Hadai's lab was three stories--a main level, a second floor, and a basement. The main floor seemed to be mostly taken up by a large central lobby and several small research/conference rooms. The second floor was visible from the first; it was accessible by lift, and had a railed balcony circling the lobby area. From what could be seen, it looked as if it was mostly office space and computer labs. That left the basement to be used for actual laboratory space--of which, Taiga was sure, there had to be a significant amount of.

Introductions having been taken care of, Hadai motioned them all to take seats--the couches and chairs in the lobby were set up in a rough oval, a long table standing at the center. "It's early in the day, yet, so there aren't many people around," she apologized, "but once the interns get here, one of them will see to getting you food, drink... possibly a change of clothing." She glanced at Lu, eyes suggesting that it was more of a light-hearted jab than it had come out as. "In the mean time, we should talk a bit about what's going on."

"Well--" Lu began.

"...maybe I should handle this," Taiga interrupted, leaning forward. He felt less disoriented, now--but much more awkward. "I... think it should be pretty obvious that I'm a cyborg."

"That much I had gleaned," Hadai said.

"There have been... unusual circumstances," Taiga continued, "and they've been causing me a good deal of trouble. For one thing, I... I think that in the last few days my ICI has begun to malfunction. In addition, there's been some talk of...." He trailed off, glancing away as if he was about to admit to some heinous crime. "...removing the implants."

If Hadai was shocked or affronted by his lack of fealty, she didn't express it. "Well. Those both sound like military issues."

"The military has never been interested in helping cyborgs live a good life," Taiga said. "And I'm... not exactly on their promotion list, at the moment."

"All right. Assuming the Military is unwilling or unable to help, then fine. But Lu--" Hadai leaned forward earnestly. "Both you and I work in the natural sciences. Why not contact someone in technological?"

"Because I don't know anyone in technological," Lu said. "...and because we need proof of something--proof we can show to anyone who asks."

Hadai glanced over them, settling on Fujin. "Proof of biological parentage."

Lu nodded. "Yes."

Hadai stood up, motioning grandly to the lift. "Well. Mr. Taiga Agiat, and Ms. Anyev Agiat, if you'll accompany me to my lab, the actual test should only take a few minutes. Then I'll write up something nice and formal and put the stamp of the Ministry on it. I'll need to know the details of how this... rather unusual occurrence came to pass, your implant history--which I imagine I can request from the military--and we'll be able to prove to anyone who asks that you're a phenomenon." She watched for a moment longer, expression shrewd. "I did some checking on you, you know. Taiga C1128513, cybernetics unit J16. Wanted for desertion. Wanted for murder. Now... I'm not going to ask any questions--questions like that, at this time, can only get in the way of science.but we're going to have to get you some Esthar robes, and we're going to have to get you cleaned up, because when we're done here you'll be walking across the city to the Odine Institute to find Dr. Ralo. Odine, Ralo, and Guissen are the only ones who can snatch you out of the military's hands--don't tell the soldiers, but I was stretching my authority just getting you up here. The Institute is near the Presidential Palace, so you can bet anything that there will be guards aplenty."

"Is there some problem with contacting Ralo from here?" Lu asked.

If you ever have to contact Ralo, make sure to speak to her face-to-face." Hadai smiled. "She's receptive to personable people, and it's hard to be personable over a hard cable. Taiga, Anyev, come along. The rest of you... make yourselves at home. My interns should be arriving any time. Feel free to use the computer banks and libraries on this level only."

Taiga glanced to the rest of the party, forced an encouraging grin, and followed Hadai. Wordlessly, Fujin followed after.

Squall stood up, hiking a thumb back at one of the computer rooms. "I'm going to update Xu on our situation," he said, and walked off.

Lu, Raijin, Nida, and Seifer were left sitting in the lobby, each of them feeling slightly awkward with nothing to discuss.

At length, Raijin cleared his throat. "So, like, we were gonna decide on a name for Seifer, ya know?"

Seifer groaned and rolled his eyes.

Lu thought for a moment. "Alman Seima."

Seifer looked over. "...the hell."

"It's a good northeast Esthar name."

"Why do I want a good northeast Esthar name?"

Lu gestured wryly to his hair. "Because you're not going to convince anyone you're from the southwest. You have Foreigner written all over you in big, blond letters."

Seifer glared daggers at Lu with enough force to vivisect her. Unfortunately, having seen Taiga angry, Lu was no longer in a position to be intimidated by anyone who didn't seem immediately capable of reducing her to a smear along a cliff face, and simply smiled back.

The door opened, and a young man in assistant's robes walked in--and paused when he saw them. "...oh," he said, a bit self-consciously. "...are you guests of Dr. Hadai?"

Lu nodded agreeably back. "We are. Are you one of the interns?"

The man nodded. "Shan Zhel," he introduced himself. "Can I do anything for you?"

"Hadai said you'd be able to get us something to drink--and if you could find me a clean robe to wear, I'd be exceptionally grateful. Field officer, tall fourteen?"

Shan nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

"Hadai may need you downstairs when you're done," Lu suggested.

"I'll talk to her."

"And if you could find us a deck of cards?" Nida tossed in. "That'd be cool, too."

The intern looked at him strangely for a moment, then hurried off.

Nida cast a glance off in the direction of the computer lab. "This is either one hell of an update, of Squall's found something boring to entertain himself with," he guessed. No one seemed to find it funny--which was forgivable, given that he didn't find it all that funny himself.

There was a bored silence until the intern came back.

"Here you go," he said, handing a folded robe to Lu. "The bathroom is just down the hall between conference rooms C and D. There are drink dispensers in any of the conference rooms--they should be on, now."

Almost as an afterthought, he tossed a deck of cards onto the table in front of Nida before heading for the lift.

Nida picked the deck up, flipping open the lid and taking them out. "What, the--these are poker cards!"

Lu looked at him strangely as she stood up. "You asked for cards."

Nida was already shuffling. "In Balamb," he said, "if you ask anyone for cards, they assume you mean Triple Triad cards."

Lu shrugged. "What a backwards place your Garden must be," she jibed, and walked off.

Nida sighed. "...anyone up for a game of War?"