Wendy sighed. The 38-year-old researcher loved her work, but there were a few drawbacks. Because the experiments were so dangerous, the lab was isolated from the world at large. The small house next to it was supplied with food by the company, one delivery every six months. And until recently, when she was off duty Wendy had been entirely alone, with just a TV, a computer with a restricted Internet access, a video game system she didn't use, a DVD/Blu-ray player, a stack of DVD's and Blu-rays, and a few shelves worth of books to keep her occupied.
She hadn't requested an assistant purely because of the loneliness -- there were lots of times in the lab where an extra set of hands proved very useful -- but she had to admit, having a fellow human being around had definitely eased things on that score.
"Hi, Boss."
Wendy turned. 25-year-old Bianca had entered the chamber in the lab.
"Hi, Bianca."
"I set the ultracentrifuge the way you asked and activated it. What now?"
"Thanks, Bianca. Now we take a couple of days off and let it spin. We stop it in 72 hours and mark the results."
"Back to the house?"
"Yep. Nothing more we need to do here until it's finished spinning."
The slim brunette took her assistant's hand in hers, and the two of them walked the short distance to the house.
"What do you want to do, Boss?"
"Let's relax and watch a movie. And when we're not in the lab, I'm Wendy. OK, Bianca?"
The blonde nodded. "All right, Wendy."
The women settled onto the couch and watched "Imagine Me & You" -- Wendy's choice.
"Um, Boss -- I mean, Wendy?"
"Yes?"
"I liked that movie, but why did you pick it? Was it on purpose?"
"Well, of course it was on purpose -- I picked it because it's cute and one of my favorites. I don't randomly select things, and if I did, it would be obvious." The older woman produced a coin from her purse. "I'd use a digital decision generator."
Bianca giggled. "That's not what I meant."
"What did you mean?"
"You're going to make me say it, aren't you. Did you pick that particular movie because you wanted me to watch the lesbian romance?"
"Since you brought up the subject, are you lesbian or bisexual?"
"That's a rather personal question, so you answer it first."