Elias paced the floor of his hotel room with his hands linked behind his back, they couldn't leave yet, there were too many loose ends to tie up. They couldn't leave without the bodies of their fallen comrades, he had refused to. Sami and Radboud would be coming home with them. He wouldn't have it any other way. Until an autopsy was completed, however, they wouldn't be going anywhere. The chances were that both autopsies wouldn't take very long, Sami's perhaps longer than Radboud's but both had a pretty solid cause of death. Both had died from their injuries, both had been mutilated by a man he could only refer to as a monster. A thing of nightmares that had come straight from the deepest realms of hell, a thing he hoped never to encounter again. Rumours had been flying around that an investigation was to be launched into Cain's reappearance. He was most likely to be the one that would be ordered to carry it out. Unlike most people in the Network he had had first hand experience of this resurgence.

Putting all thoughts of Cain and his friends aside he thought of his two charges. Even if there was no autopsy to be completed on his comrades he had been advised not to go anywhere yet, not until Robyn and Kit were conscious. His field medic had informed him that they were borderline hypothermic, something that hot saline drips and blankets could sort out, but he hadn't been sure if there was any underlying damage that couldn't be seen without further examination. With the main threat out of the way he was easily coaxed into waiting another twelve hours, time enough for them to regain consciousness and for proper tests to be carried out.

As he continued to pace and think he failed to hear a knock at his door, still deaf to everything around him he also missed the sound of the door opening and someone entering and closing it again. With his eyes fixed on the floor he didn't see the person come towards him, he only realised that there was someone there when a hand touched him lightly on his shoulder. With a silent gasp he whirled round and grabbed the person by the collar, he let go immediately when he saw that this person was no intruder.

"You know, you might hurt someone one of these days." Elias' visitor commented dryly.

Elias let an equally dry chuckle escape him, "If you didn't sneak up on people they wouldn't have reason to panic. What's the word on our two friends?"

"Kit's awake. Robyn is too. He woke up and she woke up soon after. After a preliminary examination I'd say they're both fine, nothing to worry about. They had some minor injuries but I've dealt with them."

"What sort of injuries?"

"When Kit broke the window of the car, which I take it he did do, he climbed out and managed to get some glass fragments lodged in there. They weren't very deep and I've given him a few stitches, nothing that shouldn't heal. Robyn had a head injury that looks a lot worse than it is, considering her history I'm not going to take any head injury lightly. I'd suggest we arrange a scan either here or in Greentown before we get them home."

Elias nodded, "Good work, Gable. Any word on the situation in Lazytown? How's number ten holding up?"

"From what I've heard he's well enough to move, I got a call from a contact that said that he'd slipped out of the hospital without any of the staff noticing. From what they could tell he looked alright, you know as well as I do that that can be misleading so I had him tail him. I've not heard anything else from him. As for Lazytown, Ché's sons seem to be handling things. They're both very competent heroes."

"They take after their father. Speaking of Ché, where is he?"

"I'll take you there."

Gable left the room closely followed by Elias. As they walked down the stairs from their floor they nodded at a group of cleaners that were concentrating their efforts on a portion of landing in between floors. To the untrained eye these were just ordinary cleaners, for those that could recognise a small embellishment on their wrists they'd see that these were no ordinary cleaners but people working very carefully undercover.

He was certain that someone was following him, that someone was keeping him very closely in their line of vision. Instead of quickening his pace or trying to throw them off the scent, he continued to walk normally. Something told him that this person wasn't an enemy but someone simply keeping an eye on him. He was anxious to see who this person was but he couldn't yet be sure that this was indeed a friend and that his instincts weren't simply misleading him. Studying his surroundings he noticed an ideal place to confirm whether or not his follower was friend or foe. Stepping out of the street he entered a small bistro with a warm atmosphere and comfortable looking chairs. A few seconds after he had seated himself at a table with his back to the door, he heard the little bell affixed to it tinkle as someone entered. Out of the corner of his eye he could see someone walk up to his table, he looked up and almost gasped when he recognised the person standing in front of him.

"You were meant to be in hospital." His new companion said to him taking a seat.

Lights twinkled against innumerable stars, thousands of eyes watching him from afar. In the silent solitude of this place he could easily forget he was in a place of death, a place that had taken so much away from him, from other people. A slight giggle stirred the air as a young couple walked past him, hushed conversations between them telling him where they would be going when they had left this place. He remembered being young, it was distant memory but one that he hadn't yet let go of. His lips parted in a smile of reminiscence, his childhood and adolescent years had been enjoyable for him. Only when he head reached the stage where he was a young man in his twenties had things begun to turn sour.

Walking deeper into the park he found the person he was looking for. With abstracted interest he watched him sitting, staring out into space while twirling a stick in his giant hands. Picking up his own stick he came to a stop beside the object of his interest and began twirling it too. It was some minutes before the giant realised what was going on.

Ché looked down at Elias and his new found toy, "Whose copying who?"

"I believe I'm copying you," Elias replied, "What's on your mind? A grown man twirling a stick is a definite sign that something is bothering him."

"Robyn and Kit. They were meant to be married by now, in a nice place with a fun party with all of their friends and family. They'd be in my Villa in Spain by now, sunbathing and swimming in my pool. Instead they're here, in this horrid city, haunted by horrible things that should never have happened."

"I know it's sad. At least I can't see things getting worse. They'll be home soon. They'll be safe and they'll have their wedding and their party. Their honeymoon will come and maybe if they're lucky one day, babies."

Ché nodded, "Maybe."

"Speaking of babies…how are yours?"

"All in good health, last I heard. It seems that Pedro might finally have decided to get married, if he does do it only Rico and Alejandro will be left unmarried. Being that they're twins I don't hold out much hope, they're too possessive of each other. They've always been inseparable."

It was Elias' turn to nod. He knew what it was like to have a twin brother, he also knew what it was like to lose one.