Alexa examined the calculation. "Is this correct? We can't be this lucky?"

Ray's eyes scanned the computer screen as fast as his hands tapped at the keyboard. "Ran it thrice boss...it's right."

Her monitor read, Gene sequencing, retrieval, and breakdown uncompromised. "This is amazing. If we can test this against a live tri-allele, we could end this right now."

"Hell yes, we can." Ray kicked himself away from his desk. His computer chair slid across the lab's linoleum floor and skid to a halt next to Alexa's desk. "Up high." He raised his hand, poised for the high-five.

"Ray." His little ritual didn't appeal to her. Neither did the knuckle bump Teagan's friend Ellie kept trying to give her. Not only did she not enjoy touching other people's hands, she didn't get the concept. Yes, recognition for a job well done or a suburban pat on the back. Why not say, 'wonderful work' and leave it there? She halfheartedly brushed her palm against his. Her ritual, a thorough hand sanitizing.

The cell phone in her upper right lab coat pocket buzzed against her breast. She whipped out the phone and sighed with relief. "This is Dr. Mason."

"Alexa...err...Dr. Mason?

"Yes."

"This is Ross. Agent Harris."

Pain and guilt clumped in her belly. The answer to her next question meant her entire life. What would she do without Teagan? She took a deep breath. "Did you find her?"

"Yeah." His voice came over decimated.

The clump surfaced in her throat. Her face flushed. He's taking too much time. Is she dead? No. Please. No. "Tell me. Ross. I'm ready."

"She's safe..."

"Thank God." She hadn't realized she'd been standing and sat down with a bump.

"...unharmed. We think Ellie's leg is fractured."

She relaxed a bit but sensed something amiss. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"It's Alyssa."

"Oh, no. Is she..." The word wouldn't come.

"I'm sorry. We're lucky any of them walked away from that wreck. There wasn't anything anyone could do for Alyssa. A Trill attacked her. But from the looks of it, with the injuries from the accident, she probably wouldn't have survived the night."

Alexa sensed a vain attempt to make her feel better. There's no way he could tell if the car accident did enough internal damage to cause her death, but she did appreciate the effort. "This is awful. How are Ellie and Teagan taking it?"

"They're pretty shaken up. But they're tough girls, they'll pull through."

"I know they are...and will." Teagan had to be the most bullheaded person she knew, other than herself.

Ross cleared his throat. "But one thing positive came of it."

"What's that?" There wasn't one positive thing she could think of at the moment. One of Teagan's best friends had died a horrific death. A new memory Teagan would carry for life.

"We caught another Trill. Well, actually, Teagan caught him."

"She did what?" If the tri-allele had killed Alyssa, there's no doubt in her mind Teagan would go after it with fists, teeth, and claws if she had to. Such a stubborn girl.

"She disabled one of the male Trills. Damnedest thing I've ever seen. In the process, she discovered a vulnerability in their armor."

"How's that?" What vulnerability could a seventeen-year-old girl find on a seemingly invulnerable species?

"The male Trills have a fierce sex drive, right?"

"Correct. That appears to be their MO. If I'm using your FBI lingo correctly?"

"Exactly. It's in their MO where your daughter found the vulnerability; in the process of her being attacked."

The shock of hearing the words 'attack' and 'daughter' in the same sentence sent a chill through Alexa's body. "What weakness have you found?"

Ross continued, "she struck back with a tire iron and ripped off...well...essentially, his male parts. It nearly bled to death."

"Male parts?"

"His dick and balls. Excuse my language."

That made perfect sense to her. "I've heard that their male genitalia tuck into the groin area and are very much protected. Much like a dog or cat's." Teagan's cleverness never ceased to amaze Alexa. "I guess she listened to what I had to say about boys."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. I'm thinking out loud. Just glad you all are safe." Except for poor Alyssa, what torture she must have endured.

"Well, Teagan did that and more. The damage caused the Trill to bleed-a lot. We think he could still die, but he's alive for the moment. And...I hope he stays alive long enough for you to do an exam and get what you need."

"I need him alive so I can test this new formula on him."

"New formula? What's it do? In layman's terms please."

"If my calculations are correct, it will isolate the tri...mutated gene and hopefully reverse the mutation."

"That's great news. If it works on this one, we can test it on the one sitting in the Independence Jail cell."

He caught two. Impressive.

"Ross. May I talk to my daughter?" She hoped Teagan would take the phone.

"Of course. Give me a second."

The line went quiet.

"M...Mom." Teagan sobbed, sniffed and composed herself.

"Take a deep breath, baby. I'm glad you're safe. Ross is bringing you up here. You'll be safer here than anywhere else right now." More than anything, Alexa wanted to know why the girls had gone south.

"Can you fix it, Mom? Can you kill the fuckers?"

Given the situation, the language wasn't inappropriate. "Let's get you and Ellie to safety."

"It killed Alyssa. Alyssa! Mom," Teagan squeaked.

"Agent Harris informed me already. I'm sorry. I'll call Alyssa's parents. We'll have a doctor look at Ellie when you arrive."

"Don't. Mr. Ross said he will call them. Okay?" Teagan sniffled.

"Put Ross...I mean, Agent Harris back on the phone, please."

Ross came back on the line. "We'll be there in about an hour. I'll call Alyssa's parents."

"That's fine. Drive safe. Make sure the tri-allele is secure. I don't know how fast they heal."

"Will do." The phone call ended.

"Teagan okay?" Ray put his hand on her shoulder. Another thing she normally despised. The kid had no boundaries and loved to make her uncomfortable. However, this time his gesture of kindness soothed some of the pain.

She placed her hand over his, which he quickly withdrew wide-eyed. She'd surprised him and herself by making the physical connection. Comfort is what she needed. Because that's what normal people do in these kinds of situations. They also confide and console one another. To her knowledge, she and Ray had a kind of friendship. Nobody else ever sat with her during lunch or made any sort of effort to talk to her about anything other than work.

"Teagan and Ellie are safe. But one of her friends was killed."

"That sucks. I'm sorry about her friend." Ray made direct eye contact with her. "So, sorry."

Alexa couldn't stop the tears from falling. Crap. For some reason, she felt responsible for Alyssa's death. Could she have stopped it? Maybe if she would have come up with the answer quicker?

Ray embraced her. "You're a strong woman. You'll save your daughter and the rest of the world."

"Thank you, Ray. You're a good friend."

He let go of her. "Now. Let's get ready. They are bringing us one, aren't they?"

"They are." Alexa wiped her eyes with a tissue and stared at the computer screen. If the serum failed to destroy the third allele, she'd have to start at ground zero. She needed to know the trigger. Biochemical weapon would be her first guess. But no one had the technology to do such a thing or she would know about it. How could anyone add a third allele, altering the genetic code of every fetus on the planet? No scientist she knew of...and she knew the best in the world.

At best her serum would be an in-vitro vaccination for every woman currently carrying an infected fetus. But she'd have to do some extensive and very painful testing on a live specimen to get true results. She crossed her fingers, hoping, wishing, and maybe even a little praying, they would get the male to her alive.

Thanks for reading everyone. I hope you are enjoying the novel. We are a little over halfway done. Will Ross get the Trill to Alexa in time to save humanity?

Vote and comment. I will respond.