Bloodlines and Fault Lines

The alert wouldn’t stop blinking.

EMERGENCY – PRIVATE MEDICAL RECORD BREACH

Vera stared at the screen as if it might blink back, as if the words might rearrange themselves into something less catastrophic if she waited long enough.

Vanessa’s name glowed beneath the header.

Date of birth. Genetic markers. Annotations she didn’t recognize.

Nicolas was already beside her, scanning the details with a precision sharpened by years of war. His face drained of ...