The Brain Boy

They Arrive

"Sir please let me try, I think that this might work. All I need is a few more days." You try and beg with the police chief to let you get more equipment.

"Now I said no so when the FBI gets here I want you in your lab working do you understand?" You nod your head and go back into the basement and try to use the 7-year-old equipment that barely runs. When you get the print-out from the mass spec, you have to go to the binder and see what all the numbers read. When you get your results, you walk up the stairs into a tall guy with long hair.

"I'm really sorry, are you the lab assistant?" he asks, running his hand through his hair.

"Actually I'm the only person that works in the lab and I have results from swabs and blood for your team. And now I get to hide in my 'cave' so I don't get yelled at by the chief." He looks kind of confused as you walk down the stairs again, into the dark hallway that the Chief also refuses to fix.

"How do you even see in this hallway? It's like walking around in the middle of the night." He followed me down here. You shrug and open the door, holding it to give him more light. "Thanks, you're a lot nicer than the chief said. He said that you hate everyone and that you wanted them all to leave you alone." He shrugs as he walks into the lab. You shake your head and go around, making sure machines are on and fixing your mass spec, which is still broken. "Why don't you just get a new one? They are only a couple of thousand dollars for a refurbished one."

"I am working under a man who thinks that a woman should not be working with science, in one of the smallest police districts in the entire country. I'm only being paid half as much as I should, and he doesn't give a rat's ass about any harassment going on. OH, and I almost forgot about the fact that they can't do anything to get me an assistant so I can actually get more stuff done. Do you think I forgot anything or can I get back to work?" You snap, turning around to look at him. He looks at you shocked by your yelling, running his hand through his hair. "Sorry, I'm just not used to people down here or trying to help me." You say, running your hands through your hair and tying it in a loose bun.

"It's fine, and it's normal to want to yell at people when you have pent-up feelings. And why does your boss not realize that you need newer equipment so you're able to actually get stuff done? And the equipment lasts for 10 years before you'd need to replace it." He says, pushing his glasses up as he rubs his chin.

"Well, maybe the chief would listen to a man. Why don't you go tell him all of that? I say the same thing and he just tells me to go be a lab lady." You say, fighting back tears. He looks at you and walks towards you, arms out. You just leaned into him, wrapping your arms around him and crying for a few minutes.

"Why do I feel like I know you from somewhere? Like from when I was a kid," he said, resting his chin on your head. 

"Well I was raised here in Carrabelle, Florida so I'm not sure how I would meet someone like you. And maybe you saw a video or something."  You say, thinking back to before your boss paid you what he does now after you tried getting the city council involved when you would make videos to get some extra cash to make ends meet and pay off college. 

"Well, why don't you come upstairs and meet the team? That way he can see that you can interact with people and he can probably see you deserve the new equipment." He said, grabbing your wrist. 

"But I need to get back to work on the cases and to get myself some food," you say, trying to convince him to let you stay. He holds onto your wrist, starting to lead you up the stairs. "Please, can I at least take a raincheck? I'll go out to a bar or something but I need to get back to my work and you probably need to as well." He lets go of your wrist, seeming to understand your need to go back to work and be left alone. He starts heading to the door and seems like he is trying to figure out how to get back without tripping on all the boxes that were in the short hallway. "Just walk straight and run your hand along the left wall. That'll keep you on track," you said, turning back and starting to go through more results.