Chapter one:

X-ray sighs as he walks into the living room and finds Vav on the couch playing video games. He frowns. "Vav. What are you doing? It's evening. A lot of the villains come out now." He says. "I thought we were going to head out."

"You can go and call me if something comes up." Vav offers an idea as he continues to play.

X-ray clenches his teeth slightly then stops that to answer. "Come on Vav. It'll be easier if you just come along. The game can wait."

"It'll be fine X-ray." Vav says with an intended wave.

"Vav! Get off the game and let's go!"

Vav pauses it then looks to X-ray. "Why don't you trust me!?"

"This is a team effort Vav!" X-ray protests.

"Yeah! And I said I would come if you would let me know if a villain appeared!" Vav snaps. "I would come and help!" He gets up and moves to stand in front of X-ray then he speaks. "We'll be fine. I know what I'm doing."

"Vav." X-ray says in warning. "We all make mistakes. And you're making a bad choice. Just listen to me right now and let's go. This is getting us nowhere."

"Oh wouldn't you know." Vav says standing tall hands clenched. "Wouldn't you know about mistakes. Street rat." As soon as those words slip out of his mouth Vav's anger vanishes and is replaced with a worse feeling.

Regret.

X-ray leans back a little as his eyes widen with his anger turning to a look of hurt.

"X-ray." Vav begins as he can't believe he said what he did. He can't speak another word before X-ray does though.

"Is that what I am?" X-ray questions almost quietly. "A street rat?" He questions trying to hold back his emotions from reaching his voice.

"X-ray. Please I did-" Vav is once again cut off by X-ray.

"Well I suppose I'm not needed here." X-ray says turning away. "Have fun with your game." He then leaves.

"Wait! X-ray!" Vav calls taking a few steps to follow and reaching out towards the other. He stops and slightly lowers his hand when the door slams shut behind X-ray. "Please." His eyes water. "I didn't mean it. Honest." His voice cracks as a tear slides down his face. "I'm sorry." He wants to chase after X-ray but he knows that when X-ray gets like this he most likely won't listen. He'll need to find him tomorrow morning and try to sort things out. He turns away shutting off the game then heads to his room to make sure he has all that he wants to tell X-ray. He figures that it'll be good to get all that he wants to say even if he doesn't use it all in the end.

... The next morning...

Vav is leaving his room at six forty in the morning.

Usually neither him nor X-ray is up at this hour but Vav could hardly sleep last night.

Vav tries X-rays room but finds it empty so he looks around the apartment with no sign of the other. He clenches the paper in his hand in slight worry. He leaves the apartment and heads to Hilda's lab hoping that maybe X-ray went there or to one of them. He reaches it and gets inside looking around.

Rusty is taking a nap in a chair.

Hilda and Ash were checking something that Hilda probably made but turn as Vav enters.

"First time for everything. You're really early Vav." Hilda says in slight greeting.

Vav turns to her not seeing X-ray. "Have any of you seen X-ray?" He asks and the girls shake their heads.

"Nope. Not since we last saw you two yesterday." Ash says. "Why?"

"Well um." Vav slightly glances away. "Something may have happened."

Hilda looks questioningly at him. "What happened this time?" She asks.

Vav rubs the back of his head. "We kind of got into a little argument." He admits. "And he left and I can't find him."

"When did the argument happen and when did X-ray leave?" Ash asks.

"Yesterday evening." Vav admits lowering his hand to his side. "For both questions."

Ash frowns. "And you haven't found him?" She asks and Vav shakes his head.

"No. And it didn't seem that he came back either as nothing looked really any different. I came here hoping maybe he went to one of you or something."

"Then we should find him." Hilda says. "If he's been gone this long then something bad might have happened." She looks into Vav's eyes as he turns to her. "Think Vav. Before we blindly search you need to try to think of any place X-ray might have gone to."

Vav lowers his head in thought and brings a hand up to his chin as he thinks. "Hmm... Ah!" His hand flicks up with an 'I have an idea' signal before he lowers his hand. "There is one place that I can think of. I don't think he's been there in a while but its worth a shot isn't it?"

Hilda nods. "Yes. Let's go." She goes to Rusty shaking him awake then they all head off following Vav and she calls to Orf to watch the lab.

They keep going at a jogging pace then slow down as they reach a fenced area.

Hilda and Ash look at it a little distastefully.

"The junkyard?" Hilda questions glancing to the sign.

Vav glances back as he continues walking. "Yeah. How do you think we met Rusty?" He questions then he turns to where he's going.

Hilda glances to Rusty who just shrugs it off and follows Vav through a pipe that seems clean on the inside.

Unknown's P.O.V.

I settle down in the front seat of a car that looks like its one whole seat but almost like a couch with a light yet dull green wall behind the seat. I glance up hearing something above me then a head pokes through the hole in the roof that's like a sunroof.

"Hey. How's my girl?" He asks. He has tan skin, dark brown eyes, black hair, a black quarter sleeved shirt, jeans that are ripped at the knees and slightly worn runners.

"Buzz off. I'm not your girl!" I snap at him as he pulls his head back out from the sun roof and I lay down on the seat. "I don't belong to anyone." I grumble to myself not caring if he hears as I rest the side of my head on my arms.

"Hello?" A slightly distant voice says making me blink then I raise my head looking out the window in the direction the voice came from.

No one's P.O.V.

Hilda and Ash take a slight look around.

There's a large and tall junk pile in the middle with several smaller piles here and there around the rest of the space with other junk scattered here and there. Yet it looks a little cleaner than you'd expect.

There's a few people here and there as well mostly just chilling or enjoying what they can of a piece of food then there's some kind of playing.

Rusty is approached by a man with greying hair that is straight and stops at the bottom of his ears in length all around with his bangs falling easily into his face. He begins talking to him like friends would after it's been awhile.

A man suddenly slides down the pile on a flat piece of cardboard that ends up getting stuck but he jumps. He uses a bounce from an old mattress on an old metal bed frame to get some more distance then lands in a pile of blankets that he quickly steps out of. "How do you do?" He greets. He has tan skin, dark brown eyes, black hair, a black quarter sleeved shirt, jeans that are ripped at the knees and slightly worn runners. "Ah good to see you Vav." He greets Vav, who had called out in a hello just a moment before, with a smile and he appears to be about the same age as Vav and X-ray. "What can I do you for?"

"We're looking for X-ray." Vav says. "Is he here?"

"You bet." The other man nods and Rusty finishes his talk with the man he was speaking to who heads off elsewhere. "He's in his favourite spot."

"Which is where exactly?" Hilda asks raising an eyebrow.

The man turns and points to the very top of the main junk pile where an old dark green car that must have been dumped many years ago resides.

"Oh you have got to be kidding." Ash groans at this. "All the way up there!?"

"It was always X-rays favourite spot." Vav explains as the other man lowers his hand to his side. He walks over to be next to Hilda as he looks up at the car. "Usually he'd come down to greet me but I doubt he'd do that this time." He turns to Rusty. "Can you try to talk him down?" He asks in which Rusty nods only to begin climbing.

Rusty seems to know where to put his feet as he climbs even moving to the side before continuing to avoid certain things or areas.

Ash turns to the other man. "And you are?" She asks in which he turns to her.

"The names Bailey. I'm the leader. Well since you are friends with Vav and dear X-ray then you can know that I'm mostly a stand in and helper for Big Mama."

"Big Mama?" Ash questions with an unsure face.

Bailey nods. "Yeah. She actually runs the show here. All those here fall under her command. It's to help keep us alive and in peace. She's an amazing leader. Even in her old age." He turns to see how Rusty is doing and sees that he's almost at the top. "She's kind, smart, compassionate, loving and loyal. She even tries to get the children into school if possible. You know. She always seems to know what to do. I don't know what we'd do without her. I really do hope she picks me to be her student." He turns to the two girls as Vav watches Rusty. "If she teaches me what she knows then when the time comes for her to pass on I can lead the group." His eyes shine. "I've been trying my best and so far it's gotten to the point that I'm a stand in so I think I have a good chance." He says puffing out his chest in pride.

Meanwhile Rusty peers into the car through the broken side window.

X-ray has turned away and is slightly curled up in a ball on the seat around the centre of it. "Go away." He says not even looking at the other.

"X-ray." Rusty says. "We came to talk."

"Don't wanna." X-ray grumbles but makes sure Rusty can hear him and understand him. "I'm fine right here right now."

Rusty climbs into the car through the window and sits by X-ray but close to the door as he has to sit normally. He has his head turned to the other. "Well then why don't we talk here?" He asks in which X-rays eyes flicker to him. "Like old times? When you'd hide up here and not want to talk so one of us would come here and talk to you." He says for old time's sake. "What do you say?"

X-ray glances away to look to the cars dashboard falling silent for a few moments. His eyes then flicker back to Rusty who waits for his answer.