The Lethal Agent (The Extraction Files Book 2) (21 page)

INTERPLANETARY VESSEL

SEPTEMBER 11, 2232

Theo’s mind raced in the stillness.

In a few hours, they would arrive as the newest researchers to the premier scientific research facility in existence. Even at the peak of his career, he couldn’t have hoped to earn a position there. His focus had never been space-oriented. Only through CPI had he been given this opportunity.

A position in the LRF—in Robotics no less. He had spent far too long away from that passion. It would feel good to get his hands busy again, to create useful devices. Mable enjoyed the modifications to the cam. He could only imagine what he could accomplish in such a facility.

And they were married now, at least in file.

Mable didn’t want to be his wife. She didn’t want to share an apartment with him or anything else. She only wanted to work alongside him to eradicate the bugs.

But Theo couldn’t find it in himself to dislike it.

There was no denying it. He’d been wrong about her from the start. Now he knew her. Now he wanted her. He could only guess if Osip was right.

Dr. Arrenstein had said to be gentle with her. So Theo would. He would let her take her time, go slowly. If they spent the entire year in the LRF as friends, he could live with that. He just had to make sure to keep some semblance of relationship intact. As Scholars, it wouldn’t be that hard to pretend. In fact, they wouldn’t even have to touch each other.

More than once, his eyes moved to where she sat beside him, the lightness of her newly blonde hair, the curve of her shoulder in the blue body suit. How hadn’t he seen it before? Of course she was engineered. It was so obvious now that he knew the truth.

When she caught his gaze, Mable asked, “Can’t sleep?”

“No. You?”

“No. Who is this?” She lifted a finger to her ear.

Theo knew it in an instant. “Daisy Red.”

Mable coughed out a sad laugh. “I guess I missed a few albums in the underground.”

“You know them?”

“Yeah. They’re not my favorite or anything, but totally decent.”

Theo smiled. “Well, as a matter of fact, they
are
my favorite.”

“You could do worse.” She smacked him with her elbow and nestled into her seat. She closed her eyes and rested, but Theo could see she didn’t sleep. Something still bothered her.

The shuttle touched down on the lunar surface sometime around 0300. Theo nudged Mable, unsure if she was asleep, and the two walked bleary-eyed down the corridors and followed the signs for the LRF. Several passengers made their way to the exits for various surface colonies. A group of Craftsmen departed at the mining unit. By the time they reached the LRF, only a handful remained.

Theo adjusted the strap of his bag across his chest before he pressed his hand to the scanner. The circular doorway spun away to reveal a blonde woman in a sleek violet dress and matching heels.

“Good morning and welcome to the Lunar Research Facility. My name is Abigail Perch, Assistant Director. I’ll be escorting each of you to your quarters. Please follow me.”

Theo recognized the name, one of the two recon team-members on the moon. She’d been awfully easy to find, he thought.

The tablet in her hand directed her along the long corridor to the Personal Quarters sector of the facility. The other three members of the group were assigned tiny units in the Singles wing—men at one end and women at the other. She gave each of them a short speech about where to get food in the morning and in which direction to find their departments. With nothing resembling warmth, she dropped them off and moved on to the next.

When only Theo and Mable remained, Abigail led them to the Couples wing and showed them their new home, PQ-415. It was impossibly small, half the size of his room at CPI. A bed folded out from the wall with a small table on each side. On the opposite wall, a modest closet sat between a pair of tiny desks. On the right of the entrance, a bathroom large enough to barely hold one of them.

Theo couldn’t help but gape. How were they going to survive a year in such cramped quarters?

To his surprise, Abigail entered the apartment with them and closed the door.

As soon as the door settled into its track, her frost shattered as if struck with a hammer. In a heartbeat, she transformed. “I’m sorry about the rough entrance. I don’t usually do the tour. Scholars don’t care about pretense.” She shrugged and added, “Welcome to the moon.”

“Thanks,” Theo began. “I’m Dr. Theo Kaufman, this is my wife Dr. Maggie Kaufman.” The sound of her new name felt strange on his tongue.

“Good. You sounded like you meant it. Make sure you don’t slip.” Abigail strode past Theo and headed straight for Mable.

“You’re Alex’s sister, aren’t you?” she asked pointedly.

“Yeah, I am. You knew him?” Mable didn’t seem all that surprised.

“Yeah, before—” Abigail stopped, unable to say the words. “You look just like him.”

“Thanks.” Mable smiled, though she was too tired to really mean it. Theo could see her merely trying to be nice to their only friend here in the LRF.

“I’ll let you get some sleep. Departments set their own work schedules. Theo, you’ll need to be at Robotics by 0830. Planetary Systems is a little more open. I’d plan to be there around 0800.” She turned to leave but stopped and said to Theo, “You should go with her the first day.”

“Why?”

Abigail smiled. “You’ll see.”

LRF-PS-101

SEPTEMBER 12, 2232

“Good morning, Dr. Perkins.” A container of flatbread and grapes appeared on her desk beside her tablet.

“Good morning, Dr. Hill.” She popped off the lid and dove into her breakfast. At least, for the time being, it saved her from talking to Calvin, from making any kind of decision.

“Ready for your new researcher today?”

No, she’d completely forgotten.

“What’s her name?” Aida searched through her ecomms for the file.

“Dr. Maggie Kaufman, I believe.” Calvin reached into the container and selected a red grape before popping it into his mouth.

Aida just about spat out her food. “What?”

“That’s what the file said. She’s waiting outside.” Aida lunged out of her chair, all but tossing the container onto her desk. How had she not heard about this?

Oh, that’s right. She was too busy cheating on her husband and saving the human race.

Aida should have noticed. She should have been on top of this. She raced to the department doors and saw the entry notification.

When the door spun open, a young Scholar woman stood beside her younger brother. He stood tall, taller than even their parents could have hoped. His mocha skin was the same as hers. His grey eyes were a dead match.

It could be no one else.

Tears welled up in an instant. “Theo?” she managed in disbelief.

“Aida?” he asked, mirroring her confusion. Clearly, he hadn’t known either.

Without meaning to, Aida rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him. She hadn’t seen him in seven years—since before her time at the Scholar Academy. He had been little then, still a boy. Now, a man stood before her, so vastly different yet entirely the same. He felt huge under her arms.

“You know her?” the woman asked. His wife. Aida’s sister-in-law.

“Come on, let’s move this into my office,” Calvin said behind her, the cool voice of reason. If anyone happened to notice them in the corridor, questions would surely be raised.

Aida released her brother and dabbed at her wet cheeks on her way into Calvin’s office. It was cramped with the four of them, but they made do. Theo stood behind the chair where his wife sat. Calvin offered Aida the chair behind his desk.

“What are you doing here?” Aida asked the obvious question once the door closed.

Rather than Theo, his wife answered. “I’m your new junior researcher,” Maggie explained. “Ms. Perch said Theo should walk me to work this morning. I guess now we know why.” She spoke like this was all a game, as if none of it was serious to her.

Aida looked to Theo to explain it himself. “I’m filling the junior position in the Robotics department.”

“He’s Dr. Fobbs’s replacement,” Calvin offered.

“But, you’re not old enough, you’re—” Aida did the math in her head. “You’re seventeen. You should have only arrived at the Academy. How could—”

Theo grappled for an answer.

Calvin filled the silence. “Both Theo and Maggie are in an advanced program for Scholars. They’ve completed some pretty unique training and were hand-selected for positions in the LRF. We’re lucky to have them both.”

Aida looked back and forth between them. Why was Calvin so quick to defend them? How did he know so much about them when she’d barely heard a thing? Had she been that distracted?

Then Calvin held out his hand to the young woman. “Please excuse my manners, I’m Dr. Calvin Hill, planetary systems researcher under Dr. Perkins. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Maggie. You know, you remind me of someone.”

She shook his hand and replied, “Ms. Perch said I look like my brother Alex.”

Calvin froze mid-shake. The blood drained from his face. “Well, then you’re very lucky.” He caught himself in a heartbeat and extended a hand to Theo. “Dr. Calvin Hill, a pleasure to meet you, Theo.”

Aida understood none of it. How could her brother be here? Aida crossed her arms as she tried to process so much information in a short time.

Theo crossed behind his wife and crouched beside Aida. Grey eyes that matched her own looked up at her as he said, “I have to report to Robotics in a few minutes, but I’d like to see you later. Will you have some time?” He looked so much older than she remembered. Aida only nodded. She would have to get to know her brother all over again.

“Why don’t we all have dinner? We could use some time to get acquainted. How about my apartment, PQ-387 at 1800?” Calvin offered with a smile to the young couple.

“Thanks, that would be great,” Theo answered as he stood. Then to his wife, he added, “See you there?” His gaze lingered on her too long.

“Yeah, 1800. See you there,” she replied.

Again, Theo hesitated, his eyes watching her carefully, as if he was afraid to leave her alone here. Then he took a sharp breath and walked out the door.

“We’re excited to have you here, Dr. Kaufman. We’ve been short-handed for far too long. If it’s all right with you, we’ll get some offices rearranged, and then we can update you on the current progress of 196.” Calvin turned to Aida and rubbed her arms with his palms. “Would you like to move your things into PS-100?”

Dr. Parr’s office? “No. I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

“I think you’re the most qualified candidate. That office is the largest, designed for the lead of the department. You’re the Lead. I’ll move your things if you like.”

“No, I don’t want that office. I’m not moving.” That was that. She was finished discussing it.

“Would you feel negatively if our new junior researcher occupied that office instead?” Calvin looked up at her with kind eyes, the light catching the green.

No. That would be worse. This young woman—this pretty young Scholar who Aida had never seen but knew Calvin and Theo so well—she wouldn’t have Dr. Parr’s office. It made her shiver to think of it.

Aida stood and said, “I’ll move my things. She can have my office. Get her up to speed.”