Perhaps the girl felt the weight of her stare, or maybe it was happenstance, but she turned as Nora and Dr. Lawrence passed and their eyes met for a brief instant.

“…fully functional…”

Nora blinked. She’d completely missed what he’d said. Should she ask him to repeat himself? That didn’t seem wise. Get a hold of yourself.

“I think I’ve seen enough,” he said. They exited the building and crossed the street. “Don’t worry about the general. He’ll do the right thing. Stick with what you’re doing. Maximize the production as best you can, and trust that we’ll get to the bottom of the malfunctions soon. We have to.”

“Thank you, Dr. Lawrence.”

“For what?”

“For entrusting me with such a vital assignment. I won’t let you down.”

“You haven’t yet.” He shook her hand and took his leave.

Nora resisted the urge to return to Beta-2 and check on her girls—especially one girl in particular.

The cacophony of opening and closing lockers, the incessant chattering of girls coming and going, dressing and undressing from their various shifts, and the military searches entering and exiting the change house, jangled Mary’s nerves.

You’ll get used to it. Give it time. She threw her uniform top and pants in the bin, uncomfortable knowing that someone else would be tasked with doing her laundry. She reminded herself that it wasn’t only her laundry—it was all of the uniforms. They were never to leave the premises.

Wearily, she shrugged back into her dress and dragged herself to the bus stop. Could it really have been only eight hours since she’d reversed this process on her way to work? She rolled her shoulders to ease the tension that had taken up residence there. She’d known the job would involve repetition and tedium from the training. But she hadn’t counted on it being so stressful.

Between trying to keep the needles in the appropriate range, making certain she recorded the readings properly, and keeping herself awake through the middle of the night, her last nerve was frazzled to a crisp.

“Mary. Hey, Mary.”

She groaned and shifted to get more comfortable.

“Mary. This is our stop.”

“Huh? What?” Mary pried open her eyes to see Delores, the girl who sat at the cubicle next to her. How had they reached the bus depot so quickly?

“C’mon, sleepyhead. Take yourself home and get into a proper bed. You look like heck.”

Mary trudged up the aisle and exited the bus. She reached the bottom step and stumbled. Strong hands stopped her from falling forward. “I’m sor…” She blinked. You’re hallucinating.

“Are you all right?”

Concerned, compassionate blue-green eyes regarded her from less than a foot away. “I-I’m fine. Just exhausted.”

“If you’re sure you’re okay.”

“I am. Thank you.” Dr. Lindstrom—Nora—released her and stepped aside so that she could pass.