Sam sat behind the desk, arms crossed. “You guys don’t have something better to do tonight than hang out here?”
“We’re working on some extra credit for my parents,” Zella said, pressing her hand to the scanner. It beeped, and the metal scanner whirled as she stepped through it. The rest of us did the same.
“Be careful. The security protocols have been increased. One step in the wrong direction, and it’ll zap you.”
“Zap?” My voice cracked.
“Yeah, zap.” Sam waved his fingers at us. “Freeze you in place, charge you with a bolt of electricity. This old security system has a few tricks up her sleeve.”
Asher slung an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. I couldn’t stop my eyes from drifting closed and letting his warmth drift over me. “Don’t worry — I’ll protect you.”
I straightened and flashed him a grin. “I can protect myself, thank you very much. Besides, you know I only like you for your brain.”
He stuck out his tongue at me, and the four of us made our way down to the robotics labs in Division Five. The hall lights flickered on as we approached, and Zella typed in the password on the keypad. The lab doors slid open, a breath of metallic-smelling air wafting out to greet us. Zella’s mom looked up from one of the tables and smiled at us as we entered. Inside, the lab was kind of creepy, with various half-built robots and bodies scattered throughout. Arms and legs were scattered on the tables, wires hanging limply from their stumps. Some of the parts looked human; others were just robotic shells of metal and cable.
“Hey, Mom.” Zella dropped her backpack on one of the tables and kissed her mom’s cheek.
“Thanks for helping out tonight, guys.” Zella’s mom finished tightening a screw on one of the robots standing along the wall.
Max nodded, scanning the room. “No problem, Dr. Wheeler. We’re just glad to help.” His expression turned to longing as he gazed at the table full of internal electronic systems. I stared at the bio-skin draped over metal frames on the wall. It looked so lifelike.
“You ready, Helen?” Zella’s dad came out of the office at the far end of the room, wiping his hands on his lab coat. “Can’t be late for Danvers’ big meeting.”
She frowned. “I don’t know why she scheduled it after-hours. It’s bad enough she cuts into our workdays; now it’s on a Friday night? I just hope it’s important. The last meeting we had was about reporting our project time. That’s what we have administrative assistants for.”
“We’ll be fine down here — don’t worry about us.” Zella waved at her parents as they left the lab. The door slid closed behind them, leaving the four of us staring at each other. None of us wanted to be the one to make the first move.
Finally, Zella squared her shoulders. “We ready to do this?”
Asher nodded and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Let’s set our timers. Max, you have the stuff?”
Max nodded and held up his messenger bag. “Tools to remove the photon core. Titanium alloy explosive device and timer to destroy the machine. I think we’re all set. You?”
Asher cracked his knuckles. “USB in my pocket with the hack, my magic fingers, and Lexie as my wingman? What could go wrong?”
I flashed him a sour look. “I’m glad you guys are excited about this.” I wiped my palms on my jeans. They just wouldn’t stop sweating. If we got caught, it was over for all of us and maybe even our families. Not even Asher’s cute dimple could calm the panic thundering through me right now.
“Let’s do this.” Asher held his hand out, and the rest of us piled on top.
I bit my lip before suggesting, “Go team?”
Max stuck his tongue out at me. “How about, ‘good luck’?”
His words sucked all the oxygen from the room. We were all quiet for a long moment as the reality sank in. We were actually going to do this.
I swallowed — hard — and tried to push the fear away. We wouldn’t get anything done if we freaked out about it now. “See you guys soon.”
Asher and I left the lab, using the elevator to get back to the second floor office level. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at the elevator doors. “Amy texted me last night. Tried to apologize.”
I studied the Captain Science logo on his cheesy science t-shirt, almost afraid to meet his eyes. “Oh?”
“I deleted it.”
“Good.” I risked a glance at his face. “So I’ve been wondering. What exactly did she mean the other day when she brought your mom up at Coco’s?”
He looked away. “Mom wants to come back to work at QT. She threatened if anything went wrong with the project, she’d apply to head it up herself. I can’t have her back here, Lexie. If she left us again…”
I took his hand, squeezed it. “That’s why you were so adamant things go well? That we not tell Danvers? So your mom wouldn’t have a reason to come home?”
Asher nodded. “I know I can’t stop her, but Amy threatened to tell everyone what was going on if I didn’t help her with her work.” He rocked back on his heels. “Stupid thing is, I would have done it because we were friends up until that point.”
“It doesn’t matter now. We need to focus on Danvers and Branston. We’ll take care of your mom later. Together.”
He smiled, and I felt a familiar surge of heat flow through me. I forced myself to ignore it as the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. Asher and I exchanged worried looks before stepping out into the deserted hallway.
“We’ll be fine,” Asher whispered as he took my hand.
The warmth of his skin soaked into me, steadying my heartbeat. I nodded and forced a weak smile. “If you say so.”
We crept toward Danvers’ office at the end of the hall. My whole body was on edge, waiting for the slightest sound of detection, my eyes scanning the shadows as we walked. Asher crouched before Danvers’ door to inspect the keypad and lock.
My stomach sank at the flashing lights and the impossible technology standing between us and her computer inside. “We’re never going to get in there. It’s impossible.”
Asher’s grin was wicked. “You should know me better than that by now.” He pulled his smartphone from his pocket and slid an attachment into the jack. A cord stretched from the phone and ended with a flat piece of square metal the size of a credit card. He slid it into the card lock on Danvers’ door.