52: Lost and Found

Screams of absolute terror echoed through the street, and people fled in all directions, some even going so far as to call the cops from the nearest phone booth. Flurry sat, stunned, in the cockpit of the Hawk, while X, swearing sulfurously at her, took the controls and tried to maneuver the mech through the street without stepping on anyone. Somehow or other, Flurry had gotten lost -- and landed the Hawk smack in the middle of a residential area.

Though still chagrined at her incredible error in navigation, Flurry gasped in anger at a particularly near miss. "You idiot!" she shouted. "Be careful, will you?!"

"Hey!" he retorted hotly, turning his head, "I didn't land us here!"

Flurry, about to respond, suddenly shrieked, pointing down into the road. X blinked at her, expression turning blank. The mech's forward motion stopped, and the machine balanced precariously on one foot as he returned his gaze to the street. He yelped, backpedaling the machine in shock.

A woman stood directly in their path, glaring balefully up at the two of them. To their utter surprise, she suddenly shrieked, "Marrano!"

Flurry blinked. "What did she say?"

"Puerco!" echoed up from the street below. "Cochino!"

"What is she saying?" X growled. "I don't know any Spanish."

"I think she's calling us names," Flurry whispered in response.

There was a long silence from below. Then suddenly, "Cerdo!" for good measure. Another long silence, in which Flurry and X stared at each other, wondering what the words meant. Flurry peeked down at the woman, who was now making faces at them. "Oink-oink!" the woman shouted contemptuously.

"Hey!" Flurry snapped loudly. "She just called us pigs!" She leaned out of the mech and shook her fist at the woman. "What's the big idea?!"

She seemed startled to get a response, but she began to speak in English. "Pigs! Who do you think you are?" was her first question. "Do you think you can just charge through the middle of our road without getting a response?!"

X and Flurry stared at each other. "Uh --" X began.

"I'm telling you, you had better turn your stupid machine around and get out of here! Before I --"

At that exact moment, two girls burst from a nearby store, one after the other. The one in front howled. "Sra. Martinez! Get out of the road! What are you doing?"

The woman paid them no mind, continuing to rant at the occupants of the Hawk, who were shrinking lower and lower into the small space they had.

"I hope you know the trouble you've caused! And think of the damages!"

"Sra -- please!" cried the other girl. "Get out of the street."

"Quiet, Laura!" the woman snapped imperiously. "I won't leave until this machine has turned around and gone home!"

"But --" objected the other.

"Hush up, Shastity!"

"It could squash you like a bug!" Shastity retorted, taking her by the arm. "Come on -- before it decides to."

Sra. Martinez strained against her, but Laura took her arm as well, and she was soon on the sidewalk, still glaring at X and Flurry. "You'd better go!" she shouted, waving her fist.

"Right," X muttered, "We're leaving."

Neither of them heard the triumphant cries from behind them as the mech strode away. After what seemed like a long, heavy silence, X growled, "So which way to this guy's house?" He didn't trust himself to say much more, still fuming over Flurry's mistake.

"It's two streets that way," she said in response, gesturing off to her left. So much for entering town quietly. . . .

The bulk of the walk was made in absolute silence. The two endeavored to ignore each other and the panic their passage caused down below. Flurry toyed with a lock of hair, and X took the Hawk into a flying leap over the buildings just left of them. He landed in the street on the other side with an audible crunch, remarking drily that the thoroughfare now had a couple new potholes. Another leap, and Flurry lifted her head for a moment.

"Two houses behind us." She didn't say anything more, nursing a sore ego, thinking sourly on how she'd been yelled at, and generally feeling sorry for herself.

A moment later, X cleared his throat.

"What?" Flurry barked, a little more sharply than she'd intended.

"We're there," he answered flatly.

She blinked. "Oh. Well, good." She jumped from the mech almost before X had brought it to a complete halt and jogged up the entryway to the house. Once there, she neatened her hair, swallowed hard, and rang the doorbell.

There was a long silence.

She rang it again.

X walked up behind her, and she turned to him, concerned. "I don't think there's anyone home."

He shrugged easily and rapped on the door himself. Again, no response. The two looked at each other wonderingly and in utter silence.


Lynn crouched down before the front door, heart pounding. Her hands were clasped in front of her to prevent them from shaking, and she bowed her head, eyes closed. Two hours earlier, she'd received a call from Scott's robots, warning her that someone was coming to the house. She hadn't known whether to take them seriously or not, but it appeared that they had been right. Her shoulders slumped miserably, wearily convinced that her doom was upon her. I should have gotten out of here while I still could. Deathly still, she listened to the pair confer outside.

"Well," yawned a male voice, sounding fed up with the whole business, whatever it was, "if they're not here, then where are they?"

"I don't know," sniffed an oddly familiar female voice. "I was sure Scott would take him home. . . ."

"Well, maybe they're hiding out somewhere else." His voice seemed familiar, too. She listened intently.

"But -- where would they go?"

Lynn blinked. Anna? But she's --

"But nothing, Flurry. Let's go find Tourian and Zero." The sound of footsteps stomping grumpily away, and a muttered, "They're probably having more fun than we are."

"X! X, you get back here!" A frustrated sound. "I was sure Lynn would be home. I need to find Dr. Kreyin." Then, "X, get out of that mech right now!"

A distant, "No!"

"You listen to me, boltbreath -- I'm not kidding!"

Lynn lifted her head and stared at the wall directly in front of her. These can't be Diane's thugs. They'd just bash the door down. Flurry? That sounds like -- She jumped to her feet, suddenly very pale with shock. The robots -- the ones that disappeared! Slowly, she turned to the door and put her hand on the handle. With a deep breath, she turned it.

Sunlight splashed into her darkened hallway as she took a single step outside. Blinking dazedly, the light revealed to her a petite girl with dark auburn hair shrieking obscenities at a young man who appeared to be settled in a large suit of riding armor. Lynn blinked, stared, blinked again. Sank against the doorframe with her hand to her forehead.

Flurry spun sharply at the sound, hands suddenly clasped over her mouth to cover a squeak of horror. "Lynn! Are you all right?" She lurched forward to catch the woman as she slumped to the ground. "X, get over here!"

X, for once, did as he was told and crouched down beside the two, worry on his face. "What did you do to her, Flurry?"

"I didn't to anything!" she said in dismay. "She just fainted!" Flurry gave a woman the slightest shake, staring worriedly into her face. "Go get her some water," she ordered absently.

"Right." X made to go into the house, when Flurry spoke again.

"No -- wait. She's coming to."

He stopped, standing over them now, and watched.

Lynn shook her head in a bewildered manner, eyes opening and closing as if she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. "Who are you?" was the first question out of her mouth. "What do you want?" was the second.

"Here, sit up," Flurry said gently, propping her up against the wall.

The woman patted her hand without realizing what she was doing. "But --"

"Hush. Let us explain."

Lynn smiled. The expression seemed unnatural, as if the woman hadn't any idea what was going on at all. And indeed she hadn't.

"My name is Flurry," the girl introduced herself. "He's X." She glanced at the other, who was staring quietly straight ahead, seemingly determined to ignore it all. "We came to see if Dr. Kreyin was here -- we need to find him. Zephyr disappeared a little while ago, and we need his help to get her back." And destroy her, she added mentally.

Lynn nodded, suddenly coming back to life. "I -- you're his robot -- the one like Anna."

Flurry bit her lip and nodded in response.

Scott's wife tried to stand, and Flurry helped her to her feet. "They went into hiding," the woman continued. "They're kind of on the run -- from the Company."

X turned to them slowly. "Where? Where are they?"

She stared at him, as if she'd never notice him before. "Who are you?"

"X," he said calmly.

"He's terribly used to being recognized wherever he goes," Flurry said acidly. "He's a hero -- where he comes from."

"But that wasn't the other one's name," Lynn murmured, puzzled.

"No -- his name is Tourian," Flurry said quickly. "This -- er -- isn't him. Tourian's design was based on X. It's a little -- complicated."

The woman nodded, finally having identified them. "In the forest. They're in the forest. I'll show you a map."

They followed her inside to a small living room. An armchair slumped in one corner, threadbare and tired-seeming. Next to it was a viewscreen, and Lynn marched directly over there and tapped up a map. "Here," she muttered, pointing to the scientists' location. "Go there quickly. Try not to make too much noise about it, either -- Diane has eyes everywhere."

Flurry thanked her, clasping her hand in gratitude. "Will you come?" she asked, but Lynn shook her head.

"I can serve them and their purpose better if I stay put and live normally."

Flurry nodded in understanding, and X took her arm. "Let's go, already. If we hurry, maybe those robots won't be ready for us."

"Robots?" Lynn asked, startled. "What -- oh, dear." She burst into helpless laughter, sinking into the conveniently located armchair. "Maelstrom -- and Turbulence!" Her eyes danced as her laughter died. "Janus and Scott created them. As bodyguards, of a sort." She shook her head. "A little bit overprotective, but they're good."

Flurry stared at X. "You're telling us -- that those two --"

"Were on our side?" X finished, face a little pale.

Flurry chuckled dizzily. "So much for that!"

"What on earth did you do to them?" Lynn demanded, a horrible premonition coming to her.

"Nothing," Flurry murmured, running her hand through her hair. "All we hurt was their dignity."

There was a pause, and Lynn started laughing again. X really didn't see what was so funny about it.

Several minutes later, X and Flurry were outside the house, somewhat bemused by the entire incident. "Well," X began, then thought better of it.

"What?" Flurry asked, not really wanting to know.

"I . . . guess we'd better round up Tourian and Zero . . . right?"

"Yeah. I suppose so."


Tourian and Zero were, at that point, quite wrapped up in something else entirely.

Tourian dove for the ground, dodging another shot from the security system outside the Company. Zero ran the other way, and the two came to their feet, glaring at each other.

"This is all your fault!" Zero yowled, scrambling out of the way of another shot.

"Whaddya mean, my fault?" Tourian fired at the gun -- missed.

"I mean, if you had kept your big mouth shut we could have snuck right past them!"

"Us and what army?" Tourian challenged, dancing away from the gun again. "They never let anyone past without the right I.D."

Zero snarled. "You didn't have to threaten the guard, stupid!" he yelled, swinging his saber out to block another shot.

The guard in question was watching the scene with what could have been amusement, if he hadn't been scared enough to wet his pants.

"This," announced Zero, breathing heavily in false exertion, "is the last time I work with you. Even Flurry wasn't this moronic."

The gun fired again, and Zero ran forward to get away from it -- directly into Tourian's upraised fist. The red robot reeled back and tumbled to the ground. He sat up, groaning. "I really wish you people wouldn't do that." He rolled out of the way just in time to see the gun make a charred hole of where he'd been sitting.

Tourian glared at him. "Why don't we just get out of here?" He jumped another shot.

"Y'know -- that's the best idea you've had all day."

With that, the pair scrambled away from one last shot and pounded up the street. The guard stared after them, stupefied.

Traffic on the streets was thin at this hour, and their passage didn't to much more than raise a great deal of dirt into the air. As they ran along, Tourian chanced to look up. "What the heck --?"

Zero glanced up. His jaw dropped, and he skidded to a halt. "They dragged it into town?" he exploded. "What kind of idiot!?" He stared. "I don't believe this. I refuse to believe this."

The Hawk was stomping its way toward them, having spied their flight from a distance.

As they approached, Tourian bellowed, "What do you think you're doing?"

The mech stopped, and Flurry retorted primly, "Finding Dr. Kreyin and Dr. Trene. You?" She crossed her arms and tossed her hair. "Let's see what you two have accomplished -- other than chasing straight to a dead end and running away from an automated defense system."

Tourian started to swear.

"Watch your language!" Flurry snapped.

X was leaning his forehead in the palm of his hand, willing it all to be over.

"Um," Zero broke in, trying not to sound as burnt-out as he felt. "You said you know where your scientists wandered off to, right?"

"Yeah," X answered him, watching Flurry and Tourian shout at each other.

"I've got this . . . idea. Why don't we go find them -- and leave these two here."

X grinned absently. "Not bad. I think muzzling them both ought to cover it, though."

"Oh, yeah," Flurry prepared her return volley of insults, "you --"

"SHUT UP!" X roared, rather loudly, in her ear.

She lurched away from him, eyes squeezed shut and hands clamped to either side of her head. "What was that for?" she asked, sounding subdued.

"Look," he muttered, "We know the location of the scientists. Let's go find them, and you can finish up later."

Flurry almost pouted, but she stopped herself. "Oh, all right."

Tourian shook his head, relieved to be out of the conversation. "Then let's go."

"Wait a minute!" Flurry objected.

They all turned to her, annoyed, and she returned their gazes petulantly. "Can't I get out of this thing?" she asked timidly.

X sighed. "Why don't I just tell it to go home?"

"What?"

"Here -- watch." He tapped a couple of buttons, and to Flurry's utter astonishment, the mech dematerialized around them. Then, she realized she was falling. She shrieked, landing moments later on her bottom with a loud thump and a clank. X landed lightly beside her, looking amused. "Sorry about that."

Tourian couldn't contain a snicker, and Flurry chose to ignore him, getting up, dusting herself off, and stalking away down the street. Grinning drily, Tourian followed her, loading up his arsenal of snide remarks for when their squabble resumed. X and Zero looked at each other, pained, and followed the pair dejectedly.