She had really done it this time.

After she had returned to her laboratory—not dragged, as that would imply it was not where she was heading in the first place, even though the security team that had found her had in fact insisted on holding on to her arms and escorting her—Samantha had been thoroughly reprimanded by management.

It was not that she was completely ignorant of their concerns. Even with the time she had spent at Gilgamesh, she was still a touchy subject among the upper echelons of the company. While she had been brought to Aquapolis because of her knowledge of the species gathering there, the numerous factions that had been brought together within the city limits under the threat of a common enemy changed matters.

Many wanted her to remain locked up in the company quarters for the duration of this debacle. Some simply did not trust her. Some were worried about what she might divulge about Gilgamesh—never mind that she did not know much more than the rest of the labcoats, and those were not asked to stay cooped up in their workspace—which essentially meant that they did not trust her but did not want to admit it. 

As for her, the idea of staying put while three realms converged right outside her doorstep caused her physical pain. Naturally, the higher-ups did not much care for that excuse.

They did, however, care for the contents of her conversation with the Council’s Hound, and even then, she had had to work to convince her manager that such a conversation had taken place. Apparently, an entire transcript of the conversation mired in her own notes was not enough evidence to prove she had not made it up, but in the end the thirst for information on the other factions had won out.

Which had led to her next suggestion. 

“I got this Fenn to speak to me. I could follow up on this if you gave me some freedom.”

And now the petite scientist found herself in a monster-infested forest with three strangers that seemed liable to start hacking each other to pieces and a humungous spider demon whose kind she recognized from previous experience. When the last one had arrived, she had instinctively concealed herself.

True to word, she had been placed in a position where she could speak with two people who were speculated to have ties with the Council. Yet at the same time— 

[i]They didn’t even give me an escort![/i] she whined internally. [i]I can’t tell if my boss is trying to teach me a lesson, or trying to set-up an unfortunate accident.[/i] She knew Souta was related to Gilgamesh, after a fashion, but something told her he was not there to look after her. [i]Hell, he looks like he’s forgotten about me already.[/i]

She had to wait until the Broodmother had gone before she could muster the courage to break her camouflage. And the tension. “It’s truly remarkable that you got her to cooperate with anyone. Those kinds of demon are notoriously dismissive of anything outside of their colonies… ah, barring what they bring back as food. Or entertainment.” The bespectacled woman shuddered. “How [i]did[/i] you get her to cooperate?”