The Living Enigma {ON HIATUS}

TWO

As she rose her hand in greeting, a sly smirk tugged at the corners of her lips. 

"Nice to meet you, Antonio Rodriguez," she said, her tone laced with a hint of mischief.

 Antonio took her hand and gave it a firm shake. "Likewise, Grace," he replied, unable to keep a hint of suspicion from his voice. 

Grace raised an eyebrow, as if sensing his doubt. "Don't worry, Detective," she said, a note of confidence entering her voice. "I'm more than capable of handling this case. I've been studying these life-forms for years."

 Antonio studied her for a moment longer, taking in her sharp intelligence and obvious expertise. Slowly, he nodded. "Very well," he said. "Let's get started." 

Grace's demeanor became serious and professional, but a weary smile formed on her face as she pointed towards a tunnel-shaped pathway. "This way, Detective," she said. 

Antonio gave her a quick once-over before nodding in agreement. "Lead the way." 

Javier observed their exchange, unsure of what to make of it, but he followed them inside nonetheless. Another big room appeared, it surely caught Antonio's attention. 

"Looks like the government really did spoil you, guys." Antonio laughed to himself. 

Grace led them over to a table where there was a petri dish displaying small and unpredictable spots. "This is what we've caught," she announced before pulling out an expensive microscope from under the counter and placing it next to the dish. 

"Careful, Miss Chen," Javier cautioned. "That's expensive equipment."

 "I know, Javier," Grace replied.

 Antonio interrupted with a mocking tone, "You're a miss?" Grace didn't seem to be phased by his remark. "Is that surprising for you?" she retorted. 

Antonio shrugged. "I don't know, is it? I'd expect you to be married or something."

"Oh really? Please, I'm not that old." Grace scoffed.

"Remove the goggles,  and I'll beleive you." 

Grace rolled her eyes.

The tension between them was palpable, and Javier tried to diffuse the situation. 

"How about we start the investigation?" he suggested. 

"Sure, let's get started," Antonio agreed, still looking at Grace. 

Grace redirected their attention to the petri dish. "Look inside, Ace," she instructed. 

Antonio leaned forward and looked through the microscope, revealing strange, bubbly lifeforms that were merging and growing rapidly. "Wow," he exclaimed. 

Javier added, "They may not seem like much, but they're growing too quickly." 

"How big have they gotten?" Antonio asked, his tone serious. 

Grace flipped open her holo-device and which opened a door, identical creature, much bigger now, protected by another door made of glass, standing on a bench, emitting strange croaking sounds. 

Antonio swore in Spanish, "¡Mierda!" 

Grace laughed. 

 Javier, feeling sick, said in Spanish, "Cierra la puerta, POR FAVOR," which means "Close the door, PLEASE." Grace complied by tapping her device, and the door shut. "Well, I think we all know what that means," she said, looking at them knowingly. 

Antonio looked disgusted as he asked, "What does this have to do with me?"

Grace explained, "Someone has been intentionally releasing or creating these things, and they're not harmless. They've killed almost 6000 people."

Antonio was surprised and asked, "How did they kill them?"

"We don't know the details yet," Javier said, "but the witnesses' accounts are gory."

"That person is still out there," Grace said, "making more of these things." 

Antonio questioned, "Could these things just be some weird ants that haven't been discovered yet?"

"No," Grace replied confidently, "the first sightings of them were in a lab."