Marie leaned down, and cautiously tugged on the drawer's handle. The thing slid open smoothly, and Marie could feel some unseen object inside roll forward. Peering over the edge, she saw a small clear plastic vial, commonly used in labs and clinics. Dark reddish fluid sloshed within.
Marie lifted the small container, its weight surprising her. She twisted it around, looking for a label or barcode, but there was none. Whatever was inside looked more viscous than water, and was clearly denser.
As she examined the vial, her vision blurred slightly, and she could have sworn a strange alien pattern formed in the fluid. A second later, it was gone, her vision and awareness restored. A trick of the light, Marie told herself, not quite believing it, nothing more.
What was Lemar planning to do to Jane with this? Nothing good, Marie was sure of that. A sample of the virus, or some other poison? There was no way to know, but Marie could sense the thing was both very dangerous and potentially valuable. She vacillated briefly, then checked the lid to make sure it was securely tightened and stored the vial away in her RIGs belt.
She stepped around the desk, and made her way to the door. The walls of the defiled office pressed in on her now, and she was acutely aware of the way her booted steps echoed around the small room. She fought the urge to run.
Comments