Page 30 of A Ballad of Blackbirds and Betrayal

“There could be,” Eden countered.“I’ve known him for eight years.He doesn’t look at anyone the way he looks at you.”

Heat crept up Sabrina’s neck.“I think you’re misinterpreting professional respect.”

“I’ve killed more people than I care to count with methods ranging from a sniper rifle at two thousand meters to my bare hands,” Eden said conversationally.“I’m trained to noticed things.”She lifted her coffee cup with her left hand, and Sabrina noticed the calluses on her palm—permanent marks from weapons training and combat.“There’s nothing professional about the tension between you two.”

Before Sabrina could formulate a response to this startlingly frank assessment, Cal’s voice came through the lab’s intercom system.

“Ladies, sorry to interrupt, but I’ve completed the deep analysis of the bioweapon structure.Sending it to your workstation now, Doc.It’s…not great news.”

The screen on Sabrina’s station lit up with molecular diagrams and chemical formulations.As she scanned the data, her stomach tightened with dread.

“This can’t be right,” she murmured, enlarging one section of the molecule.Her fingers flew over the keyboard, hair falling loose from her ponytail as she leaned forward to study the complex structure.“The binding mechanism is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s what I was afraid you’d say,” Cal replied.The slight tenseness in his voice suggested he’d become more than agitated while working through the data.

Sabrina’s mind raced, medical training kicking into high gear.“It’s a synthetic hybrid.The base structure resembles VX nerve agent, but the delivery method is biological, not chemical.It’s designed to attach to specific cellular receptors in the respiratory system and then migrate to the central nervous system.”

“In English for those of us who didn’t go to medical school?”Eden prompted, setting down her coffee cup and leaning forward with intense focus.

“It’s the worst of both worlds,” Sabrina explained grimly, pushing back the stray hairs that had escaped her ponytail.“Spreads like a virus, kills like a chemical weapon, and targets with the exactness of a sniper bullet.And based on these test results…” She swallowed hard, forcing herself to maintain clinical detachment.“It’s lethal within hours of exposure.”

“Can you develop a countermeasure?”Cal asked, the usual lightness gone from his voice.

Sabrina studied the formulation, already calculating molecular adjustments that might interfere with the binding mechanism.

“I think so,” she said slowly.“But I’d need samples of the actual agent to test it.Theoretical models will only get us so far with something this advanced.”

“Nate and I will get you those samples tonight,” Eden promised, rising to her feet with the fluid grace that belied her injuries.“In the meantime, do what you can with what you have.”

Left alone in the lab, Sabrina lost herself in the work, time becoming meaningless as she mapped molecular structures and calculated potential counteragents.The familiar rhythm of scientific inquiry calmed her, giving her mind purpose beyond the chaos of the day’s events.

She didn’t hear the door open hours later, didn’t register another presence until a coffee mug appeared beside her hand.

“You need to rest,” Atticus said quietly.

Sabrina startled, glancing up to find him watching her from across the workbench.The lab’s overhead lights had dimmed automatically with the evening hours, casting his face in shadow and highlighting the concerned set of his mouth.

“I need to finish this analysis first,” she replied, reaching for the coffee with gratitude.“But thank you for this.”

“You’ve been at it for six hours straight,” he pointed out.“Even the best minds need downtime.”

“Says the man who probably hasn’t slept more than four hours a night in eight years,” she countered, taking a sip of the perfectly prepared coffee—splash of cream, no sugar, exactly how she preferred it.

A ghost of a smile touched his lips.“My habits aren’t in question here.”

“No, just my stamina,” she said, returning her attention to the molecular model rotating on her screen.“I’m close to something.I can feel it.”

Instead of leaving as she expected, Atticus circled the workbench to stand behind her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body.

“Show me,” he said simply.

Sabrina indicated the complex structure on the screen.“The bioweapon uses a multistage delivery system.First, it attaches to these receptors in the pulmonary system—that’s what makes it so effective as an aerosol agent.From there, it migrates to the central nervous system through the bloodstream.”

“Similar progression to what we witnessed with Cho, though her symptoms were caused by the acid,” Atticus noted.“Rapid onset, starting with tissue damage.”

“Exactly.But what’s unique about this weapon is the binding mechanism.”She rotated the model to highlight a specific molecular structure.“See this?It’s synthetically engineered to target specific protein markers.In theory, if we can develop an agent that blocks these binding sites?—”

“—you could neutralize the weapon before it takes effect,” he finished.

---