Dream Bride: PROJECT MORPHEUS

Joia

I am Joia Ti Phan, age 29, a former scientist of Sector 12 and former co-team leader of PROJECT MORPHEAUS.

I was once that, now I am not.

I am just a professor at the University of Melbourne, and it is where I intend to stay.

The past is gone, the memories too tragic to bear, and so I leave them behind as I move forward.

A lecture was being given to the students of the university of Melbourne in Australia, a special lecture about a special subject: the power of the mind over the body. Already deep into her speech, the professor of psychology was speaking with a calm intensity on a subject she had most of her post-college years studying to the packed auditorium.

The professor was Joia Ti Phan, a tall woman with mixed Vietnamese and Australian heritage, long dark brown hair which its length was in a single braid down her back and wore small rimless glasses, and also wore an all-white ao dai (a tight-fitting silk tunic dress with pants) that had black butterfly designs along the bottom of the skirt. To anyone who didn't know any better they would think she was too flashy dressed to be a college professor

In the very back row were a couple of older people in dark suits watching her and due to the lighting she didn't notice them.

As soon as Joia finished her lecture the crowd applauded her and she bowed her head once to thank them, leaving the stage even as the applause continued.

Backstage in the privacy of an empty dressing room, the professor began to pack up her belongings to return home for the day.

A knock on her door got her attention. she answered, "I've no time for interviews right now. Call me later."

From the other side of the door came a female voice, "Professor Phan, we need to talk to you it's for an urgent matter."

Wondering what could be so urgent got Joia's attention and she set her glasses on the desk next to her, "Very well, come on in, but make it quick."

The door opened and in came the two black suited people who had been watching the lecture she had just given.

One was a red headed woman with semi-long hair and the other was a tall gentlemen in a dark grey suit. Both looked to be about the same age as Joia.

The woman held up a badge to Joia, "My name is Cecilia Archer and this is my partner Paul Morrison."

Joia closed her bag and gave a passing glance at the badge, "You with some sort of federal agency to come bother a professor as she is about to leave? What do you need-?"

"We're from Section 12, ma'am," said Paul.

Joia stopped and took a closer look at the badge that Cecilia had shown her. Indeed, the gold and silver badge had the words SECTION 12 etched above the name on the plate.

"I have nothing to talk about. Go." Any hospitality that Joia had just went out the door when she saw that name.

"Sorry but we really to speak with you. We've been trying to track you down for weeks and when we heard you were going to be here this we knew this would be our last chance to speak to you about Project-"

She cut Paul off but slamming her bag onto the floor, "I left Section 12 years ago, lived a rather quiet life as a college professor and now after they let me go they come looking for me? I don't want to be involved with them anymore."

Paul backed off, and Cecilia stepped forward, putting her badge in her breast pocket again, "Professor, the urgent matter concerns Project Morpheus."