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 Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 12:08 pm
Chana looked up from her reading out the helicopter window. A beautiful tropical island was coming up...fast. Hastily, she pulled her attention back within the vehicle. There was little that made her more nauseous than watching the ground coming at her with dizzying speed. And her friends wondered why she didn't like rollercoasters.
Still, they'd been quite close. Chana marked her page, put the Plaut away, and pulled out her compact. She was, after all, contracted to work at the camp on this island for a few months. A good first impression could be helpful. Chana smiled sheepishly as she realized she was still wearing her Coca-Cola shirt. It wasn't the nicest shirt...but it was comfortable. She hoped it wouldn't reflect too badly.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 12:25 pm
As the helicopter came in to land you could make out someone there and a Jeep. The helicopter slowly decends and as it makes contact with the ground the man walks up and offers to help you out. He appears to be, fairly attractive with longish red hair and an award winning smile. He's dressed in a sweater and black pants all very expensive looking.
"Welcome to my Island Chana." says the man. "I am Dr. Nicholas Moreau."
He gestures to the Jeep. "If you don't mind getting in I'll take you back to the medical facilities. There are a few immunizations you'll need for your first time here."
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 12:31 pm
Chana blinked as the doctor addressed her by name. "Ah...sure," she responded automatically. She heaved her duffel bags in and took a seat, trying to get a good look at the man's expression.
"I could've sworn I was up to date on all my shots..." she mused. Or had that last trip to Israel been five years ago? It probably had been...which would mean she was due for a shot or two.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 12:42 pm
"There are certain diseases native to the Caribbean that are not part of the standard overseas immunizations. Only a few are truely deadly but most are just fairly... unpleasent." Moreau helped Chana with her bags and once they were loaded he got into the drivers seat of the Jeep and started it.
He began his way down the familar winding road to the laboratories. The jungle on both sides for a bit the pavement was the only sign of civilization. That was of course until the dense jungle clearing was passed and you got the first look at the tall white structures and the gate surrounding the facilities.
"We have a state of the art medical facility here, to assist these people with anything. Round the clock staff and any other assistance that is needed make sure that our island's tenants are well cared for." Moreau smiled at the prepared speech. As he drove to the gate it opened on it's own.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 12:49 pm
"My goodness!" she exclaimed as she saw the buildings. "I've never seen anything so...so...modern." And creepy. A slight shudder ran over Chana as she noticed that the logo seemed to be of a wolf. What a fearsome thing. "But it's good that these facilities are here," she commented, distracted by the contrast of state-of-the-art building and wild jungle.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 2:37 pm
Moreau grinned and pointed up, to the Mansion that rested in the mountainside above the facilities.
Moreau smiled and pulled into the parking lot. "Follow me this way," he said as he began to walk towards a door which also opened for them both by itself. He lead Chana across the very nice very clean lobby. It was the type of lobby that looked like it belonged in a hospital.
He walked her to the elevator and gestured for Chana to join him.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 2:42 pm
Chana stared openly at the plush interior. Why...it must've cost a fortune! And why all the way out here? It wasn't like the mentally disabled would be able to appreciate it...
...and that thought made her truly nervous. So, she tried to make conversation to distract herself. "Um...Doctor...would I be able to acquire certain items that I wasn't able to bring with me?" she asked, stepping into the elevator.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 2:57 pm
"Shouldn't be a problem, you just need to request it from us." Moreau spoke aloud to the elevator when the doors closed.
"Floor 8" he then nodded his head as the elevator began climbing. "You'll be staying with the wards of the island. It's a nice duplex building, should be fairly comfortable and if you need anything all you have to do is ask."
The elevator dinged as it opened into a lab room. Moreau motioned towards the table. "Sit over there please."
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:07 pm
Chana obediently sat on the table. "How many are in each duplex? And how would I go about requesting something?" What kind of duplexes did he mean? Were they like the bungalows, that slept 8 including a counselor? Or was that a fancy name for a two-story cabin that slept up to 30 or so? This was certainly a strange camp, to say the least.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:13 pm
"Think spacious hotel rooms built two to a building, one upstairs one downstairs. There is an intercom/radio like device mounted on the wall. Just request it through there." Moreau walked to his cabnet and got out a vial of serum. He snicked very low to himself while his head was turned away from Chana.
He thought about this for a second, and realized that yes he wanted to do this. It was mean and cruel but this was Moreau. It should be approiate, and it wouldn't be the worst thing he could do to her. Moreau took the vial he'd selected and inserted it into the needle walking back towards Chana.
"Roll up your sleeve please." he said.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:18 pm
Chana nodded as she rolled up her sleeve, eyeing the needle a bit mistrustfully. "And how many sleep in each duplex?" she asked, rephrasing his earlier question. It would be too weird if each person got their own duplex...one reason these people needed such personal care was that they couldn't live on their own.
Or maybe he was just the head doctor. Yeah, that was it. And the camp director would know better. Right.
So why was she so nervous, Chana wondered, biting her lip with her embarrasingly large teeth.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:42 pm
"It's one person per duplex room, we have some of the duplexes monitored of course. You may be woken up to provide special assistance when needed of course." Moreau nodded and then he tapped the needle.
He then inserted the needle into her arm and after he finished injecting the liquid into her blood stream pulled it out and put a small bandage on it.
"Alright Ms. Cohen, if you head down the elevator someone will show you out." Moreau said matter-of-factly. "Slightly up the path are the duplexes your in number..." he looked at a clipboard for a second, "26... it's upstairs."
"We'll do our best to make this enjoyable for you as well Ms. Cohen." Moreau smiled and beckoned her to the elevator.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:46 pm
Chana nodded. Okay...that made a bit of sense. It certainly wasn't any method she was familiar with, but she was far from an expert anyway.
"All right. Twenty-six," she repeated, stepping into the elevator once more.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 4:04 pm
The elevator opened and a man dressed like a guard was standing there. He leads you out of the fence points you in the direction of the nearby "village".
"Good luck Ma'am" he says as the fence closes behind you.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 4:17 pm
Chana nodded her thanks and set off. It was pretty easy to find her way around, she decided, as she could see that there wasn't too much to confuse her on the small campus. The wild jungle...that might be a problem, but she could explore another day. Didn't G-d say "thou shalt rest on the seventh day?" At least, she was pretty sure that that line was somewhere.
She wasn't surprised, upon first entering her new home, that her luggage was already there. Chana made a mental note to find the equivalent of the Avodah Corp. and thank them. After all, she didn't want to clean her own toilet...
...best not worry about that. The duplex was rather plain and impersonal, but it would do. In fact, it should do rather well, Chana decided, as she dug in one of the bags. As long as the good Doctor and the staff didn't mind her...defacing it a bit.
"Hah!" she exclaimed with satisfaction, pulling a small box out. It was a car mezuzah, that she'd never remembered to put up when she lived with her boyfriend. A bit more digging uncovered a glasses repair kit. Not that Chana needed it...but one never knew, and that little screwdriver could be quite useful.
It was the work of few minutes to install the mezuzah just inside the duplex on the doorframe. "Inscribe [My words] on the doorposts of thy house," were the words in the Torah, and she would follow them.
But...enough of religion for now. She would relax this rest of Shabbat and simply explore the campus. On her way out, Chana kissed the mezuzah.
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