The Claire Project

Chapter 6

The next morning, Will showed up nearly 45 minutes early to his new lab. He had been nervous at first that he wouldn't be able to find the correct hallway to his lab and so he had to ask the front desk receptionist for directions, which he mentally repeated to himself the entire way there.

Relieved when he found the right place, Will placed his palm on the scanner and the door unlatched, and he entered the vacant lab that would soon become his home. The lab was completely silent except for the faint electrical buzzing of machinery. He wanted to check out the equipment before the day really began, maybe read through the instruction manuals or Zenrad procedures so he could start things off on the right foot.

He got to work immediately, making sure he knew where everything in the lab was stored and getting acquainted with everything, and he was so immersed in this that he visibly jumped when the door finally opened and Dr. Veldin walked in, flanked by another woman whose name he did not know.

"Will!" Veldin exclaimed in greeting, as if he were thrilled to find him there, "I'd like you to meet Dr. Christine Weiss. You may recognize her as co-author on a significant amount of my research."

Will did recognize the name, in print only. "Very nice to meet you," he said cordially, but he still couldn't help but feel a little nervous. It wasn't everyday you met a scientist so well respected who had been published multiple times in journals like Science and Nature.

Dr. Weiss didn't exactly help matters by only responding with a curt nod and not so much as a smile. She wasn't particularly old, probably about the same age as Veldin, but her angular face and pointed nose and chin gave her a severe look. Her mousy hair was slicked back into a tight ponytail with nothing out of place, and everything about her seemed very serious.

"I've read your research on cell immortality. Very impressive work," Dr. Weiss told him, her slightly accented tone as cool and dry as the rest of her.

Even so, Will was absolutely tickled to be complemented by a scientist such as her. "You've...you've read my work?" He stuttered in surprise.

Weiss nodded and Veldin chimed in too. "Yes, we both have. In fact, we'd like you to continue with your research here at Zenrad. You design the experiments, and we'll fund any materials you need. Just simply submit your proposal to myself or Dr. Weiss."

"Oh, wow," Will said, excited and happy he would be allowed to continue on with the work from his graduate studies. "That's great. Thank you."

Veldin gave Will the rest of the day to work on his proposal and experimental procedures, which he happily got to work on. In fact, for the remainder of the week, Will did nothing besides get to know his new lab and work on his own research. Veldin approved his proposal quickly, giving him all the materials he needed and free range to perform whatever experiments he wanted. He even assigned some laboratory assistants to help him out. And while Will was definitely passionate about his research, he was a little bit put off by the fact that he was not given any other real job duties at Zenrad. In fact, he had not yet been brought in on any other collaborative work that was going on at the building.