Riding in an elevator could make anyone's ears pop.

Riding in an elevator while you're five inches tall felt more like taking a nosedive in an aeroplane.

Clutching my ears, I pulled a pained expression at Nigel, who also seemed mildly uncomfortable with the pressure on his eardrums.

Must be soooo convenient not to feel pain like us the rest of us mere mortals.

In contrast to our desperate situation, the elevator gave a cheerful ding as it stopped and the doors slid open, allowing Garmen to stumble out into a dim room I recognised as the lobby from my first time visiting the building.

For someone who was supposed to be healing at a supernatural rate, Garmen was looking worse with every second that passed by.

Pale, his breathing barely even as he walked, Garmen made his way to the large administrative desk. Circular in shape, the desk stood like an island between the elevators and the glass exit doors.

"Reece." He called quietly, and not a second later the small man popped up from his hiding place under the desk, making me jump so hard I nearly fell of Garmen's shoulder.

"You're back."

Full of relief, Reece's dark blue eyes examined us on Garmen's shoulder, quickly checking for injury.

I shifted nervously under the gaze, not liking the concerned attention.

I'm way too manly to be fussed over like this...Heck, even if I were missing a couple of limbs, I would just walk it off...

..being the cause of this mess in the first place... I probably didn't deserve it...

Once he had confirmed that we weren't hurt the white-haired supervisor turned his attention to Garmen.

"Where's Havoc?" Reece asked worriedly. "What happened?"

".. One of the infiltrators was attempting to escape with these three." Garmen explained hesitantly, seeming troubled by the smaller man's worry.

"We encountered him before we could secure the isolation room... and took immediate action to stop him. Havoc... stayed behind to restrain him."

Garmen gaze lowered to the floor. "How is the evacuation going?"

"Not good," Reece admitted with a shake of his head. "These intruders are crawling all over the place. Nearly all of the staff is immobile, and the other patients are trapped in their rooms."

Well, that's a relief. The last thing I'd want is for someone to get squished... Except maybe...

No. Bad Maddison. Literally crushing all who failed to worship your greatness is just too excessive, even for you... Seriously, You can stop fantasising about it any day now...

"Worst of all."Reece sighed. "The system is still completely unresponsive, so we have little hope of retaliating."

Figures. Nothing's ever that easy.

"So we're being held at a standstill," Garmen noted with an exhausted frown.

"And the only thing that they have actively tried to achieve was to abduct these three..." He turned slightly to look at us. "Why?"

Under Garmen grim scrutiny, I found myself scrambling for some sort of explanation.

One that wouldn't come back to bite me in the...

"It's simple," Artemis said quietly, his small voice the only sound in the large room. "We are investments."

I stiffened, feeling Nigel do the same next to me.

He wasn't actually going to tell them... Was he?

Artemis didn't seem bothered by the consequences, continuing on in a small tone.

"Investments that the Underground has spent years cultivating, training."

"Training?" Reece said, eyes widening with shock.

Welp. They already knew too much anyway. Might as well earn that death sentence.

"The school... our school, um... Is secretly their recruitment program...." I confessed.

Saying the truth is such a relief. Too bad we're all going to die now. Haha.

"They pay for our scholarship, make us compete for the top places... then take what they want." I shrugged.

"Losing one of us is a loss, but tolerable," Artemis added. "But you have taken three."

"So they've come to get us back," Nigel concluded, hunching inward with guilt.

The two Supervisors stood silently for a moment, letting the information sink in.

"How have they gotten away with this...?" Garmen said, trembling slightly. Perhaps in shock, but most likely with pain and exhaustion.

"Power and Money," Artemis stated bluntly. "They can do whatever they want. That's what they are proving to you now. You took something from them, so they are kicking your door down, playing with you a bit, and taking back what you stole from them..."

"Except, they haven't taken you." Reece declared, dark blue eyes glimmering defiantly. "And they aren't going to get away with this."

With more grace than I was expecting from the tiny man, Reece leapt over the desk to stand next to Garmen.

"We're getting you out of this, so that's enough despairing out of the lot of you."

Taken completely aback by his bold confidence, the three of us stared down at Reece from Garmen's shoulder.

He glared accusingly back, daring us to argue.

The little marshmallow of a man had more strength than I gave him credit for.

As much as wanted to argue... Just on principle...

He was right.

We had already given up. All three of us had unknowingly surrendered.

And that was not the Maddison Trampth way.

It was time to suit up and set our gears into stubborn denial. We might not make it, but we can fake semi-convincingly.

Climbing to my feet, I put my hand on my hips and glared back down a Reece.

"Don't tell me what to do shorty," I growled indignantly. "I was already in the process of defeating these guys single-handedly before any of you people even showed up."

Nigel laughed at the absurd declaration, making me smack him in the back of the head.

"You doubt me?"I raised my eyebrows, immediately receiving a chastened look for my efforts.

"It may have looked like Jack had me at his mercy, but I was subtly using my winsome charms to turn him over to the side of awesomeness."

"Really?" Nigel stared up at me like I was god's gift to humankind.

I nodded. "Yes."

"Seriously Love." Artemis sighed. "You're a nice enough girl, but I don't think anyone's that charming."

"....you think I'm nice?" I asked, too distracted by the actual compliment to take offence.

Most people just call me crazy or stupid or evil incarnate...

Artemis sent me a curiously look at my stunned tone.

"... Why wouldn't I Love?"

Well, starting at the top of the list... I killed your ice cream...

"I think you're nice Maddison! " Nigel chipped in eagerly.

My gaze narrowed on him.

"What? After everything that I have done for you, all I get is Nice?" I demanded in outrage, pinching Nigel's cheeks and yanking on them hard.

"I should..." What was about to say next was interrupted when Garmen's shoulder suddenly buckled beneath us.

"Hey!" I cried as the tall supervisor slumped forward. With a started cry, Reece caught him, struggling to hold up the far taller man's weight.

"Hold onto him tightly." Reece gasped at us tensely, shifting so that he could slowly lower the man to the floor.

Easier said than done.

Nigel looped an arm around my waist, keeping me secure against him we clung to the material of Garmen shirt.

For once, I was glad Nigel had the infinite strength of the ultimate idiot.

As soon as Garmen was laid flat on the floor the three of us climbed off him, standing on our own feet as we watched Reece check Garmen's pulse.

The green-haired supervisor looked feverish, shallow breaths beginning to hyperventilate.

If he was still conscious, he wasn't aware enough to say what was wrong.

This wasn't just blood loss, or shock, not even internal bleeding. This seemed more like...

"Poison...?" I squeaked in shock. "Jack stabbed him with something before, could it be..."

Reece's gaze jerked to mine. "....But, if it were... The nanotech would destroy it...."

"Hmmm true. Unless, of course, he has been infected with anti nanotech." Jack mused."If that were indeed the case, I'm afraid that he will surely die without the deactivating antidote...."

Reece froze and the three of us on the floor all raised our gazes.

Staring up at Jack.

Where he stood casually over Reece's shoulder.