Lynne nodded. “The green multiplies so quickly it could conceivably cause death within minutes.”
Nora stepped back and fogged up her mask. “That rate is crazy. Wow. Bad bacterial alteration. Horrible.”
“Yes. The alteration made the bacteria even deadlier.” Lynne drew in air and turned around, her eyes oddly glowing in the mask. “Who knows what it could do inside the human body.”
A chill skittered down Nora’s back. “Does the military know?”
“Yes.” Lynne leaned closer to whisper. “Once we find a cure, we’ll destroy these altered strains as soon as possible. For now, we need to keep everything we have just in case there’s a clue here to stopping the contagion.”
Nora nodded and gulped. “Good.” She and Deacan had always disagreed about the military role in scientific discovery, and now, more than ever, she could see the chasm between them. “What happens if you combine the green and the blue?”
Lynne’s eyes lit up. “The blue slows the rate but not enough. I think a possible solution lies within some mixture of the two. I knew you’d figure that out right away.”
Nora smiled. “I was the top student at grad school.”
“Second top,” Lynne retorted.
“Whatever. Well, we should probably get to work.” Nora had developed several new possible antibiotics in the last few years and couldn’t wait to give them a shot against Scorpius. “I assume I’m here to incorporate our new studies with nanoparticles and their ability to evade the immune system?”
“Yes.” Lynne pointed to a laptop on a counter. “We’ve had your entire database transferred here.” Beneath the mask, she blushed. “Darn government.”
Nora sighed. “Fair enough. Let’s see if we can get nanoparticles to zero in on Scorpius and its outer shell.”
Lynne tapped her face mask. “Are you still working on wrapping nanoparticles in red blood cell membranes to remove toxins from the body?”
“Yes. If we can neutralize toxins produced by certain bacteria, we have a chance.” Nora rolled her shoulders, accustoming herself to the biohazard suit. “The nanosponges kill the cells by poking holes in them, but each bacteria has a different structure, so I have no clue how it’ll work with Scorpius.”
“There’s only one way to find out.” Zach headed for the far counter. “Let’s kill this sucker.”
They worked through lunch and well into the afternoon, country music playing throughout the lab. In test after test after test, Scorpius won, although Nora’s main experiments with the nanoparticles would take twelve to thirty hours to complete.
There had to be a way to curb the bacteria.
A knock on the glass door made Nora jump. She turned to see Bobbi holding a cardboard box of sandwiches. As if on cue, her stomach growled.
Zach leaned back against the counter and gave Bobbi a half salute. “My hero,” he mouthed.
Nora tried to keep from rolling her eyes. He really was a goofball.
Bobbi twittered and winked at him. “Come and get it,” she mouthed back.
Geez. Enough with the sexual innuendo.
Zach turned to finish up, and a quick clatter startled Nora out of her thoughts. She instantly focused on him.
“Damn it,” Zach muttered, hustling across the lab and ripping off his glove.
Panic heated up Nora’s throat, and she ran toward him. “What happened? Did you puncture?” The idiot had been flirting and not paying attention. God, had he infected himself?
He finished tearing off the glove and shoved his hand under a faucet.
Red welled beneath the knuckle of his left thumb.
Nora scrambled for disinfecting liquid to pour over the wound and glanced toward his station. “What was it?” she breathed.
“Original Scorpius strain. No mutations,” he bit out, rubbing vigorously.
Shit. He’d punctured his own skin. Nora’s gaze met Lynne’s somber one.
