Dangerous by Default

40. Ami's text

Beads of sweat piled up, fogging her lenses for the third time. Ami had never felt so stumped. But she had to have faith. Mina had faith. Even when her back was to the edge. Damn, she went over the edge but kept right on believing. One week. Maybe two at the most. The womb would be ready for testing. Then she'd be... well, she'd be taking a long hiatus from all this. Ami raised her forehead away from the microscope to wipe the condensation from her glasses again. Why is this goo being so damn difficult?

Pondering her next move, her mind wandered to the argument with Janus that afternoon.

"Why are you so quick to make such harsh judgements?" Ami had been so hurt. Janus shouldn't have let it slip, but there it was. Her best friend's husband was a serial killer, or something. She had serious doubts, Caine had always been a bit bizarre. Janus smelled blood in the water. It would be a first., but what if she was wrong? Ami's hand began to shake just thinking about it. She hadn't fully recovered from the sight of a gunman at the museum, and it was even more unsettling to imagine someone so close having any involvement in the matter.

"They're the tightest couple we know, how could she not be in on it?" Janus had a wild look in her eyes. She had obviously skipped sleep again. All Ami could think about now was how emotional she had been.

"You must be mistaken," she said through a stream of tears, "They are genuine people. Flawed, yes. But they have always had the best intentions. I think you're being ridiculous!"

She was embarrassed, she must have looked so silly. Like a child. But Janus was being so irrational. This was her best friend they were talking about. Mina was always wanting to make the world better. There had to be a better explanation.

No. Now's not the time to think about that. Focus.

She remembered something Mina used to say.

Science says we weren't meant to have babies, then we make science our bitch! She and Mina had plastered this on bumper stickers. Someday she'd put it on her car, right next to baby on board. Ami glanced back at her screen. Something caught her eye. A flicker of an idea. She entered the commands to print the molecule.

She stood up to take a short break. Blood rushed back to her neglected legs. She heard a thwomp-pump come from down the hall. Was it M? She surveyed the space with her ears, listening into the darkness for the click of a heel or a recognizable greeting.

Nothing.

Her hands still shook. She was in a secure room. Short of a medium-sized bomb, she was safe.

Am I hearing things?

Nothing. She smirked. Security doesn't mean jack if you still feel afraid. The elegant jerks of the biotissue printer halted.

Ami inspected the sample. This was... it?

She couldn't believe it. Had she been paying attention to anything but the data visualization that had her transfixed on her computer monitor, she would have heard the security door beep twice to indicate that someone on the other side was entering a wrong password. Instead, she was noticing that for the first time, the image wasn't cloudy as it had been fifty million times before. It was clear. She could see everything.

She ripped her phone from her pocket but there was no service. Damn Farraday cage, blocking all transmissions! She needed to leave the lab to text Mina.

She raced downstairs and through the blast door, her eyes on her phone, tapping the magical and unambiguous word of monumental discovery.

Eureka! As she tapped send, she heard a sound that was equally unambiguous, a sound that caused her muscles to tense with primal fear. She shot her head up and squinted her eyes. In the darkness, a shock of crimson escaped into a shadow.