They had gotten the notification this morning. It wasn't unexpected; almost all the finishing second year students were being assigned to their AITs now. Sol and Gabe had been expecting it even sooner than it happened, but there had been some sort of delay in the selection process. Both she and Gabe had been interviewed - interrogated - extensively, and they were never given a clear idea of which AIT they were slated for. There were evasive hints that it was something sensitive, and Sol distrusted that. She wanted them to be assigned to something quiet and peaceful. Scientific exploration would have been ideal.

Instead, they'd been thrown into the SO AIT, and as she looked into Gabe's calm countenance, she knew she wasn't the only one who was bitterly disappointed. After the initial shock, it had taken her the best part of ten minutes to calm down and rationalize that perhaps not all was lost. After all, even the Special Operations Task Force, employed scientists. There was still a chance for them to avoid daily combat. There was still a chance to see the stars.

That symbol made it clear how slender a chance there really was.

Sol brushed her fingers against Gabe's with one hand and reached to palm the door open with the other, and the Scorpion slid aside and into the wall, out of sight, and they entered the quad together. The hallway was empty, and their names were on door to Cell D. Another touch admitted them to what would serve as their home for the last two years at Command School. It was empty; apparently the SO AIT waited until the last moment to summon their candidates, and Sol and Gabe had arrived first.

But it was done. There was no longer anything to tie her to the past. Her parent's deaths had been avenged, her enemies were no longer able to tell their tales, and nothing, nothing held her now. The price she paid to obtain such peace was a trifling pittance, and her distaste gave way to dim pleasure.

The lights reflected off her snowy hair as she continued in her silent walk down the corridor, and as the scorpion logo of her new quad barracks came into view, she blinked in satisfaction. Another hallway, and she stood before the doorway to her cell. There were four names upon the placard.

Kuniyo Kinoshita. Minerva Thoth. Hunter Gabriel. Rebecca Solenis.

It was worth everything to see that.

The door slid open at her touch, and she stepped inside to find Gabriel and Solenis already settled in, seated upon a lower bunk with a desk between them as they played chess. It wasn't the sound of her entrance, but of the portal's muted click behind her, that caused them both to glance up and see who had come. Her expression-- or rather, lack thereof-- did not alter, for she knew she would find them here. Empty eyes surveyed them placidly, and even though no one moved and no one spoke, she was amused by their surprise.

"Rebecca Solenis." Barely a glance spared for the girl, for it was Gabe she knew, Gabe she despised for having given up on what he'd been. What he should have been; his bond with Solenis had only proved his weakness, and although it never reached her face, deep in the black oblivion that was her soul, Riya smiled mirthlessly. "Hunter Gabriel."

But even that wasn't what confused Gabe, because although he had no desire to be one, a commando-type stealth ops agent probably was what he was suited to be. He was confused by the transfer itself. Most students received a course schedule and a syllabus, listing the AIT's exams and their dates. They weren't pulled completely out of their Quad and reassigned. Gabe hadn't even heard of Scorpion Quad. It wasn't on the listing in the Game Arena, so that meant it didn't compete in the Sim battles. Was it Special Ops-exclusive?

Gabe didn't like this at all. He made a mental note to talk to Sol about putting in for a transfer. Maybe Systems. Technician work sounded nice and safe and dull. Gabe liked dull. He could live a long and healthy life in a dull job like that.

They set up to play chess immediately, because it wasn't home until they did. Even if they were to transfer, they weren't likely to be reassigned for at least a week.

They had only just started when Gabe heard the door slide open, and his eyes flicked up toward it -- Gabe always sat facing the door. His eyes did not return to the board. The board was instantly forgotten.

Gabe hadn't seen Riya in almost eight years. After they left Launch neither Gabe nor Sol ran into her once, even by accident. Gabe, of course, suspected that this was not coincidental, but because she could not hurt them, he did not worry. They day they left Battle School, he deleted that packet with the autosend command, for he knew of no way to bring it with him. It had occurred to him that he could break it into code and memorize it, and then reassemble the data here, but he'd only thought of it a matter of hours before they had to report to the docking bay for their farewell ceremony, and he'd not had time.

However, he'd not seen here since his arrival here at Command School two years prior either, and hadn't so much as thought about her after the first six months.

I didn't think about Kat, either. And then she stabbed me.

She said Sol's name, and Gabe felt the hairs on his neck raise slightly. His own name did not bother him; he was not afraid for himself. The fear of death inside Gabe was insignificant compared to the fear of losing Sol. All Riya did was say her name, but to Gabe, every syllable was a threat.

Kat, monster as she might have been, was human as well, in the end. We could not destroy her, because we could not destroy love. But you, Riya, you are worse. You are like I was. You are worse than I was. We could not kill Kat. But if we must, we will kill you.

The worst ones were of Riya.

Even though Kat had done her (and Gabriel) far worse injury than Riya had, at least there had been closure. Kat had hated them, and Kat had hurt them. Sol understood that. Riya hated them, too, she was sure; they had blackmailed her into leaving them alone, and Riya had never complained, had never made any move against them. Sol understood that too, but it did not reassure her. It made her more nervous. When they had been transferred out of the launch, Riya had been easier to ignore, and Sol had thought almost nothing of her the entire time they'd been here at Command School.

Now Riya was back, and the pressure that had lifted when they'd left the launch behind was back behind her heart, with nine years of interest.

Katera had seemed like a wild animal in her hatred. Riya was the opposite; cold, calculating and completely without positive emotion of any sort. Katera hated, but Katera loved as well. That made her human. Riya let nothing show on her surface to indicate anything like love or affection. The only time Sol had ever seen her smile was in the battle room, when she was flying, and even that hadn't lasted long after the novelty had worn off.

What would Katera have to say to Riya now? Sol felt a sudden unbelievable desire to have Kat with her. They had barely spoken since she'd given her Mode's picture, and much of Sol's silent camaraderie with the girl had faded with that healing moment, but she still felt they'd parted on a positive note. Katera had been neutralized, and while Sol wouldn't have called her a friend, she no longer considered her a threat. Katera was dangerous, but they had done her a great favor, and now they had peace with her. There would be no healing of that sort with this one.

Watching Riya now, frozen on her bunk, Sol would have given a considerable amount to see Kat's reaction to her former friend. If Kat felt threatened, then Kat would attack, and that, obscurely, made Sol feel a little better.

She pulled her eyes away from Riya and rested them on Gabe instead. His nearness always made her feel a little safer, but his hard expression was not lost on her. Gabe considered Riya a threat too, and if he did, then she was. Sol's heart sank a little further. Riya wasn't here to visit. She was here because she'd been assigned to their cell. Sleeping in the same room with Riya...for two years?

That’s either a good thing…or a very bad thing.

It had been two years since her arrival at Command School. Those years were by far the most uneventful two years in history…for her at least. She did everything she was supposed to do without putting up a fight, which made her invisible as far as this school goes. Getting the notification for SO AIT was a welcome relief. Something to spice up the dullness.

"Well, here we go." Minerva thought outloud.

She palmed the door and walked inside. Three pairs of eyes didn’t even slightly move in her direction.

On the left hand side, a tall, athletic looking guy with brown hair and a fit, long haired girl stood staring at the person just inside the door. A tall girl with white hair. The tension breathed down on Minerva.
She had to release this breath she had been holding…

Riya didn't have any friends.

She did, however, have enemies. Or, in more simplistic terms, threats. Categorizing people according to their relative level of danger to her own self-being was the only way Riya knew how to think. It was her way of dealing with those things called human beings that inhabited her own little world, and seeing as how it had kept her alive for eighteen years, she wasn't about to abandon it now. But if she had no friends, then at least she had enemies.

And how much closer could she keep them but right here in her room?

The door slid open and someone entered; her other roommate, she noted peripherally, still intent on staring at Gabriel and Solenis. But after their initial veiled surprise, the amusement had worn off, and with a tinge of irritation Riya turned her gaze to the newcomer. Slightly nervous, unsure... and it only took a single thought. Not a threat.

Riya instantly and utterly ignored the girl and, tossing her duffle onto the upper bunk opposite Gabriel and Solenis, swung easily into the bed. She settled against the wall, idly stroking the crest upon her wrist, and watched.

Something needed to be done. Now.

But there was nothing to be done. The intercom interrupted his thoughts.

"Attention Scorpions cells C and D. Report to the Scorpion hallway immediately."

The girl with the white hair was sitting on her bed to the top right. Which left only the bottom right bunk for her. At least she wasn’t in the top bunk. Minerva HATED top bunks. But she also didn’t feel very secure with this white haired girl above her. Something about her…

Minerva walked over to her bunk and laid down, lacing her fingers and putting them behind her head. Should she talk to this girl above her? She figured she would take Hale’s advice and try to get to know her cellmates a little, even though she was the worst conversation starter ever. She got up from her bunk, turned around, and leaned against the top of the bunk.

She regarded the girl cooly, but gave her a tiny hint of a smile, the most civil response she could manage. It didn't, however, dispel the midnight ice in her eyes. This "Minerva" continued to watch her, and for lack of anything else to do, Riya resigned herself to a few moments of forced friendliness and replied. Maybe the girl wouldn't realize how little Riya actually cared. Maybe she'd believe her words and an alliance could be made.

Maybe Riya just needed some amusement.

"No. I'm Riya." Minerva blinked in confusion, and Riya nearly rolled her eyes. This was going to take some effort. "Kuniyo Kinoshita. Solenis is the other... girl." She kept her expression neutral-- hardly difficult, even given the circumstances-- and patted the space beside her on the bunk invitingly. "It will be tough. We'll manage."

"No. I'm Riya.”

Minerva’s eyes squinted together slightly as her head cocked sideways. Riya…there was no Riya on the door…

“Kuniyo Kinoshita. Solenis is the other... girl. It will be tough. We'll manage."

Ahh, it made since now. Kuniyo Kinoshita: Japanese name. This girl definitely looked Japanese. Minerva felt extremely stupid for making such a blatant mistake. Too many new things going on today. She wasn’t used to change. But this Riya girl seemed nice enough. She talked to her at least. She was pleasant. Someone that appealed to Minerva’s friendly side.

Not anymore.

He had been so perfect, too, at the beginning. Cold. Calculating. Withdrawn and devoid of all those silly little emotions that made humans weak and vulnerable. He had been like her. Together they had snuck through the vents, eavesdropped, and planned to kill. She had thought him worthy, then. He acted out of intelligent self-interest, and she had been grudgingly respectful of his nearly equal abilities to act in cold-blooded, premeditated intent. Until he saved Mai. Until he allianced with that Solenis. The girl didn't even know proper reserve; she was Riya's antithesis, completely emotional and impulsive. Sad, to see such a promising individual destroyed by a friendship. It was a waste, really.

The corners of her lips twitched again in that nearly indetectable smile, and Riya lounged gracefully in the corner of her bunk as she stared at the girl before her and spoke with a touch more amusement in her voice.

“You might say that.”

Minerva began to feel a little uncomfortable and started shifting her weight from one foot to the other. When she had entered the barracks, she had noticed the tension. But Riya’s words let on to something big. But what? Did Hunter used to be Riya’s boyfriend or something? Well, whatever it was, Hunter and Rebecca had left after Hale’s speech, obviously not wanting to be in these barracks any longer then they had to.

This Riya girl confused Minerva. On one hand, she talked menacingly. She looked with those dark blue eyes so accurately…like she was looking into Minerva’s soul. But on the other hand, she was being very pleasant, according to command school standards. Minerva had pulled that trick before though: act nice and dumb, then get them when it counts. Minerva didn’t know what to think of her. Judging people had never been one of her strong suits. She always meant to take a psychology class but never got around to it. She decided for now, she would give Riya the benefit of the doubt, but still be wary. Minerva would watch her back.

What did she really want?

Revenge, perhaps, but that was more of a pleasure than a necessity. Bloodlust had left her long ago-- left her cold and pale and sated as she watched the burial of her parent's killers. All her hate and rage and anger had dissolved, and so she felt no need for true vengeance; not anymore, not with anyone. Not even with Gabe and Sol.

But what they had done required some retribution, and that merited careful consideration. Had they exposed her, as they'd threatened to do, then she would have been iced. Even sent, undoubtedly, to that Charybdis Institute. Riya did not fear that, for she did not fear death. She could have escaped anyway.

It was the principle behind the matter-- not that they had blackmailed her, but that they had actually had something to blackmail her with-- that scratched at her stone perfect psyche and made her afraid. How many more mistakes like that might she make? Would her other enemies find a weakness like that?

Ie. No more. Never.

That was her true goal; to never be weak again. To that end she'd forsaken the memory of her family, her friends, her love and her hate and everything that made her human. There was no need for such things if she was to be invincible. For Riya, complete strength and power meant never, ever having to care for anyone or anything again... but she both despised and envied the world for their ability to have such weaknesses. And because Hunter Gabriel and Rebecca Solenis had showed her that she was weak, still, she needed them to be gone forever. Only then could she find peace.

So while she did not speak a word, Riya leaned in a little closer to stare at Minerva, her eyes deep and as endless as the farest reaches of space, and she did something made even more frightening and threatening only because it was a gesture she never made. On anyone else it would have been normal, but on her face, with its icy reserve and complete lack of expression, it was downright menacing.

Riya smiled broadly.

What? What does she know?

Minerva jumped into her wits again, and smiled back. For the time being, she didn’t know what Rebecca and Hunter were like as people. They could be cold-blooded killers for all Minerva knew. At least Riya was speaking to her. She would hold on to her for now. See where their friendship went.

Was Minerva a threat or not?

It remained to be seen. For now, Riya took a silent breath and flicked the snowy locks from her face. This Minerva amused her, and that at least warranted some tolerance on her part. She'd keep the girl around. Maybe she wouldn't get tired of her too soon, and they could have some fun at someone else's expense. If push came to shove, Riya could always get rid of her.

She gave Minerva a nearly conspiratorial glance and slid from the bunk to the floor in one snakefluid motion. It took only peripheral concentration for her to begin the series of motions that would allow her to slide into trance, and as she moved with an angel's grace so unlike her hell-black soul, she sighed.

Riya suddenly sighed and wiped her hair away from her face. She jumped off the bed, shooting a quick glance at Minerva. The look meant something, like they were pals now. That they would stick together. “I suppose so.”

She’s an odd one, isn’t she?

Everything she did had a purpose. Every look, every movement had a specific, designated function on how it should be interpreted.

Minerva considered her next words carefully. When they were selected, she gave a small crooked smile to Riya:

Interesting…I’m doing something to this girl. How much more can I do before she retaliates?

“Perhaps.” Riya answered back. The way she said was…promising. The syllable at the end raised slightly in pitch. It had a kind of ‘I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine’ tone to it. Minerva was not known for making many friends, mainly because most of the kids at IFC acted like this one: secretive. A constant alliance was being made with everyone all the time. Minerva hated the game.

Why can’t people just be friends?

Minerva was sick of playing the game, but she was also sick of not playing. She would give in this time. She would ‘ally’ with this girl if Riya agreed to it. Things were getting more serious now, with her transfer and all. Being a good student couldn’t get her by anymore. She needed allies. She needed friends. She wanted the latter. But that was unlikely around here. Riya didn’t seem like the ‘friendly’ type.

I’ll just keep up on the ‘oh look, I’m stupid’ game. That’s gotten me through in the past. It’ll get me through this too.

Friends.

If Minerva wanted a friend, she would not find it in her. Riya didn't even remember how to trust anyone enough for it even to be considered a true alliance. Allies were pawns. They helped her because they believed she would help them in return. If giving them services or assurances maintained the unsteady balance, then so be it... but she never went out of her way to ever help another if there was not something she could gain in return. Since she did not know whether or not Minerva had something valuable enough to offer her, something important enough to warrant even the tiniest hint of trust, Riya remained wary.

Again, a reaction from her. Far too many in my opinion. Perhaps it’s nothing at all. Maybe these are normal responses from her. I could be reading her all wrong. On the other hand, I could be the only person who brings out these reactions from her. This might be something no one has ever achieved before.

Minerva walked to the back wall of the barracks and leaned against it, crossing her legs in front in an un-aggressive manner. She looked at her feet for a few moments while Riya continued her exercises. All the imperative things had been said. What else could she talk about with her?

Yet, having expended energy to be even mildly civil to this girl, Riya was unwilling to let her work go to waste.

The last thing Minerva wanted to do was sit here and stare at Riya for the next hour or so. She wished desperately that Hunter and Rebecca would come through those doors to break the silence. Those three could talk while she listened and learned. After a few seconds, it was obvious they weren’t coming.

Might as well keep her talking…or lack there of.

"Perhaps."

Not much martial arts training, the girl had said. Interesting. So physically, then, she was not a threat in any sense. Not that Riya was unduly worried. She was not one to pick fights, and when the time for conflict came, she never failed to win. Losing in combat was just not an option. It had never been. Neither was failing to... no. That was unnecessary so far. If her plans succeeded, it would be unnecessary for a very long time.

But if the girl was not a physical threat, then she might be dangerous otherwise. It took either extreme naivety or extreme courage to endure Riya's presence for long-- this she knew by personal experience. Had she been someone else, she might certainly have found herself to be unnerving. Minerva was nervous... but she was also talking, and that meant something. What, Riya did not care to know at this point in time. For now, she wished only to learn as much about this new roommate of hers without having to reveal any information about herself. Maybe a bit of file-searching could be done soon. Maybe talking to this girl would work.

Then the most amazing thing happened: she asked Minerva a question. A full, developed sentence with a beginning and an end.

I’m making some progress I see.

The next thought though was that maybe she should be worried that Riya had taken interest in her. She didn’t seem like an inquisitive person. Of course, maybe her asking questions was a good thing. Minerva’s head hurt from all this rethinking of every little movement. Nothing could be assumed as fact at this moment. She would only understand her fully when she saw how she interacted with Hunter and Rebecca. If they know each other well, then they should talk. But if they didn’t…

Oh, who cares! Just answer her question.

"Hiroshima." And with that she climbed on top of her bunk and ignored Minerva’s existence. From where Minerva was leaning against the wall, it looked as if she was going to sleep.

Well, that’s a good way to kill a conversation.

Minerva stood at the back wall for about 30 more seconds, then decided to follow Riya’s example and lay on her own bed. She had barely laid down before the intercom came on:

"Attention all Scorpions. Report to the Engineering Bay immediately. Repeat, report to the Engineering Bay immediately. You have three minutes."

Minerva jumped up from her bed, extremely pleased that she didn’t have to sit in the barracks any longer. She started to walk out but noticed that Riya had not moved a muscle.

"Are you coming? The Engineering Bay is a ways off, and we only have three minutes."

She was very near exhaustion. Hale had worked them hard all day, even after the exercises outside had reduced many of them to muscle tremors, and they hadn't been released for lunch or dinner. Her body was curiously free of sensation at the moment; instead of pain, she felt a dull, leaden numbness that she couldn't seem to shake. She removed a boot and almost hit her arm on the bunk post when she set it aside. Her body didn't hurt right now. She should be grateful for that. It would hurt plenty tomorrow.

Gabe had seated himself next to her. The effect of the day's exertions made their normal ritual of preparing for sleep sluggish and dull, and when she finished with her boots and looked over at him, she couldn't manage a smile. Instead, her forehead creased as she lifted a hand to tilt Gabe's chin up the tiniest bit, gentle fingertips turning his head slightly so she could examine the bruise that bastard Rabin had left him with.

Since the battle in the showers the bruise had had plenty of time to set. It was bad. He'd had worse; she knew. She'd been there for those, too. That didn't make it any better, though. She had tried to convince him to go to the infirmary, but they would have been forced to miss class, and Gabe had gently insisted that there was little the infirmary could do for him that could justify angering Hale this early in the term. She had reluctantly given in when he remained firm, and had even managed not to spend the rest of their classes glaring at Rabin, but Hale was mostly responsible for that. "Demanding" was a word used for sanely challenging endeavors. Hale's regimen fell more firmly into the classification of "sadism".

It's just the first day. Maybe he's trying to scare us.

The door slid open at her touch, and she walked inside with a tired aura so unlike her normal reticence. Her midnight eyes were more blank than searching, and the presence of Gabriel and Solenis was noted only peripherally. They were only unimportant factors in her scheming now, and her thoughts were focused on Rabin and what she could use him for... but even those thoughts were sluggish. As Riya silently slipped from her uniform and climbed up into her bunk, she gave the pair a fleeting glance, and her eyes held a hint of wearied amusement before she lay back and closed them, settling in for sleep.

Sleep was a long time coming.

She managed to catch a quick glance at Hunter as she was undressing and noticed he had a nice shiner already.

That can’t possibly be from Rabin. If it was Rabin, he would be in the infirmary, with a lot more then a black eye.

She better tell him now.

"Hey Hunter. I’m sure you already know this but…well…beware of Rabin. I bunked with him in Hydra for the past two years. That guy is dangerous. Turn your back for a moment, and he’ll jump you. And he won’t be kind about it."

There was something...

Something he'd been thinking about earlier... something important...

What had it been?

Riya...

Gabe's eyes snapped open, and it took conscious effort not to sit bolt upright in bed. Riya! Jesus Christ, he'd been about to fall asleep with Riya less than two meters away. Exhausted or not, that demon was dangerous, and they weren't spending a single night in the cell with her. Sleeping out in the hall would be better. Safer. More comfortable, even.

Gabe propped himself up on his elbow, much to the displeasure of the majority of his body, which was not afraid to tell him so. Gabe leaned over Sol, brushing the free fingers of his free hand down her cheek. She was not yet asleep, but she had been moving rapidly toward it. She let out a sleepy sigh, and her eyes fluttered open. Gabe touched one finger to his lips, in silence.

Sol, shut her eyes tight, and then reopened them, blinked, and nodded. They slipped out of the bunk, and dressed back into their pants. Their shoes they carried -- no need for them right now. Their jackets they left on the bunk. Gabe propped his desk up on Sol's bunk so that it faced Riya's, and set it to accept all commands from Sol's bunk. Sol seemed to understand, because she picked up hers as well, and tucked it under her arm.

She had showered and headed for the barracks to lay down and calm herself for a while. For once, she didn’t have to worry about anything. She had the WHOLE day to herself. She palmed open the barracks with a giant sigh and threw herself on her bunk. She closed her eyes and decided to think of something far away from IFC. Her first thought was the beach. She had visited it with her brother when she was very young. The smell, the sounds; it seemed so different from where they came from. They had played Frisbee and built sand castles. They bought silly dolphin statues in gift shops. Typical beach stuff, but it was one of the most entertaining days she had ever had. One of the last days she had spent with her brother. It had been eternity since then. She learned quickly in Battle School to keep her emotions to herself; no one cared about a girl crying for her lost brother. Almost everyone she met had lost someone close to them. It was apparently a pre-requisite to entering Battle School.

She hadn’t realized that she was starting to doze off until the door opened to the barracks and Riya stepped in. Minerva sat up and smiled at her.

"Nice job with Rabin today. That idiot didn’t know what hit him. Maybe he’ll think twice before he attempts to out think us again."

Not that she anticipated any complications, but one could never be too considerate of the situation. Riya was never one to be careless. Whether or not the boys did their appointed task was out of her immediate control now, and she let it slip from mind, unconcerned. If they did their work, then all the better. If not, so be it. It wasn't as if she had been planning on giving them any sort of reward either way.

She stepped into the barracks in search of Thoth, and found her dozing on her bunk. The girl sat up, and smiled, and spoke. "Nice job with Rabin today. That idiot didn't know what hit him. Maybe he'll think twice before he attempts to out-think us again."

Riya smiled back automatically, but it was not friendly, and there was a hint of irritation behind the slight grin. It wasn't in her to smile, but she did, because she had to. That it wasn't genuine didn't matter, because Thoth believed it.

"Soo desunee..." she replied quietly, before reminding herself rather harshly that she was going to have to be amiable, despite the effort. It will be worth it, her conscience reprimanded sternly, when they are ended. Patience.

Sincerity that had taken her years of practice to feign slipped over her face like a mask, and although nothing could hide the dead blankness in those midnight eyes, Riya grinned. "We have free time, now. Would you like to eat, or play in the Arena?"

In the year that they had been in Scorpion together, Riya had said little to Minerva. Those first couple days had been the best, but it had slowly gone down hill from there. Minerva had been a little disappointed that they couldn’t have become better friends. Sol and Gabe definitely didn’t want the job. They didn’t even sleep in the barracks. Now that she thought of it…she couldn’t even remember Sol and Gabe saying something to her outside of practices. Actually…

"We have free time, now. Would you like to eat, or play in the Arena?"

Minerva must have caught Riya on a good day. A VERY good day.

Amazing…utterly amazing.

They had kicked Rabin’s ass. They had beat him and his ego down. That must be the medicine that Riya needs to fuel her social side. Interesting…

Well, one interaction down. She nodded, because it was the easiest confirmation to make, seeing as how it required absolutely no conversational effort on her part. But Minerva still waited, as if expecting some verbal reply, and for lack of a smile or anything else to do, Riya began to move toward the door. "Yes."

At this pace, it was going to be a long night.

With something close to laughter in her voice, but without looking toward her ally, Riya finally spoke.

“Sorry about that, folks. We were just discussing who was the better world figure. She said Churchill, I said Ghandi. I didn’t realize she was so protective of Churchill! Well…I guess I’ll go…uh…leave now. Sorry about that Mr. Janitor Guy.”

With that, she walked quickly towards the door, swiping up a full tray from a younger student on the way out. He would probably fume about it for a while, but she was Scorpion after all; no one would confront her about it.

She walked down the hall towards the barracks, deciding what other disgusting things she could put on the tray. She stopped in at the bathroom on the way, throwing in some soap and toilet paper into the mess of food on the plate.

Let’s see…meat, pudding, water, carrots, soap, and toilet paper. Yah, this should do the trick.

She walked into the barracks and quickly saw what Riya had down: She had put the pudding on the bed, just as Minerva figured she would. Riya was lying on her bunk, her eyes open. Minerva knew she was expecting something to come, and she could see her muscles were slightly tensed, waiting for the attack.

“You think your real funny, don’t you? Don’t screw with me, Riya. I know where you live!”

She'd never done anything this... this juvenile. Her years of childhood had been over before she even knew what they were, before she had the chance to appreciate them. From the age of five, she had been adult. There had been no time for things like this, and as she raised her eyes to stare at Thoth, she wasn't sure whether to enjoy what she'd never had, or become really, really pissed off.

Thoth appeared to be having some sort of difficulty breathing, because her face was turning red, she was stumbling around like an intoxicated idiot, and she could barely manage to speak. When she did, Riya's eyes widened. "You look like a buffet table!"

It was almost funny, in a disgustingly immature sort of way.

She grimaced slightly, which sent a fresh wave of hilarity outward from Thoth, who promptly collapsed to the floor and continued to cackle wildly. Riya wasn't sure what to make of this, and stepped over, nudging the other girl lightly with her boot. Thoth just howled louder and waved a hand ineffectively, and while she wasn't paying much attention, Riya scooped a glob of mashed carrot and soap from her shoulder and proceeded to stuff it straight into Thoth's open mouth.

Best she could do under the circumstances. You didn't kill people for food fights, after all.

"That was un-called for! Oh man, that tasted disgusting!"

Of course, Minerva knew she deserved that. The time it will take to clean up the mess they had made in the barracks alone could take hours.

"OK, truce, truce. I’m sorry, Riya for dumping food on you. Are we done now? I’d love to go take a shower before Hale calls us for work. I don’t want to have to worry about any more retaliation by both parties, ok?"

Covered in food, just like the rest of her. Oh well. She was just as dirty. Riya took the girl's hand and tightened her grip, twisting Thoth's arm until she was facing away and caught in a hold. It made her Riya laugh silently to herself, especially when she kicked Thoth's feet out from under her and gave her a nice, delicious face-plant into a congealed glob of meat and pudding.

The tiniest hint of laughter escaped her before she could stop it, and Riya dropped her grasp on Thoth and pulled away suddenly, shocked. Her midnight eyes narrowed, and she stared at the other girl, and managed to speak, but her voice was cold again.

"Truce."

Bullshit. Truce, my ass!.

Minerva sat there for a second, getting her bearings in place. She looked up at Riya and smiled. Riya turned away to go back to her bunk, but instead of letting her go, Minerva used her legs to swipe her feet out from underneath her. The ground was already slick, so Riya lost her balance easily and landed a foot away from Minerva. Even more food splattered up, landing everywhere, including Gabe and Sol’s bunk.

"You just can’t let it go, can you? Now, we can either continue this all day, or we can clean up. And I say in the process, we leave some of this crap on Gabe and Sol’s bunk and pretend we have no idea where it came from. What are they going to do? Tell Hale? Now, I’m going to go take a shower. You can either let me go without harassing me in any way, shape, or form, or I’ll tell Gabe that you secretly admire his courage."

Anyone else...

But what? She wasn't going to do anything. She couldn't do anything, not here. Best choice of action was to forget it, clean up, and find a way to pay Thoth back later. Riya did just that, and slowly stood up, ignoring the other girl as she shrugged the filthy uniform jacket from her shoulders and dropped it to the ground. This was so distasteful, and she stared at the messy room with a measure of disgust.

"Clean," she opted, and reached up to tug the sheets from off of her bunk. These she used to begin to wipe the metal floor, and the mundane activity helped restore her calm. Thoth kneeled beside her and began to do the same, and Riya eyed her for a moment before continuing in her task.

Hale was stading in the doorway, framed against the light of the corridor. He stood as he always did, hands folded behind his back, chin level, face set in the clinical disinterest of a professional at work. Hale was good at making that face.

"I seem to remember dismissing you all for the day, to shower, to eat, to sleep. Was it your interpretation of my dismissal that you were to return to your cell and engage in activities fit for toddlers?"

Well, he was right on target there. Riya wasn't going to argue that point.

He wasn't showing any outward signs of being displeased, but then again, it was Hale. He was as close to blank as Riya, and she respected that. If he'd been the type to shout or become angry, she never would have followed his orders. As is, he was withdrawn and professional, and the cold-blooded killer in her recognized the cold-blooded killer in him.

Hale had of course walked in on their little mess. Why would it be any different? It wasn’t like Minerva and Riya could have cleaned it up real fast before he noticed. No, he always saw their faults. He had cameras on them all the time, she knew that at least. His office probably had 75 different screens of the command school, and all he did was watch them all day long.

Even though he had said the comment to both of them, Minerva hoped Riya would answer him. Of course, pigs would fly in frozen hell before that happened, so Minerva guessed she would have to be the one to deal with the situation.

“We were unaware sir that dismissal for the day did not include recreational activities. We are very sorry if that is the case, but we are now finished and are in the process of cleaning it up. We guarantee that this barracks will be spotless in an hour, sir. If you wouldn’t mind, we would like to continue now.”

Minerva felt she had said it very tactfully. In it’s easiest form, it basically told him: ‘Didn’t know food fights were off limits. It’s not our fault you have no sense of humor. And if you get the hell out of here, we’ll clean it up, asshole.’

"How interesting," he said, "that you were under that impression. I notice, you see, that the ceiling is still up, and the floor is still down. Gravity seems to be working, and as nearly as I can tell, time is also still functioning properly." As he continued, his face began to darken. "This morning I observed the sun rising over Eros' second quadrant, and the viewport in my office, from which I've just come, displayed a perfectly ordinary starfield. Thus, Ms. Thoth, with all these other things that are completely uniform and constant, reliable and dependable, I find it interesting that you seemed to think that on this day, like any other day, might have allowed time for recreation. I find it interesting, Ms. Thoth, because if there is one thing that is at least as constant as any of those I mentioned before, it is that I never allow you time for 'recreational acitivities', except on those days upon which I am required to do so as mandated by the medical staff."

He paused for a moment. Hale, unlike Gabe, had a dramatic streak.

"Now then. Because I have never, ever, allowed you time allotted for 'recreational activities' in the two years you have been in my program, and because my dismissals have always been to eat, to shower, and to sleep, and no more, would it not be logical to assume that today, on a day like any other, with the sunrise and the stars and gravity and time all telling us that the universe is working in proper order, that those truths apply to this day as well?"

He shouldn’t be allowed to procreate.

He finally finished his Gestapo dictatorship speech and waited for Minerva to reply.

“We are sorry, sir. It will not happen ever again. If it’s any consolation sir, we will be graduating shortly and therefore you will not have to put up with our ‘toddler’ nonsense any longer. I attempted to explain to Riya here that recreation in this form was not allowed while we were in Scorpion, sir, but she insisted on starting this adolescent game. I refused to let an evil deed go unpunished, and so started the small war. Once again, we are sorry sir. If you would now excuse us, we will clean it up.”

Minerva had been standing at attention. What Hale couldn’t see was that she was flipping him off behind her back. She wanted to take that middle finger and jab it in his eyes. Hopefully he would just turn around and leave.

"Do you suppose, Ms. Thoth, that I am not aware of the expected date of your graduation? Do you suppose that I believe for a moment that you actually are sorry? Do you suppose that I don't have recordings of the entire scene, and do not know that you neither made any such explanation, nor entered into the game in the interest of justice?"

He looked to Riya. "Ms. Kinoshita, I am highly disappointed that one such as yourself, clearly the most likely candidate for Special Intelligence in the group from the beginning, has participated in such childish games."

"Yes, sir," she intoned coldly, and only the words held respect, nothing else.

Silence was not a punishment. Standing guard with Thoth was, after the girl had tried to shift the blame. Hale's comment about being disappointed didn't register, and she concentrated on refraining from meeting his gaze, lest he notice the taunting in her eyes. She had time for the thought that Hale was rather pathetic, reduced from a killer to someone who had to punish children, but it passed when Thoth echoed her response.

Riya looked at her and tried to be angry, but the displeasure wouldn't come. It had almost been worth it, to grind Thoth's face into the ground. She smirked internally, saluted sharply to Hale, and resumed her task once more. Thoth followed suit, and Hale eventually left, and after hours of cleaning the room was spotless. Riya was, on the other hand, dirty and tired. It was going to be a long night.

She imagined Thoth's expression when she'd smashed food into it, and her eyes narrowed.

Worth it.

Alone, and safe.

Safety accounted for, the rest of her senses began to wake, and a small smile crept across her mouth. Her head lay on Gabe's shoulder, and she felt his chest rise and fall evenly and listened to his heartbeat. Hale, the cold, vengeful ruler of the tiny world of Scorpion Quad, had inexplicably given them an uninterrupted night's sleep...and Minerva and Riya had somehow managed to pull guard duty, and for the first time in six months, Gabe and Sol were...alone.

Together.

Today was the last day they would see Command School, the last day Sol would ever have to wake up breathing air that might have passed through Hale's body before it got to hers. Sol had never felt comfortable hating anyone before, but their long-term training had forced her to become acclimatized. Riya and Hale were not removed subjects to be detested from a distance; they were part of her life, every day. It had been difficult, at first, moving back into the barracks. Before that, Riya could at least be avoided, and Sol hadn't had as much reason to hate Hale, aside from a general contempt for a basic lack of humanity.

After the fight, they had returned to the barracks, returned to Hale's rule in close quarters with Riya. Sol met Hale's eyes the next morning, and he didn't smile at her. He never smiled. But his eyes were smiling, and she knew he knew. That he'd been watching, and he'd let them beat her, just like he'd let Gabe break them. She wasn't sure what she hated him more for, making her suffer or making Gabe hurt them with that terrifying efficiency she knew he hated to bring out in himself.

She took a slightly deeper breath instead of a sigh that might have awakened Gabe and hugged him a little tighter. She didn't want to think of Hale right now. Hale could steal their morning any moment he chose. She didn't have to give it to him.

Gabe's eyes were closed when she opened hers to look at his face, copper lashes barely distinguishable in the near-darkness of the cell. I should let him sleep, she reproved herself sharply as she leaned in to kiss him gently and snuggle into a more comfortable position. She didn't feel like talking just yet. It was too quiet.