Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: so my computer crashed right when I finished this chapter with no chance of salvation and leaving me with the very tempting desire to smash said computer into itty bitty pieces. Luckily for you guys I emailed myself an early version of this chapter and only had to fix it up and add a few more things. Unluckily for me all the pictures I took of my cakes and pastries from school are lost forever and I'm stuck with rebuilding my portfolio X.X isn't life just wonderful? :P

Anyway, thanks for the reviews guys! I'm really sorry it took longer than usual to update but aside from depressing technical difficulties, real life is rearing its ugly head, hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter enough to forgive me, y/y? :)

…

Chapter Thirteen

Runaways

…

The sun was pouring into the living room of the Berry home, its owners sitting together in one of the squashy couches that occupied the brightly decorated room like a picture of the perfect happy family. Or it would be if they didn't have worry etched in their faces.

After changing in one of their perfumed bathrooms, not even having the energy to criticize the much too chipper décor, Kurt found himself sitting across from them, waiting for Finn to finish washing up to join them.

Meanwhile he explained everything he could to Rachel, who now had her perfectly shaped brows knitted in concern.

"So he's still seeing things," she said quietly, fingers unconsciously clutching her star dotted pajama pants.

"We have to tell the police somehow," Mr. Berry, Leroy, spoke up, though he seemed skeptical himself on how to go about doing it. Kurt nodded vaguely. It wouldn't be easy explaining to the police that his parents were hypnotized into trying to kill him and Finn, nor that this same hypnotism was affecting the parents of all the patients of Apate.

"We need concrete proof," Mr. Berry's husband, Hiram, shook his head, "Finn's presence alone won't prove anything, neither would a few statements from Kurt or their parents, we need…video recordings, pictures, something."

"And Niac's probably already gotten to the police," Kurt thought out loud, "we couldn't get through to court remember?" he nodded towards Rachel who sighed in defeat. "No one will believe us."

A silence of dread followed this. It was true though. If they couldn't get the authorities on their side, what else could they do but hide and hope for the best? Kurt stared at the center table covered with empty coffee mugs and crumb dotted plates. Being Finn's cure to reality was good and everything, but Kurt couldn't bear to have it last forever. It would be heartbreaking to see his stepbrother suffer for the rest of his life fighting demons only he could see. There had to be a way to fix this.

…

After having some time to himself to think, Finn had calmed down significantly. It wasn't everyday that you're told your stepbrother had to move your stuff out of the house or risk your own mother tossing it in the garbage. He tried containing his grief, especially after seeing his stereo, football uniform, books and other possessions stacked up neatly in the Berry's basement, but once he stepped under the shower he couldn't hold it in anymore and crumbled down in the tub, hugging his knees and digging his nails in his skin at the frustration of Laurence Niac destroying his life with no chance of being stopped.

Having a good cry for who knows how long, Finn relaxed and went through the painstaking process of washing up, wincing every now and then when fingers pressed a little too roughly over bruises he couldn't remember getting from his escape. The bruise on the back of his head was particularly difficult to go around, and only kept reminding him of the security guard he almost killed.

But he couldn't think about that.

Concerning his mother, there was nothing to worry about anymore. She remembered him and Suzy promised to keep her safe. What he needed to focus on now was how to stop Laurence from fucking up his life more than he was doing already.

Finn zipped the fly of his jeans and slipped on the button. They felt funny, hanging on his hips rather than hugging them snuggly. He pulled at the waistband, surprised to see how big they were. Maybe that's why Rachel supplied him with a belt even though she knew he rarely ever wore them.

Finn bit his lip, hooking the black leather belt around his jeans. He felt weird. How thin had he gotten?

He looked at the fogged up mirror over the sink and wiped it. His reflection was blurry, but he could still make out the sunken cheeks, the dark circles under his eyes, the haunted look in his face. This was the result of malnutrition, medication, and anxiety all balled into one. He looked nothing like the picture on his profile, and it struck him how quickly he'd turned into this ghost of a person.

He looked away, his stomach churning. He used to be handsome. If anyone looked his way they'd swoon. Guys would admire him and seethe with envy. He hugged his arms, muscles soft from lack of use and forced to submit under all the injections given to him. He may not have been the most confident of his body, but he was proud of his arms and the strength they held with every throw of a football. Now he didn't even have that.

Would he ever get it back?

He sat down on the cushioned toilet top and sighed. He had to stop thinking about how good his life was before the hallucinations started, and focus on getting himself out of the giant hole he now found himself in.

The manila folder sat innocently on the sink, slightly curled from all the moisture in the bathroom. He wasn't able to give Kurt evidence before, but now that he had this folder, he had a chance at shutting down Apate and getting his life back in order.

He opened and looked through the documents with some despair. The problem now lied in decoding the mixed garbled language that hid the real information. He was pretty sure this wasn't any kind of human language, some of the 'letters' were images of eyes, bones, or random lines with hollow dots at the ends.

But why would Suzy give him these documents if they couldn't help him stop Apate?

Skimming through the papers more carefully, he realized they were not only profiles of students from McKinley like he originally thought, but every teenager either living in Ohio or already instituted in Apate though they came from another state.

He stopped at Blaine's profile, remembering Kurt telling him that right after being hospitalized, his parents signed the papers to send him to Apate. Hopefully, if everything went right, Blaine wouldn't have to see the suffocating walls of the institution.

Finn read over his profile, it was mostly in gibberish, and very few English words stood out.

…Initial symptom…reality…assist…Babylon.

And there it was again. Babylon. Ominously staring up at him. Why was Babylon so important? And why did Suzy ask him to go there? The more he thought about it, the more Finn was starting to believe that that's where all the patients went at some point in time. It was probably where the mysterious teacher was too.

He pulled up another profile, hoping for some kind of clue to pop up. It was Sam's and just as coded as Blaine's.

…Manipulater…Pollen 162 – 4…mentally unstable…Babylon…delayed Initial symptom…

Babylon again.

Heart drumming in his ears, Finn pulled up anyone else he might know.

Artie Abrams…Dream Wanderer…Babylon…

Rachel Berry…netic…Initial…Babylon –

…Puckerman…ro…tom…Babylon…run…

Babylon.

Babylon!

Babylon!

Practically every profile pointed to Babylon! Finn closed the folder, his mind running a million questions a minute. Suzy entrusted this information to him, it had to mean something.

And that meant that as much as he'd prefer to leave this to more capable hands, he had to go to Babylon himself.

…

Kurt set down his second cup of coffee on the center table, staring at the stained line inside the mug soberly. He was alone in the living room at the moment, the Berry's having gone into the kitchen to prepare a proper breakfast for the frighteningly haggard Finn. He knew it was ridiculous for three people to prepare breakfast for just one person. They were giving him some time to himself.

He wondered where in his life everything started falling apart.

After discussing it further with the Berry's, they came to the same conclusion. Even if his parents were in their right minds now, going home was out of the question. If Laurence was true to his word, the house would be surrounded by people from Apate, waiting to capture Finn if they so much as got a whiff of him.

No one knocked on the Berry's door yet, so it was a safe bet that no one knew he and Finn were hiding in the obnoxiously cheerful home. They would have to stay here for a few days then move on to another place to avoid detection.

But even a few days was too much considering that Laurence probably knew of Rachel and Finn's relationship. If Finn wasn't home, the next possible suspect would be Rachel.

Kurt sighed and ran a hand through his tired face. He had money saved in the bank for college, hopefully it wouldn't get to the point where he had to use that money to keep them safely hidden.

He hoped they wouldn't be hiding for long.

The cushions beside him sank as Finn joined him, freshly showered and dressed in proper clothes. Kurt turned to give him a smile. With him back in his old jeans and faded plaid flannel shirt, Finn was starting to look a little bit like his old self again; even a ghost of his goofy grin was back.

Then he saw the ornament hanging around the other boy's neck.

Despite his inner fashion guru screaming in horror, Kurt's chest swelled with warmth. "You kept it," he found himself say softly.

Finn flushed in embarrassment. To be honest, having the ornament around his neck kind of made him feel like a pet or something, especially since the ornament was double the average size of a proper pendant. Strangely, he couldn't make himself take it off, so he kept it.

That, and he didn't want to lose it, so having it as a necklace was easier than pocketing it.

Besides, he was still determined to hang it on the Christmas tree once they finally got home.

"Yeah it…it's weird, but it helped me get back home," he said hesitantly, hoping he didn't sound too crazy. He himself thought it was crazy.

"We have a guest room upstairs," Leroy said, entering the living room before Kurt could question what Finn meant. "We…" he exchanged glances with his husband and daughter who entered as well and set down a plate of freshly cooked eggs, French toast, bacon, and a glass of orange juice, "we're not entirely sure what's going on, but we definitely won't bring you back to Apate. And I know it's next to impossible right now to go home, so you're welcome to stay here as long as you want," his eyes softened, "we'll figure something out."

Rachel nodded firmly, "plus we need to find Sam, his parents could be hypnotized to hurt him too if he ever makes it home."

Kurt grimaced, the reminder of his father seconds away from shooting him returning.

Finn tensed beside him. "I-I need to get to Babylon." Everyone turned to him, slightly exasperated. Ever since he arrived at the Berry's he couldn't stop talking about the place. They were starting to think it was another product of his hallucinations, one that Kurt couldn't erase by touch.

"Finn, why are you so set on Babylon?" Rachel asked.

"It's…" he fidgeted in his seat, he hadn't told them about the documents yet, and even though they'd probably put some logic to his desire to go to Babylon, he was scared. Rachel's profile was among those documents. She'd figure everything out and freak. Or worse, she'd probably want to join him on his trek to Babylon too, and he really didn't want to put her in danger. He was already trying to figure out how to convince Kurt to stay behind.

He looked down at the folder on his lap and decided to risk it. He opened it and pulled up the documents of people he knew. Everyone eyed the papers curiously as he handed a few to each of them.

"I don't know why, but everyone keeps telling me to go," he said, picking up the plate of French toast. He avoided mentioning Suzy, remembering the odd looks Kurt had sent him whenever the dead girl's name popped out of his mouth. "I looked through the profiles, and they all have Babylon somewhere in the descriptions, I think it's where the woman responsible is."

"But…" Rachel frowned at her own profile, not liking the big red X over her photograph, nor that she couldn't decipher the language following it. "Where did you get this?"

"I…I finally got in that room that kept all the files on patients," he answered hesitantly. If he explained to them exactly how he got around to getting his hands on this information, they wouldn't let him set one foot out the door. "I was in a hurry so I couldn't get everything."

"How did they get information on me?" Kurt demanded, looked through alien words filling his profile, "or Mike? Or Pucks? We're perfectly fine, there's no reason for us to have any kind of document associated with Apate."

"Unless Apate's responsible for the victims in the first place," Mr. Berry said darkly, frowning at the papers handed to him. "This is the best evidence we've got against Apate but…I'm not even sure the court would listen to us. Not if they didn't even take into consideration that there was something wrong with the place."

Kurt's hopes quickly dashed and he slumped in his seat. "That's right. They've probably been hypnotized like our parents."

"We can still try," Rachel frowned. "We'll knock some sense into them or something."

"You weren't the one who had your own father point a gun at you," Kurt argued bitterly, "what are the chances these people won't either?"

"But…we could…" she opened and closed her mouth, trying to counter but coming up with nothing. "So…so that's it? We can't do anything even if we have the proof we've been looking for?"

No one answered. The unfairness of it all settling in. They really couldn't do anything. After what almost happened to Kurt and Finn, the risk of death was suddenly very real.

Finn tried again, "so you'll let me go to Babylon?"

Rachel shook her head, "That's even riskier than going to the authorities. The institution's going to find out you stole their documents…" her eyes widened in horror, "which means they'll work harder in finding you!"

Kurt's shoulder slumped, there was no avoiding it then, "we can't stay here," Rachel was about to protest, but he cut her off, "coming home was the first logical choice to look for Finn, when they find out he's not there, who's the next person he'd turn to?" Rachel straightened up, realization dawning on her face, somewhere in the back of his head Kurt rolled his eyes at Rachel's inability to realize this danger until now, "the second person who's visited him the most – his girlfriend."

"They can't enter the house without us allowing it," Leroy said, brows knitted in a deep frown, "if they force their way in we can press charges."

"True…" Kurt said uncertainly, "but what if they do? We don't know exactly how powerful Laurence is – I almost got hypnotized through a phone."

"Which is why I need to go to Babylon, to stop him," Finn insisted.

Hiram looked at Finn thoughtfully. It was the kind of unreadable stare that made Finn feel as though he said something wrong and was about to get scolded. He'd forgotten how out of place he felt whenever he was around the bespectacled man. He squirmed under the man's gaze guiltily.

"Which Babylon do you mean? There's the ancient city that no longer exists, and then there's – "

He was cut off by a sharp knock at the door. All heads snapped to it in alarm, their hearts skipping a beat. Had they found them already? Kurt peered cautiously at the window behind the Berry's but could find no tell tale black van in the driveway. Rachel stood and signaled them off into the kitchen, getting up herself to answer the door. Finn scrambled around to put away the documents before scurrying off with Kurt, hiding the folder securely under his shirt like he did in his escape.

"You're hiding too," Leroy ordered, ushering her to follow the stepbrother's. Scowling, Rachel hovered by the kitchen with Finn and Kurt, biting her lip as her father opened the door.

At first it looked like the mailman. A very young one. He was in a blue and gray uniform with a large satchel of letters hanging from his shoulders, and a hat with the brim pulled over to keep his face hidden in shadow. Finn's stomach churned in foreboding. He recognized the bits of blond hair that stuck out from the hat, but for some reason he didn't feel comforted.

"Sam!" Rachel rushed out of the kitchen to greet the disguised teen.

At this the blond looked up, puffy lips pulling back in a wide grin. He stumbled back a bit when the other girl threw her arms around him in a tight hug. Kurt joined them, talking rapidly as they brought him inside. Finn hesitantly re-entered the living room, clutching the manila folder close to his chest. Something didn't feel right. It was the strangest feeling, tugging at the back of his head as he looked at his friend. He seemed fine, dorky as ever, he even gave him a tight hug after spotting him.

Maybe it was because the words 'mentally unstable' were ringing in his head.

"You escaped too," he pulled back, blue eyes brimming. Finn gave him a shaky grin, "we're free dude – how'd you get out? Did you do it blindfolded?"

"Uh…you wouldn't believe me if I told you," Finn replied with a shrug.

"And we're not free from Apate yet," Kurt sighed, ushering the two to sit while Rachel's fathers went to the kitchen to get something for Sam, "it's hard to believe, but Laurence Niac's got the parents of every patient hypnotized," he slumped in his seat, voice turning bitter, "we just escaped our parents from trying to kill us."

At this, Sam's high was quickly deflated. "What?"

"He's also got the city officials on his side, at least it's assumed he does," Rachel scowled, planting herself next to Finn and placing a comforting hand on his knee, "it's why we couldn't bring Finn's case to court – no one believes us!"

"That's…I see," Sam muttered, "I had a feeling it was something like that…"

A thoughtful pause settled over them. Finn eyed the blond cautiously. He seemed fine, and he looked genuinely beaten by the news Rachel and Kurt just gave him. What was so off about him then?

Sam looked up at him sharply. For a second his blue eyes flashed with something like knives. Finn flinched in surprise. Before anything could be said, Rachel's parents arrived with a new mug of coffee and a plate of toast and jam. Sam smiled in thanks and took the mug. Finn tried to distract himself by finishing his breakfast which had become cold.

"So, any reason why you're disguised as a mailman?" Mr. Berry asked, sitting down with his husband.

At this, Sam looked down at himself sheepishly, tugging at the blue and gray shirt, "would it be weird if I told you I honestly have no idea?"

The two adults laughed. "After everything we've heard today, not really."

"Cool," he grinned, and there really was something off about the way his lips pulled back in a smile, but didn't quite reach his eyes. Kurt glanced at Finn questioningly when the taller boy shifted closer to him; their sides flush against each other. The move had been subtle, but not enough to Rachel who now cast her boyfriend a hurt look assuming he didn't want to be near her. "So what do we do now?" the blond asked, "I'm guessing it's too risky to go home? I haven't gone yet, so I don't know how my family's doing."

"You're welcome to stay," Rachel said comfortingly, "Finn and Kurt will be staying here as well. Until we figure out what to do without risking our lives you guys are going to have to stay hidden."

"Hmm," Sam nodded, swiveling his coffee, staring at the table thoughtfully. He frowned when he spotted his own profile lying next to the toast and picked it up. "What's…" his eyes widened a margin, undetected by the others who were looking at the table as well. "Where'd you get this?"

Finn looked up and mentally swore, he missed a few papers, "Why?" he asked guardedly, earning odd looks from the others. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, "I found it…it's my proof to shut down Apate."

"But if Laurence has hypnotized the city officials, how do we get them to listen to us?" he slumped his shoulders, staring at his profile, "'mentally unstable'? What does that…maybe we're just safer at Apate."

At this the living room erupted soundly with protests. Sam winced at the uproar.

"I'm just saying," he yelled over all of them, "their methods are questionable, but we've only been there for a few weeks, maybe if we gave them a chance we could get cured…" he squirmed under their bewildered gazes. "Besides wouldn't you be a little willing if your profile says you're crazy?"

"Then why did you escape?" Kurt asked softly, barely able to contain his anger, "you seemed so happy about it a few minutes ago."

Sam smiled sheepishly, "I was stalling."

"Stalling for…" Rachel's words died in her throat as the room darkened suddenly. Finn looked around wildly; the windows had been tainted black somehow, casting the living room in shadow. "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry," Sam mumbled, raising his hand and extending his fingers. Everyone watched as several small black crystals took form over his hand, jolting when they shot towards them, stopping short centimeters from their faces. Rachel yelped in fright. "Don't move, they're like bullets."

"How are you doing that?" Mr. Berry asked shakily, frozen in his seat. There were several crystals surrounding him. Sam stood up, removing his hat and brushing a hand through his hair. A wire slipped into his fingers, unhooking itself from his ear. He walked around the sofa and opened the front door, stepping aside for the people waiting outside to enter.

They watched helplessly as several EMT's entered the living room and surrounded Finn. Kurt grabbed his arm, making sure not to move much lest the crystals blast through his skull.

Laurence Niac, in his spotless black suit and slicked back hair, was the last to enter. He stopped briefly in front of Sam to give him a curt nod. "Mailman?" he muttered with some amusement. Sam shook his head with a shrug. Taking the answer in stride, but still eyeing the blond strangely, Laurence moved on to Finn, a faint smirk on his lips.

"How did you escape?" was his first question.

"You hypnotized Sam?" Kurt spat, holding tighter onto his stepbrother as the EMT's inched closer to them.

"Whom I wouldn't have used if you had listened to my instructions," Laurence replied smoothly, eyeing him rather coldly even though he was smiling, "I had to do what I could to return Finn to the safety of Apate, now," he turned back to Finn who quaked under his gaze and looked away, "walking through walls? That couldn't have been done by you alone, could it? Who helped you?"

Though he was trembling, Finn didn't answer. Instead he took Kurt's hand which was starting to bruise his arm.

Laurence stepped back, "take them."

The EMT's instantly caved in on Finn and forced him from his stepbrother. He tried to scream, but one of them covered his mouth and started dragging him to the door. Rachel's screams tore through the house, struggling against her captor's.

"Let me go!" she screamed, twisting and turning, kicking blindly, "DAD! DADDY!"

But her parents didn't bat an eye, sitting still in the same spot, their eyes glazed over under Laurence's control.

"You can't do this!" Kurt yelled, trying to fight off the buff man who had him in an arm lock, "SAM!" he tried to catch his eye, "you can't let them do this to us! We're you're friends!"

"LET ME GO!" Finn screamed, after biting hard at the offending hand covering his mouth, panic up the roof again, he was clawing at the sofa that was on the way to the door, kicking desperately and very aware that if he didn't break free soon, that the EMT's would pull out the sedatives. He was actually vaguely surprised they didn't have them ready as soon as they walked in the door. "PLEASE!"

"SAM WAKE UP DAMNIT!" Kurt cried, "WE'RE YOU'RE FRIENDS!"

"You don't understand," Sam smiled pityingly, "Apate can help us, we just need to give it a chance – I'm practically cured, they found a way for me to control my problem."

"No! No don't take me back there!" Finn begged, completely unaware of his surroundings now. There was no way he'd be able to escape a second time, not even with the help of Suzy, or Peter, or…

Peter?

Why did that name pop up in his head all of the sudden?

"ARRGH!" in his moment of pause, his captor's pulled him roughly and slammed him to the floor. "No!"

Peter, Peter…who was Peter?

He met him a few times, maybe? A patient at Apate? Quiet…red…red haired…

He kicked and punched blindly, hoping he could manage a good hit, even if he was seriously weaker than any of them.

He helped him once. Peter helped him. He had a sister who could help him. Someone…a town…

'FINN! WHAT WAS MY POWER?'

Pain shot through Finn's head like a wildfire. He screamed in pain, struggling harder and clutching at his head. It felt like a giant fist was tightening around his skull, gripping harder and harder to the point where it felt like his skull was going to shatter. Finn barely had any room to think.

Power? What power?

Walls…ghost…felt…felt like nothing…

Suddenly the hands on his body were gone. He rolled away and stumbled to his feet. Blinking away the dots covering his vision.

"Good," he could hear Laurence's muffled voice through his ringing ears. "Do it."

"Finn run!" Kurt yelled, his face pressed against the center table. Finn, disoriented from the pain in his head, stepped back, but stumbled. The pain was starting to ebb away, but now he felt like slush. As if he put his body through something it wasn't meant to go through, and it was really starting to make him feel sick.

He tried to move again when the EMT's tried to make a grab for him, and fell over the sofa awkwardly, his arm knocking over a bag of envelopes. The bag Sam had come in with his disguise.

Someone screamed in pain, but from all the screams going on in the house, Finn couldn't tell who it came from, or if it came from him. He sluggishly moved to sit up, but fell to the floor when something sharp stabbed his hand.

Rolling to his knee he looked at the source, but could only find the envelopes which were now spilled all over the floor.

Some were standing pin straight, their corners lodged into the carpet like knives.

These weren't regular envelopes.

Acting on instinct, Finn grabbed a bunch of them just as arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him back. Choking under the grip, Finn made a stab at the arm and received a cry right against his ear followed by something spurting against his cheek and the arms around him loosening. He pulled himself up and held the envelopes threateningly.

"Finn, there's no need to resist, we're trying to help you," Laurence's soothing voice made its way to his ears.

He turned to the young man and threw an envelope at him as hard as he could.

Just his luck that Laurence caught it.

"Finn…"

He looked down at Kurt, who was sheet white and no longer able to fight one of the men pinning him down. It was like a bucket of cold water was doused over him. He lunged for the big man holding Kurt and stabbed him as hard as he could, managing to push him off and pull his stepbrother away.

"You will not leave," Laurence commanded, grabbing his shoulder.

Another cry peeled through the house. The windows exploded, pieces of glass shooting everywhere. The envelopes lying on the floor flew around as if caught in a strong gust of wind. Laurence let go of Finn to protect himself, ducking under the rain of glass shards and paper. Grunting in pain, Finn hauled Kurt out of the house while everyone was distracted. He tried to find Rachel, but she was no longer in the house. He could see Sam crumpled on the floor, holding his head as if in terrible pain. The screams were coming from him.

He wanted to save him. He was the only other person who truly understood the misery of being locked in a cage without the comfort of a parent. Even before that he could see a lot of himself in the blond, they were like mirror versions of each other. Like brothers.

He wanted to save Rachel too. She was the only person aside from Kurt who ever visited him. She loved him. She was special to him.

But Laurence and his team could only be distracted for so long. By the time he'd make a grab for either Sam or Rachel, they'd make a grab for him again and this time they'd probably have the sedatives out and ready.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed, holding Kurt against him as he ran as hard as he could to the Navigator, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Finn?" Kurt mumbled, looking around dazedly as Finn threw him in the passenger seat and pulled his car keys from his pocket. "What're you…Rachel…we have to…save…Rachel…" his head lolled to the side, no longer strong enough to fight the sedative.

Finn shoved the keys in the wheel and turned on the ignition. By the time Laurence made it to the front door, Finn hit the gas and sped down the street as fast as he could, tires screaming in protest.

Struggling to contain his anger, Laurence returned to the living room where a nurse was finishing an injection on the unconscious Sam. The hurricane of glass and paper finally stopped, leaving the house in destruction. Hiram and Leroy were luckily only scratched up in a few places, but still under Laurence's spell.

The hypnotist scowled at his whimpering team. "Follow them," he hissed at the few less injured men. Unable to say no, they hurried out the house. He then turned to the nurse still taking care of Sam. "This is why I said five!"

"Sir, the dosage is too high," the woman argued, "it's true that he's strong, but we're putting him at risk – he's still a kid – "

"I said five!" his whole body was shaking. The nurse flinched, dropping the empty syringe in her hand. Taking a deep breath, Laurence forced himself to relax; it had been a long time since he lost his cool. "Five," he repeated quietly, "he's not the only one at risk," he looked around at the mess of glass and ripped paper littering the room. He recognized a few of undamaged papers as documents to Apate. Profiles of targets.

There was no use avoiding it.

"The Head will hear of what happened by now," he sighed to himself, smoothing his hair back, "get all teams on alert, we're taking every patient in the country."

"Every…" the nurse's eyes widened.

Laurence turned to her, lips pulled back in a snake like grin, "for security measures."

…

Speeding down the streets and hopping on the highway, Finn's grip on the wheel loosened somewhat. There was no use staying in Ohio so long as Laurence was still around. He didn't know where he was going or if he was going the wrong way.

But he had to do something, and unless he got as far away as possible from Apate, there'd be no hope in ridding himself of the institution.

He looked over to the sleeping Kurt, guiltily glad it was him and not Rachel or Sam in that seat. Kurt would make traveling easier without the fear of seeing monsters. He'd always been by his side up to now, and as romantic as it could have been if Rachel was in his place, Rachel could never erase the hallucinations he suffered from, she'd only become a monster herself.

Of course, now Rachel was at the mercy of Laurence Niac.

Finn shook his head roughly, he couldn't think about that. He was going to save her. He was going to Babylon.

He was going to save everyone.