"We''ll be fine after a little rest, Specter."


    "Get them out," Juniper said, not wasting another breath on them. With a flick of her hand, several orderlies moved in and carried them out on stretchers.


    Juniper then called Lue and told her to dispatch doctors from the main


    headquarters. "I''ll give them the treatment protocol."


    Once everything was arranged, Juniper returned to theb.


    "All of you, go rest. Come back tomorrow morning to relieve me." She sat down at a console and started reviewing the experiment data. Seeing their hesitation, she added, "Did you not hear me?"


    "Yes, Specter."


    The researchers finally stood up and left theb. In an instant, the massiveboratory was empty, save for Juniper herself.


    Good. Her mind was in turmoil anyway; having something to focus on would help her calm down. As for Shanley... that old bastard. He thought he was so tough, so arrogant? She''d give him the cold shoulder for a while, knock him down a peg.


    With that settled, Juniper dove into the experiment''s problems. Immersed in her research, the time slipped by, and soon it waste into the night.


    ---


    At Cloudscape Community.


    Shanley sat in the living room. He hadn''t changed his clothes,bed his hair, or eaten a single bite. He just sat on the sofa, staring nkly at the front door.


    It was three in the morning. Didn''t Juniper have trouble sleeping? Didn''t she need him by her side to fall asleep? Why wasn''t she home?


    She wasn''t at Cloudscape Community, and she wasn''t at any of her other ces. Where could she have gone?


    Suddenly, Shanley, who had been expressionless, shot to his feet.


    Lue! That''s right. Juniper had left with Lue. Could she have been swept away by that boy? He could justamagine all the terrible things. Lue must have said about him. Would Juniper believe Lue? Would she really leave him?


    It had to be. Why else wouldn''t she evene home? Dana''s cooking was here, after all.


    No. He couldn''t just sit here and wait. He had to find Juniper immediately.


    With that thought, Shanley stood up and opened hisptop to check Lue''s flight information. He flew back to Australis? He quickly checked Juniper''s flights and found they had left at the same time.


    Subterra Vanguard''s headquarters was in Australis. Once she was back there, would she ever return? Was she really abandoning him?


    Shanley sat back down, his fingers trembling uncontrobly as they typed on the keyboard, his eyes turning a stark red.


    "Flint," he dialed a number, his voice urgent. "Get ready. We''re going to Australis."


    "Australis?" Flint felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn''t believe what he was hearing and asked again, "Sir, are you sure? You want to go to Australis now?"


    Australis was Subterra Vanguard''s


    territory. Sigma Network personnel


    rarely set foot there. For the boss to


    suddenly rush over without any


    preparation or protection... If Subterra Vanguard found would be a disaster.


    it


    "You two head straight to the airport," Shanley said, already walking back to the bedroom as he Spoke. He grabbed Juniper''s backpack and began stuffing it with her favorite snacks. "I want the ne in the air in two hours."


    After giving his orders, Shanley hung up and left with his car keys. Soon, a ck


    sports car was tearing down the highway, its engine roaring.


    On the other end of the line, Felton and Flint were still dumbfounded.


    "Try to contact Ms. Payne somehow," Felton said, not daring to waste a second. He started walking out, his voice low. "I have a feeling the people at Subterra Vanguard don''t know about their rtionship yet."


    Australis was huge and crawling with Subterra Vanguard agents. If their boss got caught... the consequences were unthinkable. Was he chasing after his wife, or walking into a death trap?!