Heartman comes back with a jolt, senses flooding into his body in a crushing waved. Sight, sound, smell, breath, all at once, and as his lungs fill with air his whole body jolts, hand blindly reaching out for his hourglass, vision a blur.

He'd been closer. He'd made progress. He taps the hourglass, chiralium floating upwards, aware of two people among the BT casts and his research, Sam and a blonde, but he has to focus--

--he sits up entirely, twisting his arm, cuff moving to life as he begins to type, muttering to himself as he logs the number of trips, crunches the numbers just as fast as the computer does, the whole room coming to life beyond the dark and neon: Heartman murmurs about a coloured anomaly just as the main window to his research lab whirs to life and shows the majestic mountains. Sam waits patiently, and Kate only has to wait a scant few minutes before Heartman waves away the holographic screen he's created and turns his attention to her.

Ah. This is awkward. How long had she been here? He stills, looking slightly unsure, gaze focused entirely on the Anomaly. Probably, he should call her by her name.

"Ehm..." He waves a hand, a bit sheepish, and then decides to extend it.

"Kate, yes? Wonderful to meet you. I'm very glad Sam was able to pick you up."