A/N: Welcome, my dear reader, to the third installment of this story. If you are reading this one first I would recommend reading "Lost in Transition" first and "In a Faraway Land" second, to bring you up to speed. The latter isn't as necessary admittedly, but you'd be losing out on details otherwise. Up to you. To old readers, lets pretend the second one didn't happen. Unless you thought it was good, in which case props.

If you already have, then grab some popcorn and strap yourself in. Its going to be a bumpy ride.

Chatter. Chatter chatter.

Chatterchatterchatterchatterchatterchatterchatterchatterchatter-

Teeth quietly rattled. Mouths working. Imitating speaking. Ten pairs huddling in the dark cave. Cold. Afraid. Waiting. Hiding. Black robes obscured their bodies. They hid. Hiding from the Others. If Others found them things would happen. Hopefully they would leave them alone. No challenge. Maybe pity. If not then death. Kill them before they could grow. Become threat. Bad. Avoid. Hide from Others. Only leader. Can only trust leader. Leader hides them. Leader fights off Others. Until they are large enough. Then leader leaves. They'll be mature then. Able to defend themselves. Maybe fight Others. Maybe fight each other. Maybe last long enough to guard new young. Live long enough to turn them out too. Or die when a strong Other attacks. Young slaughtered. Avoid. Hide.

Grey Hatch is young. She is weak. She can't defend herself. If an Other comes she'll die. She doesn't want to die. She saw leader fight off an Other before. Awe. Envy. Ambition to become like leader. Grey Hatch decided to become like leader. Grow large horns like her. Have large claws like her. Use large sword like her. Fight with power and grace. Maybe kill leader. Eventually. Probably not though. Die fighting someone stronger than Grey Hatch. Maybe remember leader. Maybe not. But weak now. Hide until then.

All young similar. Nine others. Too many to kill in one attack. Too few to be obvious. Can hide until strong enough. They'll leave then. Kill and be killed. Grey Hatch wondered sometimes. Maybe they don't have to fight. Maybe live together like young. She forgot the idea. If one didn't kill then they would be killed. 'Way our world works' said leader. Leader is right. Leader knows best.

Grey Hatch heard a noise. Crunching rock. Shifting dust. Footsteps.

Ten huddled robes dove for cover. Hiding behind rocks. Hiding in small holes. Hiding in shadows. Doesn't matter where. All that matters is hiding. Maybe they wouldn't know they were there. Maybe. Indistinct sounds. Not wind. Not weapons. Ordered noise. Voices. Faint. Growing louder. A flash of light. Weapons being readied? No. Too bright. Too strong. Continuous. Not like weapons. Grey hatch was confused. A grunt.

"Oof!" the muffled cry went.

"You okay doctor!?" yelled a new voice. Its strange. Deep. Loud. But more than that. Emotional?

"Yeah I'm fine. Just tripped on a rock" said the grunter. The voice was like the Others. But louder too. More composed. A voice that sounded like it was used a lot. This puzzled Grey Hatch. Who spoke often? It invited attackers.

"Alright. Just try to be more careful" the deep speaker consoled. The second one huffed.

"I will. Say, this looks like a deep cave. Moko, come on down here. Check this out" the second called out.

Grey Hatch forced herself still. She was confused. How did she know these strange words? What they meant? Didn't matter. Others coming. Hidehidehide. Don't let Others find her. Finding meant death.

"Ow!"

"Are you okay Moko?"

"Yeah, just bumped my head." A chuckle. Louder. Closer.

Grey Hatch shrunk behind her rock. Be still. In dark cave they couldn't see her. Maybe. Other young doing that too. Hiding in shadows. Hiding in recesses. Didn't matter where. Out of sight. Maybe Others find nothing and leave them be. Cone of light swept over. Missed Grey Hatch by inches. She didn't know what that light was like. Didn't want to know. Moving really fast though. May not be able to avoid.

"Wow. This cave reminds me of those ancient mines in Europe, Roman era ones. You know what I'm talking about Moko?"

"A little. This whole place is giving me a really bad feeling doctor."

"Oh relax. As much as I don't like it that thing you got is enough protection."

"I don't think so. I went through a whole magazine just to get that one. If I was just a little slower that thing would've taken your head off."

"True. I got an idea! Next time lets bring Karen along! I bet she'll love to take one of them on."

"Doctor, we're here because you lied to her, said we're heading to that robotics symposium. Asking her to tag along is a bad idea. Actually, coming here at all is a bad idea."

Closer all the time. Grey Hatch was scared. Her teeth kept threatening to clack together. Chatter in fear. The second she made a noise they would hear her. They would find her. She will die.

"You're right, oh well" the second commented.

The pair finally stepped into sight. Grey Hatch was confused at these Others behavior before. She was dumbfounded at their appearance now. The first of them looked like an Other but taller. Taller than leader even. But she had clothes covering every inch of her skin save for her head. Her head was the most normal part about her. She was pretty with orange hair and large rimed glasses that hid her eyes. In her hands was a tiny tube that was the source of the light cone.

The second one was even weirder. It too was bundled up like the second. But it was far taller than the second. It was thick too. Thick and bundled so probably strong. In its hands was a long brown and black weapon that was unlike anything Grey Hatch had ever seen before. She knew it was a weapon because of the way it held it while sweeping the end of it around. Another light tube was attached underneath the weapon. His dark skin was the only thing not weird about him. Him?

How did she knew he was a he? What was a he? Grey Hatch was getting tired of being confused. She wanted them to leave the cave and never come back so she and the other young could grow in peace and not be killed until they were ready. That was what she wanted. Not confusion.

"Still, maybe we can-" she swung the light over Grey Hatch. For a second she was exposed. The light cone stopped.

"Whats the matter?" the man asked anxiously.

"I think I just saw someone" the woman answered. Grey Hatch's breath sputtered. Her subdued fear came back to life. She huddled closer to her rock to hide further.

"Where?" the man pressed. The light cone shifted back to her. The edges of her robe was caught in the light.

"It was...here!" she exclaimed as the full weight of the blinding light focused on her. Her teeth were silent until that point. Leader made it clear that chattering would attract danger. With as scared as she was Grey Hatch couldn't help it. Her teeth began to clack together.

"Back away doctor!" the man bellowed. Grey Hatch could see him raise the weapon to point the end at her. The woman shot a flat palm at him.

"Moko, wait!" she yelled.

"Its one of them!" he protested. He lined up the weapon's sights on Grey Hatch. She stared death in the face and hyperventilated.

"Moko! Just! Wait!" she shrieked at him.

He cringed. His wide eyes switched between her and Grey Hatch. Indecision tore at his being. But he didn't fire the weapon. He breathed heavily from the adrenaline in his system beginning to seep away. The woman breathed deeply too. Her glasses covered eyes stared defiantly at him.

With an angry snort he relented. The end of the weapon (rifle?) lowered.

"Please. Just a minute" the woman heaved. He scowled. She shakily nodded.

Her glasses turned to Grey Hatch. In her terror the thought of leaving didn't cross her mind. Now that she wasn't in immediate danger she considered it. They were Others. They were hostile. Running was her best chance. Maybe death outside versus certain death here. By the sound of it some of the other young already did. But in their sight like she was it wouldn't work. She should stay put or die.

But she was still alive. Despite everything she knew of how the world worked she was still alive. Why did they spare her? She was a young one. Easy prey. Whether for sport or pragmatism thy should've killed her. Their looks were different. Their actions were different. Everything about them was different. Perhaps...Had her quiet wish to get along with the Others been granted?

"Hi there" she whispered. Cautious. Guarded. Grey Hatch was feeling anxious. She wanted to run and hide. But she didn't. She stayed in sight. Matched gazes with the Other. Her teeth clattered lightly.

"Aw, poor thing. You must be scared out of your mind right now" she cooed. Grey Hatch was very scared.

"Hang on" the woman dug at her clothes. Rustling made Grey Hatch shiver. A few seconds later she produced a small white rectangle. No lights preceded it. Another odd thing. She held the rectangle out to Grey Hatch. She looked at it.

"Its okay. Thats a candy bar. I think your kind like candy. Try it" she encouraged. Grey Hatch was nervous. Maybe it was a trick? Leader tricked them sometimes. Said it was to 'teach them'. But why? They could've killed her several times by now.

An eye blink. Grey Hatch snatched the rectangle out of her hands. Behind the glasses her eyes blinked. Surprise? No matter. She kept her prize clutched close to her. She didn't know what it was. Didn't care.

"Oh. That was fast. Anyway, why don't you peel it open and take a bite?" she went on. She reached to her side again to make a new rectangle. She held it up to show Grey Hatch instead of holding it out again. Her fingers did something to it. The white surface peeled apart to reveal a brownish material. Half of it was exposed when she opened her mouth and stuck the brown inside. She then shut her jaws and retracted the remainder. Her cheeks bulged a little at the same time her jaw rhythmically worked. It was like talking but not opening her mouth.

"Try it" she said. Her voice sounded weird. Like something was clogging her mouth. Odd. Hardly worse than the rest of what they've done though.

Grey Hatch examined her prize. It was white and rectangular. But it was also soft. Soft like flesh. Was it flesh? No. Too soft to be flesh. She examined it more until she accidentally tore a part of the white skin. A tiny hole. Barely visible was a spot of brown. Grey Hatch was still afraid. But curiosity was starting to win her over. She tore it open more to show the rest of the brown rectangle underneath. She looked back at the woman questionably. She nodded encouragingly. Grey Hatch looked back at the exposed stuff. She debated with herself.

Her caution warred with her curiosity. Curiosity won. She opened her mouth and gently put the brown inside like the woman did. Sensations she never felt before coursed through her mouth. Grey Hatch found herself stunned. Things she had no words for assaulted her senses. She had no analogue to compare the experience to. It was new. It was different. It was-

"Good isn't it?" The woman asked. It was.

The other young slowly exited their hiding places. They weren't as curious as Grey Hatch. Several minutes without murder didn't go unnoticed however. The man warily watched the young. His weapon twitched but kept lowered. They cautiously approached the pair. Their chattering teeth kept quiet. Like they were with leader. Maybe...a new leader?

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Dead Master awoke.

There was no gap between the world of sleep and the world of consciousness. She was out cold, then she wasn't. Less than a second after she did a sensation not unlike landing in a pile of broken glass slammed into her, forcing what little air in her lungs out. She gasped, feeling pain course through her. Gritting her teeth, she did her best to ignore the sensations. It was difficult, made all the worse when a wave of nausea swept over her. She didn't know what brought it on, all she cared about was making it stop.

Minutes ticked by as she did her best to get her aching body back under control. Once she was to the point of breathing solely through her nose again (albeit with more effort than usual) she flexed her muscles to ascertain the damage. She started with her hands, getting the first of a parade of rude surprises. Instead of the comforting flex of metal she was accustomed to, she felt only her own soft flesh. Slowly she lifted her head.

The room she found herself in was plain, yet it had a strange homely quality to it. Much of it was a glossy white, from the floor to the blinding lights above. A lot of soft brown and dark green was coating the room, and a band of reflective metal surrounded a small window on one wall that streamed sunlight. Nearby that was a plain looking cabinet with a large red symbol on the front. On the far wall was an oddly shaped metal door, with rounded edges. Lastly, she was lying on a thinly padded bed. None of this was important to Dead Master, only what was clearly dangerous and what wasn't. Thus far, none of it appeared to be.

Deciding she didn't want to be there anymore, Dead Master lifted her arms. It was then the second great surprise made itself known. Her limbs only rose a few inches when a metallic tug caught, stopping them in place. Her green eyes widening, she peered down to them. Two pairs of circular metal handcuffs was wrapped around both of her hands, leading off to an object just out of her sight. She yanked, accomplishing nothing more than rattling the metal.

She kicked her legs, feeling the same clutch on her ankles. Snarling in anger she thrashed her limbs, rattling the chains. To her frustration that was all she accomplished; their hold never slackened, and the bed didn't budge an inch. Icy fear wormed its way into her guts, which she was unable to fully suppress. A quiet voice in the back of her mind wondered if this was what her victims felt when she captured them. Stifling the thought with a growl, she stilled herself for her final gambit. Her bare hands clenched, twin motes of light coming to life within each fist.

Before her skulls could come into existence, the door clicked and swung open.

Dead Master froze. She realized in that moment she didn't know where she was or who it was that had captured her. In her alarm the questions were pushed aside. Now she wanted to know who it was that was coming through the door, and more importantly, what they wanted. If they were anything like her, she was in for a painful experience for the foreseeable future. She gritted her teeth and waited, determined to give them nothing, certainly no satisfaction.

The door opened fully, revealing a blonde human man that stepped through the entrance. He wore airy clothes, unadorned as far as she could see. Nothing about him was of any great interest. What she did keep her attention on was the submachine gun hanging from a strap against his chest. It looked similar to the gun that Huey used for the bank robbery but sleeker, somehow more menacing. Once she was finished examining it she looked at his face, noting a sour expression. After a moment of thought she realized she saw him before, but she couldn't place him.

"I must be cursed or something" he muttered. Dead Master chose to intimidate him, hoping he would back off. He merely huffed.

"Not even ten seconds and you're giving me a death glare. Oh well, lets get this show on the road" he muttered. He went to his pocket to retrieve a small grey object, which she assumed was a cellphone. After a few seconds of playing with it she was proven right, when a familiar voice sounded out.

"Lutz, I'm in the middle of something. Is this important?" a female voice asked tiredly from the tiny box. Dead Master knew who it belonged to: the pale woman from the cafe.

"Hey Koko, you know that feeling, you can only say what it is in french?" he asked. Silence came from the other end.

"I'll be there in a minute" she said hurriedly.

"No hurry" he languidly replied, clicking the phone off to hide it. He turned his attention back to the handcuffed girl, who was still glaring at him.

"You know what deja vu means?" he asked her.

"Release me at once" Dead Master snapped.

"In a second. You know what this is?" he asked, holding up the weapon.

"Its a gun" she answered testily.

"Good, means I don't have to explain. This thing can spit out a bullet every eight milliseconds. I watched that fight, you're not nearly fast enough to dodge them all. You do what I or the lady says, or I blow you away" he threatened. Only, as she coldly realized, it wasn't a threat. Her glare didn't fade, but her movements ceased.

Twenty seconds later another human stepped through the door. Unlike the man, Dead Master recognized the pale woman at once. Clad in a basic white suit, Koko looked over the girl's current predicament with a critical eye. She saw everything but said nothing. Finally she sighed, the will in her fading in light of what she was about to do. Or at least what Dead Master thought she was about to do.

"You're right. It's almost a match from the first time" she said at last.

"Where are my claws?" Dead Master questioned first.

"Except for that part. Your metal gauntlets are being held in a secure location. Until we're certain we can trust you, that's where they'll stay. Now, are you going to behave? Or am I going to hook the IV back up and leave you on your own for a day or two?" Koko stated flatly. She glared sullenly at her, slowly nodding anyway.

"Good girl" she said, making the horned girl sneer.

Koko went to her side, drawing a small key from one of her pockets. She begun with her ankles, unhooking the latches easily. Dead Master quickly withdrew her legs from the spot. Next she went for her wrists, getting one off to let her retract that as well. Lastly, and far too slowly in her opinion, she sedately strolled to the other side of the bed to finish. No sooner did the metal weight fall away did she brought her wrists up to gently rub them. Koko backed up a few feet, a plain smile on her features.

"Excellent. Now follow me" she directed.

Dead Master's sullen look never changed, but she did swing her feet over the side and hopped to her feet. She regretted it instantly; another powerful wave of nausea overcame her, and she had to throw a hand back onto the bed to steady herself.

"Take it easy. You've been unconscious for almost four days now" Koko chided. It took several seconds for it to subside, which Dead Master spent by internally cursing the foul woman. Then the words dawned on her and snapped her horned head up, making Lutz jerk the weapon her way.

"Four days!?" she exclaimed, utterly shocked.

"Yep. You did get shot three times after all. The doctor said you almost died of blood loss and shock" she replied casually. Dead Master continued to stare at her numbly, even though the worst of the nausea was gone.

"C'mon, move" Lutz gently urged. He kept the fact that some sedatives were responsible for the length of time to himself; no need to make her hate them more than she already did.

Her legs steady, Dead Master stood up from the bed fully. A queasy feeling in her stomach remained, one that wasn't entirely the fault of her emotions. Now that she was on her feet, she detected a slight sway in the ground itself. She wanted to dismiss it as just her being still a little shaken, but it was definitely noticeable upon observation. For the life of her she couldn't explain it. She suspected Koko had a hand in it however, whatever it could be.

The woman in question went to the door, pausing to gesture her to follow. A glance at Lutz showed him still holding the gun at her, jerking the barrel her direction. Frowning, she obeyed. Koko kept a several foot lead, a little too far for her to reach (not that she could do much, clawless and with a gun pointed at her), with Lutz a few feet behind her. Her pace was slow, even with her uneasy state Dead Master could easily outpace her. Seeing an abundance of time on her bare hands, she took a few seconds to examine the outside hallway.

It looked just like a normal building, with many spaced out lights and tiled floors. Though oddly enough, the entire space seemed rather cramped. A check at the opposing walls of the hallway showed her it wasn't just her mind playing tricks on her, extending her arms out to touch the walls confirmed it. A guess put the distance at four and a half feet or so, much less than a building she was accustomed to. That combined with the slight swaying made her question what the woman was up to.

Only a short distance later, one she could cover in a few seconds, the single file line came to another thick metal door. Koko stopped to turn around, a self satisfied smirk on her face.

"I'm sure you're wondering where you are right now" she posed loftily, putting a hand on the door handle.

"Naturally" Dead Master said dryly. Her smirk grew an inch.

"Allow me to show you" she said, swinging the thick barrier open and rushing through.

The light blinded Dead Master enough for her to put up an arm over her eyes, but a prod from Lutz made her take a few hesitant steps forward. Many seconds passed before her eyes adjusted to the glare, though a piercing pain in the back of her eyeballs came into being. There didn't seem to be a way to stop it, so with a sigh she lowered her protective arm to see her newest surroundings. Her thought process derailed at the sight.

Blue. Endless blue as far as she could see. There was a bit of white and yellow just below her, but it only served to highlight the vast sight before her. No buildings, no roads, nothing but the light blue of the sky and the deep blue of the vast surface that stretched to the far horizon. The sole thing that broke the azure land was a whitish sheen in the center, one that hurt her eyes if she stared at it.

As she looked closer, the deep azure wasn't entirely flat. She couldn't tell from her current position, but it seemed like the surface was rippling. Tiny peaks of white that lasted for a heartbeat before vanishing, only to have a fresh one take its place. Twinkles of light in every direction, possibly reflected from the powerful sun. It all stretched into infinity. She hesitantly swung her head in both directions, seeing that the weird building she was standing on was the only thing that broke the monotony.

"What do you think?" Koko asked playfully. With a start Dead Master realized her mouth was agape, quickly clamping it shut.

"What-what is this place?" she asked, unable to keep the awe from her voice.

"This? This is the middle of the ocean. All that you see here is water" she explained. Dead Master looked over the blue expanse again, trying and failing to wrap her head around it.

"All that was just water?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Yep. Salt water. Later I'll take you down lower to feel the spray from the ships wake. But right now, the closest land is a square mile of sand about fifty miles that way" she pointed in a random direction, out to the horizon.

Dead Master put her hands over the rails to peer downwards. Below another deck was the edge from the 'ship' and the ocean, a murky tone of blue that made her uneasy.

"How deep?" she asked quietly.

"Here? Two miles, give or take" Koko answered. Dead Master couldn't imagine such a quantity of water, never mind the depth.

Koko turned to walk away, which Dead Master needed another prod to notice. She walked down the railing, her face keeping forward. She followed without difficulty, but she found it hard to tear her attention away from the ocean. It was so big, unlike anything she had ever seen before. She recalled the world map she cursorily examined when she was still with the Freemans. So much of that map had blue on it, at the time she didn't think anything of it.

Distracted as she was, she almost bumped into the halted Koko. Raising a brow, she looked around her to see why she stopped.

"Hey Wiley. All set up?" she asked. The large black man, the same one from the cafe as well, stood up from a chair and table set up with a friendly smile.

"Yep, just give the word" he told her before turning to Dead Master, who cautiously stepped around her (hearing no protest from Lutz).

"And how are you doing miss? Last I heard you were out like a light" he greeted. Despite his size she didn't find him very threatening.

"I am well" she answered perfunctorily.

"Great. Alright, Koko wants me to show you something, and I'm going to need your help for it. Think you can manage?" Wiley asked her. She glanced at the table, seeing a mess of parts and components but little overt danger, aside from a small duffel bag. A dark green bar caught her attention for some reason.

"I can" she answered tightly, offended at his assumption if her feebleness.

"Good. I'd like for you to summon a floating skull first" he directed.

Dead Master huffed. A new mote if light formed in her bare hand, needing a moment to form what she wanted. She threw her hand aside, like tossing a piece of garbage away. The expanding ball of multicolored light swelled to a massive size in a few seconds, transforming into a black metal shape that closely resembled a cranium. It floated in the air under its own power, a sickly green light glowing from the eyes and jaws. To her satisfaction the three humans were momentarily taken aback at the sight.

"Woah" Lutz said to himself. Koko quietly whistled.

"Oh. Alright then" Wiley shook off his amazement "back to business. Can it open it's jaw?" he went on. Instead of answering the unearthly creation opened its large mouth, showing more of the gangrenous opening. Wiley turned back to the table to fiddle with a tiny widget and the green bar for a few seconds before stuffing them both into the duffel and zipping it up.

"Two more things. How far can you control the skull? Its range" he clarified. She wrinkled her brow.

"I'm not sure. I've never intentionally tried to stretch the distance. I can control it a far ways off though" she answered.

"At least three hundred meters?" Koko interjected. She frowned at her.

"I don't know" she said irritably, but Wiley waved his own hands in supplication.

"Don't worry about it. Now, last thing" he said, putting the duffel's strap in the skull's mouth. With a thought she closed it over it, just like the money bags in the robbery. He stepped back to check over the setup one more time. She thought she saw something evil flash over his features, but it might have been the sun.

"All good?" Koko asked.

"We're set. Miss Master, if you would please send the skull that way" he pointed to the horizon "as far as you can send it" he directed.

Dead Master looked at the horizon once more, a feeling of awe in her still. She shook her head, dispelling the thoughts. A wave of her hand and the skull flew out with a slight whoosh. She kept her eyes on it, silently telling it where to go. Straight out to the horizon in this case. It zoomed away, becoming nothing more than a shrinking speck. Beside her Koko hummed contemplatively to herself.

"What would you say, two hundred fifty hundred meters?" she said to no one in particular.

"Give or take yeah" Lutz agreed.

"Five seconds Wiley" she ordered. Dead Master gave her a funny look, turning to the man with the same. An gleam in his eye made her deeply uncomfortable, and a tiny device was in his hand. He smirked, clicking it twice.

The floating skull exploded.

Three seconds after the blast a warm wave of air buffeted the four, only the girl reacting by cringing against it. Dead Master was again utterly shocked. Her wide eyes were riveted onto the cooling black cloud that lazily drifted to the ocean surface, what was her skull a few seconds ago. The thought of them using that anywhere, such as that singular meeting, made her break out in goosebumps. In comparison that vile boy who shot her was an afterthought.

"Are you good and terrified yet?" Koko playfully asked, at ease with the horror that was just inflicted. Dead Master shakily nodded.

"Good. Now, I can't keep a watch on you twenty four seven. I don't have the time or patience for it. So here's what I'm going to do instead" she started, making the horned girl slowly turn her head to her. The pale woman lifted her hand up to slide her sleeve back, showing a black band around her wrist.

"See this? This little device is hooked up to my vital signs. The moment it stops detecting them, it'll send out a tiny signal to a cargo container in the hold. What you saw there was four pounds of C4 high explosive. There's several tons of that in the hold. Kill me, and all those explosives will go off. This ship will be at the bottom of the ocean in twenty minutes. And so will you" Koko explained smugly.

"You wouldn't" Dead Master's response was supposed to be a snarl, but it came out more as a whimper. She smirked.

"I can and I will. So behave, or you'll see what two miles underwater feels like" she finished, rolling the sleeve back up. The horned girl gulped nervously.

"Great. Now c'mon, its time to properly meet the team" she said, sounding chipper.

Spinning on her heels, Koko began to trot away. The strange girl was after her at once, wanting to do everything in her power to please her. Lutz saw the difference in her demeanor and relaxed. He didn't sling his weapon away, but neither did he keep it trained on her. He glanced at Wiley to see him in a similar state, methodically packing up his tools in a spare bag with the air of a craftsman at work. He checked to see if the girl was firmly out of sight before he leaned over the man.

"You think she knows we're bluffing?" he whispered. Wiley shook his head.

"She doesn't know better. Hook line and sinker for the time being" he whispered back.

"She's going to be pissed if she finds out the truth" Lutz whispered again.

"Exactly, so keep it to yourself" he warned.

Koko stopped before a nondescript door, one that didn't look any different from the dozen or so others she passed along the way. Dead Master wondered what made this one special while she opened it, finding out a moment later. It was an average looking (if cramped) meeting room. Nine people were in there, but only one caught her attention.

"Hold" Koko said, putting a hand on Dead Master's shoulder. Her snarl was cut off at once.

On the other side of the room Black Rock Shooter, still wearing a few bandages, began to rise from her chair with her own scowl.

"Remember what I said?" Koko reminded. Dead Master hesitated but she forced herself to back off. Black Rock Shooter's rise was halted by a hand on her shoulder, gently guiding her back down. Fifteen feet apart the two girls stared daggers at each other.

"Looks like round two is about to start" commented one of the people. It took a great deal of effort for Dead Master to tear her attention off of the girl to look at who spoke. It was a leathery looking man with greying hair sitting in one of the chairs, smiling at the girl.

"Lets not, this ship isn't due for a refit for another five years, I'd rather not do it this soon. Now, time to introduce you. You already know Black Rock Shooter so I won't bother with that. The boy beside her" she pointed "is Jonathan Mar, we call him Jonah" she explained. Following her finger, the horned girl saw the owner of the guiding hand. Her anger dissipated, replaced by visible fear. Koko noticed a tremble and frowned.

"Whats the matter?" she asked.

"He's-" Dead Master choked out.

"I'm the one that shot her" the boy, his voice oddly flat, answered. The group around him rippled with chuckles.

"Is that all? Don't worry about it, you're not the first one he's done that too" she said light heartedly, giving the girl a friendly pat on her shoulders that failed to ease her in any way.

"But moving on, that gentleman is Lehm" she pointed to the greying man, who lazily waved at her "That's Mao" to the chinese man "R" the taller man, also from the cafe "Valmet" the eyepatched woman from the cafe too "Ugo" a thick darkly complexioned man "Tojo" a bespectacled japanese man that waved as well "and lastly, our guest, Huey" she finished on the last boy. The uncomfortable looking boy ceased his fidgeting to come to his feet, an explanation on his lips. Her eyes narrowed. When she stalked off to his direction Koko let her, anticipating what was going to happen.

"Listen, I can explain what's going on-" he said quickly, only to be cut off by her punching him in the gut. His eyes bulged, a heartbeat before he collapsed with a pained groan. She stood over him and glared.

"You got me into this mess. You insisted you had to get information, convinced us you could handle her. Now look" she snapped. Her foot drew back for a kick on the prone boy, but a quiet whistle from Koko put a stop to that.

"That's enough of that" she said lowly. Breathing carefully, Dead Master nodded and backed away, sending a brief glare at Black Rock Shooter first. The pale girl was stopped from getting up again by Jonah's hand on her shoulder once more (at least until she gave him a hard look, which made him retract the hand). Koko clapped her hands for attention.

"We're all introduced, excellent. Onto business. As you've probably guessed we're heading to the Solomon Islands. HCLI's last launch is tomorrow, and we're going to spectate. After that, though, things are going to get serious" her smile faded, grabbing the savvy members attentions.

"Schokolade passed on some information to me. There's a new one of them" she jabbed a thumb at the horned girl beside her "in southern Thailand. We're going to investigate" Koko stated. R waved a hand for attention, which she gestured for him to speak.

"What do we know about this one?" he asked flatly.

"Not much I'm afraid. We'll know more when we get there, but for now assume high danger" Koko answered. From the floor Huey, still groaning in pain, slowly sat up with his own hand raised.

"Yes?" she acknowledged. He needed a few more seconds to get his breath back before he could speak.

"Why are you going after them" he wheezed.

"Because I have a unique understanding of just how dangerous they are. I'd rather have them in my care than being in someone else's, or on their own. Anyone else?" she asked them. The last hand came from Lehm.

"Isn't that region your brother's stomping ground?" he asked. She sighed.

"Yeah. I'm counting on him to try to butt in, with luck we'll be out of there before he figures it out why we're there. Alright everyone, get some rest. There's a rocket launch tomorrow, wouldn't want to miss it" she dismissed. The eight team members rose from their seats to leave, the nonhuman among them keeping as great as a distance from the horned girl as possible. Koko stayed where she was, making sure no incidents occurred. When the last one was out she remembered that her guest was still on the floor in pain.

Sparing a look at the girl, she found her watching apathetically. Koko mumbled a somali curse under her breath and went to help him.

A/N: a new character playlist will be showing up shortly. Stay tuned.