A/N: I can't apologize enough for the huge delay in the posting of this chapter. You see, I've had it mostly written for over a month now. I wrote all but the last few paragraphs at the end of October, and then started NaNoWriMo and didn't get a chance to finish writing it. So now NaNo's over (I won, if anyone's curious), and I finally managed to write those last hundred or so words.

So again, sorry, but it wasn't without reason. And my sister helped me brainstorm up a good ending, so it should be downhill from here. =)

146

The Director had led me through the halls of the School for at least fifteen minutes before we had finally arrived somewhere I recognized. The cell block.

I shone the flashlight around, not seeing anything.

"Are they locked up?" I asked.

The Director shook her head. "I don't think they're here. This is the last place I saw them before we split up."

I turned on her, frowning. "You mean you don't actually know where they are? Why the hell did you act like you did, then?"

"I didn't," she replied emotionlessly, not bothering to elaborate.

Damn her. Apparently deigning to work with us didn't necessarily mean she was going to be pleasant about it, or even particularly useful. What was I supposed to do now? Stand around and hope they came back?

Before I had time to really get frustrated, I saw a light appear and begin to grow at the end of one of the halls that branched off of the cell block. It was immediately clear that this light was much larger than my tiny flashlight.

"Crap," I muttered, going into danger mode. I turned to the Director. "Where can we hide?"

She glanced around, then shrugged. I contemplated punching her, but then she said, "In a cell? It might work again, even though you've done it about ten times already."

It was true that Jeb would think to check in the cells, but he didn't know where we were. If we weren't spotted before we got into the cell, we might have a better chance.

"Only chance we've got," I said, and ran over to the nearest cell. The Director and I hid, the door to the cell open just enough for me to see.

My caution turned out to be unnecessary. The people coming up the hall were as much Jeb or guards as I was a chimpanzee. As soon as I saw my flock, I opened the cell door and stepped out.

When the Director had told me her opinion on my relationship with Fang, she had forced a new perspective on me whether I wanted to accept it or not. As soon as I saw him, I started looking for signs that she was right. I found one, too. The expression in his eyes when he looked at me was enough to prove it. He loved me. And judging by the flip my stomach did at the realization, some part of me liked the idea.

I closed my eyes, trying to shove all of the emotional stuff back behind the more urgent things that I should have been focusing on. I only half succeeded, but it was enough.

"Hey, Max," Fang said once they reached me, and I opened my eyes to see him looking at me, his mouth quirked into a half-smile. "We were looking for you."

"Fancy that," I replied, grinning despite myself. "I was looking for you, too."

His smile dropped away, and he looked at me more seriously. "Are you okay?"

I shrugged, wondering if he knew what he was asking. "Mostly. Definitely better now than I was half an hour ago. Though honestly, I don't actually know how I was a half hour ago. I'm just guessing about that."

"What do you mean?" he asked, a barely-noticeable line appearing between his eyebrows.

I shrugged again. "I woke up in a random hall somewhere, alone, in the dark, with no recollection of anything since we got stuck in the elevator. It's a good thing I found her—" I jabbed my thumb at the Director, who was standing behind me. "—or I probably would still be lost."

"Would it help if I told you that you were stuck in a Whitecoat's body while her mind inhabited yours?"

My eyebrows shot up. "What?"

He explained what they had found, with me staring at him incredulously the whole time.

"That's just messed up," I said.

He nodded curtly, and I saw anger spark in his eyes. I could understand. I was angry too, and sick of being used like this.

"Fang?" Gazzy said, his expression anxious.

"Oh, right," Fang said. "We should go."

I looked between them, bewildered. "Go where? What's going on?"

Iggy smiled in a way that could only be described as devilish. "You'll like it, Max. We're going to blow the place in…" He gestured toward Gazzy, who held up his wrist.

00:49:36

"Oh, dear unknown deity," I breathed. "Bombs? In less than an hour?"

Iggy and Gazzy nodded simultaneously.

"WHAT?" the Director shrieked. "Are you saying you're going to blow everything up? All of my hard work? Everything I've ever achieved in my life? You're going to blow it up?"

"Yep," Iggy confirmed. "Hope you keep a backup on the 'Net somewhere."

The Director was beginning to turn colors. "After all I've done for you. I can't believe this!"

I raised a skeptical eyebrow. "After all you've done to us, you mean?"

"I'm helping you escape!" she yelled. "I'm saving your sorry asses!"

"That's nowhere near enough to make up for fifteen years of misery," I told her. "Besides, none of this was yours anymore anyway. Jeb took it. And if you don't stop shouting, someone's going to hear us and capture us, and we're going to be stuck in here when it explodes." I turned to Fang. "What's the plan?"

He shrugged. "We don't have one."

"Find an exit?" Iggy offered. "Just a thought, but it seems like it might be a good idea."

"Okay," I said to the Director, "either you lead us to a door or you go down with your building and all of your work."

Her glare was immeasurably angry, and if I hadn't been the tough cookie that I was, I might have been a little bit intimidated. "So I really only have one choice."

I shook my head in denial of her statement. "I gave you two, and I'm sure you could come up with more if you wanted to get creative."

She turned around and stalked toward one of the halls. "The closest door is this way."

I grinned at Fang, who gave me a quirk of his mouth in response, and then we followed our worst enemy to our only chance of escape from imminent death.

At least I can't complain about having a boring life.

A/N: So can anyone identify the thing that makes this chapter different from every single previous chapter of this fic? -Jeopardy theme-