It was opening.

"Looks like we got here just in time," Kyle whispered. Liz nodded silently. She had no idea what would happen if they were found wandering around Meta-chem, and she didn't particularly want to find out.

Two big guys were dragging a large metal dram out into the hallway from the lab.

"Wait! One more thing." To Liz's surprise, Dr. Sosa walked out of the lab. He was carrying a small plastic box. One of the guys opened the top of the metal dram, and Dr. Sosa placed the box inside. "That's everything."

The guys loaded the metal dram onto a hand track that stood in the hallway, and as they pushed it away down the hall, Liz noticed that they wore jackets with CDC printed on the back. Dr. Sosa watched them go. Liz could hear his heavy breathing from here.

Maris Wheeler appeared in the doorway behind him. "I trust the CDC will find exactly what they should find, Alan?"

Dr. Sosa didn't answer. He turned and stormed down the hall in the other direction.

Maris Wheeler shook her head. Then she followed the CDC guys, leaving the lab door wide open.

"These people are weird," Kyle whispered after all the footsteps had died away. He pushed open the closet door and helped Liz across the hall and into Dr. Sosa's lab.

Liz glanced around. The lab was empty. "Everything is gone," she told Kyle.

"That's for sure." He pointed to the back of the room. The door to Dr. Sosa's locked closet hung open, and the shelves inside were bare.

"It's all in that metal drum they took away," Liz said. "Dr. Sosa had to turn over the whole lab to the CDC."

"Why?" Kyle asked.

"I think he's been doing something wrong," Liz guessed. "Some kind of rogue research, maybe with those alien cells I saw. That would explain why he didn't want me in his lab. And then Ms. Wheeler found out about it, and she made him give everything to the CDC."

"Because she thinks he started the epidemic with his chemical spill?" Kyle asked.,

Liz nodded. Kyle thought about it for a minute. "Well, that's good work, Nancy Drew," he said. "But what was the chemical that spilled, and why is it making everyone, sick?"

"I don't know," Liz admitted.

They stood silently for a moment. This trip through Meta-chem hadn't really provided any new leads, but it had taken a lot out of them. "I think my symptoms are starting to change too," Kyle said finally. "I'm starting to feel… never mind."

"What?" Liz asked.

"Well, strong. Like I have superpowers or something… superheating, sharp vision, I can feel all my muscles working. But my body can't handle it."

"I know what you mean," Liz said. "I think our bodies are burning through a lot of energy. Our metabolism is

speeding up. There's only so long we'll be able to take it." "Let's get back to bed while we still can," Kyle said.

"Maria?" Sadie peeked her head around the bedroom door. "I'm going to bed."

Maria jumped. She hadn't heard Sadie coming. She hastily shoved the diary she'd been writing in underneath her pillow. "Um, okay."

"Is it all right if I sleep in your mom's bed?" Sadie asked. "Dad's going to sleep on the couch."

Just the mention of her mother got Maria hyperventilating again. She hadn't heard from Michael, so she didn't know what the pod squad was up to. And she hadn't been able to get anyone at the hospital to tell her what was going on with the quarantined patients. Every hour that passed made her more frantic about her mom. "You know what?" she said. "Why don't you sleep in my bed? I kinda want to stay in my mom's room tonight."

"Really?" Sadie cried happily. "I can stay in your room? Cool!"

Maria laughed. "Let me get my things." She snatched a nightshirt from her top drawer. The she pulled her diary out from under the pillow and stuffed it into the shirt. "Okay, it's all yours."

Sadie launched herself at the bed like an eager puppy. "Your room is so pretty," she said, bouncing up and down.

"G'night," Maria told her, pulling the door closed behind her.

"Good night, Maria!" Sadie sang after her.

Still smiling, Maria padded down the hallway toward her mother's room.

"Change of plans?" Richard asked from the kitchen. Maria froze. She didn't want to talk to him. She hadn't even acknowledged his presence since Michael left. But she couldn't really avoid him now.

She went into the kitchen. "I want to sleep in my mother's room because I miss her and I'm worried about her," she said.

Her dad nodded. "That makes sense. This quarantine is very stressful."

"Well, it would be less stressful if you would leave," Maria said. "I don't want you here, and I think you should respect my wishes."

"I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving you here alone," he replied. "With your mother not home, I mean."

"You left me alone for years," Maria snapped. "And I'm almost eighteen, though you probably don't know that. I can handle being alone in the house."

"I know exactly how old you are, Maria," he said.

"Oh, that's right," she answered. "You had a whole file on me, that's what Sadie said. So let's see, you know what I look like in sucky school pictures, and you know that I get As in art and C's in math. So I guess you think you know me really well, huh?"

"Maria… "

"Is that your version of being an involved father?" Maria interrupted. "Sending a private investigator to follow me around? I want to know why you had someone spying on me."

Her father blew out a breath. "Because I wanted to know how you were," he said.

"The more established modes of finding that out are to call and ask, or to set up visitation weekends," Maria said sarcastically.

"I know. But I couldn't face you." Richard's eyes were wet.

I will not feel sorry for him, Maria thought. I don't care if he sobs like a baby.

"I felt so guilty," he went on. "For what I did to you. Your mother and I… we were terrible together. But I always loved you. I handled it badly. I abandoned you, sweet pea, and I couldn't stand the guilt."

"Don't call me that," Maria said coldly.

"I'm trying to do it right this time," her dad said. "With Sadie and Junior. I try to be a good father to them because I was such a bad father to you. I'm not saying that it makes up for the way I treated you, but I am a good father now."

"You're right, that doesn't make up for it," Maria said. "I've spent my entire life feeling worthless and unlovable because of you. It's nice that you're good to Sadie, but it doesn't help me."

Richard bowed his head. "Okay," he said. "I had to try. But if you want, I'll take Sadie to a hotel in the morning and we'll stay there until the quarantine is lifted."

"Yes, that's what I want," Maria said. She turned and went into her mother's room and closed the door. And then the tears came.

10

"Valenti said he thinks its private security," Michael said

quietly. He was crouched in the well-manicured bushes that surrounded the Meta-chem property. Isabel and Max knelt next to him. About twenty feet away stood a parked van with a couple of guys in uniform sitting in front. There were similar vans dotted around the parking lot.

"They're not paying close attention," Michael said. "If we distract them, we should be able to run right by."

"Okay," Max said. "We'll aim for that door." He pointed it out. "Be ready to unlock it quickly."

Michael nodded. They could all use their powers to undo locks, but for some reason Michael could do it faster than the others. Exploding lightbulbs, though, was Isabel's specialty. "Iz, would you like to do the honors?" he asked.

She narrowed her eyes at the streetlamp closest to the parked van. It was a big lamp, meant to illuminate all the parking spaces for forty feet around it. Isabel raised her hand, and the lamp exploded in a spectacular display of light.