Julie sighed and looked at her friend. ‘Diane, where the fuck am I gonna go, eh? I can’t live at me ol’ gal’s. My flat is all I ’ave, and that fat cunt won’t get out. I wish he would get so pissed, he falls over the balcony and kills himself, or, I swear, one day, I’ll give him a helping hand.’
Kara couldn’t look at the girls; instead, she stared out of the window and listened to them talking about a world far removed from her own. She counted herself lucky that she had a job and money. Her life could have been so much worse. She had worked so hard though to get to where she was. Constantly studying – while everyone else her age was having fun enjoying parties, clubbing, and sports – had been a huge personal commitment but a necessary one to have the options in life she both wanted and needed.
Fortunately for her, the next stop was just ahead. So, as soon as the bus came to a halt and the doors flung open, she jumped the two steps and instantly threw up, luckily missing her coat. Where had the time gone? she wondered. She should have waited for the AA man.
Eventually, she was through a security gate and inside her lab, ready to get to work. Her lab was the biggest in the building and situated at the end of the corridor; opposite was the office that her manager occupied. She knocked and entered, as she always did, but was surprised to see two men dressed in dark suits in the middle of a conversation with Professor Roger Luken.
‘Ahh and here is Kara Bannon,’ said Roger, swinging on his swivel chair that had almost worn down to the sponge cushioning. His ruddy complexion was stark against his pure white mop of thick hair. He was a fit-looking man for fifty-eight, and yet, with his white lab coat and red spotted bow tie, he did appear to be every bit the mad professor.
Kara smiled nervously, not aware of who the visitors were.
‘Kara, this is Dr Chan and Professor Naughton. They flew in early this morning. They are here to discuss moving the research project over to Denmark. I have told them all about your work and they are eager to see the set-up.’
Nervously, she smiled again and her hands felt clammy. She wasn’t used to working alongside strangers or being unprepared. Roger knew what she was like: she was meticulous, well planned, and organised. Her boss must have known weeks ago. Under normal circumstances, he would have given her plenty of notice, but after the horrendous blunder she caused a few months ago, their relationship had changed. He wasn’t so accommodating or friendly. She missed the banter and how he used to treat her with care and father-like kindness.
‘Oh, I wasn’t expecting … er … I mean, I haven’t prepared.’
Roger waved his hand. ‘Oh, don’t be silly. They just want to see a dummy run. Besides, you will be leading the project in Denmark yourself.’
Kara raised her eyebrows and forgot herself. ‘What do you mean, Roger?’ Her eyes darted from the visitors back to the professor.
It was Dr Chan who spoke up first. He could see how uncomfortable she was. ‘It’s lovely to meet you, Kara.’ He put his hand out to shake hers. Flat and subdued, she returned the gesture.
‘We think the assay that you have designed will fit in very well with our research and we would be honoured if you would work with my team to ensure we have the system operating at its maximum potential. There are always teething issues, and so, it would save us time if you were to initiate the project.’
Kara tried to take it all in, but her sickness was back again, and the waves of nausea were washing over her and filling her with dread.
Roger firmly got up from his chair and turned to face the two men. ‘Would you excuse us, gentlemen?’ He guided Kara out of the room and into her lab. ‘What’s the matter with you? You look as if I have asked you to go to the gas chamber.’
Kara studied his concerned face and felt a twinge of guilt. She let out a weary sigh, as her eyes fell to the floor.
‘I’m sorry, Roger, I didn’t mean to appear so ungrateful. I just don’t like surprises. You know me, Miss Fussy Pants.’ She attempted to laugh it off.
For the first time, she saw the annoyance spread across his face. ‘Kara, if you turn this down, then I am afraid you won’t be able to continue with your research, including your own project.’
Those words were enough to wake her up and bring her back down to earth. ‘Of course, I’m happy to go to Denmark and help set the project up. I was just shocked, that’s all,’ she replied, with forced cheerfulness.
Roger gave her a cold stare. ‘Kara, you know how this works. You must be ready to work overseas at a minute’s notice. These projects are not for us to run. You know they are designed here and used at the company’s other sites. You are in a very privileged position. Many others would chew my right hand off to have the opportunities you’ve been given. Now, don’t mess it up.’ He shot her a warning glare that sent a shiver down her spine.
Kara was upset that he was teetering on being angry with her. She felt the burning vomit rising again, and without a word, she fled to the toilets and threw up. Ten minutes later, she returned to the lab to find Roger, with a pipette in his hand, already setting up the assay. He glanced over his shoulder with a look of disdain and she felt gutted to have disappointed him. The only thing she could do was put a smile on her face and take over.
‘Right, where have we got to?’ She squeezed past Roger and the two visiting researchers, before pulling on a pair of rubber gloves.
‘I have just coated the bottles with T12 cells. Are you happy to take over?’ He gave her a false smile.
Kara nodded and mouthed the word ‘Sorry’.
By lunchtime, she felt exhausted and was glad Dr Chan and Professor Naughton were ready to head back to the airport. She much preferred to work alone. It was even harder making polite conversation with two strangers. She loved her job but liked peace and quiet to concentrate. Part of her work involved designing routine tests to identify various strains of viruses that may have mutated. She used tissue culture, a layer of human cells, to coat the flat-bottomed bottle, and then she added the viral samples, before further contaminating the bottle with various bacteria.
The results were promising, as they demonstrated whether the virus had the capability to infect the specific bacteria or attack the human cells. This determined the level of mutation. As the most senior bacteriologist in the team, with the exception of course of Professor Luken, it was also her job to test random samples of vaccine batches. Holding a position of great responsibility, she was also allowed to do her own research, which was funded by the company. It was a project that would hold her in high esteem among the top scientists.
The tearoom at the other end of the corridor was quiet. Most of the staff had gone to the main canteen. Kara pulled sandwiches from her bag and examined the limp cheese and bread, which had been made soggy by the overripe tomatoes. She threw them back into the box and pulled out an apple. Kara was startled by her mobile phone, which vibrated in her back pocket. She’d forgotten she’d had it on silent. As she struggled to answer it before it rang off, she didn’t look at the number, assuming it was Justin, her boyfriend. ‘Hello?’ She tried to sound upbeat.
However, the voice that greeted her was anything but upbeat. In fact, it was chilling. ‘Kara, Kara, perfect Kara, how’s dearest Justin?’ A cold, sickly chuckle ended the call.
The apple fell out of her hand and rolled under the table, as Kara stared at the number. The voice was unrecognisable but the call had come from her mother’s phone.
Before she had a chance to call back, Roger popped his head around the door, and as soon as he saw her there alone, he came inside and sat opposite. ‘So, what’s going on, Kara? You have been offish for weeks now.’
Her face was blank. She seemed to be staring aimlessly.
‘Kara, are you listening to me?’ he growled.
His raised voice snapped