Gavin made his way down the corridor towards the genetics lab, and he couldn’t help but smile at how much he fancied himself walking through the [i]Millennium Falcon[/i]. The pleasant feeling was in sharp contrast to the grim haze that still lingered after the news of the murders during Second Shift, but Gavin could as much repress his own ceaseless optimism as he could return humanity to Earth. 

In his mind, mourning had its essential place, but it furthered nothing. Only moving forward met the next challenge, and in that he reasoned that the departed were truly honored. Learn from the past, and treasure its place, but do not dwell upon what cannot be changed. A quote from the ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, often resonated with Gavin, and it certainly had more and more as of late. 

[i]If you are depressed you are living in the past. 
If you are anxious you are living in the future. 
If you are at peace you are living in the present.[/i]

Gavin chewed on this quote once again, letting its meaning tumble in his mind as he found the doorway to the genetics lab. Like so many areas of the [i]Copernicus[/i], the doorway was electronically locked and controlled, so as to restrict entrance by non-authorized personnel. Gavin took the forefinger of his right hand and placed it against the sensor pane of the biometric scanner built into the metal frame of the door. The scanner activated with his touch, and instantaneously read his DNA via a series of low-intensity laser bursts shone into the flesh of his finger. Two seconds later, the doorway opened with a clunk and hiss of sealed air. 

Stepping inside, the laboratory’s ultra-efficient LED panels illuminated, and bathed the space in a brilliant glare of white light. Gavin scowled at the harsh, clinical color of the light, and he immediately stepped to the lighting control panel on the wall to adjust the hue of the LED’s to a more welcoming and natural glow. Satisfied, he stepped over to the small kitchenette space the lab afforded, and set to brewing coffee more suitable for human consumption than the stuff he had just finished in the Auditorium. 

With the coffee percolating, Gavin walked about the high-tech and ultra clean lab space, activating several computer terminals as he did so. When he came to the large monitor that dominated one of the labs walls, he held off powering it on. This was OLGA’s dedicated screen, and as she was off with Hob, he had no desire to interrupt. 

By the time his short jaunt about the lab was complete, the coffee was finished brewing. Pouring himself a large cup, Gavin heard a chime from one of the computers. Blowing across the top of the scalding liquid, Gavin looked over the rim of his mug to the reminder that had popped up on the screen. 

“Ah yes,” he said with a smile. “Almost forgot about our resident Michael Bay.”

The reminder was one he had set for himself long before the departure of the [i]Copernicus[/i], and as he pulled out his pocket computer, he wondered if he was going to have to enforce it by bribing one of the jarheads aboard to drag the subject of the reminder bodily to the genetics lab. 

With the smile still upon his face, he typed quickly into the IM app of the device in his hands.

[b]Hey there Deli. Hope you slept sound enough. I was wondering if you’d like to go ahead and get your appointment out of the way before things got busy? I’ll be in the lab all day, so whenever suits you will do just fine.

-Doc[/b]