6
“Hi Alma! How are you doing,” Sebastian suddenly appeared in front of her.
“I’m fine,” she responded, somewhat hesitantly.
“I was really impressed by your presentation yesterday. You know so much about indigenous tribes in Ecuador. Really hot topic. And I was wondering how you’re able to write so fast? Are you paying these Ecuadorians $1 per hour so that they write it for you? I mean, there must be something. You’re younger than me and already a postdoc, and my thesis is going so slow.”
“Sebastian, I really don’t know how to respond to that. What’s your aim with these questions?”
She was suppressing her tone of voice. She wanted to sound poised, looking around to find a way to escape this embarrassing encounter. She realized that she could escape the conversation because they were approaching a crossroad.
“I’m going that direction. Goodbye,” she snapped.
It was not the first time that this German Ph.D. student was insinuating that she was a fraud. She had been thinking about his situation that must have explained his snide remarks. She guessed that he was probably the victim of his own failure to pursue his dreams.
***
The professor was figuring out how to use the latest technology provided by the sponsors. Suddenly, Mr. Masky appeared in high fidelity projected on the wall.
“We are safe here. The conversation is encrypted. We are using an enhanced security technology not available for the broader public. I have some things to talk about. You remember, we have signed a transparency agreement. Recently, we have become alarmed by our tracking devices. We have tracked a contact between Miss Rodriguez, one of your postdocs, and one of our employees. We don’t have any recordings of their interaction. One possibility is that they might have left their phones and gone to talk somewhere. Another possibility is that they happened to be in one place for a suspiciously long time. I’m apprehensive about this. As far as we understood, she was supposed to do research on the oil industry in order to make a good rap for new technologies. So why would she be in contact with someone from the cesium industry? They are not Facebook friends. We don’t have any track of a longer friendship. My assistant has conducted a deeper background check. Her mother comes from Kenora, which is relatively close to our pegmatite,” the voice spoke without pause. The professor worried about his facial tic.
“Ah, I don’t know about research on cesium. She’s still doing research on Ecuador. At least she has not told me anything else. But, of course, I understand that we need to be cautious,” the professor’s voice trembled slightly.
“Remember that your salary depends on us. I hope that there won’t be any transgressions. I hope that you can take care of it in the most invisible way possible,” the voice warned.
“I will make sure that nothing impedes our collaboration. The world deserves to know about the struggles of indigenous people in the oil industry, and we are committed to this foc