SJ paces the room, her eyes flickering between me and the door. I go and sit next to Ry and we watch waiting for her to speak. 

"I'm good with computers, I can do all sorts of things, so that is what they are training me for, I will become a comp hacker". I glance at Ry and he is nodding. She takes a breath and continues.

"While you guys were training I was also training in the hackers department which we call the HD. Basically my supervisor left me for a couple of minutes while he sorted out a glitch, I'm a curious type and am a bit skeptical of the Unites compound."

He eyes find mine and stay there, filling me with courage again.

"Ace, they are training you to be an assassin" her eyes then shift to Ry, "And Ry to the top trainers, you already are one." She starts pacing the room again "Your reports were open on the screen and and the monitors in the gym were recording you. I found that both of you are being monitored during daylight hours. To them you guys are too precious to lose, but why?"

I turn to Ry to see if he knows anything about this, but he looks about as shocked as I am. SJ looks at both of us then inhales sharply.

"Ry, your parents are alive, they are being held at QWN headquarters".

Ry eyes widen.

"MY WHAT?!"

SJ's voice softens "It was open in a file, It said your parents were captured by the QWN, then my adviser came back".

Ry stands.

"Ryan?" I question, standing. "We can't let anyone know that we know this".

He stands there for a moment then nods. "I'm going for a walk". He leaves the room.

SJ turns to me, "Should I have....." she trails off her eyes finding the floor.

"No, He would have found out anyway, better now". She looks at me and nods.

"I need to go back to the surveillance room for a decoding test, I understand if you can't make dinner, just let me know".

"Thanks" I hug her. "You couldn't have changed what happened, it's no your fault".

She smiles. "I like you, catch you later".

I watch SJ walk out the door. When she turns the corner I grab my hoodie and run towards the garden. I need to find Ry and make sure he's not making any stupid decisions. I get halfway down the stairs before I realize Ry never said where he was walking. This makes me speed up, he has to be in the garden, where else would he go? I reach the door and punch the code into the pad and slip out before the door fully opens. Where now? I scan the area where? I pick up a strong smell. What the? It like it is drifting out of the ground toward my nose. It smells exactly like Ry. I turn to the right and the smell is gone. Well this is weird. I face the smell and follow it. It leads me through the garden and into dense forest, over logs and through bushes. Ry must have been running. I continue on for a few minutes then I see it, the clearing. I slow down, what should I do? What if he doesn't want me here. I creep towards the edge of the clearing and shield behind a tree. I breath in and look around the tree. He's there, he's sitting in the middle of the clearing staring at the sky.

"Ace?", he turns towards me. "Ace, if you're there please come".

I step out from behind the tree. Ry smiles. "I thought it was you, I was picking up your scent, all part of being an ani".

I smile "That explains how I found you".

He pats the grass next to him. I sit down.

"You OK?" I ask

"Yeah, just needed some time to process things I guess".

I nod, "I know exactly what that feels like".

"I... I think I'll just act like normal and get as much information as I can about them".

I glance at him, he is dead serous, his eyes blank, his body tense. He turns to face me.

"Ace, why did you come here?"

I soften my gaze. "I wanted to make sure you were OK and not alone, news of hope has of way of making people irrational". I look down.

Ry lifts his hand and brushes my jaw with his finger, lifting my head up. "Thank you" He whispers.

His smile is catching, filling me with warmth. He breaks the gaze and stands up, offering his hands to pull me up. I take them and am pulled to a standing position.

"You want to take the long way back?" Asks Ry as he takes my hand.

"Sure, as long as it doesn't include bush bashing".

He laughs and starts walking.

"It won't, trust me".

I smile.

"You know Ace, you have the prettiest smile I have ever seen".

I blush, not sure how to answer.

"Thank you?"

Ry laughs, "All good".

We walk in silence for a while, admiring everything. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When we get back to the compound I find Dr Megan is waiting outside my door. 

"Ace, thank goodness!" 

I glance at Ry and let go of his hand.

"Megan?"

Megan smiles. "Ry is it OK if I steal Ace for a couple of hours?"

Ry looks at me for a second faking a smile, "Sure".

Megan nods as Ry walks past us and towards the training room.

"You ready to go?" Asks Megan turning to me.

"Go where?" I'm confused and slightly annoyed.

I'm talking you to Antarctica for selective training specifically in the snow".

I smile, "I am so ready!"

"Good, cause we have a chopper on standby".