In the 20 storey Lloyd & Associates, a law and financial company located far to the west of Engine City's borders, a young woman typed away on a computer while inputting data into the facility's massive database. She was a 25-year old Chinese immigrant who had moved to Engine City the previous year and quickly secured work as a lawyer's secretary. Her name was emblazoned upon a small gold plate that read 'Liu Qing'. Qing had short black hair and wore a typical secretary's blazer and skirt, but her eyes were an unusually bright shade of blue.

Qing kept working, not looking at the keyboard as she fervently keyed in data, totally transfixed on her work. On her left eardrum was a tiny speaker, which was imperceptible to the naked eye. When she originally started working here, she managed to slip in a receiver in her boss' office that would help her overhear anything her superior would say when she wasn't around. Her boss, Martin Lloyd, had influential contacts within the political, military, financial and legal worlds, and he was often paid exorbitant amounts for his services. This was why she had infiltrated the office; whoever his contacts were would be hers as well, whether he knew it or not. Qing was using the speaker to listen in on a private phone conversation while focused on her work.

[i]"Right... yeah, okay,"[/i] Lloyd's voice echoed in the speaker. [i]"So you wish to... lawsuit against... for the Carter Hills incident... Your daughter... quarantined even though... healthy the day before. My condolences, Senator. However... cannot use... argument against them. The villain Tox... far greater threat... ever before. But if we use... in the trial..."[/i]

The static was overwhelming Qing's hearing, so she opted to turn it off. She needed to think about replacing the receiver with a new one when she had the chance. Despite the poor reception, she had a good idea of who Lloyd was talking to - some Senator who lost his daughter in the Carter Hills tragedy brought upon by the super villain Tox. She didn't know the purpose behind his attack, but it put Engine City on far higher alert than ever. The eastern district was cordoned off, although she wasn't sure if the government was planning to create a cure or leave the victims to Tox's mercy. None of this affected Lloyd's office in the west, so Qing was completely safe working here. As she was also an immigrant, she had no connections to anyone from the east, so she wasn't concerned with the losses.

With the conversation fresh in her mind, Qing robotically worked on her documents while planning what to do once she punched out for the night. She definitely wanted to find out who this Senator was that (apparently) wanted to sue the city for neglecting its citizens. Perhaps there would be a job opportunity if she went to meet him this evening. Finding out the man's name would be easy once Lloyd was gone to play with his mistresses.