Page 31 - DeepRestFlipFinal

DEEP REST
wiping every trace of her session. She wasn't just a
scientist anymore. She was a target.
She thought of Finch, the forgotten doctor. Had he
been muzzled because of his discovery? Had he been
too naive, too trusting?
She wouldn't make that mistake.
She packed up Mallory’s binder, tucking it into a
hidden compartment in her briefcase. She gathered her
notes, her research, everything that hinted at Deep
Rest. She would take it all home. Her lab, once a
sanctuary, now felt exposed, vulnerable.
As she walked out of the building, the moon high
above, casting long shadows across the deserted
campus, she felt a strange mix of exhilaration and
dread. She’d found something extraordinary.
Something that could change the world. But the world
rarely welcomed change, especially when it threatened
established power.
She reached her car, fumbling with the keys. As
she unlocked the door, a flash of movement caught her
eye. A shadow, darker than the night, detaching itself
from the deeper shadows beneath a stand of oak trees.
She froze. Her heart pounding against her ribs.
It was just a shadow. The wind rustling the leaves.
Her imagination, playing tricks on her exhausted
mind.
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