The Amalgam's light shone weakly through the single dirt-caked window of EV's underground lab. The screeching of factory whistles and rumblings of a city beginning to stir made no difference in this dim cluttered room. She hadn't slept yet. Time did not touch this place, the passing of the artificial days had no meaning except for the tightening of her skin and the crackling when she moved. Ten sunrises, eleven - there was no office to travel to and no master to answer save science. And he will not wait until the dawn to call upon you.

A single guttering oil lamp hung over the central work bench, illuminating a single circuit board with a variety of etching tools hovering delicately overhead. EV moved them with infinite precision, painting of the thin layer of silicon with an artist's touch. Only a vench was capable of such a task - human hands simply did not have the steadiness and the refined touch to do such complicated work. The final bit finished and she moved it aside to dry with a light psychic brush.

The technology in the small room was a far cry from the marvels of Centerpiece. Only a water purifier and a well worn crockpot scavenged out of an old collapsed house occupied one corner of an overcrowded workbench. Any remaining electricity she could draw went straight to the machinery, her makeshift tools. It was a life that would have horrified any of her compatriots upon sight, but the absence of material luxury or mechanical convenience had ceased to bother her.

EV turned slowly to study the plans once more, her movements deliberately placed so as not to stir up even a single eddy of air that would knock down all the delicately balanced paperwork. The outer casing would need a special alloy zirconium alloy. And platinum plugs so the high temperatures wouldn't cause adverse reactions. These were not things that were easy to obtain in Ruin. Particularly not in this rundown section of Sector 5 she had managed to make her home. It looked like she would need to talk to some of her 'contacts' in Centerpiece. Too risky for direct conversation - she needed a Tack. Discreet, fast, it would have to be Weesog's. The Vench had arranged some deliveries for her in the past, though she always had to be careful to hide her true race.

With a great tiredness that was not entirely resultant from her lack of sleep, EV nudged the ceiling hatch to her lab outside and was momentarily blinded by the sudden shine of light from the refraction orbs. She had no eyes per say and thus could not blink off the sudden adjustment. However, soon enough her psychic vision was able to equilibriate and she made her way slowly down the wreckage of street to the nearest Data tube. Punching in the appropriate codes, she sent her request for a pickup off to Weesog's office, giving the address of one of the many drop spots she had acquired. Satisfied, the Vench slowly made her way back to the lab, safe in her small cocoon of darkness once more. Now to prepare an appropriate missive...