Character Design Challenge

The Test Run [Red/Clock/Science Fiction]

It seemed like the streets were even busier than usual, as if everyone knew Fara had to be on time today and was determined to keep her from achieving that goal. She scolded herself as she stared at the still red traffic light across the street, willing it to change colour. She should have taken the underground. But she had been sure, if she had had to sit still for twenty minutes, the anticipation would have made her explode. So she had decided to go to work by foot, to walk off some of the nervous energy that had been building up inside her for days, ever since the Boulder had announced they were ready for a test run. And not only that. The Bravo unit, Fara's unit, had been chosen to run the test. But then again, of course they had been chosen. They were the best, after all. It was only a first test run, of course. The chances of it being a success were relatively slim, statistically. But nearly a hundred brilliant minds had been working on this for years and Fara could not help thinking of what a success would mean. They would make history; they would change the world. A giddy laugh escaped her and the man standing next to her cast her a condescending glance. She schooled her expression back to nonchalance.

Finally, the light switched to green. As Fara hurried across the street a gust of wind caught her and a few of her red curls escaped her braid. She would have to redo it when she got to the lab. Another reason why she should have taken the underground. She turned a corner and the huge clock face of Big Ben finally came into few. Fara had always thought that whoever had chosen to locate the operation beneath England's most famous clock really had a flair for the dramatic. Or maybe they had just thought it was the most unassuming place for a secret laboratory, hidden in plain sight. For Fara it simply meant that she did not just have to fight her way through Londoners to get to work but also through hordes of tourists. Why were they up so early anyway? They were on vacation.

Her wristband chimed and she glanced down at it. A message from Nine: "Where are you?" Fara looked back up at Big Ben. She still had three minutes. She swiped the message away but still accelerated her steps a little. She reached the last street she had to cross but groaned as the traffic light turned red just as she got there. She heard a familiar tick and then the sound of bells as the giant clock tower announced the full hour. It was eight. And she was late.

As soon as Fara stepped through the big double doors that led from the clock tower's basement, she could see Nine standing at the other end of the big hall, impatiently tapping his fingers on his crossed arms. She almost started to run when his eyes landed on her and started to bore through her. Before she reached him, he turned and marched down a corridor.

"Seriously, Red? Today of all days?" He addressed her by the nickname her teammates had creatively chosen for her based on the colour of her hair. They all went by their nicknames. Fara was not sure why. It seemed to have simply always been that way. Nine's real name was Amir Tarazi but they called him Nine because he had been the only one in their year to score a nine in the entrance trials. Fara herself had only scored a five, but she knew she had not been chosen for her physical abilities but rather for her expertise in programming and engineering.

Fara hurried after him. "The streets were incredibly busy."

He did not look over at her. "The streets are always busy. Leave earlier."

"It's not like I try to be late, you know."

"You should start trying to be on time. Maybe you should have gotten up earlier." Now he did look at her and to Fara's relief he did not seem very mad anymore. She guessed he was too excited for the experiment to be mad at her for being a few minutes late.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you sleep last night?"

One corner of his mouth quirked up. "Of course I slept. Like a baby."