SORRY! I've been really busy lately, just havent had the chance to update. So, here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy. This story actually doesn't have much left, only three chapters including this one :( but there will almost definitely be a sequel, since i have loads of ideas now my writer's block has gone. Only thing about the sequel is it will probably be rated M, because it will probably be a lot more adult, with a lot more swearing, action and possibly lemons.

Maria closed her eyes, smiling as the wind currents tugged at her hair. She barrel rolled, avoiding crashing into a small piece of floating debris. Peurto Angel was far behind her. She felt a guilty pang at the thought of Wayan when he woke up and found her note, but mainly she just hoped that he would do as instructed. If he didn't, there would be major problems. The hulking form of Olympus appeared below her. She angled her body straight down, nose diving towards the vast expanse of water that covered a third of it.

Wayan opened his eyes, rubbing the sleep from them he yawned long and loud, stretching like a cat. He swung his legs down and out of bed. Frowning, he picked up the piece of paper from his bedside table. He was still in the sick bay of the St Nazaire, but he'd be going home today after the tour of Puerto Angel he'd insisted on giving to Maria. He grinned. He'd been up most of the night before talking to Maria. She was a really cool girl, if a bit troubled. She'd told him her story, after a while, about the compound she'd lived in the first 6 years of her life, how the children there vanished around her to be moved to different buildings, but that everyone had known something bad had happened to them really. Her sister was the only person to ever break out of the special buildings, she'd found Maria and taken her to a remote block. Then she'd come back for some of the other children. When the facility had realised what was happening, they moved to a different block. Maria had been searching for that block ever since her sister had been kidnapped, in an attempt to continue sasha's work.

He opened up the note, which was written in a hurried, slanted script that he didn't recognise.

Wayan, i know you expected to be showing me around Puerto Angel today, but there are more important things going on which i have to tell you about. The day that we met, in Ningxia, i was supposed to be performing a service for the sphere. I know right this second as you read this you must be completely appalled at me, but please believe me, i did it for a very good reason, which i can't tell you yet.

I need you to do something for me that is vitally important. There's a block at 50°04'N, 05°44'W that you need to go to. Tell the people there that I sent you. Then take them back to Puerto Angel with you. I have something to do. I know its a lot to ask, but please trust me, i need you to go there, or they'll probably come to harm.

Love, Maria x

He frowned and looked up from the message, folding the paper back over and tucking it in a pocket. He had to talk to Cortes.

"No. Absolutely bloody not." Cortes turned back to his newspaper, settling further back into his chair. Wayan practically growled at him.

"Why? There are people in possible danger! Cortes, we need to go to this place!"

"No we don't." Cortes sighed and removed his boot clad feet from the desk, throwing his paper down frustratedly. "Wayan, that girl is a liar! She was on Ningxia solely to blow the block and the pirates on it sky-high!"

"No. You're lying. Maria wouldn't do that. There must be a reason, she said there was a reason."

"Yeah and that reason is that she's a sociopath who works for the sphere!" He sighed. "Wayan, look, i know that you like the girl, but you have to face facts. Right now she's probably on the Olympus telling Oslo to send an ambush to the coordinates she gave us."

Wayan shook his head. Cortes wouldn't listen, the stubborn fool. Oh, no doubt, he was a good captain, but sometimes you had to take risks. As he left the room, he had already formed a plan in his mind. He would leave alone in one of the mosquitoes. No doubt Cortes would attempt to follow him, so he'd change ships at ningxia to throw him off. Swap the mosquito for something quite simple, but with room for these people he was supposed to be finding. He wasn't too worried about giving in the mosquito, when cortes arrived at ningxia he would get it back. The time it took cortes to retrieve the mosquito from an unwilling trader would give wayan the head start he needed.

Wayan smiled as he entered the launch bay for the mosquitoes. Everything would be fine. Cortes would see that soon.

Dahlia lay under a mosquito, fiddling with its sensors. It had been glitching a bit when she took it out for a flight the other day and she had decided to try and fix whatever the hell was wrong with it. Anything that took her mind off Mahad and Shannon was good. Twisting a particularly stiff bolt on the hatch that concealed the mosquito's control network, she heard footsteps off to her left but ignored them, concentrating on her work. Just as she sat up, a foot hooked under the small, wheeled board she was sitting on and whipped her out from under the machine, causing her to smack her head violently into the underside of the mosquito. Rubbing her head and glaring up at her attacker, she scowled and stood.

"Oops!" said Shannon, mock pouting "Did i hurt you? I'm sorry, i didn't realise your big head would get in the way" Dahlia scoffed.

"MY big head? That's rich, at least my head has some semblance of a brain in it! If a thought came into your head it would die of loneliness!" Shannon laughed and tossed her hair, pulling out a small compact.

"Well, whatever miss oh-so-clever. I'm not the one who got used as a one night stand. Jeez Dahlia, don't you get it? NOBODY loves you. Mahad even told me he had no idea what he was doing sleeping with you last night, said it was all a big mistake. I forgave him of course. I'm not going to break off a longlasting, loving relationship because the town tart seduced him." Dahlia's mouth was dry. He'd been with her a while? What? How was that possible?

"Oh, FYI you airhead waste of space, i am not the town tart, in fact, Mahad was my first" she blushed at the admittal, but continued "and you can say what you like about him, i KNOW he wouldn't say anything like that. Last night, he told me he loved me." Shannon laughed shrilly.

"Oh really? he loves you? Tell me Dahlia, did your mother say that too? Before she abandoned you to a group of pirates when you were a baby? And besides..."

Dahlia shivered and gripped the wrench she'd been using earlier tighter, knuckles turning white at the exertion. For a second she thought she could feel it bending as she seriously considered smacking the bitch around the face with the metal rod. It would certainly be very satisfying, but then shannon would only have another reason to go crying to Mahad. The remark about her mother was a low blow, even though Shannon couldn't possibly realise how low. Taking a deep breath, Dahlia tuned back into what Shannon was saying.

"he says your not that pretty, and i have to agree. With a face like yours i would expect you to wear at least SOME makeup, i mean god-"

"Let me tell you something, shannon" Dahlia quickly cut her off. Surprisingly, shannon let her. "You can paint an ugly building as nicely as you like, but its still the same ugly structure underneath. In other words, you can paint that greasy orange slap you call makeup on your face as thick as you like, but you'll still be ugly as fuck underneath it!" Shannon's eyes widened and brimmed with tears. She began sobbing pitifully. Dahlia snorted.

"Oh save it. Do you really think i believe those are real tears-"

"DAHLIA! thats ENOUGH!" Mahad brushed past her and looped an arm around Shannon, frowning disapprovingly at her. "Why were you being so rude to Shannon?"

"BECAUSE SHE'S A LYING COW!" Dahlia pointed her wrench at her accusingly, before waving her hand dismissively. "But whatever, Mahad. You're both perfectly matched for each other since you're both lying, preening idiots." She laughed and walked away, waving goodbye nonchalantly over her shoulder "You deserve each other!"

Mahad frowned bemusedly and looked at shannon.

"What the hell was that about?"

ohhh, YES, that felt good. Getting the last word was always verrrrry satisfying. Wayan jogged over to her quickly, panting.

"Dahlia, need...to leave...maria in trouble...going to ningxia...coming with me?" Dahlia considered before nodding brightly. Ningxia was beautiful this time of year, plus, she had a way of getting Mahad jealous.

"Alright Wayan" She slung her arm around him, which he blinked at, but didnt comment, "lets go to Ningxia" Wayan nodded and put his arm round her, grateful for the support after him running around the ship to find her. Maria had been right, he really needed to get fitter.

They entered the hangar together at a quick speed, Dahlia waltzing him over to the mosquitos, past Mahad, whom she greeted chirpily. He frowned at her as Mahad passed, shooting the pair of them a confused look.

"Dahlia, is everything okay with you and Mahad?" She sighed and lowered her voice conspirationally. Wayan had always been a trustable friend to her.

"I saw him kissing shannon this morning." Wayan nodded, understanding. So she was jealous. He closed the top of his mosquito and took off. Chuckling, he realised she'd been trying to do the same to Mahad, using Wayan to incite jealous fealings in the younger man. Judging by the look on Mahad's face when he'd seen them walking past arms wrapped around each other, it had probably worked...