weedy

Rhodes Island Bioengineering Lab

10:00 A.M. \ Sunny, clear

Weedy?

Oh, sorry, sorry.

I used the disinfectant spray at the door... and I wasn't doing any experiments before I came...

I'm coming in, okay? I don't wanna hear any whining that I smell like machine oil this time.

Anyway, your contract's almost up, and they make us do an interview before we can renew it. I brought the draft for the new one.

Not much has changed, really; just trying to get HR off my back.

Hello? Anybody home?

Dang, I forgot. Weedy and Blaze always do physical training at this hour. Guess I'm off to the training grounds.

Over here, Luli.

Sorry I'm late. I almost didn't recognize you.

Is that so? Speaking of which, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were born and raised in Columbia.

I have spent an awful long time in Trimounts, after all. We haven't seen each other since Iberia, have we?

I was in the audience when you gave Rhine Lab's presentation at the last Trimounts Bioengineering Frontier Conference.

Really?

I was going to meet you after the session, but I had to leave for an emergency call from the Medical Department.

So <i>you</i> were the Rhodes Island representative who had to withdraw?

We'd just taken in a batch of patients in critical condition, and they needed my expertise.

You do realize how competitive that conference is, don't you? There are so many universities and tech companies fighting for those slots.

Spike the temperature to herd the enemy where you want them, then finish 'em off with the chainsaw.

Hyah!

Blaze! Got a moment?

Hey, Closure. How'd you like my move just now?

Spicy. It's just you here, though? Where's Weedy?

We cancelled today's training.

Huh? Why?

I thought it was about yesterday at first.

Yesterday, huh...?

Careful!

At these temperatures—

No need to hold back. I want to test the limits of the water cannon post-modification.

Can you take the recoil though?

Should be fine. It's a chance to put that physical training to the test.

Alright then.

Get ready, Leaf!

What...? Did you... knock her out?!

No! Nothing to do with that! She cancelled to go see an old friend.

Oh yeah?

A Rhine Lab employee, apparently.

She never told me about that...

Wait, Rhine Lab?! And that didn't raise any alarm bells for you?!

(Shakes head)

Weedy was one of the first to join Rhodes Island, her contract's about to expire, and I've been trying in vain to track her down these past few days.

And now she's meeting with an old buddy from Rhine Lab.

On <i>top</i> of all that, just the other day she got injured while training with a certain someone.

Hey, she wasn't injured! I know it looked bad, but I took her to Medical for a full checkup.

Either way, all signs point to...

No way.

I sure hope not.

Seriously, why would you swing for the fences in training? Don't you know how strong you are?

Weedy knocked me back too, you know... She's gotten a lot stronger and more skilled.

Excuse me, miss.

Could you please move this, er... gun? It's blocking the passageway.

Oh, sorry about that.

Thank you.

What's that, Weedy?

It's a water cannon that can shoot water at various pressures, or even as high-temperature steam jets.

It can be used as a portable energy source, which is useful for localized testing of the landship's automation upgrades.

Looks more like a weapon to me. That shoots people with high-pressure water jets. Or steam, apparently.

Well, yes, combat was another application it was designed for.

Researchers need weapons too.

Why on Terra would the head of Rhodes Island's bioengineering lab ever have to fight? Do they not assign security forces for their researchers?

That's not what I meant.

I had the idea of building a water cannon back when I was still in Iberia.

When the Inquisition came to Abuelo's lab.

They confiscated all his documents and materials.

My grandfather's life's work, what would have been the first thesis in Iberia, indeed in all Terra, to detail the changes in the ocean from a combined biological and engineering perspective.

Abuelo's research license was suspended. All further research was subject to direct review by the Inquisition.

And he accepted it all.

I would sometimes wonder, could I have blasted them out of his lab if I'd had a weapon like this back then?

You'd need more than a water cannon to deal with the Inquisition.

Yes, it was just the fancy of a child. That's why I mostly use it for construction and development.

Oops, I almost forgot we had business to attend to.

You were looking for me, Closure?

Is your boss back yet?

No. Weedy went—

Yeah, I know. I didn't see her at the lab.

The bioengineering lab is out of service right now.

Huh?

Don't you remember? You came in without disinfecting last time, causing the contamination detection alarm to go off and—

Hey, I cleaned up right away, didn't I?

Yes, you used one of the hand-wash stations, putting the entire water sanitation system out of commission.

It's not <i>my</i> fault Weedy turned the detection AI's sensitivity all the way up!

Regardless, she decided to fully disinfect the lab and let it idle for a week before reopening it.

Someday we'll need to have a talk about how her mysophobia intersects with laboratory regulations.

Wait, but won't that delay your latest project?

Didn't Weedy submit a bunch of reports and funding applications just last week?

Oh, crap, I think I forgot to approve them...

Weapon upgrades for the training grounds... procurement for the Logistics Department... bridge repairs...

I could swear I left them right here.

Crap, don't tell me I misplaced her applications.

Lab out of service, new projects not getting approved... She must be tearing her hair out by now. Do you know what she's been up to lately?

She received a package that seemed to contain some kind of research materials from an old friend. She's been going over them in her quarters.

An old friend? The same one who works for Rhine Lab? The one she's meeting today?

Yes, that one.

So she's already helping other companies with their projects.

Huh?

She's already made up her mind then...

Oh jeez, how am I going to explain this to Kal'tsit and Amiya?