Midge was a sight to see as he rushed around the small house, putting things away. "I'm—I'm so sorry. I didn' expeck company. Please give me a minute."

Gara got down under the table to pick up several articles of clothing.

"No, no. Don' do that. You don' need-a do that," Midge urged.

Tanner decided to help as well, but Andrea only stood with her back against the wall as she looked on. Three people working together made the process fast, and the small, open room was spotless in no time.

After they were done, Midge's face reddened. "A'm so sorry."

Gara stood beside him with a dreamy smile and tried to take hold of his hand. "It's all right. Don't worry so much." When Midge dodged her grip, Gara frowned.

"Let mi get you guys some grub. A haba menu."

At the very back of the open room, there was a one-burner stove and oven. There was also a low sofa that had seen better days. Beyond that was the living room, which also served as a bedroom; the small bed against the wall was neat.

"It's tiny, but I wasn' expecking anyone," Midge called back.

As he hurried around the room to find glasses, Gara watched his every move and said, "It's fine. We're imposing."

"Shit, man," said a voice with a yawn from out of nowhere. A pair of hands emerged from the ceiling. Queen did a backflip as he fell from the putty-like substance with a thud. "Kobal's gone impshit." He paused and took a step back. "What the hell? What's everybody doing here? You people having a séance?"

Midge called out, "Audit."

"Right." Queen asked, "And that involves you how?"

His question wasn't met with a direct answer. After a moment Midge asked, "What can I do fer you?"

"Nothing." Queen said. "I was just coming to tell you about the audit, but apparently I'm late on that."

"Yeah. I got called in. They're guttin' the place. Dis is so random," Midge said.

"Actually," Gara began. Midge looked back at her from the kitchen. The hesitation might have meant the smaller woman felt bad for betraying Andrea's trust, but she was desperate for some acknowledgment. "It's not so random. Kobal and Rene came to dinner with us." The twins winced in unison. Gara nodded and said, "You can tell where this is going."

"Don't tell me you lame bastards said something bad about Rene." Queen groaned. "'Cause trust me, as much as my chosen Assist is a gaw-ro troll, if anyone calls her a gaw-ro troll, I'd take their heads off."

Tanner made his way to the sofa and said, "That would have been better. Kobal's a bureaucrat. He moved some files around to attack from a business angle, and that shit stings a whole lot more than a fireball." The room fell silent, and Tanner looked over his shoulder at Queen and asked, "What?"

"You're talking. You can talk?" Queen turned to his twin for help, but Midge wouldn't hold his gaze. "What happened?"

By fate or bad luck, Queen's eyes zeroed in on Andrea, who was still standing with the box of chocolates clutched against her chest.

"No," Queen said, gasping. "Hell no. Hell no! Tell me you didn't sleep with this rich imp-cow."

Midge came to the rescue when Tanner was silent. "Queen—"

"No. You gaw-ro stay out of this." Queen made his way to the couch while pointing back at Midge. "Listen to him, Tan! He's never going to be healed a hundred percent. Is that what you want to happen to you? He's that rich whore's gaw-ro pet. You know the damage careless Assists can cause. And now you do the same gaw-ro thing. Are you out of your gaw-ro mind?"

"I'm no one's pet," Tanner muttered. He cast a glance at Andrea. "It's not the same. It healed me, and I don't need to be with her again. With the way I feel, I doubt I'll be as...driven as Midge."

Queen stood to his full height, running his hands through his hair in distress. "You idiot. You took her branding tattoo; of course it's the same."

"I didn't." Tanner showed his bare right forearm. "See?"

The supposed good news didn't garner any praise; in fact, Queen was speechless. Midge hurried from the kitchen to take hold of Tanner's arm. When their eyes met, the blue-haired E was shocked.

"You did dis bare? With no tattoo, no DNA connection?"

Tanner lowered his arm and sat back. He risked looking at Midge, but dared not regard Queen.

"You cannot do dat again; do you understand?" Midge scolded. "Your power will grow now, so it'll be impossible witout a brand. Swear to me you'll never do dat bare again."

The words were sincere enough, but Tanner stared straight ahead. "I'm no one's slave. I'm not getting a brand."

"Den you can' have sex."

Tanner snorted out a laugh, and Andrea could hear the man's disgust when he said, "No worries there."

Andrea found herself drifting into her own thoughts as everyone spoke. Tanner's words had hurt her. Without even knowing when she had moved, she found herself sitting with her back against the wall, gaze fixed on the ground. She didn't even care that she was bald or that she didn't know where she was or how long she'd be there for. All she could think of was Tanner's eyes. How they had looked when the man had asked to mate, the way they looked when the E was so unsure, the way they looked when they were white, and finally the way they'd looked when Tanner had walked back into the room with Midge. The stark contrast made her stomach turn.

She didn't make much of an effort to hear the conversation after that. Instead she sat there with her chocolates and waited. Queen's laugh brought her out of her thoughts, and she focused on the E to see the blue eyes watching her.

"Hey. You got the chocolates, then?" Queen met Tanner's gaze. "Nice try on the subtle approach. I'm glad you didn't just show up and grab the gal's stuff and clear out her place like you'd come to collect some bride." When Tanner colored, he laughed. "You didn't...."

Tanner muttered under his breath, "Shut up, Queenie."

"Well, did you ask first?"

"Let it go already, Queen," Midge scolded. "He's not in da mood."

"In that case, when are you guys cutting the bluebloods loose?" Queen asked as he leaned back against the wall, not far from where Andrea rested.

Midge sat down on the floor and said, "Dey can go whenever dey want. I just didn' want...Gara...I didn' want 'er dere."

"You act like you saved her. She's got enough people to stay with. Free-rides like her have a tendency to land on their backs, legs up," Queen quipped.

"You know what?" Though much shorter than the E, Gara got in the man's face in record time. "Go hang yourself, Queenie! You act like I wanted any of this—"

"But you did."

"I did it for him!" Gara pointed back at Midge. "I took an open marriage contract for him. I didn't know that bastard would start trading me, so fick dich."

Midge stood and pulled the smaller woman close, and Gara calmed.

"I did it for you," she muttered against Midge's chest. "I wanted to be with you. I didn't know things would get so gawed up."

"I know." Midge rubbed the dark hair, soothing. "Calm down."

"Darling, I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"Stop. Dat place is under lockdown till de audit is finished. Dat's at least a mont. If you wanna go back—"

"No. I just want to be here with you," Gara assured him. "Please don't send me back. Please."

Queen made a gagging noise and turned his attention to Tanner. "What about you? You gonna keep your arm candy?"

Tanner didn't meet anyone's gaze. He watched the floor as he said, "She's not obligated to be anywhere near me. I don't care what happens."

She? Andrea cringed. Please say my gaw-ro name. Don't call me "she."

"She should stay wit you." Midge studied Andrea and shrugged. "The afta-shocks from mating are...are...a bit start-ling. It'll be good if she was wit you."

"Whatever." Tanner sunk lower into the couch. "Fine. Ask her."

"You could—"

"I'm not talking to her. So you ask her."

Andrea's spirits sank, and she matched Tanner's posture. She found herself gripping the chocolates closer as she ignored them. Midge tried to talk to her for a moment before giving up. It was difficult ignoring the sound of Gara teasing and kissing her apparently very forgiving lover.

Queen gagged and said, "I can't be around you two. It's sickening. Seeing you feed each other is the worst. I've met my cute and cuddly limit for the year, so I'm out. I'll announce the new arrivals—"

"No." Tanner stood. "No. Don't announce them. Least not for now."

Queen looked at his twin. Midge shrugged as he sat at the table and said, "I don' care. Either way's fine by me. People're gonna figure it out anyway."

"Well, I don't need the 'mate' squad on my back," Tanner said finally. "So leave it."

"Are you sure? Because you'll get a care package and a briefing about mating," Queen said, but Tanner shook his head. "Right." Queen shrugged. "It ain't my immortal soul on the line, so to hell with it. I'm out."

He left the same way he'd come, through the ceiling.

After he was gone, Gara fell into Midge's lap. She whispered, "Darling, it's kinda late, innit?"

Midge tapped the table and called up an interface. "No, it ain't. It's just eight or so." Whatever Gara did made Midge flinch, and his tone was telling when he scolded, "Gara...."

"Love," Gara whispered. "I...we haven't seen each other in nearly three weeks. When I say it's late, I mean," she nodded back to Andrea and Tanner and said through gritted teeth, "it's late. It's been a lonely three weeks."

Andrea could see Midge's eyebrows rise as the man asked, "Yeah?"

"Yes."

And that was that. In a matter of minutes, the couple began making excuses. Tanner headed for the door. Andrea wasn't sure what she should do, but she took comfort in the fact that Tanner paused at the threshold, waiting for her.

They stepped out into the tunnel, and the door shut behind them. Andrea couldn't believe they had been kicked out. This was her first time being without some sort of safety net. She couldn't go home; she couldn't call for help. Tanner had her money, at least, but depending on how angry the E was, she wasn't sure if she'd get that back.

She felt dizzy as the prospect of walking into the dimly lit tunnel overwhelmed her. For the first time in her life, there was no one to hold her hand.

Tanner reached behind his back and retrieved a diskette from under his shirt.

Andrea stood rigid, chocolates clasped tights, as Tanner walked down the tunnel without looking back. Andrea watched him and then looked in the opposite direction to see nothing but darkness. If she walked toward the dark, she knew the System would light her path, but she couldn't see that far in.

I've made a mess of things. Now what do I do? He's pissed, and I can't go home. I don't even know where home is.

Home wasn't an option; the darkness even less so. Reluctantly, she looked to the path Tanner had taken, hopeful that she could still catch up. To her surprise the E had not gone far at all; instead he stood waiting, diskette in hand.

She wanted Tanner to say something, to call to her so she would know they were on speaking terms at least. Finally, Andrea concluded it would be too cruel to try to force that. The man had tried to save her. He'd cleared everything out of Andrea's room, he'd gotten her gifts, and what did he get for it?

Tanner lumbered away, and Andrea hurried to catch up. Eventually, she followed close behind the E like an obedient imp-puppy. She felt more calm and sure with each step. It was going to be all right. She could live with the Elementals. She could be safe with Tanner.

They walked a distance, and when she heard Tanner's groan, she assumed that their route was wrong. They backtracked and tried several different tunnels that branched off the main one. Andrea shook her head as they ended up back in the main tunnel. Without regarding Andrea, Tanner reached for the diskette again.

Feeling a bit more at ease, Andrea tried to look over Tanner's shoulder which was difficult due to his height. "Do you have a map?"

"The Colony isn't mapped. Everyone knows that," Tanner snapped. "It's not that far from here."

Andrea offered, "We can use the System."

"Don't you think I know about the System?"

The tone made Andrea uneasy because it was one she was sure she herself had used. It was defensive and reflected the E's frustration.

"All right." Andrea found her confidence. This wasn't the Tanner she knew; her Tanner was gentle, so Andrea had nothing to fear. "Could you just tell me where you need to go?"

"Why?" Tanner looked her in the eye. "How often have you walked in the Colony, huh?"

Andrea had to admit that this was actually the first time, so she gave up and followed after Tanner again. She kept quiet when they took a turn similar to the previous ones that had landed them right back where they started. She kept quiet when Tanner had to backtrack, and she kept quiet when her E finally sat down against the tunnel wall and retrieved the diskette a third time.

With a bitter frown, Tanner watched the smooth surface, but his eyes started to glaze over. "You know, I tried my best," he said. "I really did. And it was my first time. The least you could have done was give me another chance to...to improve."

Still standing with her box of chocolates in hand, Andrea said, "Huh?"

"That's why I got you the chocolates. To say sorry. Sorry for it being so bad."

Andrea shook her head, confused. "What being bad?"

Cheeks flushed, the E stood once more and shook his head. "Nothing. We're trying to get to section C, level three. I—"

"I saw section C, level four written on one of the walls we passed by. Would that be close?" The excitement in Andrea's voice managed to coax a smile from Tanner's once sullen expression.

"Actually," Tanner said, "it is. But to be honest, we've twisted around so often that I can't say we'll find it again."

Andrea smiled, confident. "I can find it again."

"Honest?"

"If you explain to me about the chocolates when we get there, then yeah." She saw that the man was about to resist, so she clapped her hands together as best she could with the box between them. "Please."

After considering the offer, Tanner relented. "Sure. Why not? That route's too complex, though; no way in hell we're finding it."

"I'll find it." Andrea led the way with a bounce in her step. "We're pretty close, actually."

Twenty minutes later, Tanner looked up and read, "Section C, level three. Un-gaw-ro-believable. How can you do that? I literally can pinpoint our location just by closing my eyes, but even I get lost. How the hell are you able to do that?"

Years of being ditched at school, Andrea thought. She was satisfied to see that Tanner hadn't heard. "Don't know," Andrea muttered under her breath. "At least I can do something right."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. The chocolates."

"The chocolates," Tanner repeated with a frown. He followed the tunnel, less enthusiastic than before. "The chocolates...." Andrea fell in step behind him, but the E didn't look back. "I just...I sensed that you were disappointed in me somehow. When we were together. I wanted to make up for that. But I guess that doesn't matter. That guardsman with Gara was there to give you what you wanted."

Andrea fought to find the right words. She wanted to ask for more details, but the desperate kiss with that unknown guard being the center of their conversation wasn't something Andrea took a liking to. Rather than risk making that an active topic, she said nothing.

"Here. We're here," Tanner said, putting his hand against the wall. A hidden door came into view with Tanner's touch. Andrea waited for Tanner to enter first, though she was anxious, wondering what it could lead to. She wouldn't admit to thinking it was a door to a magical fairyland. But considering that E's could bend matter—shape it into what they wanted, build it up, and twist it—it was sure to be an amazing sight. She thought about Queen's designs that she saw on the green-haired E's profile, and although she knew Tanner wasn't as skilled, she decided right then and there, no matter what, she'd love whatever it was.

The path led to...another damn tunnel. This tunnel was narrower than the others, and it had no lights.

Andrea struggled to keep up, especially when the door closed and the light source was gone. In the pitch-black, she lost Tanner and started to panic.

"Hey, you okay? I'm right here. Can you keep up?" the E asked.

"Can I have your hand or something?" When Andrea felt the hand against her shoulder, she was quick to take it.

Tanner loosened their grip and stepped behind her.

Feeling the hand pull away, Andrea turned to see why. A moment later she was comforted when it came to rest on her lower back. By the time they reached the end of the tunnel, Tanner's hand was cupping her ass.

"Here." Tanner reached past her, and a new door opened. "My home."

The air was cold, which was uncommon for the Colony, and Andrea's stomach dropped in dread. It was frigid, and the room was...well, it wasn't really a room. Once the walls illuminated to show the space they were in, Andrea pressed her lips together. It was a tall cylinder of metal. That wasn't the most disturbing part about it. Various daggers, swords, knives, and other weapons hung on the wall, encompassing the entire room. The thought occurred to Andrea that she was in a dungeon.

Thinking back on the books she'd read about magic and Elementals of old, she tried to remember any of the bad ones. Ones that might have involved a place like this.

"Why did we walk here?" she asked, meek.

Tanner stepped from behind her. "Even if I brought you through the wall on my own, the System would still clock us. I didn't want it to know where you were."

Andrea's heart pounded. "Um, why?"

Tanner sat down by the door, looking up at her from the floor. "I don't want anyone to find you."

"Wh-why?" Andrea knew that her questions seemed strange, so she wasn't surprised when the E stood.

"You're sweating," Tanner said.

Andrea's body filled with dread.

Tanner reached out to caress her face, but pulled his hand away, shuddering. "Wow, are you kidding me? You think I'm going to torture you?"

The air was still between them, and Tanner did something unexpected: he laughed.

By the time he was nearly on the floor with his laughter, Andrea found herself clenching the chocolate box again, her face burning with embarrassment.

That helped the tension fade.

Finally, Tanner smiled. "This is my room. It's a typical E room. We all start out with a room like this from birth. Some expand it as they grow, and some change to a Colony one, like Midge. But we all start out with a room like this. I...I don't have any money for that. So this...this is my room."

There was no bed, no chairs—nothing but a slab of metal in the center.

"It's lovely," Andrea lied as she looked up, shivering all the while. "But.... There's nothing here."

"Course there is." Tanner extended his arms. "There's a room."

"It's...a cylinder."

"Sure. When baby E's sleep, sometimes our minds wander. We can bend metal, but not subconsciously, so we're safest in a cylinder. If it was stone, we might wake up embedded in it." He pointed to the area by the door. "Figured you could sleep there. When I can afford to expand it, I will. Now that I have power, I...." He slowed and asked, "What?"

"N-nothing." Andrea forced a smile. "Thank you. Thank you for letting me stay, I mean."

"Sure. Since you were running away, I...I tried to take all your things, but there's no room here. They're in storage. Once I can expand it though, I'll bring them. Maybe next week I'll be able to."

Andrea nodded, grateful for his thoughtfulness. "Thank you."

With a small smirk, Tanner bowed. "Please."

They both chuckled, and all was calm.

Tanner took the metal slab—that was to say, he sat on it—while Andrea shuffled around, shivering from the cold.

Well, Andrea, you wanted to go off into the unknown. You are certainly there now. Too bad you didn't bring a jacket