“Oh, stars,” Gunner swore, digging through his backsack rapidly—
Everything went black.
A rhythmicwhooshand the quiet beep of machines greeted her before any coherent thought could form. Blackness gave way to a stark white glare.
Her body felt as though gravity had learned new rules since she’d passed out. A thin sheet was draped over her legs, and the cool hardness of an exam table was beneath her back.
A voice, soft and measured, broke through her fog. “She’s awake.”
Gemma’s eyes fluttered open, revealing the mobile lab surrounding her.
Doctor Manae appeared at her side. “How are you feeling?”
Gemma’s throat was dry, but she managed a small whisper. “Disoriented.”
“Understandable.” Doctor Manae offered a small smile. “That reaction was intense, but not unexpected. You channeled a flood of energy. I want to run some scans, if that’s okay.”
Gemma nodded, and soft taps sounded as Doctor Manae fiddled with her electropad. Moments later, the arch scanner was positioned above her, and it passed over Gemma from the head of the bed to her toes, its blue light warm on her skin. When it finally shut down, Gemma tried to sit upright, but pain flared in her chest. Her vision wavered.
Doctor Manae placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Take it slow.”
The doctor turned to an electroglass screen as a series of data populated in glowing white text. “Hmm. Your blood pressure’s still elevated. Heart rate’s stabilizing. But your neural activity is . . .” She trailed off, frowning slightly. “Interesting.”
Gemma tried to focus through the haze, her gaze catching on the screen. “Interesting how?”
Doctor Manae looked at her again, more curious than concerned. Then her fingers danced across the electroglass. More data loaded, revealing a strand of twisting DNA with a cluster of data points blinking erratically.
“There,” the doctor murmured, more to herself than Gemma. “Same protein markers we saw last week. Revarian in origin, but now they’ve multiplied. Rapidly.”
Gemma’s pulse ticked up. “What does that mean?”
Doctor Manae didn’t answer right away. She zoomed in on the DNA strand, isolating a new thread forming between existing pairs.
“It means,” she said gently, “whatever you accessed down there amplified the mutation. Your human DNA is no longer dominant in your blood.”
Gemma’s stomach churned. She’d known it was possible she would change into something else, but for it to be happening so fast . . .
Tears pooled in her lower eyelids.
The doctor turned toward her. “We need to be careful from here on out. Not just with the door, but with you.”
Gemma stared at the floor, her fingers curling against the sheets.
The door to the lab hissed open.
Gemma didn’t look up until she heard boots cross the threshold and a breathless, too-casual voice say, “So, no levitating yet? That’s disappointing.”
Gunner.
He slowed when he saw her face. “Hey,” he said more softly, approaching the side of the bed. “Just checking in. Making sure you didn’t . . . y’know, explode.”
Doctor Manae gave him a pointed look but didn’t dismiss him. Instead, she adjusted a few readings on the electroglass screen. “Keep her calm. I’ll be back shortly,” she said before stepping out of the room.
The silence that followed was heavy.
Gunner rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry. That joke sounded a lot better in my head.”
She tried to smile, but it didn’t quite land.
