CHAPTER 21 "E.Z."

Elizabeth is greeted by Donatti with a new lab coat that reads "E.Z" instead of "E. Zott," which makes her fellow chemists laugh.

Elizabeth is surprised that Donatti knows about her abiogenesis research and asks to see it all. Boryweitz, whom she had caught going through her files the last time he visited, was the only one who could know. Donatti calls Elizabeth "Luscious" and announces that she will be a lab tech instead of a chemist. Before leaving for a meeting, he gives her a brochure for a Hastings-funded dictation course.

Fuming, Elizabeth meets Frask in the bathroom, who is upset about having to report to a new hire, a young man, rather than being promoted herself. She tells Elizabeth that the investor is back and asks about “Mr. Zott's” abiogenesis research, accusing Elizabeth of posing as a man. Elizabeth angrily denies this and argues. Both women discover that their thesis advisors sexually assaulted them and are expelled from their doctoral programs (Elizabeth in chemistry, Frask in psychology).