Adams and Mark were taken to an old cabin near a small town in the middle of nowhere. During the travel, Adams changed his lab uniform to a more regular clothing while Mark was given briefs.
When they arrived, the guards who accompanied them helped Adams to put Mark on an old bed.
"That's fine. Thanks." Adams told them. "You can go back to the facilities. I'll take care of him from now on."
"Are you sure? What if he wakes up?" A guard asked him.
"Due to the pain I've sedated him. He won't wake up in at least a couple of days." Adams replied. "When he wakes up he'll be too weak to be a threat."
"Ok, dr. Adams." The other guard said. "Then we retire. We'll be back in a week. Call us if you need our assistance."
The guards made a salute and withdrew.
"Well, that means it's just us for a week." Adams said to a unconscious Mark. "I think I'm going to look for some food and other stuff at the village."
Adams didn't know what kind of town this was but it reminded him his own town. A very plain and old town which barely has access to basic services like water and electricity. It was in the middle of the mountains in nowhere, a perfect place to hide a secret base.
"I'm not sure if it was a good idea to bring the pubertifier with me." Adams said as he walked through the main road with a backpack. "There aren't many establishments around here."
He saw an old lumberjack not far away and approached him to ask about the place. The man looked around his sixties with a big mustache and above 300 lb of fat and muscles.
"Good morning, sir." Adams said politely. "Do you know where I can find a grocery store?"
"There is no grocery store in this village since the McCain twins died a year ago." The man said. "His little brother had tried to take care of it but he's too young... You're not from around here, right?"
"I'm a traveler. I'll be here for just a week." Adams lied. "Do you know where I can find some food?"
" Unless you're a hunter or a farmer, you'll have to wait three days for food shipments." The lumberjack said. "You'll see. This town has been devastated for years because of an endless civil war. A lot of men and women had died and all that remains are children and elderly like me."
"War? That's terrible!" Adams said.
"In addition, several children have disappeared in recent months." The man said. "So, people are afraid to left their homes and they're starving to death."
"How awful." Adams muttered. "Is there anything I can do?"
"I've been helping as much as I can but It's too much just for me. The kids are too young to go out and most elders are too old to help." The man said. "You're a grown man. If you help me I'll thank you with a few of my food reserves."
"That sounds like a deal." Adams said. "In fact, I can bring some extra help."
"That would be fantastic." The lumberjack said. "A lot of boys have been offering their help but I've told them it's too dangerous to go out with those disappearances but if you have some friends of your age I won't have to worry."
"Ok, I will go for my... friend." Adams said. "He's sleeping in a cabin not far from here."
"Excellent." The lumberjack smiled. "I'll see you in the dock."
Adam ran back to the cabin. He needs to wake Mark even if that means to face his anger.