The following day, Lia informed her brother about her injury.
"I can't go home this week," Lia told her brother Lemmon through a video call. "I can't move too much. If I force myself, it will negatively affect my recovery."
"Don't worry about us," Lemmon said, "Take care, sis."
Exactly when their call ended, Sanya called Lia through a video chat.
"Ms. Brentvale, do you need something?" Sanya asked. "Don't hesitate to tell me. You have insurance, as promised in the contract."
"Oh, I'm fine, thank you," Lia said, as she fixed the pillow on her back to comfortably sit. "I'm more concerned with my mutant…"
Upon hearing this, Sanya thought that perhaps Lia thought of Aesop as her savior. "Don't worry, his food will be delivered, and a temporary caretaker will clean every two days until you're fully recovered."
"Oh, okay," Lia replied. She took a deep breath. "I hope he won't blame himself."
"He may have forgotten about it, don't worry-"
"No, I think he will worry about me… Judging from the way he acted yesterday…"
Sanya couldn't understand why this new caretaker had that kind of thought. It was just a day when they talked to each other.
Sanya's scientist instinct suddenly enveloped her. At that moment, she knew what she wanted to write as an experiment proposal. She's a kind girl, but finding more about the vulture mutant had become a priority since yesterday. She wanted to do all means to determine his true personality and hidden abilities to add more to his data.
When their call had ended, Sanya typed her project proposal like a madman. Ideas came rushing into her, and she was unstoppable.
Night came, and Sanya printed her draft proposal to submit it to Dr. Brown. When he scanned it, he just said, "Present it to the board tomorrow morning."
So suddenly? Dr. Brown must have really hated her! It was obvious that he was finding a way to take her down.
But as a woman with big dreams, Sanya wouldn't let anyone topple her. She wanted to rise and become a prestigious Core Scientist one day.
"No problem. See you tomorrow, sir," said Sanya, giving him a strained smile. She took back her proposal and dashed out of their office.
The next morning, the board meeting and presentation of new projects took place in the meeting room. There sat six Core Scientists who represented their laboratories within the research facility:
Dr. Sherwin Felinesoul, head of the Mutant Psychology Center (MPC);
Dr. Pyke Jimblack, assistant head of the Pre-natal, Newborn and Presymptomatic Disorders Laboratory (PNPDL);
Dr. Reina Lee, head of the Polymerase Chain Reaction Laboratory (PCRL);
Dr. Liam Dimplesmith, head of the DNA Sequencing and Profiling Laboratory (DSPL);
Dr. Marcella Eoswell, head of the Cytogenetics Laboratory (CL); and
Dr. Cytus Rogerfall, head of the Genetic Engineering Laboratory (GEL).
Aside from them, other board members, and Sanya's colleagues Dr. Ryzer Brown and Dior Svenkin also sat there. The Head Scientist and the head of the PNPD Lab were abroad for a scientific conference, so they could not attend.
Sanya was called inside the meeting room after two hours. She was the 3rd assistant scientist to present.
Sanya took a deep breath and walked towards the front with confidence. She faced the Core Scientists and other members of the board and gave a sweet smile.
Dr. Reine Lee led the start of Sanya's presentation by saying, "Ms. Mayheart, you may start now."
Sanya nodded and clicked on the laptop to start her presentation. She showed and presented each slide with composure, explaining each concept effectively. After thirty minutes, Sanya ended her presentation. The floor was opened for questions.
"I have a question," Dr. Brown raised his hand, smirking. "We all know that the vulture mutant doesn't interact with anyone. Why should the Core Scientists approve your experiment? Aren't they going to waste their time and resources?"
Sanya stared at Dr. Brown intently. She knew that this was a trap and he just dropped his first bomb! She gave a subtle smile as if enduring his attack. "I am confident in my proposal. Let me show you something."
Sanya double pressed an icon on her desktop. It was the footage of Lia and Aesop's video.
"The vulture mutant was startled as the caretaker touched his wings. He accidentally hit her, and as you can see, he immediately rescued her. Not only that, but we can also see that after saving her he even checked her condition. This is opposite to his previous data saying that he hates interacting with humans." Sanya said, with her head held high. "So, Dr. Brown. I hope I answered your question."
All board members and representative Core Scientists were captivated by her whole presentation. Dr. Brown glared at Sanya and could not believe that she had a counterattack for him.
"Did you inform his caretaker about your project proposal?" asked Dr. Sherwin Felinesoul.
Sanya shook his head. "I think the experiment will work well if both of them will not know..."
"That's what I'm thinking about, too," Dr. Felinesoul replied while typing some remarks into his laptop. "None of them should know, as well as the other caretakers. Both the vulture mutant and his caretaker should trust each other for your experiment to be successful. I have no other objections and I would like to recommend your proposal to be accepted. It's my vote as part of the Mutant Psychology Center."
"Thank you," Sanya said.
"Can you revise your proposal, Ms. Mayheart," Dr. Cytus Rogerfall said, as he read his notes, "Since you discovered that the vulture mutant has enhanced reaction time and agility, add to your proposal the possibility of other abilities."
"Noted, Dr. Rogerfall."
"Any other questions?" Dr. Lee asked, looking around. Nobody had raised their hands, and some were shaking their heads. "There are no more comments, then. Ms. Mayheart, please revise your proposal according to their suggestions and submit it three days after. You may go out now."
"Thank you!" Sanya said enthusiastically and lightly bowed her head. She headed out and was followed by Dr. Brown and Dior.
In the lobby, Sanya met her two colleagues. "I hope you're not disappointed in me, Dr. Brown," she said sarcastically.
Dr. Brown furrowed his eyebrows and gave her a displeased look. "Let's see if the vulture mutant can still give you additional data." He grumpily walked out of the building.
Sanya laughed at Dr. Brown's reaction as if it was a full victory for her.
"Did I do well?" Sanya asked Dior. He had always been supportive of her ever since she was hired, and she expected some praise from him. "The video was my secret weapon."
"Sanya," Dior said, scratching the back of his head. "I'm disappointed in you."
Sanya was surprised by his response. It was the first time that she had heard such a discouraging answer from him. She did her best, and this is not what she wanted to hear from him. She presented all information comprehensively and answered all questions confidently. She was very optimistic about the outcome of her experiment.
Dior slowly walked away from her, lost for words. When he exited the building, Sanya took a deep breath. She just thought that perhaps Dior was just stressed about something. She had always believed in her abilities as a young scientist and promised herself that she will do whatever it means to make Dior and everyone proud of her, and climb the scientific ladder of the D.M. Cadre Research Facility.