After Professor Alarch kicked me out of class again after I finished all the assignments (I'm starting to like him), I headed to the company, my mind thinking about everything that was going on. The company was involved in some security op, trying to catch who knows what. Spies? Terrorists? Whatever it was, I didn't want to be part of it. But where else will I find another loosely run alchemical company with such expensive and fancy equipment? And an easy chance at glory, in being the first one to reverse-engineer the manufacturing of a pharmaceutical compound. And as for those who will accuse me of stealing — isn't all alchemy based on improving other people's ideas? Besides, it's for a patriotic reason — I could always appeal to my love of country. Being controversial makes becoming

