Chapter 4

Inside the research institute, Lucinda's footsteps echoed softly through the empty corridor.

As soon as she turned the corner, a young woman in a white lab coat jogged up to meet her.

"Ms. Wipere!"

The woman looked about twenty-five or twenty-six. She wore a high ponytail and stopped in front of Lucinda, slightly breathless. "You're finally here! I've been waiting all morning!"

Lucinda looked at her. "Elowen, what's wrong?"

Elowen Coleman was the youngest researcher at the institute. She'd earned her PhD at twenty-three and was promoted to the core lab at twenty-six. Everyone here called her a genius.

But in front of Lucinda, she always acted like a total fangirl.

"Something happened in the central lab!" Elowen lowered her voice. "This morning, the Lancaster Group sent over their latest low-temperature centrifuge. They said it's a new product—only three in the world. But less than two hours after startup, the system started throwing alarms!"

Lucinda's steps faltered slightly.

The central lab.

It was the highest-security lab in the entire institute. They studied the world's most dangerous pathogens there.

If something went wrong in that lab, losing the facility would be the least of their worries. If any of those viruses leaked out, it would be a global catastrophe.

"What's the situation now?"

"It's a standoff." Elowen kept pace beside her, words tumbling out fast. "The Lancaster Group people say our lab's interface is outdated. Our people think there's a problem with the equipment itself. They've been fighting about it all morning. No one's backing down."

She paused, then lowered her voice even more. "And there's something worse."

Lucinda glanced at her.

"Barney's here."

Lucinda's brow twitched.

Barney Lancaster. Uncle to Reginald Lancaster, head of the Lancaster Group. He ran the medical technology division.

Word was, the Lancaster Group's entire foothold in biomedical research was half his doing.

This equipment was the Lancaster Group's flagship medical project this year. Barney had come personally to oversee it and had been in the lab since early morning.

"And then?"

"When the equipment malfunctioned, they evacuated the lab on emergency protocol. Barney was in the last group to get out. Less than an hour later, he started running a low-grade fever." Elowen's voice dropped. "He's unconscious now. They're trying to stabilize him in the isolation ward."

Lucinda stopped walking.

This wasn't just a safety incident. This could turn into a political crisis between two major institutions.

The Lancaster Group was the institute's largest sponsor. They poured in hundreds of millions every year.

If Barney actually died here—

She didn't let herself finish the thought. She kept walking.

At the end of the corridor stood a heavy airlock door, red warning lights flashing above it.

Lucinda pulled a black card from her pocket and swiped it across the reader.

A soft beep. The red light turned green.

Elowen followed behind, staring at that card. She couldn't help clicking her tongue.

Highest clearance.

Only five people in the entire institute had that card.

Lucinda was one of them.

The airlock door slid open slowly. A faint smell of disinfectant wafted from the corridor beyond.

The moment Lucinda stepped through, she heard heated arguing up ahead.

"What the hell are you trying to say? That Mr. Lancaster got himself stuck in isolation? The Lancaster Group invests millions in this place every year—is this how you repay us?"

A middle-aged man in a suit stood there, face flushed red, tie crooked. He'd completely abandoned any pretense of professionalism.

Across from him, a researcher slammed his hand on the table. "The equipment breaks down and instead of fixing it, you just want to pass the blame! Mr. Lancaster collapsed—you think we're not worried? That's our lab in there!"

"Pass the blame? You're the ones who—"

"Enough."

A cool voice cut through from the doorway.

Everyone froze. They all turned toward the sound.

Lucinda stood in the entrance, her gaze sweeping calmly over the room.

Flynn looked her up and down. Young. Unfamiliar face. The contempt on his face was barely disguised. "Who the hell are you? You think you get a say here?"

Lucinda ignored him.

She walked into the room, her eyes settling on the massive monitoring screen on the wall.

Real-time data from the isolation ward flickered across it. Row after row of alarming numbers.

She spoke, her tone flat. "What's Barney's heart rate right now?"

The researcher who'd been slamming the table answered reflexively. "One thirty-seven. Still climbing."

Lucinda's gaze lingered on the screen for two seconds. "If you keep waiting, he'll die."

The moment she finished speaking, hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway.

"Move—everyone move—"

A young woman burst through the door, eyes red and swollen.

She shoved past the people blocking the entrance and rushed to the monitoring screen. When she saw those numbers, her face went white.

"Where's my dad? Where is he?"

Diana Lancaster. Barney's daughter. Spoiled since birth.

She whirled around and fixed the director with a glare. "What are you all standing around for? Save him!"

The director's forehead beaded with sweat. "Ms. Lancaster, please stay calm. Your father is infected with a very unusual virus. We can't just use any medication. We've already contacted headquarters. There's a senior consultant in Starlight City right now—once he arrives, we'll work together on a treatment plan. That's the safest approach."

"Wait for him?" Diana's voice went shrill. "Wait until my dad's dead? The Lancaster Group invests millions in this institute every year—and this is the attitude we get when something goes wrong?"

Her eyes were red, but her voice turned even sharper. "Let me tell you something—my cousin is already on his way. If my father dies in your institute, you'd better figure out how to deal with the consequences yourselves!"

Cousin.

That word dropped like a stone into water. The entire room went silent.

The head of the Lancaster Group. Reginald.

The richest man in the world. The Grim Reaper of the business world.

Just hearing that name made people's spines go cold.

The director's expression shifted through several emotions.

Flynn's eyes lit up. His posture straightened instantly. "Ms. Lancaster is right! If anything happens to Mr. Lancaster, can any of you handle the fallout?"

The researchers who'd been throwing blame around moments ago now kept their heads down, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Diana's gaze swept over everyone in the room, her eyes looking down on them all. "I don't care how you've been bickering. Right now—immediately—give my father medication!"

The director spoke with difficulty. "But Ms. Lancaster, we haven't finished culturing the virus sample yet. Using medication blindly carries enormous risk…"

Diana let out a cold laugh. "Your equipment malfunctioned and infected my father, and now you're talking to me about risk? If you don't treat him now, he's going to be in serious trouble!"

Just then, that cool voice spoke again.

"She's right."

Everyone froze. All eyes turned to Lucinda.

Diana narrowed her eyes and looked the unfamiliar young woman up and down. "Who are you?"

Lucinda didn't look at her. Her gaze remained on the monitoring screen. "This is an HSV-1 viral mutation. Short incubation period. He's already showing early signs of encephalitis. If you keep waiting, even if you save him, he'll likely suffer irreversible brain damage."

The room went quiet for a moment.

The director froze. So did the researchers.

HSV-1 mutation? Early encephalitis symptoms?

They knew the virus was unusual, but no one had dared make any definitive statements about its specific characteristics before the culture results came back.

This young woman figured it out just by glancing at the data?

Diana frowned and turned to the director, her tone accusatory. "What kind of random people does your institute let in these days? This nobody thinks she can lecture me?"

A few of the researchers exchanged glances. One of the older ones spoke up. "Miss, we appreciate the thought, but this isn't something you should get involved in. Mr. Lancaster's status is sensitive. We have to be extremely careful about medication. Please step outside. We'll discuss treatment options once the senior consultant from headquarters arrives."

"Right." Another one chimed in. "That consultant is a genius in the field. Once he gets here, everything will be under control. Please don't make things more complicated."