Page 87 of Girl Lost

Corbin caught the faintest nod. Done.

“Summer,” Dr. Forest said, his tone clipped, “please show our guests back to the lobby and reschedule our consultation.”

With that, he swept out of the room, Dr. Sheridan on his heels.

They followed Summer down the hall. When they approached the consultation room, Corbin said, “Actually, would it be possible to use the restroom before we leave? All this excitement has my heart racing.”

Summer nodded sympathetically. “Of course. There’s one just down the hall, around the corner. I’ll show you.”

As they walked, Corbin noticed Luna’s hand straying to her pocket, where he knew she’d stashed Dr. Sheridan’s pilfered badge.

“Here we are,” Summer said, gesturing to the restroom. “We’ll wait for you back at the consultation room.”

“Thank you, Summer,” Luna said. “You’ve been so helpful. I might as well take advantage of the ladies’ while we’re here.”

“Sure.” Summer looked between them. “You can find your way back to the room?”

“We sure can,” Corbin said.

As soon as they were out of Summer’s sight, Luna pressed Dr. Sheridan’s badge into Corbin’s hand. “I saw a restricted access door near the bioprinting lab,” she whispered.

Corbin nodded. This was it. Their chance to uncover the truth behind the Center’s operations.

Two minutes later, they were at the unmarked door Luna had spotted. Corbin swiped the badge, holding his breath. Nothing happened.

“That’s odd,” Luna murmured. “It should work everywhere, shouldn’t it?”

Footsteps approached. They ducked around a corner just as a man wearing scrubs came into view, swiping his own badge at the door. This time, it opened with a soft beep.

Corbin’s hand shot out, catching the door a split second before it latched shut. He and Luna exchanged a look, both knowing this might be their only chance. He peeked around the door and waited until the man disappeared around a corner. With a nod to Luna, they slipped inside.

The corridor beyond was dimly lit and eerily quiet. They crept forward, Corbin’s every sense on high alert. As they rounded a corner, his breath caught in his throat.

Before them stretched a vast laboratory, easily twice the size of the one they’d toured upstairs. But it wasn’t the size that shocked him. It was what he saw inside.

Rows upon rows of cylindrical tanks lined the room, each filled with a pale, pinkish fluid. And floating within each tank was an organ. Hearts. Lungs. Blobs he thought might be livers. All in various stages of development.

“Oh my goodness,” Luna whispered. “Corbin, look.”

He followed her gaze to a bank of smaller tanks near the back of the lab. Inside each one, unmistakably, was a human fetus.

His stomach churned. This wasn’t just about organ transplants. This was—

A noise from behind made them both freeze. Footsteps, growing closer. They ducked behind a row of equipment.

“I’m telling you,” a voice drifted to them, “we can’t keep this up. Someone’s going to catch on.”

“Calm down,” came Dr. Forest’s clipped reply. “Everything is under control. The ends justify the means, remember that.”

“But the girls—”

“Are necessary sacrifices for the greater good. Now pull yourself together. We have work to do.”

Corbin felt sick. The missing girls, the organ harvesting. It all clicked into place. Dr. Forest used live humans in his experiments.

As the footsteps faded, he turned to Luna. The horror in her eyes mirrored his own.

“Blade, did you catch that?” Corbin whispered then listened to his comms. “Blade, do you read?”