Alice is an Engineer... we are not merciful... as shown in the last panel, it would be such a shame to build such a machine and not test it, for that matter, it would be a crime NOT to fire it up AND observe how it performed AND then tweak it to iron out the bugs AND make it perform even better!
Alice's tools are her own, they may be well worn but are certainly fit for purpose.
After the Boss gets out (thats if), Im sure he'll react to this "Crisis" and possibly provide the Ductwork Rats with a stimulus package or create a CDO (Chief Ductwork Officer) position.