[h1][color=8493ca]Dr.[/color] [color=bc8dbf]Adeline[/color] [color=Turquoise]Carbier[/color][/H1]

[hider=Adeline Carbier][img]http://www.anime-planet.com/images/characters/eiga_amami_49570.jpg[/img]
[b]Adeline H. Carbier[/b]
[i]Adeline.Carbier@SandiaLaboratories.org[/i]
[b]Age:[/B] 36 [b]Hair:[/b] Auburn [b]Eyes:[/b] Turquoise
[b]Height:[/b] 5' 4" [b]Weight:[/b] 145 lb
[hider=Re: Adeline's Picture (OOC note)]The picture's eyes and hair are unfortunately the wrong colour - I couldn't find an accurate photo of her appearance, real or otherwise. For all interactions, just assume her hair is Auburn and her eyes are Turquoise as listed above in her file.[/hider]

[b]Education[/B]
> PhD, [i]'Piercing the Fabric: An Analysis of Artificial Space-Time Distortion and the Feasibility of FTL Travel',[/i] École Normale Supérieure
> Masters, [i]Recognising and Harnessing Variations in Quantam States: The Effects of Physical Objects on the Fabric of Space-Time[/i], Massachusetts Institute of Technology
> Bachelor of Science (Physics) - École Polytechnique

[b]Experience[/B]
> Former Senior Researcher, CERN Laboratories
> Associate Professor of Physics, MIT
>Senior Physicist in Applied Research, Sandia Corporation

[b]Vignette[/b]
It was impossible to contain her joy. [color=bc8dbf]'Yes!'[/color] she replied with excitement, like a child with a new puppy. [color=bc8dbf]'Yes yes yes! A thousand times yes!'[/color]

Adeline had worked extensively with the Engineering team to design the drive, slogging through countless nights without rest and running on a mixture of cheap coffee and anxiety. Prototype after prototype was designed, built, tested, dismantled and redesigned in a seemingly inescapable cycle that took its toll on all the R&D staff, until one day their hard work and dedication payed off: The first workable flight drive capable of FTL travel.

She assumed that would be the end of it. That humanity would soar amongst the stars and that she would fade back into relative obscurity. But never in her wildest dreams did she think she would be invited to witness its maiden voyage.

[color=bc8dbf]'I had been saving this for a special occasion...'[/color] The bottle of wine she pulled from a cupboard looked old - very old. Her more cultured associates at CERN had bought it for the Frenchwoman as a going away present, and had assured her that the vintage was superb. [color=bc8dbf]'... I suppose this is as good a time as any. Would you care for a glass, Major?'[/color]

[color=green]'Sorry ma'am, my orders are very clear.'[/color] Major Thames remained impassive. She supposed the man had an image to maintain, and a reputation to uphold. Her slender shoulders shrugged underneath her immaculate lab coat. [color=bc8dbf]'Suit yourself; all the more for me.'[/color] She filled a glass with the deep burgundy liquid and took a sip. Her colleagues hadn't been wrong - it [i]was[/i] a good vintage. [color=bc8dbf]'So what's next moving forward from now?'[/color]

The Major stood to attention, clearly more in his element giving orders than receiving libations. [color=green]'A staff car will be around on the 27th to collect you and your personal effects at 0800 hours, sharp. You will then be escorted to an undisclosed location for a full physical and psychological evaluation by NATO-sanctioned staff. Once you are deemed in suitable physical and mental health, you will be issued a security clearance and the Lieutenant General will brief you on the details of the mission.'[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]'Sounds absolutely wonderful.'[/color] Adeline took another sip of the wine. [color=bc8dbf]'Tell the Lieutenant General that he can count on my wholehearted support. Are you sure you don't want any of this? It's not every day that you come across a-'[/color] She looked carefully at the label through her glasses. [color=bc8dbf]'1987 Château Lafite Rothschild Bordeaux.'[/color]

Major Thames shook his head. [Color=green]'No ma'am.'[/color] Adeline sighed. [Color=bc8dbf]'Your loss, Major. Wines like this don't come around very often. I suppose much like opportunities like this don't come around very often.'[/color] The Major nodded and gave a quick salute before exiting the office, leaving her and the wine alone.

[hr]

Adeline's E-Assistant continued to ping the number. Her neural enhancement interface showed a HUD-like overlay across her vision as she scrambled to pack the last of her bags. The legality of her augmentation existed in a grey area - while not [i]technically[/i] illegal, they were certainly frowned upon by a notable amount policy-makers within NATO. Unlike them, Adeline embraced the augmentation as soon as she was able: the enhancements gave her an edge up on the competition in her field. How on earth did anyone expect her to have written an award-winning thesis without a few tricks up her sleeve?

An amber alert popped up in her virtual vision. The diagnostics program which measured her vital signs had detected a greatly accelerated heart rate, and suggested deep breathing exercises to reduce it. With irritation she swiped it closed - she didn't need to be told by a computer that her heart was almost hammering out of her chest.

The number rang out for the second time. Adeline swore quietly in French. [I]Why won't he pick up?[/i] Virtual fingers flashed in her vision as she gave the number a redial. [i]Please, just answer...[/i]

The microphone implanted in her ear came to life as a man's voice spoke on the other end, and the HUD showed a red chain link icon next to the <unknown> ID tag: an indicator of a heavily encrypted channel. [color=gold]'[i]Mon Fleur?[/i] I never thought I'd see that name again...'[/color]

Adeline sighed with resignation. Perhaps this had been a bad idea. [color=bc8dbf]'I told you not to call me that anymore.'[/color]

[Color=gold]'Then what do I call you?'[/color] The tone was surprisingly calm, the speech slow and deliberate. He'd always been less fluent in English than she had been. [color=gold]'I always thought Adeline was a stupid name. I liked it better when you called yourself-'[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]'Stop.'[/color] Adeline held up her hand as if to prevent the man from speaking, but quickly put it down in embarrassment at herself. This wasn't a visual link; her gestures would go unnoticed. [color=bc8dbf]'I've called to say goodbye, Bastien. For good this time.'[/color]

The line went silent. An eternity seemed to pass in the space of a few seconds. Adeline was faintly aware that she had been holding her breath. [color=gold]'I see,'[/color] came the reply, with more than a hint of sorrow. [color=gold]'Why are you disappearing this time?'[/color]

Adeline spent a few moments trying to concoct a story without success. She sighed; Bastien knew her better than anyone else, and it had taken her the better part of 10 years to perfect the lie she'd been living since she'd left him - and the movement - behind. There was no way she could come up with something convincing on the spot. [color=bc8dbf]'NATO has offered me a position on board one of their experimental ships.'[/color]

[color=gold]'You're working with the Enemy now?'[/color] Bastien's voice quickly turned from sadness into anger. [color=gold]'Of all the stupid things you've done, this is at the top of the list. Have you forgotten what they did to our people?'[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]'Have you forgotten what we did to theirs?'[/color] She shouted back. Tears began to well in her eyes as she remembered the day the Armada arrived in Earth's orbit. [color=bc8dbf]'You promised me that we were making the galaxy a better place! You promised me there would be no uneccessary bloodshed - and you lied! Maybe you were sitting comfortable in that bunker of yours, but I was on the ground. I saw the cities burned to dust, the bodies of Men, Women and Children - Jesus, Bastien, we helped them kill [i]children[/i]!'[/color]

[color=gold]'[i]Bien. Je suis désolé.[/i] I... I shouldn't have said that. I know that what we... What [i]I[/I] did... It was despicable. But what's done is done. Our people are free.'[/color]

[Color=bc8dbf]'Our people...'[/color] Adeline said the words slowly. A tear rolled down her cheek. [color=bc8dbf]'Our people, or yours?'[/color]


[Color=gold]'Maybe yours. Maybe mine. I don't know anymore. But the attack... I want you to know it wasn't your fault. I know you blame yourself, but you shouldn't. You've made the most of your fresh start, but me? I'll be running from them, carrying the weight of what I did to you until the day I die - and not a day goes by when I don't regret it.'[/color]

Adeline wiped her tears away. For all her conflicting feelings, Bastien always did have a way with words. [color=bc8dbf]'So, I guess this is Adieu, then.'[/color]

[color=gold]'Adieu. Just... Be careful, okay? They'll kill you if they find out who you really are. Did you ever burn those old identity papers?'[/color]

[Color=bc8dbf]'I know. The papers are long gone.'[/color] She said quietly. [color=bc8dbf]'I'm just going to... Stick with the story - just like you taught me.'[/color]

[color=gold]'Oui, [i]tenir au plan.[/i]'[/color] Bastien paused briefly. [color=gold]'Hey... We had something good, didn't we?'[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]'We did.'[/color] Adeline smiled briefly, thoughts of a simpler time flooding back. [color=bc8dbf]'Farewell, Bastien.'[/color] She closed the link. The blinking time in her overlay told her that the staff car was 15 minutes away - perhaps it was time to wait outside.

For the last time in a long time, Adeline took in the sight of her apartment, memorising every nook and cranny, every picture, every door, every window, every wall, [i]truly[/i] taking in and appreciating every facet. Finally, she grabbed her bags and walked out the door - leaving her double life and her mistakes behind her for good.[/hider]