Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 110809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
“The plasma too?” I ask.
“We still have that, but it’s pretty much barren.”
“If we don’t have the blood, we work with what we do have, all right? Wyatt, send me the imaging you did of the cells. I’ll start there with my research. This can’t be the only instance of this blood to ever exist in scientific record.”
“I’ll work on the plasma,” Evie offers.
“I can take the electrolytes if you do the proteins?” Gretchen wheels back to her desk.
“Deal.” Evie snaps on some gloves.
“I’ll sit here and despair,” Aang chirps.
“No, you’ll comb through what’s left of the sample with me to see if we can find anything at all to work with.” Wyatt walks past Aang and claps him on the shoulder. “There’s my favorite guy.”
“I hate forced positivity,” Aang grumbles but gets up and follows Wyatt.
I get to work on my research, but my thoughts keep straying to the note in my pocket. I’d looked at it this morning while I pretended to put on makeup—it was lucky I even had a compact and a brush to accomplish this ruse, given my lack of experience with cosmetics. But the note was coded, only a set of eight letters and numbers along with four more markings I didn’t recognize. I know just as little now as I did before I bothered to read it. What’s worse, I’m no code breaker. I wouldn’t even know where to start with trying to figure out what the hell it says.
We work through the morning, and by the time noon rolls around, Gene pokes his head through the lab doors and says lunch is waiting out in the open area beyond the ballroom.
The gargoyles are still standing watch as we filter out and around the corner to a folding table where Gene’s laid out a steaming platter of chicken breasts smothered in some sort of sauce, a bowl of salad with a half-full bottle of Greek dressing, and a basket of rolls.
“Nice!” Wyatt’s already reaching for a plate.
“And—” Gene pulls open the lid to a red cooler beside the table. “I found some Cokes.”
“Holy shit.” Aang reaches in and grabs a ‘Dr. Thunder’. “I haven’t had one of these in years.”
“Move.” Gretchen digs around and pulls out another one. “It’s like Christmas,” she whispers reverently.
“An embarrassment of riches.” Wyatt grins.
“Doctor?” Gene motions to the cooler.
“When in Rome.” I reach in and grab one. They’re still cold and slushy. “Thanks.”
“Of course.” Gene smiles. “Now eat up while it’s hot.”
We do just that, making our plates and carrying them to the atrium to eat at one of the round tables. I glance at the front doors and spot Gage—or Captain Howard, I suppose—outside. How can I give him the note without the other guard seeing?
“Already got your sights set on a man in uniform?” Evie asks, the question teasing.
“No, just looks like a nice day out there. Sunny.”
“It’s supposed to be warmer today,” Wyatt offers. “Maybe we could go for a walk after lunch. We’re allowed out as long as we stay in the green zone.”
“Sun exposure? To this flawless skin?” Aang shakes his head. “Count me out.”
“I’ll go.” Gretchen stares out the high windows. “I need some fresh air.”
“Same.” Evie cuts her chicken breast into neat strips.
“Oh, so everyone but me is going?” Aang drinks his soda with relish. “I guess I’ll go too. But I need to get my hat.” He stands and heads toward the elevators.
“Diva,” Evie says under her breath.
“You know it,” Aang calls back and puts more hips into his walk.
Once he’s gone, Evie says, “I know he seems like a pill, but once he warms up to you, you’ll love him.”
I shove a forkful of lettuce into my mouth and say “mmhmm” with as much enthusiasm as I can manage.
“Just wait. You’ll see.”
“Evie is our optimist.” Gretchen finishes her drink, getting every last drop from the can. “Wyatt is our pragmatist. Aang is our—”
“Pessimist. Yep. I caught that.” I smirk.
“Takes all kinds, right?” Gretchen wipes her mouth.
By the time Aang returns, we’re all milling by the front doors.
“Ready.” He walks past us and swings the door open, the crisp air like a cool caress as I follow.
“To what do we owe the pleasure?” Gage smiles at us, his eyes lingering on me for a moment too long.
“Exercise.” Gretchen rolls down the sidewalk, her pink hair almost electric-looking in the sun.
“Yep.” Wyatt waves two fingers and follows, and Aang and Evie walk side-by-side behind him.
“You too?” Gage asks.
“Me too.”
“I didn’t take you as a joiner.” His eyes are shaded by the brim of his cap, the green of his uniform highlighting the deep auburn of his hair.
His counterpart stares off after the others, boredom written all over his features as he stifles a yawn.
“I can be peer pressured into tons of stuff.” I shrug.