Predictably, Tim’s colleagues had many questions for him, as he rejoined them in the compound. Under any other circumstances, he would have ignored them or even argue with them. Still, he was in such great spirits that he started a conversation with them, maintaining that he had to go to New York, due to a family emergency. His excuse didn’t invite any more questions; Tina and Wally left him alone, only minutes before the start of his shift. He went to his room and put on his uniform. For the first time since he set foot in that science facility, Tim Shaw was actually happy to go to work. The night that he had spent with Josephine had made everything feel differently. Even the idea of patrolling in the freezing cold was not enough to dampen his spirits.

As he soon realized, however, Saturday, February 25th would turn out to be a sad day for him and everybody working at the science facility. Tim was about to exit the building, when he noticed Laura’s limo in the parking lot. He stepped outside and folded his arms across his chest, curious about the reasons of her visit. The young blonde seemed to be in quite a hurry; she didn’t even wait for her driver to open her door. Instead, she got out of her car and strutted towards the entrance, staring up at Tim the entire time. The stiff expression on her face worried him, as she climbed the small staircase. Her eyes were filled with a darkened rage. Something was very wrong indeed. He kept his gaze fixed upon her face, at the same time preparing himself for the worst. Tim had faced a number of thugs in the past; he would not be intimidated by a rich, spoiled girl like her. Stopping in front of him, she attempted to throw a right handed punch. He quickly raised his left arm and grabbed her forearm in midair. Laura tried to do the exact same thing, using her other arm, to no avail. Tim managed to grab that that arm as well.

“You son of a bitch!” she screamed, squirming to break free of his hold. “How could you do this to me?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” He squinted at her, pushing her back. Loosening his grip, he let her go and dropped his arms.

“Don’t act like you don’t know!” Laura cried, pointing her finger at him. “I know about you two! Someone saw you kissing in a bar last night!”

Her revelation did not come as a surprise. On some level, Tim expected her to find out. Laura was a powerful woman; it was only natural for her to have eyes everywhere.

“So?” He shrugged his shoulders.

“You got some nerve you little bastard,” she lowered her tone, her breathing heavy as she glared at him. “I throw myself at you and you choose her over me? Where is she?” she inquired, taking a step to the left. When Laura tried to pass him by, he stepped in front of her and blocked her path. “Let me through!” she commanded. “I want her to hear this from me!”

“Hear what?” He asked in an authoritative tone, folding his arms across his chest again, as if he was trying to intimidate her with his sheer size.

“Alright,” she nodded, taking a step back, as an ironic smile spread across her face. “Go tell her that I’m pulling the plug on the funding. No more money from now on. I’ve already paid for this week. I’m not paying for next week, though. You have until Monday morning to clear the premises. Have a nice day, Mr. Shaw.”

Tim was stunned beyond belief. Unable to force another word out of his throat, he watched as Laura slowly turned around, still with the same, smug smile on her face that made the blood boil in his veins. He ran both hands through his hair, as dull despair settled over him. The grim task that was assigned to him broke his heart. Comprehending how hard it would be for him to announce this terrible news to Josephine, for a moment, he thought of calling out to Laura. All the same, he did not. Most likely, the rich blonde would be harsh to Josephine and devastate her even more. He had to do this all by himself.

Tim dragged his feet across the floor, wishing he had never been in this position. He felt his heart pounding in his chest, as he approached the door to Josephine’s lab. Usually, he would knock and ask for permission to enter; there was always a chance that she and her colleagues were running some kind of experiment and did not wish to be interrupted. This time however, he grabbed the handle on the left side of the door and walked into the lab. His rude move startled everybody. They all turned their attention to him. He felt the eyes of eight people on him at the same time, as he put his hands on his waist.

“Sorry to barge in like that,” Tim croaked. “I need to speak to Dr. Taylor: in private.”

“Please give us the room.” Josephine politely requested. He waited for each and every scientist to leave the lab, staring down at the grey, marble floor, too sad to look into her eyes. Upon hearing the sound of the door closing behind him, he clenched his jaw and took a deep breath.

“What’s the matter?” Not even her fruity voice was enough to draw his attention. He remained silent, as she lazily walked up to him, with an empty test tube in her right hand. Tim only opened his mouth when her black, high heels came into view.

“Laura was here earlier,” he groaned, dragging his gaze up to meet hers. “There’s no easy way to say this.”

“Tim, you’re scaring me,” Josephine said, her voice quivering with fear, as she intensified her stare. “Say what?”

“She stopped funding your research.” His blunt response sent her into such deep shock that the tube slipped through her fingers. It fell hard on the floor and shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces. Josephine raised both her hands up to her face and put them over her mouth, as a gasp of surprise left her lips. Tim heaved a long, deep sigh, before removing his hands from his waist. A short step towards her brought him very close to her. He wrapped his long arms around his stunned girlfriend, shutting his eyes. “I’m sorry, doc,” he whispered. “She said you have until Monday to leave this place.”

“It can’t be,” she said, her voice a barely audible, desperate whisper. “Twenty six months of research…” she paused. “Gone? Why?”

“Someone saw us together last night.” He spoke in a low tone. It was at that moment that his conversation with his friend Jon flashed through his mind. Tim had been too preoccupied to think about it any further; he had not given him a straight answer yet. But now, he didn’t have much choice. If he wanted to give her a helping hand, he had to go back to being an outlaw. Just when he was about to speak, though, he felt her body shaking violently in his embrace. Josephine dropped her arms, as if they had no strength left in them and rested her head on his chest, breaking down into loud, wailing sobs. Tim ran his hands up her back and buried his face into her hair. Understanding that anything that he might say would not ease her pain, he stopped his hands at her shoulders and gently pushed her back.

“Look at me,” he urged, his voice deep and raspy. Josephine opened her teary eyes and rolled her gaze up, as two tears streamed down her cheeks. “It’s not over yet.”

“Of course it’s over,” she sniffled. “God, it hurts so much.”

“How much money do you need?” He asked in a calm and steady voice.

“It’s not just the money, Tim.” Frustration was lingering in her broken voice. “Look around you. We need tons of equipment; a new building. Where are we going to find all those things?”

“Who knows how much this stuff costs?” Tim posed one more question.

“Dr. Silver.” Josephine replied. “She oversaw the purchases.”

“Tell her to gather receipts, invoices: the works.” His commanding tone brought on an inquisitive look. “Tell the troops that they’re getting a few days off. We’re going to New York.”

“New York?” her voice suddenly went up several octaves. “Why? Why do we need to g…”

“Just do as I say,” he interrupted. “I’ll wait for you in my car. I’ll explain everything on the way over.”