For those of you wondering why this hasn't updated in a year, it's for a few reasons, but to sum it up: I got sick early in the year, which led to numerous health issues that I've been dealing with since. Combine that with things in my personal life that have taken a mental toll and, well, all the inspiration I had for this disappeared until recently. You can tell that the last part of this was a bit rushed. Apologies to my readers.

"Would you please sit still? I realize this must be uncomfortable for you, but this is the only way I can heal your wound."

Omnimon complied with a nod, pressing his back against the wall to keep himself from moving, and stared forward at the door. To properly reach his chest, Purimon had to stand on a small ladder at his side. She was standing on one leg with the other looped around one of the higher steps so that she could safely lean over. Both of her hands hovered over the knight's chest, spreading a gentle white healing light over it. Repairing the wound was a slow process. The dark energy needed to be neutralized before she could begin healing the wound itself, which was proving difficult. She frowned at the bubbling darkness.

"You should consider yourself lucky that the corruption did not spread further, especially after Laylamon was defeated," she said, sliding her hands to the left. "If it had…"

There was no need for her to finish the sentence. "I am well aware of what the result could have been."

She raised her head to meet his gaze for just a moment, then quickly glanced down again. "I am glad that you were brought back alive."

"It is…good to see you again as well," he said. "I was unsure whether anyone had survived the attack on the castle."

"You know of the attack?"

"Laylamon had taken joy in telling me every detail."

Purimon grimaced. To be locked away for years with your captor taunting you with the deaths of your closest friends and allies… It must have devastated him.

"Few did," she said. "We scattered across the world in the hopes we would never be found. For quite some time they hunted us. Several of the others were captured and killed. I barely managed to keep myself hidden."

"Why did you decide to return? It would have been safer if you had kept yourself away from the war."

"It would have been useless. The war would have come to me eventually." She leaned back to scrutinize the wound before deciding to move her hands to its center. "The first time I met members of the Resistance was a little over two years ago. Two of them were brought to me with serious injuries. When they told me their story, I could not help but feel the need to aid them."

He tilted his head ever so slightly, just enough for Purimon to notice. "Oh?"

"Their friend had been captured by Laylamon's forces and corrupted."

"I see."

"I think I would have found my way here one way or another. The Resistance was in desperate need of a proper healer."

The lighthearted manner in which she said it earned a rather loud snort of unexpected laughter from Omnimon.

"You never were one to ignore those in need."

"Truth be told, part of me wanted to help bring Laylamon down." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I wanted to avenge my friends."

"Revenge," he said, causing her to turn her gaze away from him. "I understand the feeling of guilt. Those kinds of thoughts can lead to regrettable actions. I would know."

"We all make mistakes."

"How would you feel if your mistakes caused as many deaths as mine have?" There was no anger, only a doleful resignation. Seeing how she flinched at the question, Omnimon sighed. "We were meant to protect the world, but my decisions led to war."

"How could you have known what others would do? Their actions are theirs alone, not yours. There are those who will use any excuse they can find to do terrible things. Members of Laylamon's army are proof enough of that." As she spoke, she watched the healing glow slowly but surely stitch the knight's wound closed. "You are here. You know of the things you have done. The only thing left to do is use what you have learned to keep the past from repeating itself."

He raised his head, eyes trailing upwards. "I…will try to take those words to heart. Thank you."

Pleased by the response, she smiled. "It is the least I can do after everything you have done for me."

"I am going to do what I can to show the same kindness to others." He hummed thoughtfully, turning to look at Purimon. "I think it is time that I strive to change myself."

~0~

With a heavy exhalation, Beelzemon collapsed into the chair. He slid down to stretch his legs out fully, his chin against his chest and arms dangling at his sides with his knuckles brushing against the floor. While Purimon had healed his wounds, she was unable to do anything to rid him of his exhaustion. It was no one's fault but his own. He would never tell her, but Mikami was right about how reckless he had been. Throwing himself headfirst into a one-on-one fight against Laylamon had been the worst decision he had ever made in his life. He doubted there would be much time for rest with the threat of Galacticmon looming over their heads. If he didn't get any rest, though, he was going to be useless in the upcoming battle. Maybe he would be lucky and they would have at least a few hours to rest.

Quiet mumbles coming from his partner made him raise his head.

Mikami paced the length of the conference table with her gaze squarely on the floor and her arms folded against her chest. She paused, shook her head, and then resumed walking. The process was repeated at least three times. Just as he was about to ask her to quit, she stopped.

"I have no idea how to explain any of it to them," she said. "I'm trying to think of a way to say it, but everything I think of doesn't sound good enough. Any ideas?"

"You should just be straightforward. What point is there in trying to be tactful about it?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Mikami," Beelzemon said. Irritated as he was with her fretting over it, he understood why. "Just be honest with them."

She stared at him and then gave him a curt nod. "Okay. I will. I'm going to go get them."

He watched her leave the room. Breathing in through his nose, he grabbed the sides of the seat and pulled himself up to sit in a more proper position.

It felt like an eternity had passed when Mikami returned with their friends in tow. Once they were seated, Mikami moved to stand beside Beelzemon at the head of the table. Dorumon looked up at Beelzemon with his head at a slight tilt.

"You okay?" Dorumon asked.

"Tired," Beelzemon answered.

A loud snort from Daiki drew his attention. "That's not a surprise after the stunt you pulled."

Beelzemon glared. Able to see that her partner wanted to retort, Mikami grabbed Daiki and squeezed his bicep in a silent warning. Daiki grumbled under his breath but said nothing else.

"Any questions you guys want to ask first?" Mikami asked.

Gabumon raised his arm to get her attention. "How did you beat Laylamon?"

"Honestly? It was pure luck." From the corner of her eye, she saw Beelzemon turn his head towards her. "Laylamon was about to kill him when I showed up. If it hadn't been for me distracting her, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to shoot her in the chest."

That made Daiki slam his hands down on the table. He had started to stand when Renamon grabbed his arm to pull him back down.

Mikami looked at him. "I didn't have a choice. I wasn't going to lose my partner for a second time."

The wording earned a curious glance from Tadashi.

"Did you find the answers you were looking for?" Renamon asked.

"We did. And…" To avoid looking at any of them, Mikami lowered her gaze. With her index finger she traced the grain of the table. Be straightforward.

Beelzemon, noticing her hesitation, said, "Laylamon personally knew Impmon."

Silence followed, but Mikami noticed the way they were shifting. At least they're keeping calm.

"It was back before she was Laylamon. She was a Mikemon and he was a Kiimon. She was the one who took care of him. Something happened that ended with him being taken away and her being imprisoned. What she went through during her imprisonment…" She unconsciously fiddled with her vest zipper. "Let's just say it made me shudder reading it. After she managed to get free, she started talking about a 'voice' that made a deal with her. That's how she became Laylamon."

Shizuka sat back. "A voice?"

"We're not sure, but we think it might have something to do with what she saw after beating her."

"As she was fading away, we noticed a strange black substance separate from her data," Beelzemon explained. "It disappeared a few moments later."

"A black…" Tilting her head to the side, Yoko blinked and whispered, "substance?"

"Do you think Omnimon or Gallantmon might know what it was?" Dorumon asked.

"Maybe," Mikami said. "The other thing we found out is…well…" Tapping the fingers of her right hand against the table, she looked at Beelzemon. "The reason Impmon didn't reform was because of Laylamon. She had someone tail Cyberdramon and gather up Impmon's data after he..."

She paused to gauge their expressions before pressing on. "His data was used to make Beelzemon."

A mixture of reactions following, ranging from confusion to downright anger. Looking at each of their faces, Mikami was reminded of when she first told them about Beelzemon being her partner. Their expressions were a near perfect reflection of how they had reacted to that particular piece of news. Part of her was tempted to laugh at the way they were acting. She probably would have if it wasn't for the fact that they would be mad at her for it. Not only that, she understood why they felt the way they did. Who wouldn't be upset after that?

After all, to be told their best friend had been turned into a…

She shook her head. There was no reason to finish that train of thought.

Out of all of them, Tadashi was the only one who managed to at least appear to remain calm. "That would explain why he was made your partner."

"And you're absolutely, one hundred percent certain about this? You're not pulling our legs or anything?" Shizuka asked.

"I'm telling the truth," Mikami said. "Honestly wish I wasn't. I think I'd feel better if it wasn't true."

When she realized the weight of her words, she dug her fingernails into her palms. That was how she truly felt about the matter, but the way she said it gave it a different meaning than she had intended. Beside her Beelzemon shifted. Leaning forward, he put his hands on his knees and curled his claws underneath his metal kneepads. He hunched his shoulders, squinted his eyes, and then lowered his head. Mikami took in a breath, pressed both hands against the table, and stood straight. Her apology died in her throat when her partner began to speak with his eyes on her.

"We can talk about it later," he said. "There's a situation much more important right now that needs to be dealt with. We're not through fighting yet."

"But we beat Laylamon and her army," Biyomon said, looking between Mikami and Beelzemon. "Who's left for us to fight?"

"She told us that she planned to use a Digimon called Galacticmon. We don't really know how strong it is, but considering what she said…" Mikami stopped and closed her eyes. "Well, it's probably stronger than her. Much stronger."

The sound of the door opening made her open her eyes. Datamon, standing alongside Omnimon, entered the room. Omnimon hung back, keeping his gaze focused on Datamon.

"You would be right," Datamon said.

"Hey there, Omnimon. You feeling better?" Judai asked.

The knight turned his head to the blond and gave him a quick nod before looking back to Datamon.

"Galacticmon was meant to cement Laylamon's rule over both worlds," Datamon explained. "After winning the war, she would use Galacticmon to take over the human world to assure that no other DigiDestined would surface. With such a powerful force under her command, no one would be able to rise against her. Of course, without Laylamon here to control him, Galacticmon will most likely do as he pleases." As he looked at the group, Datamon snickered deviously. "It would have been for the best if you had left Laylamon alive."

The numerous glares he received made him turn away out of fear, his smirk vanishing.

Renamon stood up. "How do we stop him?"

"If your group even has the strength necessary to defeat him," Datamon muttered. A sharp look from Renamon made him take a step back. "As of right now, he is in the space between the two worlds. A portal can be opened to give you access to it."

"What can you tell us about him?" Tadashi asked.

"Unfortunately, due to how suddenly I was taken, I don't have the notes I took about him. As such, there is little I can tell you." Datamon shot a pointed look at Judai and Dorumon, earning a few chuckles. "I would suggest letting me return to get them, though I have a feeling there's going to be conditions I have to agree to so that I can."

"Gallantmon and Vritramon will be accompanying you when you leave," Omnimon said.

"As expected."

With a pout on his face, Datamon slunk towards the door. Omnimon reached out to shove it open, closely watching the machine.

"Just a second," Mikami said, earning their attention. "Omnimon, Laylamon said we would need your help to beat Galacticmon. Do you have any idea why?"

Omnimon paused for a few seconds of thought, then shook his head. "No. Though Purimon healed me, I am in no condition to fight."

"Thanks," she muttered with a sigh. "Sorry for wasting your time."

After the two left the room, Mikami slumped into the nearest chair and stared up at the ceiling. She had hoped Datamon would know something, but he was pretty much useless. They knew next to nothing about Galacticmon. Now they had to wait for Datamon to actually get the information they needed. How long would it take for them to get to the castle and come back? Would Galacticmon try to do anything while they waited? Could he do anything from where he was? Mikami ran both hands through her hair and then let her arms drop to her sides. There wasn't much they could do until they knew enough to actually make a plan.

"We should all use this time to rest," Tadashi said. "Especially you, Beelzemon."

Beelzemon leveled his gaze at the boy and nodded. "Right."

As they got up and headed out, Mikami remained where she was. Yoko stopped, only for Daiki to motion for her to go. Though she hesitated, Yoko nodded and left. Daiki put his hand on his chin in thought before moving to stand behind Mikami. Putting his hands on the back of the chair, he leaned forward. The movement made her shift so she could look up at him. They stayed like that for several moments, simply staring at each other.

He broke the silence with a soft, "Mikami?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Just…have a lot on my mind." She looked at the door. "Too much at one time, you know?"

"I know how you feel." The way her eyebrows were drawn together made him frown. "Want me to rub your shoulders?"

"Yeah."

He moved his hands from the chair to her shoulders. As he began to work out the knots in her muscles, he felt her relax a bit. "You know, if there's anything else you want to talk about…"

"I just… I don't know. Reading what was in that journal was… Some of the things Laylamon went through were disgusting, Daiki. No one should be treated like that. No one." Raising her hands, she put her fingers against her temples. "It's no wonder she went crazy after being tortured. There weren't many details, but there were enough to know what was going on and what kind of pain she experienced." She threw her arms outwards with a shout of, "What the hell were the Royal Knights even doing? Why didn't they do anything? How could they just let that kind of shit go on? If it hadn't been for them screwing up, none of this would've happened!"

She failed to notice the way Daiki jumped when she shouted.

"You're going to give me a heart attack," Daiki muttered under his breath. "Really wish I knew what to say, but I don't. Omnimon and Gallantmon are really the only ones who could explain, but I doubt they'd actually give you any real answers."

"No kidding." Mikami let out a sour laugh. "We all got stuck in one hell of a mess, didn't we?"

"That's an understatement," Daiki replied. "You feel any better?"

"Yeah. Thanks. I needed that."

"We should catch some shut-eye too."

Moving to stand in front of her, Daiki offered his hand. When she grabbed hold, he pulled her up and smiled.

~0~

With her hands behind her head, Shizuka laid on her back staring out the window and listened to the soft breaths coming from Biyomon. She turned her head to look at the bird. Roosted in a makeshift nest made of a bundle of blankets, Biyomon was fast asleep. Smiling, Shizuka gently rubbed her partner's back. At least one of them was getting rest. Biyomon shifted at the touch, taking in a deeper breath and then settling again. Since her partner was sleeping so well, Shizuka decided there was no point in staying in the room; she wouldn't be able to get to sleep, and it was only a matter of time before she accidentally woke Biyomon up. She sat up and slid off the bed to head to the door, keeping her eyes on Biyomon all the while. She made sure to close the door slowly, peeking through it to check on Biyomon once more before shutting it.

Maybe some fresh air will help, she thought while pressing her forehead against the door.

Walking at a brisk pace, Shizuka made her way through the castle. Unable to help herself, she listened in on the conversations of passing Digimon. Whereas most had been cheerful and ready to celebrate after they had first returned from the fight, many were now on edge. More than once she caught one passing by glancing at her before hurriedly looking away when they saw her take notice. She made her way through Digimon gathered in the foyer and headed outside, trying to ignore the way their gazes lingered on her even while the door closed.

Omnimon must've let everyone know about Galacticmon.

"Hello, Shizuka!" Knightmon called from atop the gate.

"Hey, Knightmon," Shizuka said, waving. "How's everything out here?"

"All is quiet. A welcome change, I must say. Though the news of this latest enemy is worrisome." He leaned forward to stare down at her. "Does it trouble you?"

"Not at all," she said, though she knew she didn't sound convincing. "We're the DigiDestined; we can handle this."

With a chuckle, Knightmon turned around. "You are a poor actor."

"Yeah, I've been told that before."

"Your friend Gabumon went to the waterfall. Perhaps you should speak with him. There is much on his mind."

"Geez, he went all the way there? That's a good way for him to get tired," she mumbled. "Mind opening the gate for me?"

"Right away."

Shizuka slipped out through the gate once it was wide enough for her to fit. She waved a hand in thanks to Knightmon as she walked off.

The closer she came to it, the louder the roaring of the waterfall became. She found Gabumon sitting on a large rock covered in moss, tossing pebbles into the water to be swept over the edge. Shizuka approached him with her arms folded.

Stopping only a foot away, she said, "Hey."

Startled by the unexpected voice, Gabumon jumped and spun around to see the offender. It took a moment for her to register that she had scared him, but when she did she unfolded her arms and scratched the back of her head. Gabumon squeezed his eyes shut and pressed a hand against his chest while breathing out through his nose. As she crouched beside him, Shizuka placed her hand on Gabumon to rub his head. When she was sure that he wasn't mad at her, she sat down on the rock beside his and turned to sit sideways. Gabumon lowered his hand to grab a pebble to throw. The current dragged it away before it had a chance to disappear into the water.

"Sorry about that. I guess you didn't hear me over the water." She grinned when he shook his head. "What're you doing out here?"

"Couldn't sleep," he said.

"Tadashi?"

He smiled. "He keeps mumbling to himself. I think he's worried."

"Ah. Same as always, then. Not that I blame him much."

"What about you? Why did you come out here?" he asked.

"I couldn't sleep either. When I came out Knightmon said you came here," she explained, shrugging her shoulders, "so I thought I'd check on you."

"Worried?"

"Be lying if I said I wasn't," she said. Craning her neck, she looked up at the sky with a frown.

"I think everyone is after what Mikami and Beelzemon said."

When she opted to say nothing in response, Gabumon looked up at her. She kept her eyes upwards, closely watching the clouds drifting past. Gabumon turned his gaze back to the water. He tugged at his fur coat in uncertainty. With how scared he felt, there wasn't anything he could say to her to make her feel better. Minutes passed by with no word from either. It was the sound of scraping against the rock that made him turn to her again. She stood up on the rock, balancing on the balls of her feet before hopping down. As she turned, she patted his head and then began to walk off. Gabumon slid off the rock to follow after her.

"We should head back and get some rest. You can sleep in my room if you want."

"Oh—okay," Gabumon mumbled. "What about you?"

"Don't worry about me," she said in a dismissive tone. "You guys need the sleep more than I do."

"Yeah, but you still need to sleep."

"Alright. I'll give it another try if it makes you feel better."

He smiled. "Thanks. It does."

As they approached the gate Knightmon opened it, raising his hand to them. Both returned the gesture while walking up to the entrance.

As soon as they were inside they headed for the guest rooms, only to stop at the end of the hallway after turning the corner. Gathered outside one of the doors were several of their friends. Surprisingly enough even Beelzemon was among them, leaning against the wall with a slight scowl. Walking forward, Shizuka opened her mouth to ask a question, but Judai put a finger to his lips and shook his head. She glanced at Beelzemon, who rolled his eyes and pointed at the door. She noticed Gabumon look up at her and met his gaze with mirrored confusion. They were obviously listening on someone, but she had no idea who it was. Or why they were doing it in the first place.

She walked up to the door. Yoko scooted to give her room to press her ear against it.

"…and if Galacticmon is as strong as Datamon thinks he is then we could lose everything. Our friends, our families…even our worlds."

"There are too many lives counting on us to lose hope now. These Digimon have put their fate in our hands. For the future of this world and yours we will do whatever it takes to win."

"What if we can't, Renamon? If we don't beat him then everyone here will…"

Biting back her frustration, Shizuka shoved the others aside and swung the door open. Mikami turned to stare with a mixture of surprise and annoyance.

"You should have more faith in us," Shizuka said.

"How long have you been eavesdropping?"

"I just got here."

One by one everyone poked their heads into the room. Mikami squinted when Beelzemon moved into view.

"Even you?"

He looked away from her. "They dragged me along against my will."

Dorumon raised both arms to get Mikami's attention. "I know this fight seems scary, but we can do it!"

"We can win! After all, we have you guys to give us strength, right?" Biyomon said.

Salamon looked between Biyomon and Dorumon, then raised her head to Mikami. "If you keep that in mind, we're sure to succeed."

Mikami looked unconvinced, prompting Beelzemon to chime in by saying, "At any rate, we have no choice but to win. Doubting yourself and us won't help in beating Galacticmon."

"I know that," she replied, annoyed. "I'm just—"

"You aren't the only one concerned," Tadashi said. "We should avoid worrying ourselves sick."

Mikami rubbed the left side of her face and nodded. She was silent when Daiki put a hand on her back. A knock drew the group's attention to the doorway. Shuffling his feet, Shoutmon looked at each of them to see if he was intruding. Renamon motioned for him to speak.

"Gallantmon and Vritramon returned with Datamon. They want to hold a meeting right away."

"That fast?" Judai said. "I thought it would've taken them longer."

"I wish," Mikami muttered. "Hopefully Datamon can tell us something useful this time."

Everyone began to leave the room, but Mikami stopped Beelzemon by grabbing his arm. The others also stopped to see what was going on. Mikami gave Daiki a pointed look, leading him to usher the others into the hallway. With them gone Mikami let go and straightened herself. Beelzemon turned to her with a neutral expression that made her shift her feet. It was a split-second decision that lead to her grabbing him, and she wasn't sure it was the right choice to make. Beelzemon motioned with his hand for her to speak.

She took in a deep breath.

Make the best of it, she told herself, and then said, "Beelzemon, about what I said earlier—"

He held up a hand. "Don't."

The lack of anger surprised her. She expected him to be angry—part of her wanted him to be angry. She deserved it. Yet he kept his voice calm when he continued.

"Admittedly, I was upset at first. But after having time to think about it, I understand why you said it. I would feel the same if I were in your position. I don't blame you."

"Still, I…I shouldn't have said that. It wasn't fair to you."

He put both hands on her shoulders. "Perhaps. Even so, you have a right to feel that way after everything you've been through. This isn't the best time to be dwelling on it anyway."

"Sorry. You're right."

"No need to apologize."

"Thanks, Beelzemon."

"You're welcome," he said with a smile. Turning, he made for the door. "Time to join the meeting."

They walked together down the hall. When they entered the meeting room, a scowling Datamon greeted them.

"About time," Datamon sneered.

Narrowed red eyes made the machine gulp and lean back, his apparent anger vanishing. A brief smugness passed over Beelzemon's face that made Mikami snicker. Once the two sat down, Daiki looked at Datamon.

"What's the plan?"

"In terms of battling Galacticmon? Hah! As if I could come up with one that would work. What few weak points he has are too well guarded. Targeting them would almost assuredly be a death sentence. He has numerous long and short distance attacks capable of reaching all around him. No area is unprotected. If you're lucky—and I must emphasize the if—you may just find a way to get past his defense. But that is taking a wild shot in the dark."

"Then this fight is going to be one of endurance," Renamon said.

Daiki pressed his hand against his face. "Shit."

"Pretty much going in blind," Shizuka muttered. "Fantastic."

With a grin Datamon said, "You're the ones wanting to be heroes."

With a surprising amount of sarcasm in her voice, Yoko replied with, "Sorry, I didn't realize wanting to protect the world was a bad thing."

"He managed to make Yoko of all people mad," Gabumon said.

Gallantmon cleared his throat. Datamon glared for just a moment and then composed himself.

"To get there, we'll be forcefully opening a portal into the realm between the Digital World and the Human World. I have no idea how safe it is for you humans to be there, so you should try to avoid being in there for more than an hour. You'll need to be quick since the portal will close immediately once you enter it. That means no back-up either. We'll be watching you with these." Datamon reached down and placed two devices on the table. "These will to allow us to communicate with you while you're inside the other realm. It'll also be transmitting a live video for us. The moment you beat him—if you beat him—we'll know and open another portal."

"And when are we doing this?" Judai asked.

"Two hours from now you will head to the Forest Zone. Once you report in, the portal will be opened," Omnimon said. "Take that time to prepare yourselves."

The knight motioned to Datamon. The two left alongside Gallantmon, leaving the friends by themselves. Tadashi reached over to grab the papers containing details on Galacticmon.

Mikami slid down with a groan. "Longer than two hours would've been nice…"

"So…any ideas?" Dorumon asked.

"Datamon didn't give us much to work with," Shizuka said.

"That is putting it lightly," Tadashi said. He stared down at the documents spread out in front of him. "Renamon is right. We'll have to endure the fight long enough to find a way to attack Galacticmon's weak points."

"Yeah. That isn't going to be easy."

"I'm afraid I can't think of a plan this time. Even with the information in these documents, we know the bare minimum."

"That's reassuring," Salamon mumbled.

Shizuka leaned back with her arms folded. "Didn't we have a conversation ten minutes ago about how we're going to win? Besides, for all we know Datamon could be full of shit. He might even be lying to us."

"For what reason would he do that?"

"Well, I…I don't know, but—"

"Datamon is many things, but a liar is not one of them. He takes too much pride in his work to ever consider lying about it," Beelzemon said.

"And considering this," Tadashi muttered, sliding one of the papers to his sister, "I would say it's a guarantee that he's telling the truth."

One eyebrow raised, Shizuka took the paper. She scanned it, stopping on one line in particular. "…Oh. Okay. That's…uh…not good."

Gabumon blinked. "What's not good?"

"Let's just say that apparently a lot of data from strong Digimon were…fed to Galacticmon," Shizuka said. She made a slight gagging noise. "Saying it out loud makes it worse."

"It's one thing to take the data of a Digimon you've defeated, but that's…"

"Despicable," Renamon growled.

"Not surprised in the least that Laylamon wasn't above doing something like that," Daiki said.

Tadashi sighed. "We should get more rest while we can."

"That I can agree with."

They left the meeting for the second time that day to return to their rooms.

None of them slept.