Sneha woke up by the startling ring of her alarm tone. She hated Monday mornings; particularly in winters when all you want to do is wrap yourself in the warm comfort of your quilt and sleep until the sun sweeps inside your window and you feel its tender rays teasing your face. But she had to get up. From her fantasies and then from her bed. It had been four months that she was working as a research assistant for Rajeev Sir and one thing she had learnt for sure was that he never tolerates latecomers.

Dr. Rajeev Sharma had been the face of success in the field of genetic engineering for his country and made the scientific community proud. His works were not only published and read but were implemented in various sectors of numerous industries. He had a pleasant personality but when it came to discipline, he was not someone who spares easily. If you are caught, be sure to get a long speech about the golden, strict, honorable, boring, and workaholic era of their time, which will be followed by a month long punishment of working an extra hour every day. Sneha was very persistent and a hard working girl. She was always late and had been working extra hours for three months now!

As Sneha sat in her car and fired it up, she was certain that today Rajeev sir would forgive her for coming late. She had toiled for the past few weeks, inoculating the entire batch of thousand specimens and achieving the required growth of the insectivorous plant for genetic advancements for the project they had been working on and it had shown progress, so unless driven by a whim, he should be fine with her today.

Sneha's project revolved around the wide scale production of anti-cholera medicine using a pitcher plant. Pitcher plants are an insectivorous plant species that consume insects as source of energy or food. The specimens used in her project were brought from the rain forests of Meghalaya. Till now Sneha had identified the genes responsible for secreting anti cholera antibodies and those required to be isolated and mutated within the host plant for mass production. This project would help provide the drug at cheaper rates to people and help fight cholera throughout the world especially India and Africa. But the task was not easy, unfortunately the exact gene predicted for enhanced production of the drug was closely associated to the gene that triggered the insectivorous activity to a higher and unpredictable levels. This factor was major and highest level of safety measures and procedures were followed to mutate the gene. The previous two attempts were futile and Sneha had grown a new batch of pitchers to try again.

The research facility had five huge buildings. A three floor library, two blocks for study purposes, an equipped seminar hall and an administration block which was always considered as a canteen. Sneha worked in a 'C' shaped facility. It had a left wing where all the laboratories were established and a right wing where all the incubation chambers and study rooms were placed. There were two entrances, the main entrance which opened into the front lobby and a back entrance which was closer to exit gate of the entire campus. The place was situated a little outside the main city of New Delhi, which made a fifteen km drive for Sneha to reach for work every day.

Steering her car in the parking area, Sneha mumbled, 'Almost 8:30, now I will have to power walk to reach on time'. Slamming the car door shut, she looked towards the entry gate and grumbled. 'Oh no! Run Sneha run!'

She jostled towards the huge glass door of the large red brick building with keys, notes, lab coat, mobile, earphones and handbag clasped against her chest. She didn't know if it was an adage or not but she was sure that, Misery of one human, is joy for another's. Not only the people strolling in the campus were amused but the security guard looked highly pleased watching Sneha juggle with her things like a circus freak.

Mukesh, the guard, had been in charge of the security for five years now. He was a moderately built man with a slight protruding stomach and broad shoulders. His brown skin exhibited his hard work and his face displayed the authority a department head should possess. He had been working for the facility since its construction, nearly ten years ago. He had seen numerous young scientists come and go, some for short term trainings, others for years. Nobody had ever shown any real interest or courtesy to acknowledge him until Sneha. He liked that Sneha never forget to wish him morning and that too with the sweetest smile she could afford in a hurry. Unlike others who waited for him to open the door and salute.

'Thank you Mukesh sir.' Sneha said, crushed by the load she was carrying, when Mukesh opened the door for her. She entered, took a breath appreciating her victory then turned around. 
She gestured her hand playfully, 'Don't let Rajeev sir know that I just reached, tell him I got in at 8:15, okay?'
She waited until Mukesh sir nodded in approval which grew into laughter. Flustered she swiveled and froze. Rajeev Sir stood behind her with a grunting face.

'What will happen to the future of this country? What?' Rajeev sir started to pace up and down in the front lobby, the crime scene, making all the people in the long wide corridor and the back lobby; witness and relish Sneha's despair.
Sneha kept her head low, making him believe that she was utterly sorry while her mind toyed with the fact that sir had a really bad physique to match his anger. His height was five feet three, which could be measured accurately due to the clear scalp provided by his receding hairline. He wore a neatly ironed pair of baby pink shirt and grey pants complementing it with his ultra clean, super white lab coat. He looked like a baby. His speech was tiresome.
'Where are those days when time was everything?' He waved his hand in air trying to make his point. 'When I was young, I used to be half an hour early to ensure that I was prepared to start my day with a list of activities for the day.' He made a nostalgic face shrugging his shoulders indicating he had given up all hopes. But then he banged his head up popping his eyes out and continued.
'I am not going to leave you this time. Look at you, you are a mess!'
Sneha dropped her sight to her feet then flashed her eyes back at Rajeev Sir perplexed. She thought to herself if there was something wrong with her dress.
Sir grumped, 'Is this your work ethic? Learn the value of time.'
'Oh! Thank god.' Sneha signed in her head.
She brushed her bangs behind her right ear gently, her shoulder length, dark hair wavered. She needed to strike before Rajeev Sir dragged this scolding session any longer. She already had ninety extra hours to make up for, she couldn't afford more.
'SIR' She interrupted urgently, unsure what to say next.
'I have toooooo...hmmmm...' She dragged. 'Show you the test plants.'
'YES!' She found her breakthrough, making Rajeev Sir step back.
'Yes! Sir! We have to see the test plants now!' She decanted all her stuff in her bag then grabbed his hand before he could revolt and dragged him down the corridor towards the incubation center in the right wing.

'They have come out beautifully!' Rajeev sir glared inside the glass chamber appreciating Sneha's work. He was impressed by the young girl who had enhanced the speed of their work by her undying enthusiasm.
'Sooo.' Sneha took a long deep breath.
'I guess I should start washing test tubes and flasks now. It will take hours. Then I will start with my work for the pitchers.' She exhaled heavily playacting her defeat to her coming fate dramatically.
Rajeev sir shifted his gaze from the sample to his melodramatic assistant. He knew he was being played but he didn't mind. It brought a faint smile on his face.
'You are very mischievous.' Sir had to admit, the girl plays well.
'Now don't you show me those white teeth of yours. First finish then celebrate.'
He resisted then continued. 'No punishment today.'
He left leaving a gloating winner punching the air behind.

***

Sneha kept her bag on the platform of study area and was about to pull out her chair when she heard a low deep voice.
'So, you skipped a trial yet again Miss Sneha.'
It was more than a comment, it was a taunt but harmless.
'Don't be jealous, Mr. Jai!' Sneha mocked with a glorious smile.


Jai was a fellow scientist working under Rajeev Sir on a different project. He was an environmental freak. He was working on optimizing the nutrient media of the plantlets to give them infinite life. He wanted to recreate forests and make sure they never disappear again. He even wanted to create a hybrid plant that can grow in desert by crossing over a cactus and a complimentary evergreen plant. In short, a psychotic idea from a common man's point of view which bagged him a fellowship grant in Australia! There was something about his zeal though, something that made Sneha feel that may be; one day; this eccentric might just create history.

They had become friends instantly. As clumsy was Sneha, as refined was Jai. His quick reflexes had not only saved many apparatus but also saved many people from getting seriously injured from her. Their duo restored the balance of the world.
Jai usually was not a people person but he always made an exception when it came to Sneha. Nobody could escape her charm. He had been working for Rajeev sir for over a year now. He had never had a day like he had on Sneha's first day of work. It started with a head bang by the door of Rajeev Sir's cabin. Then he got a punch in his stomach by her handbag when he was showing her the lab assigned to her. Later, she splattered her food all over his shirt and then in the process of helping him to clean, soaked him with water. He still remembered that instead of feeling guilty, she had laughed so hard at his pitiful condition that had made him laugh as well. From that day on, he was on his guard but he himself was amazed that she had swooped into his life and became his best or in his case his only real friend in a very long time.
Jai knew that he was a decent guy but his shyness and pair of glasses had made him alienated from the rest of his friends from his school time. Eventually, everyone left. He then fell in love with science so he choose to be a geek.

Jai pulled a stool for himself and asked, 'What has the commander ordered you today?'
'Stop calling him that, will you?' Sneha said, resisting her urge to smile.
'He wants me to repeat the protocols of the last two techniques.' She frowned and tapped her pen on her register, 'Why doesn't he want me to try the third technique?'
'Did you ask him?' Jai enquired.
'Yes, but he dismissed it completely and told me to focus on the two techniques only.'
Jai stretched his arms, 'He may be stubborn but he is not a fool.'
Straightening, He looked in her eyes and said in an assuring voice, 'Try again, you will succeed.'
Sneha tapped her pen thoughtfully landing it on Jai's knuckles.
'Ahh!! Snehaaaa...!!!!'
Sneha withdrew on her stool putting the pen between her teeth. 'Sorry.'