At the TXP Facility, with her elbows on the conference room table, Sarah held her face in her hands, her long hair draped over the shiny wood grains that reflected the dim glow of the wall sconces behind her. An icy shadow crept over her as she considered the implications of the tragedy that befell two of her crew selections. She had felt so confident with her choices that she failed to come up with a list of alternate candidates. Why hadn't she taken the time to do that? After completing the serum, she had been too eager to move forward with her plans to rescue Jake. That's why. But second-guessing herself would not bail her out of this problem. Without a doubt, she could mark them off her list and begin a search for replacements. It was the most obvious thing to do, but Sarah never made a practice of doing the expected thing. She had an idea. One that might work. But she had to run her plan by Admiral Jax first.

Unfortunately, he had yet to join her in the conference room.

Sarah sat in silence, alone, the subtle illumination of the wall sconces leaving her wishing for more light and less trouble. She struggled to find some warmth from her surroundings. Not physical heat. The place wasn't cold temperature wise. What she needed was something to remove the icy feeling of failure from her midst. Oh, she had come up with a revised course of action, but still... what if things refused to come together? What if she couldn't make it happen? What if she couldn't rescue Jake? Her eyes scoured the room, searching for a glimmer of hope, and it didn't take long for her gaze to drift down to the table again.

Normally, the relaxed setting would have calmed her nerves, but it did nothing for her today. And the admiral's penchant for being late didn't help matters, either. She supposed he always kept her waiting on purpose. Anytime she had to give him a mission update, whether it be on the finalities of obtaining the crew, or on the progress of the human trials regarding the serum—he always wanted to meet in the conference room on the third subfloor of the facility—and he always showed up ten minutes late. It must have been his way of showing he still had control.

However, the extra time gave her plenty of opportunity to contemplate what she planned to say, all while her fingertips drummed a nervous rhythm on the dark grains of the mahogany tabletop.

Sarah had connections onboard the U.S.S. Fortitude, namely Admiral Jax himself, because he had recently returned from the mega-carrier after an unannounced visit to check on Commander Drake and Lieutenant Commander Kailani's condition after the shark attack. As a four-star admiral, he was over the Pacific realm, charged with defense of the west coast and the southern border. He could set foot on any boat under his command without notice, and usually with the fear of a supreme commander. Like he was a freaking dark overlord or something.

Without warning, the back door of the conference room sprang open, exactly ten minutes after the meeting was supposed to start.

Right on time, Sarah thought.

Admiral Jax wore a grim look on his face. His dark eyes narrowed into skeptical slits, and his nose wrinkled into a condescending snarl. He was wearing the same expression he typically displayed. Again, the fear factor. His intentions? Intimidation. Why? Because he wanted results, not failure or excuses. He dropped his eBoard onto the table and plopped into his chair. The transparent device bounced, clinking on its corners like a square coin before coming to rest, its hardened edges absorbing the impact with remarkable durability.

"I hope you have something good to tell me," Admiral Jax began, "because I'm not in the mood for another setback."

Sarah sat up straight and thinned her lips into a hard line. She removed her elbows from the table, placed her hands in her lap and stared at the admiral. "Wolf's thirty-day pill expires in fourteen days, then we'll know for sure if the newest version of the serum works."

"You always start with the good news and save your screw ups for last... sounds like a diversion to me."

A fire lit the back of Sarah's eyes. The heat burned hot enough to raise her blood pressure and harden her determination and backbone. "You wanted to hear something good, so I spilled that first. Besides that, it's not my fault that a shark killed Nova Kailani and maimed her lover."

Admiral Jax chuckled and threw his head back, glaring at the ceiling. "You're in charge of the project, Dr. Lawson, and all failures fall on your shoulders. But I admire your resolve; what's your plan now?"

Sarah inhaled through her nose and let the hot breath escape through her lips. "Well. For starters, I've been talking to Wolf, and—"

"That can be dangerous."

"Agreed. But I've also been digging around in the facility's computer network. I had to threaten him, but I talked Wolf into upping my security clearance so I could investigate what goes on at Site B."

The admiral grew serious. "What do you know about Site B?"

Sarah gloated in her resourcefulness. She felt a twinge of satisfaction at seeing the admiral backpedal. "I know it's where TXP conducts experiments for its more controversial research. The things you want kept out of the limelight. There's a particular procedure that's in its infancy, but from what I've learned, it might work."

"For the record, Site B doesn't exist."

"What about off the record?"

"If it were an actual place, like Area 51, we would hide it from plain view."

"Cut the—"

"Watch your tone with me, Dr. Lawson. In a heartbeat, I could pull the plug on your mission to save your husband."

"But you wouldn't because you need me."

"That may not be the case anymore if the serum works."

"But you also need me for something else that I haven't figured out yet."

Admiral Jax leaned back in his chair, caressed his chin. "You never disappoint me. That's one reason I chose you. I knew your potential the moment I showed you the footage of Jake on Titan. But the reason I need you the most, besides your inherent gift of immortality, is motive. You're motivated internally. You have a drive no one can match, if channeled in the right direction."

"Site B is real," Sarah said.

"It is," he replied. "It's off the grid, and most of its scientific advancements are purely experimental."

"But the procedure I have in mind has been successful, twice."

"I think I know where you're going with this, and yes, it has worked, but with side effects."

"We can overcome side effects."

"Maybe," Admiral Jax said. "Maybe not. It's a risk that could cost us time if it doesn't work, and time requires patience, something I'm short on at the moment."

"I'm the only one with limited time." Sarah dipped her head to catch the admiral's wandering gaze. "Look, I've planned this out. The body is in route. And don't worry, I'll prepare a backup plan as a contingency. We both want and need Commander Drake to buy into the mission. My idea will make that possible."

"Commander Drake has his own problems."

"I'm working on a solution for him, too."

After a disbelieving wag of his head, Admiral Jax powered on his eBoard, made a few selections with his finger, and then slid the tablet over to Sarah. The screen displayed a picture of the geologist, Luna Skye, underscored with her bio.

"With Wolf nearing the end of the serum's trial run," he said, "I'll handle this procurement. It'll take at least a week to locate her precise whereabouts and move into position, but I'll have excellent help."

"And when the time is right, we'll gather the rest of the crew?"

"Correct. We'll time it out for our move to Site B."

Sarah smirked as she handed the tablet back. "I know Wolf got permission from you to increase my security clearance; he does nothing without your approval. He's your lap dog. And one other thing, you can quit acting like the move wasn't in your plan all along, Admiral."

"What are you talking about?"

"Site B is the location of the TXP launch facility. We were going there the whole time."

Admiral Jax grinned, revealing his diastema. "There you go again, spoiling all the fun with that hyperactive brain of yours."

As Sarah rose from her chair and left the room, she could feel the mission coming back into focus. She would make the adjustments, move the chess pieces around to her liking, and overcome whatever obstacle came her way.