What We Lost

Is he alive?

Abe and I take Clem down to our 'lab,' if you could call it that before we talk anymore. Clem shows us a picture of what looks like Mitch in a tank of some kind, "There he is."

"My God." I shake my head, "it looks like a stasis tank."

Abe nods, "That would explain how he survived the hybrid attack."

"But who saved him and why?"

Clem shakes her head, "I don't know. All I know is he's being held in an abandoned research lab in Eastern Siberia."

"Has he been there this whole time?"

"Hard to say."

Clem and I start to spread out the maps and other things she has, before long Abe moves a few things off the desk, "Here, let me."

Clem looks around the lab for a moment, "What is all this?"

I look over to her, "Abe and I have a theory on how to reverse the effects of the TX-gas. Restart procreation. We are trying to separate something in the NLRP2 protein."

"You're going that research here?"

"We were at U of M, Ann Arbor, two of their top researchers. But we have made breakthroughs here."

"We have some advancements, not breakthroughs." Abe shakes his head, "Anyway, that's irrelevant. These are the breakthroughs that matter now."

Clem unrolls a topological map of the area she believes Mitch is being held. "So, this is the facility he's being held in. It's been abandoned for years, but this shows continuous electricity usage in the eastern wing. That must be where he is."

"How did you get all this?"

I look over to Clem, "She stole it from the IADG."

"Why would you not just tell them you are Mitch's daughter? I'm sure they would welcome you on the mission."

Clem nods, "Safe behind the border wall. I'm sure you think the IADG are heroes, but something seems off about this mission. We need to go ourselves without the IADG."

"Well, that's gonna be tough. Your intel is incomplete. None of these have an entrance marked." I cross my arms.

"That's why I'm here. I need your help and fast. The IADG is on their way to get my father right now. We have to get there first."

I take a deep breath, "I'll call Jamie." As I try to reach Jamie, I get sent to voicemail, "She isn't answering." I look over to Abe "She still has the plane. It is the fastest way to Siberia."

Clem shakes her head, "I thought you guys were a team."

"A lot has changed in ten years. Especially people."

"What about Jackson." Clem looks over to me, "Can he help us?"

I take a deep breath, but before I answer Abe does, "I'm afraid our communication is strictly one-way. The son of Robert Oz has many enemies. We cannot expose him."

One of our centrifuges begins to beep and Clem looks over to it, "this protein you two are working on. NR NLRP2. Do you really think it'll help have babies again."

"We are hopeful, but I don't know."

Dariela comes down starts, "Jackson sent you two something," She hands a case to Abe.

I look over the maps again, "Check this out."

Clem looks over to me, "You found something?"

"I thought the layout looked familiar, I worked at a black site in Poland that shared the same structure. Which means this hangar is the entrance. If Mitch is being held in the eastern wing as your intel suggests, we need to enter through this hangar, find an unmarked set of stairs, and this corridor here should lead us right to Mitch. We need to make sure we enter the hangar on the north side here, where we have the best chance of evading any surveillance cameras. That's how we get in."

"We have everything we need now," Dariela nods, "I'll call Emma, see if she can stay with Isaac."

"If we don't hear from Jamie, we'll head to the airport and charter a plane."

Clem looks over to Dariela, "Is Isaac gonna be okay? While you guys are gone?"

Dariela nods, "He's a tough kid."

"Does he know, you know, what you guys used to do? Who you were?"

Dariela takes a deep breath, "Abe and me, we didn't have the best childhoods. I think we just wanted to give our son a normal one."

"Kind of hard when you're the last generation on Earth. But maybe Abe and Kat's research will change all that. Thanks again, guys. I really couldn't have done this without you guys." Clem smiles and walks away from Dariela and I. Soon after I walk upstairs as well if we are going to look from Mitch, I need to head home and pack.