2 The Scientist

IMANI

Imani looked away from the cabin operating panel as the elevator doors of the Barnes Institute of Medical Research dinged open.

She suspected that the vultures were already circling outside the building as the sound of her heels clicking against the floor filled the hallway. Her phone buzzed in her hand as she got to the double doors made of glass and pushed it open before stepping into the other hallway that led to the lobby.

She tapped on the phone's screen to wake it and the message immediately popped out, floating above the screen as a holographic display. She quickly swiped down on the message as she cursed and it went back into the phone.

'I need to disable that pop-up feature,' she thought before she read the message.

LOLA, 9:17 PM: I'm outside and yes... they are too.

She let out a sigh as her suspicions were confirmed. It's been more than four months and they still wouldn't let up.

A door on her right which had the word 'Security' written on it in gold letters and a fancy font opened to reveal Robert, one of the security men.

"Oh, good evening Imani. Heading home?" Robert asked and she came to a stop. He was a muscular man who was a fair few inches taller than her.

"Yes," she replied as her phone buzzed in her hand again. "Dahlia and Jacob are still doing computational work on the first floor though."

Robert let out an exasperated sigh and she gave him a sad smile. He couldn't leave work till all the scientists did and Dahlia and Jacob sometimes stayed in the Institute till ten-thirty. They claim it's because Imani left all of them in the dust and they are just trying to catch up.

"I guess it's overtime for me today again," he muttered just as one of the double doors was pushed open and Dahlia stepped out.

Robert's face instantly lit up as she approached them. "Dahlia, this is really nice. You should do it again tomorrow."

Dahlia grinned as she walked past them. "Sorry Robert, you won't have to deal with me tomorrow."

"You're not coming to work tomorrow," Imani asked and Dahlia turned around while still moving towards the lobby.

"Nope. I'm taking a day off. Goodnight guys." She turned around and disappeared into the lobby.

'I should take some days off too,' Imani mused as her phone buzzed before she and Robert called out a 'good night'.

"I'll go check if Jacob is leaving soon and if there are any other lurkers upstairs. See you tomorrow, Imani," he said and she muttered a 'bye' before he headed towards the elevator and she headed towards the lobby.

She saw them through the glass doors the moment she stepped into the lobby. They looked like predators lying in wait for prey. She took a deep breath and steeled herself as she stared at the reporters. They haven't noticed her yet but they will soon.

There were only twelve people outside. All of them were from small news companies, the ones that still used people as reporters. They weren't the ones she was worried about. She was worried about the drones. Fifteen of them were hovering in the air and waiting for her to come outside so they could pounce.

They'd ambushed her last week when the security guards that always escorted her to Lola's car were not there and she almost broke down when one of the drones got tangled in her curls. She had wanted to smack them to the ground but she knew that the headlines the next day would be terrible if she did that.

She couldn't see Dahlia and she guessed that the lady might have gone to the ladies room that was at the left hand side of the room. She let out a sigh of relief when she spotted the six security guards that were at the double doors that led outside. She could also see Lola's Renfield XV Sutton in the parking lot.

She adjusted the strap of the handbag on her shoulders and patted her hair which was in a ponytail before she headed towards the doors.

The reporters swarmed the door before she opened it and the guards surrounded her while trying to keep them at bay as dozens of flashbulbs went off in her face. Imani could hear the drones buzzing overhead and kept her head down as they began to shout questions at her.

"Miss Tallerico, do you foresee an increase in the number of women awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in the future?"

"Miss Tallerico, do you think you're better at recognizing the unexpected than other people? Is teaching something that interests you?"

"What has the Nobel allowed you to do that you'd not be able to do otherwise?"

"Of all the other Nobel Laureates in your field, who would you most want to meet and why?"

"Miss Tallerico, you had an institute named after you –"

The guards parted and she stepped into the car after the passenger's side door opened, finally safe from the prying eyes of the press. She groaned and leaned back into the leather seat as the reporters still asked questions outside the car before she glanced at her reflection in the window.

Her curls were dark brown and her eyes were light brown, framed by curved brows. She had dark olive skin tone and prominent cheekbones with a well-defined chin and nose.

"Well hello there, superstar."

Imani snorted and turned to face her friend. Lola Sutton looked like she had regal bearing. High delicate cheek bones, small nose, emerald green eyes, light olive skin and chestnut brown wavy hair. She was the daughter of Renfield Sutton, the CEO of Sutton Inc., business magnate, engineer and philanthropist.

"Are you okay?" Lola asked as she took in her friend's appearance.

"Yes," Imani responded as she heaved a breath and tapped on the screen of her phone. Two messages from her younger brother, Desmond, popped out of the screen. "Let's go home."