EV was not a practitioner of synchronicity. Sure she believed it existed and even admired those who could get in touch with the fields. For some reason, however, the fields had always eluded her and try as she might, she was never able to get into the right state of mind. Maybe she was just too bogged down by rational thinking to ever let herself go completely. EV did not practice synchronicity, but when the photocube in the apartment above her lab mirrored the footage of Salarsky's dead body with a streaming banner to watch out for gang activity, she felt a shiver run down her back. She locked her laboratory door extra tight just to make sure.

EV set aside the pieces of her 'gate anchor' for the moment and pulled the sheets of calculations toward her again. It might be possible to adjust for metals she already had, taking into consideration the difference in conductivity. The resulting machine would be cruder, but it might still function. She completed the last epsilon in the figures with a flourish then stared at them hard. It was a compromise, but she knew she needed to finish this prototype fast. Metamorphosis was not the only thing looming over her. Her psychic hold lifted the crucible and began melting and molding metals to her will.

It was rough, unreliable, and untested. But for a half hour's work, EV held a small model of her gate anchor device. All it needed was some synching and an actual gate to do the calibrations. There was a crash outside and EV knew that she had finished her work none too soon. She glanced at the mirrors reflecting the scene outside her grimy window and saw a group of dark clothed figures - their jackets too well tailored to be punks. The leader wore a dark coat stained with the blood of humans and venches alike. She watched as they tore apart her dropbox with the same casualness one would use to ruffle through a drawer. A trickle of fear began to tingle in both antennae, working its way down her body. The lead man turned in her direction and EV felt like he could see right through the grimy window where she was watching from. She didn't know what they wanted from her, but it was only a matter of time before they traced her smell to the lab and she had the feeling that talking was not going to be in the cards.

Fortunately most of the buildings in Ruin had been designed by those needing to hide and EV's lab was no exception. There were a few escape routes into the underground. She had never had the need to use them before, but her mapping gave her a vague idea of where they lead to. She mentally pushed aside the bookshelf in the far corner, rearranging other furniture for matching scuff marks. Grabbing the prototype off her table as she went, EV dropped down through into the darkness and pulled the bookshelf back behind her. It was far from foolproof, but there were enough 'surprises' in her lab it might buy her the time to find a gate. And then figure out how the hell her life had gone down the drain so fast.