Tom threw aside the folder in exasperation. The company was failing and they needed to develop a new product to turn things around. Tom had been combing through declassified documents for the last 3 weeks to see if anything could be gleaned from the information within. Working for a chemical company had seemed like a lucrative idea before but sitting here working overtime trying to keep a company afloat had not been what he expected. He looked out the window at the half empty parking lot, the handful of lights illuminating the BMWs, and Audis. The sun had already gone down a few hours ago.

Tom combed through another file and sighed. He thought to himself that he’d likely have to find a new job soon and how it would make his life more difficult. He had just married the girl of his dreams and jumped headfirst into buying a home thinking that he had a high paying job that couldn’t possibly fail. “If we could just get one good idea,” he thought to himself. 

He lifted the next file labeled Los Alamos Laboratory Miscellaneous Projects April 15th, 1945. At least this one might be interesting, he thought. As he read the contents his eyes widened. “No way,” he exclaimed to the empty room. As he read the details the idea clicked. He could do that with a chemical coating nowadays. He hurriedly scribbled some notes on his notepad and ran to a PC to verify on the sim. Tom knew that they could make that happen.

Stella had been sitting in the living room by herself. The TV was on but she wasn’t paying much attention. Tom had been getting home late the last few weeks and it had been difficult. Even though they had recently gotten married they hardly saw each other. Tom’s job had been at risk and the scarce time they’d shared had been cut even shorter since he’d showed up one night saying that he found it. This “breakthrough” meant he was rushing into work early now too. Their time was already limited by Stella’s music rehearsals and performances but his time away from him made her lonely. You can imagine her surprise when that evening Tom showed up much earlier than usual.

Stella waited patiently as she heard the garage door close and Tom exit his vehicle. Tom’s excitement was palpable as he entered the house and excitedly said,” Stella, where are you? You won’t believe how crazy this is.” 

Stella cocked her head back and responded, “I’m in the living room, what is it?” 

Tom walked in and placed a blank spray can on the counter and walked towards the kitchen. “Honey, I know you love chemistry but couldn’t this have waited?” Stella asked. Tom was single mindedly rummaging through the cabinets until he found what he was looking for. “You have to see this,” Tom finally said, walking in with a large chef’s knife.

Stella now stood in silent confusion as she watched Tom splay out a newspaper and place the knife down on it. As Tom popped the cap off the unmarked can Stella abruptly raises her hand, “Wait isn’t that one of the nice ones from the set we just got?”

Tom retorts, “Yep,” and begins spraying the knife with the mystery can. “We’ll be able to buy as many of those as we want later just watch this.”

The spray seems to be an almost dusty mist. Oddly enough it didn’t seem to smell like much. Tom takes the knife flipping it over and sprays the other side. “Full coat.” He mutters quietly to himself while Stella looks in stunned confusion. She had to admit it was good seeing Tom get excited about something again so she decided to just wait and observe. Though she wondered if spraying a chemical concoction indoors was safe.

Tom finished spraying the knife down and replaced the cap on the spray can. He paused, taking Stella’s hand, “Honey, you really will not believe this. But I think I’ve done it. I’m going to save the company and get that promotion by doing it.” 

“Tom, that’s great I’m so happy for you but what does that have to do with the spray can?” Stella asked, looking at the knife on the counter. Despite it being coated by the mystery substance nothing seemed out of the ordinary about it. It had to be a protectant or anti rust or weathering of some sort, but why had Tom brought it in and sprayed the good chef’s knife?

Tom leaned with her against the counter and looked into her green eyes. He placed his hand on top of hers on the counter. “Stella, I’m going to need you to trust me on this.” She looked at him in confusion, her eyes still fixated on his. They hadn’t had a moment this intimate in awhile and she took it for all it was. “Alright, Tom. What is it?” She was so in the moment that she hardly noticed as Tom’s other hand reached over holding the knife.

Stella felt a sudden sting as the knife’s blade bit into her wrist. She winced in shock as she saw the knife cut into her skin like butter. Confusingly the stinging pain was short lived as it was replaced by an overwhelming pleasure. She watched the knife glide through her flesh. She almost let out a moan as the blade exited the other side and Tom lifted her now detached hand. The momentary pleasure was replaced by a wave of confusing emotions. She had never felt this……. Overwhelmed. She wanted to kill Tom at that moment and at the same time she wanted to jump into his arms, walk him to the bedroom, do it right there in the kitchen…….

“What did you do?”, she finally managed to blurt out in confusion.  

“This is it,” Tom said, lifting Stella’s loose hand up to show her. It was at that moment she realized she could still feel her hand despite it being severed. She moved one of her fingers and watched it twitch in Tom’s hand. Stella flinched in shock at the sight. “Tom? What is this?”, she asked, trying to ignore the still present desire to pull Tom in for an embrace.

“I found out about this in those declassified files at work,” He said excitedly. “I made this a blade that can cut through anything but leave living things alive and connected……….but disconnected” 

“Tom, that doesn’t make any sense at all,” Stella responded.

“I know, isn't it so cool?”, Tom replied, clearly very excited with his discovery. 

Panic set in as Stella realized that she was missing a hand, “ Tom, you idiot. I’m a pianist. What the hell am I supposed to do with only one hand?” 

“It’s okay, watch!” Tom put the cut ends of Stella’s hand and arm and touched them to each other. Stella’s anger melted away as the two ends fused back together returning her to one piece. “It’s like magic,” Tom declared excitedly as they both looked down at Stella’s hand as she flexed it.. 

“You see I looked into what they…….”, Tom’s explanation of what he’d done was cut off by Stella jumping on him and kissing him. This was unexpected and they collapsed on the floor. Stella straddling Tom began undressing herself and unbuttoning Tom’s shirt. She reached for the knife sitting on the counter. She flipped it and placed it in Tom’s hands. Throwing herself down on the floor she says,” Shut up and show me what else that can cut.” 

“......And that’s when I realized I could make an aerosol coating that has the same effect as what the physicists did in ‘45.” Tom finished his story looking at the ceiling. Stella’s head rested on his left shoulder as they both breathed a sigh. Tom was always long winded but Stella really did enjoy his genuine excitement. It had just been so long and with the night’s experience she just couldn’t wait anymore.

Tom pat Stella’s voluptuous bottom with his right hand. This new angle offers a slightly different feeling he thought to himself. Stella lay in a few separate pieces. Her head was disconnected from her one-armed torso which sat at the foot of the bed. That missing arm was somewhere between the living room and bedroom. Her two feet sat on the nightstand as her hips and legs were held tightly against Tom.

“So how is this going to make money exactly?” Stella asked.

The question froze Tom in his tracks.

To be continued…….