Astgenne: Now Experimenting...

Operator Record Now Experimenting...
A drop of courage, a pinch of determination, a dash of foresight, and finally the steadfastness to accept no less—that's what an Elena is made of.

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Characters

Elena Ferdinand Rhine Lab Tech A Rhine Lab Tech B Defense Section Employee Flustered Pioneer Indifferent Pioneer Panicked Subcontractor

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“

Elena receives a responsibility identification report from the Defense Section for violating the laboratory's safety procedures. Ferdinand, the director of the Energy Section knocks on her lab's door, and a series of "experiments" focused on her begins.

”

<Background 1>
[Elena scrolls through papers.]
Elena	"Rhine Defense Section Responsibility Identification Report: Intern Researcher Elena Urbica..." "Violation of laboratory operation procedures, violation of researcher safety code, violation of Defense Section rescue plans..." "Returned to the site of the liquid Originium leakage without permission and reactivated the abandoned experiment reaction device..." "Disrupting the Defense Section's predetermined rescue procedures, leading to a more difficult rescue..."
Elena takes a deep breath.
Elena	It's so over... Now that Defense has sent me the responsibility identification report, considering Director Saria's personality... I'm so fired.
Elena takes a look at the laboratory around her. Her equipment and instruments are piled in the corner of a common workspace. On her desk is her unfinished report, as well as half a bag of stimulants left behind from yesterday.
Elena	Oh... What a shame. This is my first big experiment, and I'm getting the pink slip before I could achieve anything... Astesia's bound to find out sooner or later, too... She's going to worry... ...but I guess I should prepare...
She sighs, sets down the report in her hands, and starts picking up her things on the desk and putting them in her bag one-by-one.
[Someone knocks on the door and enters shortly after.]
Elena	Director Clooney...! (Why is the director here? Are things that serious...?)
Ferdinand	Intern Researcher... Elena Urbica?
Elena	Yes, that's me. Did an experiment of this caliber really call for a visit from a director...?
<Flashback starts here>
<Background fades out and in>
Rhine Lab Tech A	Elena, what's your data point at right now?
Elena	...1.39. Hasn't changed... What's going on? It's the 23rd day. All the other data points are fine. Normally, I would've gotten results last week, but it's not reacting whatsoever! It's stressing me out so much...!
Rhine Lab Tech B	Kid, why don't you come over for a cup of tea?
Elena	No, Wally... I'm not in the mood for tea...
Rhine Lab Tech B	How about this, then? I'll teach you a good way. Fill this out, and you won't be so stressed out anymore.
Elena	What is this... "Experiment Project Application Form?" Why should I fill this out?!
Rhine Lab Tech B	So you stop looking at this experiment that's half-abandoned by the project. Instead, try thinking about what you'll do for your next experiment, how you'll get results, and do that. Look at me. The first thing I did when I got to work was grab a cup of tea. With my last experiment dead in the water, I'm starting to figure out my next idea. That's how things go. We're doing research. No way are we gonna succeed every single time.
Elena	......
Rhine Lab Tech B	Elena, if you're really worried that Ferdinand's going to fire you, stop wasting your time on this. He's not going to care about a single experiment. All he's going to say is, "Rhine has thousands of experiments going every day. All I care about are the results in the end."
Rhine Lab Tech A	Pff... You do a good Ferdinand.
Elena	But this experiment isn't anything on that level... This is a fundamental data experiment of B25. It's my first big one. I put in lots of effort to get this project! It's way too important to me, and I can't give up the chance to participate in a huge project just like that...
Rhine Lab Tech A	If you have a backup plan to remedy things, he's not going to be that bothered by this one experiment. At most, he'll chew you out in person.
Rhine Lab Tech B	(Shudders)
Elena	I still haven't met Director Clooney. Why does it seem like everyone in Energy is scared of him?
Rhine Lab Tech B	You'll know as soon as you talk to him. Trust me, when he gives you a compliment, it's going to feel way worse than when he reprimands you.
Elena	But you still chose to join Energy?
Rhine Lab Tech A	Well... You gotta hand it to him. He's a real force to be reckoned with.
Rhine Lab Tech B	If you happen to work on a project he leads, on just that one project, the experience you'll earn is worth years of fiddling on a project by yourself. The only problem is not a lot of people catch his eye. Sometimes, there's not even one in a year.
Rhine Lab Tech A	That's the reason why most of us chose to join Energy. Isn't that why you're here, too?
Elena	Well, yeah. I heard about his achievements when I was still in college, and I figured he must be a really exceptional man, and that my dreams would definitely come true if I went to Energy. Besides, it's not so strange for a man as peerless and respected as him to have a bit of a temper, right?
Rhine Lab Tech B	...Hmph.
Elena sets her arms on the table and props herself up.
Elena	Hmph, I swear to god, I will find the problem with the experiment. This is my first experiment, and a fundamental data point of B25! It wasn't easy for me to earn this chance! If the two old fossils back home were to catch wind of this, they'd say I should've followed their decision and drag me back home to join them in their chicanery... Astesia would be so worried, too... Yeah, I don't buy it! How is this possible? Is it really not going to yield any results?
Rhine Lab Tech A	Well, hang in there if you're so enthusiastic about it. Good luck...
*Bzzt*—*Bzzt*—*Bzzt*—
Elena	What's that noise? Is that the alarm?
Rhine Lab Tech A	Uh, is something wrong? Temperature? Humidity? Let me check the numbers.
Elena	..."Indoor Originium concentration...?"
Rhine Lab Tech B	What?!
[Elena is running.]
Elena shoots out of her seat and dashes straight toward the base's alarm system.
Elena	What's going on? The laboratory's Originium concentration is way above alarm levels! Is there a liquid Originium leakage?
[The alarm continues.]
Rhine Lab Tech A	Hurry! Put on your masks!
[Elena makes an emergency call.]
Elena	Defense? This is Site 013. The internal environmental Originium concentration has exceeded the limit. We think there might be a liquid Originium leakage! We've sounded the alarm and told everyone to evacuate, but we need Defense here to help us! Yes, Site 013. The Originium concentration has far exceeded limits. We don't know the source of the leakage. We need immediate assistance!
<Flashback ends here>
<Background fades out and in>
Elena	So as soon as I noticed the Originium concentrations were way too high, I pulled the alarm, reported the incident to Defense, and notified all the personnel on the base to evacuate. I stopped my experiment and sealed any material that can easily react to the high concentrations to keep the followup damage control work as easy as possible. I also notified our subcontractors and the Pioneer base. This is my first project at Rhine, so after that, I...
Ferdinand	That's not what I wanted to hear.
Ferdinand's eyes sweep the desktop that Elena is halfway through cleaning up.
Ferdinand	You are cleaning up?
Elena	Yes...
Ferdinand	You have only seven minutes of my time. Put your things down, and look at this.
[Ferdinand hands Elena documents.]
Elena	Is this... the data report? It's out already?! Director, are they valuable data? Are they very important?
Ferdinand	No. You craftfully wasted the resources I gave you, and filled my inbox with the Defense Section's responsibility identification reports. I hope you'll remember every safety notice on the wall.
Elena	...... I'm very sorry, Director. I wasn't able to submit the experiment's data results before the due date. I will sort out the rest and hand it to the next overseer. I will talk to the project's manager about the problems I caused because of the delay, and do my best to remedy all this.
Ferdinand	Very well, but I don't care about any of that. What I want to know is why you went back to the laboratory.
Elena	Because I thought I heard something...
<Flashback starts here>
<Background 2>
*Bzzt*—*Bzzt*—*Bzzt*—
[Elena and other workers run outside.]
Elena	(I'm pretty sure I heard something just now... Did my experiment's reaction indicator go off...?)
Rhine Lab Tech A	Finally made it out... Goodness... How many people are they going to fire for a blunder like this...?
Elena	(Did it finally start reacting...?)
Rhine Lab Tech B	Good for you, Elena. You really don't have to worry about your experiment anymore. From the looks of it, just about all the projects on the site will be delayed.
Elena	......
Flustered Pioneer	What the hell is going on?! What are you people even doing in there?
Elena	Wally... We've had experiments that succeeded in unusual environments before, right?
Rhine Lab Tech B	Yeah, we did. We usually call those the "Providence of Truth." If luck's on your side, it's bound to happen once or twice. Hold on, mind checking if I've got my protective mask on properly? I'm kinda worried still...
Elena	Alright. (No...) (I'm pretty sure I heard it. My experiment's reacting!)
[More people run outside.]
Panicked Subcontractor	Are we safe here? You sure we shouldn't run a little farther? Into a shelter or something? You maniacs...! We're going to get infected... This is completely against the terms of that contract we signed!
Indifferent Pioneer	Hmph, what's the big deal, as long as you're alive? At least there's a girl telling you to run this time.
Rhine Lab Tech A	Hold on... Hey... Did any of you see Elena...? Why isn't she here?
<Background 1>
*Bzzt*—! *Bzzt*—! *Bzzt*—!
[Elena runs to her desk and rummages through papers.]
Elena makes her way to her desk. In the empty laboratory, the blaring alarm and the noise of the indicators are jumbled together in dissonance. The Originium concentration here has already reached a level that can easily infect humans. On the lab table left cluttered because of the sudden evacuation, the abandoned experiment is reacting to the Originium leakage, with its indicator dial swinging rapidly. As though it is outputting all the results that previously never appeared all at once. The terminal's display to the side is quickly displaying a number of the experiment's data points as the alarm's light flashes to no end.
Elena	I knew it...! *cough*. I knew I heard it! I knew it! I knew it! *cough*... It moved! Finally, results!
Sparing no time to fetch the chair that she had kicked to the side, Elena kneels in front of her desk and quickly records each and every data point.
Elena	The readout's 1.97. I need to plug it into the formula and calculate the result... Environmental concentration... Save file...
[Elena hears someone coming.]
Defense Section Employee	Who's still in there?!
Elena leans down and keeps quiet. She picks up her recording's pace.
[The employee come closer and spots Elena.]
Defense Section Employee	We've cleared this area already. Is there still somebody inside Rescue target's location confirmed. We missed someone earlier.
Elena	......! There's no time. Last row...!
<Flashback ends here>
<Background fades out and in>
Elena	It was my first project, and I really took it seriously. When I found out that it finally started to react, my immediate guess was that the parameters and environment I was operating the experiment within were too idealistic, and it didn't reach the prerequisites for the reaction to occur. I had to record the results I got in a high Originium concentration environment. Even if the data were just an anomaly, it will definitely help our experiments in the future. And even if it wasn't going to yield any results, I had to make sure. That's why... I went back.
Ferdinand	You have four minutes left. Is that it? This is hardly a special reason at all.
Elena	...Yeah.
Ferdinand	And? What was the first thing you asked me after you got the report?
Elena	"Are the data valuable?"
Ferdinand	They aren't. Are you going to snatch them back?
Elena	I will.
Ferdinand	And your reason?
Elena	I don't want to give up on the results of my hours upon hours of work. ...Even if they have already been abandoned by the others. But having put in so much effort for so long, I didn't think that much about it. It reacted in that environment. It could very well be an all new data point or formula, and that would be my achievement. If I could just reach that, I would be going another step further. I could continue my experiment or research something more fundamental... Besides, I might just succeed, and I think I will!
Ferdinand	Stop. Stop wasting your time. You don't have to tell me all that.
Ferdinand points out the window.
Ferdinand	Researchers like you are a dime a dozen here at this site. Each and every one of them have been praised by just as many for their traits, intelligence, determination, and leadership... How many tons of scrap paper do you think they produce every day? When these qualities become commonplace, they are nothing special. You made a decision to chase that data. Not bad, but it wasn't enough. I don't need someone who wastes her time and risks her life for mere scrap paper.
Elena	But we had a liquid Originium leakage at the time. I assessed the emergency at hand and—
Ferdinand	No, what you need to assess is the value of the experiment's data. Otherwise, all you did was make an impulsive decision.
Elena	......
Ferdinand	When you're free, you should spend a little time outside the laboratory. It should be greater foresight and knowledge that drive your decision. It should be those things that help you find results worth risking your life for, not "didn't think that much about it."
Elena	I understand... Thank you for your guidance, Director. From here on out, I will first determine whether the results are worth it before making my decision, instead of letting my impulse drive me. But... What if I determined that the data were very valuable in that kind of environment?
Ferdinand's gaze snaps back onto her. He looks straight at Elena. Elena is looking up and right into his eyes, like all the other students that sought his guidance. He smiles.
Ferdinand	If it were me, I would've pulled the alarm a little later.
Elena	...But—?
Ferdinand checks his watch and interrupts her.
Ferdinand	Those people are also things that you have to assess beforehand. Seven minutes. Here's your document. Take it.
Elena	I understand. I've already put together all the remaining data from the last experiment and the relevant reports, and I'll finish the handover work as soon as possible. I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused Energy, and I'll take care of this before I leave Rhine Lab...
Ferdinand	...Hmph.
[Ferdinand leaves the room.]
Elena looks around the laboratory one last time. In the end, her eyes land on the alarm system.
Elena	"If it were me, I would've pulled the alarm a little later..." huh...? ......
Elena shakes her head.
Elena	I'd still have pulled the alarm first.
The sound of Ferdinand's footsteps disappears down the hallway.
Elena	Phew— Let's get back to it.
[Elena's stops shortly because something on her desk has drawn her attention.]
Elena	Hm... What's this?
There are two documents sitting on the desk that she had cleaned out. Elena picks them up. The one on top is the report of the experiment's data that she fought so hard for.
Elena	Too bad, the experiment's materials were destroyed. If I ever get the chance, maybe I'll try to reproduce it. Not sure if my next company will have Rhine's resources, though...
[Elena looks closely at on of the documents.]
Elena	What's this? A confirmation of transfer to Energy Section Director Ferdinand's own projects...? Ah! Huh? Ahhh! For real? Really? Really?!
[Elena hits her head.]
Elena lifts the confirmation up in the air, jumps up, and bumps her head into the corner of the cabinet.
Elena	Oww...!
[Elena falls down and scrolls through the documents.]
She cheerfully falls on the backpack that she packed, and kicks her legs in the air as she repeatedly confirms the document's details. When her breathing finally stabilizes once more, she carefully puts away the confirmation. She brushes the hair feathers that she messed up during her bout of excitement, sits back down, and opens her backpack.
Elena	If I'd known, I wouldn't have packed up my data report. *cough*. Calm down...! Relax! Let's see. Where exactly did the experiment go wrong, and why did it only start reacting in the end...? Hmm...