“Smart,” I said.
Once through the foyer doors, we walked into a large room where two security guards stood by another set of doors.
“Hey, Orion,” the older of the two said.
“Hey, Mike.” He nodded to the other guard. “Larry. I’d like you both to meet Raquel.”
“Hi,” I said.
“Nice to meet you,” they said.
“Is Chan around?”
“Yeah,” Mike said. “He’s in the lab.”
“Cool,” Orion said, and used his keycard again to move through the building.
I gripped Orion’s hand as he led me through hallways, past windowed rooms full of plants, and then into a large bright room containing one man, his curly hair a little long and messy, which made him look a bit like a mad scientist. However, instead of wearing a white coat, he wore a rubber apron.
“Hey, Ori,” he said, setting the notebook down he’d been writing in.
“Hey. This is Raquel,” he said, tugging me forward.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, shaking his hand.
“Raquel is having a difficult time in microbiology, so I figured I’d give her a hands-on visual tutoring session.”
“My pleasure. Anything I can help with?” Chandler asked.
“How are you with Bacterial Pathogenesis?”
“I develop new and better strains of weed for a living, so that should be an indicator,” he replied.
“Don’t let Dr. Chandler fool you,” Orion said. “The man is a certifiable genius and can pop and lock better than any white boy should be allowed.”
“He’s right about that,” Chandler said.
“Raquel is researching cannabis for use in treating the symptoms of epilepsy,” Orion said.
“That’s fantastic,” Chandler said. “If you ever need a partner to bounce anything off, my lab door is always open. The world of cannabis can be a confusing place for us geeks.”
“Tell me about it,” I breathed out.
“I get it.” Chandler nodded. “But understanding the hemp plant is easier than you think. You’re in good hands around here.”
“That’s what he tells me,” I retorted.
He chuckled. “I’m sure he does.”
“If you’re done flirting with my girl, I’m gonna show her the grow lab.”
“Have fun,” he said, and Orion guided me down the hall again and into an entirely different room.
The walls were covered with plants, all labeled, with clipboards hanging below each plant and I leaned forward to read one. Of course, it was Greek to me, but it looked like the details of the plant’s origins, along with THC and CBD levels.
There was a bunch of other notes and information, but I had no idea what any of it meant, so I straightened and made my way to the huge table in the middle of the room.
“Whatta ya think?” Orion asked.
