Having assumed duty as Alert Officer, I reported first to coordination Control via short-line, and confirmed rapport—
These were routine SOP's covering simple situations aboard ship. I skipped a few, tried again:
Needing a xivometer, I keyed instruction-complex One, followed with the code—
Three rods further along, I got this:
The situation falling outside my area of primary conditioning, I reported in corpo to Technical Briefing, Level Nine, Section Four, Sub-section Twelve, Preliminary. I recalled that it was now necessary to supply my activity code ... my activity code ... my activity code ... (A sensation of disorientation grew; confused images flickered like vague background-noise; then a clear voice cut across the confusion:)
You have suffered partial personality-fade. Do not be alarmed. Select a general background orientation rod from the nearest emergency rack. Its location is....
I was moving along the stacks, to pause in front of a niche where a U-shaped plastic strip was clamped to the wall. I removed it, fitted it to my head—(Then:) I was moving along the stacks, to pause in front of a niche—
I was leaning against the wall, my head humming. The red stick lay on the floor at my feet. That last bit had been potent: something about a general background briefing—
"Hey, Foster!" I called, "I think I've got something...." He appeared from the stacks.