The officer headed down first, making sure the area was secure before Andrew and Thomas could head down, just like he'd said. The steps down weren't quite treacherous, but they were certainly made either during a time where only servants would have used these stairs, or when basements were an afterthought. Someone had done their best to make them safer, but Andrew almost slipped twice.

They really needed the carpet that they had down the center of the hallways down here.

When they got to the bottom floor, they found that there was a second screening point and their officer guide was already working on it with another of those weird metal machines. It took a short time for it to attack the pin pad, and then they were in.

Andrew noticed as soon as they were at the lower level, even while they were waiting for the pin pad to be cracked, how the air down here was different. It was not tainted with the omega pheromones in the slightest, making it easier to breathe as a whole. It made him wonder if this space was on a separate air filtration system. It would make sense. No one would want this area to be contaminated if they were working on something serious.

Andrew kind of expected that if he recognised the area he would be getting a sense of deja vu. He wasn't getting any of that. He looked around with curiousity, surprised that they kept the same design upstairs as they did downstairs. Sure, there was a more sterile feeling to the rooms down here, but there weren't any of the classic white walls that Andrew was used to when he was in labs. Or at the very least, light coloured walls.

Everything looked like the wooden paneling found upstairs. Giving this space a strange, 1950's office vibe while having updated equipment. Andrew was more curious about this place because of his background, not because he felt like he'd been here before.

Areas were sectioned off for experiments, normal research labs, and then there were specialised areas where the less stable chemicals and experiments were kept. Some areas were closed off unless you were authorized personnel with the proper credentials to get through. It felt like the lower level omega levels without the Maxwell touch.

The officer asked if they wanted to go into any of the sectioned off areas and Thomas would look to Andrew for clarification for that. Andrew just shook his head. There were glass walls everywhere. Windows peeking into almost all of these rooms that had been mentioned so far. Andrew could see what was inside, so he didn't need to go into them.

What point would that serve? He didn't have the in-depth knowledge that a team would have, and he could disturb something he shouldn't. He'd leave that to the experts.

They were poking around as a trio, the officer staying a little bit back just so that Andrew could lead the search when they began to come across the rooms that should freak normal people out. Rooms with windows into the interior through the doors that showcased hospital beds and monitoring equipment. Equipment that both Thomas and Andrew were familiar with. Thomas looked upset. Angry. He looked ready to throw a fit, but he was keeping himself under control. If he wasn't bonded to Luis, Andrew was sure he would be able to feel his pheromones lashing around the room.

It was clear that he was pissed and disgusted by what they were finding. Andrew couldn't say that he wasn't either, but he was looking for something specific. Something that would light a spark inside of him. Stir a memory.

Even as Andrew stared at room after room that was meant to store and monitor others, nothing came to him. None of it rang a bell for Andrew. That was locked in for sure when Andrew didn't come across a cement room at all. They had gone through almost the whole underground space but nothing was making Andrew feel any different.

This was not the place that Andrew was kept.

Andrew caught Thomas' gaze at one point when they were outside of the last two doors in the space that they could easily access. They were rooms tucked away, not so much from prying eyes, but it appeared more for quiet than anything else. That was how Andrew, a former researcher that still helped out, viewed it. When Thomas noticed Andrew looking at him, he tilted his head to the side slightly. That was when Andrew shook his head subtly. He did not think this was the place and Thomas had such a severe look of relief on his face that Andrew wondered if he was okay.

Thomas pulled out his phone at that moment without hesitation and began rapidly typing something into his phone. He had a feeling he knew who he was shooting off a text to, so Andrew turned away and wandered over to the two remaining rooms. The officer followed behind Andrew, staying in the doorway so that he could keep an eye on both Thomas and Andrew.

Andrew appreciated the level of freedom they were getting while still being monitored. It wasn't as if Andrew was going to steal anything. That thought didn't even cross his mind. What he was worried about was what he was going to find in these rooms.

Once Andrew stepped inside the first of the two rooms, it was obvious that these were offices. There were a large desk in the room at the far end of the room to the left. It was facing the door with a large, comfy leather chair behind the desk. A few filing cabinets dotted the area with a chair tucked against the far wall with a lamp over it. A small side table sat next to it with a stack of books. The place looked untouched for a while, but clearly someone had tried to make it homey for them.

There were no plaques or identifiers that told Andrew who this office belonged to. It made sense for the exact reason that Andrew was in there now. Why the hell would you have a secret lab only to make it easy for someone who snuck in here to find out who was working for you? That would be insane.

With that said, that didn't mean that Andrew wasn't looking for something that would tell him who was working here. Andrew didn't want to touch too much so he just made sure to scan every document that was out. This office was a bit of a dud. Everything was tucked away and Andrew could feel how the officer was watching him.

It was clear that he suspected that Andrew and Thomas were going to steal something from here. Andrew didn't know why he was so certain, but then again, they hadn't told him why Andrew and Thomas were down here either. Andrew was sure that the head police officer hadn't given him any details either.

The only people who knew why Andrew was down here was a group of reporters who had purposefully not been called to the scene today.

Disappointed, but knowing that there was another office, Andrew turned and headed out of the first office. Honestly, it looked like the first office hadn't been touched in a while. When Andrew was looking at things he noticed that there was a bit of dust on everything, and the lamp wasn't on over the chair. Andrew wondered if that meant that the person who worked there hadn't been in for a while, or…

Andrew shivered as he remembered the scent that haunted him in the worst way possible. Rancid fruits and garbage filling his nostrils and Andrew coughed.

Thomas was still on the phone when Andrew stepped back out into the hallway. He glanced up at the movement before meeting Andrew's gaze. Andrew shook his head.

"Nothing in there. Kinda looks like someone hasn't been there for a while." Andrew said and watched as Thomas' face fell slightly.

"Huh. That's…not good. That could mean that they cleared out the area of anything good." Thomas said, voicing the thought that Andrew was pushing down in the back of his mind. He really didn't want that to be the case. That they had planned this so far in advance that they were able to cover their tracks? If that was the case, what the hell were they planning and what the hell was the end goal?

Andrew didn't like to even consider that thought.

"Well, there are two offices. Let's hope that the other one has something that we can trace." Andrew said and Thomas nodded.

"I'm just going to let Luis know what we've found and not found." Thomas told him and Andrew smiled. He was glad that he clarified. While Andrew had been pretty sure who he had been talking to, there was a chance he was letting Maxwell know what was going on.

He basically was. Maxwell and his Mom had been side by side when Andrew had stepped into the mansion.

"Sounds good. I didn't want to disturb anything in the first office. Maybe once you're done you can poke around in there while I check the second office?" Andrew offered and got a thumbs up from Thomas in acknowledgement. Andrew smirked. Again, another thing that the father and son had in common that neither of them would ever want to admit. Andrew glanced at the officer beside him, who met Andrew's gaze with a nod.

He wasn't hostile in the slightest, just cautious. Andrew appreciated that he wasn't stiff about this whole thing.

Andrew turned to the second office and immediately could tell that this room was in a bit more disarray compared to the other office. Something or someone had clearly left here in a relative hurry.

The two rooms were similar to each other, big desk facing the door, leather chair, and the filing cabinets. The main difference when comparing the two rooms was the fact that this one had a leather couch that looked well used. A raggedy blanket lay over the right arm of the couch, near a similar style floor lamp that was next to the chair in the first office. This lamp was on, while the other had not been.

Andrew glanced around the room with a more calculated look. Unlike the other room there were files all over the place. A stack actually, on the edge of the desk. There were also a few flipped open on the desk and Andrew felt his body being tugged in that direction.

His curiousity was piqued, and Andrew began to glance over the documents scattered over the desk. He didn't think that anyone would mind him looking at something that was so obviously laid out on the desk.

Andrew was scanning the dates, interested in whatever this research log was until he caught something that made him pause. He was looking for names, dates, anything of interest when he caught it.

Andrew broke out in a cold sweat. His breathing shifted immediately, and he could feel his pheromones beginning to stir. He needed to calm himself down, and to make sure he wasn't imagining this. He needed Thomas.