The Pit was dark when Lady Jaye arrived in the middle of the night. Other than the minimal exterior lighting, throwing shadows against the walls of the few aboveground outbuildings, the base looked deserted. A gnawing fear coursed through her as she scanned for signs of life. A small form detached itself from the darkness and trotted along the fence. She recognized Junkyard immediately, which gave her a bit of relief. If he was out and about, things couldn't be too far off from normal.

She left the car outside the fence and walked to the gate. No one was inside, so she ducked around the barrier and headed toward a smaller side entrance. Junkyard came over to greet her, recognizing her scent and voice. "Hey, boy," she murmured, stroking his back. "Where is everyone else?" Mutt didn't seem to be nearby, so she continued to the door, stopping in front of the keypad. She doubted that her own code would work now, and the only other option was to use the false alarm code. It would work, after all, even if it would notify whichever CO was on duty that a Joe who knew that particular code was coming inside. She hoped that if it wasn't Duke, they would at least report to him—he would know immediately that it must be her.

The door clicked open when she entered the code. She made her way through the halls; it was late enough that no one seemed to be up. She decided to head toward Duke's quarters; it was the most likely place at this hour to find him… unless he was in the infirmary.

She avoided passing by the rec room just in case a late night poker game was on, and made her way quietly to his room. Someone must be looking for her by now, but she didn't see anyone along the way. She knocked softly, listening for sounds on the other side of the door. Nothing. She risked knocking a little louder, but no one answered.

Ok, he might be in his office, she thought. Of course, that means that I have to get close to whoever is on duty tonight. Lady Jaye headed there anyway, keeping to the lesser-used corridors. Duke's office was dark and empty. That meant he was in the infirmary, after all. She took a deep breath to prepare herself for what she might find there.

Turning from the door, she took a few steps but stopped abruptly when she saw a figure leaning against the wall a few feet ahead of her. Flint stood with his arms crossed, a dark scowl on his face. He stood straight and stepped toward her, reaching out to grab her arm. She winced as her injured shoulder screamed in protest.

Flint's voice was a low menacing growl. "What are you doing here?"

She tried to back out of his grasp, but his fingers were digging into the muscle. "I'm looking for Duke." Her voice wobbled as she spoke. She didn't know what to tell him. Until she talked to Duke, she was still under orders to remain silent about her mission.

He clenched his teeth and hissed, "Why? Come to finish the job?"

Her eyes widened as he confirmed the worst of her fears. "What-"

Flint didn't give her the chance to finish. He twisted her arm around her back and shoved her roughly against the wall. The pain in her arm made her dizzy, but she managed to twist slightly to protect the samples in her pocket. She gasped out, "Flint, stop it! You'll break the vials…"

He leaned into the pin, making her gasp in pain. His voice sounded low next to her ear. "So you came to finish the rest of us, too? How could you-" his voice broke.

"No! Flint, I'm trying to help…"

He was past listening to her. He growled, "I cared about you, damn it! Didn't that mean anything to you? You threw it all away—your career, you life, me…"

"No," she whimpered. "I wasn't trying to hurt you. Please, I need to find Duke."

Her knees almost buckled when he put his full weight against her. She could feel his arms trembling with suppressed rage, and his voice reflected it, too. "Why? Alison, I told you I would be there for you. Why did you turn to them?"

"Dash—you're hurting me," she gasped. She clenched her eyes against the pain and rested her bruised cheek against the cool concrete of the wall. He released her arm, swinging her around by the same shoulder to face him. Lady Jaye cried out and fell to her knees, cradling her injured shoulder. She looked up at him through tears of pain and anguish.

He stood rigidly, staring down at her. He looked terrible; his face was unshaven and his eyes were dark and wild. She felt a pang of real fear. She was completely vulnerable. No matter what he did, she wouldn't be able to bring herself to move against him.

Flint stood still for several seconds. Finally he spat, "I see your new friends didn't treat you very well. Did they get tired of you so quickly? Or did they send you here like this to put our guard down? If you think I'll take pity on you because you're injured, you're wrong."

She hung her head, unwilling to witness the pain in his eyes any longer. "I came here on my own," she whispered. "Do what you have to. But please let me see Duke first. Or Hawk, if he's here."

"Hawk's in Washington. He left four days ago. In fact, he's sitting in on the hearing for your court martial."

Her stomach sank. She had hoped it wouldn't move so fast. At least Hawk would delay the proceedings as long as he could, giving them time to complete the mission and allow the full details to come to light. At least she hoped he could. "Then I need to see Duke," she repeated.

"Why?"

"Just let me see him, and I can explain what's been going on—"

His eyes narrowed. "It's going to be hard to talk to him when he's delirious with fever," he replied, voice cold. "He's also in quarantine. No one's allowed in."

Lady Jaye's eyes flew open wide. "What! No! It should have taken at least two more days!"

"So you knew about this." He leaned over her. "I didn't want to believe it," he whispered. "But it's true." He shook his head, a sad and tired look coming over his features. He grabbed her good arm this time and pulled her to her feet. "I'm taking you to the brig." He started to reach for a pair of handcuffs slung over his belt.

"Flint! Listen to me! If I can't see Duke, I need to get to Lifeline! I have the treatment for the virus!"

He whipped his head up and examined her warily. "Why should I believe that?" he demanded.

"It's true," she said quietly. "Here…" She reached for her front pocket, but was unable to move her left arm high enough to reach it. She gave him a pleading look, and he released her other arm, taking a step back and placing a hand on the holster at his hip.

She froze. "You don't think I would try to hurt you…" she whispered. He didn't answer. She unbuttoned the flap on her shirt and removed the vials. She handed them over and reached down for the disks in her pants pocket. He jerked at the movement and drew his gun. "Don't," he said, bringing the barrel up.

Eyes locked on his, she said, "I have data here that you will want to see. I'm only getting the disks out of my pocket." Her voice was calm, but a cold tingle ran through her limbs. Oh, Dash, she thought. I'm so sorry…

He nodded, but kept the gun trained on her. She lowered her gaze and took out the disks, holding them up for him to take. Flint put the vials in his own pocket, then took the disks and put them there as well. He slowly holstered his gun and reached for the handcuffs again. His face was completely expressionless as he brought her arms around behind her back to cuff them together. She drew in her breath sharply as the pain hit her yet again, but it was nothing, she knew, compared to the pain he was in.

Taking the comm. link from his belt, he contacted Breaker, who was on night duty. "Flint here. I've apprehended Lady Jaye and am taking her to a holding cell. Have Law meet us there, please."

Lady Jaye walked ahead of him down the hallways, heading toward the small bank of cells in a remote corner of the base. It was easiest to get there by taking a shortcut to the gym, but as she stepped into the large space she realized they should have taken the longer way around.

Scarlett and Snake Eyes were sitting cross-legged on one of the mats, eyes closed. They both looked up at the sound of footsteps, and sprang to their feet when they recognized the pair. Scarlett strode forward to meet them, demanding, "What is she doing here?"

"I caught her outside of Duke's office. I'm taking her to the brig." His voice sounded flat.

Scarlett glared at Lady Jaye. "You traitor!" she yelled. "Was it you this whole time? How far back does it go? Months? Years? How dare you come back here with Duke lying upstairs in the infirmary!" She brought her arm back to strike, but Snake Eye's hand shot out and caught her wrist. He shook his head at her, and her arm dropped back to her side. She sagged against him, whispering, "I thought this team meant something to you. How could you…"

Lady Jaye stood silent, unable to answer. Flint pushed her forward, and she continued walking, hearing Scarlett let out a strangled sob behind her. Duke must be worse than I thought if she's that upset. Please, let him be all right, she prayed silently. Let Zartan's treatment work…She felt the time running out with every step she took.

They finally reached the brig. Law and order were waiting outside. Law took his keys and unlocked each set of doors down the hallway, and opened a cell door at the end. Flint walked her into the small room and took the handcuffs from her wrists. He met her eyes one last time, but didn't speak to her. Instead he turned to Law and said, "I'm going to set up a guard duty roster later, but for now, you stay here. I don't want her left alone."

Law glanced at Lady Jaye and nodded. The two men left the cell and closed the door. Lady Jaye lay down on the small cot and tried to get comfortable. I've done everything I can, she told herself. Now it's up to Lifeline. And Flint. She hoped the Warrant Officer read over the disks before her presence here became well-known. If the traitor found out she had returned, he might figure out the ruse and bolt. She prayed that Flint would understand the implications of the file she had found. If not, this could all have been for nothing…