Mirabella gave a little smile and set her untouched glass of water back on the coffee table. She had a knack for picking up on things—her ears were just too sharp.
Robert, about to say something, paused as they noticed Joen’s assistant rushing back in. "Sorry to interrupt, but Dr. Joen has an urgent situation to handle, so I'll have to see you out," the assistant hurriedly explained.
Robert caught the urgency in his voice and stood up, replying politely, "If Dr. Joen is busy, we’ll head out now. No need to escort us; we can manage."
The assistant seemed relieved, not even bothering with a polite smile. "Alright then," he said.
After guiding them downstairs, the assistant quickly turned back towards the research building.
"Seems like something serious is going on," Robert mused, glancing back as they walked away.
Mirabella nodded, fishing her phone out of her pocket. A message from Grady had just come in.
---
Joen left the administrative office and headed straight for the research building. Upon entering his lab and seeing the wrecked equipment, it felt like his head might explode from the stress.
He staggered back, nearly fainting from the shock. Those two pieces of equipment were his pride and joy, housing nearly twenty years of experimental data, the culmination of his life's work. If they were gone, it was as if everything he had worked for was wiped out.
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