Touched and Bound Part 4
"You hungry?"
I blinked and paused, in the process of glancing around Duo's home from the doorway. He'd unlocked the door and strolled right into the kitchen, dropping his keys on the counter in a habitual fluid motion. I, on the other hand, had stayed at the door, looking at the studio apartment before me.
From where I stood inside, I was only a few city blocks from the main headquarters of Branch 2. From the décor of the lobby, and how it had vaguely resembled the office building, I could tell this was also a company building. Meaning that Branch 2 not only had a large amount of secrets, but it had even more then I thought considering it housed all of its employees. Only major corporations did such a thing. On one hand it made the company seem more family like, with better connections -but on the other it made employees easier to watch.
I would be lying if that didn't bother me just a bit.
"Trowa?"
I blinked. "Not hungry. Do you have anything to drink?"
Duo leaned over and opened up the fridge. I could hear some things being moved around as I stepped in and closed the door behind me. When I looked up he was holding a bottle of water and giving me a questioning look. I nodded and he promptly threw the water toward me, which I caught without a second thought. Twisting off the top I took a drink as I glanced around his room, taking note of everything around me.
The apartment I stood in was quite simple and perfectly fit the stereotype of a 'bachelor's pad', so to speak. It wasn't clean by most standards, but it was very livable and the clutter and strewn about items gave it a definite feeling of home. The entire place was one room and from where I stood I could see to every corner, save for one in the back, which had a wall around it and a screen-like door, I imagined that was where the bathroom stood.
In spite of the entire place being only one room, I could make out the different areas. I could see Duo's bed pushed up against the right wall, near the bathroom with only a bookshelf separating them. The back left corner of the apartment was semi-sectioned off with the help of two computer and electronics covered desks, and a bed serving as an extra surface in the back. From what I could see, the only thing that had slept in that bed for the last week or so was computer pieces. I made an educated guess that Mari didn't come home that often, either that or she didn't sleep at home. But then that didn't surprise me in the least, considering the amount of room and machines she had at the main building. Had I favored computers even half as much as she did, I don't think I would sleep at home much either.
Two beat up and well used couches sat around a large TV set, which had seen days of more use. Still it was of significant size and my guess was it ran like new, considering the young lady's skill. Not too many feet away was a dinning table, covered with paperwork, showing that it also served as Duo's desk and not a place to eat. One ate at the counter in the kitchen area, which was cleared off save for a telephone and a large jar of pens and pencils.
Once done looking around the apartment and noticing that it was pretty much what I expected from Duo's personality, my eyes moved to him as I lowered the bottle and closed it. He moved around the kitchen, in the process of making himself a quick sandwich with one hand while he glanced at the file Mari had given him. He flipped through a few papers in it and then looked up at me, taking a bite and offering a welcoming smile.
"You can come and sit down or something. It's not much of a place but that wholly depends on one's style."
I nodded and moved to the counter top, sitting up on one of the stools. "It isn't bad." I admitted. I could see the definite advantages to having a studio apartment. One could keep a constant eye on anyone they invited over and there wasn't much of a way to lose things in numerous rooms with countless nooks and crannies. Here nearly everything was in plan view... with the exception of the large chest sitting at the end of Duo's bed.
I also noticed that his bed was empty. Not a single blanket or quilt on it, and a completely uncovered pillow. Either he'd just done the laundry, or for some reason there wasn't anything on it. But I highly doubted that Duo slept on nothing but a plain mattress, though I'll admit that I'm not judge of sleeping habits, considering I have many strange ones of my own.
"So... the plan." Duo pulled a stool around the counter to his side and slipped halfway onto it.
I glanced at him, waiting for him to continue.
"I get to talk to Quatre tomorrow to see how things will actually go. But honestly, until then, I don't have much information that I can share with you on anything." He gave me a weak smile. "I probably sound like a horrible host."
I shook my head as he took another bite of his sandwich. "No, you don't know anything about me, so it makes sense."
He chuckled softly and leaned forward on the counter. For a moment he watched me, with a small smile on his face. His expression was almost one of taunting; hinting that he knew something I didn't. I frowned back at him.
"I have a feeling about you." He shrugged, as if it was nothing. I blinked at him for a moment and we spent the next few minutes just watching each other in silence. I was trying to read him; I didn't know why he was watching me. But he was the first to break the contact and moved fluidly back to where his sandwich and file were, like it was nothing.
I wanted to know what he meant. He had a feeling about me? What in the world had he meant by that? But I didn't press the question, knowing that any answer he could give me would only make me wonder more. Instead I stayed silent, pondering over his words and strange phrase.
"There's the bathroom," he said pointing. "And I'd offer you Mari's bed, but I doubt you want to wake up in the middle of the night with a computer chip lodged in your back. So I hope the couch works for now." He turned away from me, finishing off the rest of his sandwich and walked over to the table-desk and sat down. "Quatre said you'd have to stay here, for now, until we learn more about you. So there's not much more I can do about living arrangements. We can, however, go pick up some clothes and stuff for you. I've got enough money to lend you for a while."
I turned in the stool and couldn't help but frown a bit. "I don't like hand outs, people always expect payment back."
He nodded, seeming to understand. "Fine, then I'm loaning it to you until you get a job. There's no point in arguing, since there's only so many days that you can wear one set of clothes until they need to be washed or fall apart."
I watched his back as he moved over to the table and sat down, not looking at me. He shrugged off my look in silence then began to shuffle through the papers, scribbling down things on a legal pad in sloppy handwriting. Once again my mind puzzled over him.
He had a feeling about me? What was that supposed to mean? I couldn't understand him at all. In the short time that I'd come to know Duo, he didn't make any sense. He seemed infinitely friendly and trusting, almost to the point that it resembled stupidity, at least in my view. Yet he had somehow gained a daughter, who I assumed was adopted, and then turned around and claimed he had no family? He was too young to be part of this organization, but his eyes spoke of more age then his body.
I leaned back in my stool against the counter. What had this boy seen that made him this way? What had happened in his life, to make him so sure of his own judgement that he would trust me right off the bat, when I wasn't even sure if I trusted myself.
"You're awfully trusting of me," I remarked softly from behind him. My eyes watched him, judging his movements as he paused in what he was doing and set down his pencil, though he didn't look back at me.
"I don't know, I would say you're the one who's trusting."
"How so?"
"You're on my turf." He said, leaning back in his chair and hooking his hands behind his long braid. "You trust me enough to stay here, at my own house, without a second question. How do you know this isn't part of some elaborate plot or something? How do you know I won't handcuff you and accuse you of murder the moment you close your eyes, or better yet, murder you myself?"
I resisted a small, cold smirk at that as I crossed the room to the couch he'd indicated. This time I mimicked his style, though I'm not sure why. Shrugging, like he had done many times around me, I settled down on the couch.
"You don't have the eyes of a killer." I said simply.
I then closed my eyes and laid down, resting quietly on the semi-soft cushions. I didn't have to open my eyes and look at him to know he was staring at me. He hadn't expected me to give that answer.
But then again...
I hadn't expected an answer like that to come from my own mouth either.
~*~
I pride myself on my memory, because it's nearly flawless... as long as you don't ask me what happened more then a year ago. If one doesn't take into account the large blank spot that covers the majority of my life, everything else comes back to me clear as if it were happening right at this moment. I can still remember exactly what was on my former employer's desk the minute he hired me, and what was on it when I was fired. It doesn't matter if the fact is trivial or infinitely important; it will stay there in my mind without any effort on my part.
I have always thought it strange, but it was simply another one of my strange habits that I learned to live with. There's just one problem with memory in my case: instinct takes precedence to all information I've learned or memorized.
So when I woke up the next morning to find myself lying in a dark, unfamiliar room; my body reacted immediately, while my mind was still struggling to keep up. Without moving, my eyes slowly opened and scanned the darkness around me. I pinpointed the objects nearest to me and then searched out any other people in the room. I found one, lying in a bed across the room, snoring softly.
I didn't think. Instead, I moved silent as a nocturnal predator, rising off of the couch I'd been lying on and moving toward his bed. Along the way I grabbed a sharp and gleaming letter opener from the kitchen table, the dull blade fitting into my hand as if it were second nature. Silent steps brought me across the room in no time until I was standing over his bed and only then did I pause.
He lay silently below my raised hand, his long braid of hair frayed and slowly pulling itself out into a tangled mess. He wore nothing but a white tank top and a loose pair of black shorts, his golden cross still hanging around his neck. In the pale light of the morning his entire form was bathed in a light blue hue, looking peaceful and calm.
It was at that point that my memory caught up with me and I froze, my face growing cold as I felt a shiver move down my spine. My own eyes widened as my sleep-dulled mind comprehended exactly what I'd been about to do. A step back and my hand dropped, the letter opener falling from my hand to clatter noisily on the floor. I took a few more steps back and leaned back against the wall, holding my hands tight together to stop them from shaking.
What had I been thinking?!
What could have possibly possessed me to even consider...
I took a few deep breaths to attempt to calm myself and finally managed to relax enough for my hand to stop shaking wildly. I allowed myself another long breath then opened my eyes to glance over toward the bed.
A pair of violet eyes watched me silently, the rest of him showing no sign of movement. Had I not seen his eyes I probably would have thought he was still asleep. His eyes didn't even look down to the letter opener now lying abandoned on the floor, but rather they watched me quickly, watching and waiting.
Mentally grasping a hold of myself I forced the rising panic in my mind and body to retreat. Working with what seemed like practiced discipline I ordered my body to calm down, piece by piece... and it listened. Long minutes passed as I leaned there silently, working to calm myself as he watched. Long minutes, seeming like an eternity when I doubt it was more then a handful. Finally I deemed myself relaxed enough and slid back a bit more to sit on the stool behind me, running a hand through my sleep rustled hair.
Duo sat up slowly in bed, never taking his eyes off of me. His face was blank and passive, no trace of the grin he'd worn before. It took me a second to notice it, but when I saw his expression I realized that he'd seen everything. I hadn't woken him up with the letter opener clattering on the floor; rather he'd been awake since I'd moved off the couch. Had I been anyone else I'm sure my cheeks would have burnt in shame at that realization, but I had better control over my emotions than that.
"Are you all right now?" He asked softly.
I swallowed and nodded. "I don't know what came over me," I muttered, attempting to come up with some kind of excuse for my strange behavior. No, that was a complete lie, I knew what had happened to me. I'd woken up and heard another in the room and something in my mind had switched, telling me to immediately deem it as a threat. And all threats were to be eliminated, in the most expedient manner possible. I shuddered lightly as that thought flashed through my head, then proceeded to shove it away into the deepest recesses of my mind.
Duo said nothing, still watching me quietly. I wonder if he was confused at what to do or just incredibly patient with me. Either way I knew I'd lost any trust I'd managed to gain with him. I didn't deserve it at all now; I'd just nearly killed him.
After a long moment I lifted my eyes and looked at him. "You knew I was awake."
He nodded, agreeing with my short statement.
"Then why didn't you stop me? If you knew what I was doing, why didn't you move to stop me? You had no way of knowing that I wouldn't do it."
Finally Duo's eyes dropped to the glinting piece of metal on the floor. He just watched it for a moment, not looking at me this time. "Would you believe I was scared shitless?" He asked in a softer voice, before moving to meet my eyes again, his face now holding a small smirk. "Besides, had I done anything I might have set you off more. I had to trust that you would realize what you were doing before it happened."
I snorted softly and stepped off the stool, moving back over to the couch. "Then you're a fool."
"A fool who was right."
I stopped at that, pausing in mid-step. I didn't have to turn around to see his grin; I could hear it in his voice. How in the world could he be smiling at a time like this? I'd nearly killed him and here he was grinning at me like it was nothing? What kind of person was he?
"I nearly killed you, and now you're laughing at me." I muttered as I went about folding up the blanket he'd let me use. Without facing him I switched my shirt for the fresh one he'd laid out on the coffee table before he'd gone to sleep.
"Nearly being the keyword in that sentence. You nearly killed me, but something stopped you. It's the fact that you stopped that counts."
I glanced over my shoulder at him, blinking in confusion. "How do you know I'll stop next time?"
Duo smirked at me as he walked over to the bathroom, a pile of clothes in hand. "Well, I guess I better not piss you off then, ne?"
I could only stare at him for that answer, as he shut the wall-screen and changed in the bathroom.
What kind of person was he?
And why do I feel so threatened by him?
~*~
An hour later we were entering Branch 2 again, and I found myself stepping into that familiar fake lobby. The man at the front desk only glanced at us this time, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. But he didn't stand up to defend his little part of the illusion, so he must have been briefed that I was now someone who could enter. I wasn't surprised to see Duo grin and wink at him before we entered the elevator, making Milliardo glare even more.
"Morning dad!" Mari's voice greeted us as soon as the elevator door opened to the basement. She stood there in her white shift, two pens tucked behind her left ear this time, as she glanced through a printout that was in her hands. A second later she smiled brightly at me.
"I have everything set up, if you're ready to start. Or do you need to talk to Quatre first?"
I glanced over at Duo for the answer.
"Nope, he's all yours Mari. I do have to go see Quatre about some stuff, so I won't be back until later. Hope you don't mind watching him until then."
Mari shook her head and beckoned me to follow her to her lab area, which I did. I didn't glance back at Duo and didn't even glare at him for the comment that made Mari seem like she was babysitting me. Because in a way I suppose she was. Duo seemed to have endless trust in me, but the others were still cautious. I honestly wouldn't have been surprised if they'd posted guards around me to make sure I didn't do anything, twenty four seven. Guards posted would have been safe, well, safe until I'd decided to run. Then I had a feeling I would have sent them home in body bags. That thought scared me.
So I wasn't about to complain.
"If you want to sit there, I can explain this stuff." Mari pulled herself up onto a table across from me, next to a computer that seemed to be waiting for this task. Meanwhile I sat down in the chair she'd indicated, my eyes glancing over the computers surrounding us for clues of what she had planned. I found nothing helpful.
Mari leaned back and smiled at me. "The photo search went through and so did the fingerprints. Turns out you have no record, least nothing that I can find. And that's saying a lot. No criminal record, no school record, not even a stray photo from a picture in a crowd. And believe me, I looked everywhere. Nothing came up on the fingerprints either, which leaves us at a dead end for both of those." She frowned for a moment in thought.
"What about the hospital I was at? Wouldn't they have something on file?"
"You would think. But if they do, then it's hardcopy and I can't get to it with my computers. Anything like that means I'd need a name to work off of."
"Which I don't have."
She nodded. "Exactly my problem. Oddly enough, names are easier to search for then faces." Mari's face went back to a small smile and she seemed to get a bit more excited now. "So... you trust me enough to let me run some tests? I don't have all the big expensive professional equipment, but I assembled pretty good copies that just don't look nearly as good as they would in a hospital. I promise none of this involves cutting you up, and the only thing that is even the least bit dangerous is the x-ray, but I have all the stuff to protect you from that. I obviously can't do an MRI, we'd have to sneak into a hospital to pull that one off."
"Lets start then."
I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little eager to learn about myself. I knew she didn't have all the necessary equipment, but this small lab held more clues than I'd seen since I'd woken up hazily in that hospital room and stumbled out into the street. I was hesitant to let someone so young use machines she'd assembled on her own, but the anticipation outweighed my doubts.
Tests filled the afternoon, exploring every possibility the two of us could come up with. As she ran the ones she'd come up with, I occasionally offered ideas. We followed every minute detail, if it was within our power. Hours passed without thought, both of us intent on the search. I answered her questions as much as I could, all the while the hope growing inside me. I'd never allowed myself to actually worry about my missing memory before. I'd just accepted it and concentrated on living and surviving instead. But now that it was the main question of the hour, I found myself hoping that we would find something.
Anything.
Like any other human I wanted to know who I was. I wanted to find something familiar within all the mist. I wanted something I could grasp on to. Some piece of solid information that could act as a window, a door, or even just a clue to who I was.
In a matter of hours knowing I was alive wasn't enough. The name I'd adopted wasn't enough.
I wanted to know my real name.
~*~
"Nothing."
I watched silently as Mari looked over the papers again. Then, with a frustrated sigh, she let them drop to the floor and leaned back lightly against a large hard drive.
"Nothing, absolutely nothing." She gave another over-dramatic sigh then sat back up and fixed her elbows on her knees so she could lean her chin on her hands while she looked at me. I looked right back, not even trying to hide the disappointment I knew was in my expression. I knew it wasn't a good idea to let my hopes get up, but I'd done it anyway. And now I was left worse off then before, my hope scattered about me. Of course, my expression just looked a bit depressed; I wasn't one for large displays of emotion, no matter what the situation.
"You know, you're some piece of work." She said after a moment, her green eyes traveling over my face. "As far as I can tell there's nothing wrong with your memory. You passed all the tests with exceptionally high skills for someone your approximate age. As far as I can tell there's absolutely nothing wrong with you!"
"Except that I can't remember myself."
"Exactly. And one would think we could trigger it or something, considering it's selective memory loss. I'd be majorly worried if you didn't remember things like how to speak or eat or walk, but you know all that stuff. It's like someone hit the erase button on your brain and cleaned out everything but the cache folder. All the everyday stuff is there, it's the memory that's crashed."
I smiled softly at that and resisted the urge to give a chuckle. How like her it seemed to compare my brain to a computer system. The amusement only lasted for a second though as I glanced at the computer screens and print outs around us. Hours of testing and I was back where I'd started. I hadn't admitted it to her before, but I knew that not having enough money wasn't the only reason I hadn't talked to people at the hospital. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I had to admit I was afraid that there actually were no answers to my questions.
"Well, let's try this the old fashioned way then."
I moved out of my own thoughts and glanced up at her. "Old fashioned way?"
She nodded, shifting to cross her legs on the table, where she sat next to one of the large hard drives. "Tell me what you remember after you woke up. The first thing in your mind. Maybe if we follow this chronologically we can get somewhere. Like trying to remember a dream or something."
I closed my eyes and frowned softly, trying to concentrate on my memories. The farther I tried to go back, the more hazy they were, but it was worth a try, even if I'd done this countless times on my own. But this time I focused, trying to call the actual memories to mind. I'm not a talkative person, but I forced myself to completely describe the images that moved through my mind, trying desperately to find any common thread that could help me.
"It's hazy, in scattered images. I remember white hallways and a few scattered people, but they don't pay attention to me. I think I woke up before this because I remember lying in the bed, so I must have laid there for a while healing. Then I remember one night sneaking out, and no one caught me. I stumbled out onto the cold street and hid in the alley way, I think. Because I remember finding a body there, a poor man who'd frozen to death or something along those lines -I didn't check to see if he was breathing. I stole his shirt, replacing the one I had from the hospital, and his wallet. Then the next thing I remember is waking up in an abandoned apartment room with a broken window. I think I broke in after stealing the man's wallet and stayed there, resting until I got my strength back." I opened my eyes and looked at her quietly.
Mariemeia jumped off the table she'd been sitting on and landed with a small splash in the water. "Can you remember what hospital it was? Anything special about it, that might stand out?"
"There weren't many people working there, only a handful of nurses and orderlies. And... they're clean."
She stopped and turned back to me in question. "Clean? What do you mean?"
"Exceptionally clean. More so then a hospital should be. The place was so clean it could have glowed." I frowned more, thinking over the mental images.
"But all hospitals are like that..."
"No, this one was more so than most. Something about that is important." As I said this I didn't even really believe my own words. I knew hospitals were clean, that was common sense. So why did this make such a bit difference? But at the same time I could vividly see the nurses in their perfectly pressed outfits, their ironed hats that matched the uniforms. Shining name tags with perfectly printed letters-
"Money."
"What?"
I met her eyes and couldn't help giving a small smile. "Money. The hospital had a lot of money. Enough to pay for more elite things. The name tags, the uniforms. Definite money."
"And it took you that long to figure that out?"
I turned around, instinct taking over as I jumped out of my chair and turned to quickly face the unfamiliar voice. I frowned as I spotted another man standing in the doorway, holding a folder in his hands. I hadn't heard him come in and normally anyone that close to my hearing would have been noticed in a second. But I'd been too intent on Mari and trying to figure out my situation. That was another point against myself, and I scolded myself for it harshly.
"You're going to lose your title of the human file cabinet, kid," he said, with a smirk as he stepped into the room. The minute his foot splashed into the thin layer of water he looked down with a grimace, shaking his shoe off a bit. But he recovered a second later and approached us.
He was dressed as a city cop, his uniform not hidden in the least by the black leather jacket he wore over it. I could easily see the flash of his badge against his light blue shirt and I knew it was something he wasn't trying to hide and had no reason to. Coal black hair was pulled back neatly and perfectly into a thin ponytail, accenting his strong Chinese features and chocolate brown eyes. Everything about him was neatly taken care of with what almost seemed like an obsessive order. I could tell he had a high self image and he knew how to use it. This one was used to being in control of the situation and he was good at it. Everything about him hinted that he was usually the one in control and I wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.
Mari didn't have nearly the same extreme reaction as me. Instead of standing there and looking annoyed that someone had stepped into her territory without her permission, she seemed quite pleased. The young girl responded with a bright smile and rushed over, but not too fast so that she didn't make many splashes in the water. In a couple seconds she was hugging him, a happy smile on her face. He hugged her back, returning the smile in spite of the stiffness of his first impression. After they'd shared their greeting he turned his attention to me. I frowned a bit at him in caution, but otherwise began to relax. Mari was comfortable with him here, which counted for at least something.
"And you must be Trowa." He commented as he disengaged from her hug. Mari turned around and stepped back toward me in the gesture of a good host as I nodded to his statement.
"Trowa, meet Officer Chang Wufei; he's the local police contact for Branch 2." She paused for a second then turned and hit him playfully in the shoulder. "And I am not a human file cabinet!"
Wufei smirked at her, then headed in my direction as I forced myself to relax. I didn't know him but first impressions count for something and so did Mari's reaction. This police officer gave the impression of someone who would strangle himself before he even considered stabbing someone in the back, literally or figuratively. Pressed perfection and a confident step urged trust in his movements and I gave in to that urge, trusting my instincts. When he walked up to me and extended his hand, I clasped it firmly in greeting, a definite show of trust on my part.
"So you're the mystery everyone's been talking about. The kid wouldn't keep quiet about you last night. She made you out to be this great big enigma of medical science."
I glanced toward Mari in question, biting down on my response. A week ago I would have been annoyed at so many people suddenly taking an interest in my life. But I'd given them my permission so I had to bite my tongue and just settle for making sure they were people I could trust. I didn't like that Mari had spoken about me with someone else without telling me first, but at the same time I acknowledged her need to search for information and talk to other sources. Plus, I'd never actually stated that I wanted my lack of memory to remain a secret. I couldn't change what had already been done, besides, now I was curious what information this police officer had brought.
Mari shrugged at me, looking a little embarrassed. She must have noticed my reaction to him showing up. "He can get to files I can't," she offered in explanation. I nodded to her, still intent on Wufei, waiting for him to share these... files.
Wufei stepped in right after Mari's comment and handed her the folder from his hand. "And I found your hospital."
I didn't keep the surprise out of my expression, didn't even try. Instead, I walked over to stand beside Mari and peer over her shoulder at the file Wufei had brought. The first page was simply a printout with various paragraphs that appeared to describe the history behind the hospital and various other bits of information, like a list of doctors who were employed there. Mari flipped past that page to look at the second one though, before I could read it in more detail.
The second page caught my interest immediately and I reached over her shoulder, tapping the photo attached to the page with a single metal paperclip. The photo was a Polaroid, taken quickly for data purposes more then a photo album. It held only the front of a non-descript white building, with normal office doors that were shadowed to not let any see inside without effort. The photo had caught a single person walking through the door, heir body blurred lightly with the motion at that moment. But it was also far enough back for me to see the general shape of the building and the company's icon on the door. I nodded, tapping the picture once more.
"That's it."
Mari stopped flipping through the file and turned to look at me over her shoulder. "You sure?"
I nodded. Despite my hazy memory of those first few days, there was no forgetting the front of that building. I remembered stumbling into the alley across the street from the hospital, before I'd found the real Trowa's body, and sitting there completely still watching the hospital door to make sure no one had followed me out. Even though it had been night at the time and there wasn't any light, I could remember the white front of the hospital, which shone in the darkness as a few people hurried down the street, not noticing me or the frozen body in the alley behind me.
"Very sure."
A sound from behind interrupted us, reminiscent of a very computerized sounding cat growl. I blinked and looked up as Mari handed me the file and ducked under and around me to get to one of her computers, where the noise had apparently come from. A few keystrokes from her quick fingers and the sound repeated itself once more. Wufei followed me as I maneuvered around her various computer parts to stand behind her, where we found her leaning over and reading what appeared to be some sort of instant messenger. She responded a few more times before turning to face me.
"Looks like Q wants to see you in his office. Dad's up there too and they want to talk to you about stuff." She closed the window and turned toward me completely. "I'll take you up there."
Both of us headed for the elevator, leaving Wufei to take a seat and wait for Mari to return. As we stepped into the car, waiting for it to take us up to the floor Quatre's office was on, I handed the file back to Mari, knowing she'd want to talk more with Wufei about it while I was gone. I felt a little offended that I had to be escorted by a child to another floor, but at the same time I understood the need. Trust only went so far and I hadn't earned much yet, at least not enough to walk or wander around such a well-guarded building. Curiosity non-withstanding, I understood their caution. Any more questions I had about Branch 2 would have to wait until they'd gotten used to me being around enough for me to ask. Though, I had a feeling that this upcoming meeting would make things a bit easier to ask questions.
Either way, after I was done speaking with Duo and Quatre, I planned to go check out the hospital.
TBC...
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