Dr. David turned stiffly and stared at his assistant, his eyes unfocused. It took real effort for his low, raspy voice to come out. “The antidote’s ready.”
“It’s ready?” The researchers nearby all perked up, straining to make sure they’d heard him right.
“That’s right, it worked!” Dr. David snapped out of his daze, grabbed his assistant by the shoulders, and gave him a good shake. He started laughing, the relief flooding out of him. “We did it. My life, my lab, all my equipment... it’s all safe.”
If things had gone wrong, Charlotte would have shown up today and torn him apart.
“My phone, where’s my phone?” Dr. David’s whole face lit up. He was practically buzzing. “I need to tell Charlotte the good news right now.”
The antidote was finished. They could finally start clinical trials. If nothing went wrong, Charlotte could have the antidote at the start of the month.
Dr. David grabbed his phone, found Charlotte’s number, and was just about to call when someone interrupted him.
“Hold on.”
Newell’s voice came from the doorway.
“Newell...” Dr. David stopped, frowning when he saw him.
Newell walked over, his voice low. “Everyone else, please step out. Don’t tell Charlotte about the antidote yet.”
The other researchers looked around, confused, unsure of what was happening. All eyes went to Dr. David.
“Do what Newell says.”
One by one, the researchers left, and the room finally quieted. Only Dr. David and Newell remained.
“I just got word. Charlotte is using the blood data I left behind to run some comparisons. My identity might not stay hidden much longer. To play it safe, give me the antidote now.”
“Now?” Dr. David’s hands shook a little, and his head felt even more like it was about to fall off. “Charlotte doesn’t know about this yet. If I make this call on my own... I might as well kiss my life goodbye.”
Charlotte saw Newell as a mentor. If his real identity came out, there was no telling what she’d do.
“If she gets angry, she’ll be angry at me.” Newell gave a small, bitter smile.
“She’s already on her way. No one knows what’ll happen when she gets here.” Newell’s voice was quiet. “This is something I owe her.”
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