Mitchel’s hand paused on the seatbelt as his phone interrupted the moment.


    Luis was on the other end.


    Anticipating a casual call, Mitchel dismissed it, only to see Luis ‘name sh again.


    “Yes?” he answered on the second ring.


    Luis’ grave tone met Mitchel.


    “Theb results came through.


    ”


    Mitchel’s brow furrowed.


    “What results?” he probed.


    “The blood analysis my overseas contact conducted while youy unconscious the other day,” Luis exined.


    A beat passed.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    “And?” Mitchel pressed.


    With earnest gravity, Luis revealed, “You were administered a virus known as ‘Mutant.


    ’ It was smuggled out and sold by someone from Swynborough’s bio-research sector.


    Only two pairs exist worldwide, and there’s no antidote.


    ”


    A sharp intake of breath from Mitchel as he processed this.


    “saying there are only two pairs, and I was injected with one?”


    Luis’s surprise at Mitchel’s level-headed reaction was palpable.


    While panic would have been the norm, Mitchel was astute enough totch onto a vital piece of the conversation.


    “Yes, ‘Mutant’ is given in twos,” Luis shared.


    Luis continued to rify that the creators of “Mutant” had found a single dose to be benign.


    Only with a second injection would the real trouble start, triggering the mutation.


    Mitchel digested this with a flicker of relief.


    “So Lauren’s single injection hasn’t put me in immediate danger?”


    “That’s correct.


    ”


    Mitchel contemted this revtion in silence, his mind racing.


    After a pause, Luis cautioned Mitchel to stay vignt.


    For now, Lauren was out of the picture, ted for her fate in mere days.


    Mitchel then probed the more pressing issue.


    “How did Lauren get ess to such a virus?”


    Such a thing was beyond the reach of Swynborough’s fortifiedbs, certainly beyond the strength of the Murray family.


    Luis admitted his ongoing probe but disclosed that one pair of “Mutant” was with the Maxwells on Aurora.


    The mention of the Maxwell lineage brought a darker shadow to Mitchel’s expression.


    Agitationced his next words.


    “If the second injection finds me, what’s my timeline?”


    There was reluctance in Luis’s voice, an urging toward Mitchel’s self-preservation, but Mitchel was adamant.


    “The full truth.


    I have to know,” he insisted with gravity.


    Luis’ voice carried a soft but grave note.


    “Three months.


    ”


    The words hung in the air as Mitchel repeated them, seeking confirmation.