Excerpt: Not So Easy Being Green

“Luxus, the world is your attic. Go. Discover. Do great things.”

[This takes place after the id cards were distributed and the interns were told to keep them on their persons at all times.]

The Sabotage

At that moment Luxus knew there was nothing she could do. She knew the rules. The id card in her hand felt heavy as she handed it to Dr. Ahner who stood at the door waiting. One thing she learned then was that everything in this lab only appeared to run just fine on ideals, ideas, and pure imagination, but that could all be thwarted in a mere instant on one little technicality. It’s true that she did not have her id card on her when she arrived on the authorized-access only floor, but she assumed that hardly anyone did. Being the only woman in the room at the time, she was also the only one with the problem of finding where to store her purse [which held her id card since she did not have any pockets]. Soon after arriving she discovered that even the single drawer at her work desk was not designed for personal belongings, but for impersonal, specific lab equipment.

She was sure she saw others simply dump personal belongings, like coats and bags, over in a corner in the back of the first lab area to make more room for anyone who wanted to see the demonstrations. She thought nothing of leaving her handbag on the top of the pile as she walked quickly into the next area, faster than her usual casual pace, especially after she fell under the direction of the lead researcher from the highly secure Green Lab. She followed his look, darting from each person to the place he wanted him or her to stand until his intense eyes landed on her. She obeyed his silent direction and took her place in line with the others. This lead researcher, who was called Dr. Z, was in charge of an important experiment that depended on specific timing, which is why his motions were frenetic, yet controlled. Dr. Z was also on the panel that selected the lab intern who would eventually join the group.

Dr. Z soon ushered everyone from that area over to a third to pick up cross-lab observation materials.

“Everyone follow me quickly, please. This next room is on a timed entrance. If we missed the window we will have to wait five more minutes. I won’t wait for any stragglers so don’t be that person.” He walked through a door at the back of the room and for a moment everyone stood there waiting for him to return, until they heard him loudly clear his throat. That’s when they realized they were all being stragglers. There was a speed walking footrace through the door as they went into the secure lab. Twenty minutes later their observations were interrupted by a beep and they were all summoned back to their original lab rooms. When the group entered the room, Dr Ahner was there with a stern look on her face. Luxus knew something was wrong and hoped it didn’t have anything to do with her group. “There has been a breech in security and someone has allowed unauthorized access to an outsider.” Everyone gasped.

“We don’t know who this intruder was, but we do know the person who authorized the entry by their id card tap.” That person must gather all their things, leave the lab and report to the security office immediately. She looked at Luxus and said, “Luxus, please hand me your id.” She walked over to her purse and retrieved her card.

Somebody else really wanted this Green Lab spot, but no one more than her.