Hal's expression was mostly blank... but it was easy to see there was anger behind his eyes.

"........I see." he said after a pause.

"Find her." he told them.

"I'm putting the word out that Mira Greyson is to be detained on sight, and is not to be allowed to leave this building." he said further, stepping away from her desk.

"Whoever's behind this has a LOT to answer to." he growled.

"I refuse to believe Mira's doing this of her own volition."

Hal looked at Peyton for a moment, before heading to the door and looking out.

"Hey! Over here!" he called to someone.

"...what's up?" Ilias asked when he was close enough.

"Guard Peyton and do NOT let Mira close to her. If you see Mira, raise the alarm, and do NOT let anyone hurt Peyton. Understand?" Hal ordered him.

"Yes, sir." Ilias responded, as Hal looked back to Peyton.

"We'll get to the bottom of this, I promise." he said to her, before hastily leaving.

"..." Ilias was silent, before making his way to Peyton.

"You all right?" he asked her softly.

Ilias wasn't sure how to respond to that, and merely knelt down so he was more level with her, eye-wise.

"...I bet I can guess why, though I don't know the scope of it." he said.

"But... I..." he then started to say further, before pausing.

It was pointless to say he was there for her. It was pointless to say that she had friends here. She knew that. She never DIDN'T know that. But it wouldn't help here. They'd just be empty words.

So he just gently placed a hand on one of her knees.

"I promise I'll protect you as best I can." he said.

Ilias crossed his arms over his chest for a moment, thinking about it... and then snapped his fingers.

"What about Jake's office?" he suggested.

"He hardly goes there, and it's pretty safe and secure, even if a bit on the small side..." he told her.

"Either that, or you can hide out in the Media Relations department." he then continued.

"I know the current head there will probably bitch about it, but you know as well as I do that if she denies you sanctuary there, or tries to force you to leave or makes you uncomfortable, she'll be gone in a heartbeat." he reminded her further.

"...between you and me, she's already teetering on being fired due to how she continues to treat Levi..." he then whispered.

Ilias rose with her, and nodded.

"I'll escort you there." he told her.

"Sharp told me to protect you, no matter what, but I'm pretty sure he said that out of desperation, as he needs to get the word out of whatever's happening, and I happened to be there at the time." he reasoned.

"I... I'm not a fighter, and my natural abilities will only go so far." he went on.

"But at the very least, I can escort you to where you'll feel safe."

"This is true." Ilias replied, as the two of them left the office and started to make their way towards Media Relations.

"However, the only reason is... because of them." he said further, as a few snakes popped out of his hair.

That was when they heard Sharp's voice over the P.A. system.

"We have a code DEEP RED! Agent Greyson! Procedure 3 is now in effect!" he commanded.

Code red meant there was someone dangerous in the building. Deep meant it was someone that worked there. The name wasn't always available, but this time it was. And procedure 3 meant 'lockdown until the suspect is in custody'.

Ilias just shook his head.

"This is... unreal..."

"Yeah, that's fair..." Ilias replied.

The rest of the walk was... quiet, but tense, until they reached the Relations department, where Ally was the one to see them first.

"Peyton needs somewhere to hide, in case Mira's looking for her." Ilias said to her.

"Can she hide here?" he asked.

"It's a place that would be lower on the list for her to look." he reasoned.

"Pretty much." Ilias responded.

"I don't know the full details, but Mira's now a threat, and Peyton fears for her safety." he said.

He then proceeded to say what Sharp had told him, and how this was the best way for him to follow that order. He sighed afterwards, and looked around, before looking back at Ally and Peyton.

"And with that, I should go." he said.

"Get back to R&D and... well, essentially be where I'm supposed to be in an emergency like this."

Ilias waved back, before looking away, and quickly leaving the department.

He had to get back to where he belonged. That WAS the protocol, and he realised he hadn't told anyone what was going on.

"...shit." he cursed, taking out his cell and texting Kiah.

Meanwhile, Levi looked over towards Ally and Peyton, and immediately could see Peyton was... stressed, to understate it.

"...hey, Peyton." he greeted her when they were close enough.

"Lemme guess, here to duck outta the way of... well, everything?" he asked.

The other one that had noticed Peyton's arrival narrowed her eyes... and took in what she overheard. She was silent about it, as things started to stir in her mind, the gears working in her brain.

"We'll do all we can to make sure you're hidden here." Levi told her.

A few others that were nearby voiced their agreement, and Peyton could tell that the people here were on her side. It made her feel better. A little, at least.

'Hmmm...' the one that was remaining silent thought.

'How to go about this...?' they wondered, pondering certain things, and looking at the computer in front of her.