.

The Colour of Magic

Meredith Vickers disliked Elizabeth Shaw the moment she walked into her office.

It was irrational. It was unprofessional. But after being forced to go through over a month of repeated video applications to Weyland Industries after Weyland himself gave the go-ahead for the Prometheus Project, there was only so much of the woman that Vickers could take.

"Miss Vickers?"

The suit grunted without looking up from her data pad and gestured to the seat in front of her desk. A seat that was made of wood rather than the synthetic leather she was currently enjoying. A seat that ensured that "Miss Vickers" would have the advantage of height and a presence that said "ma'am will do, young missy."

"I'm Elizabeth Shaw. You-…"

"I know," Vickers murmured, still looking at the pad. "Miss Shaw. Archaeologist. Doctorates in palaeontology, archaeology, human mythology and metics. Born in the United Kingdom, raised in South Africa, father was a missionary…" She glanced up, seeing that Shaw was still wearing her cross necklace. "Seems that he made a lasting impression."

"You…seem to have done your homework."

"More than you know," Vickers said, putting the pad to one side. "But homework's over. Now it's time for exams."

Silence lingered in the room. It was silence that Vickers welcomed as she continued to study Shaw, looking for any chinks in her emotional armour. After pouring her heart out in her requests to Weyland over the past month, it seemed that her heart was well protected now. Plain clothes, plain stares…yet giving away more than she knew. Shaw wanted the job, that was clear to her. A good thing in that she had motivation, but the nature of that motivation…idealism was something that Vickers disliked also. After forty-four years, it was just another branch of delusion in her eyes.

"So…" Vickers began. "We know why you're here. Or at least I hope you do."

"Of course."

"The tell me."

Shaw looked taken aback, but quickly recovered. "I'm here…because I believe that there's an answer to the question."

"What question?"

"Who we are. Where we come from. Are we alone."

"That's three questions."

One of Shaw's eyebrows twitched but apart from that, she remained impassive. Vickers supposed she had to give her credit in that she was still keeping her enthusiasm all bottled in. And in a way, there was little point in holding this interview at all-David Weyland had inherited his father's drive to push the boundaries of science, and that included funding for a faster than light spaceship to travel to Zeta II Reticuli. All based on the theory that Shaw had developed that aliens had contacted humanity and wanted them to come and visit. The mission itself would be occurring, and Shaw would almost certainly be included. But the scientist didn't know that yet, and until she did, Vickers wanted to gauge her.

"Miss Shaw, let me present this dilemma to you from the Company's perspective," the suit said, leaning forward over her desk. "You're a smart girl, and that goes beyond your credentials. You're smart enough to know that while your studies into the so-called star maps are compelling, there's still a lot of debate in the scientific community as to what they mean. And you're asking us to use our company's first faster than light starship to travel thirty-nine light years in a trip that will take the better part of a decade to discover these supposed aliens." She smirked. "In the name of science, am I right? Knowledge for knowledge's sake?"

"I…suppose…" Shaw said awkwardly, the first chinks in her armour showing. "But if we do meet extra-terrestrials…extra-terrestrials that did influence human history…I suppose we could gain things from them in turn."

"Some might say revealing our existence to an alien species would be quite foolish. They must have been advanced in the past-what are they like now? Why would they want to treat with us?"

"Because they did so in the past. They wanted us to visit them. When we were ready."

"And is that fact or faith talking?"

Shaw opened her mouth but no words came out. Smirking, Vickers lay back in her chair. As much of a waste of time as this trip was, as naïve as the woman before her was acting, it was still fun in a sense.

"Miss Shaw, under most circumstances, it's not my business as to what you may or may not believe," Vickers declared. "But looking at your communiques, you were quite clear in that there's a difference between what a scientist knows and what they believe. So under your logic, you know that different cultures display cave paintings with these 'star maps.' What you believe however, is that aliens are responsible. You believe these things because…well, maybe daddy's girl took after him."

"Shut up."

"Is it aliens, you're after Miss Shaw?" Vickers asked. "Or maybe you're looking for God? Maybe you think some bearded guy is sitting under the suns of Zeta II Reticuli-…"

"Shut up."

"And is waiting for the faithful to come visit. Fast track to Heaven without going through all the Sunday school crap."

There wasn't a third shut up. Vickers could tell that Shaw was aggravated, but she'd managed to pull herself back at the last moment. Another point in her favour. And as Vickers began laughing while the woman in front of her still remained quiet, she supposed that was another pro she'd have to deal with.

"Cheer up," Vickers said. "Like I said, it's not my business what your personal feelings are about your interventionary evolutionists. Aliens, God…maybe we'll prove Clarke right, eh? Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic and all that."

Shaw brightened up. "You read science fiction?"

"Used to. But then the world caught up. And working for Weyland Industries, I tend to be on the cutting edge. And the Prometheus-…"

Shaw really brightened up at the mention of the word.

"Is about as cutting edge as one can get. And all things considered, you'll be on it."

Shaw just stared at her. Stared like a child might after getting a puppy for Christmas-something they pestered their parents for, but never actually expected to get. And while Shaw thankfully didn't do the hugs and kisses crap, she still got to her feet and started shaking Vickers's hand frantically.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you…really…thank you…"

Vickers let go. "That is, if Prometheus launches at all. But rest assured, you'll be on it."

Shaw looked like she was barely listening. She was already on her own PDA, no doubt texting the world that she was going to be shot out into space to look for her supposed aliens. Or God. It was academic at this point.

Murmuring her congratulations, Vickers leant back in her chair, closed her eyes and gestured for Shaw to leave. Safe in the knowledge that she'd be onboard and that she'd likely be forced to waste a decade and a half of her life in space on some wild goose chase. If it wasn't for stasis technology, she might have resigned before being posted on the ship. Still, seeing the look on Shaw's face when they found nothing might be worth the trip.

Now it was time to see what other poor suckers she'd be ordering about.

A/N

Like Birthday, this was based on one of the viral videos for Prometheus, namely the one focussing on Shaw. Hope the other characters get similar treatment, but either way, inspired me to write this in the meantime.