Harper cursed in her mind as the Jeep bounced into the driveway outside of her destination. The stupid plane delay had cost her dearly, red-eye or not, and now that creepy bastard at the head of this area was gonna lay into her, she was sure. She had sent an email hours ago, before the cramped and smelly flight across the Pacific, but she had no idea how long that had bought her. Though the Company driver they had sent was right on time and looked fresh faced, enough. The thanked the younger man and she booted open the passenger door, grabbed her tool bag and knapsack, and stepped out into the early morning light. She looked more like she should be on safari, with khaki cargo shorts and a olive t-shirt, military cap shielding her eyes. She grimaced at the horrible noise as she strode over the main lobby floor, her well worn work boots squeaking and the sound echoing around the place. Squinting at the bored looking chap behind the glass at the elevator entrance, she flashed her badge, fingerprint scanned, and was the code for the elevator, which she punched in and boarded. As the lift began to move, she found her mind wandering.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Just what the hell have I gotten myself into on this project?</span>She knew from her brief tenure here that the Company took very good care of their own, but they were ruthlessly efficient. The video call she had gotten from...Keller?<span style="font-style: italic">Doctor</span>Kesler. He had been one the most disturbing humans she had had a chance to talk to, but he seemed sure that he wanted her, the not-here-for-a-year engineer, to come straight out to Beijing and be assigned to a project, very non-specific, but that she would be getting a "partner" from the Company. She had heard about Kesler's projects before, so she knew she was supposed to be working with some sort of crazy mutant kid, but discussing much with anyone else had been nixed during that same video call. Given no other option, she had to have the Kids, her interns, take over on everything, call her if it was absolutely necessary, and take the next flight out from Tokyo. She wondered if those Kids were going to be able to handle the work, but while she had got no notification otherwise, she was sure someone had been sent out to take over her position while she was gone. Filthy ratbags, handling her precious garage and tools with their lesser hands.<br/><br/>The lift thumped to a stop, and Alice stepped out into another security checkpoint. She passed through easily enough, and strode down a hall with a series of windows. She didn't bother glancing in them. She knew what was there. She clenched her teeth as she opened the door into the next room, wondering how bad she was going to get reamed for her tardiness.<br/><br/>---------------------------------------<br/><br/><br/>Physical discomfort. That meant her senses were returning. The conditioning took over automatically as the brainwave monitor in the side of her tube sent the signal that she was awake to the relevant security personnel. First, her right hand lifted up, checking the motion of her hand, as always a bit slow at this point. Then a quick pass in front of her face, both to check her vision and to block out the harsh overhead light. As her vision swam into focus, she moved her left hand. Yes, the IV was in her arm. She knew from the slow way her mind worked. She unplugged it. The stasis chemicals were going to wear off soon, now, but she wanted to speed up the process, to be ready for whatever it was she had been brought out for. Sitting up, she went over her shaved scalp and pulled off the sticky leads, noting that, as usual, she only had a half inch coating of stubble on her head. At least it wasn't as cold here as it had been last time.<br/><br/>The last lead off, Coy glanced around the bare room. Except for the stasis tube she had been brought in, lead lined especially for her, there was a toilet. She stood and stretched, her long and skinny frame stiff from inactivity. A few push-ups and jumping jacks soon had her fully awake, and she sat calm on the end of the tube, as she had been taught for so many years, and watched the door patiently. Soon enough, she knew, Kesler or someone else would come in and tell her what she was to do this time.