it doesn't mean I like the room.

Stepping into the main reactor sent a shiver up my spine and caused my pulse to quicken. I tightened my grip on the wires I was trailing and ignored Dr
Shaw's voice buzzing in my ear. I could do this. I wasn't going to explode. My cells weren't going to rupture. I was going to be fine.

One step. Two steps. Three steps. Breath. I realize I don't feel lightheaded. I'm ok.

The chatter in my ear resolves itself to be tentatively worried questions from Dr Shaw. "I'm fine, I'm fine." I'm not sure if I'm
tell him that or myself. I take a second to gather my bearings.

"My pulse is slightly elevated, aside from that I feel normal" They probably know better than I do just how high my pulse is, but the running
commentary helps to calm me down. Another ten meters in and something else wiggles it's way into my consciousness. "I feel like I just had cup of
coffee. Almost perky." And it's true, even though the last caffeine I had was last night. I went coffee-less this morning due to the impending
physical. If the worst that happens is a caffeine buzz I'd be a very happy camper.

Twenty meters more and I notice the next change. "I'm feel like I'm jogging" My pulse is faster then before, and my breathing is a steady in
and out by the lungful. Dr Shaw's voice is an encouraging hum.

Another thirty meters and I'm half way there. It no longer feels like a light jog. I mange to get out "Feel, like, sprinting" between breaths.
The voice in my ear mentions something about this being plenty of data. But I don't care so much any more. I'm out of breath and I feel great.

Three quarters of the way there. I don't spare the breath to talk. This must be what they mean when they talk about a 'runners high'. There's a
bounce in my step and I'd take a lap around the reactor if it wasn't for the wires in my hand. I reach up to wipe a bead of sweat out of my eyes and I
notice my hand is glowing. neat.

I'm twenty meters away from the reactor now. My blood is singing in my ears and my lungs burn. Why did I think this was a bad idea again? My muscles feel
like I used them too much, or maybe that's not enough. I hold my hand in front of my face and don't see much of a difference between it and the
reactor. There's a tug on my other hand. I look behind me to see someone in rad suit tugging on the wires I'm trailing. Julie?

The voices in me earpiece snap into focus. Both Dr Shaw and Julie talking over each other, individual words unintelligible, but I get the general gist anyway.
I nod to Julie in the rad suit and start making my way back.

By the time I reach the door again I'm no longer glowing and I feel like I just finished the boston marathon. Julie ushers me back to where my clothes are
and sits me down. A quick check of a device on her wrist and the helmet comes off.

"Hey Lisa, you with us?" I nod tiredly at her question.

"Yeah, I'm ok. Lets not do that again." My voice is rough past my dry throat and my muscles ache. Julie helps me shrug off the lab coat and
starts to remove the sensors. The air is chilly as my sweat evaporates. The blast of cold air brings something else to my attention, sweat is not the only
thing I'm dripping with. I'm saved from the embarrassment of a full body blush only because my skin is already flushed with exertion. I quickly cross
my legs and pull on my shirt but, this close Julie couldn't have missed the smell.

She doesn't say anything besides "come on, lets get you home." as she passes me my pants and underthings. Taking off my shirt to put on the bra
seems like too much work, so it gets stuffed into an inside jacket pocket. Once the jacket is on, Julie leads me back to the Portable Transport Ring on the
floor and tells Dr Shaw "I'm taking lisa home."

Dr Shaw looks like he might say something but Julie's glare shuts him up. I'm going to owe her a dinner for that, but right now I don't care.
It's a quick transport back to the hospital and Julie drives me home. The car ride is blessedly silent and I manage to keep myself from squirming in the
seat too much. At my apartment door I assure her that will be fine, but she says she'll be back later to check on me anyway.

Once I'm inside the clothes get left in a trail to the shower. The hot water is glorious and it's the first time in seven months I don't light up
the bathroom.

I manage to make a cursory effort to dry off and I don't remember hitting the bed.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

[Sweno]

Ok here we go with the last bit of Gamma Emission's Series of Unfortunate events.

-----------------

Gamma Emission: Aftereffects

I woke up to the sound of someone knocking rather firmly on my door. I contemplated going back to sleep before a voice drifted into the bedroom.

"Damnit Lisa, open up"

Oh. That would be an unhappy Julie. And one doesn't leave and unhappy Julie standing in the hallway. At least not if one expects her to explain what the
data from the experiment means.

Raising my voice enough to get past the lead lined door I shout " Gimme a minute". I roll out of bed and discover two things. First, I'm still
naked, thought that is more of an inconvenience than surprise. Second, I'm out of clean clothes. That could be a problem.

The only clothes that are not in the large biohazard container by the front door are currently in a dirty path leading to the bathroom. And there is no way
I'm putting those back on before they go through the wash. Cursing indistinctly at the lack of clothing in my life I wrap the blanket around my shoulders
and make my way to the front door.

As I open the door Julie's expression go from annoyed to worried, guess I must not look much better than I feel.

"You ok?" Julie asks.

"Been better." I respond as she steps out of the hallway. "Coffee first, then questions."

Julie just nods and follows me to the kitchen. After sleepily fumbling with the coffee machine for a minute it beeps cheerily and begins brewing. Content that
coffee will arrive shortly I slump into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. Julie takes the seat next to me and silently starts to check my vitals. I
don't complain, complaining would take energy.

I must have drifted off, because the next thing I know there is steaming cup of coffee on the table in front of me. I mumble a sheepish thanks to Julie and
slurp at the black liquid. She seems content to wait as I claw my way back to consciousness, sipping at her own cup of coffee. Only after my cup is empty to
the questions start.

"So are you going to tell me why you did something so incredibly stupid this morning?" The bite of the question is offset by the concern in her
voice.

"Cause I'm afraid" My voice sounds quiet to my own ears. And is wasn't the answer Julie was expecting either, it takes her a few seconds to
respond.

"Then why did you keep going? All you had to do was say stop and the-"

"I'm not afraid of the reactor!" I cut her off. "At least not very." I mumble into my cup after second.

"I'm afraid of how much control Hero Corps has on my life. I'm afraid of where I would live if it wasn't for this apartment. I'm afraid
I'm going to run out of money and have to chose between food and clothing. I'm afraid that they might decide to call in the medical bills I can't
afford to pay." I realize I'm close to shouting and take a deep breath. "And I know how much the radiation wards cost to upkeep in the 5C so
don't tell me it's not much. So yeah, when they say jump I ask how high."

Julie gives me weird little smile before pulling me into a hug. Her voice is right next to my ear. "I was worried you were trying to check out on
us."

She pulls back and takes another sip of her coffee before adding, "And don't worry about the medical bills, we take care of our own." She must
have seen the confusion written on my face because she continues. "Hero Corps was never given the option of footing your bills. Dr Shaw, bless his devious
ego, filled your care under the experimental projects section of radiology department. You bill was payed off two months ago by research grants geared to
looking at the affects of radiation on large mammals. You may not realize it, but your one of the best baseline examples we have of normal to powered
transformations."

All I can do is stare at her with my jaw hanging open before a though occurs to me. "Crap, now I have to apologize to him don't I?"

"No, he won't know how to take that. Just let him explain the experiment when you go in to pick up the results" Julie manages to get out around
her laughter.

And suddenly I'm laughing with her. Sure the rent isn't cheap, and clothing is a bitch, but I'm making enough on missions to stay in the black. Not
a whole lot, nothing close to even the interest on loan to pay for the non-existant medical bills, but enough. Enough that don't have to ask 'how
high' when Hero Corps says jump. Sure, listening to Dr. Shaw wax poetic for half an hour about 'multi-system dynamic emission feedback loops'
wouldn't be fun. But it would be worth it.

"So, are you going to tell me what you did to get a UPM on you record" Julie's voice is parts concern and mischief.

"I got a boyfriend." I manage to mumble into my empty coffee cup.

"What does that- oh. Oh." Her voice changes from confused to intrigued as the connections are made. "You promised me details, so spill."

"Alright, but on one condition" Julie frown at my stipulation, but nods quickly. Details this good are worth extra. "Get me name of someone in
the magic department who can radiation-proof a set of sheets."

------------------

So thoughts? Anything I missed?

I'll have the next piece up as soon as my muse comes up with content fit for public consumption. The hot hero-on-hero action will have to stay behind the
scenes for now.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

[Morganite]

Alexis: At least I'm not the only one with clothing issues.

I'm not entirely clear on the need for radiation-proof sheets. '.'

The hot hero-on-hero action will have to stay behind the scenes for now.

Awww. ^_~

-Morgan.

[Sweno]

Radiation proof sheets prevent hot hero-on-hero action from turning Lisa's bed into a glowing mess.

I hinted, but never directly stated, that Lisa's output is related to how turned on she is (and the reverse is true in some senses).

Her first night with Terrence was the UPM
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

[Morganite]

I figured that was what the UPM was, I just wasn't sure what purpose the sheets were supposed to serve. (Also, for some reason, I was only thinking of a
top sheet. '.' )

So, are her non-active output levels low enough that, say, her kitchen appliances don't become dangerous? I'd assume so from events, but... *shrug*

-Morgan.

[Terrenceknight]

Well..Thanks to Gamma ..Terrence has also lost not one..but 2 sets of clothes now after the Terra Volta TF, He's deffinatly inquireing to Magi about
getting Radiation proof clothing made, HOnestly I'd -love- to write something from His point of view, but I really don't have any writing talent at
all. Needless to say He's very content right now even after having to lose some clothes.

[Sweno]

Lisa's has gotten her non-active output down to the point that she is 'safe' to be around. Where safe means not spending more than 6 hours around
her each day, for 5 days out of the week.

Her furniture/appliances will last 5-8 years depending on how worked up she gets around the apartment. After which point the everything has to be stripped bare
(down to and including the lead shielding) junked and replaced. If it isn't the apartment will be putting out more rads than she is, and can't be
considered 'safe'.

she probably cut a year off of that number with her UPM.

She could live somewhere else, but the paperwork for inhabiting a 'unsafe' location is horrendous. And she likes the option of having people over at
her apartment without worrying about their health.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

[Sweno]

Gamma Emission:

Pair Production (pt 1)

Explaining my relationship with Terrence to Julie took far longer than I first thought. While I left the explicit details unsaid Julie was more than happy with
tales of the fumbling romance Terrence and I had. By the time we finished talking, Dr. Shaw had long since left the hospital for the night. But I was able to
swing by the following morning.

----

Nursing my third cup of coffee, I nodded to the staff at the hospital reception desk as I walked past. The woman behind the counter barely spared me a glance
before returning her attention to the phone she was on. I'm not sure if recognized me as a former coworker, or if she didn't care about someone who
looked like they knew where they were going. In either case I was glad to avoid the potential bureaucratic quagmire that masquerades as 'checking in'.

My journey to the radiology department was comforting in it's familiarity, leaving me free to worry about the impending talk with Dr. Shaw. I let out a
small sigh of relief as I approached his office and noticed the door was open. I wouldn't be stuck in the hallway, ruminating on everything that went wrong
yesterday. Rapping my knuckles on the doorframe to Dr. Shaw's office I gave a cheery "Morning." to the rooms sole occupant.

Dr. Shaw looked up from the paperwork that littered his desk and, for a brief moment, appeared surprised by my presence. He was quick to school his features,
"Come in, come in." he said as he waved to one of the chairs in front of his desk. I closed the door behind my and took the offered seat. Dr.
Shaw's office fairly typical, the small room was dominated large desk with keyboard and monitor. The wall behind him was nothing but shelves; holding his
certificates, awards, a wide swath of books and journals, and a few technological devices who's purpose I could never figure out. There were two
comfortable chairs for guests to sit in, slightly smaller than Dr. Shaw's. The only other things in the room were a pleasant fractal painting on one wall
and a filing cabinet in the back corner.

"I wasn't expecting to see you quite so soon." Dr. Shaw commented as he quickly cleared his desk of the files he was looking at before I arrived.
"Given your state when you left Terra Volta yesterday, I figured you would be in one of the observation rooms." I managed to squash the impulse to
frown at his mention of the observation rooms. I had spent far too much time there as it was.

"I didn't need to spend the night here. I was just tired." I said, keeping my voice even. "The testing took more out of than I first
thought. Nothing that sleep and coffee won't fix." I took another sip of coffee before saying anything else. I was supposed to be apologizing to him,
not biting his head off for showing some concern.

"Ahh yes, the testing." He seemed as eager as I was to move the conversation back onto safe ground. "I think we can definitely classify it as a
success. You were able to achieve homeostasis with large external source of radiation at levels far above what we expected. You even managed to burn out a few
of Julie's more fragile sensors. We'll have to come up with a better system of communication though, the headset wasn't built to withstand those
levels of exposure." His voice hadn't changed one bit from the pleasant upbeat tone he started with, but the I got the message loud and clear anyway.
He knew the headset was working fine, it was my ability to focus under those levels of exposure that was lacking. And he was willing to leave that out of the
report that would be filled with Hero Corps as long as we tried again. I expected that the 'again' would continue until I could recite the radioactive
decay tables for Uranium while standing next to the reactor.

"Sure," I squeaked out a few seconds later. "I'm sure Julie would appreciate the chance to recalibrate her sensors and gather some more
data."

His smile widened as he leaned back in his chair. "I'm glad we could come to an understanding."

Oh yeah, that was going to be fun. And on that note, it was time to swallow a bit more pride. "Sorry about being so terse yesterday. If we are going to
repeat this, I would appreciate any thoughts you might have on the data collected so far." Yup, that tasted just about as bitter as my coffee.

He quickly brushed asside my apologies with a flustered gesture, "Don't worry, no harm done. The whole thing was sprung on you without much
warning." He typed at the keyboard for a second before turning the monitor so we could both see the graphs it displayed. "As you can see this shows
your alpha particle production per second versus the distance from the reactor core. Now the interesting thing is -" I found myself nodding and
'hmm'-ing as I desperately tried to keep up with the torrent of information he was putting out.

----

I walked out of his office close to an hour later, not sure if I understood what had happened any more that I did before. But at least I had a copy of all the
data gathered on dvd. Julie would be able to massage the numbers into something understandable. But before that happened I needed to track down Marcus
O'Riley on floor three. He was, according to Julie, one of the mages working in the applied materials division; enchanting scalpels, poultices, and the
like. He was my best bet at getting a set of sheets that solved my problem without taking out a loan. The only problem was what he would want in exchange,
something too rare and I might be better off heading down to MAGI.

****

Yeay, rejoice, more shortfic. The next bit (to be up sometime monday) should be significantly more humorous. I just have to lay down the groundwork first.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

[Terrenceknight]

Haha, Very nicely done Sweno, Now Gamma's Quest to get Radiation proof sheets enters its first stage *grin* Luckly she's got her boyfriend who is
willing to go to hell and back for her..So if need be she could maybe ask him for some aid weather getting some precious artifact from some random faction or
calling in a few favors if thats what it takes. I still say I'd write something from Terrence's perspective, but I have no writing ability at all *le
sob*

[Sweno]

Ok, sorry for the delay. The muse is more interested in Clank machinations than Gamma humor, so I'm putting what I have so far up.

Unfortunately the Clank machinations are largely dependent on a few things that haven't been decided yet, so nothing for public consumption yet, But
I've got PLANS!

Anyway, onward with:

----------

Gamma Emission:

Pair Production (pt 2)

I was able to track down Marcus in one of the labs after asking three people and taking one wrong turn. When I did find him he was hunched over a bunsen
burner, intently stirring the contents of a flask and muttering under his breath. He was wearing the same style of lab coat that most of the magical pre-docs
seemed to prefer; white to show stains, plenty of pockets to hold things, and runic embroidery running up the both sides of the front as well as around the
collar and cuffs. His also sported a large sigil on the back that seemed to shift from green to blue as I waited for him to finish whatever he was doing. I
took a seat at one of the other lab tables and tried not to disturb him, interrupting a spell is not the best way to get into a mages good graces.

I didn't have to wait too long, after another ten minutes of murmuring, stirring, and occasional reheating the contents of the flask gave a small puff of
purple smoke. As Marcus's muttering took on a distinctly annoyed sound I cleared my throat. He spared a moment to glance at me before turning back to the
lab table and starting to clean up the various magical paraphernalia that had accumulated.

"Who are you?" He queried, clearly not happy with much of anything at the moment.

"Gamma Emission, Your Marcus O'Riley right?" I answered. I felt it best to keep grey market dealing like this as far away from my previous
employment here as possible. The last thing I needed was someone recognizing my real name and connecting it with deals of dubious legality.

"Yeah, how can I help you?" His tone didn't change in the least from his earlier annoyence. He didn't recognize my name, which was good. I
had run half the enchantment mages in the hospital ragged my first week here. Burning out the anti-radation wards on floor 5 was not one of my proudest
moments.

"I was told you were the go-to person for physical enchantments." I said, hoping that he wouldn't turn me down because I arrived at a bad time.
"I need to get a set of radiation proof sheets."

He stopped cleaning up the lab area and turned to face me. "Radiation proof sheets?" Clearly this was not in line with the normal requests he got,
but at least he sounded less annoyed and more confused.

"Yes, radiation proof sheets. I emit radiation when I'm stressed, and I'm sick of waking up in a sweat to discover everything within four feet of
my bed is now unsafe for normal people to be around." I let him draw his own conclusions as to why I was waking up in a sweat, the less said about my
particular sexual issues the better.

He thought about it for a few seconds, nodded to himself and picked up his notepad from the tabletop. "What are we looking at specifically?"

"Queen sized bed, from mattress cover to top-sheet. I've put out everything from 500 Terahertz to 200 Exahertz, but I mainly seem to be Petahertz
range. Both ionizing and non-ionizing. I currently top out at around 6000 Rem/minute, but I'd like a bit of a buffer if that changes." I rattled of
the numbers that had been made painfully clear just over an hour ago. Marcus scribbled in the notebook for a minute before glancing at me, then at the alarm
above the door as the numbers sunk in. I gave him credit for keeping the shock off his face. "Don't worry, I'm putting out less than what you get
from handling a smoke detector right now."

"Sorry." He responded, before focusing back on the calculation he was writing out. I didn't let it get to me, I knew just how dangerous I could
be. After a few minutes of scribbling notes he nodded to himself, and then looked at me with smile that seemed a little mercenary. "It's more material
than I normally deal with, and the frequency range is definitely a factor, but it's doable. I make no guarantees on the niceties though."

"As long as they still feel like sheets and do their job I could care less if they end up with poka-dots." The 'niceties', or not having the
spell display some weird innocuous side affects, is what the MAGI and other professional crafters were able to charge so much for. I had already become well
aquatinted with the eccentricities in operating room 5C. I could deal a set of sheets that wouldn't make hospital corners, changed their thread count, and
migrated to the foot of the bed if someone wasn't in it. "What are you going to need material wise? And how much is it going to set me back on top of
that?"

Marcus tore off the bottom of the sheet he was writing on and passed it to me. "That will cover the materials. As for the costs, this is going to be at
least an eight hour job, and I value my free time highly. So lets call it a hundred thousand to start with, if it goes over 12 hours we can renegotiate."
He spoke as if dictating terms instead of the first offer that I knew it was. I spared a moment to look over the list; half of the stuff I could pick up from
my salvage storage in the base, another third I could find in Wentworths for cheap-to-not-horrendously-expensive, the few remaining bits worried me though. The
Shivan skulls where not going to be easy to get.

"Only eight hours, huh? So you wouldn't have a problem doing it for ten if I clear your schedule for a day?" I offered with more confidence than
I felt. I still had people who owed me favors, but clearing someone's schedule for a whole day would be hard. His smile faltered for a second at the price
I mentioned but picked back up at the concept of a day free from interruptions, meetings or obligations.

"If you can manage to clear my schedule for a day, I'll do it for thirty. Heck, I'll even give you half off if you can somehow free up next
friday." His amusement was clear in his voice. He had no idea I used to work here and still knew people, people who owed me favors. And more importantly I
knew people who didn't want other people to know certain things.

"Twenty five." I countered as I offered my hand to shake.

He thought about for a few seconds before clasping it with his own. "Deal. Twenty five thousand if you manage to get me a day off, and half that if
it's next friday."

"Just so I know what I'm up against, what is your schedule for next friday?" I asked, hopefully keeping the sense of victory I felt out of my
voice. If I managed to swing this I'd end up with, niceties notwithstanding, a set of radiation proof sheets for pennies on the dollar.

"Sure." Marcus said as he pulled his handheld out of one of the lab coats many pockets. In short order he had copied a list of seven things onto the
next page on his notebook, tore it off, and handed it to me. I took a moment to look it over. It was written in the shorthand that the everyone in the hospital
staffs picks up in their first month; a strange mishmash of acronyms, numbers, and abbreviations that somehow manages to convey the necessary date, location,
patient status, and needed tasks irrespective of department.

"Thanks" I said with a smile. Marcus had a confused look on his face as I turned and left the lab. Apparently he didn't expect me to understand
what he had written down. I didn't give him the chance to question my knowledge thought. I had four days leverage every favor owed to my into 3 minor
enchantment refreshes, 1 medium ward refresh, 2 repairs to some of the technomagical diagnostic equipment in OR-3B, and 1 crafting to replace a magical blood
filter in OR-3A. I might end up owing some favors to get the last one accomplished, but this was definitely feasible. And I knew just where to start.

-----------

Coming up in part 3: Gamma's take on social engineering, convenient uses for nuclear powers, and adventures in Bloody Bay.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy