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Cycle 31-10: A Hypothetical Solution
🕑 Added 2024-03-01 17:00:11 +0000 UTCKaitlyn hunched over her lab notebook, fingers drumming on the bench beside it. For the tenth time, she scanned the list of variables and possibilities laid out before her.
Alright. I've got my control, and I've retested the biggest suspects just to make sure I'm in the same situation as before. The qPCR still isn't working.
It hadn't been her only project. Since that first assay, Kaitlyn had made sure to spread her time out between this particular project and a few others that proved significantly less frustrating. It had helped her sanity and motivation stay high, even despite her repeated setbacks.
It also meant she was getting a lot more practice at everything else. Still, this assay's data was central to the entire project. She needed to figure it out, one way or another.
It's not reagents. It's not tips. Or plastics. Or cDNA. Or bench contamination… She closed her eyes, mentally checking off the items one by one.
…But it works in Christa's hands. So what's the difference?
Despite putting time aside to closely observe the postdoc's technique with fresh eyes, Kaitlyn couldn't find any particular changes when compared to her own. Even adopting some of the woman's seemingly minor habits didn't help. There had to be something else at play.
Something I'm missing. Something I've overlooked every time. Something…
Her eyes roved around the lab, searching for answers. They alighted on Christa's unoccupied bench, the area completely clear except for a waste bin, a few boxes of pipette tips, and a rack on which her pipettes hung.
Kaitlyn's eyes narrowed at the pipettes. The beginnings of an idea began to form in her mind.
No way. Right? It couldn't be.
"Hey Christa?"
The woman's head popped up from behind a nearby computer. "Yes?"
"Do you mind if I borrow your pipettes for my qPCR? I have a theory."
The woman frowned in thought. Kaitlyn could certainly understand why – it wasn't a small ask. People's pipettes were pretty jealously guarded, especially from careless undergraduates that might mess them up. Luckily, she'd built quite a reputation for herself.
"Sure, why not?" The woman shrugged. "I have to go do some planting after this, anyway. Just make sure to put them back when you're done!"
"Thanks."
"Of course! Though I have to know, what's your theory?"
"I think… there might be something wrong with mine." Kaitlyn frowned at the items in question. "I don't know what – I'm not having problems like this on any other assay, not even normal PCR's. But it's the only thing I can think of."
Christa tilted her head to the side. "Are you sure? It's much more likely to be reagents or–"
Kaitlyn shook her head before the woman could continue. "I know, but I don't think it is. I've tried enough other stuff that it doesn't make sense. I just… have a hunch."
"Alright. Well, let me know how it goes. If it is your pipettes, we can always clean them!"
Kaitlyn blinked. "You can do that?"
"Of course!" Christa beamed at her. "What else are you supposed to do when someone gets bacteria or sample inside the barrel?"
Kaitlyn glanced at the sleek, pen-like instruments. It made sense. Of course there had to be a way to clean them. But in truth, the idea had never crossed her mind.
I guess it's like sharpening knives. It's the most basic kind of upkeep that most people forget to do. When I think about it that way, why haven't I tried to clean these things even once?
Shaking her head, she called back to Christa. "I'll let you know. Thanks again!"
With that, Kaitlyn carried her icebox and materials over to the woman's bench. Even if cleaning her pipettes might fix the issue, she still wanted to run the experiment anyway. It would give her valuable information.
This time, I think I'm onto something. Really.
As she set up her experiment, Christa eventually left to take care of her plants, leaving Kaitlyn alone in the lab. She focused on the task at hand, not willing to let the slightest mistake mess things up. Not this time.
She had already started running her samples and was busy pouring plates when she heard the door to the lab open with a soft clunk. Looking over, she spotted Elliot, his backpack hanging off of one shoulder. His green-eyed gaze met hers as he smiled.
"Hey, Kate."
"Hi, Elliot." She nodded over, her hands occupied. "How've you been?"
He shrugged. "Eh. It's midterms season, what do you expect?"
True. No one likes exams. Me included. "Yeah… you all done with yours?"
He nodded. "Finally. You?"
"Not yet. I have one more coming up. Chemistry"
"Mm." He stashed away his bag and began pulling on a lab coat. "Good luck. I had that one last week, it was pretty rough. Especially since it was right after my math one."
Kaitlyn sucked in a breath. "Geez. That does suck."
"Tell me about it."
They fell silent. Kaitlyn finished up her plates as Elliot busied himself with his own responsibilities about the lab. It gave her a bit of time to think about things.
Well… I told myself I'd bring it up next time we talked. And now we're here. So the real question is, how do I even bring it up?
The idea of asking Elliot about his dad so suddenly felt awkward. It felt as though there had to be a more natural way to transition to the subject, some segue or better subject to bring up first. But if there was, then it simply wasn't revealing itself to Kaitlyn.
Well, I doubt he'll bring it up himself – which totally makes sense. And that means it's completely on me to do it. So…
Bracing herself, she glanced over the assorted equipment and bottles toward the ginger. He stood at his bench with a collection of seeds, aliquoting them into little tubes one by one.
Alright. C'mon, Kaitlyn. You've gotta do this sometime. Might as well do it now.
"Hey, Elliot?"
He glanced up, but continued working with his seeds. "Yeah?"
"I… looked up who Glen Ambrose is."
If he was surprised, he didn't show it. Instead, Elliot shot her an almost amused smirk. "Oh? And?"
She bit her lip. That was a good question – one she'd been asking herself for a while. So what?
Before overthinking it too much, she blurted out the first question she could think of. "Why does he name everything after himself? Does he have any companies that don't have 'Ambrose' in the name?"
Once again, Elliot just stared at her for a long moment, seemingly taken aback by the question. "That's… a different kind of question than what I'm used to."
Kaitlyn frowned. "Really? What do people usually ask?"
"Oh, you know," he gestured with one hand. "If I got into Hartland through his connections. Whether I'm also rich. Whether I can get them an interview or an internship. Things like that."
She stopped. "Wait, really?! You're kidding."
"Nope. Not in the slightest."
"You have to be!" Kaitlyn pressed. "That's the first thing people ask you? No way. That's so… rude!"
Elliot shrugged. "Well, it's not always the first. But they're near the top of the list. And it's pretty easy to tell when someone wants to ask, too."
"That's… wow. That sounds like it sucks."
"Eh. You get used to it." Elliot waved the problem aside. "But anyway… there's a few companies he's involved in that don't have his name attached like that. But everything he's founded… yeah."
She leaned back in her seat. "Wow. Any particular reason, or…?"
Elliot pressed his lips together. "Do you want the actual reason?"
"Uh, yes?"
"Well…" Elliot let out a slow breath and leaned across the bench. "It's because he's terrible at naming things."
Kaitlyn just stared at him. "No."
"Yup."
"That's a lie."
"Nope."
"It has to be."
"I swear it's not." He raised his hands in mock surrender. "He's done it ever since I was a kid. It's not some grandiose sense of self-importance. He's just bad at naming. It's why mom and I always named our pets."
For a moment, she simply processed the revelation. Then, she bust out laughing.
"Yup. So now you know the big secret," Elliot grinned. "Happy?"
"Oh, of course." She tried to catch her breath. "That's… doesn't he have marketing people to help with this stuff? I mean, really!"
"Nope. It works well enough, apparently, so why bother?" Elliot finally set down his seeds. "Pretty great, right?"
"Yeah…" Kaitlyn grinned. "I'm glad I asked."
Elliot quirked a smile. "Glad to help. Any other major mysteries I can unravel for you?"
She hesitated, thinking for a second. She didn't actually have too much interest in the other questions Elliot had brought up – not that she would have asked if she did. That just seemed like bad form.
"Are you… famous? She eventually asked. "Well, maybe famous is the wrong word. Do people know who you are, I guess?"
He shrugged. "Not really. Thankfully. Not everyone recognizes the name alone. But around here, especially when you add bio into the mix…"
He trailed off, leaving Kaitlyn to fill in the blanks herself. It matched up with what she'd expected, which was good news. She couldn't imagine living in the limelight, even a flickering one.
Although… he is in a band, too. It's not like this is the only reason he'd get recognized. Though maybe that makes him a bit more nonchalant about it?
"Anyway," Elliot snapped the cap of a tube closed, inspecting the seeds inside. "That's enough about me. What are you up to today?"
"Not much. Just set up another qPCR and finishing up some plates, then I'm gonna head out." she shrugged, placing a lid on the last circular plastic dish.
"qPCR again?" Elliot raised an eyebrow. "Still not working?"
Kaitlyn glanced over at the thermocycler. "Not yet. Although…"
Her voice trailed off, eyes widening as they fell on the screen. It displayed the usual collection of lines, each in the process of arcing upward. The run was still only half-complete, so the plateau she knew to expect later hadn't formed yet. But what really caught her eye were the lines along the bottom.
No way.
She leaned in closer, tapping on the screen. Sure enough, a pair of long, parallel lines ran along the base of the graph, separate from the rest. They had stayed constant, not registering any signal at all. And why would they? They were negative controls, after all.
Leaning forward, she placed her head in her hands and let out a relieved laugh. Her shoulders sank, the tension leaving them.
Finally. I did it. I beat that damn assay.
"Kate? You ok?"
She lifted her head, a grin splitting her face. "I'm not just great. I'm fantastic."
She pushed back from the machine, allowing herself a moment to just relax. The run wasn't over yet. There was still time for things to go wrong. Still, this was the most promising that it had ever been.
Elliot gave her a crooked grin. "Glad things worked out finally. Seems like it was pretty frustrating."
"You don't even know the half of it." Kaitlyn grimaced. "I've thought about that darn assay more than I want to admit."
"You going to stay and stare at it, or come back tomorrow?"
"...I should head out." Reluctantly, she pushed back from the screen. "I've had enough excitement for one day. And I'm afraid if I do watch it, it'll decide to change its mind."
"Alright. Have fun." Elliot gave her a wave goodbye. "See you around, Kate."
Kaitlyn nodded, hanging up her coat and getting ready to leave. It took way too long. But now… now I've finally done it. I'll be able to put it to rest, get my results, and be done.
Then I have to ask Chella how to clean my pipettes.
/// This plotpoint has been brought to you by experience. Painful, frustrating, infuriating personal experience. If you've ever wondered how much of myself I'm putting into writing, know that this is one of the most direct examples I have ever done. Except it was worse, because MINE would fail about 2/3 times, NOT EVEN CONSISTENTLY. GAH. This. Friggin. Assay.
Anyway, clean your pipettes, kids.
Comments
Mio P
Though I hate chemistry and bio with a burning passion, I will keep your pain in mind, Author 🫡 (thanks for the chapter)
