A woman in a white lab coat leaned over a microscope in a large, brightly-lit lab. It was almost painfully quiet compared to the rest of the bustling village, but she liked it this way, it helped her focus. It was one of the rare occasions when no one was around to ask her this or that, peek over her shoulder, or voice their doubts and concerns with whatever she was doing. Not that she could blame them; the work they do could potentially bring Refuge to its knees if even so much as a vial was tipped over by accident.

[b]"Damn it..."[/b] Wen groaned, jerking her head back. In her frustration, she slapped at the table with one thin, gloved hand. The sample she was monitoring was from a plant germinated from Purge-treated seeds, but due to one or more variables, it was still showing signs of viral activity, and lots of it. The experiments were still in their relative infancy, but it was always discouraging to see that some plant species were not taking as well to the treatment as others. For example, many herb varieties were doing quite well, but vegetables were definitely a work in progress. Refuge can't subsist on [i]scallions[/i], for God's sake.

Wen took the plate and practically shoved it into the steel "pass-thru" box for disposal. [I]Good riddance[/i], she thought. 

The lock on the metal door made an echoing [i]snap[/i]! and in mere seconds, Troy was in her face, staring at her with an apologetic expression. [b]"Miss, uh, [i]Doctor[/i]...?"[/b]

[b]"[I]Wen.[/I] It hasn't been retrieved?"[/b] Wen asked, visibly sagging in disappointment. [b]"What's the hold up?"[/b]

[b]"Trant hive, the guy said. I don't blame him, those things are nasty, or so I've heard..."[/b] Troy said, scratching the side of his prickly, unshaven jaw. "[b]Have you ever seen one of those things, I don't like bugs, I can't imagine--"[/b]

[b]"Look Troy, I have a lot of work to do,"[/b] Wen cut him off. Growing up, she once had a slight Chinese accent, but over time it had combined with a New York accent, giving her voice a blunt edge. "[b]I'm pretty sure you do too. I'm going to finish up here, you go get something to eat. Or some sleep. You look terrible."[/b]

Troy shut up immediately and nodded, practically jumping at the chance to have his meal for the day. He pawed around one of the desks for his security pass, and after exchanging wooden "Have a good evening"s, Wen was once again alone in the lab, left with half a dozen other samples that would undoubtedly show the same results as the others. And after that, probably a quick run over to the Slush plant, and then a trip to the seedling nurseries... At least her small tea leaf garden was productive.