"You're going to like it here," Patrick said. "We have a very laid back atmosphere. Everyone's friendly, nobody feels like they have to one-up anyone else... When I first started here, it was like a dream."
"Is it still a dream?" Andrea asked.
"You bet."
He led her down the hallway that stretched into eternity. As they passed by each room, he took a moment to inform her of what kind of work was done within. Room 232 was dedicated to the research of shallow, salt marsh environments. Across the hall in room 231, researchers focused on rocky tide pool environments, and even further down the hall, room 227 focused on simulating the environment found in a lowland, freshwater swamp. Overwhelming heat drifted off of the door to room 213, which was dedicated to the research of desert flora and fauna.
"We could spend all day going up and down these hallways, so I'll just sum this up as our environmental research wing. Based on your studies and your thesis, this might be where you spend a majority of your time."
"This isn't all you focus on, right?" she asked.
"Correct," he said. He pointed down the hallway behind him. "The west wing is where our staff works on its medical research. Biochemistry is over that way, too. In the northern wing, we have a radiology department, genetic research, a hatchery for our various research subjects-" He paused to study Andrea, only to find her lost in wonder. "Bored yet?"
"Hunh? No, no! Not at all! This place is fascinating!" she said.
He nodded happily as he heard it. "Good. Most people would probably feel like they're dying of the plague in a place like this."
They continued down the hall towards the east wing, passing by more rooms along the way. An arboretum for the study of jungle plantlife, a dimly lit room for studying cave moss, even a pressure chamber for studying the potential of life in the vacuum of outer space. Andrea had heard about the environmental research that took place here, but never dreamed that it'd be as diverse as it was.
As they moved along, Patrick couldn't help but ask, "Do you have any experience with training Pokémon?"
She shook her head. "No. It hasn't interested me all that much."
"No?" he asked, clearly surprised.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Maybe it's not. Many among our staff, myself included, are hobbyist trainers in our spare time. It makes our jobs as researchers, especially in this department, so much easier. When we're working with subjects that trust us and understand our goals, they're less likely to fight the process."
Worry crept over her. She recalled the struggles of being taken seriously by her professors and fellow students during her time at university. "Will the same thing happen here?" she thought. "That won't be a requirement, will it?" she asked.
"No. If you're not into it, you're not into it, it's that simple." he answered. "Speaking of requirements, there's some stuff that we need to take care of before you get started. Follow me."
"Ooooh, this is so exciting!" Andrea's thoughts screamed. "I can't believe this is happening!"
Patrick looked back and noticed the look of bliss on her face. "You're kinda strange."
"Excuse me?"
"In a good way, I mean. You're the first new hire that I've met with a smile that wide on their face," he commented. "Most people around here look pretty grim or overwhelmed when they walk these halls."
"I try my hardest not to look grim, especially when I'm in a good mood," she said.
"Based on how you dress, I thought grim would be the look you'd go for," The sunshine on her face faded, and the sharp glare he received from her garnered a laugh. "That's more like it! I think you and I are going to get along well."
The two entered a cramped storage room that was filled to capacity with overburdened metal shelves, cardboard boxes, plastic bins and glass containers. Patrick encouraged Andrea to stay behind as he squeezed his way through the tightly packed corridor towards the back of the room. Loud banging, the sound of boxes falling and a few angry obscenities were muttered before he returned with a small wooden box in his hands. "We really need another storage room for our equipment..." he muttered.
He opened the wooden box and grabbed a small, pink device from within. Measuring approximately 4.5 inches by 2.5 inches, the device featured a large touch-sensitive screen, a standard cable input port and a headphone jack, as well as a wrist strap. He handed the device to Andrea. "Here you are, standard issue to each member of our research staff."
Andrea grabbed the device and studied it closely. She turned it on and was greeted with a welcome message, which quickly faded to an app selection screen that featured numerous useful programs, including the likes of a map, e-mail, weather forecasts and even a digital radio. She found herself overwhelmed by the potential capabilities of the device and asked, "What is it?"
Patrick was shocked. "You haven't seen one of those before? What the bloody hell are they doin' over there in Aughrim?" he scoffed. "Well... It's a researcher kit, manufactured by the Catrianna Corporation of Storm Island. Most people call them R-Kits for short."
"Oh, an R-Kit! I read about these, but never got a chance to use one. I think Professor Burke at the university had one... I didn't have any classes with him, so I never got to see it." she mused as she wrapped it around her left wrist.
Patrick reached into his pocket and grabbed a red and white spherical object, then offered it to Andrea. "Here's your first test. If you can properly scan this Pokéball, you pass."
She grabbed the Pokéball and started to tap away at the apps on the screen of her R-Kit. "And if I can't?"
"Then you're in for a few rough first days as you learn how to use it."
She clicked through the apps until she found one named Accu-Scan, which seemed like the right first step to take. However, the next step was a mystery to her, as she was greeted with several dozen options, configurations and methods of scanning just about anything imaginable: air quality, magnetic fields, physical data, even color data. She took her sweet time to sift through the useless junk until she found what she was looking for. She activated the Pokéball analysis mode and pressed the scan button.
Without delay, a holographic blue beam of light shot out of the R-Kit and began to scan the Pokéball back and forth. After a few short seconds, a drab-sounding, robotic voice came from the R-Kit. "Name: Fang! Species: Flareon! Registered trainer: Patrick Adelaide, ID LA-24522! Gender: Male! Height: 2'7''! Weight-"
"Not bad. One of our recent hires couldn't figure that thing out." he said as he held his hand out, expecting his Flareon returned to him. "I don't see why, R-Kits aren't all that difficult to use."
Andrea handed the Pokéball back and began to explore the other apps available to her. "I can see why people might be flustered when they first use one, there's a lot of stuff on here!"
"Just like the apps on a phone, most of it's garbage. The Catrianna Corporation is marketing those to scientists and engineers, why does it have an entire section on coordination strategies?"
"Maybe they're looking to expand their market soon?" she asked.
"Hmm, whatever the case..." He placed the wooden box back onto a shelf and closed the door to the storage room, then pointed down the hallway. "Just at the end of this hallway is what'll be your favorite room here once you get settled. Let's have a look."
Patrick pushed open the double doors and the two entered perhaps the largest room in the entire facility, the employee lounge. The entire room was brightly lit by the massive array of windows that flanked the northern and southern sides of the room, windows that offered a glimpse of Loch Alstan's skyline, and the murky lake the town was named after.
Throughout the room were comfy looking couches and chairs, circled around tables and television sets. Large art installations that depicted famous Pokémon such as Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise were suspended from the rafters above them. Bookshelves were stuffed to the brim with all sorts of scientific publications. A solitary snooker table, host to a game that was already in progress, sat in the middle of the room.
At the far end of the room was an extensive cafeteria. About a dozen tables, all filled to capacity by chatting scientists and researchers, stood before the impressive array of on-site restaurants: the Mountain Rain Coffee Shop, Jackpot's Potato Shack, Shinikara Noodle, Gyroskope, Halfhill Market and the Crimson Crawdaunt.
"Oh boy, you have a Crimson Crawdaunt here?" Andrea asked. "I used to be a waitress at the one in Aughrim..."
Patrick nodded. "We do, and a lot of other options as you can see. Even international stuff. Dr. Reiland really spoils us." He motioned for her to follow and began to lead her along a long row of lockers that lined the wall beside them. "Let's get you a locker of your own. That way you don't have to lug that big ol' backpack with you everywhere you go."
It wasn't long before they found an unclaimed locker, #47. She waited patiently beside it as Patrick ran off to retrieve the key, and she took the time to study her fellow coworkers situated about the lounge. The atmosphere was warm and genial, as people of all ethnicities mingled together over a cup of coffee to discuss what they were working on, or share a laugh about stories of their personal lives.
As she waited, a young woman approached locker #45. As she unlocked it, she noticed Andrea waiting patiently and said, "Haven't seen you around here before. You new?"
Andrea nodded politely.
The young woman offered her hand out. "Welcome aboard. The name's Emily."
"Andrea," she said as she shook Emily's hand.
"So, which department are you with?" Emily asked as she opened her locker and dug around in it.
She shrugged. "I'm not sure yet, but it looks like I'll be in environmental research."
"I've always been curious about what happens over that way... I'm over in medical all the time, I hardly ever get to visit."
"Medical? Are you a doctor?"
"Not yet. Just a couple more months of hands on work and I will be, though!"
Patrick returned with the key to locker #27 and handed it to Andrea. He nodded respectfully towards Emily. "Look who it is! And you're not covered with blood this time!"
"Careful, I might get yours on me," she joked. "It was nice meeting you, Andrea, but I've gotta run." As she walked away, she called out, "Treat her better than the last one, Pat!"
Andrea turned to him with a look of confusion on her face. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Don't worry about it, Emmy and I go way back. We're always bustin' each other's balls." he said. "So... you hungry or anything?"
She shook her head as she inspected her brand new locker.
"I'm gonna grab some coffee. Why don't you have a seat and I'll be with you in a minute."
Andrea found a comfortable, empty couch to sit on and tried to take a moment to let the situation sink in. She struggled to focus her thoughts, but they buzzed about in her mind in a haphazard fashion. All she could think about was getting started, and she wondered what she'd be working on first.
A few minutes later, Patrick returned with two cups of steaming hot coffee and sat down next to her.
"Coffee?" he asked as he offered her a cup.
She politely declined. "No thanks."
"Even after walking through that ice cold rain out there?" He gently shook the cup again, filling the area with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. "C'mon, I went through the trouble to get it for ya."
She sighed as she accepted the coffee, even though she didn't like it. "I could use some warming up, I guess." Just a single, bitter sip was enough to send a shiver radiating throughout her entire body, something that Patrick found amusing.
"I think that's about it. Gave you a tour of the wing you'll be spending most of your time in... assigned you your locker and your R-Kit..." he said, trailing off. With the introduction over, he realized that he had very little else to talk about, and silence crept over the two as they awkwardly sipped at their coffee.
Not even a minute passed before Andrea was fed up with the silence. "So..." she started. "What do you think my first project will be?"
He took a moment to think. "That depends. Usually we have our new employees bounce between other peoples' projects, to see what they're best suited for. I'm thinking the same is going to apply in your case."
"Let me know what you need help with. That's why I'm here."
"You said something about wanting to solve problems. As luck would have it, one of the local farms has come to us with a problem that needs taken care of. Sooner rather than later, ideally." he said.
Her face lit up. "What are we dealing with?"
"You familiar with the Gates Dairy Farm? One of the largest dairy farms in the country, based in Nettlefield. It's not that far from here. Over the past few weeks, they've had nearly thirty of their Miltanks die of unknown causes, including their prize winner, Bessica. They're clueless, and they're worried that there's some sort of outbreak going through the herd. They want us to find the source of the problem."
Andrea took a moment to think of some obvious problems that could be affecting the farm. "Maybe the grain they're feeding the Miltanks is tainted somehow? Or maybe a virus?" she pondered. "We'd have to get a closer look, of course."
He nodded. "We would. I was going to head over there myself to see if I could figure it out. It'd be a good first project for you, I think. Not too demanding, not too frazzling, and it'll get you out into the field."
Her eyes glinted at the thought. "Sure! It'd be nice to get back to my rural roots for a change, I've been stuck in the big city for too long."
"Oh yeah? I think you'll like Nettlefield then, corn fields as far as the eye can see. A bit too boring for me, that's why I live here." He downed a big gulp of coffee before continuing. "I actually wanted to make the trip to the place right now, but since you're starting tomorrow-"
"How long do you think it should take to get there?" she asked.
"Before sunset most likely. It's not that far away."
"Let's get started, then!"
He tilted his head, confused by her enthusiasm. "You sure about that?"
She looked down at the table and sheepishly said, "I don't exactly have a roof over my head tonight..."
Patrick stared at her blankly for a second. "You're kidding, right?"
She shook her head. "I thought I'd be on my way back to Aughrim by now! I didn't think I'd get this job, if I'm honest..."
"You don't have a lot of faith in yourself, do you?" He took a minute to finish the last of his coffee, then continued. "Whatever the case, let's get started."