Two weeks prior...

There was a peculiar sense of cold in the basement laboratories at Tempus. Not one of a literal sense, but a feeling of emotional chill, hollowness, and detachment. It may have had to do with the work conducted in the underground labs, containment tubes set up in rows through the main corridor, while the primary laboratory was separated into meticulously arranged sections.

Throughout the compound, various processing tubes were filled with what looked like odd animalistic and alien creatures, or some kind of anthropomorphic hominids. Some had fur wafting in the odd green colored fluids that filled the tanks, others were covered in scales, and many bare fleshed.

These were the things that were unsaid about Tempus and its work.

Walking through the main corridors of the underground facility was a man dressed in an off-gray overcoat, his shoes tapping against the almost sterile tiled floor. Brown eyes flickered about at the work being conducted around him as he continued through the subterranean compound, a hand coming up and brushing back dark brown hair from over his eyes, a touch of gray peppered throughout the dark mane and the month's worth of beard he was sporting.

"Doctor Barker, I need a moment. Some of the optimization factors are a bit off."

A simple nod as the man broke from his original path and stepped into the workstation as requested. "What's giving you trouble, protein enzymes not converting to standard parameters again?"

"It's the equipment sent over from the Japanese branch, I swear." The technician sighed as she stepped aside while the aforementioned Doctor Barker leaned over the projected screen and began tapping at the connected keyboard. "They make the quantity numbers, but their quality is garbage."

A derisive snort was Barker's reply as he adjusted a number of processing procedures listed on the main screen. "All deserved respect to Doctor Barcus and his design work, but Doctor Shirai has nowhere the same standard for the Japanese Branch's equipment and optimization processes."

There was a hiss as a set of confirming beeps signaled acceptance of the adjustments made, and another screen displayed the chemical injections being administered with timers counting to the next round of enzyme feeds.

"That should fix it. He'll need an extra day or two in the tank to fix the imbalances, but he'll be fine after that."

"Thank you, sir." The technician resumed her place at the console while allowing herself a soft smile. "I can't imagine if it had been Director Valkus who had seen that, even after all the issues we've reported with the equipment sent from the Japanese Branch."

Barker gave a mild shrug as he continued on his way down the main pathway through the processing facility. "I'm often told I'm not what people expect from a facility administrator. I'm not one for blaming everyone for inadequacies in the equipment, just adjust as we need and move on."

As he continued on his walk, Barker would hide it as best he could as the smile faded from his lips and was replaced by a purposeful frown. It was one he was sure he was clear of anyone's view that he stepped off the main walkway and behind a rank of computer stacks. His eyes scanned about the wall, hand running along until he felt a shift in the texture and heard a low beeping. After a moment, a section of the wall slid aside to allow him entry.

Stepping through, Barker would wait until the wall section slid shut behind him, then continued on as a dull red light guided his way into the darkness. At the end of the rather claustrophobia inducing hallway, another elevator waited. A brief pause as he stopped to enter a code into the keypad, and awaited the scanning optic that swept over him. A lancet pricked his finger, enough to draw a hint of blood.

It was only then that the elevator doors slid open with a hiss of compressed air. A breath was drawn in as Barker took a step into the lift, now keying in his destination and leaning against the back of the elevator as it rumbled with the start of its descent. He idly watched the display on the keypad, noting not what floor he was passing, but how deep down the elevator was descending into the earth. By the time it rumbled to a halt, it was almost two kilometers beneath the surface.

Patient as he waited for the elevator to open, Barker checked his watch, then stepped out as the doors slid apart. The only light breaking the dark hallway was the dull red of emergency lighting. As he reached the end of the hall, Barker tapped the mounted keypad, a hiss once more signaling the door unlocking and separating to allow him entry.

And as he stepped through that final entry way, the man gave a sigh to see a dozen or so researchers monitoring their stations. "I assume Professor Odagiri is still working on the units?"

"He hasn't a break since they broke open the containment shell a week ago. Director Valkus has been pretty impatient about testing and all."

"Fulton Valkus wouldn't know the meaning of patience if it bit his face off." With a sigh, Barker would nod to the technician and continue on. He paused as he reached a heavy set of sliding doors. A small optical sensor lit up as he waited, blinking several times, then flicking off. A moment later, the doors gave a heavy clank and slid open to allow Barker entry.

"I trust Director Valkus still believes we have no idea as of yet what it is that we found at the Timpanogos dig site."

Again, a sigh as Barker now pinched the bridge of his nose. The news he had wasn't very encouraging. "Valkus actually has a decent idea that you're not telling him something about what they found in Utah, Yoshio. More so, Director Guyot has been apparently nosing into the LA datafiles. I'd say we're running out of time here."

The elderly scientist stared a moment at his companion, breathing in as he considered what he had been told. It was, to say the least, clearly a shock. "Admittedly, Fulton Valkus is more ambitious than his position would allow for," Odagiri mused as he regained his composure. His eyes turned to three circular objects that were held within a containment chamber. "But he is no less problematic, to say the least of Guyot learning of what we have."

Silence as Barker looked into the containment chamber, his eyes gazing over the three devices quarantined within. For a moment, he considered saying something, then stopped himself. "I'll handle things, Yoshio." He noted the look of concern in the elder man's face as he continued to focus on the three objects within the containment chamber. "Truthfully, it's better you don't know."

"Know what?"

Odagiri never got his answer, as when he came to, he was on a bed with three medics hovering over him, and he had a throbbing pain all over his head. Nearby was a pair of the junior technicians, and more disturbingly, a tall man with a shock of white hair styled in a pompadour, attired in a gray three piece suit, and a scowl on his face, who was speaking to several members of the laboratory team.

"All the power cut out, emergencies took several minutes to kick in, and when we checked on Doctors Odagiri and Barker, we found Odagiri on the floor in the observation station, and Doctor Barker was gone."

Gone? Odagiri looked around as one of the medics helped him sit up now that he was awake. "Where did Sean go?" came a question that he knew was no doubt on everyone's minds. "We were running tests on the devices, and then I-"

"The units are gone, doctor." The reprimanding tone was enough to silence the elder scientist before he could finish. The man in the business suit glared at Odagiri and his attending medics, as if somehow everything was their fault. Deserved or not, there was little worth in arguing otherwise with Fulton Valkus. "Irreplaceable relics, the only three we know of in the world, and each one a singular unique prototype...and they're now gone!"

Odagiri bit his tongue, resisting the urge for a snap-back retort. It weighed on him as well, not knowing what had occurred, and where the units in question, as well as Barker, had disappeared to. The man had said it was "better he didn't know". But Odagiri was still wondering what it was Barker had been up to.

"Director Valkus. A minute, sir?"

Under his breath, Odagiri sighed with relief as Valkus stepped away from him and listened to the security agent who had called the man away. She held up a tablet, showing him what Odagiri assumed was likely video footage of the last few hours. While he couldn't hear their conversation or see what they were watching, Valkus's facial expressions were enough to clue the old scientist in that something wasn't right. A glance was given to him and the attending medics, the look in Valkus's eyes speaking volumes of his frustrations.

"Consider yourself highly fortunate, Doctor Odagiri," came the growled words as Valkus stared angrily at the scientist. "Not only is your expertise still invaluable to our work, it seems your research on the units may be of help in determining what it is Mister Barker is planning to do with them."

What Barker was planning? As it was, they knew very little about the three devices. It perplexed Odagiri to even fathom a vague idea of what Barker had taken the units for, let alone know the man's deeper plan.

"Director," came the interrupting voice of the security agent. "I just got word that we're to expect a special inspector tomorrow morning."

"A special inspector? Why would they be sending..." Valkus went pale as he realized what that news meant. "Did you already tell the Arizona headquarters about what happened without my review of any report?!"

"That's my job, sir. A highly sensitive project was compromised, directive is to send an immediate report to Central to notify Doctor Barca and the Council."

A low growl escaped from Valkus' throat, but he waved the security agent away in attempt to maintain his authority. Attentions now back on Doctor Odagiri, Valkus would give the man a glower before departing the medical station. "I want all research data obtained up to this incident on my desk before this 'special inspector' arrives tomorrow, Doctor Odagiri."

A nervous nod was the doctor's response. "Of course, sir. As you need." Despite being seemingly spared administrative wrath, Odagiri was filled with anxiety. He had so many questions of his own, and his fears were telling him that he was not going to get answers any time soon.

It was the dead of night when the door handle was jiggled and turned. Quietly opening the door, footsteps would make their way inside, carefully trailing through the house and up a flight of stairs. Without a word, the coated figure would stop by a particular door, hesitating, then carefully opening it to look inside.

Laying with their back toward the door, the figure laying in the bed stirred, despite no light breaking the night. They shifted again, promoting the figure watching to close the door as quietly as possible. The footsteps continued on, heading toward a door at the end of the hall. Pausing but a moment to unlock the bolt lock, the figure silently slipped in and shut the door behind them. There was a dull thud as a duffle bag was dropped into a well worn old armchair. After a long silence to make sure the noise had not woken up the only other inhabitant of the hours, the figure opened up the bag, looking at the three disc shaped objects inside.

He hesitated, head turning to make sure he was alone and uninterrupted. After assuring himself, the man sighed and took one of he strange devices from the bag. A few thumps would echo in the room, but once he was done, he zipped up the duffle bag, quietly exited the room, and made his way to the stairs. He paused at the same door as before, but this time, he didn't open it. No need to risk waking the bedroom's occupant up.

Silently, he descended the stairs, careful to minimize any noise while exiting the front door, then making sure it was locked tight. He took a few minutes to pull put a small smartphone, keying up an app, then tapping in a location into a rideshare request. Making sure that he left little to no sign of his presence, he headed down the road, waiting at the far corner. If he was fortunate, the rideshare would arrive before anyone thought of where to look for him.

It was ten minutes before the dark blue sedan pulled up, matching the description on the ride app as he gathered his bag and got into the back seat. A moment later, the car pulled away from the curbside, driving into the quiet of night.

Hours later, the same sedan pulled into a rest stop, a closed gas station with minimal lights on om the pump stations. Getting out of the car, the driver would breath a sigh of exhaustion as he slid a debit card into the pumps pay slot, tap on the keypad, the pull the dispenser nozzle free and slide it into the gas slot of his car. Nothing seemed odd as the black painted van would pull in as well, stopping at one of the other pumps and letting out a woman dressed in dark gray coveralls. She was doing the same as him, refueling the van's gas tank, so nothing at all seemed suspicious to him.

It wouldn't be until the morning that the driver would be found dumped into a riverbed, horrifically mauled as if by a wild animal, and his car slashed apart inside. But the police who investigated the strange death found no sign of his passenger or the duffel bag he had been carrying with him.