DAY 01

B.E.A.R. LABORATORIES

LEVEL 4: CONFERENCE ROOM

Veronica swallows thickly.

"Are you sure I am qualified for this position?" She asks. "I have no work experience therefore I doubt I can be of much use, especially compared to doctors such as yourselves."

"Quite the opposite, actually," Dr. Peterson pipes in. "You have no experience, which means you have no idea what to expect. We need fresh eyes--something only a new recruit can offer."

"What will my position entail?"

"Exactly what I taught you to do," her old professor enlightens. "Lab work. We provide the samples, you give us the results."

Veronica chews her lip. "And the pay?"

"Substantial," Dr. Vanderwall says flatly.

Veronica stands hesitantly. "Very well, then. I thank you all for the prestigious offer, but I would like to think about it."

All eyes are on her except Dr. Vanderwall's, whose gaze flits over a file in front of him. "Yes or no, Miss Odair."

"Excuse me?" Veronica questions.

"Yes or no," Vanderwall repeats, steel grey eyes lifting to pin down on her. "Do you want the job or not?"

Veronica clenches her fists, suddenly very, very intimidated. "I'm sorry, sir, but I would like to think it over before making a final decision."

"That will not be necessary," he replies evenly. "Decide now."

Veronica glances suspiciously between the gazes of her professor and Dr. Vanderwall. Though much is being kept from her and the entire project is kept under top secret security, she can't help but be excited about this once in a lifetime offer. This is what she went to school for in the first place, was it not? She also can't help feeling that there really was only one answer they would have accepted.

"I accept."

The file previously under the inspection of Dr. Vanderwall is slid across the table to her. Veronica reads over it carefully, trying to make sense of the formally written words.

"It says here that my services are at your disposal. What does that mean, exactly?" She questions.

"Simply a formality, Ms. Odair," Dr. Vanderwall dismisses. "Say this were a fast-food joint. I, as your employer, would have the authority to move you wherever I like in the establishment, be it a dishwasher, waitress, or cashier. The same rules apply here. Your job may change, exact duties varying by experiment, therefore we need to have your consent to relocate you as we see fit."

Veronica nods hesitantly. "Alright, then." She continues down the contract, meticulously searching through the clauses. Not much jumps out at her as risky, though it seems like the line between safe and dangerous is becoming increasingly blurred.

"Are you finished yet, Miss Odair?" Dr. Conner questions.

"Uh, yes, just one more moment," Veronica replies, ball-point pen shaking slightly in her trembling fingers. The tip hovers over the pristine white paper, looming over the final dotted line. She breathes in and slowly lets the ink drag across the paper.

Veronica signs her name.

The contract is snatched from her grip by Dr. Conner, who then leaves the room entirely, followed shortly by Dr. Peterson.

"Right this way, then," Dr. Anderson voices, gesturing for her to follow him out the door. Before they can make their exit, Dr. Vanderwall speaks up from behind them.

"Welcome to the Project, Miss Odair."

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"I have my own lab?" Veronica asks, astonished.

"The less who know about this Project, the better. Your duties will be harder since you have no assistance, but it allows us to be secure in knowing only one technician knows about our experiments."

"I see," Veronica replies.

The lab is spacious and clean, white fluorescent lights giving the space a sterile look. The unused equipment nearly sparkles, the polished floors and clean surfaces so sleek she can see her reflection in them. Veronica has never seen anything so high-end. She finds it difficult to imagine just how expensive this room must have cost with the top of the line equipment and state of the art supplies. Veronica suddenly feels even worse for the tax payers than she already did before.

Dr. Anderson gestures to a small corner of the room, where a desk and computer lies. "You may use that as your office, and you can decorate it as you like."

"This... Thank you, Sir. This is far better than I had imagined," she smiles.

"That is what I first though too," he says with a knowing grin, seeming more like the elderly professor she knew in college than he had the entire day.

"Doctor, I... well," Veronica twists her hands together restlessly. "What exactly is this Project we are working on?"

Dr. Anderson sighs, face looking older with crinkles forming along his brow. "Veronica--"

"I know," she interrupts. "I know you can't really tell me, but is there at least something I am allowed to hear?"

"If I tell you this, you must promise me to never repeat it and to never ask for anything else from me again," he commands. Veronica nods. "I can only tell you the name."

Her head nods of it's own accord, waiting with baited breath for the only morsel of information she might ever receive about the Project.

"It is called Tekula," he mumurs. "The Tekula Project."

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The door closes with a slam behind her, the empty apartment remaining silent aside from Veronica's footsteps as she makes her way into the kitchen. She releases the heavy bags of groceries from her stinging hands onto the countertop.

She bumbles about stowing the food items and putting away various objects as she usually does ag the end of her days, but her shoulders are a bit heavier than usual, eyes a little more tired and lips pursed.

Her mind is full of the day's events, the words of Dr. Anderson and Dr. Vanderwall flitting about in her head.

"Yes or no, Miss Odair."

"Welcome to the Project."

"Tekula... The Tekula Project."

All of it felt so surreal. She had expected to feel out of her league, but what she felt in that conference room was far from just that. She felt inferior, intimidated, threatened. Perhaps it was just her nerves getting to her, though. Tomorrow will probably feel much more natural.

Veronica pulls her lanyard out of her purse, plopping down on the couch as she grasps the badge swinging from it. It is just like any badge she ever imagined, laminated with a picture of herself with meaningless details on the front with a large, blue 4 beside her picture. It is basically useless besides allowing her entrance through the gate. Beyond that, only her code works.

539-247

Her code, the one she must never forget, not that Veronica believes she could forget it anyways. The six digits seem so imprinted in her brain by their significance that she doesn't think she could forget it even if she tried.

Veronica places the badge back where it belongs.

To be completely honest, she has no idea what to expect tomorrow morning. Hopefully everything will run smoothly and she won't have to worry about intimidating interviews, but to assume there won't be any could only make it more likely to happen.

The Tekula Project.

What could be so secret about it? Maybe it is an experiment on a new possible weapon design, or research in biological advancements the public will be too afraid of. Perhaps it is even some kind of study on the discovery of aliens. Veronica shakes her head, chuckling at the last though to pass through her mind, though she supposes it is far too soon to fully rule out anything just yet.

"I'M HOME!" Morgan screams as she suddenly enters their shared apartment.

"Hello," Veronica mumbles.

"You will not believe the traffic this afternoon! Honestly, Ronnie, I wouldn't be upset if we just all went back to having horses. I think it would add at least ten years to everyone's lives by reducing the stress of terrible drivers."

"But then it would take you two hours to get to work instead of fifteen minutes," Veronica replies absently, ever the realist. "Women also wore corsets back then, too."

Morgan slumps into the couch beside her sister. "Why do you have to be right all the time?"

"Because if I wasn't, who else would be? Not you, I can imagine."

Morgan frowns. "Don't be mean." She peeks up at Veronica, noticing the far away look in her eyes. "How was the interview? Did you accept the offer?"

"Yes, I did..."

"...But?" Morgan infers.

"But I'm not sure if it was the best choice."

"You can always quit, right?" Morgan guesses. "I mean, that is an option isn't it?"

Veronica looks at her sister with unveiled worry in her eyes. "I really don't know, Emm."

"Well..." her sister starts hesitantly. "What exactly are you working on?"

"I can't say."

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