Characters
Victoria Lanell
“Lanell thinks herself clever because she can string together a few observations and play the inquisitive protégé. In reality, she is reckless, insubordinate, and prone to sentimentality. She doesn’t grasp that science is not a game of feelings. She has flashes of brilliance yes but undisciplined flashes are dangerous. I allow her proximity to the work because I am still deciding whether she is salvageable. If she learns obedience, she might become useful. If not, she will burn herself out questioning the wrong people.”
Junior Research Associate
Dr. George “Bizlok” Crusher
“Crusher is a bizarre honeybadger if ever there was one. He lives in a nest of vats, snails, and goo like some deranged alchemist, and somehow convinces everyone to tolerate it because his sticky concoctions actually work. I’ll never understand why he’s obsessed with adhesives, but I’ve stopped asking. He brings me solutions wrapped in slime, and that’s all that matters. Call himself ‘Bizlok’ if he wants it fits. The man is strange, but I need him. He’s the only one in this facility who can turn nonsense into something useful, and that makes him worth keeping around.”
Senior Researcher, Molecular Bonding & Polymer Science
Earl Kidd
“Kidd knows this facility better than he should better than I sometimes do, though I won’t say that aloud. He takes pride in reminding others of what he remembers: which line feeds where, which system was replaced a decade ago, which door sticks when humidity is high. Tiresome. He thinks that makes him indispensable. Perhaps it does. Still, he has a habit of questioning orders, couching it in ‘safety concerns’ or ‘system integrity.’ A man of wrenches and valves pretending he should sit at my table. Useful, yes. Annoying, certainly.”
Head of Facility Maintenance
Trace Finn
“Finn is indispensable. When a problem arises, she doesn’t argue, doesn’t drag it through committees, doesn’t moralize. She makes it disappear. Cleanly, efficiently, without me needing to dirty my hands. Every great endeavor needs someone willing to be the shadow behind the curtain. She is mine. With Finn, I can focus on the work that matters, knowing any mess be it insubordination, loose ends, or inconvenient questions will be swept away before it ever reaches me. She makes my life easier, and that is worth more than any number of theorists or technicians.”
Chief of Security
Tabitha Snickers
“Snickers is infuriatingly good at her job. If there’s a flaw in the system, she’ll find it. If someone tampers where they shouldn’t, she’ll track it to the source. She’s the reason our walls hold as tight as they do. I rely on her more than I’d ever admit aloud. I just wish she would not skate through the facility like it’s her personal playground. For all her brilliance, she insists on making the place look like a skating rink.”
Network and Systems Security Specialist
Chief Physicist, Collider Division
Myles Moleman
“Myles is a glorified calculator with fur. He thrives when buried in equations and reports, which suits me I need someone to handle the grunt work of data while I focus on vision. His loyalty is convenient, though at times it borders on sycophantic. He will never grasp the broader implications of our research, but he doesn’t need to. His purpose is to provide me with neat columns of numbers, not grand ideas. As long as he keeps shuffling the papers and nodding at the right times, he earns his keep.”