At a completely different lab, relatively close to James' team's position, head technician Martin Ng had recieved the call from Wayne. He was sneaking his way from the electrician's closet to a nearby lab.
The electrician's closet showed that many of the labs had shut down, but one lab curiously hadn't. That, coupled with Wayne's call, fueled Ng's suspicion.
It was Lab 23. The number glinted in the dim light being given off from the emergency lights.
Marty had managed to make it the entire way without encountering anybody. The base was practically abandoned. Something was going down.
The door was locked, but as head technician, he had keys to every lab in the base. fishing his giant key ring out of his pocket, he undid the lock and peered in.
Hicks was in the room, with a lemming scientist. Marty knew Hicks was working with Dragonstorm.
"Dammit, Jeston, we need these files erased!" Hicks snapped. "Everybody but us has made it to Lab 101!"
"I know!" snapped Jeston, "But something's different! A bunch of our files, the ones Shelton stole, their signal's coming from the kitchen computers! I need to hack into the kitchen network before I can delete the files!"
"Well, do it faster!" Hicks stormed in to an adjacent lab.
Marty realized he'd discovered something serious. If these were the last Dragonstorm scientists in the base, Wayne needed to know.
He slipped his radio out of his pocket, but a noise behind him caused him to keep it hidden, but on.
Hicks appeared behind him, leering in the dim hallway. "Think you could spy on us, eh?"
A sudden, exploding pain in Marty's abdomen. Hicks had stabbed him. Marty stumbled backwards, falling to the floor of the lab.
Hicks crossed his arms as Marty's vision faded. "Any last words?"
Marty rolled his head to the side, laying it on the radio under his coat. "Lab 23..." he murmured, and then grew still. . .
______________________________________________________--
"James!" Wayne quickly radioed. "Something's up in Lab 23! And hurry, one of my men may be in danger!"
