I followed Peter down the stairs, listening to the details of the new case we were working on. Diana was behind me, and Jones was on Peter's left. We probably looked like puppies following Peter, but he didn't give us much choice if we wanted to hear what he was saying.

"Alright, Diana, I want you to get all there is on Dr. Karen Michaels. Jones, I want you to research all the dealings the Institute has been making with Itex in the last five years. I want to know where those millions disappeared to. Neal, you and I are going to visit their CEO, Carlos Kallen."

"On it," Diana called on her way to her computer.

"I'll have it before you get back boss," Jones said as he headed the other way to his desk.

Peter and I headed for the elevator. I rubbed my neck where the girl had hit it earlier this morning. "Tell me what happened again," Peter asked, turning to look me in the eye.

"Someone was on my balcony today, and they knocked me out after I had Mozzy call you. I thought they might have had something to do with gallery case, but according to Mozzy, they left without entering my room. All the case work was just like I left it, and there weren't any bugs," I threw in for Peter's benefit, "That we found anyway."

"I know it was a 'she' by the voice, and she was shorter than me," I added as an afterthought, "I would have guessed it was Alex if I hadn't known better."

Peter nodded his head as he thought it over for the second time, "And you never got a look at her?" I shook my head, and he returned to his thinking pose. The elevator dinged, and we were on our way to The Institute of Higher Learning.

The CEO's personal assistant brought us to a conference room and left saying her boss would be with us shortly. But her definition of 'shortly' left us waiting for the CEO to arrive longer than my definition.

Peter huffed after about fifteen minutes of waiting, and I was up and re-investigating the lone bookcase in the otherwise standard room for the third time. Peter stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the city, "If he isn't here in the next five minutes…"

Just then a young man in a casual grey suit walked in, looking back and forth between us before asking for Agent Burke. Peter walked up to him with his hand out, "Peter, please, and this is Neal Caffrey, a consultant," I shook his hand when my name was given, saying only a polite hello with a nod and smile. Peter continued, "Mr. Kallen I presume?"

He nodded to both of us as he shook our hands and added, "Call me Carlos."

The two of them took opposite seats at the table and I retreated to the window, half sitting half leaning against the frame. Peter began with some light standard questions, all seemed well, and Carlos answered smoothly and confidently. But then Peter asked him about a formally secret deal with Itex last year, and he showed surprise – which is expected from anyone – and worry – which is a sign of guilt. I could tell from the slight crease of his brows, and his fidgeting hands. Peter could tell too, I was sure, but my job was to look underneath – with my experience – and try to find out what he was hiding.

Peter went on with some other public deals, giving nothing away that we were on to his concern. Then Peter returned to the first deal, asking about Dr. Karen Michael's role specifically. He gave away the same tells as earlier, but this time, he touched his watch, and then glanced to his left at the wall clock.

And just like that, I knew they were working on some project or deal with Itex currently. I also knew that she was directly involved as well.

Peter went on with a list of some others, and I gauged their level of participation in what was going on. Then based on the names I had; I ran through my internal list of "extra-law" persons these people were, or associated with. I had a sinking feeling when I realized the kind of illegal things some of these people were known for. If I was right, the Institute and Itex were running in the illegal human experimentation and cloning rings.

I hoped I was wrong, and after a moment of thought, I dismissed it in favor of what all people's immanent goal is: money. I could somewhat see the profit of coming out with cures to serious injuries, or a way to improve humanity's life, but there were legit humane government funded programs. So why bother with going around that and risk so much for so relatively little?

I started to think they were planning a more elaborate attempt to discredit these government programs to eliminate competition. That made sense: that meant that they weren't hurting people in a way that every American criminal despised: losing rights and freedom. Besides, the other alternative would mean…It was just beyond anything I wanted to deal with.

Finally, Peter asked to see their records, and to take those files involved with the deal from last year. Carlos was sweating by then and tight-lipped anyway, but when Peter asked for the records, he showed genuine fear. Bingo, I thought.

He stuttered slightly, and then paused to clear his throat, "Let me ask the higher-ups first; it's not my decision." Peter nodded, and he was on his cell a second later. He murmured a hello, and then stood up wandering away from us as he spoke in a hushed tone.

Peter and I exchanged glances, and we silently agreed on his, and possibly the entire company's guilt, in the embezzling scheme.

He turned back to us as he hung up, "I have permission to show you only those that are considered directly involved with the Itex deal." Peter nodded, smiling slightly with a look of knowing, as if Kallen had no secrets left hidden.

"The records room that contains those files is down the hall, so if you would follow me," Kallen opened the door and motioned us foreword. We followed him down the hall, chatting lightly, trying to pry a little more and keep him off balance.

We reached the room quickly and Kallen opened the door. The room wasn't big, but it wasn't small either, rows of files lined three walls as well as most of the floor space, and seven large windows that displayed New York were on the wall across from us.

Instantly, Kallen's eyes dilated, and his brows rose in genuine surprise. He rushed over to one of the units in front of us and stopped to exam an open drawer. Then his face grimed, and he whirled back to us, "Someone has been in here without permission, we can't go any further until we know what happened, or what was taken."

Peter raised his eyebrow in suspicion, as if to say 'You expect us to buy that? You're obviously trying to make time to hide something.' Kallen defended himself with a slight glare at Peter for his mistrust, "We have strict policies here Agent Burke, and meticulous expectations of our employees. No one working on this floor would ever leave these out of order, let alone leave them exposed."

He then walked past us briskly to the left wall and pushed what looked like a fire alarm. "What are you –," Peter started, surprised and annoyed to be so quickly ignored. I waited for an alarm to go off, but nothing happened. I creased my eyebrows as I began to worry.

The next instant, before Kallen's hand even came off the alarm, something small flew from across the room and impacted his head. He was knocked to the floor, either out cold, or something I'd rather not think about.

Peter pulled out his gun, headed in the direction Kallen was, pointing his gun in the direction the object had come from. Peter checked for Kallen's pulse and nodded to let me know Kallen was alive. I held my breath, looking around for anything that would give away where the person was in the room with us.

I saw a flash of color that didn't belong in the grey room, and although I knew better, I went after it without a word to Peter. I silently stepped around a corner and saw her two rows down.

She was blonde, but I could only see the back of her blue trench coat and jeans. I rounded the unit and caught a glimpse of her face as she disappeared around the corner. I don't know why, but I got the feeling I knew her somehow. I ran after her again as quietly as I could manage.

The next second, Peter and I almost collided, coming down perpendicular rows. I threw my hands up when I saw his gun emerge right by my face, and he lowered it the second he recognized me. He gave me a withering glance, annoyed by my distraction from his quarry.

The girl I had been following and a little boy Peter must have been tailing were standing side-by-side against the wall of windows when Peter and I returned to their trail. The girl looked slightly surprised for a split second, and then almost glared at us as she raised her hands towards us.

Then there was white. No shape, no form, just white. I don't know how else to say it, but I felt numb.

I just stood there without a clue of what was going on before I cried out from the pain my eyes finally began to feel. And then I discovered that I couldn't even hear it. Someone suddenly grabbed me, and I struggled, but the next instant I felt like I was falling. I faintly heard the wind rushing past my ears and glimpsed the faintest hint of blue through the white.

If nothing else, I could say today was easily the most confusing I've ever had. I just hoped I would live to figure it out tomorrow.