A/N: A new chapter! At last! And I wrote down the plot and I LOST THE SHEET OF PAPER SO SHIT YEAH /sob. But I hope you enjoy it. This is actually the second time I wrote this chapter. Believe me, the first time was TOTALLY half-assed.


Finally, the mustachioed man spoke.

"What the hell do you mean you don't know us?" he spat angrily, "What kind of sick joke is this?"

"Why would I bother to lie?" Alek hissed, bristling. This man bothered him already. "I - we - just woke up from some sort of chamber, and were pushed on our way with no information!"

"No information? The point is to get out, now that we're here; and that's what we're going to do, you foolish boy. And you're coming."

Alek narrowed his eyes and observed the man. His stance was rigid and his eyes were outraged. His cheeks had taken on a ruddy hue as they had argued. The boy lifted his chin, reviewing his options. He could go with them, strength in numbers and so on; or he could find his own way. But that was much more dangerous, he supposed. Without any knowledge of his surroundings, he was more liable to be injured or something of that nature. They would lead him, assuming they knew where they were going or what they were up against, outside. He supposed they had a common goal: escape.

He ran a hand through his hair, gazing at the other man icily.

"Very well," Aleksandar said. "You may be useful to me, and perhaps I would be to you. After all we both feel the urge to escape, and we shall."

The man's brow furrowed, then he shrugged.

"Right then." He held out a hand. "Volger. Wildcount Ernst Volger."

Alek took his hand and shook it firmly, nodding once. Volger gestured to the younger, nervous looking gentleman.

"Hans Bauer."

Alek held out a hand to shake, but appeared to take Hans by surprise. He shied back and gave him a look with terror. He froze up, and then trembled madly. The boy raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down closely as he began to mutter to himself.

"Is he always like this?" he asked Volger in a soft voice.

"Well, he wasn't last time we were awake together. He's a corporal."

"Hmm."

The brown hair woman glanced at Bauer, who looked like he was working on calming himself down, then tapped Alek's shoulder.

"Dr. Nora Darwin Barlow," she said. Alek nodded a greeting.

"Pleasure to meet you. Again, I suppose."

"Indeed, my dear boy."

Dr. Barlow looked over at the blonde girl, frowning. She seemed to be upset, pacing back and forth with red cheeks.

"Deryn, is everything alright?"

She spun around and pointed in exasperation at her throat and shook her head, before resuming her pacing.

"You can't talk, can you?" Alek sighed sympathetically. The girl shook and her head and glared at him. Her eyes sent a very clear message, "I don't need any of your damned pity." He held up his hands submissively and looked Volger automatically. In the back of his mind, there was a very faint image. He was looking up at Volger in this very manner, looking for answers; always looking for answers.

"Deryn Sharp. Your best friend, as a recall." He smirked knowlingly, as if to say, "And a little something more."

"Is that so?" the boy murmured, glancing at the girl where his eyes lingered all by themselves. He found he was memorizing every one of her features, now that his anger and shock had subsided. She had a soft, heart-shaped face with rich yellow hair and sky blue eyes. Her figure was none too impressive, but Alek found he liked it. Pale skin, splashed with freckles here and there, with slight hips and chest and a lank, atheletic build. It was difficult to believe she would be his best friend. Last time he checked, he had no friends; only acquaintances.

When he finally found it in him to tear his eyes away and looked back a Volger, he looked disapprovingly down at him whilst Barlow elbowed him, grinning annoying wide, in the side.

"Um-"

"I think it's best if we start our trek now," Volger growled, glowering at the woman.

"Right yes, let's go."

"Bauer, Sharp!"

Hans looked up, once calmed, looking a bit startled, and Deryn scowled sourly.

"We're leaving."

The girl nodded and took Bauer's elbow the led him forward. Alek began to follow Volger (a feeling that felt extremely familiar). Hopefully, things would become clearer as they went through this labyrinth.

He studied the door curiously as they approached. Half of it was a teal color with a figure of a person in gray, looking as though it were running. The other half was just the opposite. It slid open with a pneumatic whoosh. It revealed a small room, a large red button just in front of them. Alek stepped in hesitantly after Dr. Barlow. He saw a glowing light blue line leading from the button to the door, same as the one they had just entered. There was a blue box, same color as the line, with a large, black X throught it at the end of the line. In the corner and on the ceiling, there was a large cylindrical container.

Inquisitively, Alek stepped underneath the contanier, but Volger grabbed his arm and hauled him back. Just in time, too. He would've been underneath a heavy, metal cube with various pale blue markings that had dropped fromt he container.

"Thanks," he said.

"Scheissekopf," muttered Volger.

A male, chearful but monotonic voice sounded from unseen speakers.

"Cube and button based testing are still an importent tool for science, even in a dire emergency. If cube and button based testing casued an emergency, don't worry. The odds of this happening tiwce are very slim."

Then the voice crackled out.

"So," Alek said, studying the test, "to open the door, we put the cube on the button."

"Yes," answered Dr. Barlow. "Assuming all the testing is functional and that there is no other way beside testing, the tests will become harder as we go along. But, I'm not entirely sure how we're going to get out without portal guns at our disposal."

"I'm still not sure what a portal gun even is."

"Then we'll tell you, while you try your hand at testing," Volger said dryly.

Alek rolled his eyes and stepped toward the cube.

"A portal gun," began the wildcount, "is a device in which you make portals; to go through one point and out the other, understand?"

"Yes," grunted Alek as he heaved up the cube. It was much heavier than he thought it would be. A heavyweight storage cube, his mind whispered to him. His brow furrowed, wondering where he had even come up with that information.

"There is an orange portal and a blue portal; a portal gun produces both, depending on which trigger you pull. It is required for testing, or you'll be stuck at stage one. It also makes the cubes easier to lift."

"Right." He rather unceremoniously dropped the heavy cube onto the button. The lines and box immediately went from blue, to orange and the X turned into a check mark. The door opened jerkily, and ended up only half way open. As he wriggled through and between debris, he saw a short flight of stairs that headed downwards.

Sally-forth; tally-ho, thought Alek as he trotted down the rusted stairs. There was a shaft in the center of the circular room that was filled with debris. Heavyweight storage cubes, odd, three-legged white machines with a dark, unlit eye in their center, among a score of other things. They began to fall, slowly at first, then picked up in speed. When they were all gone, a lift descended and opened up to them. It was a clear, rather small cylinder with various controls in the back but they seemed like they really weren't needed.

He stepped in reluctantly, going to the back as the others pressed in. There was little room to move, Deryn so close against him. He knew he should've felt uncomfortable, but he found her body relaxed his and she just seemed to... fit into his chest. She felt like a puzzle piece that worked so neatly into another. He felt his face color in embarrassment, and hers pinkened but she wore a ghost of a smile upon her lips. Her lips... For some reason they attracted Alek's gaze. She was about a hair shorter than he was, and he was extremely aware for the heat that seemed to spread through his entire being. Deep in the back of his mind, a memory partially wiggled out.

He felt cold. Rain pounded against him and blood streaked down his face. Deryn was just over him, holding a hand to his forehead. He couldn't make out her words yet, when her face came so close to his, until-

The memory fizzled out, fading to white.

He blinked down at Deryn, trying to call up the memory again. But he couldn't. She just looked up at him with a curious expression. Eager to look anywhere else, he looked at the other three. Bauer was squished between Volger and Dr. Barlow. The older man looked rather cross about the situation. Barlow wore an amused smirk, looking out at the shaft. Bauer seemed like he wasn't even aware of either of them.

Finally the lift came to helt in another circular room, opening automatically. Just like before, a flight of stairs led up, to the test, Alek guessed. As they climbed up and looked out from the ledge, the man's voice came to life as they observed the dreary scene.

"If you feel liquid running down the back of your neck, keep calm, lay on your back, and apply immediate pressure to your temples. You are simply experiencing a rare reaction in which the Material Emancipation Grill may have emancipated the ear tubes inside your head."

Bauer looked worried but he didn't seem to believe his ear tubes had been emancipated. Alek looked out again. There were two cracked glass boxes, like the ones they had jumped through before they began their one on the right had a box with a heavyweight storage cube and a small red button on a podium type object. The one on the left just had one of the large buttons, and behind those two boxes and a layer of glass, was the exit.

Alek jumped down, landing on his strange boots with little more than a slight jarring sensation up his legs. Deryn leaped down, landing gracefully beside him. Volger was next and then the doctor, and finally Hans, who looked a little less than thrilled about jumping even from that height, probably two metres or so. After a moment, there was a whoosh of a portal opening. An orange portal had opened up behind them. A blue portal had appeared in the right box, lingered for a minute then appeared in the left box, lingered, then went to the back box. They cycle went like that for several times before Alek got the message.

"Shall I solve this one too?" he asked.

"If you want," Volger shrugged. "We'll tell you where to go. Go get the cube first."

"Right."

Alek turned back to the orange portal and readied himself. After what seemed like an eternity, Hans finally squeaked, "Jetzt." The boy jumped through the portal and into the other room.

Broken glass crunched under his boots as he landed neatly, and stepped over and pressed the button. A heavyweight storage cube tumbled to the ground. Alek picked it up, his muscles straining, and struggled back to where the portal would open. In a moment, it opened and he pushed his way through.

Deryn touched his arm when he put the cube down a moment to relax. He looked at her coolly, and attempted to stop her when she started to pick up the cube. She only punched him in the chest to reward his efforts.

She was much stronger than he had realized. It was still difficult, but she seemed to have it easier than Alek. It made him indignant, but no one commented on it, if they noticed. Alek watched the blue portal.

"Go," he said when the portal had appeared in the right box. She lunged through. Her boots clacked against the glass and concrete as she dropped the cube onto the button. She jumped back through in one single, fluid movement as the portal closed.

"Damn, girl," Bauer said after a moment, "You're bloody fast." It was so strong and fearless that Alek wasn't even sure if it had been the man at all. It seemed a bit of his usual personality had briefly resurfaced before lapsing back behind his fears.

Deryn beamed and grinned smugly at Alek. He scowled, glaring at her.

"Shut up."

Now it was her turn to glare.

He sneered.

"Alright, kids, calm down," Dr. Barlow jumped in, giving Alek a little push, "Here's our portal." Alek glanced over and mindlessly jumped through, as if it were second nature which surprised him. He was surprised how easily he had come to except his state, the portal, his companions, and their situation. He was followed promptly by Bauer, Deryn, Barlow, and finally Volger, who nearly got cut off if he hadn't grasped Dr. Barlow's waist and pulled himself through.

She glared at him pointedly, to which he smirked, and probably would've said something, had he not realized that the other three were still there. He only grinned, rather wolfish to Alek, before striding past.