Elizabeth woke with a start as the sun crossed the horizon. After a brief stretch she threw a cursory glance at her clock, the face of which read 7:23. [I]Perfect[/i], she thought happily, [i]shift starts at 10, I have more than enough time to do what I need[/i]. Even in the unlife she continued to leak any document she thought would turn the tide against the hospital - pricing schemes, markup margins, incriminating internal emails - and yet each day fewer and fewer new people seemed to chime in in agreement that the practices employed weren't just unethical but inhuman. Could these people not see that the system was broken, even when it was spoon-fed to them? It made Elizabeth's blood boil.

An alarm went off in the background, a shrill two tone sound that alternated a few times before falling silent. Elizabeth drew a deep breath, knowing what was coming. Rising from her laptop she forced herself over to the fridge, a few bags of red fluid rested on the top shelf. She drew one out, throwing it in the microwave, heating it to a more bearable temperature. As she waited her fingers clenched the worktop's edge like claws. [I]It[/i] was with her, perched, waiting in her throat. The Beast had come to know the routine, feed before a shift and fast until the next, even if it did love to try pushing Elizabeth over the edge.

The gentle beep of the microwave drew Elizabeth back to reality, carefully handling the hot bag. As she bit through the plastic she could feel the warm ambrosia slip past her teeth and slake the fire at the base of her throat. Her talons gripped the bag tighter and tighter, eking any last remaining drips before discarding the wrapper. Again the discontent of the Beast could be felt, hating the bag diet as much as Elizabeth herself did, but nonetheless it was quieted for the moment as the girl regained her composure and control. A quick look in the mirror to check for bloody streaks on her face and collar, and she was out the door.

At the vehicle depot everything was fairly quiet. A few of the EMT's were huddled in the communal room watching what appeared to be a rerun of a football game that had aired earlier in the day. Elizabeth rolled her eyes at the very idea of calling that football. As usual at the beginning of her shift she went through the ambulance she'd be working in, ensuring that various controlled medical supplies were indeed still in the vehicle after the previous crew had signed off. Finishing up, she threw herself into the passenger seat and closed her eyes just as the radio crackled to life. "One reported GSW wound, Cold Spring Road by the golf course. Shooter believed to have left the area. Will keep you updated". Elizabeth shuffled herself over into the driver's seat as her partner clambered into the passenger seat.