Page 76 of Hollow State

Heart rate: normal. Oxygen: strong. Blood pressure: satisfactory. No inflammatory spike. No cardiac warning. But the catecholamine curve had fallen below an acceptable level, and the metabolite trace was already lower than it should have been.

Coulter’s body had metabolized the microdose, used what it wanted, and started clearing the rest. It was a problem Darwin had expected with Coulter.

Shifting his gaze back to Wynn's panel, he was relieved to see she wasn't having the same issue.

Her heart rate held steady. Blood oxygen remained good. Blood pressure hadn’t crossed the line he’d drawn in red. VKR-1 was active.

But the inflammatory markers had started to climb.

Not fast. Not dramatically. But enough that the monitor had gotten a bit cranky.

Her oxidative stress followed a pattern Darwin didn’t like because it wasn't clear. It didn't indicate anything specific, and that was always a problem. Pain could explain some of it. Tissue trauma from the leg could explain more. Stress, exertion, the drug pushing against a body already trying to repair itself could add to it as well.

Darwin grabbed the comms mic. “Coulter, you need to give yourself two full microdoses.”

“Copy," Coulter said.

Darwin closed his fingers tighter around the mic. “Wynn, straight talk."

"Okay," she said.

"Your inflammatory markers are rising, and your oxidative stress isn’t stabilizing with the catecholamine response.”

“I've got an injured leg,” Wynn said. "It’s probably skewing my baseline."

"Could be," Darwin said. "I want you to give yourself a half microdose of VKR-1 and then a microdose of AXS-1. It should help control the inflammatory response.”

“Sounds like a plan."

Darwin closed his eyes for half a second. “Just remember. This drug isn't any different than any other pain blocker. It will lie to you.”

"I know you've got my back," Wynn said. "I trust you."

"We're both administering now," Coulter said.

Darwin held his breath as he waited. And watched. It wouldn't take long for the drugs to hit their systems.

Coulter’s line shifted first. Catecholamines climbed. Heart rate rose, then leveled. Blood pressure followed, but not too high. No tremor marker. No oxygen drop.

Almost textbook—if there was such a thing.

And then, Wynn’s numbers began to shift, and everything else in the room vanished.

"All the drugs have been administered," Coulter said.

Wynn's blood pressure climbed a little too quickly but stopped below the ceiling.

The inflammatory marker continued to rise. The AXS-1 should counteract that, but it would take a minute or two.

Darwin braced one hand against the desk. “Come on.”

Twelve seconds.

Fifteen.

Twenty.

Finally, the line stopped climbing.