Moving in

Luke cringes at the memories that Angel's ranting brought to mind. She was thinking back so far... to a time so painful. Rubbing his tired face, he just waits, still praying... hoping that his wife would calm down to sleep restfully again. It was their only chance of keeping her alive right now.


Scott's eyes open back up again and he moves his hand down through Jess' hair one more time. He'd started to doze off several times, but found it less fearsome to stay awake, at least for now. Stifling a yawn, he shifts his weight a little, sinking further down, but letting Jess keep her head in his lap.

Domino looks up, almost annoyed at being woken up by his movements. She stands to yawn and stretch, looking around for a moment. She sniffs close to Jess' head, then settles back down again, nuzzling into Scott's side.

Scott lets his free hand fall to his little dog, giving her a loving scratch behind the ears.


The team moves in. They head down the trail that was a gradual incline that curved around until reaching the bottom at the edge of the parking lot. Glancing around, they revert to silence. Blowing their cover too soon could be fatal.

Moving closer and closer, they creep up to the building, right around the corner from the guards. Carson draws his gun but doesn't advance. He nods to Jason and Katie. It was up to them to get them inside. They'd have to stick close once they were in, take out any cameras and silence anyone who saw them. Then they'd have to get back out again.

Jason moves to the corner and looks around to see the guards.
Alright, there they are. Let's have a repeat of how it was when we went after Scott.

It ran like clockwork. A flickering light caused enough fear for Katie to work with, and before anyone knew it, both guards had been knocked unconscious. While Carson knew how they worked, he was still impressed, and as they slip inside, he gives Katie a crooked grin. Ryder follows them inside, a bit stunned by what had happened, but without time to process it.

The inside was quiet. They were in a hallway. It was uncanny how the layout appeared to be so similar to the building where Scott had been held. In a totally different country, the Agency still operated in the same way.

The four slipped down the hall, Jason in the lead, with Carson in the rear, walking backward to keep an eye out. Guns were drawn. Eyes were open, ears were listening intently. Voices could be heard nearby, but this corridor was clear. They hit the stairway they were looking for, and quickly ascended three floors. Meeting no one was a welcomed surprise. As they pass cameras, Jason takes them out with just enough energy to make them malfunction but not set off any alarms. So far they were going undetected.

Reaching the third floor, they stare down another long hall. Shadows pass by on the other end, but were quickly gone. The coast was clear.

"Last room on the right," Ryder hisses.

Jason moves forward, stopping a the closed door. A small window showed there was one person inside the lab. "One," he informs with a whisper.

Carson gives him a nod. They were ready. He eyes Katie, giving her a wink - a contrast to the tension they were under.

Jason grips the door handle.
Okay, Hero, let's do this. I need you right behind me for this one.

Ryder steps to the side, keeping his back on the opposite wall. He nods. He and Carson would stay in the hall while Jason and Katie went in.

Jason keeps his gun up and ready.
We gotta move fast so he can't call anybody.
Turning the door handle, he opens the door swiftly, letting Katie slip in with him before the door goes shut again. He aims his handgun at the middle-aged, heavyset man in the white lab coat and glasses, whose nametag read Ross.

"Whoa!" he stands from his desks, arms going in the air. "Who are you? What are you doing? How did you get in there?"

"Hold the questions," Jason growls. "And sit back down. Now."

Ross' eyes are wide behind his glasses and he sits back down. One hand starts to lower towards an intercom button.

Jason cocks his gun. "Just try."

Ross immediately backs off again, wildly searching Jason and Katie's faces. "What do you want?"

"We need an antidote and we need it now."

"Antidote?" Ross laughs. "For what? And why would it be here?"

"Don't give me that." Jason steps forward, pressing the barrel of his gun against Ross' head.

Ross sucks in his breath, starting to tremble. He looks to Katie for help, but sees immediately that she is just as determined as the young man. He swallows hard, then licks his lips. "Um... uh... well... um..."

Jason leans down to stare into Ross' eyes. "Did I mention we were in a hurry?"

Ross gulps. A bead of sweat runs down the side of his face. "Which antidote are you looking for?"

Now that's more like it.
"For a poison. It's new to us, but probably not new to you."

Ross again stumbles over words, but his eyes drift to the far end of the room. Jason follows his gaze.
Keep him here, Katie. There's a case down there with some items of interest.

He moves from the desk, uncocking his gun and heading to a glass cabinet. The room was long, full of computer equipment and paperwork. While everything was stark and clean, a line of cages was set up in the middle of the room, housing rats. Jason cringes.
This was the sort of thing Carson had talked about. Gives me the creeps.