The Soulmate Curse

Courage - Part 3

Finn set the coordinates in the autonomous cab to a geology lab just outside town. Finn knew one of the scientists from her research on her engine design. They had never met in person, but she said she trusted him. His information had vastly improved her engine's design. Zhen trusted her judgement and sat back in the back seat of the cab. She was elated when Finn sat right up next to her, despite there being a ton of room in the cabin. Her elation quickly transformed to concern when Finn started to gingerly stretch out across the seats, grimacing and grabbing her left side as she did.

"Finn?"

"I'm fine, Zhen. I'm okay. I just need to..."

"You're not okay, Finn. Let me take you back to the hospital. I can go to the lab alone."

"No."

Why did she have to be so stubborn? Then Zhen smiled. It was that same persistence that had kept Finn alive long enough for Zhen to bring back help. She couldn't hate her for it. Instead, she shifted her weight and position to make sure that Finn was as comfortable as she could be. The trip would take the better part of an hour. Zhen cradled Finn's head on her lap and let her know it would be okay if she fell asleep and rested for a bit. Finn said she was fine and that she didn't need to sleep, but after a few minutes of Zhen gently stroking her hair, her lids fell, and her breathing evened out.

"When you contacted me, I thought your account had been hacked!" said the lab tech as he crushed Finn into a bear hug.

"It's good to finally meet you Harvey," said Finn. She turned to Zhen. "This is Harvey, the lead lab tech here. Harv, this is Zhen, my... best friend."

The title stung, but Zhen waved to Harvey and smiled.

"Best friend?" said Harvey with a raised brow. "Since when?"

"Don't dwell on it Harv," said Finn, waving him away. "We've got important work to do."

That got Harvey's attention. His eyes were bright with curiosity. Finn turned to Zhen and looked at the pendant. She took off the chain and handed the bead to Harvey, who immediately started to work on it. He placed a spec of it in a mass spectrometer and they waited. Finn was sitting on a backless lab chair that resembled a bar stool. Zhen was standing behind her, acting as her chair back because Finn could barely hold herself up. Those few minutes were agonizingly slow, but eventually, the machine spit out some results. As Harvey read them, his eyebrows kept going higher and higher.

"Are you sure this isn't a contaminated piece?" he asked.

"It's clean," said Finn.

"This is insane," Harv whispered. "It's impossible."

"Clearly, it's not," said Zhen, slightly irritated because Finn was getting weaker by the minute.

"Can you do a full report on it? Something we can hand over to authorities?" Finn asked.

"It'll take a few hours for a preliminary report. A few days, maybe months for something more comprehensive." Harvey explained.

"We'll wait for the prelim," said Finn.

"We will?" asked Zhen.

"You will?" asked Harvey at the same time.

"We will," Finn confirmed, trying to sit up straighter in her chair.

Zhen knew she wouldn't budge. She turned to Harvey. "Is there somewhere we can wait?"

Harvey pointed to a room at the back side of the lab. "There's a day bed in there that I use more often than I care to admit."

"Thanks," said Zhen.

She grabbed a copy of the printout from the mass spec and folded it into one of her pockets. Then she helped Finn to the back room and under the, thankfully clean and fresh, covers of the day bed, which was basically a sofa with slightly longer cushions than usual. She was planning to go back to the lab and keep an eye on Harvey. Finn trusted him, which afforded him a little of Zhen's trust, but not nearly enough of it. She stood up to leave once Finn was settled, then she found that she didn't want to. She suddenly didn't care if Harvey screwed them over or not. She wheeled the office chair behind the desk to the front of the sofa and plopped down on it. She leaned forwards towards Finn.