Episode Two

Legends

They had no idea just how long they were in the van. It was dark and cold as they sat there, huddled together. By this time, Janna was in tears while her brother sat silent and quite in complete shock. Volker Althaus sat in front of the van and had a conversation over the phone about having acquired two new assets. One of the three men in black suits drove the van while the other two sat in back with Doctor Nerus.

The van finally stopped. When the back of the van was finally opened, they could see where they were at for the first time. At first glance, they seemed to be in a warehouse, but after examining the place, Jaden figured out that they were in the cargo bay of a large assault carrier.

"Hurry up!" One of the men snapped at Janna.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Jaden

A fight looked like it might break out between Jaden and the man, but Volker came around to the back and calmed the situation. He reached into the van towards the crying girl. "It's alright. This is your new home. Don't be afraid."

Janna came out, but she did not take Volker's hand. She went to her brother's side.

Volker put his hand at his side. "I must report back to the bridge." He looked to the three men who assisted him. "Take these two into holding."

There didn't seem to be any hope of fighting. The men immediately grasped a hold of Jaden and Janna's arms and started to lead them across the cargo bay. They passed large cargo boxes, missiles, and forklifts. They didn't bother with the elevator because their destination was only two floors above. Clearly by the look of things, they were in the detention area. The windows were covered with steel plates and there were slots at the bottom to push food into the room if necessary.

The men led them to the third door on left. The door was opened with a passcode on the control panel. They were shoved into the room, and the door was slammed behind them. The light was very dim. Their eyes needed a moment to adjust.

Janna reached out and grabbed a hold of Jaden's hand. He squeezed back.

"Who's there?" A voice called out. He sounded very young. As their eyes focused in the low light, they were able to see a boy approach them in a wheelchair.

"Who are you?" Jaden asked.

"I asked you first," The boy said with a smile.

"Jaden,"

The boy looked to Janna. "And she is?"

Janna was still weeping silently.

"My sister."

The boy looked satisfied with those answers. "My name's Jonathan." Another boy came up and stood next to Jonathan in his wheelchair. It was difficult to tell with the lighting, but he seemed to have darker hair and skin. He extended his hand which Jaden took, but Janna did not.

"Faraj Najeeb." He said as he put his hand back at his side. "Is she alright?" He asked, looking over at Janna when she sniffled.

"We've been through a lot today."

Jonathan turned his wheelchair around. "We should sit down then. You need to rest."

Faraj followed Jonathan while Jaden led Janna over to the corner of the room. There were a few old pillows and blankets for them to keep warm. Two other boys sat against the wall resting. They opened their eyes as the others sat down.

One seemed to have fair skin and blonde hair while the other had brown shaggy hair. The blonde was dressed in a name-brand track suit while the other wore a torn and hole-ridden jacket over a faded black sweatshirt.

The blonde one spoke first. "Where are we now?"

Jaden knew exactly what he was asking. "Riah—Side 6." He looked over all of them, noting how tired and unkempt they all looked. "Who are you? Where did you all come from? What are they planning to do with us?"

"So they didn't tell you?" Faraj asked. "We're Newtypes."

"You have to be kidding me," Jaden said. "Newtypes are just…legends."

"I doubt Neo-Zeon would go to all this trouble just for a legend." Faraj said. "Haven't you heard the rumors? It is said that in the greatest conflicts in the last ten years have all had the participation of Newtypes."

"The entire White Base crew of the One Year War was said to be Newtypes. How else could they have turned the tide of the war?" Jonathan said.

"But we're just kids," Jaden said.

"Speak for yourself," The blonde spoke up.

"You know what he means, Kyle." Faraj shook his head.

"What do they want us to do? I don't understand," Jaden said. "Even if this Newtype stuff is really true, what are we supposed to do?"

"Newtypes change the tide of battle," Kyle, the blonde, said. He sat up off against the wall and leaned forward, slightly grinning. "We're natural born warriors."

"That's not exactly accurate," Jonathan spoke up, which only seemed to annoy Kyle. "Newtypes are the next stage in human evolution. The freedom from gravity has caused our brainwaves to reach out and feel the environment around us. We sense things faster and stronger than everyone else. "

"Unfortunately," Faraj spoke up. "Those abilities have been exploited by various military groups over the past decade."

"They're going to make us pilots—mobile suit pilots. And I for one am eager to demonstrate my abilities," Kyle said.

"This is Neo-Zeon we're talking about here," Jaden looked a bit appalled. "Do you have any idea just how much destruction and devastation they have caused?"

Before Kyle could make a reply, the small food slot at the doorway opened up. Two small trays were slid into the room along with one bottle of water. One tray had six small bowls of broth with half the contents spilled and the other had six stale baguettes. Faraj walked over to the door and grabbed the trays.

"Tasty as always," He said while bringing the food back over to the corner. He passed out the six bowls carefully and then started on the bread. "I'll put water in your cups once you finish your bowls."

Faraj passed one to Janna. She did not want to reach out for it, but he would not set it down. She glanced over and noticed the brown haired boy looking at her. He gave her a small smile then looked away. She turned her gaze back to the cup Faraj held out for her and took it.

They ate for a few moments in silence, sipping the cold broth and trying to chew the stale bread. After a while, Jaden spoke up again. "So where are you all from? How long have you been here? I mean— tell me about yourselves."

Jonathan, who didn't have his mouth full at the time, spoke first. "Well, my last's name Pickett—Jonathan Lee Pickett. Born and raised at Side One. But, I've been here for about three weeks now. I think that's about it. Oh, and I'm twelve years old."

"Twelve?" Jaden nearly choked on his stale bread. "Why would they take you? You're so young."

"Yeah, that's not all that's wrong with him," Kyle spoke up. It was glaringly obvious that Kyle referred to the fact that Jonathan was in a wheelchair.

The shaggy brown haired boy leaned forward off the wall and spoke for the first time. "It is not the body but the heart and the soul."

"Yeah, whatever," Kyle brushed off the comment. "Let's face it—the kid can't pilot a mobile suit. That's what they want from us."

"But I can do other things," Jonathan said, voice slightly quivering.

"Forget him," Faraj started pouring water into the empty broth bowls. "The name's Faraj Najeeb, by the way," He said as he passed the bowl back to Jaden. "Grew up in Granada but lived at Side Two for the past four years. I'm fifteen."

"What about you?" Jaden looked to the brown haired boy.

He did not speak right away, in fact, it took him a moment to realize he was being spoken to. "Dante Fiore. Side 4." He took a drink of water.

"How old are you?" Jaden asked.

"Seventeen," Dante said.

"Dante was first," Faraj added. "He's been here longer than any of us—six weeks."

Kyle laughed, but it wasn't a very kind laugh. "And that's the most he's said since he's been here. Probably used up all his words." Once he was done talking about Dante, he leaned toward and used his thumb to point at himself. "I'm Kyle Baron. You've probably heard of my family—they own Astrotech Space Mining Company. Third generation, you know. We're based out of Side 2. I suspect they're looking for me right now. "

"You mean…" Jaden almost hated to admit it. "…Your parents…" He couldn't finish that sentence.

"What happened?" Jonathan asked, noticing Jaden tone of voice. The pained look on Jaden and Janna's face explained all. "I'm sorry."

"I would assume that if our parents are still…they would look for us," Faraj said.

"Mine would," Jonathan said.

"Well, I know that mine would have the resources to find us the quickest. I suspect that I could be back at home any day now," Kyle said. "I don't suspect you all could say the same," Kyle looked over at Dante especially.

"What about your family, Dante?" Jonathan asked.

He waited a moment before speaking. "Stimulant addicts. Alcoholics. They won't know I'm missing."

Kyle snorted, as if he suspected it all along.

"You can come and live with me," Jonathan piped up, to which Dante gave a small appreciative smile. "We can be brothers! You can even have the spare room! Then Aunt Tessa won't be able to come over!"

"Well, isn't that just perfect?" Kyle said.

"Yeah, it is," Jonathan said, not noticing the sarcasm in Kyle's voice.

"Anyway," Kyle rolled his eyes. "You seem to be asking all the questions, but you haven't told us anything about yourselves." He looked straight at Janna. "For instance—the name of your lovely sister."

Jaden was about to wrinkle his nose, but Janna spoke up for the first time. She only said her name weakly, but it seemed to satisfy Kyle— he leaned back against the wall and tuned out of the conversation for the moment.

Jaden gave a small sigh before he started his story. He told them all about his family, his twin sister, their school, when NOEZ Corporation came for career testing, and how they finally ended up in the cell with the others. His story sound very familiar to the others as well. They were all taken away from their homes and schools to become slaves for Neo-Zeon.

They continued talking late into the night until they were so tired that they passed out on the cold, hard floor in the cell.

She wore a pair of black sunglasses with her trench coat that morning. Strands of her brownish-red hair fluttered in the wind as she walked along the narrow, abandoned street along with a gentleman escort.

"Slightly cold, but still a lovely day," Frau Kobayashi said to Amuro Ray.

Amuro kept glancing from side to side, looking for suspicious activity. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Oh Amuro, you need to relax. You're always so tense."

"Of course I'm tense," He said, still looking at his surroundings. "We're not exactly on a stroll are we?"

"No," Frau gripped the brief case she carried a little tighter. "We're not, but we need to look like we are."

Amuro frowned a little. "You're right." He released the tension in his shoulders and tried to calm himself. He down the street and saw a car. "Finally, there's a taxi."

They waved towards the taxi driver. She brought the car over to them, and they got into the car—Amuro in front and Frau in the back. "To the Space Port," Amuro said.

The taxi driver nodded and hit the accelerator.

They rode in silence for about twenty minutes until the taxi driver arrived at the space port. Amuro immediately rushed towards the door leaving Frau behind to pay the fare. Together, they hopped on a train leading out to the no-gravity zones of the colony. Again, they rode in silence as they raced towards the docking stations.

The bridge on the Resolution, an Endra class carrier, was tense. The control panels were all manned by Neo-Zeon personnel wearing their official green uniforms trimmed with red collars and cuffs. Volker Althaus stood in front of the main monitor along with Captain Nimitz, leader of the ship. They argued most of the morning.

"We need to report back to Axis," Volker stood in his place, formally postured but very angry. "We need to leave the colony now!"

"I've already told you, we are not moving until all supplies are loaded. If this ship runs out of basic supplies, there'll be mutiny!" The Captain said back. "I'm the Captain of this ship! My word is law!"

"If you want to risk the displeasure of Lord Zebulon, be my guest, but I will have you know, Captain, that you just may not be Captain of this fair ship for much longer."

"Is that a threat, Volker?" Captain Nimitz glared at his much younger rival. "I've been a loyal servant of the Zeon Empire—long before you were even a gleam in your father's eye—I've fought in every war since…"

"And I, sir, am a part of the personal entourage and bodyguard of Lord Zebulon himself! Lord Zebulon has commissioned me to being him Newtypes. That is what I have done. Now, however, I am delayed in my task by a daft, bumbling, old…"

"Watch it," The Captain raised a finger. "You may have some special clout at Axis, Lieutenant, but I am still the Captain of this ship."

"And if you don't move this ship closer to Axis and away from this colony, the officials of this colony might start to get suspicious of the fact that two teenagers are missing from Baldur Bay. I'd like the ship to be as far away as possible when that happens," Volker said with a haughty attitude. "I think even someone like you can understand that."

"As I told you," Captain Nimitz glared back at the Lieutenant. "We'll set on course back to Axis when the supplies are finished being loaded."

Volker Althaus only frowned as he gave a final salute before he left the bridge. "Sieg Zeon!"

"Sieg Zeon!"

The suitcase they carried along with them had the supplies they would need for their mission. They both were in normal suits and carried pistols they took off Zeon soldiers.

Frau peered around a corner of a long hallway. There was nobody there. She stepped into the hallway with her pistol pointed forward. Amuro came up behind her, in a white normal suit, with his gun also ready to meet any opposition. They moved swiftly, silently, and carefully through the ship. They searched for a computer to hack in order to find what they were looking for.

One scoop of sugar. Two scoops of sugar. Three scoops of sugar. Volker Althaus stirred in the last scoop of sugar into his tea. He took a deep breath of the hot steam that rose to his nostrils. He pulled the spoon out of the cup and set it down on his napkin. He grasped the handle of the teacup. Boom! An explosion far away from his quarters gave a slight shake to the room. He closed his eyes as he grasped the handle of the cup.

"Idiots—all idiots," He said bitterly. He waited a moment for the siren of the ship to start blaring. It came. He still waited a few moments. Some idiot would come running into his room to explain the situation.

And that idiot came. "Lieutenant Althaus!"

"Yes," Volker said.

"There's been an explosion in the containment wing!"

Volker arose from his chair. "Obviously," He sighed. "Get to your station. We're on full-lockdown." As calm as he sounded, he was furious inside. He immediately stormed towards the elevator. He would not lose those Newtypes.

The doorway was smoking from the controlled explosion, but as they feared, the small explosion set off the alarm system of the ship. Frau and Amuro looked into the hole they created. After their eyes adjusted, they saw six curious faces looking back at them.

"Come on, we have to get out of here—quickly," Amuro said to the prisoners. He watched as they obeyed his order, but he frowned at the sight of the boy in the wheelchair.

The others noticed Amuro's face. Dante stepped forward. "We're not leaving without him."

"Right" Jaden nodded, along with Faraj.

Amuro shook his head. "I wasn't planning on it. It's just a shame that we're going to have to leave it behind. It will make life difficult for a while."

"I'd rather live than worry about the chair, sir," Jonathan said gingerly.

"Well spoken, kid." Amuro reached down and pulled the boy out of the chair. He carried Jonathan on his back while the boy tightly threw his arms around Amuro's neck. "We have to go now, come on."

Everyone was ready to go, but Kyle stood firm. "Why should we trust you?"

"Because he's Amuro Ray," Jaden said, realizing it for the first time. He and Amuro exchanged looks for just a moment.

"No time for pleasantries. We have to go." Amuro shifted Jonathan's position and continued down the hallway. "Follow us if you want to leave this place."

"Yes, yes, quickly now." Frau said. "We must hurry."

"Where are you taking us?" Janna spoke up for the first time in many hours, but she still sounded just as frightened as before.

"To our ship. We've got to get you away from this colony."

As they rounded the corner, they met their first resistance. Frau immediately dispatched them with her pistol. She explained to them afterwards that it was a stunning pistol because she refused to kill unless necessary. They traveled a little further until they met two more soldiers in the hallway. This time however, they were taken out by a fist storm from the boys.

Once they reached the cargo hold, they hesitated for a moment. The place was on full-alert with the sirens blaring. Zeon Soldiers assembled into small groups and then would take off to search the perimeter. They would have to work their way through the cargo area and manage to leave the ship. Then there were would be the small task of getting somewhere safe and secure.

"Stick close and be quite," Amuro said, slightly out of breath from carrying Jonathan. "We'll get through this together." He looked towards the back of the line at Frau. "You go first and motion us forward."

"Right," Frau nodded and moved up to the front. She peered out of the doorway to see if anyone was looking. Once she deemed it safe, she ran ahead and scouted a safe position. After checking the area, she motioned forward the teenagers. They ran out quietly, following one by one, until the whole group managed to cross the first portion of the cargo bay. They hid behind a large stack of crates while they planned the next crossing.

Amuro cursed at the sight of more Zeon soldiers to which Frau frowned. More soldiers gathered in the large open area of the cargo bay and lined up for attention.

"I want those children found," Volker Althaus stood firm in front of a large assembly of men. He wore a wool-grey Zeon uniform to designate his officer status over his subordinates. He carried a dark cane that he squeezed tightly as he spoke to the other soldiers.

"That's the guy," Jaden said to Amuro. "The guy who took us and brought us here."

"So he's the ringleader," Amuro said. "We've been looking for the one who caused this mess for quite a long time now." He stared at the blonde haired man who clutched his cane tightly.

They waited for what seemed like an eternity for the soldiers to split up and give them a chance to move to the next safe point. Once that chance finally came, they quickly moved to another spot let by Frau. They played this game for the next few minutes. They drew closer to the exit. This would be more difficult. Since the sirens were flaring, the whole ship would be on lockdown. Just as they expected, there were four guards on patrol at the exit. Not only would this be difficult, they would need to open the loading ramp, attracting more unwanted attention. They waited behind another stack of crates waiting for the right time. Amuro set Jonathan down and assessed the situation.

The particular soldiers assigned to guarding the exit ramp were not bright to say the least. They guarded the doorway, but they did not guard the control panel that opened and closed the ramp unto the ship. It was only a matter of moments that Frau was able to get herself over to the control panel while Amuro started using his pistol to quietly take out the soldiers. Two were on the ground, both with shoulder wounds. Before he could even stop them, the boys behind him ran forward and rushed the two remaining guards.

All the commotion alerted the other guards in the hull of the ship.

"Come on! Let's go!" Amuro hollered. He quickly scooped up Jonathan and started running for the door. The sound of gunfire started popping and echoing all through the hull. "Go! Go! Go!"

Frau followed quickly behind the group, continuously firing her stunning pistol at their pursuers. They managed to get themselves out of the ship, but now it was a matter of getting from one end of the space port to the other. Luckily, Frau and Amuro had friends waiting.

As quickly as they could, they ran through the empty hallways of the space port listening to the sound of pursing soldiers. They just had to make it a little further. They just had to make it to a supply dock and then they could rendezvous with allies.

They finally reached a vast area that looked much like a train or bus station. Many small ships, people, and cars filled the room.

"You said Ibram would be here!" Amuro hollered.

"I called him just before we entered the ship!" Frau looked around frantically. "He said he'd be here!"

It was just that moment that a white van swerved around the corner, causing the door to fly open. Looking at them from the front seat, an African man looked at them with a large grin. "Get in!"

"Everyone in!" Amuro exclaimed, putting Jonathan into the van first. He jumped into the seat next to Jonathan and started pulling the other teens into the van.

Faraj was the last person in the van. "Go! Go! Go!" He said needlessly as the van tires squealed against the cement floor.

"Where are you taking us?" Janna repeated her earlier question.

Amuro kept looking out the back of the van. "We're going to the Nahel Argama. It's one of the A.E.U.G's assault carriers." He finally looked at Janna. "We've got to get you all away from this colony. We've got to make sure you're safe."

"Yo, Chief, we've got company," Kyle spoke up, noticing a group of soldiers tailing them. The soldiers were commandeering a space port loading truck from the port workers.

Amuro crawled to the back and looked out the window. "Can't catch a break, can we?" He looked back towards the front of the van. "Ibram, step on it!"

"I already am 'stepping on it!'" The driver hollered.

"We've just got to get to the loading ramp of the Argama," Amuro said. "We can drive the van right into the ship's hull and then take off."

"How do we keep those guys from following us onto the ship as well?" Jaden asked.

"Hopefully their sense of self-preservation will kick in, and they'll think twice about following us onto the ship," Amuro said.

Frau had her arm around Janna, who still was frightened. "There are people on the Argama that will protect you. We won't let anything happen to you. Any of you."

They rode in the van, flying at an incredibly illegal speed, and within a few minutes, they arrived at the other end of the space port. It was one big blur as they drove into the ship, and came to a quick stop inside the cargo hold of the ship.

Just as Amuro had predicted, the vehicles that chased them did not pursue them into the ship. They were safe, at least for now.

Ibram put the van into park, lifted his foot off the break, and turned the van off. They sat in silence for just a moment.

"Is everyone okay?" Frau asked. They all murmured a response back to her.

Amuro was first to get up out of his seat. "Come on, let's get to the bridge."

They all unloaded out of the van and once again, Amuro grabbed Jonathan and straddled him on his back. They took a whirlwind tour of the Nahel Argama as the group of teens were led up to the bridge by Amuro and followed behind by Frau and Ibram.

They entered the bridge. The Captain's chair spun around. Bright Noa surveyed the group of ragtag teens for a moment before he stood up from his chair. He continued to study them as he approached.

"You've got to be kidding me," Faraj uttered, breathlessly. "You were the Captain of the White Base. I've seen your picture."

"Captain Bright Noa of the Earth Federation. Welcome to the Nahel Argama." He looked away towards the workers at the control panel. "Torres, are we ready to launch?"

"Almost, Captain. We're at 87%."

"Launch when ready."

"Yes, sir!"

The Captain looked to Amuro and Ibram. "Alert Lieutenant Sharpe. I want all pilots on standby."

They nodded. Amuro walked over to an empty chair at the control panel and put Jonathan down. "See you later, kid."

"Thanks," Jonathan said.

Amuro and Ibram left the bridge.

Captain Bright turned his attention back to the teens. "Frau, take them to a safe place and get them some normal suits. Have them prepared for launch. After that, we've better get them some rations," He said, noticing their appearances.

"Right, Captain." She nodded. The teens started to follow her. Dante and Faraj picked up Jonathan and carried him out of the bridge with the others.

The ship managed to leave Side Six safely without any disruption or trouble, but Captain Bright knew that peace would not last. However, he knew that they had a few hours to spare. Once they were far enough from the colony, they would probably be attacked. As the ship left the gravity of the colony, Bright found himself slowly floating into the air. They were back in space. He now had to use the side handles on the walls of the ship to carry him around.

The only sounds he heard were from the mess hall. He headed towards the cafeteria and entered the room to find the group of teens eating the rations that Frau gave them. Even though they looked ravenously hungry, they ate slowly and cautiously, unsure of their surroundings. They stopped and looked up as the Captain entered the room.

Bright looked over all of them again. "Make sure you eat slowly," He said, feeling a bit awkward for sounding so fatherly.

Frau looked over at the Captain. "Some of these kids have been held prisoner for close to six weeks. They'll need to clean up and receive new clothes."

Bright nodded. "I think we can accommodate that."

Faraj stopped eating. He looked up. "What are you going to do with us?"

Bright turned towards Faraj. "Hopefully, we can clear the airspace safely and leave Side Six behind us."

"I want to go home," Kyle said. "I've already been jerked around long enough."

"Yes, I understand." Bright nodded. "When we have cleared the threat, we can arrange for safe return for all of you."

"I've already been here for weeks now! I said I want to go home!"

"We all want to go home, Kyle!" Jonathan said. "We've got to wait a little more, okay?"

"No, it's not okay," Kyle mumbled, turning back to his lunch.

Jaden looked over at his sister, who was pushing her food around with a spoon. She noticed his gaze and looked at him. They had nowhere to go home to. How would they explain that to the ship's crew? Where would they go now?

As the group fell silent, giggles from the hallway could be heard. Soon, a young man and woman came into the room. They both had on AEGU uniforms, but their uniforms were not straight and proper. Once they noticed they weren't alone, they changed their posture.

"Ah," The Captain said. "Petty Officer Rika," He nodded towards the male in a black AEGU uniform. "Petty Officer Sheen," He said to the woman in green. "Here are the teens we've been looking for."

"Ah, right." The man noted their presence. He was a little bit taller than the woman next to him, and he was of Asian descent. He saluted to the group present. "Petty Officer Third Class Shinobu Rika, reporting for duty." He looked serious for a moment until he glanced over at the woman. They both burst into a fit of giggles.

Captain Bright gave them a disapproving look, and then they stopped. The woman had medium-length straight blonde hair. She looked over the teenagers who looked only confused at her and her friend's appearance. "I'm Erin—Erin Sheen. Shin and I are pilots on this ship."

"Oh, that makes me feel better," Kyle spoke up.

Faraj kicked him from under the table.

More voices came from the hallway. "Once we reach Granada, we'll be able to resupply and pick up the other units. Until then, this is all we have." Soon, the driver who brought the teens to the Nahel Argama walked into the room with a man they had never met before. He was of medium height, and he had brownish-auburn hair. He stood straight and proud like a soldier, but he wore a pair of jeans and the black leather jacket of the ESFS.

Janna looked up from her lunch.

"Here are the kids," The Captain said softly to the newcomer.

The man nodded. "I'm glad you're all safe. Hopefully, we'll be at Granada soon. We can get everything sorted out there and get you back to your families."

"Everyone, this is Lieutenant Richard Sharpe. He is the commanding pilot of the Nahel Argama."

Lieutenant Sharpe only nodded in response.

The Captain next motioned to the man who drove the van. "And you know, Ibram—Ensign Ibram Azuma."

"You only have four pilots?" Jaden spoke up.

"We've been short-staffed for the past few months, but as you see, we've had Frau here to help us and Amuro too."

"Are you all, Newtypes?" Jonathan spoke up. They all looked shocked. "I mean…" He started to blush a bit. "I read in a book…"

"No," The Lieutenant said. "We're not Newtypes."

"Except Amuro," Frau said. "He's a Newtype, like you."

Jaden pondered for a moment. "It's true then. There really are Newtypes. They're not just legends?"

Captain Bright nodded. "Yes, I've seen what they can do. Amuro Ray, Char Aznable, Kamille Bidan, Judau Ashta…they're real. Newtypes are real."

The room fell silent for a few moments. The other pilots got themselves some lunch and sat down with the teens to eat. They knew that there would only be a few more peaceful moments until they were caught up with their pursuers.