(A/N: Well I won't bore you with the details as to why I'm sort of late and just say unexpected business came up. Here's a longer chappie in return, hope you enjoy!)

Chapter 5: Dancing with the Devils

The boys continued to stay stolid, never flinching as they tried to determine where the footsteps were coming from and where they were headed.

'This way.' Rio mouthed and turned a corner, entering a room in the complex and shutting the door behind them as discreetly as possible.

"Who else could be here? And what do they want?" Ichiro thought aloud, but softly.

"It has to be an employee of the research center! Who else would know about this place?" Rio reasoned. They heard the footsteps again, this time they were sure it was more than one set. Ichiro would usually have agreed with Rio's assessment of things, before he listened to what he heard next.

"You said Zero would be in here!" a voice, a woman's voice, complained.

"He is in here!" A man's voice responded.

"Well then why can't we find him or his DNA chip?"

"Obviously they would have kept him locked up tight. We just need to find the central room and then we'll have the chip." The man explained, agitated. Both their feet started echoing down the hall again, away from the boy's position.

"Why would someone who knows the dangers of that chip go looking for it?" Ichiro posed the question, referring to Rio's earlier theory. The only response he got was a confused shrug on the red head's part. "Do your directions lead to the central room?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Were they headed toward it?"

"No way, they went completely the opposite direction." Rio shook his head.

"Then let's get in and get out before they come back." Rio understood and the two snuck out the door again, trying to be as stealthy as possible. They kept maneuvering through the maze of halls, always keeping track of the other pairs of footstep if they were near. Rio soon stopped in front of a door, skimming the text of his paper as he typed in the access code to the once top secret lab. The door began to open smoothly, but suddenly let out a loud groan in protest due to age.

"What was that?" They heard the man say, knowing they had blown their cover.

"We gotta do this quick." Rio muttered, heading over to the nearest computer and trying to access Zero's file. "Darn! I need a password." He scowled.

"You said my father used to be head of this facility?" Ichiro inquired.

"Yeah."

"Well then maybe I can help with that." the blonde stepped up to the terminal, entering in a password he had seen his father use many times for other things. The words "Acess Granted" flashed across the screen, giving them a list of options to choose from.

"I3Capacitors? Really?" Rio raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"He's a little weird like that." Ichiro laughed nervously, acessing Zero's file and unlocking the safe in the wall where he was held. Behind them, slowly and majestically as if revealing the secrets of the universe itself, Zero was displayed for the both of them to see.

"I can't believe it..." Rio mumbled, barely audible near the end.

"No time to gawk, lets get his armor and go." Ichiro began unhitching the red armor from the torso, while Rio got the arms and legs. They saved the helmet for last and stuffed it all in Rio's backpack.

"Should we take the data chip? Just so those shady guys don't get it?" Rio wondered.

"That might be a good idea. We just have to make sure we don't touch it." Ichiro pulled his shirtsleeves over his hands and gently set the chip in a separate pocket in the backpack.

"Hey, what are you kids doing in here!?" The two boys whipped around to see a man and a woman standing in the door and glaring at them.

"Time to split?" Rio asked.

"Time to split!" The boys charged the couple, Rio sliding under the woman's legs and Ichiro sweep kicked the man then ran passed him. The woman began chasing them immediately, swiftly pulling out an energy blaster and missing Rio by inches.

"They sure mean business!" Rio observed. The maze of halls became a raceway, the boys sprinting with all their might to lose their pursuers and avoid being blasted. Soon they were getting close to their hologram entrance, having put a fair distance between themselves and the couple. They barreled through the fake wall and slowed to a stop, looking back for any sign of the pair.

"They obviously came in from another way, they don't know about the hologram." Ichiro said breathily, deciding not to stick around any longer and jogging back to the ruins. Rio quickly followed until they found a safe place to rest. After they paused to catch their breath, Rio's face was bright with glee.

"Dude, high five! We work so awesome together!" He raised his hand up for the said gesture of victory. Ichiro stood up and stretched, walking past his rival.

"We have more important things to do than celebrate." He replied.

"You are such a party pooper."