The Lab - Interest check (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=93896)<br/>The Lab - OOC/Character thread (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=93928)<br/><strong>The Lab - IC/Story thread</strong><br/><br/><hr/><br/>A small duststorm was sweeping around the Bennett Corporation Air Strip as the last aircraft finally landed after a long trip. The strip was located in the middle of a desert, cut in half by a wide asphalt road that headed further than the naked eye could see in both directions. A single turn of the road was visible, that lead to a small hill and a large building on the side of that hill. The text "Bennett Corporation Mining Site" was writted on the front in big letters, using white paint.<br/><br/>The airstrip itself was nothing more than two long strokes of asphalt, parallel to the road, connected by a U-turn on both ends, and a small radio contact building that doubled up as an administrative center in the middle. In addition to the aircraft that just landed, two more planes and a helicopter were waiting on the ground. A fourth aircraft had been present just over an hour ago, but had left directly after dropping off miss Portman and hauling several large crates on board.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>It had been three weeks since the ladies had sent in their application to one of the Bennett Corporation offices. during those three weeks, each had received a contract in their mail to sign and return, the return envelope included in the mail. Extra sheets of paper were also provided to allow the inclusion of additional comments. Several days after returning the signed contract, US$ 20,000.- or equivalent was wired to their bank accounts as advance payment to cover for expenses during their six month absense. The actual, much larger fee would be granted after they completed their six month stay. If no bank account information was known, a private account under the Bennett Organization was created, and the information to access the account included in the final letter.<br/><br/>One more letter came in, four days ago, stating the time and date they should be present at their local airport and report at the service desk. A pilot would be waiting for each of them individually, to escort them to their aircraft that would take them to their destination. The letter also informed the ladies not to bother bringing any additional goods, as their luggage would not be accessable during their stay.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>After making sure all engines were off, the pilot unfastened his seat belts. "We've landed, mam." the middleaged man who had not bothered to introduce himself informed miss Roe, who was appointed a seat in the rear of the cockpit. The pilot headed for the cargo hold, and unlocked the hatch on the side, that slowly flipped outwards, lowering the top end to the ground, so it double functioned as stairs. The pilot held his left arm in front of his face to protect it against the sand, blown around by the wind. "Please report at the building over there!" he yelled over the sound of the wind, as he pointed to the small, administrative building, thereby giving her the same instruction as his fellow pilots had given the other ladies upon their arrival here. Assuming she would be able to handle exiting the plane herself, or perhaps thinking it wasn't his responsibility, the man ignored Hillary from there on and focused on inspecting the crates inside.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>The building between the two strips had a rather rectangular shape, being only a single room wide, but having the size of six or seven rooms long. The middlemost room appeared to be the waiting room, and was the only room that contained any windows to look in or outside. Inside, an eldery clerk, wearing a dark gray uniform and standing behind a tall, metal desk, asked each lady to check in as they entered. Apparently, checking in consisted of writing down their name and the current date on a piece of paper that was covered with scratches and coffee stains, followed by their paragraph. The pen that was handed to them was one of those luxurous looking parker pens, with the text "Bennett Corporation" engraved in the side.<br/><br/>Each outer wall of the room had a door to enter or exit the building. Likewise, each inside wall sported a door that lead to the adjacent room, one of these doors located behind the desk and both closed and more sturdy looking than the doors leading outside. Several yellowbrown synthetic chairs were present to sit upon, and a coffee machine that seemed to operate in perfect condition stood in the corner of the room. It had obviously been a while since the last time someone had cleaned up in there, as the floor was covered with sand.