Love in Retrograde (2 page)

“You’re getting too involved, Jordan. I warned you about this. You’re going to get in over your head, if you haven’t already.”

“I know what I’m doing. Please, Lucky.”

Lucky? Had Dr. Skye just called Lucius “Lucky”? What in the name of Stephen Hawking was going on? Dr. Skye was the most highly respected scientist at the Photonic Royal Society of New London, with a security clearance Kelly dreamed of having one day. The guy was personally involved with Project Mars. His accomplishments and merits put him at the very top of their field. The projects he must have headed. The things he’d seen. He was at the peak of his career and barely into his midforties. The man was a genius. Currently a flustered genius, which didn’t bode well.

Kelly ignored the little voice of sanity in his head telling him not to do anything stupider and slipped inside. The room was dark, with only the glow of a small lamp somewhere on the other side of the glass shelving unit housing scores of empty beakers, sterilized pans, and a host of other supplies. Despite his view being somewhat impeded by the nanoautoclave and nanocentrifuge, Kelly spotted Jordan and Lucius on the other side having an argument. The two stood toe-to-toe, with Jordan’s fair hair and light blue eyes a stark contrast to Lucius’s dark hair and dark eyes. Lucius was also bulkier than Jordan, and stood a few inches taller, his expression far more intimidating. Where most would turn tail and run at Lucius’s scowl, Jordan didn’t seem to even notice.

“How can you ask me to do this?” Lucius asked, shaking his head. “You do know what you’re asking?”

“I need you to trust me. Transfer Kelly to my team.”

What did he have to do with any of this? Maybe he should say something.
Like what? “Oh, sorry, I was just eavesdropping when I heard you say my name?”

Lucius let out a weary sigh. “You’ve been asking me for months, and my answer’s always the same.”

“I know he’ll see what I do. He’s the solution I’ve been looking for. I just know it.”

Kelly didn’t like the sound of this. Why were these two sneaking around? If Jordan wanted to transfer Kelly to his team, why didn’t he just put in a transfer? Why the secret rendezvous with Lucius? Working with Jordan would be an incredible opportunity for Kelly. Why was Lucius so set against it?

Lucius let out a frustrated growl. “Think about what you’re asking. Not only are you putting your own career,
your life
, at risk, but you’re asking me to risk Kelly’s life as well? This can’t continue, Jordan.”

Risk his life? Oh God, it was worse than he thought. What had Jordan gotten himself caught up in?

“I won’t help you kill yourself.” Lucius’s expression softened, and he cupped Jordan’s face before kissing him.

Holy hell! Kelly turned to flee and ran right into a table stacked with boxes. They tumbled to the ground, the glass beakers inside rendered useless, much like his supposed high IQ.

“What the bloody hell?” Jordan rounded the shelving unit, his expression grim.

“Um, hi.” Kelly waved. “I was just um… I forgot my um, and then uh….” It was official. He was an idiot. Oh God. This was it. His career was over before it began.

Lucius pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “I’m going to regret this. I just know it. Fine, Jordan. He’s all yours.”

Kelly held a hand up. “As much as I would love whatever opportunity Dr. Skye is proposing, I’m uh, a little concerned about the risking my life part.” It was a valid concern, wasn’t it? “I may have heard most, if not all, of your conversation.”

Lucius narrowed his eyes at him. Perhaps his concern was not valid.

“I don’t suppose I have a say in this?”

Both men replied simultaneously. “No.”

“Oh. Okay.” Kelly cleared his throat. “Just checking.”

“From tomorrow, you’ll be working with Dr. Skye.” Lucius stepped up to Kelly and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Whatever happens, whatever you see, remember who you are.” He prodded Kelly’s chest over his heart. “Here. You’re strong. You can do this.” With a curt nod, he started to turn when something occurred to him. “Oh, and if you utter one word about what you saw in here, I
will
crush you.”

“Right. Got it.” Kelly held a hand up in promise. “Not a word.” He might not be the shiniest beaker in the set, but he wasn’t a total dipstick.

“He’s really just a big softie,” Jordan offered cheerfully as soon as Lucius was out of earshot. Whatever Jordan was selling, Kelly wasn’t buying it, especially when it concerned Lucius.

“A crowbar to the face is technically softer than a space station landing on you,” Kelly muttered.

Jordan chuckled. “Come on. I’ll explain everything.”

Kelly’s gut told him he should politely decline Jordan’s offer and run for the hills, but his stubborn side was desperate to find out what had Jordan and Lucius at odds. What was so important they’d risk their lives for? There was only one way to find out. Kelly motioned to the door.

“Lead us to our doom, doctor.”

SO FAR
doom included sitting on a quaint little nanoglass bench up on the society’s landscaped roof terrace. Kelly had to admit it was an impressive view of the city, especially at this time of night. So much had changed over the last few decades. Cities were now an amalgamation of historic buildings and gleaming nanoglass skyscrapers illuminated with reusable energy. In the evening, the nanoparticles blanketing the heavens came to life and filled the skies with transmitted ads, news, and other information. It had caused many problems at first, such as a severe increase in traffic accidents, but much like the age of walking up the left side of the escalator and standing on the right, people eventually got the hang of it.

Jordan sat in silence as he watched the ads in the sky. Maybe Kelly should break the ice.

“Things were kind of heavy between you and Lucius back there.”

Jordan’s face went red, and he laughed shyly, his gaze on his hands. “Lucius isn’t usually so forward with his affections. Not in public anyway. He’s much more adventurous at home.”

Oh God, he did
not
need to hear about his mentor’s sex life. Jordan’s embarrassed expression almost made up for the horrific images planted in Kelly’s head. Almost.

“Oh, you meant the um, argument, not the uh, kissing part. Of course you did. Apologies.”

“No problem,” Kelly murmured. “Maybe we should get to the… thing.”

“Yes, of course. I’ve been involved with Project Mars for over fifteen years now.” Jordan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Some time ago, I began having… doubts. This
project
hasn’t turned out at all as I expected, and my concerns grew by the day.” Jordan’s voice became hushed as he leaned closer. “Over the course of the last six months, I’ve noticed irregularities in the program, certain inconsistencies and information pertaining to departments not on the original dossier. I’m sure you’ve noticed something similar in your findings?”

“Yes!” Kelly almost jumped out of his seat, startling Jordan. “Sorry. I got a little excited there. I noticed, but Lucius wouldn’t allow me to investigate.”

“He was trying to protect you,” Jordan assured him.

“That’s what he told me.” He felt guilty now that he knew Lucius really had been doing it to protect him and not to stunt his career. Kelly just wished they’d tell him what they were trying to protect him from.

“Kelly, we’ve been creating the most advanced bionanotechnology in existence, combined with cellular engineering. The answer to expanding human life. I brought up these anomalies with the society director, and he instructed I continue without question. As I was leaving his office, he received a visit from the director general. I suspect the government is at play here, and they’re purposefully keeping vital information from us.”

“You’re telling me Project Mars was commissioned by the government?” The implications of what Jordan was telling him were staggering. “Jesus, no wonder Lucius is pissed off. If this project belongs to the government and you’re poking around where you shouldn’t….” This was bad. Very bad. He had a feeling it was about to get a whole lot worse. “Where do I come in on all this?” He probably shouldn’t have asked.

“I will get to the truth of the matter, but I need your help to do it.”

Yep, definitely wished he hadn’t asked.

“This is crazy. You’re asking me to help you destroy my career or possibly get me killed,” Kelly whispered hoarsely. He shouldn’t even be sitting here. Blood, sweat, and tears had gotten him this internship, and now Jordan was asking him to throw it all away. For what? A hunch? The need to expose a
maybe
government conspiracy? Kelly wasn’t so naïve as to believe the higher-ups did nothing but sit around in their cushy chairs behind their desks drinking cognac and sharing hunting stories. Interning for scientific institutes often resulted in him overhearing things he wished he hadn’t. Despite the advancement in technology, the world was hardly a fluffy, handholding, marshmallow-roasting place. Was Jordan out of his mind? “Whatever it is, I can’t—”

“Please, don’t make any decisions until you’ve seen Project Mars for yourself.”

This was insane. Kelly let out a sigh. “Dr. Skye—”

“Call me Jordan.” Jordan placed his hand over Kelly’s. Please. Not awkward at all.

How could he even consider it? Then again, all Jordan was asking him to do was look at the project. That’s all. He could do that much for Jordan. And then say no.

“Okay.”

“Great. Let’s go.” Jordan stood and sprinted for the door. The guy was kind of scary when he was on a mission.

“Wait,
now
?” Kelly looked at his watch. “It’s almost midnight.” Not that anyone would question him being at the society at this hour, especially if he was in Jordan’s company. A good many of the scientists stayed until the wee hours of the morning, some even spending the night. Receiving no response, Kelly briskly followed Jordan downstairs.

Nearing the Biotech Wing, Kelly did his best to calm his nerves. He had no idea what he’d find on the other side of the expansive steel door. Most of the building was made of glass, except for the biotech wing. What were they keeping in there that had to be hidden behind reinforced nanograde steel?

Jordan placed his fingerprints on the nanogel screen, and the door swished open to reveal a small corridor and yet another steel door. Really?

Kelly gave a snort. “Who are they trying to keep out?”

“Actually, it’s who they’re trying to keep in.”

Kelly was opening his mouth to speak when the door opened, revealing what appeared to be living quarters. If Jordan was lead scientist on this, it would make sense he spent most of his time at the lab, though his mention of Lucius’s behavior at home had given Kelly the impression the two lived together outside the lab.

A tall, muscular, broad-shouldered man dressed in a charcoal-gray three-piece suit and matching tie entered the room. His hair was black and cropped, his jaw chiseled, and his eyes a strange bright amber.

“What the…?”

Who the hell was
this
guy? Kelly had never seen him before. He definitely would have remembered. Whoever he was, he looked annoyed. He stood in the center of the room scowling at them.

“You’re late,” the man said to Jordan, his voice a deep growl.

“My apologies. I’m here now.”

Jordan motioned to another unmarked steel door. Was he not going to introduce Kelly to their suited friend? Was he security? He didn’t look like a scientist. More like some sleek Fortune 500 executive who spent one too many nights at the gym to impress his clients. He was handsome, and he carried himself tall, exuded confidence. Or was that arrogance? Either way, Kelly was about to ask when the steel door opened, revealing some sort of training facility.

Wait, were they in the Project Mars wing, or had Kelly stumbled onto the society’s secret spa? Jordan removed his jacket and hung it neatly on one of the metal hooks to the right of the entrance. He rolled up his sleeves and removed his shoes. To Kelly’s befuddlement, Suit-guy did the same. Several black mats were spread across the floor, along with all kinds of isometric and biometric endurance equipment. Various moving holographic rods hung from the ceiling, a number of them lighting up when Jordan and Suit-guy stepped onto one of the mats to face each other.

Hold up. Were these two going to fight? One rod flickered to life, projecting information rapidly until it blinked once and stopped on Jordan’s profile. It listed everything from his height to his current heart rate. Kelly turned to the second holographic display and froze.

MARS.

As in…
Project Mars
?

Was this guy somehow involved in the project? Maybe he was the one in charge or the brains behind the whole thing. Before Kelly could give it another thought, Suit-guy attacked Jordan. A gasp caught in Kelly’s throat. He was about to run to Jordan’s aid when the doctor retaliated.

Holy shit.
The doctor could fight. Not just fight, he was holding his own against Suit-guy’s assault. Jordan ducked and parried. He rolled under one of Suit-guy’s fists before breaking into a run toward one of the walls. He hit it with his fist, and something clicked. Two panels opened, revealing shelving with more weapons than Kelly had ever seen in his life, and considering how many action movies he’d watched in his lifetime, that said something.

Jordan swiped up a knife and came at Suit-guy, who deflected each of Jordan’s intended blows. The two continued their close-quarter combat until Suit-guy slammed his hand into Jordan’s chest, knocking him off his feet. Kelly flinched when Jordan landed harshly on his back. To his horror, Suit-guy snatched up the knife and lunged at Jordan.

“No!”

Kelly was darting forward when Jordan threw a hand out, his sharp order resonating through the room.

“Kelly!”

Both Kelly and Suit-guy stopped in their tracks. Without hesitation, Suit-guy dropped the knife and stood at attention. Kelly froze to the spot, his heart about to beat out of him. He stared at Suit-guy standing ramrod straight, his gaze forward at nothing in particular, his expression unreadable.