Welcome to Gaia! ::

Name: Karen Mariston
Age: 21
Sex: Female
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 152lbs.
Hair: Brown, Short, two small ponies
Eyes: Green, sometimes wear glasses
Outfits: There are four that she had packed with her:
1) Work-Formal: Red-pink sweater, jeans, boots, laptop, belt and watch
2) Work-casual: Pink tank top with open midriff, Jeans, Boots, Laptop, belt, and watch.
3) Play: Firlly top, short miniskirt, stockings, Boots, belt, and watch
4) Beach: Bikini - Nuff said!
Personality: Karen has three main kinds of modes, she can be extremly professonal and formal, friendly and informal, or raging she-b***h. Often happy and sometimes ditzy, she can easily swing into a grumpy almost biting mood easily if something upsets her or hurts her feelings.
History: The third eldest child in her family, Karen has two older brothers, two younger sisters, and three younger brothers. Her parents’ have yet to figure out why they can’t stop having kids. Her two older brothers left home when she was ten, seeking to become the best trainers EVER. That went south on Karen’s fourteenth birthday, when they came home, tails between their legs, up to their necks in debt, and not having won a SINGLE badge. Karen took their battered, bruised, and otherwise poorly trained Pokemon under her wing, and she raised and breed them. Her brothers were surprised at the amazing progress she was having with them, and decided that they would start a Poke-rock band with their Pokemon. They have yet to be heard from since. Karen suspects they’re doing body shots off their groupies in some dive motel. At the age of 16 Karen left home and settled in one of the suburbs of the big city near her home village. There she took up freelance journalism jobs, until eventually she managed to make a name for herself as a freelance writer. As Karen grew, she discovered the fun of nightclubs and hard techno-rave dancing, by 18, she had enough fake ids and skill in seduction to get her in the most trouble POSSIBLE in a night. Now at Age 21, she’s still running hot and going strong… But something seems missing.
Strengths: Writing, Being objective, Seduction
Weaknesses: Cute guys, Booze, sugary snacks

Current EVENTS:

Currently confused and still slightly out of it... Doesn't really know what's going on.

Despite the fact that she was expected, Karen was anything but welcomed by CRONUS. The administration was in an uproar after hearing that the freelance writer was on her way to the island 'whether they liked it or not' for an interview. Publicity was not welcomed by the organization, neither positive nor negative. There was a reason they had built their operation on a private island far from shore.

Fortunately, Dr. Hakan had stepped in, assuring the administration that he could take care of everything. There had been discussion, but in the end they had reluctantly agreed to allow him to do the interview with the writer. He waited now in a very stark room, furnished only with a table and pair of chairs, hands clasped together in front of him as he waited patiently for his appointment.

***********

It was some time yet before a small off-road jeep pulled up next to the supply docks. A young guard in uniform stepped out of the driver's seat long enough to beckon to the young woman in glasses. "Ms. Mariston?" he asked, brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes. Who else would it be afterall?

"My name is Hayden," he introduced himself, offering her his hand. "I'll be escorting you to the lab and your appointment with Dr. Hakan."

Hayden blinked, startled by her abrupt, forward nature. This was new. "Err, sorry about that. They just called me and told me to pick you up out here. I had no idea you'd been waiting for so long. Sorry about that. I just follow orders." He rubbed his neck nervously, only now noticing the ironic truth of that statement. If only she knew.

Climbing into the driver's seat again, he couldn't help but chuckle softly. "McDuff? That's one I haven't heard before." Smirking, he turned the key and the engine roared to life. "Hang on. The roads aren't paved around here, so they're sorta' rough." With that, he slid his foot from the break to the gas, turning the wheel to head down the service road to the main lab building. The jeep bumped along what was little more than a smoothed-out, wide dirt path leading straight through the middle of the jungle-like forest. The sterile-looking, white lab building loomed ahead, peeking out from above the line of trees. Soon, the forest gave way to the open area that surrounded the lab and supporting buildings. The trees and foliage had been mostly cleared for a decent distance from the buildings, allowing for a clearer view of the space, though a few bushes remained scattered about.

Pulling up behind the main lab building, Hayden parked and killed the engine. The young guard stepped out of the Jeep and moved to the door, pulling out a security card and swiping it in the reader by the entrance. "If you'll follow me, I'll take you to your appointment. The doctor should be waiting for you already."

Hayden grinned sheepishly, even as she patted his cheek. Karen was a unique one, that was sure. In fact, maybe under different circumstances...

He shook his head almost imperceptibly. No, this was no time for thoughts like those. After all, if things turned out how he thought they would, she was more likely to want him dead after all was said and done. The thought sent his mood plummeting, leaving his heart somewhere near his feet, though he kept up the fascade of pleasantness. How had he wound up in a situation like this? He knew, but that didn't make it seem any less surreal.

"Alright then, let's go!" He entered and turned, holding the door for Karen. As he lead the way down the hallway, the door swung shut and locked again with a soft click as the two disappeared down the narrow hallway. Well-lit, the hallway certainly looked the part of a research facility, seeming both stark and sterile. Most doors were marked only by series of numbers and letters. Presumably, only those whose cards would open the doors knew what the mysterious codes meant. Hayden wasn't even sure what could be behind some of these doors. They only told him what they thought he needed to know...which seemed to be less and less lately for some reason.

Pausing before a non-descript door, Hayden finally stopped his winding path through the hallway. "Here we go." Pushing the door open, he revealed the waiting doctor at the table beyond. "Ms. Karen Mariston is here for the interview, sir," he responded formally to Dr. Hakan. Turning back to Karen, he hesitated a moment. "I...hope your interview goes well." He seemed as if he were going to say something else, but settled for muttering, "And enjoy your stay on the island." He nodded his head briefly before turning and walking quickly down the hallway back towards his quarters, eager to put as much distance as possible between himself and the young woman.

"Please, come in," Dr. Hakan called from inside, smiling as he stood to greet the writer, offering his hand.

"Off the record, hmm?" Dr. Hakan chuckled, taking his seat and lacing his fingers before his face. "Why, the thrill of discovery, of course! Isn't that why all scientists do research?" He laughed, smirking in a conspiratory manner. "Of course, if some mysterious benefactor decided that my work was worthy of some prestigious award, or even associated grant money, well...I wouldn't complain, obviously."

Glancing at the empty table, his mood seemed to shift and he scowled darkly. "That young fool...I swear, he's useless. Would you like some refreshments? He was supposed to have a tray in here earlier..." Standing and stalking over to an intercom in the wall, he pushed a tiny button and the speaker clicked quietly. "Could someone competent please do something correctly for once? Bring me a cup of coffee and for our guest..." He paused, turning back to Karen. "Could I take your order?" he smiled again, seeming to reserve his harshness for those under his command.

Dr. Hakan repeated her request into the intercom and smiled. "Yes, I apologize again for the rough transport. We don't spend a lot on comfort for as little as we use those forms of transportation. Why waste funds, right?"

Retaking his seat, it was only minutes before a young woman in a guard's uniform entered the room and placed a tray on the table with two cups of coffee and a selection of condiments. Taking his, the doctor added two sugar packets and began stirring the coffee idlly. "Glad to see someone can do something right around this place," he muttered, the guard blushing slightly as she hurried out of the room.

"I apologize for the confusion. We don't host guests very often either. The atmosphere is typically very business-like in the labs. Now, as for your question." He sipped his coffee, pleased to find it was hot, but not burningly so. "CRONUS Labs actually consists of a series of research facilities scattered throughout the nation. This lab in particular does agricultural research regarding crop production and quality control. Some of our side projects deal with medical research, in which we take some of our findings from the agricultural successes and process them, searching for new uses of natural plants that may benefit both humans and Pokemon alike."

Dr. Hakan smiled warmly, pouring on the charm as he recited some of the beneficial findings that CRONUS was responsible for over the years. Both medications and revolutionary treatments improving the quality of life for humans and Pokemon could be found in CRONUS' records, as well as some lesser-known results in the agricultural field that increased the production and quality of crop output.

Even if this hadn't been what he was hired for, Dr. Hakan was determined to show that he could be counted on for more than research purposes. The administrators had trusted him to deal with the inquisitive writer and he fully intended to do so to the best of his abilities.