[indent]The easy and repetitive sounding thrum of a machine inside a glass case filled the otherwise silent lab of the chemist. It was dimly light save for the LED strip lighting across each surface - a mixture of shades of greens and purples that bordered the equipment. Perfect for concentrative working. The entire back wall was a built in terrarium filled with all manner of plants and rocks, but the rest of the lab, save for the expensive equipment, was stark. Cold, white, hard surfaces. 

No windows. 

The woman sat at her desk with perfect posture and a notepad and pen in hand. Sure, Carolex was filled with all manner of technology, but sometimes the old ways were the best. Besides, writing notes was about the only time that Hannah allowed herself to remove the gloves. In that sense, writing things down was her escape from the conforming material. Her cage. A thumping electronica spilled from her headphones, and betrayed her serene and dreamlike expression. She was deep in thought as she let her pen glide over the paper, drawing up a series of formulas as easily as some might write a simple note for groceries.

She was pretty when focused. All soft red curls and an even softer expression. 

From afar, the hard colour of her eyes wasn’t so harsh. The way that the contacts blocked out the true colour of her irises, and yet left behind the impression that they weren’t her real eyes. It was an obvious attempt at masking just another insecurity. Just like her hands. The scars across her knuckles, and above her finger nails. Long gone were the days of applying polish.

With a sigh, she put the pen down, briefly allowing her eyes to close. It had been a long day, a very long day. Hannah surmised that from her notes, and judging by the motion of the pumps in the machine, it would be longer still. The formula wasn’t finished yet, not even close. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d slept in her lab, most likely not the last. As the music continued in her ears, she climbed out of her chair, and took a walk across the empty floor of the lab, waving her arms lazily at her side to stretch them. If there hadn’t been cameras in every corner, she might have felt fit to dance to herself. That wouldn’t be the first time either. The time it was used to mock her was the last. 

No, instead, she simply paced the floor, stretching her neck this way and that, wiggling her feet with each step in a languid fashion before leaning over the ledge on the wall where a window [i]would[/i] have been. Hannah closed her eyes and breathed out, letting it blow a raspberry from her lips - and that was where she stayed, meditatively until…

[i]CLICK[/i]

The invasively bright lights flashed on so quickly. She practically jumped out of her skin, her heart immediately racing from the shock, and her eyes stung as they were forced to adjust to the light. In the doorway, a colleague. His face said it all. He was [i]pissed[/i] - and his mouth was moving fast but of course she couldn’t hear him until she finally slid off the headphones with a shaky hand--

“...alarm going, and you’re not even out of your lab! You’re not special, Doubles -- get it together and move your ginger ass out of here before we’re all thrown out.”

Hannah flinched at his words, and she opened her mouth to speak but the words died in her throat, and then his anger got the better of him again only this time they came out laced with spite and strung on a mocking tone.

“Duh-duh-did you h-h-hear me?!” he spat viciously before shaking his head and pounding his own way down the corridor in the direction of the message.

Her hands came up to her chest and she looked around at her lab nervously. Suddenly everything felt like it was shrinking towards her and she felt a familiar panic in her chest. There was no time to spare, however, and she grabbed her gloves and made her way hurriedly to the emergency meeting. [/indent]