If Area 51 still existed, and the government hadn't closed it down and dismantled it in 2039, it would not even have come close to the secrecy of the TXP Facility, or the level of planning and construction it took to create such a place. The subterranean rail system of The Bullet and its underground supply stations took over fifty years of tunneling and fabrication. But Site B upped the ante to a whole new level. It wasn't just the fact it was a secret or that it was a facility deep under the earth. What marveled Sarah more than anything was its location—somewhere outside the United States, under a flat plain of lifeless desert surrounded by a vast chain of arid mountains. No one could stumble upon this place by accident, and if someone or something escaped, they wouldn't make it far.

Sarah assumed Admiral Jax had an agreement with a lower tier government for restricted use of their native habitat in return for an economic stimulus package. Or he could have promised military protection to a power-hungry dictator. Or told their leaders the U.S. had to commandeer their land, and if they knew what was best for them, they needed to shut up and walk away. Of course, how the site came to fruition didn't matter. The mission and its objectives were all Sarah cared about.

Three days ago, the admiral, Wolf, and Sarah arrived at Site B by plane, touching down on a landing strip amidst the parched and cracked earth. Soldiers identified by the admiral as Navy SEALs escorted them to the nondescript topside building. Sarah had never witnessed soldiers covered in armor from head to toe during non-combat activities. She thought they would at least remove their helmets and visors during civilian transport. But no, these men didn't let their guard down for one second. Anyway, that was beside the point. Maybe they were concealing their identities for other reasons? Or maybe they were altogether something else? With the admiral's link to Next Gen, it was possible they were humanoids.

After taking an elevator below the surface, the admiral gave Sarah a tour of her new laboratory and the rest of the Site B research complex. They had equipped the lab like the one at the TXP Facility, except this one was smaller. With the tour over and her personal things squared away in her new room, she got down to business, making final preparations. Today was the day she would test her version of the serum.

Sarah stood in an observation room behind a two-way mirror. She felt like a detective waiting for her partner to interrogate a suspect. Beside her, Admiral Jax had his arms folded, with his customary look of smugness draped across his face. On the other side of the mirror, in another room, Wolf sat in a metal chair facing them, his elbows on a table, face in his hands, waiting.

Sarah glanced down at the image of Wolf on her watch and then tapped the screen. "It's almost time. How are you feeling?"

With wild eyes, Wolf slammed his fists down with a bang. "I'm a little nervous, paranoid, and itchy. I feel like something's crawling over my skin. Bugs or something. Biting me. And it makes me itch." He swiped a fingernail across his neck, scratching himself. "I've never taken it down to the wire like this, at least not for a long time."

Admiral Jax said, "It's just paranoia. Relax. We'll know soon enough if Sarah's concoction worked."

"That's easy for you to say."

The comm system linked to Sarah's watch could pick up any sound in the small room. It had no problem registering Admiral Jax's baritone voice or any twitch that escaped Wolf's mouth. Sarah lowered her hands to her hips and pushed up on the balls of her feet, watching the scene before her with mounting trepidation, almost standing on the tips of her toes. The anxiety in her stomach climbed up into her throat. The anticipation. She sensed it. Wolf sensed it. But the admiral seemed as calm as ever. Figures. She cast a sidelong glance at Jax.

Sarah looked at her left wrist and turned off the comm on her watch. "I'm going in there."

"No." The admiral caught her by the arm, which drew a harsh glare from Sarah. "It's too dangerous. If he goes berserk, I need you around to continue work on the serum."

"I know what can happen, Admiral." Her eyes fell to his fingers, that were locked on her arm. "Please remove your hand."

Admiral Jax nodded, relaxed his grip, and complied. He smoothed his palms over his naval jacket. "Sorry. It's just... this is it, Sarah. This is D-Day."

"Believe me. I know more than anyone. I've seen the wolf un-caged. Remember. Sydney, Australia sixty years ago."

"This is different."

"How?"

"The little blue pills never cured his transformation. They only suppressed it, and when it comes out for the first time in decades, it could be," the admiral hesitated, and then added, "animalistic."

Sarah opened her lab jacket to reveal a dart gun in a holster on her waist. "I'm prepared. While we waited for the days to countdown, I created a dart with the sedative and the inhibitor."

The admiral gave her a toothy grin. "You sly fox. You turned the pill into ammunition."

She removed the magazine and showed him the dart. The glass cylinder was an inch and a half long, with two halves. The separated chambers contained a pair of liquids. One amber and one blue.

"I've got this covered. Now step aside."

The admiral lost the mirth outlining his jaw. He rolled his eyes and opened a hand for her to proceed. "He's all yours."

"Thank you."

Sarah brushed by him and exited the observation room, and in a moment's time, pressed her palm to the scanner, gained access, and entered the room where Wolf sat.

His bloodshot eyes locked onto her approaching figure, and his chin dropped. "What are you doing? Are you crazy? I can't control this, Sarah. You know that."

"But I can." She drew the dart gun from under her white jacket, flashed it at him, and hid it again. "I can give you what you need to inhibit the metamorphosis and knock you flat on your back."

Wolf shot up from the chair, kicking it against the wall. He bumped into the table; the sound of the metal legs impacting the tile floor echoed around the room. Sarah shrank away, her hand going for the dart gun.

"See." Wolf jabbed a finger at her. "It could happen faster than you think."

Sarah swallowed the lump in her throat and then glanced at her watch. "Still five minutes left on the countdown." She exhaled the air she had sucked in a second ago. "I can contain this. According to my research, the serum should work."

"Then why am I feeling fuzzy all over? I feel like the bugs have burrowed into my skin. Explain that."

She opened her mouth to reply, but he cut her off.

"Paranoid psychosis," Wolf said. "I heard the admiral. I'm not schizophrenic, Sarah. I've felt this before and this is not normal." He was at the point of yelling. "I'm. Not. Normal."

He leaped over the table and bolted across the room toward her. With quick reflexes, she drew the dart gun and aimed it at him.

Wolf halted inches away. "Go ahead, shoot me. I dare you. I want you to. Get it over with. I can't take this anymore." He raked his fingers through his hair and let out a groan that sank low in pitch like a growl. And as he stared at Sarah, his trademark intimidating wolflike snarl glided over his facial features, followed by a demented gleam in his eyes. "Or don't shoot me. I don't care. Maybe I like this? I don't know."

Wolf cackled and walked away, turning his back on Sarah—then out of nowhere—he whipped around on her. Even with the sudden move, he seemed to gather himself, his expression becoming more indulgent by the second. He strolled in her direction. "You know, Sarah. I've always found you attractive." Hedonistic eyes combed over her body from head to toe. With his breathing labored, he edged closer until he had her backed against the wall.

Sarah cringed as Wolf opened her lab jacket and allowed his eyes to drift up and down over her figure. "I'd like to see more of you."

Sarah trembled as her sweaty fingers squeezed the handle of the dart gun tighter and tighter. Then she remembered. It wasn't Wolf talking. It was the psychosis, or the beginning stages of the transformation. Or it could be the medication losing its hold on his primal instincts and inhibitions. He might be attracted to her secretly.

She poked the barrel into his stomach muscles. His abs held firm. "Go back and sit down, Wolf."

"What if I don't want to?"

She checked her watch: a minute and twenty-nine seconds left. "That's an order. Do it now, and that's the last time I'll say it."

When Wolf didn't budge, she drove her palm into his chest and shoved him backwards with a strength that seemed to come from nowhere. He stuttered on his feet, backpedaling, but caught his balance. He howled from the pain. His gaze went wild as he rubbed his sternum.

"I forgot about your strength," he said, breaking into a hacking laugh.

Sarah watched the countdown dip below a minute. She aimed the gun at Wolf and waved the barrel toward the table. "Maybe that jogged your memory. Now, go sit down. Time is short."

Realization of the situation dawned on Wolf's face.

In a few steps, he made it back to the table and sank into the chair, grumbling under his breath. He crossed his arms, hugging himself like he was cold.

"How much time?" he asked.

"Ten seconds."

His eyes fell to the floor.

"Five."

He scratched his forearm.

"Three... two... one..."

For three excruciatingly long seconds that pounded in Sarah's ears, Wolf did nothing but stare at her with dark, empty pupils. Then he convulsed, rocking back and forth as the time ticked by in a nerve rattling daze. His eyes rolled back in his head, and his arms and legs went rigid. Next, he slid off the chair into the floor and became as still as a dead man. Then a tremor started at his feet and ran up his body. His biceps flexed and bulged, and he shook all over.

Sarah hustled around to the side of the table and squeezed the trigger.

With a burst of air, a dart spat from the barrel and penetrated his thigh.

After its contents dispersed into his system, the convulsions ceased and his breathing returned to normal, but he remained unconscious.

Sarah kneeled beside him and checked his neck for a pulse.

With her eyebrows looming like a brewing storm and a frown darkening her countenance, she tapped the comm system on her watch. "He's alive, Admiral, but it didn't work. I have twenty-four hours to find out what went wrong. Until then, Wolf can wait it out in here under supervision."

"How long will he be out?"

"With his size and body weight, an hour or two." Sarah stood, returned the dart gun to its holster and folded her arms. The middle finger and forefinger on her right hand drummed a thoughtful cadence on one of her biceps. "Please have a cot brought in for him. I'll be in my lab for as long as this takes."