Earth's Revival

30 - Midnight Dip

Kai didn't return. Rory waited around the pad, puttering through the kitchen, the sitting area and occasionally the lab. Ross didn't have any task for him to complete, which in itself was almost a relief, yet at the same time, Rory had never been more bored in his life.

When the hours ticked by and night time settled on Trision, Rory eagerly went to bed. It was that one time during the day that you could do nothing and not feel guilty for it.

It would have been better if sleep came. The commotion outside his room had long since disappeared, and the light seeping into his room had dimmed. He lay there, staring at the blank ceiling, arm beneath his pillow and blanket laying over his body. His eyes weren't even heavy.

His thoughts wandered. Bursts of the tape he and Kai had listened to passed through his head. His own interview with Elrei. Kai's assumption. Was he a Vitro? Were they being targeted? Was he in any danger?

His thoughts were getting him nowhere. He threw off the sheets and left his room, heading for the kitchen. He turned on one of the lights near the cupboards and pulled up a chair close to the counter. He stood on it and searched the cupboard until he found the little basket where Ross kept all their medication.

He rummaged around and pulled out the little bottle labelled: Melatonin. Inside there were red gummy candies. When he was younger, he had mistaken them for real candy, and their fruity flavour didn't help. Ross had put a stop to it after about the tenth chew, and Rory spent the rest of the day ready to pass out. He'd fallen asleep during their Lab session and during dinner. He didn't make that mistake ever again.

He popped one of the candies in his mouth, chewing it slowly as he replaced the bottle and basket in the cupboard. Just as he reset the kitchen, the strange familiar sound of the main door opening resounded throughout the pad. Rory instinctively grabbed the nearest item in the kitchen -- a scrub brush and tentatively rounded the corner to see who had entered.

It was Leissi, and she jumped when she caught sight of Rory.

He lowered the brush and stared at her, unsure how to react.

"Leissi?" he muttered. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you were sleeping," she whispered. She was met with stark silence. She shook her head. "Come on. I want to show you something."

She went to his side and took his hand, tugging gently. Rory hesitated. He glanced at the clock which read 1:13 am.

"Isn't it late?" he asked.

She laughed. A little too loudly, and immediately covered her mouth. "It's fine. Come on. And put down the brush. What were you planning on doing with it, anyway?"

Rory shrugged. He looked at her. Her navy hair was loose, not restrained by a braid or any style, and he had never noticed how long it was. She caught his gaze, and he turned to return the brush to the kitchen. He turned off the lights and followed her out of the pad.

"Where are we going?" he asked. "I just took my sleeping meds."

"You'll be fine. Come on." She took his hand again and pulled him down the hall at a brisk pace.

All the times Rory had been in Trision, there was always someone else wandering around too. Now, in the dead of the night, it was completely empty. Their footsteps echoed off the walls as she began down another unknown area of the underground city.

"Where is this?" he asked.

"The pools," she answered, stopping in front of a wide set of doors. Rory was nearly out of breath. Their little run through Trision hadn't even fazed her.