Elliot flew to Adam's laboratory without stopping for a moment and pounded on the door until it opened—bang, bang, bang.
The assistant who opened it stared at him in confusion. "Mr. Elliot, what's wrong?"
Elliot did not answer. He pushed the assistant aside rather rudely, his eyes darting anxiously around the laboratory. The assistant was not offended, only more puzzled; the Elliot he remembered had never acted like this. "Mr. Elliot? Is there something I can help you with?"
"Where is James? Isn't he in the lab?" Seeing only a few assistants who looked distinctly unwell in the main hall, Elliot seized the assistant's arm and fired off the questions.
The assistant was completely baffled. "James? He took leave."
"Damn it!" Elliot let go and slapped his own forehead hard. The last shred of hope in his heart vanished—James really had gone off to get himself killed!