"I'm going to need some time to prepare for the next phase," Alexis said, already moving toward her equipment cabinet to gather what looked like specialized materials. "There are compounds I'll need to acquire, calibration procedures to run, safety protocols to establish. This isn't something we can improvise."
She paused in her preparations and glanced back at me, her expression shifting to something more businesslike. "Actually, I'll need to leave the apartment for a few hours. Has Anthony called with any updates on the investigation?"
The question caught me off guard, partly because I'd been so focused on my resistance experiments that I'd almost forgotten about the assassination attempt that had started this whole chain of events. "No, nothing yet. I was starting to wonder what was taking so long, but..." I shrugged. "It was a group of professional, right? That kind of investigation probably takes time."
