Lexa, Shalimar and Brennan took advantage of the distraction that Jesse's attack had provided them. The number of guards at each point was reduced, as one from each pair ran off to cover other stations left unprotected by the disturbance. With swift, sure movements, Shalimar sent a series of kicks at the two of the guards left in the hallway. The adrenaline surging through the men's body from being on alert proved to be a double-edged sword. While it had made them more alert, it had also made them more reckless, which proved to be an advantage for Shalimar. She had both the men down in less than 5 seconds, neither of them having the chance to call for backup.
Brennan moved in to disable the electronic security system, but Shalimar tossed him a key card, which she had pulled of the guard she had just downed. Brennan used it to open the door. When the system requested further identification in the form of a handprint, he hefted one of the unconscious guards up so he could place the man's hand on the pad. The door opened, allowing them access. They dragged the two men inside, to confuse any other guards and possibly give them more time.
Straightening up, they found a wall directly in front of them, which split into two different directions. Lexa looked over to Shalimar and Brennan, who both shrugged. They didn't have a guess as to which way to go either. Lexa looked at Shalimar and tapped her nose, making the motion a question by furrowing her brows. Shalimar paused; she had already tried to track Adam's scent, but hadn't any luck. It was worth a second try though. Shalimar's eyes flashed feral yellow and she sniffed the air. Again, there were no definitive human scents. All she could smell was recycled air mixed with the acids and sulfates of a scientific lab; and that indicated to her that they were in the right place. Looking back to the others, she indicated to them that she didn't smell Adam, but because of the laboratory smells, knew that they were on the right track.
Brennan saw her point to the floor with a determined look on her face. Good, they were close. Remembering the two hallways, he pointed his index fingers down the hallways, asking if they should split up. Lexa shook her head. Separating into two groups would increase their chances of being caught. Plus, they would be better able to defend themselves and defeat guards if there were more. She pointed to the left hallway. They could check this one first.
Creeping down the hallway, they turned several corners, finally stopping when they came to a large dark room. It was eerily reminiscent of the Creator's research area from Dominion HQ. The room was dark, save for a lone man, sitting on a high-backed stool, his back to them. His hair ran long down his back, and was looked as if it were sun-bleached, though they all knew that the man probably hadn't been in the sun for months, if not years, maybe decades. The man was moving his arms through the air, interacting with a hologram splayed out in front of him.
Lexa pulled on Brennan and Shalimar's shoulders. They weren't here fore the Creator, they were here for Adam; it's a quick 'snatch and grab.' Understanding her, Shalimar and Brennan turned around and headed back the way they came. Lexa spared a glance back at the man who had been guiding the Dominion and genetic research for over a century. She experienced a quick flash of distain for this man. Because of him, she and her brother had been outcasts. Her brother had died because of the things that this man, no, this thing, had done. Who was he to think that he could control the whole world, and direct human evolution? Part of existence was learning through mistakes. How many people had died or been hunted because of what he had made them? A small part of her was indebted to him, though. It was because of the events that he had set in motion that she had met Jesse and Shalimar and Brennan. Life would have been very different without those events. She drew herself upright. No use worrying about what might have been. This is the way that things were, and she had to work with that. Turning her back on the eccentric in the room, she followed Brennan and Shalimar.
They backtracked to the entryway;
the guards still hadn't regained consciousness. Going down the other
hallway, they found a similar maze of turns. This time, however, at the
end was a large white room, reminiscent of a laboratory. There were
half a dozen computers, as well as beakers and chemicals. In one corner
was a stand containing more than two dozen samples of what looked like
blood. At the second computer terminal, a man in a white lab coat
stood, his head bent down. Though there was a chair behind him, he did
not use it. They waited at the corner of the room for the man to turn.
They already suspected who he was, but had to make sure. Finally the
man turned, and he was exactly who they thought. They stepped around
the final corner, silently approaching Adam.
.
.
"Excuse me, sir?"
The man in the chair spun around, a phone plastered to his ear. "I'll call you back. Yes, Agent, what can I do for you?" The man's voice was smug. He was in a position of authority, he had power. And he liked it. Some of the members of the board that hired him had cast doubts, but he had managed to sway them. But this position was just a foot in the door. He was maneuvering himself. When the time came, he would be ready to step into his natural position.
"We've captured an intruder."
"Only one?"
"We believe he was acting alone. He's a mutant, sir. We managed to implant a subdermal governor, but not before we needed to send three agents to the hospital."
"Given the nature of our business, I'm not surprised it's a mutant, or that he's here. The question is how he found us and got past external security. I'd better have a chat with him. Is he in the SC?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, then. Let's have look see at what we've managed to get our hands on."
.
.
Shalimar approached Adam from behind. He seemed very intent on his work. It was not unheard of for him to be so intent, but it was unusual. Even without feral senses, he could usually tell when someone was in the room, not to mention 20 feet away from him, as Shalimar was. Finally, though he was still facing the terminal, he seemed to sense someone else's presence in the room.
"I've already told you, it will have to wait. This takes priority right now. Give me 20 minutes then I'll decrypt those damn codes."
He thought they were someone else. She tilted her head, while she and the others waited for him to realize his mistake.
After a few moments, when the presence didn't recede, Adam turned around. "How many times do I have to tell – Shalimar!"
"Adam," she said neutrally. She had been hoping that he would have resisted the Dominion's offer and threats, but it appeared he hadn't. When he had moved, she recognized the image on the computer. It was the same image that he had been playing with when she, Brennan and Jesse had found him at the abandoned military base.
"Brennan! Lexa?"
"You sound surprised to see me Adam." Lexa's voice was also toneless.
"I must admit that I am. Your expiry date was a couple days ago."
"Yeah, well, that's no longer an issue."
"Really," Adam said with interest. He tapped a finger against his lips. "How did you manage that? I didn't think that I had –"
"This isn't a social call Adam." Brennan's voice was gruff and loud. Realizing the volume, he calmed himself and lowered his voice. "We're here to pull you out. We've got to go. Now. We've got to get Jesse before anything happens to him."
"Jesse? I was wondering where he was. Where is he?"
"He engaged the guards. To keep them from seeing us. To give us more time to find you." Lexa was as antsy as Brennan. She wanted to find Jesse, and get them all out of here. Adam's focus on his work had thrown her for a bit of a loop. She didn't know what she had expected, but given his resistance during his capture, she certainly didn't expect him to find him doing research. For the Dominion.
"You're going to want to find him first, then. If he was captured, the Chief of Security will interrogate him. When he does, he'll know that you're here."
"What makes you think Jesse would talk? He would never give us up." Brennan was indignant, insulted by the idea that Adam thought Jesse would crack under the pressures of interrogation.
"Jesse wouldn't have to talk. The CoS knows him, knows that he's a part of Mutant X."
The three mutants in the room paused, waiting for him to explain.
Adam saw that they were not understanding. "The Chief of Security is Noah Kilmartin."