Summary: No summary for you! -smirk- You hafta read (I'm ebil)
A/N: -looks up- I wonder what spawned this fic…please review!
ONWARDS ---
She was falling behind.
Under normal circumstances, Malka could easily keep pace with her favored companion.
However they were racing through a section of the Hive she had never entered, and it felt like they had been running for hours.
And given the size of the Hive, that was all too possible.
The young female stumbled slightly, not looking where she was going as she vainly sought to keep the flicker of white that was her companion's clothing in sight.
If not for a pair of large hands catching her, she would have slammed into the floor at top speed.
Malka's breath hitched as the floor stopped rushing up, her body jerking slightly as her momentum was suddenly checked.
The hands carefully set her back on her feet, a low chuckle escaping her savior as he did so, saying "You should be more careful"
Despite the fact that he had just rescued her from a rather painful accident, she whirled around and glared, "And you should watch your tone," she spat back.
By the male's startled expression, he had not realized exactly who he had been speaking too, and, after a moment, bowed.
Malka took the moment to study him; a soldier, and a low ranking one, if the rough cut and obvious wear of his uniform was anything to go by.
Other than that, he was a rather average, with sharp features and long limbs his only truly striking feature seemed to be his eyes; the irises were a fiery orange, a color rare in this Hive.
She was torn out of her study when Ekasix darted back around the corner, spotting the pair and walking over.
To her infinite surprise, it was the soldier who bowed to her friend and, for once, not the other way around.
He must have been low ranking indeed, to have to acknowledge Ekasix.
She had resumed staring at the soldier's now retreating form when her friend tugged on her arm.
"We must hurry!" he hissed, "The archives will not remain unguarded for much longer."
Three nights prior, the young male had stolen to her quarters and revealed a plan for the pair of them to get into the archives during a change in guard shifts.
How the youth had come across this information was something she would never know, the archives were always under heavy guard.
Which meant that Ekasix would not have such a low rank once someone realized exactly how stealthy he was.
And that would take a long time, sadly, because he knew the Hive like it was part of himself.
Malka blinked and noted that Ix had once again nearly vanished down the corridor, and she began to run again, finding him again fifteen minutes later when she nearly barreled into him as she turned a corner.
In silence he padded away from her, peering around a corner before looking back at her and beckoning.
Not questioning him, she obeyed, careful to stay quiet as she sidled up to the door he was trying to open.
It took a few nervous moments of fiddling before it finally slid open a bit, and they were able to slid in before the doors closed again.
They would have two hours until the next guard shift, and that would be plenty of time to do their research.
As her companion called up one of the displays, Malka lounged against one of the display tables and asked, "Why do you need me here?"
The young male sent her a scathing look over one shoulder, "You know full well that I have trouble reading," he snapped.
In all honesty, Malka had forgotten that he had difficulties reading, and suddenly remembered that the male had issues comprehending the words that would come up on the displays around the Hive.
Once, she had asked him why, and he tried to explain that the letters seemed to be out of the correct order and it would take him longer to realize which word the letters were creating.
It had baffled her for some time, and watching his frustration as he muddled out the words.
She was here because it would take less time to gather the information about the words they were going to, even though it would be harder to slip past the guards with two of them.
Even though the fact that he needed help would frustrate and embarrass him to no end.
The sounds of moving bodies outside of the room alerted her to the reason she was here.
And that was to help Ekasix gather as much information about the planets they were going to before the next change in shift.
Mutely she pushed herself away from the console she had been leaning on, and walked over to one of the large displays and got to work.
--
Two hours later, the sound of moving feet reached their ears again, slowly fading into the distance.
The two children looked at one another before turning back to their displays, carefully shutting every system down after erasing any evidence of their presence.
Then, as one, they padded slowly to the door, listening intently before opening the door a crack and watching the corridor before opening it fully.
Malka was the first one out, streaking across the broad passageway and onto a smaller path, ducking around a corner and waiting anxiously for her companion to join her.
Two nerve-wracking minutes passed before he skidded around the corner, grabbing her by the wrist and nearly dragging her along.
Over the sounds of their ragged breathing and pounding feet, she could hear the heavier tread of adults following theirs.
Someone had seen them.
Malka tried to force her legs to keep moving, lest she fall again and cause them to be caught.
The punishment for their little escapade would be severe.
Suddenly Ekasix whipped around a corner, and for a moment Malka felt herself leave the ground, a small cry escaping her as she was pulled into an alcove formed by a series of supports.
Another startled sound escaped her, but that was muffled by the very thing that had caused it; Ekasix had slapped a hand over her mouth to silence her.
Just in time as well, because a small group of guards ran through the path they had been using, still chasing after them.
The children stood there for a few heartbeats, and were just starting to relax when another guard came into view.
The male paused in front of their hiding spot, and a pair of sharp orange eyes seemed to lock onto them for a moment, before their owner turned his head and trotted after his companions.
For a moment she felt boneless, before she straightened up and ripped his friend's hand off of her mouth, turning to fix him with a baleful stare before stepping from the small alcove and looking around.
"Where are we?" she asked hushed tones.
He didn't reply, stepping out of the hiding place and looking around for a moment to get his bearings, before picking a direction and starting off.
Malka sighed and trotted after him, wondering when he had the time to explore as much as he did.
She tended to forget that he didn't have the extra lessons that the highborn were given, and that he didn't have an image to keep up.
Once his lessons were over, he was essentially allowed to do what he pleased.
Which was anything, as he tended to buck the rules whenever possible.
--
They would return to the central area of the Hive in one and a quarter hours, entering through the Dart bay.
She had always liked this area, despite its rather cold silence, and the white miasma that rolled off of the thin web like pathways that crossed it.
The young female especially liked the Darts, thinking them to be graceful, a sight to behold as they shot through the air overhead on the way to battle or a culling.
As they had walked, the pair had pooled the information gleaned from the archives.
Basic things, history of the planet, topography and climate.
As well as mapping out the human groupings that resided closest to the Ring.
That was the most important thing.
However the Trial was still something that loomed in the distance, still a worrisome thing despite their knowledge.
As if sensing her thoughts, Ekasix looked back at her, and asked quietly, "Are you afraid"
Malka looked away from her friend, lip curling slightly as she pulled her shoulders back and replied coolly, "I'm not afraid of anything."
He must have seen past her bravado, and replied, "You don't have to pretend around me"
The honesty in his words made her shoulders sag slightly and look back at him wordlessly.
Despite her silence, Ekasix must have understood, because he nodded slightly and said, "I'm afraid as well…", he then paused and glanced away, looking suddenly nervous, before adding, "I don't want anything to happen to you"
Malka's eyes widened slightly as his face colored with embarrassment, greenish skin darkening as he looked away.
"I don't want anything to happen to you either," she replied calmly.
He was her closest friend, and she wasn't sure what she would do without him around.
He nodded slightly, falling into step with her as they picked their way across the bay.
"We shall be fine," she added confidently, glancing over at him for a moment.
But once she looked at him, the sudden assurance that had filled her seemed to drain away, leaving her colder than before, and feeling slightly ill.
As though something was telling her he wouldn't return.
Or that he wouldn't return as she knew him.
--
-TBC-
A/N: well? -prod- review please!