"It has been twenty-four hours since Loki has disappeared from known personnel and cadets," Gampu said. "Adrian, Tee Gar, I like you to do the search from the side of the academy that you did last night. Chris, Laura, the same applies to you."
"We will find him, Commander," Tee Gar said. "He can't hide for long in the academy from us."
"He hasn't been caught, Tee Gar," Gampu said.
"Right," Tee Gar said.
"We can only hope that Loki has not sneaked aboard a seeker in the latest field mission before academy went to night shift," Gampu said. "Don't try to startle him a second time, cadets."
"Oraco," the cadets replied.
"You are dismissed." Gampu watched the cadets walk toward the door. "Tee Gar."
Tee Gar shifted toward Gampu's direction.
"Yes, Commander?"
"You were once a child," Gampu said. "Once in his position."
"Yeah," Tee Gar turned his attention toward his boots then toward the commander. "Except you got hurt."
"Not badly,"
"About that. . . " Tee Gar placed his hands on his hips then rubbed the back of his head with one hand. "I was lucky." he placed his hand on his hip. "I could have punched you in the chest and broke several of your ribs."
"But you didn't." Gampu's hands were clasped on the table leaning forward in the direction of the cadet. "You were all alone and frightened just as Loki in a strange land."
"I was," Tee Gar looked back, fondly, then had a short laugh. "We were both new to each other."
"You could have done the exact same if you had his gifts," Gampu said. "If you knew that you were capable of it."
"Gee," Tee Gar said, with a grin. "I would have."
"You may leave now," Gampu said.
Tee Gar waved his hand in front of the panel then walked out.
Laura and Chris strolled down the corridor side by side. Laura was rubbing her closed fist appearing to be very worried. Chris waved his hand in front of a panel stopping in his tracks then poked his head in to the room side to side keeping an eye out for the young boy. Chris leaned out of the doorway as Laura came back from the other doorway. Laura shook her head then they continued their way down checking in the empty partially empty rooms for the boy.
"Where could Loki be?" Laura said, concerned.
"Gampu checked his quarters," Chris said. "He isn't there. But he is still definitely in the academy."
"I don't like this," Laura said. "He could be anywhere."
"Anywhere but the commander's office," Chris said.
"But hiding from us?" Laura asked.
"Tee Gar did startle him," Chris said. "It was his first day in the academy. He won't hide for long," Chris placed a hand on Laura's shoulder reassuringly. "Not on our watch."
"Have we checked the docking bay?" Laura asked.
"Prentiss said that he had checked it with his team from top to bottom," Chris said. He looked down toward Laura. "It can't hurt to check again."
Chris waved his hand if front of the panel to the docking bay.
The door to the docking bay swiftly opened before them then Chris went in first and Laura went in second from behind him. There were a large crowd of cadets standing in front of the flight instructor giving them a tour. Laura turned her attention away from the seekers toward the corner of the room where she spotted the shape of a figure from the corner of the room. It was faint but definitive. She can sense the presence of a child from the corner of the room.
Chris and Laura exchanged a glance with each other then slowly approached the corner.
"Hello," Laura said.
"How can you tell I am here?" Loki asked.
"I can see you," Laura said.
"So can I," Chris said
"How?" Loki asked.
"We have eyes, Loki," Laura said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay to be scared after seeing something like that and run away after being startled."
"However hiding from everyone after that. . . " Chris started. "No one wants to hurt you even for being somewhere you shouldn't."
"I needed time to process it," Loki replied. "I was doing what Tee Gar said."
"What did he tell you?" Laura asked.
"To determine how I wanted my experience here to be like," Loki said. "And discovering myself."
"I am sure Tee Gar didn't mean by you following him in to a live operation," Chris said.
"There are many ways to discover yourself," Laura said. "You scared Gampu and Tee Gar."
"I didn't mean to do that," Loki apologized.
"Gampu is really worried about you," Chris said.
"We have known the commander for a while," Laura said. "He gets worried about everyone."
"He is a real softy," Chris said. "Once you get to know him."
"But what you did wasn't right," Laura said.
"For me. . ." Loki said. "It was."
Laura and Chris exchanged a glance with each other.
"How so?" Chris asked.
"I wanted to help the cadet," Loki said. "But I knew that if I tried. . " There was a short pause. Loki's figure became visible to their eyes even as far to his curly blue hair appearing from out of thin air and color spread to his face then on. Loki's figure solidified before their eyes. Loki had his back against the wall with his arms folded on his knees pressed against his chest. "I would get in the way. So the best way I could help was by doing nothing at all."
"You got that figured out," Laura said.
"That's not a great start," Chris said.
"What would have made it great is by asking," Laura said.
"You scared Tee Gar, too," Chris said.
"I realize that now," Loki said. "It was the wrong way to go about it."
"Now that is a good start," Chris said.
Loki turned his attention toward Chris.
"How so?" Loki asked.
"You have realized a mistake and seen the error in it," Chris said.
Laura placed a hand on to Loki's shoulder.
"You feeling okay?" Laura asked.
Loki looked up toward Laura with a nod as a grin slowly appeared.
"I'm okay," Loki said. "I am okay."