April 1994
A middle-aged woman was looking at the papers laid out on the desk before her. From his seat on the other side of the desk, Alexander couldn't see her face clearly. It was almost as stressful as waiting for a grade at the university. Seconds were turning into minutes, which fell like hours.
"Ma'am," said Alexander, "what will it be?"
The woman didn't react. She was still reading the documents. Only after another few long minutes she stopped reading and looked at Alexander.
"So, Mr Collins," she started, "I see why the university was hesitant to let you pursue this research. The Fey aren't fond of being vivisected. However, Opal Technologies accepts it."
"Thank you, Mrs Smith. You won't regret it."
"It's not all, Mr Collins. Your laboratory will be set in our new branch in Poland"
"What!?," said Alexander.
"Poland is at the beginning of a long road after they overthrew the communist government. They need us. Your project will be important there", said Mrs Smith.
Alexander wasn't very happy about having to move to Poland. However, he accepted it. Opal was the only company willing to take the risk of supporting his project.
