"What?" Ballard asked, concerned by why they stopped.
"The stairs lack risers!" Kepler whispered loudly.
"What?" Ballard asked, not sure what that had to do with anything.
"The vertical part the makes the back of each stair is called a riser." Kepler explained.
"I know what they are!" Ballard yelled back in a whisper as he tried to continue down the stairs before being stopped by Kepler once more.
"Okay, wait. H-hold on. Okay, see… sometimes when I go on stairs that don't have risers I get this feeling, this awful sensation that something's going to just r-reach out and grab my ankle like a claw or a tentacle."
"This is life or death!" Ballard said, a finger pointed at Kepler's chest and tried to go back down the stairs again.
Kepler stopped him, "Could be a hand, could be an ordinary hand!"
"Come on!" Jason grumbled in annoyance as Ballard continued down the stairs and Jason dragged Kepler to join them.
"Hurry up." Jason whispered.
"Oh, woah." Kepler mumbled before turning to face away from the bottom of the staircase.
Dr. Saunders walked past the staircase and they all stopped, watching her walk away.
"There's a terminal in there. If I can get to that, I can shut down all the security. I can open this place up like an oyster. We can go out in the elevator, as pretty as you please."
"Okay, fine." Ballard said before glancing around and noticing Victor walking by, "Oh God. I know that guy, Lubov! My whole life… my whole life isn't real…"
"It's a small world, right? I went to grade school with Jenna Elfman."
They stared at him before Kepler nervously continued down the stair and entered the infirmary. Kepler looked around before noticing a computer. He walked towards it as Ballard closed the door behind them.
"Just point us to where they sleep. Is it that way?" Ballard said, pointing in the direction Victor had walked off in.
"Cool off. Man, think. You know, c-compose yourself mentally, man. Prepare." Kepler whispered as he began typing into the computer.
"What are you doing?" Jason and Ballard asked at the same time.
"The best that I can, Mr. I-stun-all-my-problems and Mr. Brother-complex… I don't know how to slam all the doors shut on the security areas, but I do know how to adjust the oxygen-nitrogen-CO2 mix in their rooms so… they won't wake up if the alarms go off."
"Okay. Do that." Ballard ordered.
"Now, the dolls… I designed the sleeping compartments that collects the carbon dioxide and methane… everybody farts… and… cycle it all into the environmental controls."
"… What?" They asked, thoroughly confused by what Kepler had just spewed out.
"You need to know this. The pods are locked."
"She's locked into a pod?"
"My brother is trapped inside a pod!"
"There are lights inside. If the light is on, the pod is locked. Do not try to open a locked pod. All hell will break loose. As I unlock each pod remotely, the light will go off… wait… go…"
"Okay." Ballard nodded with Jason quickly agreeing as well.
"I said go." Kepler urged, "The course is clear. Go, now!"
They quickly began to leave, but were stopped by Kepler.
"Alright. Down… that hallway…" Kepler said, briefly hesitating before pointing to his right.
They both glanced at one another before staring at Kepler silently for a few moments. They then went the exact opposite way that he had pointed towards.
"Wait… oh no, that's right."
Jason and Ballard quickly moved through the hallways until they reached a circular room. They paused before entering, looking around the room at the lit up pods in the ground. Suddenly, one of the pods went dark and they quickly made their way towards it. Ballard knelt down and quietly rolled the pod's door open to reveal a sleeping November.
He stared at her for a few moments, struggling with his resolve to leave her behind before sighing, "They flip a switch… you'll kill me without even knowing it… I'm sorry…"
Jason watched as Ballard slowly closed the pod door once more, "Are you sure you want to leave her behind?"
Ballard grimaced, "This is the only way."
They then made their way to the next pod and waited for it to go dark. Once the light within the pod went out, Ballard reached down and opened it to reveal a keeping Echo.
His face lit up and his lips curled into a smile, "Caroline."
Echo slowly woke up and Ballard closed his eyes as he heard a gun click.
"Sorry, agent Ballard. You don't get the girl. Give me your gun."
"I don't have a…"
"You didn't come in here without one. Put it on the floor. Now."
Ballard reached into his coat pocket, slowly removing his gun and placing it down beside him.
"And you.." Boyd said to Jason whom had slowly inched over to the next pod that had shut off, "who are you?"
Jason slowly opened the door of the pod, but never took his eyes off the gun the African-American man had, "I'm Jason. I'm just here to find my brother."
Echo stared up at Ballard with innocent curiosity, "Who are you?"
"I'm Paul. You called me. You asked me to come get you." Ballard answered softly.
"Dick…" Jason whispered as he glanced into the pod he'd opened to see his brother awakening inside of it.
"Echo, why don't you go for a swim?" Boyd told Echo before turning towards Oscar, "Why don't you join her, Oscar?"
"Your name is Caroline. You've been brainwashed." Ballard stated.
"Echo! Oscar! Go!" Boyd yelled.
Echo quickly sat up to listen to Boyd's instructions and made her way over to Oscar, helping him out of his pod. Ballard quickly whirled up and smacked the gun out of his hands. Boyd punched Ballard in the face, having Ballard fall to the ground with a pained grunt and knocking Jason down with him.
"You hurt Paul…" Echo said in confusion, holding tightly to Oscar's hand.
Oscar looked just as confused, but felt concerned for Jason. Something about him just made him feel strangely.
"Oscar! Echo!" Boyd yelled.
"What are you then? Her pimp? You get her ready, send her out, clean her up after?" Ballard asked enraged.
"I keep her safe! I keep all of them safe now! Your think you're helping them. You're wrong. You can't get them out." Boyd stated.
"We got in." Ballard said.
"I could've brought the whole house down on you, but I'm giving you one chance. Go back the way you came. Now." Boyd ordered.