Well, this was her real world. Sterile. Machinery and labs and quiet work that saved lives. A world with many, many layers of protection, despite the risks.

Zoey had set her machine to run her computations. “Let’s go. I’m dying for some Mexican food.”

“Maybe we should come back later. See what your computations spit out.”

Zoey stood at the door, ready to open it and step into the UV room. “I know we’re up against a deadline, but you can’t do anything hungry and tired.”

Colt had leaned into the microphone that connected their rooms. “Ham called. I need to get back.”

And that didn’t bode well at all.

“We’re close,” Zoey said. She pushed the button and they stepped into the chamber, let the UV lights turn their suits purple as they disinfected them from any pathogens.

“Even if we do match the horsepox to the ancient virus from McMaster enough to produce antibodies, we still don’t know if it’s a match for the S-poxR, and, well, if it works on humans.”

The light clicked off and the outer door buzzed open.

They entered another chamber and shed their Tyvek suits, hoods, gloves, booties, glasses, and hung them on hooks where they’d be stored in another UV chamber.

Then they stepped into a second compartment, slid on a pair of dark glasses, and repeated the bath.

“We won’t have time to test it before the guys have to deploy.”

“You know,” Zoey said, “we talked about this, but I’m rounding back to it. Maybe you stop dreaming up worst-case scenarios and just . . . do what you can. Let God take care of the rest.”

Just like before, the light in the chamber clicked off and the door opened.

Colt stood in the opening. He wore a pair of dress pants, a button-down shirt, and his hair pulled into a man bun, his brown eyes on her. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she said, following Zoey into the room.

“Any luck?” He unlocked their lab to the outer hallway.

“We’re close,” Zoey said, just as Tae answered, “No.”

Colt raised an eyebrow, then he slipped on his sunglasses and opened the outer door.

The heat always washed over Tae like a sauna, sucking out her breath, prickling sweat along her skin. The last hour of the day sent fiery light into the parking lot. Colt unlocked the Escalade and she slipped inside, the leather seats burning.

Zoey climbed into the back. “Why can’t we have a government-issued convertible?”

Colt smiled, and it had the effect of cool sweet air upon Tae’s parched spirit. “How’s this?” He opened the sunroof even as he turned on the air conditioning, full blast.

She leaned back against the seat. Closed her eyes.

Driving toward the base exit, he flicked on the radio.