Page 22 of Crocodile Tears
The kiss is supposed to be purely functional, but the moment our lips meet, every rational thought in my head evaporates.Rebecca tastes like wine and chocolate.
Unfortunately, she’s also mid-sentence about enzyme catalysts when I interrupt her with unexpected physical contact.
“—the substrate binding affinity would need to be calibrated for—mmph!”
Her surprise triggers an immediate partial shift.Her teeth elongate and sharpen just as I’m deepening the kiss, and a sharp pain shoots through my lower lip as her transformed dental structure makes contact.
We break apart, both breathing hard for entirely different reasons.Rebecca’s eyes are wide with confusion and embarrassment while I’m pretty sure my lip is bleeding.
“Calvin, what the hell—” She reaches up to touch her mouth, where her canine teeth are still partially shifted into their crocodile form.“Oh, no, did I hurt you?”
“It’s fine.Just a scratch.”I pull out my handkerchief to dab at the cut while scanning the street for the SUV.“Rebecca, I’m sorry, but I need to explain something that’s going to sound completely paranoid, but it’s not crazy.”
“Crazier than your lecture on goose genetics?”
“Much.”
She crosses her arms again, waiting for an explanation.“This should be interesting.”
“A black SUV has been following us for the past four blocks.Professional surveillance, not random coincidence.”I gesture toward where the vehicle disappeared.“I pulled you against the wall to hide our faces from whoever’s watching us.”
Rebecca stares at me for a long moment.“Calvin, are you seriously suggesting we’re under surveillance?”
“I know how it sounds—”
“It sounds like you’re having some kind of paranoid episode triggered by your military background.”
The SUV chooses that exact moment to cruise past us again, moving slowly enough for the occupants to get a clear look at our faces.
Rebecca watches the SUV pass, her expression shifting from concern about my mental state to something approaching alarm.“That’s the third time I’ve seen that vehicle since we left the restaurant.”
“You noticed?”
“I’m a scientist, so I observe patterns.”She turns back to me with a mixture of vindication and worry.“Either we’re both having the same paranoid delusion, or someone is actually following us.”
“Option two.”
She runs a hand through her hair, disrupting the careful arrangement she’d maintained throughout dinner.“Why would anyone be following us?We’re on a first date.I study genetic sequences, and you do security consulting.”She gestures between us.“Neither of those activities typically involves surveillance.”
The question is reasonable, but the answer involves explaining that her research has probably attracted attention from organizations that shouldn’t know about it yet.“Your breakthrough research in regenerative medicine would be valuable to a lot of different people, and not all of them with purely humanitarian interests.”
“You think this is about my work?”
“I think someone with resources is interested enough in your activities to pay for professional surveillance.”I pause, considering how much detail to share.“Your genetic sequencing research could have applications beyond trauma medicine.”
She furrows her brow, processing this information with scientific precision.“What kind of applications?”
“Enhanced human performance.Accelerated healing for military personnel.”I watch her face carefully.“The kind of applications that certain organizations would pay significant money to develop or control.”
Her stride falters slightly as she processes this information.“Calvin, my research is focused on healing injured people, not creating super-soldiers.”
“I know that, but the same genetic markers that allow for accelerated healing could potentially be modified for other enhancements.”I gesture carefully, trying to explain without sounding like a conspiracy theorist.“Increased strength, enhanced endurance, and faster recovery from physical stress.Right?”
She shakes her head firmly.“That’s not how genetics works.You can’t just modify healing factors and expect them to translate to other physical capabilities.”
“I understand that science is more complex than that, but people with military budgets and limited ethical constraints don’t always accept scientific limitations.”I shrug apologetically.“They see ‘enhanced reptilian healing’ and think ‘enhanced human soldiers.’”
“This is insane.”She gestures emphatically.“I’m not developing super-soldier serums.”
