"Doesn't this thing have a password?" Lexie asks as we run for the door.

We slip outside with ease to find that it's dark out. Finally, something working in our favor.

"It's the number on his key card," I hold the plastic card up to her so she can read off the number.

"Isn't that a little too obvious?"

"That's the point. Each Warrior is assigned a personal number. It works for our phones, our key cards, everything. It simplifies things in case the council needs to go through our things."

"Go through your things?" Lexie scrunches up her face at me, confused.

"Passwords mean secrets and we don't keep secrets from the council. They reserve the right to retrieve our things and go through them at a moment's notice if they feel we're withholding information."

"Sounds like a cult," she responds with a shiver.

I don't respond, unable to disagree. After a few disgruntled sighs and some frustrated scrolling, Lexie finally perks up.

"Does the eastern block mean anything to you?"

I stop short, eyes widened in surprise.

"It's where the hospital wing is located. Are you sure that's where they're keeping them?"

"There's a text from General Sage from the day we arrived saying a room was being prepped for two high security inmates."

"Only two?"

"I guess. Wouldn't hurt to take a look though," she furrows her brows.

We find our way to the hospital wing quickly, narrowly escaping three more Warriors. When we walk through the glass doors, I'm met with the familiar scent of bleach and metal; I repress the urge to gag as I peek through each room, with Lexie following closely on my heels.

A faint, steady beeping leads us to the last door on the left. I open it as quietly as I can, knowing there's usually always a few pack doctors keeping an eye on things. Lexie gasps loudly and I lift my hand quickly to her mouth, but when my eyes follow the direction of her gaze, my heart drops.

Daniel and Gabriel lay unconscious on two adjacent tables with several needles sticking out of their arms. Each needle is connected to various bags filled with different colored fluids. whatever it is, it's obvious this isn't standard care.

"What the f-"

"We need to go," I whisper frantically, cutting her off.

"What? We can't leave them like this!"

"Whatever this is, we can't help them. We're going to have a hard enough time getting off base as it is, I'm sure everything went into lockdown in seconds, we don't have time to lug around two comatose bodies. It'll just slow us down even more," I will her to understand.

"You're selfish! Maybe they don't matter to you, but Dan and Gabe are my friends and I'm not leaving without them you heinous bitch!" Lexie's voice rises in desperation.

I don't dare to put my hand over her mouth again, fearing she might bite it off this time.

"While I am enjoying the show, I'm going to have to ask you to keep your voice down. You don't want to wake my guests here, do you?" A voice says from the other side of the room.

Marcus walks through the door across from us, grinning from ear to ear.

"Marcus! Where have you been, we were scared something happened to you! You can help us carry Dan and Gabe."

"Lexie..." I whisper, keeping my eyes focused on Marcus.

He saunters slowly around the table Daniel is on, trailing his fingers lightly across the cool steel, smirking at us the entire time. I push Lexie behind me- she grips my shoulders to steady herself- so that both of the tables are between us and Marcus.

"How long have you been working with Sage?" I question, surprised at how steady my voice sounds.

"What?" Lexie squeaks, her grip on my shoulders tightening painfully.

His grin widens as he crosses his arms across his chest casually, still walking towards us. Stalking us like we're prey.

"A while," he says vaguely.

"And Alpha Lucas? Where does he fit into all of this?"

I try to keep him talking, keep him distracted, all while scanning the room for something sharp.

I've taken him down in hand to hand combat before, but knowing that he's been working with Sage this whole time, I wouldn't be surprised if he had been holding back. With a sinking feeling in my gut, I realize there's no way we're making it out of here without killing him.

"He's merely a pawn in the grand scheme of things," he waves his hand flippantly.

"Why are you doing this?" Lexie whimpers from behind me.

"Don't you understand?" Marcus slams a hand down on the table by Daniel's feet, his smirk turned into something far more frantic. "What General Sage is doing is for the greater good of our race. If we can figure out how to make a group even stronger than the Warriors, we'd be unstoppable! Humans wouldn't dare to hunt us down and pick us off anymore."

"So he started all of these experiments? Killian's mother? All the Warriors that have mysteriously gone missing over the years? You guys would seriously do this to your own kind?" I swallow hard, hoping to alleviate the bitter taste in my mouth.

"It's for the greater good," he repeats, as if the words will suddenly make everything make sense.

Lexie presses something cool into my hand behind my back and I run my index finger gently over the sharp blade. I don't hesitate a second more and lunge for Marcus.

He's smart, of course he anticipated this, and he ducks behind the table, using Daniel as a shield. We both circle each other, neither of us daring to go on the offensive.

"You know you won't make it off this base alive," he murmurs sinisterly across from me.

"I'll take my chances," I spit back, trying to find my opening.