Waking the Zed - By ML Katz Page 0,10

thirty year old taking a nap.

Mr. Barnes’s face looked worn and craggy, like he had spent a lot of time outside. He had a nice strong jaw, pronounced cheekbones, and a proud nose, but Pamela did not find him particularly handsome. She judged it a good, homely face, like Abraham Lincoln’s.

She squinted as she studied him, and she almost thought that there was a bit of a flush on his cheeks. Startled, she looked more closely, but then dismissed it as a trick of the light.

Pam glanced back at Mrs. Bell one more time. Both bodies were very pale. But now she felt sure that the woman’s cheeks were slightly tinged with pink. Perhaps it’s a chemical reaction from the new serum. Maybe it’s just a trick of the light.

She was about to turn back to make a note on her tablet computer. The frozen woman’s full lips parted slightly. Pamela had never seen any of the bodies move at all before, and she took an involuntary step back, startled for real this time. As she stared, the lips almost seemed to quiver. Then one eyelid popped open to reveal a striking blue eye. Pam forced herself away from Mrs. Bell’s capsule to examine Mr. Barnes again. His lips had parted slightly too. Both of his eyes remained closed.

“It’s got to be a change in pressure from the temporary tank,” Pamela muttered to herself as she hunched over the narrow desk and made a quick note. The last thing she wanted to do, right now, was to contact Dr. Klein sounding like a hysterical teenager.

She had just convinced herself that everything she saw had some simple and natural explanation when she stood up to view the bodies again. Clearly, through the transparent strip along the side, she saw Mrs. Bell’s fingers move. Pam swallowed down a gasp and decided it was time to pick up her cell phone. If it was just a change in pressure, her whole arm would move, right?

She tried to put a call through to Dr. Klein but there was no answer. Then she sat down to compose a text message. As she glanced up, she saw a thin stream of bubbles near the heads of both bodies. They can’t be breathing. She looked back at her phone. What do I say?

Romancing the Dead

As soon as Enrico had waited for Dr. Klein to step out of Preservation Room 17, and then closed the door behind the both of them, he turned to her and smiled. “Your little farm girl seemed a bit shaken.” He shrugged and waved a hand dismissively. “She is still quite rustic for all her education.”

“Well, she’s actually a bit above average, I suppose,” Dr. Klein allowed. Then her expression almost appeared coquettish. “You know, I was concerned that you might find her attractive. She has that wholesome and sturdy look of a young Midwestern woman. To be fair, she’s also quite accomplished. I’m hard on her to keep her in place. I admit that I was also a little jealous. It was obvious that she found you attractive. Of course, what woman wouldn’t?”

“Ah, she’s just a peasant,” Enrico said, waving his hand dismissively. Then he fixed Dr. Klein with his dark eyes. “I pride myself on being a man of good taste and sensibility. When I am in the room with an actual lady like you, all I can see is that lady.” His hand went up to cup her chin. Then he artfully moved his fingers to brush her ear. Dr. Klein felt years younger and charged with emotion and desire. She had to stop herself from touching him back. They were, after all, standing out in the hallway and anybody could round the corner.

“You are a perfect man,” she said. “I think we might have time to visit my office for a few minutes. You weren’t serious about needing to show me something about work, were you?”

“Of course not,” Enrico said, bending down to whisper in her ear. “Everything is firmly under control. All I want to show you is my love.” He moved closer again and brushed his hand against her arm. She led him down the hallway to her large office suite.

First she turned to her assistant who looked busy answering emails in the outer office. “Karen, why don’t you take off for lunch after you finish?” Dr. Klein glanced meaningfully up at the clock. “In fact, take the afternoon off. I’ll need my office for an important