Luc was a rather short, but plump guy. He had an obnoxious expression on his face, and reminded Isabell of a slimy toad. Though he stayed rather distant and neutral in his conversation, Isabell could very well imagine that he was a difficult person to work with.

She sat in his small office after he and Isabell, who had phoned him expressing interest in participation, had made an appointment for an intake. Now he was explaining in short sentences what the research was about, acting as if he was a professor. Peter, sitting next to him, was ignored most of the time. Isabell, Luc lectured her, had to take doses of a modified adrenaline hormone, and was supposed to give small quantities of her blood to see its effects. The project would end by scanning her kidneys to see how they reacted to the modified hormone.

"Any questions?" Luc asked after he had finished.

"Well... I am participating in another research. It's almost done," Isabell lied, as she and Peter had agreed upon her telling Luc. "It is another modified hormone, cortisol, applied via a salve on the skin. It's supposed to make the skin regenerate, to make wrinkles disappear, see?" Isabell rolled up her sleeve and showed Luc her arm, which she had coated an hour earlier with a thin layer of ordinary, odorless sunscreen.

"When are you finished with that?" Peter asked with a straight face.

"This is the last time I need to put it on, its finished in four days, " she said, keeping a straight face too. Luc bought it. "It takes a while before the salve works you know."

"Yes, I know about cortisol," Luc replied in a way that made Isabell confirm he was arrogant. "Ok, I don't think doing these two researches at the same time will be a problem. We shall give you the pills, start taking them today," Luc said. 

"Luc, could you fetch them please?" Peter asked sweetly.

"You can fetch them too," Luc replied, looking as if he was offended. Isabell saw that he meant it. A dick indeed.

Peter stood up and went to fetch the pills, while Luc was rifling through some files on his computer. "The first blood sample is to be taken here in three days, at 11 am." he said. "Be on time."

"Yes, I will," Isabell replied, having to suppress a smirk. If only he knew!

Three days later, Luc had taken Isabell's blood sample. He didn't even ask how she felt. Nice guy.  

"I must say," Isabell said slowly, "Ever since I started taking these pills, I feel a bit, well... bloated. My skin tingles, especially after I took my morning run."

"Hmmm..." Luc replied, drinking from his cup of herbal tea.

"Is that normal?" she inquired further, when no answer came.

"I don't know. Could be from that salve you smeared on your skin," Luc said, obviously blaming the other research she participated in.

"Oh... yes...". Isabell said. Little dick. Always the other people's fault.

"Ok, that is it," Luc said, putting the vials with her blood in a fridge. "Come back in three days for the next."

"You're welcome," Isabell thought, but was not insulted by his brisk manners. "Just you wait," she thought, grinning, as she left the lab.

The next day, Luc was about to go to the university when he heard the doorbell ring like mad. It was followed by some hard poundings on the (wooden) door. 

"What the f...?" he thought, going to answer it. Was there a fire or something? Angrily, he tore the door open. But what he saw standing outside made his anger disappear instantly, making room for astonishment.