The next morning, Lucas Kane rode the subway toward Osborn Biotech for what he assumed would be another routine day at his summer job.
Instead, his mind was fixed on one thing.
Gammaion.
Specifically, the Gammaion stones sitting somewhere inside the Quantico military base.
He had already thought it through.
If he was going to take them, there was only one viable strategy.
Speed.
The operation would have to be fast and decisive. No hesitation, no drawn-out confrontation.
Quantico wasn't some random facility.
The FBI Academy was there.
Langley—the headquarters of the CIA—wasn't far away either.
Breaking into Quantico was practically the same as insulting half the American intelligence community at once.
Still…
Lucas had made up his mind.
The Gammaion stones were non-negotiable.
"I'll need to scout the place first," he thought.
"If nothing else, I should at least map out an escape route."
By the time he finished planning, the subway had reached his stop.
Lucas swiped his access card and entered the Osborn building as usual.
Moments later—
He was called into the department supervisor's office.
Max Dillon was already inside.
The supervisor, a balding man in his fifties who usually looked permanently relaxed, wore an unusually grim expression today.
After a long pause, he spoke to Max.
"Starting today, you'll be reassigned to the maintenance division."
Max blinked.
"Sir… I—"
"I'm not finished."
The supervisor cut him off before turning toward Lucas.
He sighed.
"Lucas… we're letting you go. You'll still receive your full pay for this week."
Lucas blinked once.
Unlike Max, he wasn't particularly shocked.
He already suspected the reason.
Still, he asked calmly,
"May I ask why?"
"The incident in Dr. Connors' lab yesterday."
Of course.
Lucas had expected that.
Max immediately spoke up.
"Sir, the power failure had nothing to do with us. Our department only supplies the building's basic electrical systems. Individual lab equipment isn't even—"
The supervisor rubbed his temples.
"This isn't a discussion. It's a decision."
He gestured toward the door.
"Max, step outside. Lucas stays."
Max hesitated.
Then he looked at Lucas.
Lucas gave a small shrug.
"It's fine, Max."
"…Alright."
Max still looked uneasy, but he finally lowered his head and left the office.
Once the door closed, the supervisor sighed again.
"Sorry about this," he said quietly. "I managed to keep Max employed, but I couldn't do the same for you."
He leaned back in his chair.
"You're a good worker, Lucas. If there's something you need, tell me. I'll try to help."
Lucas smiled faintly.
"It's fine. Just make sure Mrs. Snov understands what happened."
In truth, Lucas had only taken the job for one reason.
To locate Gammaion.
Now that he had found it, working at Osborn no longer mattered.
Originally he had planned to request time off rather than quit outright.
After all, Mrs. Snov had gone out of her way to help him secure the position.
But now the situation had solved itself.
The supervisor nodded.
"That's already taken care of. I spoke with Selina earlier."
He hesitated.
"I know none of this was your fault. Neither you nor… the other guy…"
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"Max."
"Right. Max."
The supervisor sighed again.
"Believe me, I know the truth. But sometimes decisions come from higher up."
Lucas understood exactly what he meant.
Max had been right earlier.
The Bio-Electric Engineering Department mainly supported the building's everyday electrical systems. The heavy experimental equipment in various laboratories ran on their own specialized power setups.
The real problem came from a senior executive at Osborn.
Someone had decided the Bio-Electric department should handle more of the facility's energy load.
That decision had triggered yesterday's disaster.
And now that things had gone wrong…
The executive wanted someone else to take the blame.
Lucas stood.
Corporate politics in a nutshell.
He collected his final paycheck—eight hundred dollars—and walked out of Osborn Biotech Tower without a second glance.
"Lucas! Wait!"
He had just reached the street when someone called out behind him.
Lucas turned.
Gwen Stacy was running toward him from the building entrance.
"You got a call from Mrs. Snov?" he asked.
Gwen nodded, stopping a few steps away while catching her breath.
"I came down as soon as she told me."
She studied his face carefully.
"Are you okay?"
Lucas shrugged.
"Honestly? I'm doing pretty well."
He had left Osborn without disappointing Mrs. Snov.
He had located Gammaion.
And he had just been paid eight hundred dollars for the week.
Not bad.
Lucas smiled.
"Don't worry. The supervisor said I can come back during winter break if I want another job."
Technically, that was true.
Whether he would ever return was another question.
Still, it never hurt to leave doors open.
Gwen watched him closely, trying to determine if he was hiding his disappointment.
When she finally seemed convinced he was fine, she nodded.
"So… what are you going to do now? School doesn't start for another month."
Lucas thought for a moment.
"Probably stay home and read. It's too late in the summer to find another decent job anyway."
Then he gestured toward the building.
"You should get back to work."
Gwen nodded slowly.
"Alright. But if you're free sometime… maybe we could go study at the library together."
Lucas blinked.
Before he could respond, Gwen had already turned around.
Apparently she had learned something from the last time she forced a phone into his hands—sometimes it was easier to speak first and leave before Lucas could argue.
She walked back into Osborn with her hands in her coat pockets.
At the entrance, she glanced back and waved.
Lucas watched her for a moment.
Then he frowned slightly.
A second later, he turned and headed for the subway.
Work could wait.
There were more important matters now.
Quantico.
"I'm coming," Lucas murmured under his breath.
"Try and stop me from getting that Gammaion."