"Attention, ACIS agents and guests. This is Cassius speaking." the voice began, "The building is now on mandatory lockdown. Until I get what I want, every 5 minutes, someone is this building will die. What do I want you ask? Simple. Bring me my genetic donors and you can all go free."

Scout looked at Flora and Kowalski, "What does he mean genetic donors?"

"A donor of genes. Like a parent." Flora replied.

"Oh."

The light bulbs suddenly clicked on for every one in the elevator.

"Grace and Alexander are in trouble!"

"We need to get out of this elevator!" Dave tapped the emergency open button several times rapidly.

"It's no use. Even if the door opens we will be trapped here. The elevator shaft won't allow us to get out." Kowalski began looking around.

"What about the hatch in the ceiling?" Dave asked.

The animals looked puzzled.

"All elevators have a door on top to escape out of." Dave explained, "There is a ladder and one can climb to safety, if they become stranded."

Scout put her front paws on the wall, "Worth a shot I guess."

Dave balanced himself on Scout's shoulders, next Kowalski helped Flora to the top.

"It's open!" Flora said excitedly.

Once Flora and Kowalski were safely through, it became apparent that Scout wouldn't be able to make it through the exit.

"You go ahead Dave. I will wait here. Go get help." Scout tried forcing the otter to go.

"I'm not leaving you here. If that freaky mutant comes, I want to be here." Dave was defiant.

"David, I will not argue with you! Get your tail out and up that ladder. Grace needs you more then I do." Scout growled.

"Well, she has Alexander, Rico and Madison on her side. You have you."

"True. But-"

"Go ahead, guys!" Dave yelled up to Kowalski and Flora, "I'm waiting here with Scout."

The calico dog looked at the otter and sighed. "Thank you."

_GRACE_

Grace heard Cassius's announcement and ran towards the door. "Locked?" she slightly yelped. "The power's out."

She quickly searched for another exit and found the air vents. The metal cover was next to impossible to remove, but she managed.

The wolf squeezed into the vent, it was only about 18 inches tall and she could barely crawl through it.

She noticed a small sound coming towards her from the opposite end of the vent and slowed down considerably, not wanting to meet Cassius or a lobster in this confined space.

She stopped and took a small sniff of the air. Earth, trees and blood all met her nose at once. Whoever was headed towards her was definatly not a lobster, and the more Grace thought the more unlikely it seemed that Cassius would be in the tiny vent.

Grace turned a corner to her right, took 3 steps and ran right into the smell. She stumbled back and froze.

"Grace?"Alexander whispered, "I thought you were-"

"Cassius? Yeah I get that a lot." the wolf answered back.

A red light flashed on her left, Grace and Alexander both turned to see the final metal grate.

"Allow me." Alexander started towards the vent first and a few seconds later, the grate clattered to the ground.

Grace leaped out and stretched, "Sorry about running into you." she apologized, looking at the ground.

"It's fine. Not the first time, and probably won't be the last. Let's find the others and get out-"

A feminine scream pierced the air.

"Has it been 5 minutes already?" Alexander asked.

"What time is it?" Grace's mind was elsewhere.

"About 11:30. Who do you think it was?"

"Not an agent that's for sure." Grace shook her head. "They all go home at 9."

"Then-"

"Marlene." Grace burst out the door, took an immediate left and ran as fast as she could. Only to collide head on with Kowalski.

Grace rolled quickly to her feet and prepared to fight.

"Grace it's us!" Flora cried.

"What on earth is going on? Who screamed? Where's Scout?" Grace was panting insanely hard.

"With Dave, in the elevator." Kowalski sat up, rubbing his rib cage.

"Kowalski thought he saw a spider." Flora said.

"Grace, you idiot. You almost got yourself-" Alexander paused, looking at Kowalski, "What's wrong with you?"

"I just got hit by a truck!" Kowalski yelped.

"Drama queen." Grace rolled her eyes.

"Grace. His ribs could be broken because of your carelessness!" Alexander knelt next to the penguin, who winced when the monitor barely brushed his ribs.

"I hope your proud of yourself. His ribs are defiantly broken." Alexander helped Kowalski up. "Come on."

Kowalski's left wing went around Alexander's shoulder. And they began the painful, to watch and for Kowalski, journey to find Skipper.

_SKIPPER_

"If we all stay here then he can't pick us off." Skipper added.

"But we can't die here!" Amber snapped.

"Ok calm down. We need to get down to the basement and them out through the secret passage." Hawk said calmly. "Who are we missing?"

"Kowalski, Flora, Dave, Scout, Manfredi, Alexander, Grace, Kyro and Riley." Kenadie slowly named off.

"Riley went home. Kyro was in the hospital wing. He has probably already made it out by now." Johnson plugged in.

"Ok, so," Amber took one card for each of the members of the group left. 16 cards in total. "If Cassius takes one of us out every 5 minutes that only gives us...an hour and 20 minutes left."

"But Grace and Alexander are the ones he wants. So that's only an hour 10. Unless they already turned themselves in." Kenadie acknowledged.

"Grace would never-" Amber began to defend the wolf and stopped herself.

"If it meant we would live. She would." Skipper looked down, fear suddenly gripping him. Were Grace and Alexander so madly in love that they would die if they couldn't be together?

"Skippa? You don't think Grace would. Do you?" Private asked.

"No. Grace would want to talk about it first." Amber encouraged.

"Talk about what?" the wolf appeared at the top of the stairs, half carrying Kowalski.

"Grace! What happened?" Johnson took in Kowalski's state.

"We had a kinetic energy disagreement." Grace explained in science terms to confuse them.

Grace and Alexander slowly helped Kowalski down the stairs.

"They what?" Sara asked.

"They ran into each other." Kenadie stated.

"Oh."

"He's got a few broken ribs." Alexander sighed as Kowalski managed to lay down on the floor.

Hawk glared at Grace, "You should really be more careful."

Grace flattened her ears and whimpered. "I feel bad enough as it is."

"Why do you need me to kill you off when you are doing it yourself?"

The room's attention turned to the entry way. Cassius stood perfectly still in the door. His army of lobsters quickly flowing around him.

OOOOooooo!