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Gretchen sprinted from the room, her suffocated toes now causing pins and needles to shoot into her ankle. She turned toward the front entrance, pulling her jacket on as she went.
How dare he bring Friedman into the conversation? She knew her colleague’s success was setting him apart from her, leading him to an approaching promotion and company advancement. As the thought drifted through her mind, she saw Friedman sprinting across the lobby. She scoffed, knowing the Director had given them the same orders. She hoped their seats would not be near one another on the plane. Friedman would have questions about the fire.
Knowing she would barely have time to grab her things from the hotel, Gretchen contemplated leaving them behind. Everything was replaceable. Trying to hail a nearby cab, she remembered her files.
The only files that survived the fire in her laboratory were sitting in her hotel room safe. She would need to retrieve them. Waving an apology to the cabbie who stopped for her, she crossed the busy intersection on foot. The hotel was only a few blocks away. She could make it there fastest by walking, despite her aching toes begging her to reconsider.
Gretchen weaved her way through the crowd, quickly approaching her hotel. She pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed the concierge desk.
“Maple Plaz...”
“Gary?” She cut off the gruff voice that answered. “It’s Gretchen, from 504. Can you call me a quick-blitz cab?”
“Yes, ma’am.” His voice was firm and kind, just like his presence. “Is everything all right?”
Gretchen could hear him scribble a note on paper. Always the rule follower, Gary logged and tracked every request to completion.
“Yes, thank you.” She sprinted down the last few steps of the sidewalk and pulled the front door of the hotel open. She could see Gary across the lobby and waved.
“Where did you-” A puzzled look came across his face. He had torn his gaze from the mob of tourists lined up to speak to him to see who entered the lobby. Seeing Gretchen’s wave, he shook his head.
“No time to explain,” Gretchen spoke into the phone as she caught his smirk. “I’ve learned quick, huh?” She smiled.
Her first attempt to speak to the concierge did not go smoothly. She had to wait in line for over twenty minutes as the non-locals asked for directions and recommendations. Why they didn’t do a Google search was beyond her, but she stood and waited patiently. During those twenty minutes, Gretchen watched the concierge and noticed, with quiet amusement, that every time the phone rang, the person on the line was given preference to the person standing in the lobby. Sometimes using tech in a once tech-less world proved valuable.
“You’ve sure learned quick. Look at you! And speaking of the way you look; you seem to be in quite a rush. I’ll be sure to tell the cabbie there’s a fat tip waiting if they get here quick.” Gary chuckled into the phone as he smiled over the mob of tourists.
“Gary, you’re the best!” Gretchen made it to the elevator, having to weave around the tourists, all eager to speak to her friend. “I’ll be down in five minutes.”
Scrambling through her hotel room, she pulled her belongings together. She set her packed bag by the door and turned to the nightstand between the two queen-sized beds. Squatting down, she plugged in her code for the hotel room safe. The door popped open and revealed her files.
As she stood, files in hand, a sharp rap knocked on the door, breaking the silence in the space. She sucked in a breath and made her way to the door, yanking it open.
“Vic?” A middle-aged man with graying hair stood before her. She had left him in the facility, he being one personnel allowed to remain on site after the fire. Vic was her friend, a confidant and ally. Why he stood at the threshold of her hotel room and not in the facility where he belonged, she wasn’t sure. “What are you doing here?”
“Hello, my dear,” the man smiled, his sly grin that of a man on a mission. “What a welcome, but I know you’re in a rush. Let’s get a move on.” He motioned toward the elevators.
“Vic,” Gretchen repeated, grabbing her belongings scattered across the room. “Sorry, I’m just surprised to see you. Why are you here?”
“I’m trying to convince you to stay,” he shrugged, watching her bundle the rest of her belongings together. Once ready, he led her to the elevators. A briefcase jarred the door open. Once the pair entered, Vic pulled the case from the opening and the door slid shut.
“Clever,” Gretchen smirked, knowing Vic always had a plan in place. She wiped her brow, a fierce sweat now seeping down the back of her shirt. “I’m on the way to the airport. I can’t even think about staying here.” She eyed her friend wearily, challenging his knowledge. “How did you know I was in a hurry?”
“Oh, my dear,” Vic chuckled. “I am always in the know.”
“So, you knew I was going to the airport?”
“Of course. But I want you to start your research from scratch.” He crossed his arms. “You and I both know your work here is more important than in Vegas.”
“How do you know where I’m going?” Gretchen asked, knowing Vic had sources he would never reveal. She shook her head. She should have learned by now. Vic would always know more about her role in the company than she ever would.
“Don’t act childish. Of course, I know where you’re going,” Vic said. “You’re being sucked in by the Director, getting pulled back to the base to give him more intel. Am I wrong?”
The elevator jolted to a stop on the second floor and a family of four entered. They forced Gretchen and Vic into the corners. They shared a glance, knowing they couldn’t continue their conversation with anyone in earshot. The elevator closed, resumed its descent, and quickly opened on the first floor. The family ambled out, filled with laughter and chatter. Gretchen sped past them.
“Gary, is the car here?” Gretchen yelled across the lobby to catch the concierge’s attention. She caught the attention of some tourists as well. They eyed her with irritation. Gary nodded and waved a hand toward a black car outside the front doors. “Thanks! I’ll stop by next time I’m in town,” she locked eyes with Gray, scowling and rolling her eyes toward the tourists. Gary caught her message and shrugged. It was just another day in his life as a concierge.
Gretchen pushed open the front door, her bag and laptop case flinging around wildly. Vic was close on her heels, trying to help but failing miserably. She slipped into the black car, making room for Vic to join her. Once settled, she pushed the partition button, closing off the front of the car from its rear. With the soundproof enclosure between them and the driver, she turned to Vic.
“You know I can’t continue research without approval from the top,” she sighed. “I can’t stay. I need to go to Vegas and plead my case to the board. With the right funding, I’ll be back within the month.”
Vic hesitated, refusing to say a word as Gretchen stared at him.
“What, no rebuttal?”
“You know I don’t always follow protocol, and I think this would be the perfect time to skip asking for permission and push forward. You can ask for forgiveness when they’re handing you a Nobel Prize,” Vic shrugged. “And who knows, they might not even notice you missing. They won’t know you’re working with me unless someone tells them. They’ll assume you’ve quit.”
“No, not a chance, and you’re too smart to suggest that,” Gretchen whispered. “The Director thinks someone from the inside sabotaged my experiments. From the sound of it, he won’t forget about this. He’s adamant about getting answers. If I disappear, he’d have scouts out by nightfall.”
Vic nodded. Though Gretchen could tell he didn’t agree with all she was saying, he was simply allowing her to vent. He was good at listening, even if it took up precious time.
“I need funding, Vic,” she sighed. “I need new equipment. Everything went up in smoke. And I need lab techs. My team has all dispersed across the country. There’s no way I can call them back. Especially if I can’t promise any type of salary for their research.”
Vic nodded. “But you’re considering it, then?”
Gretchen rolled her eyes. “You know I can’t consider staying against orders.” She pushed her laptop bag from her feet as the cab sped around a corner. For being a premium cab service, there was little room in the back seat.
“What if we taught the civilians?”
“What do you mean? Teach them the lab work? Are you insane?” Gretchen scoffed at the idea. “You know the patients and civilians are tense about what happened. You can’t expect them to play along. Some of them have family in the trials, some even lost loved ones in the outbreak. They’d never help me.”
Vic shrugged again, irritating Gretchen further.
“The answer is no, Vic,” she pushed her eyes with the palms of her hands. A migraine was setting in. “I need to follow orders and get to Vegas. I need to talk to the board and get funding. Unless you have a few million lying around that no one knows about?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
A long pause settled the tension in the vehicle. The sound of the freeway buzzed in the background as they sped through the city.
“Please don’t get on that plane,” Vic turned to Gretchen.
The woman hesitated. She knew that tone. That was the sound of worry and secrecy. “What aren’t you telling me, Vic?”
The man turned away, looking out the window. The silence enveloped them as they neared the airport.
“Vic?” Gretchen probed further, pulling his shoulder toward her so he had to look at her.
“I’m not withholding anything,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“Yes, you are.” Gretchen pointed a finger at her friend. She knew his eye roll was for show. He was worried.
“Just...” his voice faltered. “Gretch, don’t get on that plane.”
The partition lowered. The driver came into view and his eyes locked onto Gretchen’s in the rear-view mirror. “We’re here, Ma’am,” the driver put the car in park and pushed his door open.
The airport departures entrance was staring Gretchen down. The driver pulled open her door, holding his hand out to support her from the vehicle. She ignored him and turned back to her friend.
“What’s going on, Vic?” She pleaded with him. “This isn’t like you. Something’s going on. You need to tell me now!”
Vic’s eyes tightened. They had mere seconds.
“Vic!” Gretchen grabbed his shoulders. “I have to get on this plane. Tell me what’s going on!”
“Ma’am?” The driver leaned down to peer into the vehicle.
Vic leaned over Gretchen and raised a single finger to the driver. He pulled the door shut. Now Gretchen knew he meant business. Her face reddened at the seriousness of the situation. She waited for him to speak.
“Before you board that plane,” Vic whispered, “read the most recent updates on the drive.”
“What? What updates?”
“You’ll know which ones.”