Flurry paced up and down the floor, watching Tourian pace in the other direction. Ayrmin yapped occasionally in confusion, taking turns walking behind each of them. He finally gave a low howl and walked to a corner to sulk. Flurry finally stuck her arm out to stop her counterpart, and he stopped before crashing into it. He gazed at her questioningly.
"We told Cain everything," she remarked. "Everything."
He shrugged. "I know. That's what I was thinking about. Should we have trusted him? Will he tell the others? I mean --"
Flurry frowned. "I don't think he'll tell them. He left it up to us to tell them."
Tourian turned on her abruptly. "Do you think we can trust them?" he asked sharply. He slumped wearily. "I'm sorry. I -- I guess I've just --"
The door swung open, and an unfamiliar Reploid walked in. "I'm Ryft," he announced. "Dr. Cain wanted me to take you to your rooms. Follow me."
Flurry and Tourian exchanged uneasy glances, but Tourian whistled quickly to Ayrmin, who jumped up, wagging his tail. They followed him out to the hall, where he started up the hall at a brisk pace. They hurried after him; he said nothing more to them. They hadn't been moving for more than two minutes when a voice called after them sharply.
"Ryft! Leave 'em with me."
Flurry turned, gazing suspiciously at Zero, who took a somewhat hostile stance. Tourian nearly charged at him, but thought it over and settled back.
Ryft nodded quickly. "Yes, sir." He turned in a clipped, military fashion and soon disappeared down the hall.
"What do you want?" Flurry asked softly, trying to control what she feared might be a threatening tone of voice.
"Nothing. Doc said you're going to be on team with me and X. You might as well room near us." He turned down the hall.
"That means we have to trust you." Flurry's voice grew flat.
He smiled grimly. "Yup."
"Then lead the way," Tourian snapped, breaking off the argument before it could start. He was in no mood for such stupidity. He ignored Flurry's indignant glare. "Just shut up and show us how to get there."
Zero's mouth quirked. He was momentarily amused at how much he sounded like X. Of course, it might make sense, if he could only find out more about the two of them. He turned on his heel and stalked back in the other direction. After a moment's hesitation, the other two followed him.
"Listen, Tourian," Flurry hissed, "you had no right to break in like that --"
"If I hadn't," he growled in the same, hushed tone, "you would have stood there all night yammering at each other."
Zero pretended not to hear them, but kept walking. His thoughts roiled furiously. About what he would do once he got them to their rooms, about what he would say, how they would react. He wondered at X's seeming lack of curiosity. Lack of determination to find anything, anyway. But before he even saw it, they had reached the quarters in question, and were standing in front of them.
Flurry was glaring impatiently. "Well, is this where we're supposed to be? And if it's not, why have we stopped?"
Tourian jabbed her sharply, but Zero didn't say a word. He opened the door.
"The rooms are adjoining. You two argue about where to sleep. You can sleep in the capsule in the over there, or on the bed, or standing in the corner for all I care. Heck, you don't even have to sleep." He grimaced. "I'll come by in the morning for your first training exercises. Six sharp." He backed away from the door. "Everything in there's pretty self-explanatory. G'night."
He was gone and down the hall without another word to them. Flurry stepped into the room, trying to mask her exasperation. Tourian followed, and Ayrmin bounded onto the bed, where he proceeded to squirm about on his back and look a total fool. But he was a dog. No one held it against him. Flurry stalked to the middle of the room and sat on the floor. She didn't pay any attention to the furnishings, and she ignored Tourian completely. Until he headed for the other room.
"Wait," she said sharply. "I have to asked you something."
He stopped, turned around, slouched. "What?"
"How much do you know about them?"
"A lot. It was all in those files."
"Do you know how they died?"
"No."
"What do you know, then?"
"Where and when. Even why, I think."
"Good. Sit down and tell me what you know. I think they're the keys to saving our world."
Tourian shrugged easily, settling down on the floor beside her. "Well, I guess I should start at the beginning -- when Cain found that capsule. Anyway, he found X in there, intact, functioning and all that . . ."
Flurry listened in silence, and, as she did, she became even more firmly convinced that she was correct. Saving the greatest heroes of the age would save her future -- and everyone's.
Tourian woke from his sleep cycle the next morning -- and found himself alone in his chamber. He darted a startled look around before remembering where he was -- why he was there. Then he noticed Ayrmin snoozing on his bed. He had chosen to sleep in the capsule. It ran systems checks periodically, giving his own diagnostics system a chance to rest. Ayrmin wagged his tail faintly, lifting his head.
"Internal chronometer -- 5:30," he muttered absently, stepping out of the capsule. A half-hour until Zero came.
He heard noises in the next room over. Flurry was awake as well. After the storytelling he had done last night, she should trust Zero more than she did before, but he probably didn't trust either of them as far as a human could kick them. He probably trusts her more than me. I look too much like X. I suppose he's my twin, except for the armor -- this explains the armor, doesn't it? He grimaced painfully. I shouldn't have come here. Should have let Flurry take on her little crusade all by herself --
The door connecting the two rooms opened. Flurry walked in and closed it behind her, leaning wearily against it. Her head was sunk against her chest, and she fingered the knife in its sheathe and pulled it out, cradling it like a beloved child. He stared at her sadly.
"I'm sorry, Flurry. I really am. Maybe we shouldn't have --"
She looked up suddenly, a wild light in her eyes. "Don't you say that, Tourian!" she shouted. "Don't you ever say that!" Her eyes drifted back to the knife. "They'll die in a week -- two at the most. Maybe it's just a matter of days. We haven't got much time to stop it from happening." But we did the right thing -- didn't we? Coming back to watch our plans crumble around our ears. But then, we didn't have any plans anyway. She leaned her head back against the wall with a sigh. "I don't know where they're holding Zephyr anyway."
Tourian nodded and sat down beside her. She leaned against him unhappily, and they both drifted off into their own world -- for another half-hour.
Zero rapped on his door at six on the dot. He was not in a pleasant mood -- this was earlier than he liked to get up -- and at the lack of response, he pounded harder. The third time, he added a curse or two -- and nearly hit Tourian in the face when the robot opened the door.
"'Bout time," he snapped sourly. "Let's get going -- we've got all of two days to train you guys, and I've got the first shift."