DARYL'S POV:

It was hard to adjust to this place. Base Z. I didn't trust it. I could tell from the look in Kaiya's eyes, every time she was reminded of where we were, that she didn't either.

We were back for three days before that Richard guy, the man who ran the place, finally came knocking. Kaiya and I were in the upstairs bedroom, the one she had comandeered before coming to our rescue.

"Kaiya," Maggie called from downstairs. "Someone's here for you."

She jumped up from her seat on the edge of the bed and gazed out the window into the yard below. "It's him," she frowned.

She had told me all about her encounter with the guy and her worry over his reaction to her trickery. Sure, Hamilton had told her he wouldn't tell Richard, but Kaiya still wasn't sure she trusted him completely.

"Want me to come with you?" I asked, grabbing her hand.

She grinned up at me, hazel eyes sparkling, and nodded. We made our way down the stairs hand-in-hand and right up to the door where a pear-shaped man with cold eyes stood smiling docilely.

"Just came to see how you're all fitting in around here," he intoned in a deep voice. "And to congratulate you on your... success." His unfeeling eyes skated over me in assessment.

I felt myself straightening, the muscles in my arms tightening in response to the threat standing in our doorway. He didn't miss that, though he made no comment.

"We're doing fine, thanks," Kaiya said shortly, though not enough to be considered overtly rude.

He didn't say anything for a short second, then said, "Well, I suppose I'd better get back to things. And again, welcome to Base Z." His voice sounded menacing.

I was sure he knew all about the little detour Kaiya had necessiated and I could see in the grim set of her mouth that she thought so, too.

She put her other hand on the door. "Thanks again, Dick," she said with an overly pleasant smile.

He stopped mid-step and turned back to her, smile still in place, but tighter. "What did you call me?"

Her smile only deepened. "Dick. It's short for Richard for some conveniently stupid reason." She pushed the door closed in his astounded face. "You think he knows?" she asked, leaning back against the door.

My silent frown was enough for her.

She nodded, as though she had expected that answer.

"Think Hamilton told him?" I asked.

She considered it a moment before shaking her head. "I don't know him very well, but he seemed to want to cover his own ass enough to lie for us. No, it wasn't him."

RICHARD'S POV:

"She's a fiery one," I chuckled to myself as I walked away from their door. She would have had to be; she had survived this long somehow. And after the little stunt she pulled out on the surface... Oh, she was a tough girl, alright.

She had spoken of the three men she had brought back only once when she first arrived, and she had put no special inflection on the names. Now it was obvious that she had a romantic tie with the blue-eyed redneck. That Daryl character, corded with muscle and oozing power through brute force, could definitely be of some use.

Gain their trust first, I told myself. Then I would find out more about them.

"Are the doctors getting ready?" I asked Hamilton as I passed by.

He nodded tersely to me. "It may still be a few more days, but they're working on it."

"We don't have a few more days, Hamilton," I told him calmly. "In a few days' time, half of the remaining human population on the surface may be wiped out."

"We can't rush them, sir. We may just have to make do with what few lives we can save."

Gazing at him knowingly, I nodded. He didn't appear aware that I knew of his disobedience. And it would stay that way for a while.

Well, this is probably the quickest I've updated in a long time :P Thanks for reading! And thank you to mrskaz453 for your amazing, long reviews! I always look forward to them, no matter what the length, but its nice to hear some thoughts coming from the readers :)