“Really, should I be writing all this down?” Schubert whispered again. “We’ve got a schedule now and all.”
“I think I can remember this,” German said. He nodded at me, then said, “We’ll see you down there.”
That was it. We all knew what we had to do. All that remained now was to just do it.
Quincy and I waited by the pool for a few more minutes to give German and his assistant time to go down and blend in with the crowd. When we finally headed downstairs as well, both of us were nervous and excited.
“Do you think this will really work?” Quincy asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet as the elevator swooshed down.
“It was your idea,” I chuckled, giving his hand a squeeze.
We stepped apart and pretended we weren’t madly in love as the elevator opened into the busy lobby.
“I’ve got to get back to work,” Quincy said.
“You do that,” I said, wishing I could kiss him. “I’m just going to stroll around the exhibits and burn some time before the keynote.”
“See you then.” Quincy waved, then winked, then walked off.
I felt a little…less without him. But there was a lot to see at the expo, and I could practically taste the freedom I was about to have.
All I needed to do for the next three hours was to blend into the crowd. That was surprisingly easy. The various conference rooms of the expo grew more and more crowded with every second. The noise of chatter surrounded me, and I didn’t see my dad anywhere. Probably because my dad was only interested in technology if it could benefit him and make him richer.
I, on the other hand, was actually curious about all the things people could do these days. The three hours dragged, but not as much as they could have. I checked out a whole room full of new advances in gaming, which was one of the most popular rooms at the entire expo. There were entire exhibits about technological advances in the home, too. I was particularly fascinated by the room where learning tools and other academic advancements were being showcased and demonstrated.
It wasn’t until I wandered through the large conference room holding exhibits about medical advances that my heart really started to race. I was drawn in, or maybe stunned is a better word, when I saw a banner across one portion of the space for Bangers & Mash Labs that read “New Hope for Severed Bonds”.
It couldn’t be. Quincy had said it was impossible. His doctors had told him the condition was permanent.
That didn’t stop me from making a beeline for the booth.
“—greatest advancement for the last fifty years,” the alpha in a lab coat standing inside the display was in the middle of explaining to an older alpha and omega couple. “Broken bonds have always been a death sentence, or worse, but with the research Bangers & Mash is doing, we may be able to extend the life of the severed and give them a happy future.”
“Oh, I’m not sure I want to stick around much longer after Avery is gone,” the alpha said, sliding his arm around the omega’s waist.
It was touching to see them, but I had other questions.
“What about in the case of a younger omega who had his bond with an alpha severed surgically?” I got right to the point.
The older couple looked on with mild interest as the scientist alpha turned to me.
“Our new ReBond procedure is specifically designed to help anyone who has had a bond severed surgically to recover and thrive,” the man said.
“Really?” I couldn’t believe it. Someone was working on something that might help Quincy.
The alpha smiled and extended his hand to me. “Dr. Holden Fletcher,” he introduced himself. “I take it you know an omega who was severed?”
“I do,” I said in a rush. “He accidentally bonded with a childhood friend when they were young, but the alpha didn’t want the bond after all. The alpha forced him to undergo the severing procedure, and it’s had vast, negative effects on his mental health.”
The older couple made sounds of pity and revulsion.
“I’m sorry your friend has gone through that,” Dr. Fletcher said. “But yes, that’s exactly what ReBond is being developed for. My own omega, Arlo, who assists in my research, is passionate about omega rights. When he learned about how omegas are disproportionately damaged by the severing procedure, he urged me and my team to do something about it.”
The older alpha, who was still listening, chuckled. “We wouldn’t get anywhere without our omegas, would we, Avery?” He smiled adoringly at his partner.
“We certainly wouldn’t,” Dr. Fletcher said.
“Can this new…ReBond make it possible for an omega to bond again?” I asked.
