"Though it's pretty much a contradiction…you're basically the leader of some group of anarchists who want to bring GeneCo to its filthy knees?"

"Basically," Riley confirmed with a smile. "We've been at it a long time. Supply raids here. Fires there. Though only a small number of the men and women actually stay in the…" he remembered the fire with a pause, and corrected himself, "stayed in the old restaurant, the resistance movement has overtaken most of the underground. What's left," at this his face contorted into a scowl toward Demetri, "are those who aid the enemy."

Graverobber chuckled. This kid talked like some hokey general in an old military film. But despite himself....he was impressed. Even more so that he hadn't heard anything about a "Save Shilo" trend or anti-Co campaign. They were good, obviously. And he could tell from a certain light Riley's eyes shown with that there was a plan somewhere behind them. Maybe it was being formed, or maybe it had existed as a goal for some time. But it was there, and Riley was on fire with the knowledge of it.

"I don't know what you actually think you can do," Demetri spat with disgust. "This thing, this world we live in…all of it is too big for us, for anyone to change. They'll find you eventually, all of you, and take you out back – shoot you like a bad dog with rabies."

Riley leaned forward and smiled, almost evilly. "You shoot an animal with rabies out of fear."

Graverobber laughed, much to Demetri's obvious ire. "What else have we got to do? Keep on with whatever we've been keeping on with, sure. But we're all gonna die some time." He shrugged. "So what now? You've got some new comrades, or whatever you call your people…"

"…speak for yourself," Demetri mumbled, ignored.

"…but how does it all fit together? Especially with your headquarters burned to the ground." Graverobber hadn't apologized for that, and didn't intend to. If Riley considered this whole damn city a field of battle, then he had to understand casualties happened.

"There's another place we meet at sometimes. Far less homey, but just as abandoned. The address is in his pocket." Riley nodded at Demetri, and in the same motion yawned.

"Tomorrow," Shilo said decidedly. She'd been watching everything with concern and wanted the lot of them to get some much-needed rest. But Riley shook his head.

"When everyone hears about the fire they'll want to know what's happening, and immediately go to our back-up location. I need to be there. And so do you," he said happily.

Shilo shook her head in silence, for no real reason. Maybe just a general wonder at it all. "A small nap, at least? An hour."

Riley smiled at her tenderly. "All right. Sure. I need to be at my best." He stretched.

"So I guess we'll all have a sleepover in the living room," Demetri observed sarcastically. "I'll get the nail-polish."

"God Demetri, just shut up for once," Shilo said. But she was smiling. Demetri glared at her and made a motion of zipping his lips. He settled more comfortably in the arm chair and yawned himself.

"Fine. But not because you told me to."

Shilo laughed, secretly marveling at the fact that she could.


Sleep had been a fickle mistress. Demetri tried to grasp her, pull that restful shroud over him and gently settle. But he tosses and turned, was pulled between vivid, unsettling dreams. Lily with unnaturally dark hair screaming an orgasm into his ear, that scream changing to a different one, a violent one that reached Demetri even in the warm, safe place he was curled in. Rough hands yanked him and that bright world darkened into blue flames that closed in, peeling away his flesh with their heat. The scenes continued on, peppered with moments of vague wakefulness, until finally Demetri's eyes opened cautiously to a dim, quiet morning.

The sun leaking around the room's curtains put him in mind of candlelight. Demetri held his sweaty brow in his hands, letting the sound of steady breathing calm him. After a few moments he realized he room smelled faintly of muffins.

Demetri stood and picked his way around the sleeping figures. Graverobber was sitting up in the chair, looking like some strange, hulking guardian even with closed eyes. Someone had covered him with a patched quilt- probably Shilo- and for some reason this made Demetri sad. He let his nose lead him into the kitchen.

"Good morning!" Shilo said happily. She was perched on the counter, sewing something green and lumpy.

"Mornin'. Where's Scarlett?"

"She's still asleep, of course- it's only seven."

Demetri took a seat at the scarred table.

"Wow. I can't remember the last time I've been up this early." The last few syllables faded into a yawn, and Shilo hopped down from the counter, pushing her sewing aside.

"Luckily for you're the coffee should be about done…you look awful."

"Gee, thanks. You're a ray of sunshine, aren't you? No wonder people around here don't wake up this early…"

Shilo threw a spoon, which he caught.

"Don't complain. I made muffins."

Demetri began to dump spoonfuls of sugar into the rich, dark coffee. The smell began to clear the cobwebs of sleep, and he sighed, watching Shilo turn her own coffee a delicate khaki. Maybe no one else would wake up. Maybe he'd stay in this kitchen until his hands wrinkled and bloomed liver spots. Demetri froze, at least mentally. Why that urge? Things were peaceful at this moment. Things were seldom peaceful.

"I wanted to make bacon, but there isn't any. Or pancakes- those are Riley's favorite."

"I can make a mean omelet," Demetri purposefully ignored Shilo's mention of that name. She didn't seem to notice and sat down across from Demetri. It amused him how she brightened at the topic of food.

"I haven't had one since my…for a while. Can you cook anything else?"

"Mostly greasy diner food. I worked at one for a few years."

"I guess you didn't keep the day job."

Demetri laughed mirthlessly. "No, I didn't. I never have been able to get the hang of baking though. It's like…I can eat my weight in chocolate but my brain blocks the actual assembly process."

Shilo cracked a smile behind her coffee.

"When's your birthday?"

Demetri clenched his hand under the table. Not wanting to admit that he couldn't remember it, he picked a date at random.

"April 4th."

"Well. We'll just have to make you a cake then."

Demetri felt that descending cloud of sadness. He pushed it away with a quick and hearty shove.

"No thanks. You'd probably poison it."

Before Shilo could retort the oven beeped. She took out the muffin pans in silence, and Demetri wondered if he'd actually hurt her feelings. Shilo emptied the muffins into a bowl, extracting two before covering it.

"Here," she whispered.

Demetri was momentarily speechless. What had he said so different, or so wrong?

"Let's play cards," he said, taking a pack from one of his inside pockets.

"You carry that around with you?"

"Yeah. I like to have something to do with my hands."

Anyone else would probably have cracked a joke at that one, but Shilo just curiously watched him shuffle and deal the cards. They played gin rummy in a silence that slowly lessened in its awkwardness, and Demetri finished three muffins. They were dry, but very sweet.