[u]Joseph[/u]

Joseph’s fingers flickered over keyboard. Each movement clicked and clanked lightly on the keys, the words formed upon the screen which was inputting some last minute medical data from his last patient. The man, Valentine McKee, was in his late twenties, Caucasian and would be part of the security personnel soon to be onboard the ship Catherine Langford. For the last past several weeks, at a month by his count, Joseph had been doing these routine medical checks up until the official launch date. Though he was slightly irritated he wasn’t able to see his family, especially his sixteen year old son Connor, there was little he could’ve done short of quit the program. That was pointless gesture as he had gone through this much work and the fact he couldn’t stomach a job only partly finished. 

Due to the paperwork being his current task, a monotone drone which had his mind crossed between automatic and memories. In the background was a light, wordless melody played softly in the background while he worked. It was one of Connor’s burnt CDs, the violinist seemed to had put his heart and soul into the stringed item at his fingertips while it seemed to ease Joseph’s longing slightly. He knew this would’ve been difficult from the start yet the full weight hadn’t hit him until now. 

He was going into space. It was a place no man had gone and to make things worse, it was going to be within a subtle death trap made from steel, wiring, and a load of other shit he didn’t want to consider would be the only barrier between him and the vacuum of space. And a very terrible death. The only assurance he had was there was a means to get back to Earth, if the occasion called for emergency evacuation. His mind wandered to what the ground crew would likely encounter. There could any number of diseases and biological organisms foreign to their health on other world, some possibly incurable. That thought made Joseph pause in his work, despite its unlikelihood to happen. In the back of his mind he knew he sounded like some fictional character from one of those sci fi movies which had him mentally chuckling then pushed the worries away for now. 

His work needed his focus more, noting he could always worry about it later and deal with it when the time came. 

His typing was interrupted when the office door opened. His head jerked up from the flickering screen, his hand moved the mouse across to close the file, and turned to see the Department’s head approach him. Dr. William Niven was a thin, well into his seventies man who ran the Stargate offices and would later organize the medical staff onboard the Langford. His shoes tapped in his path towards Joseph before he promptly had set the note down on the simple desk’s edge. The man seemed to be always smiling, even when he addressed Joseph about what the note had contained for one of his future patients. 

“You’ll love this one Joseph!” William stated shortly beside him, Joseph noted the man’s arms were crossed over and seemed eagerly awaiting his reaction. 

Pushing himself from the desk, Joseph scooted over to the table and took hold of the note. His free hand reached for his reading glasses then began to read the hastily scribbles. After reading it, Joseph’s lips turned up into a frown, his eyes peered at William with scorn as if this was some sort of ridiculous case brought before him. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” He said sarcastically, his voice slightly dripping with anger at having to go the extra mile. “Do I need her father’s permission as well?” 

He watched his fellow doctor held up his hands defensive as he expected Joseph to attack, yet his face merely seemed to enjoy the slight irked expression this recent development had caused. “No, but her medical file is seriously loaded down with red tap-“ 

“And she’s part of [u]this[/u] program, what are they thinking?” Joseph said not believing what he had just heard. “Are we just picking up strays?” 

Dr. Niven just shrugged. It was clear to Joseph, unlike himself, he didn’t care or want to know how the patient, a Ms. Ylva Falk, had gotten pass the program’s flagging and strict protocols. Merely that here she was and now she was Joseph’s problem. The younger doctor leaned back into his chair while it squeaked in protest, his hand raised to rub his temple, easing the tension headache following the sticky. Perfect… he bitterly thought, not liking the fact he was restricted to the treatment he was allowed. His hand released his head then straightened up; his eyes noted his colleague leaving.

“Next time,” Joseph began, a hope to catch his departing back, “Don’t bring such ‘cheerful’ news with you.” 

Once the door clicked close, his hand reached for the landline phone and began to arrangements for Ms. Falk’s doctor. After that, he checked the clock to note one of his patients had been waiting far too long. He made his way to the examination office where he left his mind focus on the next task and slowly forget the messy red tape he would have to work on getting cut later on.