Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed



"Just because I, Duke, have got properties, loads of them! I've always been the one giving people the boot, not the other way around!"

"It all boils down to having your own stuff. That's when you stand tall! The university lent us this rundown shack, no CPR training dummies, missing fire safety equipment. We break our backs producing research, and who gets the credit? The university!"

"Is that fair? I don't think so!"

The idea of being slighted like this was something Mamie, the landlady, had never faced before.

"What's the big deal? It's just a rundown shack, and we even had to buy the equipment ourselves!"

Her fiery temper was just too much to handle.

Her rant left Scales and Roseanne absolutely gobsmacked.

"Er... hope I didn't scare you guys?" Mamie's round face flashed a quick look of embarrassment, as she hurriedly explained, "I'm not usually like this, really. Just occasionally, my temper gets the best of me... Ahem!"

Scales swallowed hard: "..."

But Roseanne's eyes sparkled with excitement, nodding vigorously, "What Mamie said is exactly what I've been thinking! As long as the lab is borrowed from the university, we'll never be in charge."

The university could take it back whenever they wanted, find fault, or lend it to another group.

They were like lambs to the slaughter, lying flat, ready to be carved up.

"So... we stop borrowing from the university?" Mamie ventured.

Roseanne nodded.

Scales: "Then where do we borrow from?"

Roseanne: "Why borrow at all? Like Mamie said that day, why don't we just build our own?"

Build, our own?

At that, Scales was utterly stunned.

Mamie was startled at first, then leaped up from the couch in excitement-

"Exactly! We can totally build one! How great would that be!"

A lab of their own, no more worrying about it being taken away or being targeted by schemers.

Roseanne: "I've checked. The regulations of Kingswell University and the Life Sciences Department don't say students can't create independent labs.noveldrama

As long as we have all the necessary paperwork and qualifications, it's all good."

Mamie immediately raised her hand: "I can provide the funding! How much? Five million, or ten million?"

Scales: "?" What kind of niche comment is that?

Roseanne thought for a moment: "I can also contribute, plus... a piece of land."

Mamie: "!"

Scales: "?!"

"Roseanne, you have land?"

"Yep." Roseanne smiled, "Plot 3-5 at East Suburb 72, currently undeveloped."

Even Mamie, the landlady, couldn't help but gulp.

Land...

Not a house, not a shop, but land!

You could build anything on it!

"Roseanne, how many more surprises do you have that we don't know about?!"

Roseanne chuckled: "Now that we've

got the money and land sorter 've

there's just one last hurdle, "

"What's that?"

"Approval."

Building a lab isn't as simple as it sounds, especially a biological one like theirs.

Microorganisms, particularly viruses,

pose biosafety issues. The

experimental processes might.

involve a lot of organic solvents,

considering emission issues

IMS

If research involves radioactive materials, there are national regulations to consider...

In short, all sorts of approvals and procedures are the real challenge!

Imagine, if there's even a slight hiccup in the process, it could drag

on for a year or more. Forget

building a lab, you could harvest a

season's worth of crops on that land by then.

Mamie: "We'd need some connections in the relevant departments, right?"

Roseanne nodded.

"Um..." Scales, who had been quiet till now, suddenly spoke up, "Maybe I can give it a try."

"!"