'Lex? Lexa are you ok in there?' Jesse called from outside the door.

Hearing her name, Lexa stirred. She got up slowly and propped herself up against the bed.

'Lexa?'

'Yeah, I'll there in a minute Jess,' Lexa called out weakly, and she heard Jesse retreat back to the living room and rejoin the others.

Lexa sat there, trying to regain her strength a little. She brought a hand up to her head, which was now pounding. A lump had begun to form where she had hit it on the hard floor. She got slowly up of the bed and walked into the bathroom. Turning the cold tap on, she lowered her head to the sink and splashed clod water onto her face several times. Then, dabbing her face dry she looked at herself in the mirror. Staring at her reflection she couldn't bring herself to believe what had just happened. But, the horrible truth was, it had started. She could feel her body tearing apart, it was shutting down; her expiration time had arrived.

Just as she was about to give up hope, she remembered what she had been doing before this had happened. She had been talking on her phone to one of her contacts. 'Adam,' she said to herself and hurried back into the bedroom. She got down on the floor, urgently looking for the scrap of paper onto which she had scrawled down the location. She breathed a sigh of relieve when she spotted it a few feet away. She picked it up and held it tightly in her hand. 'It's going to be fine. You've found Adam, now you can go and get him and he can fix you. You're strong, you can hang in there a couple more hours.' Lexa tried to convince herself.

Taking one last deep breath, Lexa left the room and rushed to find the others.

'Guys?' she shouted.

'In here Lex,' she heard Shalimar call from the living room. Lexa hurried in there and stood so she was facing all of her friends.

'We've found Adam!' Lexa said flustered.

'What? Already?' Shalimar said leaping off of the sofa.

'Yeah, that was fast Lex. They're some good contacts you've got there.' Brennan said.

'You expected differently,' Jesse piped up. Lexa smiled weakly at him.

'So, where is he?' Shalimar asked. Lexa handed Shalimar the piece of paper with the address on. Brennan and Jesse moved behind Shalimar and studied it over her shoulder.

'This is pretty far from here. There's no way we could make it by car anytime soon, and by then they could've moved him.' Brennan stated. 'You think you could be our means of transport again Lex?'

'Of course. Do you even have to ask?' Lexa replied.

'Well, like Brennan said, they could move Adam at any time. I think we should head in there as soon as possible,' said Shalimar.

'Agreed,' Lexa hastily added. Jesse looked at her suspiciously but she avoided his gaze.

'Well then, how about we hit them come daybreak?' Brennan suggested. 'I don't think they'll be expecting a retaliation this soon so hopefully we'll have the upper hand.'

Everyone nodded in agreement. 'It's set then, we move in at first light.' Lexa said, still sounding somewhat off.

'Right, I'll try and download the building's floor plans, try and figure out our best way in and the most likely place they're holding Adam.' Jesse said.

'Good idea man,' said Brennan. 'Then I think we should all call it a night.'

The group discussed strategies for a little while longer before Brennan and Shalimar headed off to their room. 'Night guys,' the called out

'Night,' Jesse and Lexa called back in unison as they heard the door close.

'Well, I'm going to follow suit I think,' Lexa said, rising slowly to feet. She still felt weak after her earlier episode and so desperately needed some sleep.

'Don't stay up too long,' Lexa said to Jesse. She kissed him lightly on the lips and then headed towards her room.

'I won't,' Jesse smiled at her. She took a few more steps when she heard Jesse's voice call after. 'Hey Lex…' he said, 'Are you ok? You seem a bit…off.'

'I'm fine, really. Just tired and…you know…' she hesitated, '…eager to get Adam back here.'

'Are you sure that's all?' he pushed further.

'Jesse…' Lexa walked back over to where Jesse was standing. 'I'm fine,' she said. 'Stop worrying.' She kissed him reassuringly on the lips. 'Now, get the plans and then come to bed ok?'

Jesse nodded, and then Lexa turned once again and walked towards her room. She went in and closed the door behind her. She leant back against it and ran a hand through her hair. She hated lying to him, to all of them. But she had no choice. Telling them would only cause them to worry and it could jeopardise tomorrow's mission. The mission had to be a success, finding Adam was Lexa's only hope.

The four members of Mutant X awoke when it was still dark the next morning. The quickly got up and readied themselves for their upcoming mission. Jesse had been successful in getting hold of the building plans so they now knew where they would enter the building. They had also narrowed down the place where Adam was being held to one of two rooms.

An hour after they had awoken, Mutant X were gathered outside their new home.

'Right, everybody ready?' Lexa asked once again. Here three teammates nodded.

'Let's go then.' Not needing to be told, they took hold of Lexa. Then, they felt the now familiar sensation of the ground falling away at the feet and being surrounded by the blinding light.

Less than a minute later, the four of them felt their feet hit the ground. They looked up at the building in front of them. This was the place; they had made it.

'Right, does everybody know what they're doing?' Brennan asked, and they all nodded apprehensively. Shalimar and Brennan headed towards the door but Lexa stayed back.

'Jess, can I just talk to you, it'll only take a second,' Lexa said to him.

'Sure what is it?' Jesse asked curiously.

'Well, I just wanted you to know…in case things don't go to plan…I…' She stuttered, struggling to get the words out.

'I…I love you Jesse. I love you more than you will ever know, and I'm so grateful that I found you,' she finished.

'I love you too Lexa, more than anything.' He leant in and kissed her, and she kissed him back.

'I just wanted you to know.' Lexa said. Jesse looked into her eyes and saw that they were filled with sadness.

'Lexa, this isn't goodbye. You know that right.' Jesse told her. Lexa smiled sadly at him.

'Guys, are you coming?' Shalimar whispered hurriedly to them.

'Yeah, we'll be right there,' Lexa called back. 'Come on,' she said to Jesse, and then they too made their way over to the door.

They stood there for a couple of minute of minutes, Shalimar with her ear to the door, listening for when the coast was clear.

'Right, Lexa, Jesse, you're up.' Shalimar whispered.

'Be careful.' Brennan said.

'Yeah, you too,' Jesse replied. He then put a hand to the door, breathed out, and phased it.

Lexa then took his hand and made them invisible, then the walked through the door inside. Once they were inside the door materialised again.

The pair then made their way, silently and unseen, up the hall. They came to a door on their right. Again Jesse phased the door and they passed through it. Jesse shut his eyes just in time before Lexa created a blinding light, so as to dazzle anyone who may have been in the room. Luckily it had been uncalled for; the room was empty. Lexa made them visible and then Jesse hurried over to the computer that sat on the desk in the far corner of the room. He started typing away, as Lexa listened at the door for anyone approaching.

A few minutes had past when Lexa heard movement from outside.

'Jesse, we've got company,' Lexa said urgently.

'Ok,' he said typing one last sequence. 'I'm done.' He got up and hurried over to where Lexa was standing. She made them invisible just as the door swung open and an agent walked in. Neither of them dared to breath as he walked past them. He headed across the room to one of the filing cabinets, removed a file and then, much to Lexa and Jesse's relief, exited the room.

'That was close.' Jesse breathed a sigh of relief. Lexa nodded, letting out the air she had held in since the agent had entered the room.

'Guy's the security feeds are looped.' Jesse said into his com ring.

'Ok Jess,' he heard Brennan reply. 'We'll head to the lab; you guys head towards the holding room. Let us know if you find anything.'

'Likewise,' Jesse finished.

Lexa and Jesse set off towards the holding room where they suspected Adam might be being held. They rounded the last corner and saw the door ahead of them. The looked at each other and rushed towards it. Jesse, once again, phased the door and they walked through into the room. To Lexa's disappointment, the room was empty.

'Damn it.' Lexa said angrily.

'Don't worry, it's not over yet,' Jesse said calmly. 'Guys, we've got nothing here,' he said into his com ring.

'We're just approaching the lab now. Fingers crossed.' Brennan said back. He and Shalimar reached the door of the lab. Brennan hit the electronic lock with a small burst of electricity and the LED flashed green. Shalimar took a sharp intake of breath and pushed open the door.

She went in first and gasped at what she saw. The room was huge; there were computers, scanners, screens, and hi-tech chemistry sets, everything a geneticist could possibly need. In the center of the room was a large hologram of a double helix of DNA, much like the one they had seen the creator playing with at the old Dominion HQ. Shalimar let out a gasp as she saw a solitary figure, adjusting the hologram.

'Adam!'