“You look like you were expecting to hear Wilson’s name,” Kyle said with a trace of accusation in his voice. “Care to share with the class as to why?”Dutch was looking uncomfortable. “We had to get the word out to local media and police to be on the lookout, but we couldn’t exactly tell them to keep their eyes open for a reincarnated Aztec demon god. Wilson’s picture was the next best thing.”Kyle laughed harshly. “Wow. Good to know Wilson’s reputation means so much to the FBI. Don’t you think you should have talked to him about this first? Because you just painted a pretty big target on his back. Might make things a little difficult if he’s ever spotted while we’re out looking for the real bad guy, don’t you think?”“Wilson hears nothing about this, you understand me?”Kyle barked a laugh. “He’s going to find out eventually, but I’m not going to be the one to tell him his name is mud. That’s on you geniuses.”He got up and walked to the control room. John gave Dutch an “I told you s

“I know a lot has changed over the past week, but it’s still only been a week. Things like this take years to get over, if ever.”“How do you do it? You seem to be doing just fine. I only knew two people there. You knew all of them. You lost your colleagues, your friends, and your students. You should be way worse off than me. How do you keep it together?”“Honestly, I don’t know,” said Kristen, shrugging. “I definitely blame myself for a lot of that, whether or not anyone else does. The whole field trip was my idea, and all the students were my responsibility. The pain is always there, and sometimes it feels unbearable especially when I’m alone. I guess I just channel it. As much guilt as I feel, it is nothing compared to the anger and hatred I feel toward Isaac . I’m sure, once this is all over, if we all manage to live through it, I will feel the full force of the guilt, but until then, I need to stop Isaac from hurting anyone else.”“I guess it just feels like it would be an insu

Kora turned her attention back to her dinner. Kristen gave Wilson a very meaningful look, but he shook his head slightly, so she kicked him under the table. He rolled his eyes and mouthed, “Fine, pushy!” Kristen grinned, mischievously.“So how are you doing?” he asked Kora, clearing his throat.“Good,” said Kora with a slight smile as she looked up at Wilson.“Good,” he said lamely.He could almost feel Kristen rolling her eyes at him, so he nervously began eating his meatloaf. Awkward silence filled the table.“So we just came from the lab,” Kristen said to break the silence. “The marines brought back an arm. Wilson was able to examine it. We believe it belonged to a creature known as Yolcatl.”“So that’s where you were for so long,” said Kora.“What do you mean by an arm?” asked Kyle.“It was reptilian in nature,” replied Wilson. “It had specialized cells in its skin designed for extreme camouflage, way beyond any other reptile I have ever seen.”“That’s why we think it was Yolcatl,

“Where?” she asked, sounding excited.“It’s a surprise, but it may or may not include a movie.” He winked.“Okay,” she said with a smile.They quickly got ready for the day and made their way up to the parking lot. As they exited the security gate, they picked up their guns and phones. They all had several missed calls and messages from friends and family, and they decided to take some time to call them back and let them know they were okay.Wilson had several very worried messages from his mother, and upon reaching her, he discovered that she was in town staying at a hotel. He promised to visit that morning to explain what was going on.As soon as he hung up, Kora came up to him and asked, “Are you ready to go?”“Yes, but I have to take care of something before we go out. Is that okay?”“Yeah, the others are meeting up at this cute little local diner for breakfast. I can just go with them, and you can join us when you’re done.”“That sounds good. I shouldn’t be too long, so I’ll meet

As they reentered headquarters, neither one of them said a word, and they carefully maintained a safe distance between them, but they couldn’t stop smiling either. Once inside, they headed straight for the sleeping quarters. As soon as the door closed behind them, they immediately embraced again as if it had been far too long since they had had physical contact. Their lips were so passionately locked onto each other’s that they stumbled as they moved through the room. They had just made it to Kora’s bed when Kristen suddenly burst into the room.“You guys need to come see this!”Wilson and Kora stopped and grimaced at her in perfect synchronicity.Kristen stood there gawking as she processed the scene before her. A smile began to creep onto her face.“Oh my glory!” she squeaked.“Buzz kill,” Wilson accused.“I’m so sorry,” she said, trying to mask a giggle, “but you really should come see this.”Wilson and Kora reluctantly rose and followed after her. As they moved through the halls a