:SEAN:

"It's okay, Sean." The one called Lexie assured me.

Cody agreed. "Yeah, Trey's here. He'll take care of it."

That's not logical, I think. I've never ever been this scared in my life. And I have a good reason to feel that way-the flames are so close that I can feel them even from here-

"Get going! NOW!"

I hear Trey yelling up ahead. "There," Cody has to pull me off the ground when I realize I was barely standing anymore. I have a brief glimpse of Trey in the center of a break in of the flames with his arms spread as if he can make them obey him willingly. Then we're past him, joining the front group ahead of us.

"AHH!"

"CODY?!" Corrin briefly glances back to us.

"I'm o-okay! Keep going Corrin!"

I have no time to register that. A few minutes more, the smoke thins suddenly and then, incredibly, we're stepping out on to the parched earth. We've survived. I gasped with relief as Cody collapsed when I dropped down. Moisture floods his eyes-is he crying? The only thing I see to have caused that reaction is a scorched mark on his arm.

"Ow! Ow! It really stings, ow!"

Something in me is triggered to move that I took his arm into my hand before Corrin could reach us. The child stares at me, wide-eyed. "It does not seem like the damage is something permanent, it's not so horridly burnt that your tendons are damaged. The epidermis is still mostly intact. A long soak in cold water should lessen the sting, and after a few days, it'll be as if nothing happened to it."

"Sean.."

"You'll be okay," I looked at Cody then I caught myself. I leaned back, looking away. What did I just allow myself to do?! I should be greatly bothered by this. But for some reason, I am only embarrassed. That can't be the right response.

"Rest here," Kytes leads Nina and Thomas over to where we're sitting as the main healer, Corrin, is looking over Cody's burn. "See, I told you we'd be all right!"

I looked at the forest and shudder. The fire is spreading. The trees writhing and twisting under it. I don't think I'll ever forget the sound they made as they burned for as long as I live.

"Are we all here?" Rhys walked down the rows of exhausted, smoke stained people. I have to admit that the organization of these people is well done. "Everything okay?"

Meeko came over, and I must be really dizzy after that exercise. For a moment, I saw four of them. After a blink, he's one again. "I did a clone count. A few injured, nothing big though." He tells the Second-in-Command.

"Wait, where's Trey?" Nina demands suddenly, fearing coloring her voice. "He's still out there!"

Thomas starts, coming out of an almost shock-like state. "He's not—he didn't—"

"He should be back by now." Rhys frowned. "His watch should warn him of his limits."

I raised a brow. "A Watch tells time."

"There!" Cody points towards the path we just used.

There's a break in the flames lapping the forest edge and Trey steps out, the flame immediately whipping up behind him. I draw sharp breath—I can't deny what I just saw. No wonder the surface is off limits.

"I suppose we now know what the scientists meant by abnormalities." I said.

And Thomas flinches. I almost expect him to lash out at me, but he doesn't. His eyes flicks over to Kytes and Cody and for the first time, there's a sort of distance in them. Obviously wondering if they've been altered, too. Either is too buys looking worriedly at Trey to notice.

"Rhys, shit man, I think—" Meeko couldn't finish what he thinks as Rhys is already moving. "Damn shit."

I wonder why—until the scruffy haired leader stumbles and falls. He's immediately the focus of a lot of attention. The surface dwellers crowd around him, over top of them, the young man we encountered previously, Jonah, calls for Corrin's help. Rhys is telling everybody to get back. Only minutes after the healer—and I figured now that was literal—reached the crowd he's got most people out of the way and is making plans with Corrin. At least, that's what I assume they're doing. We can't actually hear from where we're seated.

"It's okay," Kytes has returned with Cody. "Trey's not hurt."

Cody nodded. "Corrin says he breathed in a lot of that smoke and using his power wouldn't have helped. We'll be resting here for an hour or so before we start towards the base." he says. I decided to let the fact that he decided to plonk himself down beside me go unremarked.

I want information.

"Cody, what Trey just did—is that considered normal in your group?"

Cody shrugged his shoulders. "Well, normal for Trey. If I did it, or if Meeko could do it, I don't think he'll ever stop hunting or fighting our radioactive enemies..."

"You have powers too?" Thomas and Nina both asked in synchronization.

Cody nodded. "Uh-huh. Only, we're supposed to keep it hidden. That's why those guards back at your base capture me, I forgot and—"

A conversation with Cody is like playing this game called pinball. Once he started, you have to do your best to shift him into the topic of your interest. Fortunately, pinball is not at all complex.

"You have to concentrate to use your powers?"

"A bit. Sometimes, you have to concentrate not to use them. I've had mine for a few months, and I learned if you get emotional, it just triggers and you might make things happen without meaning to." Cody explained. "so you got to learn to control it."

I wonder if the others are thinking of the bear like I am.

"Corrin wants me to come over." Cody stands abruptly. "I'll be back."

I didn't see the healer beckon him. I watch Cody as he joins the group surrounding their leader. I wonder what power our smiling guide has. He didn't say.

"I should have known it was too good to be true," Thomas says suddenly. "Fucking Councilors. I'd like to wring their scrawny necks..."

I turn my attention back to my companions. Thomas's attention, rather curiously, shifts from Kytes, to Trey, to Cody, then back again. I watch Trey meet Thomas's gaze. His face tightens and then he looks up at Corrin with a stilted smile.

Thomas is silent.

Three days ago, if you'd ask me, I would have affirmed that silence was my preferred operating condition, that nothing was restful. Now I wish he'd say something, anything, just to end this oppressive mood.

"Maybe," Nina speaks up quietly. "maybe it's not as bad as we think. We don't know—" She stops and looks at Trey from a distance. A few minutes later she starts again. "After all, Cody's done nothing to harm us."

"Has done nothing to harm us yet." Thomas's voice is—what? Bitter? Dark?

I've become a lot more adept at reading emotion than I've used to be, and yet this still confuses me. And I thought machines were complex. But Cody—Cody is in many ways not complex. And in others, very confusing.

"Cody wouldn't hurt us. Such an occurrence does not compliment with his behavior patterns."

Thomas snorts. "And this is from the expert of human psychology. Well, I hate to say it but I think your programmer's missed a few logic circuits—"

"I wasn't the one who wanted to come up here!" I snapped back.

Oddly enough, now that I turn out to have been justified in my dislike of everything beyond my machine, I'm strangely... Dissatisfied.

"We still have suits." Nina says firmly. "we can go back if we wish. But let's give the surface another chance. After all, we don't know everything—" she breaks off as Cody and Kytes rejoins us.

"How are you feeling?" Thomas's sun-haired brother asked.

Cody doesn't wait for us to answer. "You okay heading to the base now? It'll probably take you guys longer because you're not used to long walks. But you don't want to travel at night, and Trey doesn't want to put you all in danger just because he got hurt."

"It's not that far," Kytes adds, which was a relief. "once we're there, you'll be able to relax properly and everything."

"You'll really like this base, Rhys says it's something called a train—it's a type of machine, Sean." Cody smiles at me.

Is he trying to make me feel happy? I looked at his hopeful expression and feel something... wistful?

"I doubt it will be anything like my machine. It was formulated and built in the few years just before the surface became unsafe and even then it was still in the trial phase-"

Kytes interrupts. "Machine?" He obviously hasn't heard the story yet.

Thomas and Nina fill him in on the last few years. I observe silently, Thomas's words from this morning in my mind. If it hadn't been for chance, Nina would have been the one sent up here. Knowledgeable, practical Nina. Kytes would be normal. I try to imagine it... Kytes, his hair cut as neatly as Thomas's, his skin just as pale. Nina would be... would she be as dark as her brother? No, she'd be dead. Another one of the countless. I'm surprised to discovered just how sad that thought makes me. It isn't fair that they were summarily singled out and expelled like that. Maybe I can discuss it with the Council to have a reformation...

Cody is helping by filling in details. Apparently, his short time spent in the underground city makes him an expert. I listened, entertained, as he tells Kytes about the magic of sliding doors and Doctors. I'm less than amused, however, when the topic reaches me.

"Lindsay had proof that the machines were unsafe. The first operator died of a heart strain—"

"There was no first operator!" I protested. "There was just me!" Thomas and Nina looked surprised. I supposed this is the first time I've really yelled. I'm too angry to care. "I'm the only one with the knowledge to manage the machine! I'm too important for them to risk my safety!"

"Sean," Nina forestalls quietly, but I'm in no mood to be reasoned with.

"It's bad enough that you're dragging me into this activity, don't pretend you actually care what happens to me in particular. You wanted to go up here to see your brothers! It was never anything to do with me!"

There is pity or something like it on their faces. I don't want to see it. Cody calls after me as I turned my back on them and stalk off.

"Sean!"

I ignored him and keep walking.

"Sean!" He catches up to me, "don't go off by yourself—this is the swamp right? Stick close and we'll get through. Don't forget the bear."

Just yesterday and I thought I'd never be able to forget that bear.

We have what, I suppose, in surface terms is a relatively uneventful journey, reaching the base shortly after Kytes, Thomas and Nina do. The rest of the surface dwellers reached here long before we did, even Trey. Cody was right, I do approve of this base. I walked up and down the tracks, looking at the train—some sort of vehicle by the design. It is divided into sections called carriages, with an engine at the front. I poke around the controls happily.

"This one here probably controlled the brakes, while I'd say these were the acceleration..."

I have an audience of not just Cody but Rhys as well. "I'll have to show you my collection of old machines and tools. I've been attempting to restore them. However, since most of them require an external power source, there's not a lot I can do—"

"I'm sure with the right materials a generator wouldn't be too hard to pull together." I mused.

Cody is watching me again—this time, smiling slightly.

"Rhys!" Meeko calls and our companion excuses himself.

"What?"

Cody blinked at me. "What?" he echoes.

"What was that smile all about?"

The child rubs the back of his head, as if he thinks I'm going to yell at him. "I was just thinking—you almost look happy then."

I stared at him in astonishment.

"Meeko passed on Trey's instruction; he wants me to take you to your carriages." Rhys returns. "Follow me."

The carriage is large enough for three mattresses to be spread comfortably on the floor. Unlike those at the hotel, these are made from plastic cushions, which Cody tells us came from seats which used to adorn the train. The room is apparently Trey's. However, we do not see the scruffy haired leader all evening. Although not an expert, I think he's avoiding us, or more to the point, Thomas.

"What are those things?" Cody asked, watching Thomas and Nina unpack their packs.

Nina held up a device. "It's a meter designed to measure the amount of non-standard particles in an object or atmosphere."

"Huh, almost like our watches." Cody looked at the device on his wrist. Rhys mentioned something similar. I'm gonna have to ask about that. "So why'd you bring that?"

"In order to decide whether or not it was safe to take off our suits."

Cody looks at me. "Would you take off your suit if it told you it was safe?"

"Absolutely not." I snorted.

Nina got the device going. "There, it's ready to go." she stands up and holds out the device. "I'll measure the room first."

* Level of pollution 1-2% Safe for human habitation.*

"It talks!" Cody is astonished. "how does it do that? Is it actually a person? Is that his R. Ability? What's his name?"

I raised a brow, trying not to smile. "There's a recording inside."

Nina points the machine at Cody.

* Level of Pollution 22% Advise caution. *

"Cotton?" Cody frowned. "I'm a person, not a fluff ball." he pouted sourly.

It's amusing to see him capable of being annoyed.

"I don't understand. Below twenty five percent is not supposed to have any adverse effects on people." Thomas says.

"Hmm, maybe it'd changed if I used my powers." Cody comes up with a useful suggestion. "Want me to? It's not as dangerous as Trey's—most of the time."

Thomas nods cautiously. "That most of the time is worrisome though..."

"Okay!"

Cody gets quiet then, and shuts his eyes. There's a minute or so when nothing happens. Then Nina squeaks as her pack floats past her. I scramble to my feet to stare in astonishment at our belongings—now floating about a meter off the ground.

"I-I can do this, too..."

Cody winces a bit and a figure slowly materializes. A figure that looks suspiciously like Thomas.

"Crap." Aforementioned blonde cursed. Cody grins suddenly as the figure disappears and the next thing I know, there's a squawk from Thomas."Put me down!" The blond is suspended about a feet off the ground and does not look happy about it, not one bit—

I laughed.