Page 1 of Glass Rose
ONE
SOFIA
This is it. No going back now. Four civilians are about to see what Green Research has been hiding for years—what I’ve been documenting in secret for months. What I’ve been complicit in.
I wipe my palm on my lab coat, the keycard too slick in my grip.
2:11 PM.
They’re late.
What did I expect?
Punctuality isn’t exactly compatible with Alex’s carefully cultivated too-cool-for-rules persona. I should’ve known better than to trust a Vlogger with something this important.
I’ve timed this perfectly, but one unexpected patrol and we’re all fucked. Every second we waste increases the likelihood of someone discovering us in a place we shouldn’t be.
I glance up at the security camera mounted in the corner, its red light blinking steadily. Henry, an old friend of my father, should have looped the feed by now. Empty corridor footage on repeat.
I tug at my lab coat, straightening it over my tremblingshoulders. What am I doing? Maybe they’re not coming. Perhaps I can still abort this whole fucking catastrophe waiting to happen.
Two more laps around the service entrance, and I’ll call it off. I’ll delete the emails, wipe my phone, and pretend I never contacted them. I’ll go back to my lab and keep taking notes on the ‘progress’ of our subjects, watching them deteriorate while telling myself I’m gathering evidence.
But then what? Keep documenting atrocities while pretending I’m not complicit?
I’m such a coward.
The keycard burns in my hand like a confession.
Five years of education and three years of dedicated research, and I’m about to torch it all in one night. Those people in the cells below… they didn’t sign up for this. Neither did I.
My phone buzzes, and my heart launches into my throat. I swallow it back down, striding to the door and swiping my card.
Alex Torres, urban exploration extraordinaire, flashes that camera-ready smile that’s charmed thousands of followers and gotten me out of my pants more times than I care to admit. Three people trail behind him.
Good. Everyone is wearing the lab coats I provided. If anyone spots us, we look like research staff making rounds.
“Sofia.” Alex wraps me in a quick hug. “Looking good for someone about to commit corporate espionage.”
I step back, putting professional distance between us. “This isn’t a joke. I told you to come at 2:05 precisely because security does rounds at 2:00 and 2:30. People’s lives are at stake.”
“Always so serious.” He tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear, fingers lingering a second too long. It’s been one month since our last hookup. “That’s what I like about you.”
I swat his hand away, turning to address the crew. “Listen up. I’m a pharmaceutical researcher here. What you’re about to see violates every ethical standard in modern medicine. But if any of you screw this up, we’re all going to jail.” My voice shakes despite my efforts. “Follow me closely and keep that camera off me. I can’t be identified in your footage. And please don’t touch anything.”
“Relax, we’ll blur you out and voice disguised, just like you asked,” he says.
I check my watch again. “We have eighteen minutes before the next security sweep.”
“We know the drill, Doc. I’m Mia, by the way,” she says. “I handle sound and photos.” She gestures to the tall, lanky younger guy beside her. “That’s Peter, camera pro, and that’s Jack, our production assistant. We’re not amateurs.”
“I know. That’s why I decided to tell you. But this… This isn’t some abandoned factory with cool graffiti. This is a billion-dollar company that could ruin our lives with a snap of their fingers. This is a biocontainment facility with experimental compounds that could literally dissolve your skin.”
That shuts her up.
Alex steps between us. “Sofia’s right. Mia, Jack, Peter, do what she says.” He turns to me. “Lead the way.”
I guide them through the first security checkpoint, using my keycard and punching in my code with shaking fingers. The light blinks green, and the pneumatic door hisses open.
