“Yes. Tomorrow.” Doctor Nagi stood from the table and the rest of us jumped up. “Now walk with me, Darren.”

My throat tightened as the two of them strode from the conference room. I’d made moves in the right direction, but I’d also underestimated Darren.

The holo room.

Shit.

That wasn’t a place we should be together.

I’d seen the film. Quanta’s control was good, but it wasn’t perfect. Every so often she lost focus or got baited into slipping a little something she hadn’t intended. Not often, but enough to make worry tighten the pit of my stomach.

With me running the holo session, the Shadow Ravens would be at the front of her mind. I lifted my glasses and rubbed the bridge of my nose.

We needed to find the source of that list and if Quanta believed Darren’s research was the key, then I was fully on board with investigating.

But one thing at a time.

If we both survived tomorrow, then I’d start planning for the impossible.

<<<>>>

I spent the night in my workroom, pouring over facility maps and prepping for the holo room session by reviewing more of Quanta’s film. It was disturbing on both counts.

One, because the footage of Quanta and Darren was heavily edited. Missing moments. Blacked out frames. The why of it made bile rise in my throat. I could imagine what special relationship meant and if that guess was accurate, I’d make sure I had the chance to slit Darren Waldman’s throat before I got myself killed.

He was ten years older than her. That went far past emotional manipulation. I just hoped that was all that had happened between them. If not…

I forced a breath through my teeth. Later.

More worrying than my murderous intent was the facility map. I could view charts for all the shared spaces and the areas I was allowed to access as part of Quanta’s team, but my clearance ended there.

If this facility was as massive as I suspected, that left dozens of floors of who knew what and no indication where Darren’s lab might be. It didn’t bode well for plans of exploration let alone escape. My best option now was to keep cozying up to the other researchers. I’d sound out Akua and then start casing the staff assigned to other projects.

As a backup, I added a few choice entries to my long list of requisitioned supplies. Chemical bombs wouldn’t be my first choice, but they’d be good to have in my aresnal.

Running on zero sleep, I downed three cappuccinos from the cafeteria before picking up a set of covered breakfast trays. Tantalizing smells wafted from underneath the lids as I made my way toward Quanta’s suite.