Summer’s scalp itched, the wig and her nerves making her hot. She smiled at the receptionist, an older woman named Regina, who seemed just as happy to talk to Summer as to work. “Oh, I just love it,” said Summer, doing her best to gush like she’d seen other women do. “I’ve worked in the technology sector for quite some time, and let me tell you, Val Corp. is one of the best in the industry. The people are top-notch, and Danielle Spacey alone could've gotten me to work there for a dime-store salary. I know I'm just going to fit in so well there, you know?"

The receptionist’s guard had gone up the moment Summer walked in the door, but now she smiled affably. "I hear lots of good things about Danielle. I know our last rep really enjoyed working with her."

"Were y’all close? Because I know sometimes it can be so hard when someone new comes in. But I look forward to working with y'all just so much." Her face ached from the effort required to maintain her smile. The ones she dealt with always seemed cheerful. "I know once we get the booth set up and I get to know all of the engineers personally, we’re going to get along just great. Did you bring your lunch? Because I'm having our event catered at the booth in a couple of hours, and you're welcome to join us."

The woman’s face lit up. “Oh, that's so nice of you. I would love to."

Nothing like free food to open doors wide.

Of course, they’d be long gone before lunchtime and the caterers were as imaginary as her sales job. "I just need to have my men come in and set up the booth. There are four of them. They'll need passes, of course."

The receptionist tore off more visitor passes from a large roll, handing them to Summer. "Is that them, outside?"

"It sure is.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “They are something to look at, aren't they? This is the fourth location where we set up the booth. And I so enjoy watching them work." She winked at the receptionist, who giggled.

An alarm sounded in the distance. Summer cocked her head. "Oh my Lord, what is all that ruckus about?"

The receptionist picked up her phone. "It's just one of the sensors on the testing floor. This happens sometimes."

Summer put a hand to her chest. “I hope there's nothing wrong."

"Oh, no. Worst-case scenario, the researchers just have to evacuate the testing facility for a little bit while the air is exchanged.”

“I’ll just grab my team, then.” Summer pushed back outside. The wind was brutal, biting her skin. “Ready when you are, gentlemen. The air quality alarm is going off as planned.”

“I can’t believe this stuff happens all the time,” said Razorback. “What’s the point in having an alarm if you can’t rely on it?”

“Happens at Daniels at least once a month because our experiments can trigger the system. I told you. And we have to clear the floor, or else OSHA would have a field day.”

Moto closed his laptop. "I have the sensors off-line for the next forty-five minutes, which should give you plenty of time to get in there while the place is empty.”

Luke gestured toward the lobby with his chin. "Looks like you made quite a friend in there.”

"I did. Turns out I could be pretty good at sales. But you better watch yourself. She's staring at your ass." She handed out the fluorescent orange visitor stickers and the group made their way inside.

Once out of earshot of the reception area, Mac spoke in a quiet voice. "First the testing facility, then the IT director gets a visit. Let's see if we can find that brancium before somebody realizes we don't belong in Oz."

"Look confident and carry a clipboard," said Luke. “Summer, you're with me in the testing facility. You guys check out the lab."

“We’re looking for a shiny little needle in a proverbial haystack," said Mac.

“It’s here,” said Summer. “I know it is.”

The group separated, Summer continuing down one corridor with Luke as the others disappeared in the distance. Three men in white lab coats walked toward them and Summer smiled sweetly. "Good morning, gentlemen. Val Corp. will be sponsoring lunch in the cafeteria this afternoon. Hope to see y’all there.”

"You're enjoying this," he whispered.

"I am. I need to broaden my horizons. Open myself up to new experiences."

"Is that so?"

"Definitely.”

“I like you with red hair.”

“Shut up.”

The testing facility resembled the one at Daniels Aerospace, though everything here was stainless steel, white, or royal blue. The color scheme matched AGL’s logo, as if the Daniels lab had been taken over by evil forces. “This way,” she said. There were two testing machines that were large enough to be used for Alloy 531, but as she got closer, she realized that neither one had the heat shielding required. "That's not it, either.”

She put her hands on her hips.

"I thought they couldn't make this stuff without brancium.”

"They can't. But that equipment can only be made by special request, and it took almost a year for us to get ours. If they were planning on stealing the brancium, you would think they would have the equipment required to use it.”

“Would they need it if they were making bombs?”

She nodded. “Yes. They’d still need the friction accelerator."

"And you're sure? Nothing here is even a possibility?"

"No way."

Luke tapped a button behind his ear. "We've got nothing." He was quiet, listening. "Affirmative." He tapped the button again. "They struck out, too. Time to check out the IT director’s office. Keep in mind, we’re going to get hotter the longer we stay in this building. The more people see us and know we’re here, the more they’re going to wonder why. Especially when we’re snooping around the offices.”

She opened the app Moto designed, using her phone like a virtual reality GPS to locate the IT director’s office. She was angry. This woman had betrayed her, and Summer didn’t take that lightly. “I want to talk to her. Confront her. Maybe I’ll even kick her ass.”

“That’s a bad idea.”

An older man was walking toward them, dressed in a dress shirt and tie. Summer smiled. “Good morning. How are you doing?” He nodded and they kept walking.

“That wig doesn't make you invisible, you know. Just because your appearance is altered doesn't mean you're unrecognizable, especially to the woman who used to work for you.”

“I want her to realize she did something bad by breaking into the company computers and stealing what doesn't belong to her.”

“There’s a time and a place for that, neither of which is here and now. I can't protect you when you won't listen to me about what’s safe.”

"I'm tired of being safe. Safe got my godfather killed. Safe let someone walk into my world and ruin everything my family’s worked for."

He grabbed her arm, stopping her from walking. “Jesus, Summer. Do you want to end up on the wrong side of a gun for the second time in as many days? Because that’s what could happen. This isn’t a game. I know you’re frustrated and you’re scared and you hate this situation, but you can’t just decide you aren’t going to stand for it and tell this woman to go screw herself.”

She fumed. “I’m mad.”

“I know you are.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw the older man they’d passed earlier appear in the hallway behind Luke, unmoving. “Don’t look, but that guy’s watching us,” she said quietly.

“He wonders what we’re doing here. Two strangers who don’t belong off wandering by themselves. Kiss me.”

“What?”

The man cleared his throat. “Excu—”

Summer went up on her tiptoes, Luke’s mouth coming down on hers. They were open to each other, tongues mingling, their bodies touching from head all the way down like lust-filled lovers in the middle of a full-blown public display of affection. He groaned, seeming to truly enjoy this sensual assault designed to look like lust. If he was acting, he should take a bow, because even she wasn’t so sure anymore.

This was a chemical reaction, a coming together of two elements, and the creation of a completely new compound. She wished so badly they were alone, that he would kiss her like this with no one else around and an entire night spread out before them to muddy up with all sorts of questionable decisions.

Remember how quick he was to believe a committed schizophrenic over your father.

She opened her eyes to slits, checking for their observer and relieved he was no longer there. “He’s gone.”

Luke’s mouth came off hers but hovered over her lips, his hand moving to her hip and holding her possessively. “Me, too.”

She pulled away and straightened her clothes, noting the quick skip of her heartbeat. She had a problem. Because no matter what was keeping her away from him, a greater force was pulling her closer, at least physically.

His stare moved from her face to her breasts and back again, but his voice was all business. “Promise me you won’t go all Miami Vice on this woman. If she’s in her office, we leave and let Moto try to access her machine remotely.”

“That would be difficult for him to do. Probably impossible.”

“He wrote an app in the car.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, maybe.”

“Let’s hope she’s not there.”

They continued down the hall and rounded a corner, the hallway opening up and light spilling from wide windows onto carpeting. Nameplates beside each door let her zero in on her former IT Director. The doorway was closed. “What do we do now?” she asked.

“I walk in. She doesn’t know me, so if she’s there, I claim I have the wrong office and just leave.” He knocked on the door, entering when no one answered, then gestured for her to follow.

This was it. From this office, her former employee had deliberately sabotaged Daniels Aerospace, easily gaining access to their servers and helping herself to anything she wanted. “She looked at my computer files, I can look at hers." She walked toward the desk, wishing she’d brought spray paint so she could let out her rage. What had come over her? It was as if a dam had broken, hidden facets of her personality coming forth like raging waters.

“I’m guessing she has a password,” he said.

"I don't care. I want to touch it. I want to break her damn space bar. I want her to know I was in here and feel as violated as I felt when she—” She stopped short as she rounded the corner of the desk and gasped. "Oh my God!” There, on the rug, her old IT director lay in a pool of blood, the back of her skull caved in, frizzy blonde hair caked with blood.

“What’s wrong?” Luke crossed the room. “Jesus. That hurt.”

The anger she’d been carrying dissipated in an instant, the woman’s injuries leaving Summer queasy and dazed. She fought for composure. “Why would they kill her?”

“She knew too much, is my guess.”

“Good guess,” said a voice from the doorway.

Summer and Luke exchanged a look as they slowly turned around.

Steven Walsh, the disgruntled former employee she’d seen on the testing floor right before the explosion at Daniels Aerospace, held a gun pointed at her. What looked like a fine spray of blood graced his white dress shirt.

He opened the door a bit, his eyes still trained on them. “Regina,” he called. “Evacuate the building. The air quality issue is spreading. You need to get out, too.” He closed the door, an odd little smile settling on his mouth. “You gave me the perfect excuse with that ruse you’ve got going. Too bad for you, I traced the alarm signal to an outside source. Now we just have to give these cows a few minutes to get out of the pasture, and the three of us will have the building all to ourselves.”