Mr. Sexy Red Hair folded his arms over his massive chest. The muscles flexed under his shirt. Karma enjoyed the way the light hit his strong features. He was menacing and lovely, all at the same time. Behind her, she could hear someone leaving. The door thumped shut.
Gears shrugged. He bent over to look at the cuts on her right thigh.
"I need to clean these cuts and close them. Cleanliness is next to godliness," Gears said in an off-handed way. "Josh said, 'gave her stuff,' but I don't know what they did exactly. I'm examining her."
Gears swabbed her cuts with a cotton ball. After a few minutes, he glanced up at Red Hair again.
"Is Ken coming back to take care of Josh and Charlie?"
"He'll do it after we're done here. He's hot-headed, but he gets the job done. I don't know what his problem is, but he'll cool off. He never did like those two. My dad hired them long ago at a different base, so I gave them a chance. I think Ken was angry that I kept them."
Karma was momentarily distracted by the conversation. She barely noticed as Gears ran his hands down her arms. His fingers were soft as they smoothed over her flesh.
"Hey, Mac, check this out."
So, Red Hair was named Mac? Karma wanted to giggle.
"Your name is Mac? That's silly," she murmured. "Like mac and cheese? That's noodles in a box. I had them once." She slurred her words. They hung around her ears in a mist.
Mac and Gears both looked at her. She stared into Mac's eyes. They were a delightful shade of green. She thought about a pot of grass she had when she was younger. His eyes were the same color. Thick green grass, back when the sun could melt the snow.
"What's going on?" Mac leaned closer.
"I think one of them gave her my memory drug."
"Why do you say that?"
"I looked at the bottles set on the table. One of them is RCC100. I can tell because it's a cream, not a liquid. The other one is the drug that keeps you immobilized for 24 hours. That drug has a scratch on the cap. I assumed that was the stuff Josh was referring to. When he said that, I saw the bottle wasn't tampered with, so I didn't worry about it. But look here." Gears pointed to the floor. "There's an empty bottle. The only other thing he had on him is the memory drug. The container is empty. You can see where the needle entered here." Gears' fingers tugged on her arm.
"First, why didn't you label them? Second, what does the memory drug do exactly?"
"I lost my label maker."
"I'll get you a new one." Mac took a deep breath. "And the drug?"
"It erases your memories." Gears pressed his finger to his mouth as if he might vomit. His eyes widened. He looked like a guilty puppy that just crapped on his master's bed. Karma should be more concerned about losing her memories, but she wasn't. Caring about anything was way too difficult right now.
"Damn it. We need to know why she's here." Mac paced and then stopped in front of her chair. "First, we'll reverse it." Mac seemed to take charge. She accepted that. He was assertive. The confidence was sexy. "What do we give her to get her memories back? I want her exactly the way she was before."
Mac ran his hands through his hair. The red locks stood up on end. She liked it.
"I don't have anything for reversing it." Gears cringed like giving up that piece of information physically hurt him.
"Tell me you're screwing with me."
"I'm sorry, Mac."
"Why'd you create a drug like that? What is it for?" Mac's hands clenched into fists.
"I invented it because I heard on the news about elderly people who were having a hard time living in the NEDs. They couldn't stand being underground because they could still remember what it was like to live on the surface. I thought it would help some people transition. Look, it's still being worked on. I haven't perfected it. It's my first sample." Gears sounded defensive. Karma wanted to agree with him. Mac should back off. Helping old people was noble.
"I'm not placing all the blame on you. I know you work on your drugs in stages. Tell me how this memory drug works." Mac gave a sharp nod.
Karma let some of the tension ease from her shoulders. Mac could deal with whatever came his way. They were working this out, so she would sit back and let him problem-solve.
"If it helps, the drug doesn't seem permanent. I haven't tested it on humans yet, so I don't really know, but the rats I gave it to, most appeared to get their memories back over time. Some of them forgot how to do the maze for only a few days. Some forgot for months, and some for a few hours. Some rats didn't seem to change all, but then again, you can't ask rats how they feel."
"You're telling me you don't know what'll happen?"
When both men leaned closer to her, Karma tilted her head away. Their eyes were roving all over her. Their bodies were tipped as if waiting for her to speak. Were these men waiting for her to answer a major question? She actually wanted to help, but she didn't know-how.
She stared back.
"I don't know exactly what'll happen, but I should tell you, some rats died."
Gears' eyes skidded to the floor. Karma saw waves of pity before he turned away. She wanted to tell him she'd live. Gears probably didn't know her well. If he did, he would know she was strong. She always bounced back. Her father always said she had luck to spare. Flashes of her father popped in her head and then vanished just as quickly.
"I'm bigger than a rat… so I probably won't die." When she spoke, both men stilled. Their eyes widened. One of Mac's eyebrows rose.
Stop looking at me like that. It wasn't like she had two heads. She was about to demand they let her be, but the words became jumbled in her head. Why couldn't she keep her thoughts straight?
"What's your name?" Mac asked softly. "It's okay. Just tell me."
Taking in the whole room, she realized the area wasn't familiar. Two men were passed out on the floor. How did they get there?
"Karma," she answered automatically. She knew her name. What an odd question.
Gears looked at the man with red hair and raised his eyebrows. A clear, silent question passed between them.
"The answer is the truth and a lie. It must be a name people call her, but it isn't her real name."
"Like when I go by Gears instead of Adam. It's a nickname or a code name?"
"Right." Mac focused on her again. "Why are you here?"
"Because…" Why was she here? It was hard to remember. Her shoulders dropped. She didn't want to talk anymore. She wanted a glass of water.
Her eyes dropped to her lap. Blood was smeared along her legs. A large gash was etched into the front of her thigh. How did that happen? The redhead in front of her snapped his fingers. Had they met before? She studied his handsome features. Maybe she should know him. She merely needed a moment to think. If everyone would be quiet for a second, that would help.
"Why are you here?" His voice was no longer soft and coaxing. He had an urgent note in his burr. If she could think hard, the answer would come.
"My brother is a loser." She smiled. Her amusement didn't last long. Pain radiated over her face. Running her tongue over her lips, she tasted the coppery taint of blood. For some reason, that didn't bother her. In fact, right now, nothing bothered her. She would've been happy to sit in this chair forever. She didn't have anywhere to go.
"I don't think this is going to work." The man in front of her moved to her side. He took off his glasses to rub them on his shirt.
"What she said is true, but I don't know what it means. It could be code." He sighed. "Gears, how long before she won't remember anything?"
"I told you, they were rats!"
"Right. Look at me, Karma," Mac spoke in a stern voice. She focused on his face. She decided she liked his strong jaw, high cheekbones, and his slightly crooked nose. Thick red eyebrows curved above his green eyes. She wanted to run her fingers through his crazy mane of hair. If she could, she would pull his head closer and drink him in.
Thinking of his strong arms and the muscles hidden beneath his shirt, she had the urge to push up the fabric and lick his skin
"Listen," he repeated sternly. "Why are you here?"
She wanted to tell him whatever he needed to know, but the problem was she didn't know what to say. She didn't know what he was asking.
Exhausted, she said the only thing that popped into her head.
"It's just my luck?"