Ezra's hands shook and her body vibrated with dread, facing forty familiar faces the next morning, and trying to figure out how she was going to keep them in the dark.

"Morning, everyone." Even her voice sounded distant as far as she could tell. All she could picture was the look Tehreem had given her last night after she returned. And her only response had been, 'I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you everything, but for your own safety, I can't. Just trust me. Please.'

This morning, looking at people who were at ease with their familiar lab surroundings, she felt like the odd one out. "I..." she tried again. To sound normal. To mask the disgust she was feeling. Even now, General Watergate's warning words were ringing.

'We don't want any discordance in the lab or the base, Dr Mayur. I hope you understand the gravity of what is happening here...'

Her first thought had been Fly then, trying not to panic. The man's choice of words 'discordance in the lab or the base' had given her a distinct feeling that something happened to the kid.

'... Considering that possibility,' he'd droned on, 'I've realised we got off on the wrong foot, you and I. We are in the same business; of planning for an unknown future. It's best if we are in lockstep with each other from now. It will only confuse the others if they see us butting heads going forward. So, let's not have any more talks of 'what's really happening at the base' with anyone else, shall we? It puts me in an awkward position. Forces me to make hard decisions with lives of promising young men with their entire future ahead of them... or women.'

In that lab that morning, among her colleagues wondering what secret project they've been lucky enough to join, Ezra tried to find another familiar face. Fly. Only to realise he's not here. They've done something to him...

"I... I'm sure most of you are surprised to see me..." she began again, then stopped, unable to shake the rest of the General's words from her memory.

'We're here, figuring out ways our enemies may create new pathogens, biological weapons, and use it against our great nation. All this unrest over limited resources and who controls it is getting out of hand. There's a sense of impending war over them already, so it's not a farfetched cover story.' The look on the General's face had been icy cold. 'Do you understand, Dr Mayur? Under no circumstances are you to divulge the real reason behind your beautiful pathogen—which reminds me, the board asked me to pass on their request. They would like you, and a select few scientists that Dr... Captain Rai will vet from your team, to quietly make some vaccines and antibodies for the specimen, and whatever else we may need to ensure the safety of select members of our society when hell breaks loose. After all, the future will need a few bright faces... faces like your brilliant sister, Shaki, perhaps... We can ensure that. Her safety. Provide her with a vaccine, and shelter to wait out the storm... but only, and only if you are in lockstep with us this time.'

"Project Rescue..." She tried a third time to not give away her emotions. "...is a project where we're designing possible pathogens our enemies may use... in the future, and come up with vacc... vacc..."

The blank faces suddenly turned eager, listening intently. Excited even.

Ezra's stomach churned sickly.

'I'll give you a choice yet again: reveal the truth to your lab partners and I will no longer guarantee your family's safety nor the lab's. Let's not repeat history, shall we? Work with me and you'll ensure everyone returns home, to their families, safely, including you.'

Ezra blinked at the small crowd, feeling the room suddenly spin. Tehreem was watching her intently from the front. She reached out absently towards her friend, to grab hold of something, a workstation perhaps, but her hand went through the air again and again. "I..." She stumbled back, "... don't feel so good."

She must have blacked out then, for when she came to, she was sweating profusely, shaking as if she had a fever, and felt hot and cold all at the same time. She was also in her office, though someone had drawn the blinds shut and the glaring white lights of the lab seemed diffused. The small sofa was where they'd dumped her. It felt cramped, and she tried to push up.

"Easy!" Captain Rai said, a dark silhouette leaning on her desk, watching her.

"Water?" Ezra sat up slower.

He grabbed the bottle from her desk and threw it at the space next to her. "What happened out there?"

Everything. She drowned half the bottle before speaking. "I don't know. I just felt sick."

"I didn't think a doctor of your calibre would get stage fright." Rai shifted his weight. "Anyway, I've briefed them for now. They are all in the conference room, catching up on your research so far." Rai crossed his arm and nudged at a soldier on standby near the door. One she hadn't noticed. The soldier left the room quietly.

That's when Rai strode to her, dropped to her level, grabbed her by her shoulder so tightly it took her by surprise, and shook her. "Keep your shit together, you hear? I need you to fucking keep you shit together!"

What are you talking about? Ezra stared in confusion.

"You were a blubbering idiot out there." He let go and stood, peering down at her with what she could construe as concern. "Watergate has his eyes on you and Gracery has his eyes on me. Fuck, Dr Mayur, I thought we were in this together."

"In what together?" She finally found her voice.

"To figure out a way to stop this project wreaking havoc around the world without us dying." He narrowed his eyes. "What do you think I meant?"

"You mean you don't approve of this?"

"Approve of killing millions because greedy men in government don't want to lose their riches and actually open up their coffers to give the people enough resources to live? Yeah, I think I'll pass."

"But..."

Rai dropped to his knees again. "Archer grew a fucking conscious towards the end when they ran a test—at some base called Camp Isle where rumour has it, they took a lot of refugees, as test subject. All died. They were forcing him to refine the virus, but he finally saw how terrible this idea was and wanted to go public with it. He asked me to help..."

"But then he died in that freak accident." Ezra nodded, trying to make sense of it.

Rai scoffed. "You think that was an accident?"

"You mean?"

Rai nodded. "What better way to get rid of discordance than fake an accidental outbreak in a level four lab?"

"Do you think the same thing happened to Fly?" Ezra suddenly gripped his hand.

"Fly?"

"The kid who replaced Millen, my detail." Ezra desperately squeezed Rai's hand. "I told him everything yesterday. I couldn't believe he didn't know... and I don't see him here today. It's not like him."

Rai's eyes hardened. "They must have gotten to him."

Because of me! Ezra felt woozy again and swayed uncomfortably. That's what Watergate meant by discordance at the base...

"It wasn't your fault. None of this is." Rai steadied her, staring into her eyes with a fierce determination. "I need you to be brave, Dr Mayur. I need you to be brave and keep playing their game. They'll do it either way, with or without the two of us... but if I can get a sample out of here, then maybe, just maybe, we can save some lives. If not, God help everyone."

"He promised me their safety, my family's, if I cooperate." Ezra felt numb inside. So numb. "That if I do this without causing any more discordance, then he'll let us all go..."

"I need you to listen to me carefully, Dr Mayur." Rai took both her shaking hands in his warm, steady grip. "No one's getting out of here, out of the kindness of their heart. This is a black op, of the highest order. Not exactly sanctioned by any party, any government. They will wash their hands of this; call you the villain. The crazy scientist who's been planning this for a decade—with that paper of yours. They'll claim with the help of your equally fanatical team, you released a deadly pathogen into the world. They'll pull your background, make a case. You are not safe. Nor is your family. Or any of those men and women out there on the floor. Do you think their families are safe from the mob if they name-and-shame you all? GenDesign, a lab of horrors." He gave her hands a squeeze. "I'm sorry you misunderstood the General's words."

Ezra sat still as a statue, feeling as if she was looking at him through someone else's eyes. "He didn't mean to go back home, did he?"

"My gut says no." Rai shook his head. "I've had my doubts for a while, that no one will get out of here alive. Except them, of course, the higher ups. No one will leave this base alive, not when the likes of Gracery and his men are around to make sure that doesn't happen."

"But he promised to give my family vaccines and shelter, in some doomsday bunker..." Ezra's throat and mouth went dry. She blinked back tears, looking into Rai's eyes. "He lied, didn't he?"

"I'm sorry. I never should have brought you here, but I needed someone capable I could count on." He caressed her face gently, wiping away the tears that flowed. "I'm so sorry. The only way we can keep our families safe now is for you to make this pathogen they want, but make it our way, put in a kill switch. It's why I'm here, Dr Mayur. It's why I'm risking everything I have and trusting you to do the right thing."

Ezra took his hand from her face and held it, observing the callouses that were perhaps the result of a hard life lived. She traced the deep lines of his palm with her fingers when he asked, "Can I trust you, Ezra?"

It was the first time Krishna Rai, the man she thought hardened and indifferent to her plight, had said her name, and he said it with so much reverence something knocked loose in her chest. He was looking up at her with bated breath. Her, a poor girl from the wrong side of town.

"Can I trust you?" It was barely a whisper. "I need to know, Doc."

"You can trust me." Perhaps it was the way he was looking at her or the way he held her hand. She leaned in and kissed those lips gently.

It took her by surprise when he returned her kiss fervently, but briefly, before pulling away. "I'm sorry. We can't do this here... but we need to talk. In private. Somewhere, and not now."

"My room? Later?"

He shook his head. "Your flatmate."

"You can trust Tehreem. I promise."

"Good. I thought you might like her with you."He stood up and straightened his near perfect uniform. "I'll see you tonight. Now get out there and look like you mean it. They are watching. And you and I"—he pointed at the two of them—"they cannot find out."

He walked up to the door and opened it, his facade back to the hardened, indifferent man. He waited for her to exit the office before he did. As Ezra slipped back among her people, she didn't know which part of them he'd referred to: the two colluding together to bring down Project Rescue, or the two of them, whatever they were.

A/N: Argh, these characters have a mind of their own and I couldn't say no—just that this wasn't how the chapter was supposed to go, but oh well. I hope you enjoyed it.
It took me by surprise also.

And now, onwards, to hopefully the last chapter. Wish me luck! 😝