by Jamie Grey
“Guess not then. Well, I’m sure he’ll tell you. Eventually.” I crossed my arms, watching the lights on the panel as we descended toward Asher’s office.
Zella huffed, and I resisted glaring at her again. I still had no idea what her problem was. It just didn’t make sense. What had I done to piss her off so badly?
I fled the elevator, not bothering to wait for her, and pressed my thumb to the scanner, barely waiting for the beep to shove open the door.
Max and Amy were already waiting for us, and Max tilted his head to study me. “Everything all right?”
Zella threw herself into a chair, still glaring. I ignored her and gave Max my friendliest smile. “Just fine.”
“Hey, Lexie. Zella.” Amy had her feet up on Asher’s desk and was playing with a strand of her hair. “Did you see Asher anywhere? He’s late as usual.”
I shook my head. “What — did you forget your tracking device on him?”
Her eyes widened, and I chewed on my lip. Zella had gotten to me more than I’d thought.
Zella turned to Amy, cutting me out of the conversation. “Did you guys hang out this weekend?”
Amy leaned in, whispering loud enough that my dad probably heard it in his lab. “I spent the night.”
Zella’s eyes bulged. “What?”
“I went back to his place Friday night. We were working on some of those simulation issues we’d come across. It got late. I crashed there. It was all very innocent.” But the way Amy raised her eyebrows left no doubt in anyone’s mind about what had really gone on.
I was glad I’d pinned a smile to my face because it would have slid to the floor right then. Our almost-kiss hadn’t meant anything if he’d been busy hooking up with her the night before.
“Are you guys back together?” Zella asked.
“Not officially. But it’s only a matter of time.”
I envied the absolute belief in her voice, even as it crushed the tiny flicker of hope I’d let myself feel. It was better this way. I didn’t need a boy distracting me while I tried to find my place at QT.
“What’s a matter of time?” Asher asked as the lab doors slid open. He dumped his bag on the desk and dropped into his chair. It was like he was a magnet, our attention immediately drawn to him.
Amy and Zella exchanged sly glances, and Amy said, “Only a matter of time until you showed up. We were going to send out a search party.”
“Good thing I’m here then. We have a lot to talk about, don’t we, Lexie?”
Amy’s head snapped in my direction, but I ignored her. “Yeah, Asher and I spent most of the weekend together. Working.” I resisted adding an eyebrow wiggle, though part of me wanted to see what Amy would do.
She frowned. “So you were here, Ash? Is that why we couldn’t hang out?”
He nodded and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms behind his head. “We had some unexpected issues come up with the validation project.”
Zella went still, her hand paused above the tablet she’d been typing on. “What’s wrong? We delivered the simulation last week. We should be right on target.”
Asher lowered his arms and sat up. “Lexie and I ran into a bit of an issue. She realized there might be a problem with Avery’s formula, and when we ran the numbers, we discovered she was right. Your simulation worked perfectly. If Avery’s experiment is created with his calculations, the whole thing will implode, destroying QT and killing thousands of people.”
Zella let out a soft gasp, her gaze flying to mine. I wanted to snap at her that, yes, finally there was proof I belonged at QT, but Asher cut us both off before we could say anything. “It gets worse. We ran the numbers through the Project Infinity machine, but we didn’t get the same results. And before we could figure out what was going on, someone wiped our experiment.” He paused, frrowned at us. “The simulation you guys built is gone.”
“No!” Max shot to his feet. “It took more than two weeks to finish. What the hell were you doing?”
Asher held up his hands. “It wasn’t our fault. The network had been programmed to search and destroy. What we don’t know is who programmed it or why.” Asher rested his chin in his hands. “The question now becomes what do we do about it?”
“We tell Danvers of course,” Amy said. “If there’s something weird going on, she needs to know.”
Asher shook his head. “That’s not an option right now.”
She stared at him. “Why not?”
“I want to take care of this without involving anyone at the top until we know more about what’s going on. Anyone else have a suggestion?”
Max leaned against the table where Asher and I’d almost kissed, and I pressed my fingers to my cheeks to hide my blush.
“Does this mean we can’t rebuild the simulation using any QT computers or any computers connected to the network?” Max asked
Asher nodded. “They’re obviously scanning for these parameters. If we try this again, we’ll need two simulations. One based on your original. The other created from the simulation we found on the project computers.” He frowned at Max. “My question is why we didn’t use that simulation as our base in the first place.”
The tips of Max’s ears turned pink, as if he’d been caught doing something bad. “I figured we’d get more recognition if we could show we built the simulation from scratch rather than reusing the work of the project team.”
“Thank god you did because otherwise we would never have found the problem. Unfortunately, I’m afraid Lexie’s discovery puts us all at risk. Someone’s going to great lengths to keep those numbers secret.”
“How do you figure?” Amy asked, shaking her head. “It just seems like a mistake to me.”
“Then why would both of the project simulations give us the same results using different numbers? No, someone’s rigged it so everything looks like it’s working correctly.” He paused and leaned forward. “Someone is trying to sabotage this project.”
Amy frowned. “But why? It just doesn’t make sense. Everyone at QT wants this project to be successful.”
“If we knew that, we’d have a better shot at stopping them. In the meantime, we have a decision to make. Do we keep researching this on our own until we have the proof? Or do we tell someone at the top and risk them shutting us out?”
Zella, Max, and Amy all started arguing with each other and with Asher. Max gestured wildly, while Amy gave up playing with her hair and instead pounded on the desk. Asher watched them all with a smile tugging at his lips, and his gaze met mine briefly before sliding away.
“You’ve been pretty quiet over there, Lexicon.” He’d pitched his words low enough for only me to hear them, but everyone else froze and turned to look at me.
“I think we should talk to my dad. He’s leading up one of the project teams. He could help.”
Asher raised an eyebrow. “He could also be the saboteur.”
I knew he was thinking of what we’d found in Branston’s files, and a surge of annoyance flooded through me. “No way. It isn’t possible. He loves this job and QT more than anything.” More than me, I wanted to add, but that would have sounded pathetic so I kept my mouth shut.
“I say we can’t trust anyone on the project team until we know more about what we’re facing.” Asher turned to the other three. “How about you guys?”
Amy shook her head. “Danvers needs to know.”
Across the table, Max frowned. “No, I’m with Asher. This needs to stay between us for now. A false accusation could jeopardize everything.”
We all looked at Zella. She sighed and finally nodded. “I agree. Let’s wait until we know more. We can’t risk being wrong on something as big as this.”
“That’s three against two — majority wins in my book. Are you two going to help us or not?” Asher’s gaze was challenging, as if he knew I was the only real hold out. Amy would never risk being excluded from something this big.
I shrugged. “I’ll go along with it for now, but if we find
anything else, I’m talking to my dad.”
Asher straightened and pulled something up on the computer in front of him. “Good. Then we’re all on board. So, next steps?”
Max tugged his tablet out of his backpack and started typing. “I’ll work on rebuilding the simulation on my home computer. It’s not on the QT network, so it can’t get wiped there. I think I might have some of the schematics left from the first version. Amy and Zella can help me.”
“Good. Lexie, I need you to recreate your new version of the calculations somewhere off-network as well. I have a copy of the Project Infinity simulation program, so I’m going to pull it apart and figure out where the glitch is that’s making it run successfully with these numbers. There’s got to be some hidden code in there somewhere.” He paused. “Okay, so the first dry run is scheduled for just after Halloween. That means we have two weeks to pull something together. Think we can make it?”
Everyone nodded, but Asher was only looking at me. He raised an eyebrow, and I knew he was making sure I’d play along. “Lexie?”
“I don’t go back on my word. We’ll make it.”
“Then let’s get to work.”
I was so focused on my calculations that week that I didn’t notice the gossip until Thursday. Dad had asked me to meet him in his lab after school, and at five o’clock, I packed up my stuff and headed to Division Six. Luckily, I wasn’t in a hurry. The traffic jam of scientists all trying to leave the building had turned the hallway into a parking lot. I crept along behind two senior researchers, their heads bent close together as they gossiped loudly.
“Did you hear Dr. Avery’s been missing since Tuesday?” The woman reminded me of my math teacher back at Columbus High, with her short hair streaked blonde and the glasses perched on the tip of her nose.
Her partner shook her head. “No, but that’s not unusual, is it? He’s done this before. Especially when a pretty woman is involved.”
The first researcher’s lips thinned. “But never in the middle of an important project.”
The two of them spotted me walking behind them and immediately clammed up. “Not in front of the student,” one of them whispered, and they sped off down another wing.
I rolled my eyes. Avery’s creepiness wasn’t news to anyone around QT. I’d taken to wearing turtlenecks on the days I knew I was going to meet with him.
But the conversation came back in a rush when Dad and I arrived the next morning. The place hummed with news as scientists whispered and gossiped in small groups and people sprinted back and forth like they were on serious missions, their faces pale and shaken.
“What’s going on, Sam?” Dad asked as the guard scanned our thumbs.
The man shook his head. “Bad news. They found Dr. Avery early this morning. In Division Three.”
Dad looked confused. “What was he doing there?”
“No idea. He was in one of the cryo freezers. The door had been locked from the outside,” Sam said in a hushed voice.
“He’s dead?” The words were barely a whisper from Dad’s mouth, and he steadied himself against the desk. I’d never seen him so pale.
The guard nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
“Oh my god.” Dad’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Come on, Lexie. I need to find Carla and see what I can do.”
Evidently, he wasn’t the only one who’d had the same thought. When we got to Dr. Danvers’ office, Dr. Rosen, Asher, and three other senior scientists were already waiting in the hall.
“What’s the news?” Dad asked, slipping into professional scientist mode like he slipped on his lab coat. “Do we know what happened?”
Dr. Rosen shook his head, glancing at Dr. Danvers’ closed office door. “They found Avery’s body this morning when staff arrived. Carla is meeting with security right now.”
“What was he doing in Division Three? He doesn’t have projects down there.”
“I wish we knew. They’re hinting it wasn’t an accident,” Rosen said.
I glanced over at Asher leaning against the wall. Despite his lounging pose, his hands were shoved into the pockets of his khakis, and he shifted from foot to foot. I wasn’t sure why they were letting us stay here. If it were me, I would have sent everyone away until I figured out what was going on, but obviously, Dr. Danvers had her reasons.
Dad furrowed his eyebrows. “But who could have wanted him dead? It just doesn’t make sense.”
“Did we know the same person?” Dr. Rosen asked. “Avery didn’t exactly make himself popular around here. Especially after the last few weeks.”
“But to kill him? It had to have been a terrible accident.” Dad’s voice quavered, and I patted his arm.
Dr. Danvers’ office door swung open, and the head of security glared at us, his eyes bloodshot and tired. “I need Kepler and Rosen inside. The rest of you get back to work. We’ll send out a statement when we know more.”
The other scientists muttered but wandered away. Asher and I exchanged glances across the hall, and we both moved toward the door at the same time. We were Kepler and Rosen, too.
Sam’s arm shot out, barring us from entering. “I don’t think so, kids. Get back to class.” He practically slammed the door in our faces.
“That was rude,” I said.
Asher’s smile was a dare as he turned away. “I say we go do some digging on our own. It’s not like anyone’s going to get work done today.”
I chewed my lip. His flirting was wearing me down more and more, but if I didn’t stay professional, we’d never get real answers. Besides, Asher knew this place better than anyone. I nodded once. “Lead the way.”
Division Three was almost deserted when the elevator deposited us a few minutes later. It might have had something to do with the security guards stationed beside the cryo lab door.
“What do you think you’re doing down here?” one of the men asked.
Asher put on his most innocent expression. “We’re here to work on our assignment. We both have clearance to be here.” He flipped open his badge, and the two men exchanged uncertain glances. “Our lab isn’t anywhere near the crime scene. We just need to get our work done today, or we’ll be late with this project.”
Finally, one said, “Very well. But you’re to stay in that area of Division Three. The cryo labs are restricted until the investigation is complete.”
“Of course. Thank you.” Asher grabbed my arm and led me away from the guards.
I shook my head at him. The guy would put Brad Pitt to shame with his acting skills. Unfortunately, I’d also started to wonder where fake Asher ended and real Asher began.
We made our way to the end of the hall and slipped into one of the darkened labs. Asher booted up a computer and started typing. “Now, we just need to sneak around back and get into the labs. I should be able to download the schematics from here.”
“Do you think we’ll be able to get in? Won’t there be security everywhere? It’s a crime scene after all.”
He shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out.”
I wandered around the lab while he played on the computer. It looked like they were doing some sort of medical research down here. X-ray images of rib cages and internal organs were tacked up on the walls. There were thin-slice photos of different layers of skin and nerve bundles and even a cross-section of a brain taken with some sort of machine that made it look like it was still alive. It made me feel queasy. I moved back to Asher’s side to peer over his shoulder.
“Almost there,” he said, downloading a map of the division into his tablet. “Okay, let’s go.”
We slipped out the back of the lab into another long, dark corridor. The overhead lights flickered on at our movement, and I blinked. “Where exactly are we going?”
“The cryo labs have a back entrance. Should be easy to sneak in and see what’s going on.”
“We should have called Max, Zella, and Amy. They’re probably wondering where we are. We were supposed to meet them in your office fifteen mi
nutes ago.”
Asher shrugged. “They’ll wait. Besides, with all the excitement, they’re probably too distracted to even remember us.”
“Somehow I don’t think Amy will ever have that problem.” My voice was drier than I intended, and Asher frowned at me.
“Amy can be intense, but she’s got a good heart. And she’s an important part of this team.”
“I’m sure she is.” I tried not to roll my eyes.
We slowed as we approached a heavy, metal door. “Here’s the lab.”
“How convenient,” I muttered.
Asher pressed his thumb to the print scanner, and it beeped. The door slid open, and we stepped into a huge room lined with what looked like commercial freezers — shiny, stainless steel front panels with beeping, blue digital numbers on each door that recorded the temperature inside.
I shivered from more than the cold and ran my hands over my arms. “Why would Dr. Avery be down here?”
“I don’t know why everyone keeps asking that. He could have died somewhere else, and the killer brought him down here.”
I stared at him. “Which would mean the killer was someone here at QT with access to these labs.”
He rolled his eyes. “Well, yeah, Lexicon. Who else would kill him?”
My face flushed. “I don’t know — an irate husband? According to the gossip, it wasn’t like he kept his hands off the married ones. Or maybe someone didn’t appreciate his advances and fought back. Maybe it was just an accident.”
“Or maybe it has something to do with him trying to sabotage the project.” He shrugged. “We’re not going to find out standing here.” He led me past the tall freezers, through a storage area, and into a morgue-like space with white tile floors and a drain in the floor.
“This is where they prep the bodies for freezing. QT has a warehouse in Division Twelve where they’ve stored thousands of human and animal samples. Just in case.”
“In case of what?” I shivered again. It smelled of chemicals and air conditioning, and the whole place gave me the creeps. I moved closer to Asher.
“In case of a world catastrophe. It’s like a frozen Noah’s Ark down there.”
