"How did you know?" Kira asked, sitting up.

"I know your mother, she's here. I'll take you to her but we must hurry," Delphine said, turning away from Kira and going back to Elissa.

"She's here?!" Kira repeated excitedly. "Did she come to get me?"

"No, we did not know you were here Kira, but I promise I will get you back to her. She's been looking for you, you know?"

"I know," Kira said, she knew what her mother was like. Delphine moved the wires off Elissa, "Is Elissa okay?" Kira asked, coming to stand next to the woman by the bed.

"You know this girl?" Delphine asked, stopping briefly to look at Kira who nodded.

"She blacks out and faints a lot. Is she okay?"

"I don't know Kira," Delphine answered honestly, picking the girl up and then taking Kira's hand as well, "Time to go."

Delphine listened for any more sounds of the guards but all that she heard was the lights buzzing overhead and the ventilation system.

Delphine let go of Kira's hand to open the door and she peeked out, seeing another empty corridor she took Kira's hand again and speed walked down the hallway, leaving the door open and walking as fast as she could without running towards where she knew the elevator was.

Kira had to jog to keep up with Delphine as it was but she didn't mind.

"There they are!" Delphine heard as she passed an adjacent corridor.

Delphine cursed under her breath, "Run Kira!" Kira ran ahead of her and Delphine stuck close behind at more of a jog, wanting to keep the child in front of her so she could make sure nothing happened to her, "Turn right!" She directed, checking behind them to see how far behind the men were.

Kira turned right, pulling further ahead with each step she took- she was surprisingly fast for her age and size.

"Stop!" One of the guards called, "Let the kids go!"

Delphine couldn't figure out why the guards where even there, they were not normally here.

Perhaps Leekie knows...

"Go to the lift!" Delphine instructed but Kira was already there, repeatedly pressing the button to call the elevator.

"Halt!" Called the guard as he came charging after them with his gun in hand.

Delphine stepped in front of Kira, turning away from the guard to try and shield both Kira and Elissa from any bullets that may or may not come flying through the air towards them.

The lift pinged to signal its arrival and the door opened, Delphine pushed Kira into the lift and off to the side so she would be out of sight.

The guards opened fired on Delphine, three consecutive loud bangs as the men charged towards them, trying to get to the lift before the doors closed.

Elissa screamed, holding far too tightly to Delphine who stabbed at the elevator buttons and held the girl protectively to her, she wasn't aware the girl had woken up until then. Kira covered her ears, crouched off to the side of the small space.

The guards were getting closer and closer with each second, Delphine stood off to the side, pressing her back against the wall on the opposite side of the lift to Kira, praying for the doors to close.

More shots were fired and Elissa continued to scream while all Delphine could do was watch the holes in the wall gather.

After what felt like an eternity the lift dinged again and the doors closed, sealing them in and saving them just before the men got them.

Delphine sighed and slid down the wall of the elevator, ignoring the pain in her body as she did so and flicking a small switch on her way down that stopped the lift instantly, dimming all the lights. Delphine sat on the floor, cradling the crying girl in her arms, "Are you okay?" She asked, "Kira?" Kira nodded, taking her fingers out of her ears, "Elissa?" The girl didn't respond, she just clung to Delphine with a vice like grip and cried into her neck, "Are you hurt?" She asked and the girl shook her head.

Delphine rubbed her back and the girl calmed herself, she checked her watch for the time; she had just under half an hour left. Delphine was rapidly running out of time.

She stood up and her back twinged, I need to exercise more… She thought to herself as she pulled upright, ignoring the pain in her back and sides. Delphine flicked the switch and pressed the button to send them back up to the ground floor. She took Kira's hand again and prepared herself for the nightmare to be over.

Kira's eyes widened as she looked up at her saviour, "Delphine?" She spoke softly.

"Yes?" Delphine asked, looking down at the girl.

"Your-" The elevator stopped and pinged effectively cutting Kira off and preventing Delphine from hearing what she said.

Delphine looked up, the doors parted and revealed to Delphine the armed team of men and women surrounding their only exit, "Oh merde…" Delphine mumbled as she spotted Leekie standing at the back of the group with a wolfish grin.

"Delphine," Leekie spoke but it was closer to a smug sigh, "Delphine, Delphine, Delphine… Did you really think you could get away with this?" Delphine knew then that they had set this whole thing up, they knew from the beginning somehow that she would return to the Center, but she couldn't figure out why they had let her get so far if they wanted to take her in or kill her, "Take them." Leekie waved dismissively, pulling Doctor Devlin closer to him as the elevator pinged.

Delphine puled Kira closer to her, making her and Elissa turn away before she flipped Leekie the bird and said a few choice French words as the doors closed again before the armed team could rise and apprehend them, "Au revoir!" She taunted, letting go of the two girls once the doors closed.

Delphine pushed a button on the elevator and then knelt down to be level with the children, "Girls, there is a car outside waiting for us and when we get outside I need you two to run straight to it okay?" They both nodded.

"Is my Mum waiting for us?" Kira asked and Delphine nodded, standing up again when the lift pinged once more, she took their hands and waited anxiously as the doors parted, half expecting another platoon of armed soldiers to come charging at them but the hallway was empty.

Delphine marched out of the lift, her mind working over time to try and figure a way out of the facility. She knew had to think of something quick or else Leekie and his team of gun wielders would catch up to them.

The trio walked quickly through the corridors till Delphine spotted the maintenance lift, she brought the children over to it, pushing them in and pressing the button to send them back up to the ground floor.

"Listen carefully girls," She spoke, "When you get up there I want you to leave the facility, go out of the cave and go up the hill then, keep running straight. Kira, your mother will find you."

"But Delphine what about you, you're hurt!" Kira spoke, determined to be heard this time.

"You must go Kira." Delphine said with a weak smile, pressing the button for the door to close and pulling away.

As the maintenance lift closed she heard the main elevator ping open and a stampede of feet after it. Delphine moved away from the lift, into one of the corridors and hid in the first office she found. Her back and sides were aching and she clutched at them painfully, biting her lip to keep herself from making a sound as she ducked down behind a desk and sat on the carpeted floor, being mindful of the specimens in her backpack and not leaning against the desk.

Delphine breathed heavily, uncurling her arms from her body to inspect the damage. Her hands and arms were covered with smearings and spatterings of dark splotches which even in the very dark room could not be mistaken. Blood. Delphine sighed, she had been aware of pain in her body but now that she had nothing else to focus on, the pain in her torso became evident and invaded the forefront of her mind.

She lifted her shirt, cringing as the fabric pulled at the wound in her side and caused a burning sensation to erupt. She paused, her eyes screwed shut tight against the intense burning throb, then she reopened them with a determination to diagnose how bad it really was so again she gently pulled her shirt up, biting her lip. A few unwanted tears cascaded down her cheeks but she breathed out quickly once the shirt was up. Delphine looked down at herself but it was too dark to see anything other than the blood that was covering her skin and a vague outline of the wound, she cursed quietly and listened to the commands and footsteps in the corridor, praying that by some miracle they wouldn't find her.

Delphine jumped when she heard the door of the office open and she momentarily stopped breathing, her heart was beating so fast and she wished it would slow down. Delphine clamped her hand over her mouth again, waiting anxiously to see what her fate would be. Adrenalin surged through her body and blood left, Delphine listened acutely to the footsteps on the floor as their owner surveyed the room and she dared not move.