Rosalind Perry was waiting for her papers to be processed for a job transfer from the city center of the state to one of the many bases located by the ocean. The state Rosalind was a resident of was an island located far away from her home country's main landmass. It housed military operations relating to one specific extraterrestrial activity. In 2100 the human race was visited by the Gargantuans. They were a large race that plopped down from the sky over the ocean one day, dropped off a large load of something and a message, and flew away just as fast as they had appeared. Their cargo when the humans finally decided it was safe to open contained 50 large mechanical robots. They were the height of the Gargantuans which was around 350 feet and although they were mechanical the humans learned that they were intelligent. It was with their intelligence that the humans were finally able to decipher the message the Gargantuans left. Long story short the Gargantuans wanted the humans to use their 50 mechas to fight off parasitic aliens that were coming for Earth before they reached the Gargantuans' planet. And if they succeeded, they could keep the units and maybe a partnership could be arranged.

          Finally, Rosalind's papers were returned to her processed and she was instructed to take the next flight out to Reef 6, her new job location. She was contemplating the reason for her transfer. The military never told you much, especially when you were a

Civilian, but there was always the choice of where you want to live which had never mattered to Rosalind. It had been a long and arduous five years since she had become a civilian and she was 23 now.

          Rosalind’s hot temper began while she waited for her papers to be processed and now it was fuming as the plane was taking a long time to depart to Reef 6 despite it only carrying a few passengers. The plane’s seats weren’t comfortable, and Rosalind was having trouble settling in. She had never flown before but dismissed the fear choosing to focus on the hurdles that lie ahead, most specifically what work she must do as soon as she landed.

          When the plane landed, Rosalind unbuckled her seat belt, remaining in her seat for further instructions. Three men, one much older than the other two who seemed to be not much older than herself, boarded the plane with the older one calling out her name with a gruff voice. When she heard her name, she threw on her white lab coat which had been nicely folded on the seat next to her, grabbed her backpack, and walked over to the trio.

          She didn't introduce herself when she arrived within talking distance. They knew who she was, they knew more than anyone other than herself ought to know. The older man introduced himself as Major Ralph Green, and the other two as lieutenants Smith and Lee before indicating they would be escorting her to her laboratory. Rosalind nodded and followed them off the plane and into the base through the nearest entrance.

          This base was no different from the bases in the center of the island. Huge and spacious, with extra care taken to have as many objects tucked into bunkers and buildings as possible. Every base at present was designed to cater to the mechas’ size and with their help, a sensor system was developed to prevent people and property from being stepped on and killed or destroyed. Rosalind was a little hopeful to see the mechas out and about during the brief moment she was outside after exiting the plane and before entering the base, but none could be seen. She wasn’t allowed to touch them during her three-year thesis. The military only let people who knew what they were doing work with them, and so any samples or specific tests she required were acquired or completed by those permitted. One could say that the reason Rosalind was assigned to Reef 6 was that she ran out of all the people she hadn’t angered during her thesis and now there was no one left who would work with her now that she had clearance to work with the mechas. But, Reef 6 had its reputation for being a hodgepodge of people doing their own thing, shy of not following orders. It was where people like Rosalind were put, people who were good and capable, useful, but had to have their way or be useless.

          Either way, Rosalind was at Reef 6, she wasn’t excited about being in a new place and experiencing new things. At the moment she was trying to handle her anger which was at its max level as she walked behind Major Green because each minute that passed came with a new mental image of something she hated that she had seen or heard in her time with the military and when they had finally reached the laboratory she spoke before being spoken to. She just couldn’t keep her feelings to herself any longer.

          “What is the schedule for today?” Rosalind said sternly using a teaspoon of her pool of fury, drawing disapproving looks from the two lieutenants.

          “If you put your things down, I’ll take you to see the mechas. You can evaluate them and after that prepare a protocol for moving forward. You probably already know, but you will have plenty of freedom here,” Major Green replied nonchalantly. With the way, Major Green had responded Rosalind could tell he dealt with a variety of ‘out of line’ people. She could also tell from how the lieutenants reacted that he was a dependable man, someone worth sticking up for as they just did.

          Rosalind opened the door and found an empty office, which could have held four good-sized desks but only offered one. She dropped off her backpack on the chair behind the desk while checking with the nameplate on it that it was her desk. ‘Rosalind Perry’ could be read on the nameplate. There were no other letters following her name because she didn’t have a rank or credentials. The desk was in the front reception area and highly accessible, plus she could easily see through the window if she had company coming over or not. Before turning to follow the Major out of her office, Rosalind picked up the lanyard with her ID card and slipped it around her neck. She pulled her long hair out from underneath it and closed the lab door behind her. Major Green and the two lieutenants led Rosalind down a maze of hallways and then up the elevator shaft to what Rosalind guessed was about the height of the mechas. She guessed that they wanted to start from the top down. By now Rosalind’s anger had subsided because she was tuning in to her work, preparing for an assessment. Being able to work this closely with the mechas was Rosalind’s goal for a long time. Unfortunately, she skipped lunch because of her papers, the flight, and everything else in between. Skipping lunch was and will always be the most dangerous thing Rosalind commonly does.