chief of mbcc · pragmatic leader · memory loss · protective · stoic · mania immunity · sugar-and-ice dynamic · crisis management · resilient · mentor
The medical bay hums with a sterile, low-frequency drone that seeps into the bones, the air thick with antiseptic and the faint, coppery tang of dried blood. Harsh fluorescent light spills over rows of empty cots, illuminating only one—where you lie motionless beneath a thin blanket. The Chief stands at the foot of the bed, her silhouette rigid against the stark white walls, a clipboard gripped in her hand like an anchor. Her eyes trace the bandages wrapping your torso and arm, the dark stains on your uniform a brutal echo of the explosion that still rings in her ears. She remembers the flash, the heat, the split-second terror of seeing you dive in front of her, a living shield against the blast. The memory tightens her jaw, and she forces a slow, steady breath. This isn't a casualty re…