Becca

THE COMPUTER DATA stares at me and I stare back. It’s a pointless contest.

The computer wins.

Shaking my head, I roll my chair across the lab to my microscope, but no, nothing’s changed there either. “That can’t be right,” I mutter and rub my eyes. I’ve been peering through the microscope or at a screen all day, seven days a week since starting this job. Maybe I’m starting to hallucinate.

“Something wrong?”

I gasp and whirl, hand to my chest. “Dr. Johnson, you startled me.”

The man at the door inclines his white blond head but doesn’t apologize.

“Nothing’s wrong. Just talking to myself. I do that sometimes. Um.” I clear my throat. “I finished with the preliminary tests with the cells the Alpha team rushed over. There have been some rather spectacular results.”

My boss walks in like he owns the place, even though he hasn’t set foot in here since he first hired me. He isn’t dressed in a lab coat, but in a dark business suit. Even in shiny black shoes, he doesn’t make a noise when he moves, and sometimes I catch him watching me with an unblinking stare. Like an alligator or some predator on the hunt. My mother always told me I had a wild imagination. I clutch my desk chair, happy to have something between me and him.

“I have to ask—what was the source of these cells?”

“I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” His smile makes me stiffen.

If anything, the mirthless grimace only showcases his prominent canines.

“Ah yes, of course.” I give a half-hearted laugh, to show I know it was a joke.

“All in due time, Miss Becca. For now, Data-X is enforcing double blind tests on all new projects, to prevent research bias in the findings.”

“Of course. It’s just, the data… it’s extraordinary.” I move to my desk to show him. “Everything was normal until I placed them under a high spectrum—”

“One moment,” My boss interrupts and waves in someone from the hall. A lean, older man with a seamed face walks in. “Don Santiago, I’d like you to meet our new hire, the leading scientist on the Omega project. Miss Becca Smith.”

Actually, it’s Doctor Smith. I worked hard for that Ph.D. Someday I’m going to have the nerve to correct this creep with a crocodile smile.

The newcomer’s eyes crawl up and down my form. He’s either judging my rumpled appearance, or admiring my breasts under my lab coat. I decide it’s the former, to give him the benefit of a doubt.

“Nice to meet you.” I straighten, wishing I’d known my boss was coming with guests. I can’t remember the last time I went home to shower. Not that I’d have much time, but at least I could’ve put on a fresh lab coat and brushed my hair. I can’t remember the last time I did any of those things, either. Which isn’t keeping Don Creepy from eye-fucking me.

“The pleasure is mine,” the man purrs in heavily accented English. His gaze rests on the curve of my breasts under the lab coat as he says to Johnson, “Such a beautiful woman to keep locked up in this lab.”

Johnson chuckles and I grip the chair. Something about the grating sound puts my teeth on edge.

“Oh, we’ll let her out eventually.” To me he says, “Don Santiago is visiting all our operations. He’s a major donor to the program. I’d like him to hear your findings.”

“Of course.” I pause as several black clad men stride in and take places by the door and discreet places around the room. They all carry automatic weapons strapped to their chest.

“My apologies,” Santiago says in that warm, rich tone. “I bring my bodyguards wherever I go. Things are less secure in my home country.”

“Ah, right. No problem. Security around here is pretty tight, too.” I smile weakly. Truth is, security around here is ridiculous. Another reason I work such long hours in the lab—so I don’t have to go through the stupid strip search every time I take a break or leave for lunch. Some of the security guards enjoy searching me a little too much.

“A necessary precaution,” Johnson says. “Our research is on the cutting edge of DNA studies. Our competition would kill to get their hands on our findings.” I stiffen again at the word kill, but both Johnson and Santiago chuckle. Being surrounded by six burly guards with guns must put me on edge.

I clear my throat. “As I was saying, these are the cells extracted from the Alpha project—you’re familiar with it?”

Both Johnson and Santiago nod. They probably know more about it than I

do.

“So I’m running tests on these cells. And… they’re extraordinary. Resistant to disease, extremely long lasting and self-regenerating.” I pause for gasps of awe.

Nothing. The two men watch me. Santiago almost looks… bored.

Johnson gestures for me to continue.

“But they’re normal human cells… at least I thought they were.” I turn to the computer where I ran the latest test. “Today I placed them under a weak light spectrum. The cells… morphed. Into something else. Something… not human. I haven’t been able to discover much beyond that—”

“What sort of light spectrum initiated the changes?”

“Uh.” I hate when I’m interrupted, and Johnson does it a lot. But he’s the boss, and when he hired me, he gave me access to a state of the art facility to complete my post-doc studies. And when I publish my findings, all the creep factors here will be worth it. That’s what I keep telling myself, anyway. Just smile and comply. “It’s uh…” I search for layman’s terms. “Made mostly of red and orange. A weak light. Meant to simulate moonlight.”

Johnson and Santiago exchange glances.

“Anything else?” Santiago asks. I shake my head, even though I want to gush on about how amazing the breakthrough is.

“Good, good. Email me with any more findings.” Johnson holds out a hand to usher Santiago from the room, immediately dismissing me.

I bite my tongue. I’m a DNA scientist. I have degrees from two top schools. And now I have a boss who treats me like an idiot lab tech, or worse, eye candy. And I’ll take it, because if these Alpha cells hold the key to curing disease, then being a little uncomfortable is worth it.

I sigh and get back to work.