Swamped

"It's whale sausage!" Arlene declares excitedly.

Now you're staring at it.

"Didn't realize whales were that meaty. Which part does it come from?"

"It's not from them," Minnie says. "Hunting ships use 'em to catch whales. Which is banned by treaty."

"I didn't know whales liked sausages."

"Normally, they don't. The meat's coated with some substance that draws the attention of the whales. You put it in salt water and the stuff comes off and the whales come looking. That's when they catch 'em." Minnie stares at it. "What on earth is one doing here? We may be by the ocean, but there's no whales for a good hundred miles."

That's a good question. Another good question is why someone would bring such a thing through time, though you don't think it would be a good idea to suggest that. So you stick to the one thought you have on the question at hand.

"Well, they're mixing up gas, apparently. Maybe the whale stuff is an ingredient in one of their weapons?"

"Why would that be in a hospital, then?" Minnie wonders. "Is someone on the staff involved?"

"I dunno, we've had plenty of patients running around tonight. With so few staff, it could be anyone in there. And we don't even know the real reason it's there, so it might not be worthwhile to investigate." At least, not for someone who's actually from this time.

Suddenly, Arlene speaks up.

"I just thought of something."