Acheron Ascending — Jennifer Colgan

Love can bloom where nothing else survives…
A freak electrical storm in the Nevada wilderness leaves wildlife photographer Chase Calder strangely disoriented. When he awakens a prisoner in a high-security Air Force base under the scrutiny of seductive microbiologist Martina Sanchez he knows he's in dangerous territory.
As an undercover Special Ops agent, Martina finally has the proof she needs to expose the Acheron beam for the danger it is -- not a harmless bio-decontaminate, but a potentially deadly super weapon. She's also discovered exposure to the beam has more than one unexpected side effect for Chase whose sizzling touch melts her cool, professional resolve.

She risks everything to break the sexy photographer out of the base. Together they flee to safety and find something more dangerous than a super weapon when their passion ignites. Can they navigate the strange new world in which they find themselves and escape with their lives and their love intact?

Note: This short story was previously published under the title Strange New World