Everyone Lives, Dies, or In Betweens

Mǐn's getting ready for the influx of hungover employees when she gets a call on her new headset. It's Liu, and he's got Mr Chau on the line. Mr Chau wants to speak with Herc, but he's not answering his mobile. Mǐn says he's asleep, no she can't wake him up because he's sedated but she can take a message, so Mr Chau tells her the Shatterdome's "doing a crappy job recovering their pilots" (because he also found the Kaidanovskys) and Mǐn really doesn't have time for this because there's an actual zombie apocalypse in the cafeteria. 
"Put Hansen on the phone," he says. 
"I'm sorry, but he's asleep."
"Then wake him up."
"I can't do that, Nurse Yamashita sedated him. Can I take a message?"
"Sure, you can tell 'im he's doing a crappy job recovering his pilots," said Mr Chau, referring to how his team found Lts Kaidanovsky a few days earlier. 
"Is that all? I've got a zombie apocalypse on my hands." 
"I found his kid." 
Mǐn lost her voice for a few heartbeats. She swallows, and then hollers, "Get me Tendo, now!" 
A moment later, someone called, ""He's on his way, give 'im a minute!""
"Shall I have him call you back?" 
"It's fine, thank you Mǐn," says Liu as the new order screen pinged. By the doors, a small horde of zombies were failing miserably at fitting their keycards into the reader. 
"Just, be quiet, please--"
"Good morning, Doctors."
Doctor Geiszler grunts and kinda slumps against the counter. 
"Good morning, Quartermaster, are you well?" 
"Yes, and you?" Tang Min slides across his thermos. "Here's your tea."
"Thank you Tang Mǐn,"
"Doctor Geiszler?" Mǐn leans forward to see if he was actually awake, "Here's your coffee."
""Say 'hi' for me,"" said Mr Chau. 
"Doctor Geiszler, Mr Chau says 'good morning'."
"Eh?" He perks up a tiny bit. "Hannibal? Can'I talk to him?"
"Here's your coffee," said Mǐn and nudged his cup closer. 
"Oh, thanks, Tim." Dr Geiszler grit his teeth, "Tang Mǐn. There! Ha, I got it."
"I'm so sorry," said Doctor Gottlieb.
"It's not as bad as some of the others," said Mǐn, "Have a good day."
"Thank you, same to you."
"Morning," croaked Tech Five, shuffling up to the counter. 
"Good morning Xiáng, here's your tea,"
"Thanks Min-t Mǐn Tin for the love of Heaven I am so wasted. You know what I mean, right?"
"Yes, I do, yes, you are, go eat."
The mob at the door cheers weakly, and the screen pings. A moment later, it pings again.
"Hi~" cringes Setsuko, tying on her apron. "Sorry I'm late!" 
"Where were you?" Mǐn hisses, "I'm holding six conversations at once 'cause no one's awake enough to get the reader working!"
"Sorry, sorry, blame Cheno," says Setsuko, "Where're the newbies?"
"Not here," Mǐn grumps. "Probably hungover."
Tendo runs up. "I was summoned?" 
Min offers her mobile. "For you." 
"Thanks." 
Min smiles--
"Choi here."
--finishes another order, puts it on the counter. 
Tendo picks it up, thanks her around a sip--
Min flutteres--
Coffee!!!
""Oh, son of a pig, Tim--/fuck--Yeung, I am so sorry--""
Tang Min offers a thumbs up, eyes and mouth pressed tightly shut, and finds a dishtowel--
""I got you,"" says Setsuko, taking it. ""Mr Choi, you should finish our call."" 
""Right."" A beat. ""Thanks."" 
Setsuko dabs at Min's face. 
""We'll send around a convoy--""
Min squeezes her eyes shut and unsqueezes them. 
""He can't be moved? Then I'll send someone--""
""Getting another towel."" 
""Not having any of us pencil pushing government types, eh? Well--Oh, Min can come? Yeung?""
"Mm?" 
""You cool checking on the melted-ness of Chuck Hansen?""
"Mmm--"
""She said 'yes', I'll send her over right away."" 
"I faint at the sight of blood." 
"She does," agrees Setsuko. 
"You'll be /fine."
.
In the one where Chuck lives and ends up in the medical facility under Chau's office, Tang Min engages the airlock, puts the package of vacuum-sealed scrubs on the shelf, sends her own clothes back through, and steps into the (warm) decontamination shower. 
It lasts a minute, then a body-sized airdryer blows the leftover water away. 
Thankfully, no one'll see her hair under the cap. 
.
Min returns from the clean room, engages the airlock, steps in a wet spot and the floor rushes up and she lands heavily on the balls of her feet in the marshal's office. 
"Have a seat, Quartermaster," says Marshal Pentecost. 
Tang Min sits. 
"As you are no doubt aware, Ranger Hansen is not dead." 
"Yes, sir." 
"I did not save him for his sake." 
"Should I be writing this down, sir?" 
"That would be wise, Quartermaster."
Min digs out her notebook, flips it open, clicks open her pen. 
"I disarmed Ranger Hansen--"
Min's pen wobbles; she frowns, holds it more tightly. 
"--with a blow to the head and ejected--"
Min's fingers refuse to cooperate; she curls her fist around her pen and keeps writing.
"--his escape pod. I did not do it for him, I did it for Hercules--"
Min's hand spasms and the pen falls to the floor. Swallowing, she looks up, blinks in the bright light, "S--"
"Quartermaster?" 
"I can't--" She touches her throat. 
"What's wrong?" 
Her breath echoes loudly in her ears and she's pinned, weight against her head, her chest--tries kicking and then her calves snap together. 
"Mimi--"
Her left eye waters in the bright, bright, brightbrightbrightbright--
/Click. 
Blobs. 
Mr Chau growls, ""Hold still, brat."" Somewhere over her shoulder. 
Min glances--
Weight on her head presses back gently. 
""Mimi,"" says Daiyu, ""hold still, please."" By her feet? 
Min wiggles--
Weight on her waist. 
""Mimi, you fell and hit your head.""
Tile floor. 
/Click. 
Bright light in her right eye. 
""Doctor Yong says you cracked your skull.""
Sore head. 
/Click. 
""You're on temporary life support, so please don't move.""
Mask over her mouth and nose. 
Itchy over her heart. 
Min's eyes dart around, not that she has a wide field of view with the visor or whatever's cutting off her peripheral. 
Mr Chau snaps, ""Vanguard, she's--""
Footsteps, different pressure on her legs, more footsteps, Daiyu swims into view. 
"Mimi, you took a bit of a tumble, but you're okay. Mr Chau just wants Doctor Yong to make sure you're okay so the Dragon will be happy. Isn't that right, Mr Chau?" 
""Yep, I was just about to call your cousin.""
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Category:Tang Min has the absolute worst luck