I know you thought I was a near-perfect foster daughter, but last night I ran off to go to the illegal gene-modding lab where I’ve been working since before I met you. And I’m telling you this now because I have four doses of Killer-T vaccine that might save you and your sons’ lives …

But that was a bridge to cross later and Charlie hit the accelerator. Vegas was built on a grid system, so even minor streets were easy to navigate. She did the driving herself and kept the speed down, hoping it would give her a chance to spot road blocks and turn ahead of them.

At times Charlie felt she was the only car moving in the whole city. As she’d hoped, there were no patrols on the side streets and after six miles of suburbs and fifty stop signs, she rolled on to the Care4Kids lot, barren aside from three cars belonging to the night staff.

Charlie knew the unit would be closed to visitors, but reckoned she could twist the arm of Joyce, or one of the other nurses she’d got friendly with. Unfortunately, the front desk was manned by Clyde, a huge Chinese-American nurse who was always miserable. He had a reputation for being thick, and mostly did cleaning tasks and served as muscle when one of the teen residents got aggressive.

‘Morning,’ Charlie said brightly, stepping up to the reception desk in mask and gloves and taking her phone out to be sterilised, like nothing was out of the ordinary.

Clyde lowered a tablet on which he was playing a bubble-shooting game and made a grunt through his mask.

‘You must be tripping.’

‘I always come to see Ed on Monday mornings. You know how important his routine is.’

‘Charlie, there’s a state-wide quarantine. Did you just get in your car and drive here?’

‘Obviously.’

‘You’re lucky you didn’t get arrested,’ Clyde warned, reaching for a phone. ‘You can get in serious trouble. I’ll call and say you’ve been here overnight and hopefully they’ll give you a quarantine authorisation to drive home.’

‘No,’ Charlie said frantically. ‘Can you please let me in to see Ed. Ten minutes tops. This might be my last chance to see him in weeks.’

Clyde shook his head. ‘Letting someone in off the street during a level-one quarantine? Joyce would fire my ass in a heartbeat.’

‘Come on,’ Charlie begged.

I have to give Ed the vaccine. If I jumped the counter, this big lump would flatten me. He might take a bribe, but I only have thirty bucks in my wallet. But what if …

‘You’re a total dick hole,’ Charlie screamed, as a better idea dawned. ‘Why can’t you let me see my brother?’