The convoy went directly to the underground facility for proper treatment. The moment the vehicles arrived, nurses and paramedics rushed outside with stretchers to assist the victims who could no longer walk on their own.The children were moved carefully. Some followed instructions without resistance, while others clung to the medics helping them. A few stared blankly at everything around them as though they still hadn't understood that they were no longer trapped inside the facility.Desmond stepped through the entrance first, but his pace slowed when he noticed a crowd gathering near the reception desk.The television mounted on the wall was showing footage he recognized immediately.The screen showed a steady stream of children leaving the building. Some walked on their own, some needed help, and a few looked too exhausted to understand what was happening around them.The camera shifted and revealed the entrance of the facility they had raided only hours earlier. Someone had recor

Desmond didn’t move for a while after reading the sentence.“A borrowed vessel eventually remembers its original owner”. His eyes stayed on it longer before he closed the notebook slowly.For a moment, he just sat there with uneven breath, then he stood up.“Enough”. His voice sounded normal and controlled, but it didn’t carry the same ease it usually did.He gathered the manuscripts back into a rough stack and left them on the table. He turned off the flashlight and he left, leaving the chamber behind him open.Desmond didn’t say anything after that, he just kept walking. But the words didn’t leave him, they stayed somewhere behind his thoughts.By the time he returned to the main facility, the place had settled into its usual rhythm again, movement, voices and paperwork. The kind of controlled chaos that came after a crisis, when people tried to convince themselves things were under control because the immediate danger had passed.Paige spotted him first, “You came back fast”Desmon

Ezra and Scorpion returned to the underground hospital just before evening.The corridors were quieter than they had been that morning. Most of the patients had settled in, and only the night shift moved between the wards.Desmond was still in his office. He had a file open in front of him, but he wasn't reading it. One hand rested against his forehead while the other absentmindedly tapped a pen on the desk.A knock came at the door, "Come in"Ezra stepped inside first, with Scorpion following behind. Ezra dropped a worn photograph onto the desk.Desmond looked at it, then lifted his eyes to the two of them, "You ignored my instruction"Scorpion gave a small shrug, "You were asleep. We weren't about to wake you just to ask for permission"He pulled out a chair and sat down, "Besides, staring at that monitor wasn't getting us anywhere"Desmond closed the file, "Looks like you didn't come back empty-handed""Far from it ", Scorpion said.Ezra slid the photograph across the table, "Nobod

The laboratory was quieter than it had been that morning after a short break. Most of the researchers had settled back into their work.Selene was recording a shipment of dried medicinal plants when she heard a hesitant voice near the reception desk."...Director?"She looked up, one of the junior technicians stood there, shifting awkwardly with a folded form in his hand."I'm sorry to bother you", he said Desmond looked up from the papers he was carrying, "What is it?"The technician lowered his voice, "My father was admitted to the general hospital last night. I... I may need a few days off""How is he?", Desmond asked calmly "They're still running tests, so we don't know the nature of his sickness yet"Desmond nodded, "Take the time you need"The young man hesitated, "I haven't been here long, sir. I wasn't sure if…..""Your family comes first, don't joke with his life"The technician let out a breath, "Thank you, sir"As he turned to leave, Desmond called him back"One more thin

After the security guards threw the man out of the laboratory premises, he dared not look back. He was running non stop until he reached the parking lot.One hand still clutched his wrist, he glanced briefly at the institute, "...That wasn't normal," he muttered.A few minutes ago, he had walked in convinced he could intimidate Liam Andrew in front of his own staff. Now he was scared of the look in Liam's eyes and the strength he used at gripping his wrist.He rubbed his wrist again and winced, "Can a mere playboy have that kind of strength?...That wasn't even the reaction of a doctor"His phone began to ring. He glanced at the screen, then he answered."Well?" the voice on the other end asked. "Did he reverse the decision?"The man let out a bitter laugh, "No""What happened?""I made the mistake of thinking he was just another businessman, but he isn't""What do you mean?", the voice on the other end questioned."I grabbed him." He looked down at his swollen wrist. "I almost didn't