Catherine Willows sat on the bench in the CSI locker room on the
tenth floor and tried to muster enough enthusiasm to bother putting on
her coat and going home.  It wasn't easy.  Just sitting on the bench had
an incredible amount of appeal right now, uncomfortably hard as the
industrial seating surface happened to be.  In fact, slumping over and
falling to the floor was not entirely without its charm at this point.
        "You look tired," said a voice from the doorway.  With an
effort, Catherine turned her head to see Skuld Ravenhair, the IPO's
chief technologist, framed there.
        "You're a keen observer of detail," Catherine remarked wryly.
"You should be a criminalist."
        Skuld chuckled and sat down at the end of the bench.  "Long
week?"
        "You could say that," Catherine replied.  "Working one
investigator down, with our trace lab reduced to rubble and the day
shift missing its supervisor... "  She gestured vaguely.  "And of course
every wacko in the city picks this week to get up to weird tricks.  This
is the first night this week I've been able to head home before dawn."
She gave Skuld a look.  "I -am- going to be able to go home... ?"
        Skuld nodded, laughing.  "Don't worry, I won't keep you.  In
fact, this drill should be familiar to you, except you're usually on the
other end of it."  She reached into the pocket of her lab coat and
pulled out a self-containing swab, holding it up with a grin.  "I need a
sample of your DNA."
        Catherine raised an eyebrow.  "I'm already in the IPO database.
Everybody who works here is."
        Skuld's grin widened.  "I don't need it to identify you...
exactly.  But it needs to be fresh."
        "Can you give me a hint?"
        "Nope.  Still classified above your level.  Don't worry, it's
nothing too weird... by this place's standards."
        Catherine gave Skuld a puzzled look, then shrugged.  "What the
hell," she said, "you want to be cryptic, be cryptic."  Then, smiling,
she opened wide.