Before long, they arrived, and Matteo brought the car to a stop at the destination.

Mitchel's hand paused on the seatbelt as his phone interrupted the moment. Luis was on the other end.

Anticipating a casual call, Mitchel dismissed it, only to see Luis ‘name flash again. “Yes?" he answered on the second ring.

Luis' grave tone met Mitchel. "The lab results came through."

Mitchel's brow furrowed. "What results?" he probed.

“The blood analysis my overseas contact conducted while you lay unconscious the other day," Luis explained.

A beat passed. "And?" Mitchel pressed.

With earnest gravity, Luis revealed, "You were administered a virus known as ‘Mutant.’ It was smuggled out and sold by someone from Swynborough's bio-research sector. Only two pairs exist worldwide, and there's no antidote."

A sharp intake of breath from Mitchel as he processed this.

"saying there are only two pairs, and I was injected with one?"

Luis's surprise at Mitchel's level-headed reaction was palpable.

While panic would have been the norm, Mitchel was astute enough to latch onto a vital piece of the conversation.

“Yes, 'Mutant' is given in twos," Luis shared.

Luis continued to clarify that the creators of "Mutant" had found a single dose to be benign. Only with a second injection would the real trouble start, triggering the mutation.

Mitchel digested this with a flicker of relief. "So Lauren's single injection hasn't put me in immediate danger?"

“That's correct."

Mitchel contemplated this revelation in silence, his mind racing.

After a pause, Luis cautioned Mitchel to stay vigilant. For now, Lauren was out of the picture, slated for her fate in mere days.

Mitchel then probed the more pressing issue. “How did Lauren get access to such a virus?"

Such a thing was beyond the reach of Swynborough's fortified labs, certainly beyond the strength of the Murray family.