Page 71 of Under Pressure

Where the fuck is this chick?

The sunset dragged low on the horizon, and it was the last vestige of warmth Kendra felt. Leaving Leo once again, a coldness had overtaken her chest, complementing the frosty little lump wedged in her throat. She felt like she’d left a piece of herself behind, and along with it a piece of her sanity.

Let’s just get this over with.

As she turned her car off, her neck and jaw tensed. Something sinful rushed over her—immediate guilt. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself to just get the information Sky was dangling then get home.

Her cell phone pinged as she approached the aging front doors of the building. It was Lily.

If you can wait, I’ll come with you.

Kendra responded as she strode into the unwelcoming, deserted building lobby.

There’s no time left for waiting. I need answers—now.

But the message didn’t send as her cell service dropped as soon as she was a few feet inside. A weird feeling crept over her, like she was being watched—and not just by the security cameras.

Nearly giving her a heart attack, Sky jumped out of the shadows, making a ‘silence’ motion with her finger to her lips. Pulling herself together, Kendra nodded, understanding as Sky motioned to the elevator, signaling the number ‘five’ with her fingers.

Okay…

Kendra watched as the sly brunette disappeared again and wondered if she was covering her. Or not? Determined to keep it snappy, Kendra hit the button to call the elevator, hearing clanking noises inside the shaft that didn’t instill confidence. As the door creaked open, revealing a mirrored cab inside, Kendra hesitated. But she didn’t have a choice. Sky planted her hands on her back, shoving her inside the elevator.

The door closed swiftly as Kendra tumbled in, grasping at the cab walls. What the hell? She looked around frantically, feeling the motion of being cranked up, floor by floor. In a split second, she realized she was getting into something that was not as it had been advertised. Claustrophobia kicked in, but not nearly as pronounced as the fear of what was going to happen next.

Stopping at the fifth floor, the doors shakily opened, revealing a high-security entrance that was much more modern and expensive-looking than anything else she’d seen in the building. Out of the elevator, she tepidly paced through wide-open security doors into the shadows beyond. No one was at the guard post—that she saw.

Down a long dim hallway on that top floor, everything was still. Silent. She slowly crept forward, listening for anything. Wasn’t Sky supposed to be there? She felt a chill but saw no windows. The hallway was barren, with nothing but vinyl flooring and occasional secure doors lining the walls.

Halfway along, she peered through an open door, spotting a lab inside. It looked a bit like her lab, except bigger and more expensive.

Then she saw him.

A youthful man with thick raven hair, possibly in his thirties, was bent over a microscope at the lab bench. Adjusting dials, he made notes on a pad, seemingly entrenched in his work.

“Come in,” he said, his gaze remaining downcast.

“Who…me?”

“Yes, of course. I thought you wanted to see this.” He scribbled away, seeming to record his observations.

She stepped through the doorframe but stopped short of the lab bench. It was long, white and bare—except for his station, which was peppered with samples and notes. There was something about him that made her not want to get too close, something that felt off.

“I told them you’d never come,” he mused as he looked through his microscope. “But you’ve gone and proved me wrong.”

Kendra inched back, realization dawning. The scientists. It’s a trap.

He continued, his gaze still averted. “Genetic editing… You did know it was possible, didn’t you?”

“I just didn’t think we were there yet,” she replied from several yards away, ready to bolt.

“CRISPR changed everything,” he sighed, reeling her in. “You should keep up with your journals. Any scientist worth her salt would make a point to keep up, at least in my time.”

In his time?

Curiosity overtook her sense. Kendra tilted her head, analyzing the seemingly youthful man in front of her. The speed at which he worked and the method he employed triggered her suspicion.

“How old are you?”

---