Lydia huddled quietly next to the door for several minutes as Sara observed from a crouched position near her gurney. The frequent, muffled voices coming from outside the door helped Lydia to determine how many guards stood watch at the door. Satisfied with her findings, she scurried back over to Sara.

    "There's only two, no more," she reported in a whisper.

    "So what do we do?" Sara asked, also in a whisper.

    Lydia glanced quickly back at the door, then looked at Sara with a dilemma. "I can take care of the guards, but I don't know how we're gonna get through the door."

    Sara looked past Lydia to the door for a moment, analyzing it carefully with perfect brown eyes which could see much more than the naked eyes of any human. "I can take care of the door," she assured casually without a shred of doubt, looking back at Lydia.

    Lydia wanted to question how such an unassuming, dainty young woman was going to take care of a solid metal door joined to an equally solid frame, but then she remembered how easily Sara had torn the straps loose from her legs and decided to trust her assurance.

    "Once we leave this room, we'll find my brother. He'll take care of everything else," Lydia hinted with a knowing, almost devious grin that made Sara cock her head in wonder.

    "He must be some brother," Sara commented.

    Lydia smiled fondly to herself. "He is."

    A more serious, focused look fell over Lydia's face and she stared hard into Sara's eyes. "Ready?" she asked.

    "Ready," Sara confirmed with a single, confident nod.

    Lydia scooted back over to the door where she placed her hands against it for support as she closed her eyes for concentration. Focusing solely on the two guards outside the door, she conjured up a shadowy image of Jarell and sent it into their minds, causing them to believe he was suddenly standing before them. Lydia heard the guards scuffle to attention as their conversation ended abruptly, she knew she had them in the grip of her power. With the ruse she had generated she ordered them away from the door, to the outside perimeter of the facility where they were to resume their watchful duties without question. The two men quickly complied with nods, then with hurried steps they rushed away from the door.

    Lydia smiled to herself, pleased with the results of her efforts, then she rose and backed away from the door. Looking at Sara, she swept an arm out to present the door to her. "All yours," she invited.

    "How did you do that?" Sara wondered.

    Lydia just shrugged with an innocent grin, then stepped even further away when Sara approached the door, staring intently at the stainless steel handle which she took hold of with one hand. With a quick and precise snatch, she jerked the door open, twisting and bending the steel frame near the lock. Lydia's eyes widened in silent awe, then she hurried to the door and stuck her head out cautiously for a peek.

    "Okay, let's go," she instructed, waving at Sara to follow as she stepped out into the empty corridor.

    The two snuck out into the hallway with Sara trailing closely behind Lydia, who seemed to know without doubt what direction to take as they navigated the facility. Sara leaned close to Lydia's ear as they moved carefully through the corridors. "How do you know which way to go?" she whispered.

    Lydia stopped long enough to look back over her shoulder at Sara to offer some sort of explanation. She struggled anxiously with what to say that would satisfy Sara without revealing too much about her gift to someone who was little more than a complete stranger. "I...just...kinda do."

    Sara didn't contest the answer and the two of them carried on through the corridors. They moved freely until rounding a corner and stopping suddenly before crashing into a man headed their way with several file folders in one hand, and a laptop computer under his other arm. The three of them froze instantly to keep from colliding, and it only took the man a second to realize with a surprised expression that he had encountered two people who shouldn't be wandering around the facility.

    Lydia scrambled to think of some distraction to use against him with her gift, but while she hesitated, the man turned in a panic to flee for help. Before he could get out of arms length, Sara reached around Lydia to grab him by the collar of his shirt. She jerked him backward, sending him into a nearby wall where he crashed into a pile on the floor after impact, out cold with his files and computer littered at his feet.

    Lydia looked back at Sara with a smirk. "You're kinda handy to have around," she quipped.

    Sara smiled cheerfully. "Thank you."

    Lydia turned her attention back down the corridor. "Come on, we're getting close."

    They made it to the large door which sealed off Corbin's room without further incident, and Lydia eagerly placed her palms on the door, reaching through it with her gift to feel for Corbin's presence on the other side. She turned back quickly to Sara and declared anxiously,"This is the room, he's here."

    Sara nodded, then began to examine the massive steel door. She frowned and shook her head."I can't force this door open."

    Lydia stepped back to view the door, then she noticed the keypad off to the side of it. Rushing over to it, she studied it hard, hoping against all odds that some clue to its combination would present itself. Sara walked up behind her, peering over her shoulder to see the keypad.

    "Oh, one of those," Sara said in a tone of familiarity.

    Lydia looked back with a hopeful expression at the promising sound of her new found friend's gentle voice. Sara smiled reassuringly, then motioned for Lydia to step aside, which she did without hesitation. Sara stepped up to the keypad and began to punch in random number sequences. She did so with increasing speed and precision, until her fingers moved across the keypad in a blur. Lydia was impressed beyond measure as she watched, eagerly anticipating a successful entry.

    After a minute or so, Sara stopped abruptly and looked toward the door. The heavy, metallic clanks of the door locks as they were electronically pulled open signaled success. She glanced back at Lydia, who gave her an amazed gaze for her wonderous abilities. The massive door swung inward a little from the pull of its own weight, and Lydia wasted no time in slipping through the opening in. Sara followed right behind her.