Derek Souza (edisonwolf) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2017-01-05 21:39:00 |
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The holidays had gone by fast. Derek had gone to Sparks to visit his dad and brother for a week. Now he was back, thankful that he had missed the storm and apparent Christmas decorations attack. This place was way too damn strange. Sometimes, he wasn’t even sure why he came back to it. He still had a few days before classes started back up again, but he had to get back to work. Not only did he need the money, but he missed it. Derek always felt the most at home in a lab.
He was preparing some cultures when someone was let into the lab. He looked up to see Dr. Simmons. Derek recognized her right away from a lecture last semester. It took a lot to impress the aspiring geneticist, but he was impressed. “Dr. Simmons,” Derek said stepping out from behind his station. “What can I do for you?”
Time certainly did seem to go by quickly. Then again, Jemma would need to fly back to England to see her family which… well, it wouldn’t be the worst thing. But there were currently complications in regards to her health, complications Jemma was not about to share with anyone until she had a definitive answer on if she could even figure out a cure or not. So far it wasn’t looking promising but she still was holding onto her customary hope.
Still. It was time for her to run more tests on her samples, test the rate of degeneration, compare it with the tests she would then do at Stark and then the Agency. Everything had been consistent each time she ran the tests but she still wanted to make sure. However, she knew that classes were starting soon which should have meant fewer students, so she wasn’t expecting to see anyone in the lab when she walked in.
“Oh, hello. Derek...Souza was it?” She could keep up with students she had lectured even if she wasn’t a full-time lecturer. And she had made sure to know the names of the lab assistants when she showed up, just in case. “I’m running some comparative tests on some cells, nothing too complicated if you have things you need to work on.”
Derek was more than happy to share the lab with Dr. Simmons. It would be an honor actually. He had thoroughly enjoyed her lecture. She had impressed him even, and Derek was not easily impressed. “Go for it,” Derek replied although he didn’t exactly go back to his own work just yet. “Let me know if there is anything I can help with.” He doubted she would need his help, but he was at least familiar where with everything was in the lab.
Smiling in thanks, Jemma went about what she needed to do, testing the sample. And.. the results were not looking good. Well, she had known how it was going in the dreams so the fact it had at least slowed down here was a good thing. However that didn’t give her much hope at the moment. Pulling away with a frown, the biochemist ran her fingers through her hair.
“Sorry to bother you, but is there a water station near by?” She needed something to drink. Perhaps it was just reality really setting in, or just a general feeling of not feeling well, or residual concerns about the message from Natasha. Either way, water was necessary at the moment.
Derek attempted to go back to his cultures but he found himself distracted. It wasn’t every day someone of Dr. Simmons’ caliber worked in his lab. Well technically it was the university’s lab but still. He finally was beginning to focus on his cultures when she spoke.
Derek quickly glanced up. “Oh, uh yeah. It’s around the corner. I can, uh, show you if you want?”
Given the fact Jemma had built up the Science Division in SHIELD following it’s fall, and then running the lab at the Agency, she could certainly understand how one may feel a lab was theirs even if someone else technically ran it. Admittedly her feelings on the matter were warranted but even when she’d been at Stark, she had felt the lab was hers despite the number of scientists who worked there when she wasn’t running it.
“You don’t have to if you’re in the middle of something, I’m sure I can find it.” Because really, it was just a water station. But if he wanted to talk science, it was an opening. Not that Jemma was really thinking about that at the moment. She just didn’t want to bother his work when she just needed water.
“It’s no problem,” Derek said pushing his work aside. “I’m just about done anyway.” Usually Derek wouldn’t let anyone interrupt his work. Except maybe Chloe. But it wasn’t every day Dr. Simmons was around. Of course Derek was going to take advantage of this opportunity.
He led her out of the lab heading down the hallway toward the water fountain. At least that was what he assumed she meant by water station. “Are you working on anything interesting?”
Jemma could understand not wanting her work to be uninterrupted, which was why she had felt bad in the first place. But with everything that was falling into place, remembering where the water station was, which yes, Derek was correct that she meant the water fountain? Well that was a bit needed.
As such, she followed him as she contemplated his question. The current project most certainly was not interesting given the way the results were coming back and the direct impact it had on her own life. But that was something she planned on keeping to herself.
“In its own way. I’m testing the rate of rapidly degenerating in subcellular macular degeneration. What about you? What is it you have been working on?”
“What cells are you testing it on?” Derek asked his curiosity always getting the better of him. Was she comparing different types of cells or was it all the same?
As for him. “I was just preparing some cultures of plant molecules.” Separating them by size, electric charge, etc. But Dr. Simmons probably already knew all of that. “Not quite as interesting as sub cellular macular degeneration,” he added always the modest one. “Here you go,” Derek said motioning to the water fountain as they reached it.
“Currently it is from a singular host in order to test the ongoing rate. It’s been a two month process at this point?” Sure. That was it. Jemma may not be a good liar, but when she was able to tell the truth through specific language? That she could do, which was specifically what she was doing right now. “The length of time and rate study should help determine if there is a way to reverse the effects.”
Or that had been the hope initially. Now she was seeing that there wasn’t hope, not in this. And that was a lot to take in. Instead she nodded as he answered about his own work.
“Perhaps not as interesting, but none the less important.” Preparation was just as important because it could make or break an experiment. And then they were at the water station. “Thank you.”