Max had always prided himself on being cool under pressure. ‘The eye of the hurricane,’ he liked to say. No matter how turbulent the air was around him, it was always seventy-two and sunny where he was. Even so, it surprised him how relaxed he felt as he walked up the back staircase of the Chemistry Building.

“That’ll be the key,” Melinda had said. The two of them were sitting on the back porch, sipping hot coco. Bill and Tara were having a snowball fight in the yard, and from the amount of white clinging to Bill’s whiskers it looked for all the world as if the diminutive girl was winning. “Ninety percent of the time, if a crook isn’t caught in the act, we nail them because a witness remembers someone acting suspicious.”

Max nodded at the guard as he walked past the security desk, making sure to glance at one of the many cameras that dotted the ceiling. “That’s another mistake people make.” Melinda's voice again. “Guilty people avoid looking at the police. Innocent people look, but keep their distance.”

Dr. Franklyn motioned Max over as soon as he entered the lab. “Mr. Harwell, do you have the proposed isomerization routes I asked you to draw up?” A typical, no-nonsense greeting from the good doctor. Max handed him his report.

The doctor shuffled his papers, quickly scanning the document. He stabbed a finger at one reaction route. “This one. Where the keto group is S-oriented from the main ring. How long do you think it would take you to run that?”

Max scratched his cheek, staring up at the ceiling. “It’s an unfavored product. It would take awhile to....” Dr. Franklyn glanced at his watch, and Max decided to get to the point. “Most of the day.”

“That’s fine. Make sure to have it ready by tomorrow morning.” He handed Max his report back. Without another word the doctor stalked off toward a group of students chatting in the corner.

“Teacher’s pet,” accused a thickly sarcastic feminine voice from behind him. Max sighed, and turned to find his lab partner smirking up at him. “Next thing you know he’s going to be asking you to synth him some apple polish, or make you train the rats to sit up straight and speak only when spoken to.”

“Morning Lily,” Max said. He was surprised to find himself suppressing a laugh - he didn’t usually think her jokes were funny. But in any case, it was generally a bad idea to give Lily Phillips any encouragement. The girl could be a bundle of unaccounted-for variables, and that was the last thing his plan needed.

“What’s Doc got you working on today?” she asked, standing on her tip toes to look over the top of the papers Max was holding. She had left the top button of her polo shirt undone, and he couldn’t help but notice she was inadvertently giving him a good look down the front of her shirt. Although, knowing Lily, maybe not so inadvertently.

Despite his reservations about her, Max was forced to admit that the girl could be charming sometimes. Lily had a decent figure in spite of being underdeveloped, and she had a cute little button nose that suited her face perfectly. Her skin was a rich caramel color, accented by a crop of straight, jet black hair, and her eyes were extremely large and arresting. Privately, he thought she looked like a grown-up, extra sexy version of Dora the Explorer.

But by far her most noticeable feature was that of her stature - or more accurately, the lack thereof. The girl would’ve made even Tara seem a giant by comparison. Max guessed that she had to be well under five feet tall, perhaps just a smidge over four-six. But this was just another thing Lily could use to her advantage. Her height made her appear cute, even imp-like, and it somehow seemed to multiply her sex appeal.

He might even have said the girl was attractive, if only she would stop needling him for thirty seconds.

“Yeah, that assignment actually looks pretty boring,” Lily said, pushing the stack of papers back against his chest. “I’m going to see if Doc has anything more exciting for me to do. But remember, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate....”

They finished together. “...To ask someone else first.”

“Thanks awfully,” Max growled at her as she strode away. She waved her hand dismissively, not looking back. He sighed again - there was something about that girl. The way she seemed to be able to beckon him closer, while simultaneously giving him the proverbial finger. And why did she always know just what to say to get under his skin? He took a deep breath, and within three heartbeats had regained his composure.

Max settled down at his favorite table, and began to work. The day passed uneventfully, and before he knew it his reaction sequence was complete. He looked up at the clock - 4:55pm. This was the moment of decision - should he go through with his plan?

Without hesitation, Max decanted the product of his day’s labors into a test tube. He placed it alongside a number of other, identical tubes, careful to memorize the position of his. Now he was painfully aware of the camera watching from just over his shoulder, but he didn’t try to hide his actions. Again, Melinda’s voice came to him: “In all likelihood no one ever watches those tapes, unless they have a good reason. Your job is to make sure they don’t get one.”

Max picked up a small, numbered vial onto which he had written the name of his isomer. He carefully filled it with a small amount of waste product, and sealed it shut. Turning quickly, he let his foot snag on the underside of the table. Max faked a stumble, the vial slipping from his hand and shattering on the floor.

The sound of breaking glass immediately summoned Dr. Franklyn. “What was in that container?” he asked, his voice edged with concern.

Already a pair of graduate students were cleaning up the spill. Max watched them for a moment, and contrived a sigh. “My final product.”

“I needed that by tomorrow morning, Harwell.”

“I know sir, but...I have a date tonight,” Max pleaded. “Isn’t there some way...?”

Dr. Franklyn shook his head sadly. “No, no. We can’t afford to fall behind schedule on a project with so much riding on it. A collaborative effort with the government, as I’m sure you remember. Deadlines. Grant money. You’ll...I’m afraid you’ll have to stay tonight and run the reaction again.” The doctor looked at him with what Max thought might be genuine sympathy, and for a split second he felt terrible about lying to the man.

It passed.

Max sighed again. “I understand. Would it be alright if I came back later tonight? I’d like to take a shower, get some dinner....”

“...call the young lady and tell her the bad news?” The doctor smiled at him. “That should be fine. I’ll make sure security knows you’ll be coming. But Harwell - be certain you’re done by morning.”

Max went to clean up his station. As he washed his used test tubes, he carefully palmed the one with his finished product, and slipped it into his pocket. The doctor would have it by morning, alright. For tonight though, he had other plans.

By nine pm, Max was ready to rock. Clearing security been no problem, and as far as he could tell he was the only person left in this part of the building. He swiped his ID card on the door to the reagent room, smiling to himself. This was almost too easy.

The storage area was about the size of a large closet, its walls lined with hundreds of identical ceramic jars. The labels were small and difficult to read even up close - it would be impossible for a camera to see them from across the room.

Max grabbed what he needed, and went to his favorite table. Carefully, he measured a small amount of the drug into a test tube. If he had calculated right, this would be enough to yield more than a hundred thousand doses of high-potency LSD. At five bucks a pop, this stuff was going to be his key to a new life, free from the crushing weight of his debts.

The chromium oxide came first. The solution bubbled, giving off a soft fizzing sound as the oxygen escaped. He centrifuged his test tube, and strained away a thick, silvery blob - the used chromium. Next came the hydrogen in palladium. He sealed the vial and inserted a small plastic tube connected to a canister of gas. Now there was only one step left - dissolving the by-product, and then boiling it away. Max glanced up at the clock, and was surprised to find that he’d only been in the lab for twenty minutes.

Suddenly the doorknob turned, the noise explosively loud in the silence of the lab. Max whirled, and saw his worse-case scenario – Lily Phillips was walking through the door.

Calm. Calm down, he thought.

“Hey Max-ie. What - aren’t you glad to see me? You look a little spooked.”

“I’ve asked you not to call me by that name, remember? And I’m fine.” Now, do it now! He lifted the bottle of tetrahydrofuran, and poured a tiny amount into the vial. “You just startled me, that’s all.”

“A big lump like you, afraid of a little thing like me? What HAS happened to American masculinity?” Lily sauntered over to him, and with some difficulty the tiny girl reached up to set her bag on the table. For a moment he wondered what it must be like for her, being so short. Everyday tasks must have all sorts of unforeseen complications. There would be second glances on the street...random strangers gawking as she walked past....

Max snapped himself out of his reverie. He stirred the solution. “Why are you here?” he asked coldly.

Lily actually looked embarrassed by the question. “Well...umm, if you must know...I felt bad about what happened to you earlier. That was really unfair, the way the Doc made you miss...miss your date. I thought maybe you’d get out a little quicker if I helped.”

Now it was Max’s turn to be embarrassed. “That’s...actually really nice of you,” he said, lighting a bunsen burner. Just a few more minutes - that was all he needed! “But as it turns out I’m almost done.”

Lily looked confused. “But the security guard told me you just got here. I thought this reaction was going to take all night.”

Damn it, why did she have to be so perceptive! “Oh, I...found a more efficient reaction pathway. I’m on the last step right now actually...just need to do a low-temperature boil. As soon as this finishes dissolving I’ll heat it, and we can go.”

She smiled, and Max had the thought that, after all the times she had smirked at him over the years, this might be the first time he had actually seen both sides of her mouth go up at the same time. “Oh? And where should...WE...go?”

That one threw him. “Ah...well, let’s talk about that. In a minute. But first, could you give me a hand? Put these reagents away?”

Still smiling, she reached up to grab the three containers. She glanced down idly at the labels, and suddenly she stopped.

“Chromium Oxide. Palladium. Tetrahydrofuran.” Lily stared at him, and Max saw that the smirk was back in full force. “Max, why don’t you tell me about this reaction route you discovered.”

Max could swear that his heart was literally sinking into his stomach. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

“Did you think you were the only one who thought of this?” she asked, perverse glee in her voice. “But I never would have guessed YOU would be the one dumb enough to try it. Just think - Max Harwell, the golden boy, caught by his lab partner making LSD!”