Hi NickiD89  I offer this review with humility and respect. Without each other, we are no one—in the hollows of the heavens rising stars brighten.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
I don't mind telling you I read this story five times before composing the review, just to ensure I had absorbed every detail. All your sentences are gorgeously constructed. Each one takes its time to dole out all the little details that brought this story to life.
Title: Appropriate and revealing at the conclusion.
Characters/Plot/Setting
 Robb comes across immediately as a malcontent, although I do sympathize with him. I would be angry if my research was taken away from me. In the beginning, I wondered why he thought Genghis Kahn might not have been the horrible person detailed in history. By the conclusion, I decided Robb had become someone similar to Khan.
He's at all times focused, but the brief episodes into his past showed two sides of him. He loved Marla and he wants her out of his life, and he's furious her presence is enough to arouse him.
 Marla is revealed through Robb's observations. She wronged Robb and this was made clear without delving into nasty details. Whatever her intentions, I don't want to believe she intentionally hurt her boyfriend. She was, foremost, concerned with the implications of Robb's actions, at a scientific level. After the lightning strike, I thought maybe she still cared for him. At any rate, her presence keeps up the friction and forwards the plot.
 The plot unrolls while Robb and Marla are sparring and moving through the building to retrieve the rock. The lab facility is sketched with enough details to form an image. A touch of futuristic science was well placed and believable.
One part that really struck me was his entry when he reached Neodymium Technologies. He sees Marla's car and adjusts his destination to avoid detection. It was like sitting next to him while he settled his vehicle and surveyed the terrain. Without even delving further into the plot, his personality and past was shown in this scene.
The conflict escalated. He's not only against the Federation, he's up against a coworker, an ex-partner. It's only fitting she's there to dog his heels the entire way, and document the gritty, or should I say, gooey conclusion.
What brilliant orchestration maneuvering this plot, from Marla's concerns casting suspicion on the safety of the rock, all the way to the effects of the lightning strike, every aspect was well thought out and believable. Nothing in the story was extraneous. I guess Robb was a chick magnet. Just kidding.
Accolades
The conclusion of the story was hideous and again, expertly crafted. Unfortunately, I was able to "see" exactly what was happening to Marla. Good work!
Grammar/Punctuation
No issues
Considerations
It's been some time since you wrote this, and stories that begin with 'earlier that day' or any prior time sequence are less prevalent in the writing community. It's no longer a desired approach, and your story certainly did not need the introduction. If anything, it stole some of the zest from the end.
Paragraph 14 had one sentence that bothered me because of the word [somewhat]. You could probably take it right out and not hurt a thing. The simile didn't work for me either. Unlike your others, it felt forced, or maybe too much significance was conveyed when talking about bones. lol
accentuating somehow her collar bones rising like milky moguls below the gentle slope of her neck.
Both paragraphs 38 and 46 need the first sentence indent.
In the conclusion, Robb's skin tears where its adhered to Marla's. I thought he would disintegrate as well. Also, you briefly mentioned his own private lab, but where would he secure cancerous mice for his research?
Lasting Impression
I guess it's time to let this story go. I've now read it at least ten times. You're an expert storyteller, and I enjoyed every moment both reading and reviewing your work.
I'm one reader among thousands. My comments are yours to ignore or explore.
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XGC,
| (4.5)
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I felt her exuberance and celebrated with her when she declared her pregnancy to the world. A gorgeous moment and vividly real. (I would do the same thing.)
