A/N: Woah. What the heck happened? I was just checking up on my stats and found a 0 in the hits section. The hits to my profile page are gone too. Does anybody else have this problem? I'm a bit worried. Anyways, here's chapter 15, though it was finished about a week early. I've got a heap of schoolwork to do so don't expect the next chapter too soon.

Midnight Rendezvous

The employee lunchroom was just like any regular school lunchroom: a labyrinth of square tables, each with a set of four chairs. A service line was built along the far wall next to a series of vending machines. The food, however, was a bit more interesting. Employees could make a selection between Hamburgers, Pizza, Pasta, or Salisbury Steak. But the rule of quantity over quality remained the same and the rations were surprisingly low on nutrients. Just like during the school year, lunch was Vik's favorite time of the day. Of course, none of this time was spent eating. He spent this time sleeping. While everybody else conversed cheerfully over food and drink, Vik rested his head on a table to try and catch some Z's. However, this is impossible and not to mention rude when you're in the presence of company.

"Hey, Vik! Mind if I sit down?" An almost unfamiliar voice called to him. Wearily, he lifted his head to the sight of an almost-cheerful Elena. Vik wasn't sure how to respond. This was the first time the viera had ever struck up a casual conversation with him. Heck, this was the first time she had talked to him as an equal. Then again, he didn't want to ruin their 'relationship' that she had so painstakingly created so he decided to respond with sarcasm. "Of course you can sit down. There's a chair over there." He said, pointing at the chair in the far corner of the room.

The Viera laughed, another thing Vik was unfamiliar with, and took the seat across from him anyways. "So how was your mission?"

"Grueling, pointless, and dull; altogether yielding insubstantial rewards."

Elena blinked with confusion. "So it went well?"

"Yup." He said.

"That's good to hear..." Vik was familiar with this kind of tactic, starting off with friendly conversation before trying to wring out some information.

At this time, he realized that Elena wasn't going to leave him until she got what she wanted so he sat up and pushed in his chair. "Alright, what did you really come here to talk about?"

Elena suddenly looked down at her feet and brought her voice down to a whisper. "It's about Saria."

If there was one topic that could grab Vik's attention, that was it. "What about her?" He asked.

"Well...she's been acting a bit strange lately. Ever since she came back from that job instructor she seemed...distant. She won't talk to anybody about it so I was hoping you would know."

She looked up hopefully at Vik, who almost regretted shaking his head. "Sorry, I don't know any more than you when it comes to Saria."

"Then try talking to her about it. I already tried but she pushed me away." She said with a hurt expression. "She trusts you more than me so why don't you give it a shot? Please! I'm really worried."

Vik initially opened his mouth to ask why but decided against it. "Sure." He said quickly.

"Thanks." With that said and done, she pushed back her chair and excused herself from the table.

Without much else to do, Vik slumped back onto the table and closed his eyes. "Girls: the world would be a whole lot simpler if they just told us what they're thinking forthright." He mumbled under his breath. "You can't blame them," His mind returned, "They were made to complicate things."

---

Vik couldn't help but feel that Saria was avoiding all contact with intelligent life. Not a single one of the Foundation employees had seen her all afternoon. It took a while for some of the workers to know who he was talking about since she had lived under the name "the alternative power source" for most of her life. Nevertheless, she stayed hidden even when it came time for them too leave. "Have any of you guys seen Saria?" Vik asked as they stood in line for departure security checks. Apparently, there were a few people that weren't allowed out either. "I thought, of all places she chould be, she would be here."

"Haven't ssseen her all day." Yolando answered. "Ya think she got lost?"

"Impossible. There are maps posted on the walls every ten feet!" Kili said, motioning at the nearest map and the three to its right. "Plus, there are people who work here 24-7. If she gets lost, she can ask for directions." A loud ping interrupted their conversation as the heavy metal doors slid open. Vik scanned the crowd as the piled into the elevator but found no trace of her. "She has to be somewhere in this building. I'm gonna go look for her." Vik said as he slowly and remorsefully turned from the gates of freedom.

"Wait up! We'll come too." Elena said, motioning for the rest of the clan to get out of the elevator.

Vik raised his hands in dissapproval. "No, I've kept you here for far too long already. I'm sure you've all got a bunch of things to catch up with. Besides, one of you have to tell my parents that I'll be late. Calling between two cities costs a fortune these days."

The crew didn't give their leader's suggestion much thought. They just backed right back onto the platform and waved goodbye. "See ya tomorrow!" Kili shouted as the doors slid shut. Sighing loudly, Vik trudged down the hall towards the bridge.

The first place he checked were the barracks. "She was probably too tired to go home." He thought as he roamed along the rows of dorms. He wasn't sure which room was hers so he tried every one, being sure to knock before entering to make sure he wasn't barging in on any personal business. His search came up empty but he did run into the task secretary who informed him that Saria hadn't shown up for any of her scheduled assignments.

With the possibility of the barracks ruled out, the only place Saria could be right now was...anywhere. Vik's only option was to scout out the entire area of the foundation. This would have taken an eternity so Vik decided to use the lazy man's way out: technology. Coffee break was in about 5 minutes and the next lift down was bringing with it a cart packed full of donuts. Sure enough, by the time he reached the Security Monitoring Station, the room was completely deserted. Without wasting a second, he quickly took a seat in front of a computer terminal and started flipping through the channels. Even with the help of security cameras, the search would still take a long time, given the amount of rooms there were. Rooms like bathrooms and locker rooms were prohibited from filming by law so instead, the camera was placed right outside the door to keep track of everyone who goes in. After 45 minutes of channel-surfing, Vik realized that she wasn't anywhere in the building. He had viewed each security unit several times and she was still nowhere to be found. "Just go home." His inner laziness prevailed, "She can find her own way back."

"No!" Vik objected loudly. The lack of sleep must have been getting to him, since talking to yourself is usually the first sign of hysteria. Vik didn't think much of it, since he had verbal disputes with his mind on a daily basis.

Since Saria wasn't in the building, that meant only one thing. She was outside in the big and unprotected depths of society. This wouldn't have been a big deal if they were back in Cyril; she knew her way around the neighborhood. However, Bagabu port was an entirely different place. So far, the only place that they had visited in the city was the airport. "Oh well, guess I'll go search the city now." He mumbled as he headed out the door. "This is going to be a loooooong night."

Vik got there just in time to catch the departing 9 o' clock departure to the surface. Before leaving the Airport, Vik zipped up his jacket. Summer nights always felt cold to Vik. He guessed it was because his body had a hard time adjusting to the temperature now that the Earth's most proficient heat source had moved to the other side of the globe. This was especially the case tonight when Vik passed by an electronic store. A television by the window was broadcasting a news report. Though the sound was barely audible through the glass, the bottom of the screen indicated that it was 38ยบ.

The hard part about searching for someone in a city is that you have no idea where to begin. You could start on one street and run along it until you reach the opposite end of the city only to find that the person had moved to the other end. Still, random searching was better than standing in one place hoping that they will find you so Vik started running in the direction he was facing, hoping that the person he was looking for wasn't doing the same.

---

Vik watched sadly as the last train to Cyril rolled by right in front of him. "Oh well, guess I won't be going home for dinner after all." He thought as the last car finally passed and the lights stopped flashing. As soon as the wooden barricade was lifted, he continued his aimless sprinting. He had been searching for three hours already and to obviously no avail. By this time, worst-case scenarios were starting to form in his head. "What if she got kidnapped? Maybe those cloaked guys finally made their move. What if she gets mugged? What if she gets raped?"

"Shut up!" He whispered, pressing his hands against his ears, even though he knew it would do nothing to hold back his thoughts. His search eventually brought him to White Mountain Park. A sign at the front said that it had been closed for over an hour, but the lack of a gate and security vigilance were open invitations to Vik. As he proceeded down the designated path, he slowed his pace just enough to allow him to absorb the scenery. With every step, memories from his childhood came flooding back. He remembered when he was still a kid, his parents used to send him and his sister to their grandparent's house overseas during the summer. Since Bagabu had the only trans-continental airport, they didn't really have much of a choice. But before they two of them were put on a plane, their parents brought them here. This park had everything; a playground, a restaurant, a zoo, and a year round carnival. Vik could spend hours here without getting bored. They stopped coming here when Vik was about five. His mom told him it was because he and his sister had outgrown the silly family tradition. It had been years later when he found out his grandparents had died in a car crash.

It was all coming back to him at once; the recollection, the emotions, every memory attached to this place was rushing at him, trying to occupy the same spot in his mind. He stopped for a second just to hold his head with his palms. But as he looked up, he saw that he wasn't alone. About 10 yards away from him was a girl, sitting on a wooden bench overlooking the pond. Vik almost didn't notice her because she was dressed in a black uniform. Her raven hair blended almost naturally into the night. He also noticed she was shivering. "Serves her right for not bringing a jacket." He thought as he walked towards her. Sighing, he sucked up the last few seconds of warmth before removing his jacket and wrapping it around her. She reacted the same way anybody would when something suddenly draped around your shoulders; she looked back. "Hey Saria." Vik whispered with a cheerful smile.

"Vik...what are you...how did...why..." She blathered, watching as he took a seat next to her on the bench.

"I was looking for you." He said indignantly before adding, "Idiot."

Saria immediately looked down but Vik retained his attitude. If he gave in, even for a second, Saria would eventually learn that looking hurt could get her out of anything. "Vik, I'm sorry."

"Do you have any idea how worried I was? How worried our friends were? And my parents! Have you even thought how they'd react when they realized you were missing?" Vik lowered his gaze to her eye level and found her on the verge of crying. Not wanting to push her that far, he lightened his expression and tone of voice. "Why are you out here anyways?"

"I...I just couldn't take it anymore..." She said without looking up.

"Take what?"

In spite of Vik's attempt to calm down, Saria still burst into tears. "They won't stop staring at me. They shrink away when I walk down the halls and whisper behind my back. No matter where I went, I couldn't escape their gazes." She was obviously referring to the Foundation's employees, who have yet to acknowledge her as an actual person. Feeling he should do something to comfort her, he pulled the girl into an awkward hug. "What have I done wrong?" She asked, burying her face in Vik's sleeve, "Why do they hate me so much?"

"I'm sure they don't hate you." Vik said quietly in her ear. "They just don't know you like we do. Give it some time; it'll stop eventually." It wasn't exactly the best advice but it seemed to work. After a few seconds, her breathing returned to normal and Vik pulled himself from away from Saria's embrace. "So are you ready to go?" He asked, brushing away her last few tears with his thumb.

"No, let's stay here for a while." Saria said, giving Vik a weak smile.

"No! It's late, it's cold, and it's been 2 hours since curfew started. And I'm not looking forward to calling my mom and asking her to come pick me up at the Bagabu Police Station." He frowned when his response only made her giggle. "Besides, aren't you afraid of the dark?"

"I'm not exactly afraid of it." She answered, crossing her arms around her chest and pulling the jacket closer to her. "I just feel...trapped. There's no one around to help me. To save me. Sometimes, in the worst cases, I could hardly breathe." She drew in a deep breath and exhaled comfortably. "How can you stand it?" She asked, turning to face Vik. "How can you live so freely in a world without light."

"Well, I can't say I'm completely unafraid of the dark. There are even times when I feel uncertain of what's out there." He admitted, blushing a bit from embarrassment. "Mankind has been trying to conquer darkness for centuries. We invented a bunch of things; fire, lanterns, light bulbs, and glow sticks. But if we tell ourselves that nothing will change when the light is extinguished, we'll know that there's nothing to fear."

They sat silently for a while, just staring as the water sparkled from the lights from surrounding lamp posts. The air was just getting colder so Saria shoved her hands into the jacket's pockets and felt something solid press against her left hand. Curiously, she closed her hand around it and pulled it out. "What's this?" Saria asked, holding the small object to the streetlight. It was the pocket watch Vik had found in his Job outfit.

"Oh that? I've been meaning to show it to you. I was just waiting for the right moment to bring it up." He said, smiling nervously. Saria just sat there, admiring the beauty of the watch. Every detail was so painfully engraved, she almost felt sorry for the man who had to watch as his masterpiece was sold. Gripping the sides tightly, she reached towards it with her right hand to open the top. But as her hand neared the clasp, a white spark suddenly shot out at her palm, yanking the consciousness from her body.

---

Her vision soon succumbed to the dark shroud of oblivion. Vik, the lake, and the whole park had faded from view. She screamed for help but no sound emitted from his throat. Saria appeared to be standing up, though she could still feel the bench against her back. Where am I...> she thought. She jumped when the exact same words echoed back to her. Whoa...what kind of place is this?>

"This is for you." Said a female voice. "Happy birthday." Saria spun around to see who was talking but was only greeted by blackness. 'Who's there?' Her thoughts echoed.

"A gift? You really shouldn't have." Another voice returned. Saria predicted it belonged to a man, since it was much deeper than the first. "I told you I didn't want anything; there's really no reason for me to celebrate."

"I'm not asking you to celebrate. It's just a present." The female voice responded in a hurt voice. "Com'n, just open it."

As Saria turned around, two figures emerged from the darkness. They were dressed in casual clothing but the weapons at their sides told her they were clan members. Just like she predicted, there was one male and one female. The male was dressed in a maroon dress shirt with green pants and held an open box carefully in his hands. The female was wearing a plain, white dress and stood eagerly beside the male, awaiting his reaction. Saria tried to walk closer to get a better look but her feet refused to move. From where she was standing, she could only see the back of their heads and hair. Even if she was standing at a different angle, she still would have been too far to see their faces. They were much taller than she was but still looked young so she guessed they were somewhere between 20 and 40. Um...hello?> She mused, her thoughts reverberating off the "walls". Can one of you please tell me where I am?> It was no use; the two adults only acknowledged each other's presence.

"How thoughtful of you, you got me a watch." The man remarked unenthusiastically, removing a small, circular object from the box.

"You seemed to have trouble getting things done, so I thought I'd get you a little time-keeper to assist you." The woman said cheerfully.

"I don't have trouble getting things done. I just don't want them done." He returned.

The female responded with a laugh. "Open it up. There's a surprise inside!"

Without a word, he popped open the top of the watch and gazed inside. "What am I supposed to be looking for? I only see a clock."

"Look above it, you big dummy!" She said, poking the man in the gut. "It's a picture frame for that one special moment in your life!"

"Great..." The man said. From afar, Saria could tell he was attempting to smile. Either that, or he was trying to mask a real one.

"So...you need any suggestions for what you're gonna put in there? I have a few pictures of our clan reduced so it'll fit in there."

"No thanks." The man answered as he pocketed the watch. "I'm gonna put in the picture of my wife."

---

"Saria! SARIA! Wake up!"

She could feel her body being shook as she slowly came out of her trance. As she opened her eyes, the first thing she was Vik's face, a mixture of fear and worry. "Oh thank god!" He exclaimed as he helped her up. "You almost gave me a heart attack. What happened?"

Vik watched her curiously as she got up and looked over her surroundings, trying to find something to prove that it was all a prank. "It happened again..." She said as she sunk back onto the bench after coming up empty.

"What are you talking about? You mean this has happened before?"

Saria nodded. "Yesterday when I was looking for an occupation, I came in contact with one of the old outfits the instructor had worn before. There was a huge tear in it and I had a vision that it was created by a Panther...no, it was more than a vision. I could feel the sting of the claws, the moisture of the blood, even the weakness of dying breaths. I thought I was just dreaming at first but now it has happened again!"

Vik shook his head in confusion. This girl was getting stranger each day. "Well, maybe it was just a dream. You did black out. What exactly did you see?"

The girl looked down at the watch, which was now laying open in her hand. It took her a while to answer Vik's question after seeing her image in the picture. "This watch..." She began, "Was a gift. As for who it's from and who it belongs to, I have no idea." As she spoke, she took a good look at the picture, comparing any feature that was visible to her own. "Why is my picture in here?" She asked as if she thought Vik was playing a prank on her.

"I really don't know." He answered truthfully, "I just found that in the pocket of my uniform and when I popped it open, there you were." He looked up at Saria's helpless and bewildered expression.

"There was a man..." Saria said, running her fingers along the frame. "He got this watch from a woman as a birthday gift. And he told her...he told her he was going to put in a picture of his wife." She slapped the lid shut and gave Vik a look of anguish. "I think...that I might be..."

"But we don't think it's really you." He immediately added in an attempt to comfort her. "It might be a close relative or just some person who coincidentally looks like you. All we know is that they have to be at least over a hundred years old."

"Besides..." He added as he took the watch from the girl's hands and placed it into his shirt pocket. "You're ten times prettier than that girl in the picture." He had no idea what had possessed him to say such a thing. There were many ways to interpret his last statement. He doubted that he actually meant it but at the same time, he knew he wasn't kidding. But when Saria started laughing, he knew his comment couldn't have been all that bad. "So, you ready to go now?"

"Yeah. Let's go." Saria said, smiling brightly.

Since the train had already stopped running, they decided to go back to the airport and actually use the barracks their employers had provided. When they finally arrived at their destination, they had just missed the 2 o' clock 'flight'. And since none of them had brought their key cards for the back doors, they chose to wait until the next elevator came. But by that time, they had already fallen asleep leaning on each other's shoulder.

A/N: Grr. It turned fluffy again. I've really got to stop reading romance fanfiction...but that's pretty much impossible since they make up almost half the site. Oh well, it's not that bad. On a scale of fluffiness from sand paper to puffy clouds, this is cheap carpet! Or maybe that itchy sweater my grandma gave me for Christmas...