The guards arrested them, but instead of being thrown into the same holding cell as Main, they were led to a secluded room. The walls were bare, the single overhead light buzzing faintly.
One of the guards held out a hand. "ID."
Adam handed over the card. The guard studied it, then passed it to his colleague.
"This says Doctor Yan," the second guard said, raising an eyebrow. "You don't look like a Doctor Yan."
Adam kept his expression neutral. "We're guests of Doctor Yan. He gave us the card."
The first guard frowned. "Then where are your visitor passes?"
Wait until Doctor Yan hears of this. You'll wish losing your jobs was the worst of it," Hezme said, throwing a glare at the guards. He leaned in, whispering something to his colleague before stepping away to verify their story.
One of the guards narrowed his eyes. "Where's the other guy?"
Adam kept his expression neutral. "What guy?"
"There were three of you," the guard said, his tone sharp. He reached for his radio. "Be on the lookout for another suspect. Matches this one's description."
They turned toward the holding camp below—a sprawling facility enclosed within thick walls. Rows of cells lined the space, stark and metallic, the dim lighting casting long shadows over the restless figures inside.
When the guard turned away, Adam struck hard, knocking him out cold. He stripped off the uniform, slipped it on, and took the private elevator leading directly to the camp.
Inside, he moved quickly, finding Main in his cell.
"Come on," Adam said, unfastening the restraints.
Main hesitated, his eyes darting around the room.
"Hezme," Adam whispered. "She's watching."
That got his attention. Main exhaled sharply, nodding. But as they neared the exit, his steps slowed. Then he stopped.
Adam followed his gaze to the security camera.
Main raised a hand and waved.
"Try to rescue me, and you and Hezme die," he said, voice calm but firm. "Leave now, and you might make it out alive."
Adam clenched his fists, weighing his options.
"I can do both."
He split. Oversight—his other self—rushed toward the guard tower for Hezme, while he stayed focused on Main.
Adam moved fast, throwing a punch meant to knock him out. But instead of collapsing, Main barely flinched. His face absorbed the force like a shock absorber.
From the tower, Hezme saw everything.
She turned and took the elevator down.
The doors slid open, and Oversight was waiting. Before she could react, he grabbed her, yanking her inside. She kicked and thrashed, but he pressed the button, sending them back up.
The doors sealed shut.
She struggled. He held firm.
Below, Adam took a step back, watching Main carefully. The escape had just gotten a lot more complicated.
"You… you're like Sern," Main said, his voice filled with desperate hope. "You can save us. Stay—let them take DNA samples. They can perfect the serum."
Behind him, the other subjects stirred. They stepped closer.
"Stop talking," Adam snapped.
A wet drip hit the floor. Then another.
A man—if he could still be called that—stood there, his body melting, thick strands of flesh pooling at his feet. Then they lunged.
Adam swung, but his punches passed straight through some, his fists sinking into their gelatinous bodies. Others were sticky, clinging to his arms like tar. He tore free, grabbing at whatever solid parts he could find and hurling them away.
One of the creatures collapsed into a puddle—then reassembled itself, its body shifting, stretching until it became fully human again.
Adam didn't wait.
He grabbed Main and ran, barreling toward the elevator. The doors slid open just in time, and they dove inside.
Adam slammed the button—again and again—as the inmates sprinted toward them, their distorted forms twisting in unnatural ways.
The doors closed.
For now.
They reached the guard tower. The moment Adam pushed the door open, gunfire erupted.
He slammed it shut just as bullets tore into the metal frame.
"Just surrender," Main muttered as Adam paced.
"Shut up," Adam snapped.
His eyes landed on a fire extinguisher mounted on the wall. He yanked it free, pulled the pin, and blasted a thick cloud of blue foam under the door. The guards kept firing, but now their shots were wild, aimless.
"Move!" Adam ordered.
Using the cover, they rushed out, slipping past the disoriented guards.
They sprinted down the hall, rounding a corner where Oversight and Hezme were pinned down, taking cover behind an overturned table.
Before Adam could ask what was happening, more guards charged in from behind.
Pop-pop-pop!
Gunfire ripped through the air. Hezme was the one shooting.
Adam blinked. "Where the hell did you get a gun?"
"A guard was nice enough to give me his," she said flatly.
Then her gaze shifted to Main.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I couldn't tell you."
Hezme didn't respond. She turned back to the fight, firing at anyone who came close.
There was no time for explanations.
A guard came from behind.
Hezme spun, squeezed the trigger—click.
Empty.
The guard fired.
Oversight moved before she could react, shielding her with his body. The gunfire tore through him, each shot adding to the pool of blood beneath him.
Adam, focused on the well-armed tactical team ahead, felt something leave him. His heart plunged.
He turned.
Oversight lay motionless over Hezme.
Something snapped inside Adam.
He charged the guard, weaving through the bullets. A sharp sting burned his back—one of the tactical team had hit him. He didn't stop.
Close enough now—he wrenched the gun from the guard's hands and cracked it against his skull. The guard dropped.
Adam slid back behind the table, dragging Oversight's lifeless body with him.
Using it as cover, he fired back. The tactical team ducked, returning fire. Adam didn't stop—one by one, he took them down.
Silence.
He exhaled sharply, dropping Oversight's body.
"Main. Hezme. Move."
They stepped out. Adam slung Oversight's weight onto his shoulders.
And they walked out of there.