A/N: A very big thank you to those who have stuck by me even though it's been six months since my last update. I've had some pretty serious health issues, but I'm fighting my way back.

RECAP: So, a quick recap of the last chapter. The nerve gas synthesized from Bella's blood had the desired effect on the Dreg, killing them off within minutes of exposure. Unfortunately, it also affected our motley crew, causing another round of cell mutation that seems to be playing hell with their abilities. Given this new information, the group is worried about what exposure to the gas will do to the humans on the opposite side of the compound. They are tasked with protecting the humans from the nerve gas while eradicating the Dreg at the same time, all the while the search continues for Caius.

As always, I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does.

EPOV

My angel climbed onto my lap, gloriously naked, and sank down over my weeping erection. She smiled mischievously and crashed her lips to mine, swallowing my moans as she rode me hard. Her pert breasts bounced with each downward thrust, the rosy nipples brushing my lips with each pass. "Fuck, Edward-"

With my head bowed and my elbows braced on the lab table, I squeezed my eyes shut and took a few deep breaths. "Bella, angel…you've got to stop. I don't know how much more I can take, sweetheart." She'd been bombarding me with these illicit images for the past two hours. Apparently, my girl was feeling a bit needy, but since I was up to my elbows in explosives, we couldn't exactly sneak away.

At my admonishment, Bella glanced at me sheepishly and mumbled a quick apology before turning back to her work. I cursed quietly as a heaping pile of guilt took up residence in my gut. I made my way over to her and wrapped her in my arms, nuzzling my nose against the side of her neck. "It's okay, sweet girl. I promise to take care of you." My hands drifted down to cover the gentle swell of her stomach. "Let's just get this done, okay? This plan will work, and then…" I placed a whispered kiss behind her ear and hummed against her skin. "Then, I'm all yours, Bella. You can have me any way you want. We'll play out every single last one of your little fantasies."

She shivered at my words and leaned back into my embrace. "Hmm…in that case, get back to work."

With a chuckle and a gentle swat to her behind, I made my way back across the room where Jasper and I had been putting the finishing touches on the dirty bomb we were planning to set off topside. By Jasper's calculations, we were far enough underground not to be affected by the initial blast. If everything went as planned, we should be able to eradicate the Dreg on the surface within a fifteen-mile radius. That was our first concern. Caius was a close second.

Arguments had been heated where Caius was concerned. While the others still considered him a formidable threat, I had my doubts. Without his mindless army of decaying henchmen, it seemed completely implausible that he could possibly stand against us. Maybe I was just being cocky, but there was no way Caius could take us all on. Not with our…upgrades.

Bella had been right when she suggested that our abilities had been affected by the soup. For me, I could hear minds farther away. Whereas before I had to really concentrate to delve into a person's mind, now it seemed to come whether I wanted it or not. The intrusion was extremely overwhelming and proved to be problematic, until Bella stepped in again. For three solid days after our return from the surface, she worked with me in blocking out what I didn't want to hear or see, and for the most part it worked…with one caveat. While I was able to block out most everything else, Bella's thoughts always came through loud and clear. Maybe it was a mate thing.

Emmett had been working with William and had made amazing progress with his own ability. He no longer needed to use his hands to move objects. All he had to do was concentrate on the object and it would magically perform whatever action happened to be flitting through his mind. His only real limitation seemed to be distance. The further he was from an object, the more force he had to use to move it. Doors and walls also hampered his ability.

Jasper had also adapted well to his changes and could now shift seamlessly from one form to another with minimal effort, but it was Esme that had me the most intrigued. Her ability to teleport had saved our asses numerous times, but her interaction with the soup seemed to have erased all of her previous limitations. Not only could she teleport to a single person, she could now move to a particular place. Much to Carlisle's dismay, she'd made several trips topside and had even talked about making a small excursion to the other side of the compound, but Carlisle and Marcus both stepped in and squashed that idea before it could even take root. We also found that she could teleport more people with her. Just yesterday, she'd managed to take four of us with her to the surface, although the trip there and back had left her incredibly drained afterward. Despite the vast improvement in her talent, Esme was still unable to get a solid lock on Caius. The reasoning behind that was as elusive as the big, blue bastard himself.

A loud groan pulled me from my musings as Carlisle began to stir from his quiet corner of the lab, finally resurfacing from his meditative state. I rushed over and filled a cup of water, placing it in his shaking hands. He mouthed a silent thank you and gulped greedily, handing the empty cup back to me. Too much time in his astral form left him parched and weak, but he was currently our best option at keeping tabs on our enemies.

"What did you see?" I asked, anxious to put our plans into motion.

"There's a lot of activity on the other side of the compound," Carlisle stated, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "The Dreg count has escalated drastically. It would be in everyone's best interest to move our plans along quickly."

"Do you think Caius suspects what we're planning?"

He shook his head vehemently. "No, I don't get that sense at all. Everyone seems a bit...scattered, to be honest. Since James has gone missing in action, everyone's assumed that he either deserted or was killed. A new commanding officer has been appointed in his absence. A guy by the name of Allen."

I sneered at the mere mention of James. We were still keeping him captive in one of the cells, even though his usefulness was practically extinguished. I'd like to say I was holding him in hopes of tripping up Caius and ruining his plans, but secretly I just wanted to torture the bastard. He'd tried to kill me and hurt my loved ones on more than one occasion. He could rot until the sun turned blue for all I cared.

I bit the inside of my cheek to stifle my bitter laugh and stood to refill Carlisle's cup. "So a new commanding officer and more Dreg pouring in. Has there been any sign of Caius? Any idea as to what he's planning? He's got to be issuing orders somehow."

Carlisle shook his head and sighed. "No, unfortunately. I haven't been able to catch any meetings between Allen and Caius. If they're in communication with each other, I have no idea how."

I soaked in his words like a sponge, my mind spinning with possibilities. "Maybe Allen is just flying by the seat of his pants," I contemplated with a shrug. "I mean, Caius has never really trusted anyone with the real important information…not even James." I turned back to Carlisle, who was watching me with a burning curiosity. "You haven't been able to catch them in a strategy meeting because there haven't been any."

"That could stand to reason," Jasper interjected. "If I remember correctly, Caius lacked any real military experience. Aro was the liaison between the scientists and the government before the world went to shit. So, Caius would be really out of his element. I doubt he's doing anything but making day to day decisions." Jasper smirked at me and folded his arms over his chest. "Plus, we know his mind's not altogether there since his transformation."

"All very true," I agreed, "but while his ineptness could work in our favor, it also makes him extremely dangerous. You're the best strategist I've ever seen, Jasper, but not even you can anticipate the decisions of a madman."

"Well, the one thing we know for sure is that he wants Bella-"

My reaction to his words was instantaneous…and violent. I had Jasper shoved against the wall before he could even blink. "Don't you dare say it! She will not be used as bait!"

Jasper held both of his hands out in surrender, his feet dangling inches off the floor. "Whoa, Sarge…it was just an idea. A completely errant thought. I didn't mean it. I would never…"

Bella's small hand snaked around my waist and up my chest, coming to rest over my rapidly beating heart. The warmth from her simple touch radiated through me, calming my nerves and soothing the raging beast within that was mere seconds from ripping my brother-in-law to shreds.

"Calm down, Edward," my angel pleaded. "I'm not going anywhere. You know that. Please let him go."

Emmett's hearty chuckle echoed around the room. "Jesus, I'm gone for ten minutes and you assholes are at each other's throats? What the fuck?"

Relinquishing my hold on Jasper, I lowered him to the floor and leveled him with a warning glare. As soon as he was free from my grasp, Bella wrapped herself around me and crashed her lips to mine, drawing out my remaining ire as if she were sucking venom from a snake bite. I melted into her and lowered us into the closest chair with my angel straddling my lap. No amount of fake coughing or throat clearing was going to tear me away from her in that moment. The world could burn around us and I wouldn't care. I wanted to strip her bare and fuck her six ways from Sunday right here, family be damned.

Sensing my escalating desperation, Bella had the good sense to pull back, reining in the raging inferno of lust swirling around us. She placed a lingering kiss against my lips and sighed.

Later, sweetheart...

With a groan, I reluctantly allowed her to peel herself from my lap, instantly missing the warmth and weight of her. Her sweet little giggle rang in my ear as her lips met the sensitive skin of my neck once more, before wiggling out of my grasp so that we could both clear our heads. I let her go, despite a firm protest from my cock, and took my place back at the lab table.

Emmett plopped down on the stool next to me and began studying the plans that Jasper had drawn up. "Hey, Jazz, how long before this thing's ready?"

"All I have left is to snap on that top plate and we're through," he replied. "Really, we're just waiting on Rosalie to finish whatever voodoo she's doing to the halon system-"

"Voodoo sounds about right," Rosalie snorted, as she appeared through the wall right next to Jasper.

"Jesus, fuck!" Jasper shouted, nearly jumping out of his skin. "Dammit, Rosalie! I'm working with explosives here!" With his hand pressed over his racing heart, he took several calming breaths before cutting his eyes back to Rose in a seething glare. "Is it really so difficult to use the fucking door?"

"Meh," she shrugged while wiping her grease covered hands on a shop cloth. She had black smudges on her cheeks and forehead and her blond hair was a tangled mess, having worked its way free from its clip. "So that halon system is old as hell, but still functional. Here's the kicker…I can set it off in sections, essentially flooding that side of the compound with the soup. It'll kill the Dreg, but since we still don't know exactly what effect it'll have on the humans, we have to figure out a way to keep it away from them."

Jasper rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger, deep in thought. "What if we move everyone to a certain sector and seal it off?" He tapped a few buttons on the nearby computer screen and the schematic of the compound appeared before us. "If we're talking about a few hundred people, we could corral everyone into Sector 3, seal it off, and then set off the halon system-"

"That might work in theory," Rose interjected, "but how in the hell are we supposed to get everyone into that sector?"

Jasper smirked and rubbed his hands together mischievously. In that moment he reminded me of a villain from the old black and white movies, twisting and stroking his mustache while formulating a dastardly plan. "That's where I come in. We'll track down this new guy…Allen, and I'll take his place. Similar with what we did when we grabbed James-"

"If memory serves, that didn't work out so well for you, son," Marcus stated smoothly, joining us at the table. I jumped slightly, having been caught off guard by his sudden arrival, and tried to ignore his smirk as he took his seat next to me. Ever since his transformation, he'd become quite the stealthy fucker, lurking in the shadows for an opportune moment to catch us unaware. Much like the rest of us, his change had awoken an almost playful side. Something that pleased the girls to no end.

Jasper shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You're telling me. That big, blue fuck really did a number on me." He hesitated a moment and cocked his head to the side. "I'd say things are a little different this go around, though. For one, I'm not talking about a lengthy undercover operation here. Just a few minutes…fifteen, tops. Carlisle can give us the all clear when it's safe to take Allen and Esme can pop me in there to take his place while she brings the asshole back here."

"He's surrounded constantly," Carlisle interjected. "Not only guards, but Dreg as well. His room is monitored and he's never alone. How do you suggest we get to him undetected?"

An oppressive quiet descended as we all pondered the problem, wracking or brains for a solution.

Emmett finally broke the silence as he slapped his hand against the table, causing a small tsunami of overturned instruments. "I've got it! We'll grab him in the john!" He stared at us incredulously, waiting for some kind of acknowledgement. "Well, the man's got to piss sometime, right? I mean, I doubt he's dragging a guard into the gents to keep watch while he drops a deuce."

Marcus leaned back in his chair and cleared his throat, fighting unsuccessfully to keep his composure. "While not the most eloquent of deliveries, you may have a point. That may be the most opportune time."

Rosalie snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "I hate to burst your bubble here, but a piss break doesn't usually last that long. At least, not in most cases," she smirked, cutting her eyes over to Emmett. "Carlisle's the only one that can follow this asshole undetected and it always takes him a few minutes to get back to us. How will that work?"

Another fucking roadblock. All of these obstacles were beginning to get to me and I could feel my anxiety ratchet up another notch. Truth be told, I was ready to be done with all of this bullshit.

"Edward," Bella whispered from her lab station. I turned her way, thinking she was talking to me, but in actuality she meant it as an answer to the question. "Carlisle can communicate back to Edward-"

"Not from across the compound, sweetheart," Marcus answered, smiling sweetly at his daughter.

"Not from across the compound," Bella mimicked with a roll of her eyes. There was nothing she hated more than to be underestimated or her ideas be dismissed prematurely. "Carlisle is here…in this room," she pressed, pointing her finger at the floor. "His consciousness may be split, but his mind is still here."

Carlisle and I exchanged a curious glance. I'd never even considered it really. I'd just assumed that it wasn't a possibility, but I could tell that the notion had piqued Carlisle's interest. His eyes took on that faraway, glazed over appearance of a man deep in thought.

"It's worth a try," Carlisle finally shrugged, quickly moving back to his area in the corner. He plopped down on the large cushions, crossing his legs Indian style and relaxing into his meditative pose while I took a seat next to him with my back against the wall and my legs splayed out in front of me. I wasn't sure if distance mattered, but I figured it couldn't hurt to maintain a relatively close proximity. After a few deep breaths, Carlisle asked, "So, where shall I go? Topside?"

"No," I muttered with a shake of my head. "Find Allen again. I want to see this asshole for myself."

"Alright," Carlisle chuckled.

I watched curiously as his eyes slipped closed and his face relaxed, his whole body taking on a trance like state. With one last look toward Bella, my eyelids closed, the blackness behind them almost peaceful. Just like always, with one slight shove, my mind was reaching for Carlisle, searching in the darkness. As if traversing a long dark tunnel, muted light began to filter through the inky blackness. After a few more moments, walls materialized around me and I could make out moving shapes ahead of me.

The hallway was a crowded sea of military, scientists, and rotting bodies, all rushing from one place to another. The effortless way I seemed to move through the masses made me want to look down at my own feet, but my eyes refused to cooperate, staring straight ahead instead. It almost took me by surprise when I realized that I wasn't actually in control of this ship. Carlisle was. And he was taking us directly where I'd asked him to go.

A sharp left turn down an adjacent corridor brought me to a large conference room where a man in military fatigues stood studying a map of the compound, flanked by three men in white lab coats. I could only assume this was the fucker in question.

"Find me a way in, goddammit!" he hissed, pounding his fist against the table. The abrupt noise caused his companions to jump, their eyes darting nervously to the armed guards blocking the doors. "I won't allow them to carry on unchecked. They're mutants! There's no telling what sick perversions they're concocting on that side of the facility!"

One poor man had the sad misfortune of speaking up. "S-sir, how can you be sure-"

The shot came without warning, a sharp report echoing off the walls. The scientist stumbled backward with a look of utter confusion on his face as blood poured from the gunshot wound, saturating the white lab coat, before he finally crumpled to the floor in a gurgling heap. Allen turned his attention from the dying man to the two remaining scientists, his pistol aimed in their direction.

"Would anyone else like to question my orders?" Allen sneered. Both men shook their heads vigorously, their eyes darting from their fallen colleague back to Allen. He smiled a sickly grin and holstered his sidearm. "Good, now my men have been over and over these schematics, but all of the entry points are sealed and our blow torches don't even leave a scorch mark on this fucking metal. You're engineers for God's sake! Find me a fucking way in…or you'll end up like your friend there."

A crackling from the overhead PA system interrupted Allen's tirade, everyone turning their attention to the garbled voice. "Alpha needed to Cell 4. Report back."

Allen shook his head and planted his hands on his hips, obviously irritated. "Well, gentlemen, it seems I'm needed elsewhere." With one more cursory glance at the dead man on the floor, he headed toward the door. "I want a full report within the hour or you can join your colleagues in Cell 4."

Like a rubber band, I felt myself snap backward out of the room and back the direction I came, the walls blurring around me as everything began to fade.

I opened my eyes slowly, blinking several times at the people around me, but it wasn't until my eyes met Bella's worried gaze that my world began to settle back into focus.

"You were out of it for a while," she murmured, running her hands through my hair. "By the look on your face, I'd say that my theory was correct."

Rubbing my face vigorously, I nodded and grinned. "I haven't known you to be wrong yet, angel." With one quick kiss to my lips, she pulled me up from the floor and led me to the lab table, wrapping herself around me as I plopped down in the chair. "You were right. I was able to see everything through Carlisle. Which is why we need to move now. Things are escalating quickly. Allen's got people working around the clock to find a way through our barricades and anyone who isn't of use or questions his authority is either held captive or eliminated altogether."

"Jesus," Emmett muttered, running his hand over his face. "That asshole sure didn't waste any time. What about Caius?"

"No idea," I admitted begrudgingly with a heavy sigh. "But I did hear something interesting, though. Rosalie, didn't you say that you had disabled all communication land lines throughout the compound?"

"Yep," she replied. "Didn't want Simmons eavesdropping on us, so I took down the whole system."

"Well, it seems they've got it back up and working again…at least partially." As I considered the series of events I'd witnessed through Carlisle, a plan began to form. "Do you think you could tap into it? Hijack the signal to broadcast a message?"

Her head tilted to the side as she considered my request. "I think so-"

"Then do it," I growled, looking around the table at the worried faces of my family. "We need to end this…now."