"You don't have one!?" Alec's question was directed toward
 Sean.

	"Why would I have a key-code to Clone Storage?"

	"Oh, I don't know...to keep the place secure!?" Alec cried.

	"Why would *I* need to get in to keep it secure when no
 one's supposed to be in here except the security guards?"

	Alec sighed, "I give up."

	"Can you get it opened, JJ?" Sean asked.

	The tech specialist pulled the cover panel from the lock
 mechanism and inspected the jumble of wires inside., "Sure, but
 it'll take me a few minutes."

	The metal box was suddenly flattened by Alec's fist.  The
 door slid open with a slight whoosh, "We don't have a few
 minutes."

	"Great, you set off the alarms." Sean grumbled.

	"They're silent." Alec pointed out, "The Neos won't know
 we're coming and no one else will care at the moment."

	They made their way down a long, dimly lit corridor until
 they came to a door marked CLONE STORAGE:  Authorized Personnel
 Only.

	Whoever had built the place must have thought that anyone
 who tried to break in would be intimidated by the key-coded
 door, or caught after they broke it; this door had no lock and
 slid open when Sean tapped the button next to it.

	Maggie noticed two guards against one of the pieces of
 machinery, their hands and feet bound and their mouths gagged. 
 She knelt to free them.

	Alec heard the crack of the gun against her head and spun to
 take a shot at the already retreating figure; but the Neo had
 already rounded the corner at the end of the hallway.  

	"Is she okay?" he stood over Maggie as Sean tried to wake
 her.

	"She's fine, except she's out cold.  She could have a
 concussion, I suppose; and she'll have a Hell of a headache when
 she wakes up." was Sean's reply.  "Jinx, cut those two free;
 we'll let them take her out of here.  We've gotta find those
 Neos before we have another Phaeton on our hands."

	Alec bit his lip when he saw the thin trail of blood
 trickling down the side of Maggie's head.  Sean was lying about
 the seriousness of her condition, but he knew he couldn't let
 his feelings get in the way of his work.  He turned away as one
 of the guards picked her up and they left.

	"You comin' DeLeon?" Alec hesitated for a moment before
 joining them.



	"Hello, she didn't just vanish!  She's gotta be around here
 somewhere!"

	"Kaz?" J.T.'s voice was cool.

	"What?"

	"You're ranting." his tone was still serene.  "Calm down so
 we can concentrate on what we're doing."

	"So we're just gonna leave her out here in the middle of
 nowhere!?" Kaz cried. 

	"Jade's a big girl, she can take care of herself.  We have
 to get back to Manause."

	Kaz glared at him for a moment before giving up, "Fine, but
 I don't have to like it."

	J.T. nodded slightly before turning to his e-frame.

	"She'll be fine." Wolf stated.

	Kaz didn't even glance at his friend, "I know." but the
 agreement lacked conviction.



	The Neosapien disappeared down the edge of a cliff; or at
 least she *thought* it was a Neosapien.

	Jade leaned against a tree and wiped her forehead with the
 back of her hand before heading off to follow him.

	She looked over the edge to the river below.  "Oh goodie."
 she muttered.  The cliff was smooth rock straight down except
 for a narrow path leading to the bottom.

	Before she could decide whether or not she wanted to try to
 make it down, she was yanked back by her ponytail and slammed
 into a tree.  She winced as the pain knifed through her head,
 and then the rest of her body.  It only lasted a moment before
 everything went black and she didn't feel a thing.

	Unfortunately, it hurt like Hell when she woke up.

	She opened her eyes, but the light was bright and it made
 her head throb even worse; she closed them tightly and rubbed
 her temples to try and ease the pain.

	"The pain will go away soon." 

	Jade opened her eyes, slowly this time, to see a man in
 front of her.  She could have sworn she was delusional, "I must
 have hit my head harder than I thought."  She blinked a few
 times.  No, she hadn't been hallucinating, he was still green,
 and at a closer look, he had small branches protruding from his
 body.  

	He placed a cool cloth on her forehead, "I am sorry that I
 hit you so hard, I meant only to find out what you were doing."
 he told her.  "Why were you following me?"

	Jade sat up, "You need to sit still." he told her.

	She leaned against the wooden bed frame and tried to will
 her head to stop hurting.

	"Why were you following me?" the man repeated.

	"I thought you were a Neosapien." she said.

	"And you thought to turn me over to the Exo Fleet?"

	Jade shook her head, and quickly regretted the action as she
 flinched in pain.  "I wanted to talk to you."

	He frowned at her, "About what?"

	"My friends and I are looking for someone; an Exo Fleet
 member who was lost near here.  I was wondering if you had seen
 her."

	He hesitated a moment before saying anything, "I have seen
 no one of the Exo Fleet since the war ended.  What did your
 friend look like?  Perhaps someone else has seen her."

	Jade sighed, "I don't know; I'm new.  She was a member of my
 squad before I joined."

	He nodded in understanding, "I will ask around while you
 rest.  Can I get you anything before I go?"

	"A drink would be nice." she sounded tired.

	"I will be right back." he said.

	When he returned a minute later she was sound asleep.

	He set the water on a small table and left her to rest.

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