Title: The Spiral Project
Author: Matahari
Rating: T

Summary: Dr. Shi Tenten gets a job at Hyuuga Laboratories after receiving her Ph.D. in biophysics. Although not very socially experienced, she quickly gains a reputation in the organization as someone who can get things done and is selected to be in charge of the mysterious "Spiral Project". What she doesn't know is that this will involve getting close to a man who was even more secluded than she was and perhaps, love.

Author's Note: Hope you enjoy this chapter too:)

Chapter 2: The Caged Bird

Still in the Past…

Tenten began the first of many late-night sessions in the lab reading over and over the contents of the binder. The initial pages detailed experiments and drug specifications similar to what her group had already accomplished. There were records on one human subject. Now deceased. In addition, there were construction plans for a large containment room that would be able to buffer, nullify, and amplify any sort of energy fields. She made a note to share all of this information with the girls the next morning, but was immediately summoned to Hiashi's office when she swiped her card for entry into the building.

When she sat down in the plush chair in front of his desk, she noticed a familiar piece of paper staring back at her. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Dr. Hyuuga. Is there a reason why the non-disclosure agreement I signed when I started this job is in front of me right now?"

"I thought it bore reminding that this and any work that you will do in the future for us is strictly confidential."

"That really isn't necess –" she protested, but before she could finish, Hiashi had beckoned her to follow him. "Come."

They took the elevator to the top floor. Tenten noted that there was a specific lock needed for entry. As they walked from corridor to corridor, she passed several security guards. Finally, Hiashi stopped at a steel-reinforced door. He paused and motioned for Tenten to swipe her card. She was greeted by an electronic voice, "Please enter your voice passphrase".

Before a sound could escape her mouth, Hiashi handed her a paper with the following note: "Please say 'My name is Dr. Shi Tenten and this is my passphrase for access.'" She read the phrase aloud and was surprised when the door immediately opened. "This is your new office. Did I forget to mention that on the way here?" Hiashi asked, grinning.

Tenten laughed and said, "You know, if you weren't my boss you would be in for a severe knock to the head for surprising me like that. Even though it is wonderful and very unexpected!" Tenten smiled broadly taking in her surroundings. There was state-of-the-art computing and laboratory equipment at every turn. Colorful plants hung from the walls and several mahogany bookshelves were already filled with her books. A matching desk was also placed near the center of the room next to a fireplace. Also, a small kitchenette and personal half-bathroom were located in the huge expanse. Sure, there were no windows, but this was a definite improvement over her previous cramped space. "Not that I'm not thankful, but what's the occasion?"

Hiashi straightened his collar a little bit and took a deep breath. "I'd like you to work on The Spiral Project full-time. However, I must ask for you to not share any more information than necessary for your research group to function, especially my daughter."

A small frown marred Tenten's face, but she reluctantly nodded her agreement. Hiashi drew close to the desk revealing a panel that hid a keypad. He quickly entered the combination and whispered the code in her ear as soon as he was complete. The whole side of the wall opened up revealing curved window glass with a view of a skylight in the form of a huge overhead dome. In the center of the wall was a mirrored elevator. Hiashi let the scanners analyze his hand and eyes, before beckoning her again. "Biometric scanners. So far, they only recognize me and a few trusted security guards. You'll be added by the end of the day."

Stepping into the elevator revealed that one-way mirrors were installed protected by a layer of bulletproof glass. A balcony was located on this floor and surveillance cameras were attached to the railing. "I also have a private office available from here, but let us not be distracted." Hiashi finished as they reached the bottom floor.

The light cream walls were padded and the floors carpeted in beige. One of the corners had a concealing offshoot of padded wall and seen from above held a toilet, shower, and sink. There were no pictures, or plants, but three large plasma screens could be seen protected by glass. She would later find out that both of these were connected to a battery powered touchpad device allowing access to filtered Internet, television channels, and a library of electronic books. A large padded foam mattress with down pillows and sheets of black silk hid a sleeping figure with flowing dark brown hair. The sound of the elevator chime must have had a stirring effect because silver gray eyes opened quickly on a handsome chiseled face, which remarkably resembled Hiashi's.

"This is our subject #A98ENH4. You'll find that his body is already capable of energy manipulation, yet his abilities are dulled by an energy neutralizer, which this room provides. You might have run across the initial designs in the folder that I gave you earlier. Tenten, nodded speechless. "Are we allowed to do this to a person? I thought we might have just been paying college students or something…" she thought to herself.

"Why don't you go out and meet him. What I'd like for you to do is to become friends. Get to know him. Make him more amenable to what we're doing. A powerful weapon in the hands of a person with a bad mindset will do nothing for us. And… I'd hate to have every meeting with my nephew start out with the shot of a tranquilizer gun. I remember from your resume that you are a black belt in some sort of martial arts? I hope you've been practicing. If not, we've got guards above. Just say the word."
With the push of a button, the elevator door opened and Tenten was sent out with a gentle nudge from Hiashi. Confused and feeling a little bit morally deficient, she stumbled towards the center of the room not realizing until the last minute that she had bumped into something that definitely did not feel like a padded wall.

A loudspeaker with Hiashi's voice rang throughout the room. "Neji, meet Tenten. Tenten, meet Neji. I really do hope you'll become good friends."

Author's Note 2: Let me know what you think. It's my first AU so I'd appreciate feedback. Two chapters in a row:)