Intern at S.T.A.R. Labs

"I have to what?!"

"They specifically asked for you to answer a few questions for their inte—"

"No, I heard you, just; Why me 'specifically'?"

"Better ask them yourself".

"Why cant anyone more experienced take over for me though?" 'Denial'

"Dr. Wells had another appointment with Mercury Labs and left early. Cisco and Ronnie are busy working in the Particle Accelarator pipeline and Hartley doesn't exactly have nice words to offer to a reporter poking at his workplace."

"What about you Caitlin?" Adrian confronted her.

"I um, oh yeah. I have to work on the cancer cell research." She grinned as the most bullshit sounding words uttered by her fell on anyones ears. Despite the Cortex being sterile you could probably still hear the crickets after that embarrassment of an excuse. But she is still his senior.

"But .. I.. fine". That's how our protagonist ended up having to interview for the biggest newspaper in Central City when it hasn't even been a week for him working at S.T,A.R. Labs.

"Oh and don't worry you wont be alone." Cait said trying to comfort the person she just pummeled with responsibility.

'Not the lineup I was expecting for the interview'.

"Hello my name is Mason Bridge reporter for Central City News, if you could introduce yourself, from left to right."

"Sarah Sarason, I work with the bio-tech team in stem research. I did my masters in Biotechnology and Chemical Science and I have 2 puppies at home, single."

"Adrian Brown, I started interning here last week, electronics fabrication department. I like turtles."

"Rosalind Powell, assistant manager" Well that is a direct no bullshit answer.

"Alright let's get started, Can any of you explain for the every man how the particle accelerator works and how can it contribute after activation?"

"Okay, so... while I don't work directly with particle accelerators—I'm in bio-tech, actually—I'll give it a shot! Essentially, a particle accelerator speeds up subatomic particles, like protons or electrons, to nearly the speed of light. It's super useful for understanding fundamental physics! But, um, in terms of broader applications, it can also contribute to advancements in medical treatments—like improving cancer therapies—or even help us create more efficient materials. Oh, and... they're not as scary as they sound! It's all very controlled." She smiles warmly at the camera.

"Yeah, uh... like Sarah said! I'm actually in electronics, so I mostly deal with making sure the components, like circuits and magnets, are stable and functioning. Uh... the magnets are, like, super important for guiding the particles in a precise path. Without them, it'd be chaos—particles would just, you know, fly off everywhere maybe even go boom haha. After activation, we can analyze the data and figure out new ways to advance technology. I don't know as much about particles themselves, though... Turtles don't exactly accelerate. Haha." Grins awkwardly avoiding eye contact , even though a camera doesn't have eyes, at least not in a biological sense.

"To put it simply, a particle accelerator is a precision instrument for uncovering the fundamental structure of matter. Its contribution post-activation is straightforward: advancing scientific knowledge in fields such as physics, medicine, and material science. The goal is to optimize research and extract tangible results with minimal inefficiency. It's not a matter of speculation—it's a matter of execution." Ms. Powell said leaning back in her chair .

' Dam that was so cool. Shes so cool, definetly sounding like she is business.' Adrian shaking his head realizing he was staring at her.

" Okay great responses, but that was a bit long , try to keep the answers brief. Nexrrt question, what is it like working at star labs?"

" Love it , my co-workers are very kind and helpful and this is like a dream job for me" Sarah the pure soul with labrador energy.

" I mean I just got here last week but its pretty good so far, no complaints" Adrian replied.

" It's ok" Ms. Powell, keeping it real.

"You know what, why don't we have a change in scenery, see the magnificent laboratory in all its glory". Mason said.

The crew starts getting the gear ready to move and the science team get ready for a walk around the office. From the Cortex to the fabrication lab, even the bio-chem area, logistics and finance department which were basically regular office looking, it was new not just for the guests but our protagonist who also marveled at the sheer vastness of his workplace. Moving to the main show, The particle Accelarator. The icing on top, the cherry on the cake , the..

" Area restricted to high-authority personal and permitted engineers only". As the sign and the guard standing there told them, not even Ms.Powell could go in, not like she seemed eager to show the public the Accelarator anyway.

" Does this mean it's a hazardous environment and can cause damage if gone haywire?" said Mason. He knew exactly where he was poking, just enough to twist out a story or a lawsuit.

" Well we certainly wouldn't allow just any boorish fellow to walk in the Accelarator anyway let alone stand in the same building." Ms. Powell retorted.

" Rosalind, I'd have you know with just a few words on the daily paper the gangs of the city were caught in the next week. With just a few vague words the Mayor had especially visited us at the office for a little chat . Us boorish people might publish a few words in tomorrow's paper which could cause an awful lot of trouble for a young company who only last week we're certified." Said Mason.

" If your words held such power you wouldn't have lost the Pulitzer to a blog that's famous for posting puppy pictures." Ms. Powell retorted again. Guess Mason wasn't the only one who did their homework.

" Oh yeah, what about you then Ms. Powell , you must have great experience in losing to younger competitor s . Do tell how does it feel to lose your husband to a secretary and now being demoted to the same post?" Mason clapped back. Even the calm and collected Ms. Powell was about to lash or worse hit him.

" It's closed because it's a particle Accelarator. They don't just let people walk into the fusion chamber of a nuclear plant either." Adrian interrupted hoping that Rosalind doesn't blow her fuse.

" Also after the Particle Accelarator launches and gets functional we plan to invite a children's field trip so they can get excited about science and it's future". Adrian added, also hoping to impress Ms. Powell a divorcee with kids. Unfortunately it was a lie.

" Are you sure you want kids in here, this place is a labyrinth" said Mason.

" I don't remember such an idea being greenlit, we have to discuss with Dr. Wells about this first ". Ms. Powell said staring at Adrian.

"We still have the canteen to explore, the special today is Spaghetti and meatballs." Interjected Sarah.

"Thanks" Adrian whispered to her while she smacked him on his head.

"At least make believable lies dummy" Sarah said laughing.

"I didn't see you interrupting their fight. Few more exchanges and we'd probably end up in tomorrow's news for all the wrong reasons." Adrian said throwing a fit.

" We could always spike the meatballs so they don't go to office for a week". Sarah said as a joke,maybe.

" You crazy girl, I thought the Hyprocratic oath said no harm to patients". Adrian said jabbing her arm.

"He's not in a hospital and I'm not a doctor yet, I'll let you choose rat poison or cillacymin". Said Sarah , as a joke, fr.

The pair laughing and bantering the whole time while Ms. Powell was sneaking peeks at them every few seconds.

 As the group reached the canteen they sat at the tables hoping the interview was over. Sarah sat with Ms.Powell to calm her down while Mason sat with Adrian. Eating their spaghetti.

" So, Mr. Brown, how's working here been, for the few days you've been here?" Mason said.

" Oh it's been great, I'm still getting the hang of it but I feel the people make it worth the hard work" Adrain said.

" Let's drop the act for a moment. You're new here, fresh, not yet corrupted by the higher ups cause they probably don't see your value. Graduated top of your class, Mr. Fastest fixer . Tell me how 'devoted' the people here are to their job?". Simon inquired.

" I'll tell you the same thing again Mr. Bridge, I appreciate your praise but some people that work here are more impressive than me". Adrian said

" And how do you think they got up there. Skill alone? Kid we live in a world where people with 2 degrees can't get a job, you know where they turn to . Dark places, cults sometimes gangs, and you want me to believe that all this glorious laboratory was built with not one sacrifice?" Mason added.

" If you're talking about the cultists' allegations, then you're dumber than them, and here I thought IQ couldn't be measured in negative." Adrian throwing mad shade.

" Sure, demons may not arise from a portal when the Accelarator starts, but how can you be sure that your boss isn't in with them?"

" Dr. Wells , why would he have anything to do with the cult, he mocks them almost everyday."

" He built this laboratory, got it certified, made many contributions to the scientific community and ushered such geniuses to his beckon , in just 14 years. Even the Devil himself had great power over the masses because he tol was once an angel."

" So what are you saying, that Dr. Wells is cahooting with those dumb cultists'?"

" I don't know. I don't know what he's planning, but there is definitely something off about him. That's why I wanted to talk to you, his fan."

" Is that why I was called to the interview, because I'm not "influenced" by Wells. That I'm not brainwashed like those cultists"

" Are you?"

" Even if I was , I'd still be on this side, the side that strives for a greater future, with science not magic nonsense".

" Figures , well if you ever feel weird about Wells call me first. Thanks for the spaghetti, although the meatballs tasted a bit weird." Said Mason as he got up to leave.

Adrian still pissed glanced at the other table, where Sarah and Ms. Powell were giggling looking at Mason's situation. They both then looked at Adrian, Rosalind pointed at the meatball and Sarah made a huge X with her arms. Adrian faceplamed and they all laughed.

' Surely these people don't mean harm' he thought as the naïve intern .