Love in Retrograde

  Charlie Cochet

  Love in Retrograde

  Copyright © 2020 Charlie Cochet

  http://charliecochet.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of author imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover content is for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted on the cover is a model.

  Cover Art Copyright © 2016 AngstyG

  http://angstyg.com/

  Proofing by Susie Selva

  https://www.lescourtauthorservices.com/

  First Edition Copyright © 2016 Charlie Cochet.

  Contents

  Synopsis

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  A Note From the Author

  Also By Charlie Cochet

  About the Author

  Synopsis

  Enthusiastic, play-it-safe Kelly Sutton is an American intern at the Photonic Royal Society in New London. He’s been working on Project Mars for over a year, a mission kept so secret by the Society even Kelly doesn’t know exactly what it is. What Kelly does know is his contribution to the task will benefit mankind, and that’s enough for him.

  Kelly’s world turns upside down when concerns over his mentor’s behavior lead Kelly to investigate and stumble upon a wicked truth. What is supposed to be a project to advance human life turns out to be an endeavor capable of mass destruction. The terrifying reality forces Kelly to choose between looking the other way to keep his job, as he’s always done, or risking his career and even his life to do the right thing by saving the man who’s captured his heart.

  Chapter One

  Kelly Sutton still couldn’t believe it.

  No matter how many times he walked across St. James’s Park, he still couldn’t believe he was interning at the Photonic Royal Society in New London.

  Early in the twenty-first century when the great nations of the world collapsed under the weight of their governments’ greed and economic failings, desperation turned them to the greatest scientific minds of their time. A mass release of both tested and untested technologies was ejected into a world already struggling to keep up with its accelerated pace, and the result was the Photonic Revolution—an oversaturation of biotechnology, nanoelectronics, and ever-growing personal interfaces.

  And this was where it had all started.

  The sleek, two-hundred-floor skyscraper of glass and nanoalloy was a testament to a world better united through science and human advancement. On the top floor, Project Mars was undergoing its final tests.

  Entering the building through the holographic security doors, Kelly cheerfully waved a greeting to a host of security agents and reception personnel. He made his way to the restricted-access elevator at the end of the expansive marble hall and pressed his hand against the glass panel, his lips spreading into a silly grin when the glass doors slid open. Once inside the elevator, he pressed his hand against yet another reader and stood exceptionally still as the holographic security panel scanned his retina and asked for voice identification, which he promptly gave.

  Every morning for the past year he’d stepped into this elevator, and he got a kick out of it each time without fail. Just the thought of where it was taking him had him so excited he didn’t even need coffee to keep him wired. Not that he’d given it up. He wasn’t completely crazy.

  Thanks to his hard work, he’d been one of the few foreign interns to become part of Project Mars, a top-secret project. He was like a kid who’d been invited to play with all the shiny new toys in the toy store and get paid ridiculous amounts of credit for it. It was a shame he couldn’t tell anyone about it. Not that he had all that many people to tell. After a year living in New London, his closest acquaintances were the nanobots he spliced and diced on a daily basis and his lab partner. At some point he should really consider taking the time to make some friends.

  After reaching the Biotech and Biomechanics Research wing at the front of the two hundredth floor, he headed straight for the interns’ and assistants’ locker room. One day soon he’d be putting his bag away in his very own lab. He was hanging up his suit jacket when he heard it.

  “Kelly!”

  The cheerful squeal made him smile, and he turned in time to get poked in the belly by Pepper.

  “Someone’s happy this morning,” he said with a laugh, giving the petite blonde’s hand a playful smack away from him. Pepper had started working on Project Mars two years before Kelly joined the team, and Kelly had been partnered with her for initial training. They’d quickly become close after she covered for him on his first day when he’d been so nervous he’d caused one of his experiments to spontaneously combust. Quite a feat, even for him, considering there had been no combustible substances in it. He was still trying to figure that one out.

  “So what’s got you so excited?” Kelly asked, slipping into his lab coat. He tapped at his breast pocket, turning on his holographic ID.

  Her big blue eyes shone with excitement. “After all our hard work, we’re finally going to see the end results.” She clapped her hands gleefully and followed him out into the hall toward the lab headed by Dr. Lucius Bryant, the lead scientist for Biotech and Biomechanics Research.

  Kelly wanted to believe Pepper, but the fact remained that as an intern—even one already guaranteed a position—he wasn’t privy to the kind of information Lucius, or even Pepper, was privy to. Kelly had worked his way up from performing countless inventory checks to researching anomalies, administering microinjections, and taking charge of several other important duties. Each had been assigned without so much as a hint to its purpose, only that it was directly related to Project Mars. Granted, the project was top secret, but Kelly hadn’t expected it to be so secret even he wouldn’t be told about it.

  At the end of the hall was a steel door, and somewhere beyond that door was the Biotech wing, where Project Mars was located. Every day a good deal of commotion and chaos seemed to emanate from behind that door with it sliding open only for the briefest of moments. Today, as Kelly took a seat at his workstation and tapped on the glass surface to wake up his interface, it appeared things were no different.

  A thunderous boom nearly caused him to jump out of his skin. His head shot up in time to watch a chair soar past the lab and down the hall where it inevitably ended its journey by smashing into something expensive. This was the third time in four days. One would think they’d stop replacing whatever had been fated to relive a constant state of destruction.

  Just as the chair left the wing in a hurry, so did two security agents. They landed in front of the lab and managed to gain control over their limbs long enough to scramble to their feet and limp quickly away. No matter how many times Kelly witnessed it, his jaw still became unhinged. He swiveled in his chair, further unsettled by the fact that, yet again, no one in the lab seemed to have noticed. Lucius tapped away at the glowing holographic information before him, preoccupied with an inventory check of that morning’s delivery. The man paused long enough to nudge his silver-rimmed spectacles up his nose.

  Kelly gaped at him. “Did you see that?”

  “How many times have I warned those lads?” Lucius glanced over the rim of his glasses at Pepper. “How many?”

  “This week?” She placed a dainty finger to her rose-colored lips, her T-bar shoes tapping thoughtfully against her chair. “This would make one hundred and thirty-nine.”

  “So we’re just ignoring it. Again.” No reply tended to mean Kelly had either asked a stupid question that didn’t warrant Lucius’s waste of breath, or it was yet another piece of information Kelly didn’t need to know. Dr. Lucius Bryant was in his late forties, possessing unruly brown hair interspersed with gray, a permanent five-o’clock shadow, and an impressive deadpan expression. Everything he said was in the same tone. Most of the time it wasn’t until Lucius was near the end of his reply that Kelly realized the man was being sarcastic.

  Kelly donned his best English accent in an attempt to mimic Lucius’s posh tone. “It’s perfectly all right, Kelly.” He patted his own shoulder in assurance. “Nothing to worry yourself over. Just another day at the lab.” Kelly turned back to his station, ignoring Pepper’s amused chuckle and Lucius rolling his eyes at him.

  “Have you finished that report? Dr. Skye’s expecting it to be done by this afternoon.”

  Kelly swiveled in his chair to face Lucius. “Yeah, about that. I recorded all my findings, but I’m concerned by the anomalies I discovered in the nanocells under section MNB-Scan2308. If I could have a day to work through them, I—”

  “No.” Lucius raised his head, his disapproving frown once again dashing Kelly’s enthusiasm at the chance of getting to dig deeper into the research and the strange surge of recent anomalies. “Your job is to report your findings, not analyze them.”

  “I know, but—”

  “
Unless you want to go back to inventory checks, you’ll submit your report and move on to your next assignment.”

  Kelly bit his tongue. Why was it every time he had the chance to do something important, Lucius pulled the rug out from under him? Lucius was Kelly’s mentor. Shouldn’t he be mentoring?

  Reluctantly, Kelly gave Lucius a nod and resumed his work. Another long afternoon of mindless data transfer. This sucked. He was part of the Photonic Royal Society. The most prestigious and exhilarating place for a scientist to be. Why was Lucius treating him like he didn’t know his ass from his elbow?

  “I know you think I’m being an unreasonable arse, but…” Lucius came to stand beside Kelly, his troubled expression unexpected. “Trust me. It’s for your protection.”

  Before Kelly could ask what he meant, Lucius walked out of the lab.

  “Don’t take it personally,” Pepper said with a sympathetic smile. “Lucius has his reasons for everything he does.”

  “For my protection? Protection from what? Advancing my career? Securing my new position as an esteemed scientist and upcoming talent rather than a nameless drone destined to remain at the bottom of the food chain for the rest of my career?” Kelly pressed his lips together before he said anything he’d regret. “Six months ago, he was teaching me how to look beyond what was in front of me, to dissect and deconstruct information, and now that I am, he’s shutting me out. I just don’t get it.” He leaned into Pepper, his voice quiet. “You’re his assistant. Have I done something to piss him off? Did I do something wrong?”

  “He hasn’t mentioned anything.” She worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “To be honest, he hasn’t brought you up at all.”

  “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Kelly couldn’t tell anymore. Then again, Lucius was a tough guy to read at the best of times. It was still beyond Kelly’s capabilities to know whether the man was being serious or not.

  Pepper’s smile was apologetic. “I wish I could help.”

  “Thanks anyway.” A thought occurred to him. “Today’s Thursday. Lucius works late in his office on Thursdays, right?”

  “Yes.” Pepper’s eyes widened. “Whatever you’re thinking, don’t. Lucius will have your security clearance if you disturb him. Thursday evenings are incredibly critical for him, and whatever he’s working on is exceptionally confidential.”

  “Got it.”

  Kelly didn’t want to worry Pepper, though she didn’t look all that convinced by his reply. Regardless, she went back to her station.

  Kelly had no intention of disturbing Lucius’s important work tonight. He’d try and catch Lucius before he locked himself in his office and ask him a couple of questions. Just a few minutes of the man’s time. Nothing more. It would be fine.

  Chapter Two

  It was almost time.

  Kelly had kept his head down the rest of the day, busying himself with his latest report, documenting only his findings and nothing else, just as Lucius requested. His mentor had been moodier than usual. He was also in and out of the lab more often, and at times he looked distracted. Something was going on. Lucius was nothing if not meticulous and focused on everything he did.

  Two dozen scientists of various positions and pay grades worked in their lab, all of them with their eyes glued to their tasks. None asked questions or addressed Lucius. None stayed past the end of their shift except for Kelly, who’d taken longer than necessary to submit his final report of the day. Once he was done, he left for the locker room. He hung up his lab coat and waited a few minutes before heading back out into the hall. If anyone asked, he’d just say he forgot to scan out for the day.

  The wing was eerily quiet, with only a few lights glowing from some of the smaller labs at the other end. Kelly’s sneakers were silent on the marble-tiled floor as he hurried down the hall. Instead of going into their lab, he rounded the corner and walked past several closed doors before he reached Lucius’s office. It was time to get some answers.

  The small reception area was empty, and the door to Lucius’s office was unlocked. Kelly knocked softly, cautiously, before peering in. The office was empty. Weird.

  He was about to leave when he heard Lucius’s hushed voice coming from somewhere close by. Following the sound, he discovered it was coming from behind a thick, frosted-glass door to the right of the reception area. Man, he was going to be in such deep shit if he got caught snooping around, but he couldn’t help it. He had to get to the bottom of his mentor’s bizarre behavior.

  Placing his hand to the door, Kelly found it open. Very gingerly, he pushed it wider to peek inside. It was a huge supply closet. He could hear Lucius but couldn’t see him.

  He should turn his scrawny ass around and get the hell out before they found him and infected him with a flesh-eating virus for the hell of it. Yeah, he should go.

  “You’re getting too involved, Jordan. I warned you about this. You’re going to get in over your head if you haven’t already.”

  “I know what I’m doing. Please, Lucky.”

  Lucky? Had Dr. Skye just called Lucius “Lucky”? What in the name of Stephen Hawking was going on? Dr. Skye was the most highly respected scientist at the Photonic Royal Society of New London and had security clearance Kelly dreamed of having one day. The guy was personally involved with Project Mars. His accomplishments and merits put him at the very top of their field. The projects he must have headed. The things he’d seen. He was at the peak of his career and barely in his midforties. The man was a genius. Currently a flustered genius, which didn’t bode well.

  Kelly ignored the little voice of sanity in his head telling him not to do anything stupider and slipped inside. The room was dark, with only the glow of a small lamp somewhere on the other side of the glass shelving unit housing scores of empty beakers, sterilized pans, and a host of other supplies. Despite his view being somewhat impeded by the nanoautoclave and nanocentrifuge, Kelly spotted Jordan and Lucius on the other side having an argument. The two stood toe to toe. Jordan’s fair hair and light blue eyes were a stark contrast to Lucius’s dark hair and dark eyes. Lucius was also bulkier than Jordan and stood a few inches taller, his expression far more intimidating. Where most would turn tail and run at Lucius’s scowl, Jordan didn’t seem to even notice.

  “How can you ask me to do this?” Lucius asked, shaking his head. “You do know what you’re asking?”

  “I need you to trust me. Transfer Kelly to my team.”

  What did he have to do with any of this? Maybe he should say something. Like what? “Oh, sorry, I was just eavesdropping when I heard you say my name?”

  Lucius let out a weary sigh. “You’ve been asking me for months, and my answer’s always the same.”

  “I know he’ll see what I do. He’s the solution I’ve been looking for. I just know it.”

  Kelly didn’t like the sound of this. Why were these two sneaking around? If Jordan wanted to transfer Kelly to his team, why didn’t he just put in a transfer request? Why the secret rendezvous with Lucius? Working with Jordan would be an incredible opportunity for Kelly. Why was Lucius so set against it?

  Lucius let out a frustrated growl. “Think about what you’re asking. Not only are you putting your own career, and your life, at risk, but you’re asking me to risk Kelly’s life as well? This can’t continue, Jordan.”

  Risk his life? Oh God, it was worse than he thought. What had Jordan gotten himself caught up in?

  “I won’t help you kill yourself.” Lucius’s expression softened, and he cupped Jordan’s face before kissing him.

  Holy hell! Kelly turned to flee and ran right into a table stacked with boxes. They tumbled to the ground, the glass beakers inside rendered useless, much like his supposed high IQ.

  “What the bloody hell?” Jordan rounded the shelving unit, his expression grim.

  “Um, hi.” Kelly waved. “I was just, um… I forgot my, um, and then, uh…” It was official. He was an idiot. Oh God. This was it. His career was over before it began.