The intermittent streams of lights continued down the path of darkened halls. Desks were all being checked under and over by those wielding heavy-duty artillery with flashlight mounts. The names of the employees had been familiar to the guards as they tried to figure out which office the escaped patient would hide in. The wooden surfaces surrounding the guards covered the metallic structure that encompassed the entire facility. This caused a vibration indicating their movement where the two materials met. As the search continued, these footsteps continued being felt across the barren halls.

Two figures used the darkness to their advantage and were alerted to these enclosed movements by the guards. They stayed as silent as they could while John Henry Irons brought the reluctant subject in through one of the doorways before he closed it behind both of them. Keeping them divided from the approaching lights completely. All that indicated this continued search for the escaped patient was a sliver of light between the door frame.

Lana Lang reluctantly accompanied the engineer who seemed to know his way around. They both stood out in the darkened room in white. Lana in her T-shirt and jeans, and John in a lab coat and jogging pants. The lights switched on automatically in this private office illuminated more of the area for them both to maneuver. As well as seeing each other clearly compared to their initial sudden meeting.

John Henry was an out-of-town stranger in so many ways by the way he kept himself together in his movements. Though Lana herself was distressed in contrast to their long chase throughout the base. Trying to keep a hold of herself to talk to the man. The lights from the chamber contrasted with the earlier darkened hallways did not help Lana keep her focus.

"We'll be safe in my office for now," John informed. He locked the door with a keycard on the way into the small space. "So now… we can talk." John continued and left Lana perplexed with her original thought that they were getting out of the facility when security arrived earlier.

"Talk? We still need to get out of here." Lana recalled in her exasperated state. She was stressed from not just the chase, but the current state of being that barely felt her own. The weight of potentially lighting up the whole room in one charge of emotion had been overwhelming. This dread only worsened while security was in the building still looking for her. However, John was more in a state of awareness for a far different issue.

"You aren't. Frankly neither am I. So for now, let's just stay put and– " John tried reasoning his own strategy and angle on Lana's actions of escape. However, his attention was pulled away by a computer screen whirring to life from the notification of an upcoming call. John quickly rushed towards the screen. Partially sitting down on a chair right next to it. The room had light spread through it by the computer's display, but only enough to display John and Lana on the other end of the screen as the call loaded.

Lana was particularly confused about why John just interrupted their conversation for this. Partly annoyed given the stress she was being put under and not even having seen the sun since being taken to this dark facility. John meanwhile was eagerly awaiting this call, but partially left tense when he received it then due to the current circumstances he was under, and having to make sure Lana was assured as well.

The call finally loaded. Though it was not of the highest quality. John was closer and able to make out the background being very similar to multiple calls he's had before. Irons saw a mostly purple background and a desk cluttered with paper airplanes and parts. The one who sat at the desk in front of the screen's camera was a young girl.

She had to lean up from her chair in order to be seen on the desktop's camera on her end. Allowing Lana to see her partially through the screen. The young girl dressed in a branded T-shirt from the Metropolis Sharks. Braids reached down to it as well. Though there was also a familiarity about her. Her lighter dark skin, her eyes, and even her curiosity of her look into this situation from an outside view similar to how John viewed it all from the inside of Cadmus.

"Uncle John? Is the call working?" The little girl asked. She angled the camera concurrently in adjustments to make sure it was secure and in place in order to see herself displayed on the call. The curiosity turned into a look of accomplishment once it was set up right and no glitches seemed to display on the then clear picture.

"Yeah, I got through. Just was late, Nat. Sorry about that." John excused. As he looked back at his reason for this excuse in Lana Lang briefly, he exchanged his glance back at the screen. Irons had no privacy at that moment from his conversation. This caused John Henry a major irritation in what usually was a pleasant point in the secluded day.

"It's okay, Uncle John," The little girl on the other end assured, but then noticed the stranger next to John Henry. She wondered who it was her uncle was with, but then the screen cleared up for her to see a redheaded woman. The stranger glowed through the screen somewhat in patches of bright light, but the girl dismissed this as a screen glitch as these calls have had a bad connection often.

"Who's that with you? Another guard?" Nat questioned. Though John was hesitant in an exact explanation for the little girl. Lana instead answered herself with what little she felt she had the right to tell someone completely lacking involvement in this conflict.

"No, nothing like that," Lana answered closer to the microphone. John took it back from there himself.

"She's just a… friend. Part of my work in the lab and she decided to visit." John gave a partially sarcastic tone by the end of his explanation. Letting Lana know that he hardly enjoyed her interrupting his call by being in his office. Lana practically responded to the irritating glare from John with a nervous smile.

"You there to get Uncle John out?" Nat asked excitedly. Wondering what the answer was from the slightly older callers. "He never lets any of the guards in on these," Nat observed in her aside to Lana.

"Well, that's because I'm not one of them," Lana added. Mostly to show Nat that she could be trusted with John. "I'm his… friend. We met through my dad actually." Lana elaborated further in her story, then gave a side eye equal to John's own. The silence from them both was telling a lot to their third guest immediately. Almost as if the two forgot she was on the call for a minute.

"So… you two need to be alone?" Nat teased. The two snapped out of their respective staredown because of it. Nat hid a smile at the two of them acting really strange despite saying that Lana's been John's friend for a while.

"No, it's not like… " John trailed off and looked around for something for Lana to do while they waited in the office during the call. Even if it was something similar to a simple distraction. "Lana, I might have some lab coats here that still fit. Can you go look for one while I finish up?"

Lana reluctantly went along with this fake ruse. Only because if she was going to not stand out, her own partially singed clothes weren't going to be able to do it. As she selected a lab coat, she looked upon Irons' call. Lana couldn't help but notice the care he had for the little girl on the other end. Feeling a bit bad that it was interrupted by the circumstances of her abduction.

John had fewer moments of catching up. The kind he made up for best he could was on Nat's latest steps at home, how her parents were doing and stayed caught up on their games back home in the big city. Overall though, John just wished to see she was still happy. That no matter the distance, his niece would still be okay.

Lana finally adjusted herself in one of John's lab coats. The long white coat hid the burnt clothes Lana wore underneath. All as she was waiting for Irons to finish up. She felt a large amount of respect for him, his compassion for his niece, and for being in her life. Wishing both their problems could have fizzled away for this danger Lana presented to never reach the two of them, but that was sadly never going to happen. Not until she and John could find their answers.

"Tell your mom I said hi, alright? Okay, bye, Nat." John and Nat finalized their call. John was regretful of the time lost, but reconciling in that he lost so much more being in Cadmus for so long.

He looked at Lana and saw yet another of the dangers Cadmus had put under his roof. This was the first who could speak, and it was clear that she hardly wanted to be there. While it was also evident that she would lead others to danger if she was brought back to the rest of the world again, he couldn't help but realize what would happen if the same fate was shared by Nat.

"Who is she?" Lana asked. John, in great pause to reveal it while Lana wondered with curiosity and sympathy that he was hardly the faceless agent of this cold place.

"My niece, Natasha. Her mom had her early and I've been struggling to help out as the supportive younger brother ever since." John divulged. He found it a difficult point of his past to admit when he was away from outside contact for so long, but it was something he needed, whether he knew it or not.

Lana sighed in partial embarrassment. Knowing this was sweet and sincere of John. It showed there was more to this utter stranger than a government tool, but it was more complicated only considering her escape like before.

"I think what you're doing for her is good, not that it matters from the girl hiding in your closet." Lana awkwardly says while leaning under the very hanger space she spoke of.

"I'll help you get out of here." John declared immediately. Before Lana was lost in second thoughts on what to even say to John.

"What? I mean, why?" Lana questioned greatly. Given all she learned he had to lose.

"Every month she calls, I look into her eyes. Seeing someone brilliant. One who has all the world's hope ready to grow, and nothing to bring it down. I do whatever it takes to keep that alive for as long as I can, and I know she wouldn't stand it if I abandoned that for someone else to find. I'm not leaving you trapped like me. You know where that leads. This is the last I'm letting happen." John explained the reason for his change of heart. Lana stood speechless. Hiding utter shock that anyone would truly fight for her this hard. Clark would, but this kind of situation coming up for someone going through so much himself was unfair to place aboard him willingly, and Hank placed her in more strife than could be counted. John was one where they both were in the same battle, but their escape had only just begun.

Having decided her option, Lana proudly stepped forward to Irons with confidence in their unlikely alliance. "Then what's the plan?"