The doors swung open a second time, and Dr. Liana stepped out.

Her scrub top was damp now across the chest and under both arms, and there was a stain on her sleeve I didn't want to look at too closely.

She pulled her mask down and it left a red line across her cheeks.

For a long moment she just stood there, breathing hard, like she'd been running. The alarms were still going off behind her, muffled now as someone closed an inner door.

Hazel took a step toward her. "What happened? Is she—"

"She's alive," Dr. Liana said, holding up a hand to stop him before he could...