“Have you made an error in your report, Lasky?”<br/><br/>The woman jumped, standing up a little straighter under William’s scrutiny. Her eyes flitted from the document in his hand to his face, and then she shook her head rapidly enough to nearly dislodge the wire framed spectacles perched atop her nose. “N-no sir, the report is correct.”<br/><br/>Severn’s office in the underbelly of the Foundation’s headquarters was modeled very similarly to the one far above, only with much more ambient noise given the types of activities that typically took place nearby. Of course, he could've had the room sound-proofed, but given the choice he always preferred awareness to comfort.<br/><br/>“That is impossible,” he replied, watching as the woman squirmed as if her lab coat’s interior was suddenly filled with something rather itchy. He watched closely, noticing her pupils as they flickered towards the door for only the fraction of a second. She knew very well who was responsible for his displeasure. “If no mistakes were made, it would mean that Project Advent, or rather the SS Division to be more specific, has made no strides in the better part of the last month.”<br/><br/>“Sir, I understand that, but-”<br/><br/>“It would also mean that the area of this operation that costs me the most money, roughly seven million dollars per<span style="font-style: italic">week</span>, has somehow hit a dead end. This, in spite of the limitless resources at your disposal.”<br/><br/>“Yes, but-”<br/><br/>“You are at the head of the SS Division, and as such you are accountable for its progress. Explain yourself, Lasky.”<br/><br/>She took a deep breath, and although the squirming came to a halt, it was soon replaced by a series of trembles that the woman was unable to conceal. “Mr. Severn, we have a great deal of resources available to us, but our staff is shorthanded after the incident last month. We’ve substituted people from the general labor force, but they don’t possess the skill-”<br/><br/>“A simple enough problem. One that you should have taken the initiative to solve by now. But very well,” he said, clearly disappointed as he opened one of the drawers next to where he sat behind the desk. “I will do your job for you.”<br/><br/>“Sir?”<br/><br/>“We have subcontractors, field operatives and the like, who are permitted the resources they need once they have agreed to submit to the whims of the Foundation, as contractually obligated. There are skilled enough professionals within their ranks to help your team, are there not?”<br/><br/>“Oh! Of course, I should’ve thought-”<br/><br/>“Yes, you should have,” he said in a voice framed by steel, and then he was pointing down at two names in particular on the page he had retrieved from one of his folders. “Haddad Hewin and Martin Suarez. Engineering division, the both of them, with the necessary backgrounds to go along with it. Hewin also has experience with programming, as well as alchemical formulas.”<br/><br/>“I will have them called in right away, sir,” Dora Lasky said quickly, looking eager now that the focus was no longer directly on her shortcomings. “Will they be able to handle the Advent Project, given that they’ve never been exposed to it before?”<br/><br/>Severn smiled, indicating the door behind the woman as he dismissed her. “Oh, they’ll manage just fine. I’m sure of it.”