A/N: I got a wonderful amount of reviews last time. I liked to thank everyone who reviewed and every reader that at least took a peek at my story. It helps to know people like my story. I don't think some of my other stories are as popular on the first chappie. Look foward to a new chap every weekend!

Chapter 2: Followed

"Take me to him," Ben plainly stated as he stared at Keith. He didn't trust the doctor at first, then he realized that Orbit had no reason to lie to him. Still, it would make his thoughts be at ease just to see or hear EDI.

Keith nodded at the statement, knowing it was more of a command rather than a request. His arm gripped tight on the accordion folder in his hold, then his feet moved fast across the carpeted halls. Doors with black numbers on them whizzed by as the scientist and pilot moved quickly towards a holding garage. Neither one of them spoke, each anxious about the reunion soon to take place.

XX

Maybe it was nerves, or maybe it was his blood still rushing from the excitement of the day's events. Whatever it was, it was keeping the young man awake. His body tossed and turned in the white sheets, two strong hands grabbing a pillow and pulling it to his head. Suddenly, things felt stuffy and warm. Not being able to take his sudden restlessness, David sighed and literally jumped out of bed.

Once he was on his feet, Rogerson felt a little better. For some reason, his small room seemed to grow hot again and congested. Flapping the collar of his muscle shirt, David went over to the small electrical fan on his desk. Before flipping the small switch on the back, the young man made sure that the heat was not on by placing his hand over one of the two vents leading into his room.

Nothing. Sighing once more, the man placed his finger behind the small fan and was about to flip it… then a muffled sound came from the other side of the door. Pausing for a moment, the pilot listened. He had to be sure his tired mind wasn't tricking him. Not hearing it again, he flipped the switched and the room was filled with a small buzzing sound.

Feeling the sudden cool air on his hands, David turned off his desk lamp and finally settled into bed. Then he heard it again. Voices were traveling down the corridor. They were trying to be hushed, but one sounded very agitated. Growing irritated him self, David sat up from his bed once more. He was ready to put a stop to the commotion that had interrupted his sleep.

His socked feet shuffled across the floor. Still the hushed voices were heard over the small fan. Then he realized they were not trying to be as quiet as he thought. Putting one hand on the handle and another on the door, David listened. He had to determine who was speaking before he burst in on them. If it was Marshfield or anyone higher in rank, his actions could be consequential, especially if they were speaking of a future mission.

However, that idea was immediately dismissed just for the fact that they were in a hallway rather than in one of the conference rooms. Pressing his right ear on the wooden door, David listened even harder. The words came from two men, that he was sure of. What he was not sure of was whom they were speaking about. One of the voices didn't say much, but what little he did say seemed to hurry the other speaker. David recognized the one that spoke few. It was Ben's voice.

The other one was new to him. David decided to keep listening and try to find out who it was. The two speakers were talking about a crash site… a recovery… a delivery… and a- the voices grew hushed all of a sudden and David didn't here the last thing Ben said before the sound of muffled boots and shoes, hit him.

Pulling away from the door, David could see the white light temporally flash black as they passed by. Once the shoes had gone past, the young man went back to the door. He wanted to follow, he was curious. "No, better to stay here and get some rest. If they caught me… I'm sure I'll be told eventually." Turning away with a smile, David sat down on his bed, and then looked up at the door.

XX

They walked in silence, it was better that way. Ben didn't want to speak and Keith didn't know what to speak of. There was only one thing on their minds, but each wasn't comfortable talking about it.

For Keith, this was more than simply revisiting an old project. This was much like revising his own son. EDI had begun to have feelings, an evolved state that no one else could accomplish. Of course, EDI's developments weren't due to Keith's ingenious engineering. It was because of a freak accident that EDI began to even feel the smallest thing such as sorrow for his actions.

For Ben, it would be much harder to speak with EDI. In his last moments, EDI had showed a desire for friendship or at least a sense of having comrades he could rely on. Ben had thought of EDI as a machine and nothing more until the Russian planes attacked them. It was only then that he saw EDI had no bad intentions and could actually become a good pilot. In fact, Ben had hoped that both of them would live through the ordeal.

Even when EDI did die, he didn't feel the same as he did when Henry died. Of course that was understandable, Henry had been his friend and wingman for years. Honestly, Ben wasn't sure what to feel. There were many feelings that would suit the situation: anxious, happiness, and anger. All of these rolled up into a ball that was filled with turmoil. Trying to push back the nausea that was coming from all his confusion, Ben quickened his pace so that he matched the doctor's.

"Keith," the man next to Ben turned his head as they continued walking. "Did EDI say anything when you brought him back?"

"Not really. Of course, it was only a split second later that I left him to get you. However, he did say hello to me. Using my full name instead of 'father' like I asked him. I guess-" Ben stopped Keith's speaking with a soft hush. The pilot's dark eyes darted to look over their shoulder then went back in front of them. The hallway was lit brightly and provided little hiding space. Anyone whom would be following would be easily spotted. Even knowing those few facts, Ben still felt wary when he did not see what he felt.

Pulling on Orbit's arm, Ben lead the scientist to a side passage. It was less lighted than the hallway and contained three doors on either wall. A laundry carrier was next to the opening that lead into the quarters hall. Pushing the doctor up against the wall, the pilot told him to be silent when Keith complained about the detour.

Just as Ben had thought, soft footsteps soon came after their disappearance from the hall. They trotted slowly at first; then became quick as they neared the end of the hall. Not being able to think of who might want to follow in secret, Ben had no hesitation when whipped around the corner and grabbed the perpetrator.

Holding their stalker from the back, Ben clasped a hand over his mouth so he wouldn't make any noise. "David?" he whispered as he pulled away and stared at the young pilot. "What are you doing following us?" Ben was more annoyed than angry or surprised. There was no reason for David to travel so cautiously in the carrier. So why did he do so? "Answer me kid, why were you following us?"

The young pilot quickly turned to face Ben, once he was let go. He was a bit angry with himself for being caught so easily. Stealth was an important factor in a pilot's life and David was one to think he had mastered it. Alas, the older pilot was more experienced and more aware of his surroundings.

Not knowing whether to be ashamed and tell the truth, or act dumb and lie, David just stood their. Unfortunately, Ben was not one to stand by and be ignorant. His dark eyes quickly found the young man's gaze and held it. Piercing into David's confidence and striking it down. This would erect any idea of lying to him. And just as Ben wanted, David gave in and began to speak.

At first, nothing would come out of his mouth. It was really an odd and uncomfortable predicament that the young man had gotten him self into. He knew there was truly no reason for him to be slinking around like a cat. However, there was also no reason for Ben to be as cautious as he was just now. Seeing this, David decided to try and draw out the reason why Ben and the other man were speaking in hushed voices.

Coughing a few times to delay Ben's anger, David took in a deep breath and finally spoke. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to follow you in secret. In fact, I never intended to follow you in the first place. It was just that I heard voices outside my door and decided to investigate. I couldn't sleep…" David grew quiet as his eyes caught the look in Ben's face. It wasn't annoyance anymore. It was more like frustration and worry. 'Maybe, maybe he thinks I heard something I shouldn't- Well there's only way to find out'. "Sir-"

"How much did you hear?" Once Ben had heard that David had listened in on his conversation with Keith, he couldn't help the feeling of dread rise in him. If the young pilot had learned about EDI… He was about to find the answer. It was better for him and David if he didn't jump to conclusions.

"Not much sir. What I did hear did not make much sense to me." Suddenly, the man with sandy hair and glasses came up to the front of Ben. His hand was outstretched a little as he spoke. A bit of anxiety seemed to be in his voice, which made the young pilot's curiosity peak even higher. "What did you hear exactly boy?!" David wasn't much in favor of being called 'boy', but ignored it for now. The man's voice had gone from anxious to urgent in the middle of the sentence. David could tell, he was trained for determining a person's mood.

"I heard something about a crash site, near the South/North Korea border. Then there was something about a delivery after I was dropped off. After that, everything thing was kind of hushed." David never let his gaze leave the scientist's face as he spoke to him. Then he turned his attention to Ben. With a stern face, but one that showed his curiosity, David asked, "Sir, isn't North Korea the place where you rescued Lieutenant Kara Wade and where the UCAV unit was destroyed four years ago?"

"You know about that?" Again Keith was talking. He moved closer to David. The young pilot simply nodded a yes to the man and looked back at his commander. Ben was obviously not ready to handle this. He slid his hand down his face with a large sigh. David took in every action and soon analyzed it within his mind; then realized that Ben wanted to hold something back, but was about to tell him. 'Just press a little more…' David thought.

"Orbit, leave him alone. Mr. Rogerson doesn't know anything as far as that incident goes." As far as Ben was concerned, that was the truth. Every other pilot (excluding Kara and Marshfield) and military official were told the same the story. Soon, everyone was convinced of the same thing: EDI had simply spotted a threat and taken it out. The UCAV had no intention of saving Kara and Ben from the helicopter. It was simply carrying out orders. "Go back to your quarters Rogerson, you are dismissed." Ben's face was cold and calm. It was almost scary the change he had made.

Nodding, David began to turn away and head back down the hall. As his footsteps were muffled by the carpet, Ben and Keith stood out in the hall and watched a bit as the young man headed for his door. David's room still being down the hall a ways, Ben decided it was safe to say the other pilot would not follow them. Looking at Keith and then back behind them, Ben began to walk towards the holding bay. It wasn't but a few seconds that Keith realized this and moved a bit faster to catch up to the other man.

X

The man placed his hand on the glass. It was a small square on the wooden door. Unfortunately, it was frosted over and would not allow the pilot even a glance through into the large room. It was dark in this part of the hallway, one of the lights being blown out above the doorway. From inside, a soft glow emanated, which covered the faces of the pilot and the scientist looking through next to him.

With a sigh, Ben applied little pressure on the door. It wouldn't move, it was much too heavy for a little push to open it. For this, Ben was almost grateful. It wasn't like the first day he saw EDI over four years ago. When the black plane had landed on the carrier that night, it had only been a machine. A machine meant to replace him. Now EDI had become a valuable comrade with actual feelings. It was strange, to call a computer a comrade. No, EDI was no longer just a computer hooked up to some fancy network. He was real.

Keith realized Ben's hesitation to enter and understood his feelings, even if it was the smallest understanding possible. He too had doubts about meeting EDI again. The doctor was worried something had been severely damaged or lost in the crash. However, as he worked away for hours on the parts, a new sensation came over him. No longer was he putting together another toy for him to play with, he was literally making life. If EDI still held his feelings, that meant he would have accomplished something scientist have never been able to do. Orbit would have created artificial life. Taking in a shaky breath, Keith looked up at Ben. "Shall we head in?"

The pilot looked back down at the scientist for a moment. There was reassurance in his companion's eyes. Nodding, Ben turned back to the light and placed all his weight against the door. It swung open without hesitation and the full force of the light inside rained down upon the men.

Being blind for but a moment, Ben soon gained his sight. However, it was his ears that picked up the first sign of EDI. "It is good to see you again, Talon 1."

XX

A/N: Sooo? How did ya all like? Tell me! PLEASE! Thank-you once again to everyone whom has reviewed. Like a couple of past stories, I will write a thank-you list at the end of the story. Everyone whom has reviewed by then will get their name on the list.

PLEASE REVIEW!

Have a great day/evening!

Marlo