DYER - The Durban Wolves [discontinued - pending V2, someday, maybe]

.:2:. Elizabeth

The lab was a hive of activity on the quietest of days, and on the busier ones, it was a cauldron stewing near apocalyptic levels of chaos.

"Do you know which faction you will be working under?" Divan's father asked as he slowed to a halt in the parking lot in front of the building.

"Not yet. This program was designed to help clueless guys like me figure out what our talents are without first having to get three degrees and hate them all." Divan reached for his laptop bag in the footwell and opened the car door. "Aside from the fact that I'm now three weeks late for the start of the program, I should be fine."

His father chuckled. "Good luck then. I hope your boss is more forgiving than Brian's chemistry lecturer!"

"Likewise! See you later, then."

Divan faced the lab building surrounded by subtropical foliage of notable variety as his father drove off, and steeled himself.

Here starts the first day of the rest of your life. Divan really hoped that he wouldn't be a disappointment.

Stepping into the building, he found himself in a small reception office. He waited for about ten minutes while the lone secretary finished what seemed to be a frustrating.and exasperating telephone call with either a chemical distribution company or their courier service.

"Sorry about that." She said, finally putting down the receiver and turning to Divan. "How can I help you?"

"My name is Divan Smit, I'm here for the apprenticeship program..."

"Oh my hat!" She burst, standing. "Are you okay!?"

"Uh... yes...?" Divan stepped back in surprise, confused.

"Weren't you the one that was in the Shrapnel Attack and had to be hospitalised for weeks!?"

"Y-yes....?"

"Are you sure you're okay to work now?" The receptionist was the picture of concern as she looked at him. "You sure you don't need another few days? You've still got patches!"

Divan felt a large drop of sweat form at his temple. "I'm fine, really... the doctors signed me off, so I'm good to go."

She shot him a skeptical glance before sticking out her hand. "I'm Sherry. Follow me, Dr Schneider will want to meet you before you get wrapped up too deeply in the rest of the apprentice-y stuff."

"Dr Schneider?" Divan blinked. "What's a doctor doing in an emerging technologies laboratory?"

"You'd be surprised!" Sherry said, tossing her shoulder-length ebony hair over her shoulder as she stood to escort him away. "Emerging technologies are as important in the medical world as the rest of it. Dr Schneider is a visionary in this sense, she's a pioneer."

"Oh?" Divan was worried already.

"She's the first person who's got the guts to try combine aesthetics with Virology."

"...What?"

"She can explain it a lot better than me." Sherry said, stopping in front of an unmarked door in a very bland looking corridor that Divan guessed was far from the most of the workings of the lab.

"Just a word of warning, though:" Sherry began, spinning to face him again.

I knew it. I should be worried.

"We had a break in a few months ago and some research from a whole bunch of departments was stolen. You're going to hear about it a lot, but for your own sake I suggest you do not mention that topic around Dr Schneider."