“Ms. Clairborne, please remain seated. Do not leave your room. All hospital personnel have been alerted to your presence. Do not make this harder on yourself than necessary.”

Liz ignored the voice from speaker on the desk and finished getting dressed. She stepped over the male orderly who was sleeping soundly on the floor, a victim of the hypodermic he had intended to use on her.

She finished putting on her beige pant suit, opened the door and walked briskly but casually towards the nearest exit. She had considered peering out the door first, but since they already knew which room she was in that would merely have delayed her. Same with wearing the orderly’s white lab coat. An official-looking disguise wouldn’t fool them; plus theft would give them a legitimate reason to detain her.

For once, the fates were with her. The large, spacious corridor was deserted. In fact, the first human face she saw was Gary standing at the foot of the stairs in the back lobby. He was disguised as her lawyer, which was ironic since he did actually have a law degree (among other things). His trim, bearded form made him look like a nerdy, rust-blonde Jude Law.

Gary smiled tightly as she hurried over to him. He didn’t quite touch her as he ushered her up the stairs. “I have good news and bad news,” he whispered.

“Let me guess,” she said. “Great-uncle’s baby stroller?”

“You got it,” he admitted, grimacing as they exited the building into the above-ground parking lot.

“It’s okay,” Liz grinned. “I know the trick.”

Gary sighed and pulled back as she headed over to the black contraption. “I know,” he said to himself. “That IS the bad news.”

Great-uncle didn’t like to talk about, but this was the real reason that entire generation had been recalled. There was a simple but unauthorized modification that could be made to the carriage that would turn the innocent plaything into a dangerous roadster.

Gary sighed as he watched her unfasten the bolts and pull out the large triangular tail. “Here we go again…”