Henry stumbled into Liam's lab, holding a box of cookies. "Mmph... For some reason they've got a bunch of the lower floors blocked off. Made it really, really hard to get these." Henry said through a disgusting mouthful of cookies. "Yeah, it seems like they're doing a major surgery. Liam's been gone for hours and Monoko can't get back in. He's trapped in the lobby." Signus replied. "And people are just okay with that? A dragon in the middle of the lobby I mean." Henry asked. "They don't know." Signus said with a mischievous smile. "Um? Explain please?" Henry sat on the couch in the corner and stuffed another handful of cookies into his mouth. "Y'see, back when Monoko and I were first born, Liam had us go through a series of tests. One of those was to investigate Genesis Corp's various projects. I went to South Africa to check out Blackwater when it was first in development, and Monoko went to the center of New New York and found some technology or something. Anyway, in order to keep ourselves hidden, Liam made... THESE!" Signus exclaimed theatrically.

   He pulled out a fancy looking hooded robe. Upon closer inspection, Henry realized it was just a bed sheet with another one sewn onto it to make a hood. "Awesome!" He said encouragingly. "I know, right?!" Signus said with a huge, childish, smile on his face. Just then, Beep started ringing and buzzing violently in Henry's pocket. "What now?" He grumbled as he pulled his phone out of his suit pocket. He answered the call, and a familiar voice boomed out from the speaker. "Ha-hey Henry! Your friend brought me the papers, and I gotta say, you did some pretty good work man!" Apollo praised. "Um... Thanks?" Henry said. "Now, uh, did your associate tell you that I had another job?" Apollo asked. "Yeah. Yep, he told me that you wanted me to do somethin'. Question is, what is it?" Henry lied. "I want you to check out a little place called Genesis Asylum. Apparently there're are a bunch of monsters and ghosts and such there and people are freaking out. If you could take a look and maybe appease some people's minds, that'd be a great help. In return, I'm sure there'll be some good things there you could... 'Borrow', if you catch my drift." Apollo hinted.

   "What?" Henry asked. "You heard me." Apollo said. "I'm not stealing anything." Henry said firmly. "What?! I would NEVER tell you to do something like that!" Apollo said with a melodramatic gasp. "Sure." Henry rolled his eyes sarcastically. "So all ya gotta do, is go in the asylum, make sure there're no monsters, and then you'll get your payment." Apollo reiterated. "Which you still haven't exactly told me what my payment is." Henry pointed out. "Uh... Oh, I gotta go. Pizza's here." Apollo said before promptly hanging up. "Cool. Another waste of my time, and with The Krystal Kult gathering the Ancient's keys, I can't afford to go and do other stupid things..." Henry grumbled. "I'll go." Signus said. He stood and gently held his abdominal region. "What?! No, no way, out of the question." Heny protested immediately. "It's fine. Monoko and I will check the place out, and you can go get another key." Signus said. "I need you to be my navigator Signus. I almost lost you once already, I'm not putting you in danger again." Henry replied.

   "You'll be fine on your own. We'll be back before you're done. If it's just a quick check for monsters, it'd be like checking for monsters under my bed, easy peasy... Not like I do that... or anything..." Signus muttered. "There might be more information about Outlier there too. It might help a lot." He added. Henry sighed and slumped back on the couch with a disproving grimace plastered on his face. "Y'know what? You have to ask Liam. I'm not your science dad, I don't really have a say on what you guys do." He shrugged. Signus sat back down and smiled to himself. "So. Are you ready to head in?" He asked. Henry nodded. "Alrighty. Let's do this." Signus said confidently.

~~~

   "What are you doing?! Let me in! My patient is in danger!" Liam yelled as he pushed against the security guards in front of the O.R. "I'm sorry sir, but we have strict orders from the higher ups not to let you in. William is fine, we have our best working on him." One of the guards said. "What do you mean, 'your best'?! More than thirteen years of medical training and working in the war isn't good enough for you?!" Liam spat. "We're just following orders." The guard replied. "Yeah, well the Nazis were just following orders and look how many of my ancestors died..." Liam mumbled to himself. "That's mean." The other guard said, clearly hurt by Liam's comment. "That's not even close to the same thing!" The first guard shot back. Suddenly there was a snap, and the guards separated. Simon was standing between them with an abnormally large suitcase held firmly in one hand. "Alright gentlemen. You can return to your-" Simon trailed off when he noticed Liam. "Ah, Liam! No need to worry old friend, William is quite safe. Unfortunately, he needs to be quarantined until further notice."

   Simon gave Liam a trusting smile. "What happened?" Liam asked, suddenly calmer. "There were a few... Miscommunications. When they said William was melting, they meant that his body was having a meltdown. His organs weren't functioning properly, and from what we discovered, he's fighting an unknown disease. There're still quite a few things that we still don't understand, so we have to isolate him to learn more." Simon replied. "What can I do?" Liam asked. "The most you can do is continue work as normal. If you keep trying to get to William, you could make the situation worse. I promise you, I'll tell you every bit of information as I get it." Simon said. "Um... Alright." Liam nodded. Simon's smile grew as he walked past him. "You owe me another lunch date." He whispered in a deep, sultry tone. "Uh..." Liam stammered. "Whatever you were doing, it better have been important... But I'm willing to forgive and forget." Simon gave Liam a wink before walking away. Liam took a deep breath and began his walk back to his lab.

   As he was walking up the stairs, Liam bumped into a familiar robed figure. "Oh! I'm sorry!" He exclaimed as he helped steady the stranger. "Thanks." The stranger replied. "Signus?! What're you doing up?!" Liam hissed through his teeth. Signus straightened his back with pride. "I'm all better. I woke up when Monoko went to get me some new clothes. Apollo called Henry, and he wanted him to check out the Genesis Asylum-" Signus started to explain the situation, but Liam quickly grabbed him and pulled him into one of the maintenance closets. "Don't talk about stuff like that when there's cameras around!" Liam scolded in a hushed tone. "Sorry! Sorry..." Signus apologized sheepishly. "It's fine..." Liam said. "Tell me about the Genesis Asylum." He ordered. "Apparently there's monsters, or at least, REPORTS of monsters. He wants Henry to go there and see if there are any. However, Henry's currently in the Dreamscape searching for the fourth key, and to save time, I volunteered to go to the Asylum with Monoko and see what's there. I was hoping to find some information on Outlier there too." Signus explained. "Alright. As long as you're careful and listen to Monoko, I'm fine with you going." Liam said. "Okay. I'll find Monoko and we'll go." Signus said with a determined nod.

~~~

   "There's a car here... Stay quiet." Monoko ordered. "Mhm... Should we wait till they leave?" Signus whispered. "No, that could take too long. We can't sit here all day." Monoko said. "Isn't this place supposed to be abandoned?" Signus asked as they crept through the bushes near the front gate. "Well, the lock looked like somebody broke it." Monoko remarked. "Maybe it's a few teenagers scouting out a place to party?" Signus suggested. "Maybe." Monoko said under his breath. He led Signus through the outer gardens as to not draw any attention to them. After a very thorny crawl, Monoko and Signus found a broken window. "There. This is how we'll get in. I'll go first and make sure it's safe." Monoko said. "Be careful!" Signus whisper-shouted as Monoko hauled himself through the window without a sound. The second his feet hit the floor, he threw off his robe and revealed his new outfit in a flashy, action movie style. He had a cool leather jacket covering a pale green sweater on, and jeans that were torn up slightly at the knees.

   Signus scrambled into the window after him, wearing a similar getup. "That's one way to make an entrance." Monoko said as he helped his little brother to his feet. "Glass sucks." Signus muttered. He carefully picked a few pieces of glass off of his jacket and tossed them aside. "Did you get cut?!" Monoko asked, suddenly very concerned. "No, I'm fine. Everything's okay, my jacket protected me." Signs said reassuringly. "Oh. Okay." Monoko let out a deep sigh of relief. He and Signus took a few steps into the dimly lit room, then a few more. "Hold on." Monoko said as he pulled out a flashlight and clicked it on. The light hit directly on the face of an old man, and Signus yelped in fear. Monoko stood in front of Signus protectively, but when the old man remained unmoving and silent, he realized it was just a painting.

   "Oh. Wow, okay. That was unnecessary of me." Signus mumbled shyly. Monoko walked closer to the painting, and he noticed a small plaque. It had an engraving, which said: "Neo Hashura, 2020". "No... That can't be..." Monoko said quietly. Flashes of a similar looking, yet younger man getting horribly mauled by a Krystal Beast shot through his mind. An intense buzzing started screeching in his head, and he clasped his hands to his head tightly in an attempt to stop it. "Agh... God dammit!" Monoko growled. "Monoko?! Monoko?! What's wrong?!" Signus shouted. "My head!" Monoko groaned and stumbled backwards before thrashing about violently. "What's happening?! I'm scared!" Signus whimpered. The buzzing slowly subsided, and the visions stopped, leaving Monoko drained. "I... I think I'm okay now..." He panted. "Maybe we should go back... Liam should check you out an make sure you're okay..." Signus said meekly. "No. No, it's fine. Everything's okay now." Monoko said firmly. "I'm not so sure..." Signus muttered. "Signus, I'm FINE! Let's hurry up and check this stupid place already!" Monoko snapped.

   Signus sighed and Monoko trudged past him. "I'm sorry for yelling... I'm just stressed out." He said quietly. He raised his light again and found a door, which led to a long, familiar hall. Waves of anxiety washed over Monoko, but he forced them down. "Where do you think we should go?" He asked. "I feel like we should try to find the lobby, then work from there." Signus suggested. "That makes sense... I just hope whoever else is here didn't hear us." Monoko replied. "Mhm. Who was that guy in the painting?" Signus asked. "That was apparently Mr.Hashura. Y'know, the Genesis CEO." Monoko said. "No way! That guy was like, SUPER old. The guy we saw in the health record was way younger than that! It was a recent picture too." Signus protested.

   "There could be more than one Neo. Like, a Neo Sr. and a Neo Jr." Monoko pointed out. "Yeah, but that's not really common anymore..." Signus said. "It was back then." Monoko said simply. They walked through the halls, and Monoko started to notice that their surroundings were changing. "Um... Does this place feel more... Evil? Sinister might be the right word." Signus said nervously. "Yeah. Stay sharp." Monoko ordered. "Change of plan, we should definitely find a light switch." Signus said. Without another word, Monoko placed his hand on a cold steel wall and felt around for a switch as he walked. A few moments of silence passed before he found the light switch and flicked it on. A bright light attacked their senses and the two dragons winced at the sudden flash. "Cool. At least we can see... After we're done being blind from the... Light." Monoko trailed off as his vision returned. The hall they were in looked like a weird mix, where one end was lavish and well kept, but the other was a cluster of cells and dirt, as if no one had been there in years. "Strange architecture choices, but okay." He said.

   All at once there was a cacophony of unsettling noises from the cells, and whatever was in them started slamming against the doors. "What the hell?!" Monoko and Signus exclaimed in unison. They looked at each other and nodded before creeping towards separate cells. Monoko took a peek into the barred window in the huge metal door, and there was nothing but darkness on the other side. He breathed a sigh of relief, but quickly choked when a strange wolf-cockroach combination jumped out at him. Monoko stumbled back with a yelp and bumped into Signus, who had a similar interaction with whatever was on the other side of his door. "I think we found 'em. There's definitely monsters." Monoko said nervously. "That's not all..." Signus' voice broke. "What?" Monoko asked. Signus pointed to the door that he was just at, and Monoko took a cautious step towards it. There was a quiet sobbing on the other side, and Monoko dared to look in. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw a young boy, curled up in the corner. The child made eye contact with Monoko and whimpered. "Help me..." He raised his hand, and it was starting to melt. His flesh was squirming around on his body, taking on a more blue color. Monoko could only watch as the boy screamed and shook; spikes and horns tore through his back and the top of his head. A tail extended from his tailbone, and small leathery wings erupted from his shoulder blades.

   Monoko tried to tear himself away, but he just couldn't. When the transformation finished, the child curled into a fetal position, sobbing in pain and fear. "Oh my God... Is this like an Outlier farm?" Monoko asked. He rubbed his eyes and turned towards Signus, waiting for an answer. "Signus?" He asked again. Monoko pulled his hands away from his face, and Signus was gone. "SIGNUS?! Where are you?!" He yelled. No response. Monoko started pacing back and forth, cursing rapidly under his breath. "Signus? This isn't time for hide and seek!" Monoko called nervously. He took a few steps back the way they came, but then started walking the other way, unsure of what to do. "MONOKO!!" Signus suddenly screamed from somewhere nearby. "Signus! SIGNUS!" Monoko yelled back. He broke into a sprint in the general direction of Signus' voice. Monoko crashed through door after door, unsure of where exactly he was going. He burst through a door which led to an examination room, where Signus was strapped to a table. A familiar man was standing over him with a scalpel. "What makes you so different from the others?" He asked. Without thinking, Monoko jumped at the man and dragged him to the ground. He clenched his fist and reeled back, ready to punch the man in the face. "Oh? There's more than one?" The man said calmly. "Andrew Alcott. Pleasure to meet you, now I get to punch you in person." Monoko said through his teeth. Before Alcott could say anything else, Monoko punched him in the face several times.

   Alcott took the first few hits without much resistance, but on the next swing, he shoved Monoko off with inhuman strength. He stood and wiped the dust off of his clothes and cracked his neck. "Are you done? Temper tantrums will not be endorsed." Alcott said sternly. Monoko staggered to his feet and fished a small pan out of his pocket. "You're going to beat me with a frying pan? How in the world did you even fit that into your pocket?" Alcott asked. Monoko smiled and flicked his wrist, and the pan started to spin violently on its handle. "What exactly are you? I know you're not one of ours." Alcott said. "I'm your worst nightmare." Monoko said darkly. He swung the pan, and it separated from its handle, with only a thin chain to keep them together. Monoko used it as a yo-yo and slammed it directly into the spot where Alcott was standing. A huge cloud of smoke filled the room, and when it cleared, Alcott was gone. Monoko didn't question his sudden disappearance, but instead used the time to free Signus. "I think we should get out of here. It's too dangerous here." Signus said. "No. I would love to leave now, but, we have to stop Alcott. He's doing something here, and he's always going to be a threat to us unless we do something." Monoko reasoned. "Yeah... The last time I saw him, he kept asking me what I am, how did I escape, and why wasn't I on record. I don't like what he's implying." Signus said. "I don't either... I think Liam's gonna have a few questions to answer when we get back." Monoko replied.

   "If I know Alcott, he's gonna have a records room hidden somewhere around here. Maybe we can just steal as much paperwork as we can and use that against him, or at least get some answers." Signus suggested. "That sounds like a good idea in theory, but we already have all of the information on Outlier that we need. What we should do is try to help the Outliers here and hopefully stop it from happening again." Monoko said. "Okay. We should try to find a control room, and then the place where they have the Outlier drug and ruin their supply, right?" Signus asked. "Mhm, and if we find Alcott, we kick his ass into the next century." Monoko added. He put away his pan and he and Signus left the room. They searched through the various offices and rooms that lined the hall, but there wasn't much to find. The groans and growls of the Outliers in their cells assured them that they wouldn't have a moment of silence. Monoko spent most of his time keeping an eye on Signus so he wouldn't lose him again. "I want to tell you something Signus." Monoko said after they had finished tearing apart the last office in the hall. "What is it?" Signus asked. "You're a tough kid... No. You're not a kid anymore. I just wanted to tell you I'm proud of you." Monoko said. "Oh. Thanks, Monoko." Signus said with a smile.

   "Don't mention it..." Monoko said sheepishly. Signus nodded and led Monoko into another hall. Monoko opened his mouth to speak, but Signus suddenly clamped his hand over it and pulled him into the nearest room, which happened to be a restroom. "What's wrong?" Monoko whispered. "Shush." Signus hissed through his teeth. A man holding an abnormally large suitcase walked past, talking loudly into a phone. "What? No, we can't go yet, it's too early! What do you mean we've been 'compromised'? No. No! Alcott, I swear, you're going to screw us over! Listen, if they don't know, then they won't be able to stop us. Just calm down, we can finish preparations tonight and go the New York City Ruins at dawn." He said. "What the hell? What could they want with the Ruins? There's nothing there." Signus whispered. "I dunno, but it can't be good." Monoko replied. "Maybe we should get Henry... He's made for this sort of thing. Adventuring's his style." Signus said quietly. "I'd love to, but I don't think there's time..." Monoko sighed. "I guess we don't have a choice then...." Signus said.

~~~

   Obscurity dragged Oculus' crystallized body behind the church to "bury" it. When he was out of sight, he flipped the carcass over and started peeling away some crystals. Ob finally found what he was looking for: a familiar dark red diamond embedded in Oculus' flesh. A slimy smirk squirmed its way onto Ob's face. "So... It worked. Now, if I could just make them talk..." He muttered to himself as he stuffed the diamond into his pocket. Ob glanced around before pulling the ring he put on Oculus' wing off and placing gently it in his pocket with the diamond. He lazily tossed some dirt onto Oculus' corpse and returned to the church. "Reza, make sure to bring our new initiates to Lavito for the ceremony." Ob said