Chapter 343: Lab-1

Ian could hear Mina and Dom whispering about something behind them, but he was too distracted by the rambling of Doctor Witt to pay attention. The man was earnestly trying to probe his boss for information regarding Mina's likes and dislikes. Instead of picking up on the cues that his superior was unhappy with the line of questioning, Jeremy just blurted out his next question.

When they arrived on the third level, four of the men that Doctor Witt had called were already waiting and Mina found herself shuddering again. She knew they did not consider her a person and more like a test subject than anything. Mina considered buying herself an engagement ring to pretend being in a committed relationship, but she had a feeling that it would not matter to any of them.

"Ignore them and they won't talk to you," Dom said, but Mina did not believe it. She could clearly see doctor Witt chatting President Lee's ear off without pause.

As Mina spoke to Dom, the man who shouted out that they would not have to live together, approached, he must have researched the appropriate behavior between a man and woman, because he was suddenly on his best behavior. He apologized to Mina, and tried to spark a casual conversation, but it was cut short by Mina's reaction to the lab that had just appeared before her.

Mina stepped around Dom's wheelchair and walked forward with her mouth open. It was not that the lab was anything special, it was just that she had never seen a lab that was not in an institution of learning.

As Mina moved deeper into the room, she came to a glass wall that separated her from the people who were working on several projects. She did not need to be told, she could see a hook with lab coats and plastic wrapped goggles. She quickly removed the hoodie she was wearing which pulled off her hat.

Mina did not realize the looks she was getting, or maybe she had forgotten about the men watching her, but Rebecca suddenly felt the need to poke out her own chest as Mina put on the lab coat.

Mina picked up her discarded hoodie and folded it neatly. She walked over and handed it to Dom, before asking him if she could have the drawstring from his pants. Dom was staring at her but Mina had to wave her hand in front of his face to recapture his attention.

"Just pull it out," Mina said, and President Lee stepped in. Although he knew Mina was talking about the drawstring, he had a feeling that Dom was thinking about something else. Mina was beautiful, and her body was equally amazing. She was curvy in all the right places and the t-shirt she had on under her hoodie was so fitted that it did little to hide her full figure.

"Why do you need it?" President Lee asked and Mina gestured to her hair. One of the men who had also been watching Mina reverently removed a rubber band from his wrist and handed it to her. Mina smiled at the man who turned red making her flinch in shock.

Mina had been hiding her face with the brim of her hat, and she was aware that the shadows cast from the fluorescent lighting was masking her bruising. She believed that once the men in the room had seen the light greenish hue to her skin, they would have assumed she was sick, and abandoned the idea of her as an egg donor, but that did not happen. The opposite happened.

"Why aren't you here being treated for those bruises?" Jeremy asked. He walked up to Mina and pinched her chin, and Dom pulled her away.

"You're doing a lot Doctor," Dom said, and he was sure he was saving a life with his words.

"Sorry, this is purely medical. We have vitamins she could have taken to speed up recovery. It's not too late now, they can help the last bits of bruising."

"How can you tell these are bruises?" Mina asked and she got looks so suspicious in return that she felt as dumb as the question she asked. "Okay, dumb question, but how do you know the bruises didn't come from hemophilia or kidney failure?"

���The bruising is too localized." Mina bit her lip in annoyance. She was really hoping to put the men off by claiming she was ill, but they were too observant.

"Mina, are you sure of your IQ?" asked one of the men, and Mina shrugged.

"I told you, I was young when the test was administered." The doctor sucked at his teeth and started to walk away.

"If you leave now, you are out for good," said another one of the men, and Mina intuitively knew the man meant out of the running for dating her.

"Mina is not a competition," Dom said annoyed, but he felt like a hypocrite as soon as he said those words. Many of Dom's conquests started as bets or competitions, and he suddenly felt wrong about them all.

Mina ignored the conversation that had just started and tied up her hair. She buttoned the lab coat and put on a pair of goggles, but before she stepped on the pad for the automatic doors, she turned to President Lee, who was staring at her.

"Is there a password?" she asked, and the man stepped forward to let her in using his iris'. Mina gleefully strode into the workspace feeling as though she were among individuals who she would not have to explain things to.

Before Mina disturbed anyone's work, she put on a face shield and stepped into the decontamination chamber. A surge of warm mist encased Mina's body and she lifted her arms as skin safe gasses killed any virus that may have followed her in, and small sand particles helped to remove any static buildup from her clothing.

After another few bursts of warm air to help blow the sand particles away, a green light indicated to Mina that she was free to enter the workstation. However, she did not move. She waited for the others to join her just in case she came face to face with someone who reacted aggressively to a person they did not recognize.

Mina was sad that Dom had to be left behind, but she felt a little better that one of the men who had come to observe her was ordered to keep Dom company while everyone else followed her in. Mina waved to Dom through the glass and he waved back, knowing that she was beside herself with excitement. He could see it in her eyes, but he was also worried.

Mina was treating President Lee too civilly for it to be normal, and he had a feeling it was because she wanted to ensure she got a yes on her plan to be used as bait.

Unable to leave the facility until the conclusion of the investigation involving Mina's abduction, Dom felt helpless. Not only were his limbs fractured, but he could not stay by Mina's side and monitor her in the way he believed she needed to be watched.