"Ro, you need to answer these questions," Losker insisted.
"We're not being interrogated again." The girl stubbornly crossed her arms and stuck her nose up to the ceiling.
Losker looked behind him at the other English linguists and at Fre Qor. Ro was definately going to get him fired.
"Please answer the question," he begged.
Ro gave a long, hard look into his pleading face. She sighed and said loudly, "I tripped over a table, swore, got yelled at by Laura, heard the sirens turn on, tried to see out the window, got cut when the window exploded, sat on the bed with Laura, and stayed as far away as possible from the melting door. That's it."
"And you don't know any of how or why this happened?" a linguist asked.
"Not a bit. Laur can vouch. Can we go now?"
The Fre stood and walked up to Losker. He spoke quietly in his ear. Ro caught a few words, and understood: «Do you believe her?»
Losker replied back: «Kle. She's hiding something. She's worried. So is Laura. If only I could discover what it is."
«And why can't you?»
«Kle. She won't allow me.»
The Fre nodded and asked the interrogators if there was anything else they'd like to know pertaining to the break-in. Heads shook, so Fre Qor dismissed the interrogation.
«Kle. Sir, may I accompany the humans to their new holding cell?»
«Please do. Maybe Roseanne will tell you something.»
Losker clumsily rushed after the guards.
"Hello Roseanne," he said.
"What happened to 'Ro?'" Ro asked.
Losker furrowed his forehead.
"You called me 'Ro' during the interrogation."
"Deepest apologies," he rushed.
Ro laughed. "It's no biggie, Los."
Losker felt a weight lift off his chest. If they were using nicknames again, that meant that maybe their friendship was healing, and then....
"Los, do you think I can go to the old secure room and grab some things?"
"I do not think that would be best."
"What if I ask in Scrixs?" she bribed and wiggled her eyebrows.
Losker thought a moment and replied playfully back, "Then I suppose there would be no harm."
Ro cleared her throat. «Can I get some things from the old room?» she said slowly.
"That was very articulate!" Losker congratulated.
"Thanks," Ro replied. "I worked on that all interrogation."
"All ten minutes?"
"All ten minutes."
«We're going to stop at the previous secure room for a few minutes» Losker told the guards. They gave him a dirty look but steered the group down a hall and around a DO NOT ENTER sign.
Ro stepped through the melted door and around the neat pile of swept-up glass. She went to her bed and Laura to hers. Losker told them both: "We will need to check everything you bring. Just in case someone did come by."
"What, do you not trust us?" Ro scoffed.
"I do, but others do not."
Ro huffed but didn't fight. She pulled things from her bed and from the dressing table and laid them in view of the guards. She waited patiently for Laura to finish.
"Let us go," Losker said when they were done.
Ro gathered up her things and started to head back to the door, but tripped before she could get around her bed.
"Ow," she sighed.
Losker took a step forward. "Are you alright?"
"Fine, fine."
"Let me help you pick up your things."
"No," she rushed, "that's okay. But thanks." She fumbled behind her bed for a while longer before standing up with a small pile of things nestled in her arms. "I'm ready."
The group was guided to the far end of the building, down a level, and into an empty conference room.
"Not as secure as I expected," Laura said.
"It will work with around-the-clock security," Losker replied. "You will be brought cots, blankets, and scheduled meals, as before."
Ro dropped her things on the table, sat in one of the swivel chairs and spun it around. "If only there weren't as many windows," she sighed.
"There are blinds," Losker pointed out.
"Is there air conditioning?"
Right. "I am sorry. I fogot that humans were used to drier air. I will see what can be done."
One of the guards placed Sonya's crib in a corner and the other put Laura's things on the table.
«Don't forget about your appointment» one sneered to him as they left.
"Don't forget your what?" Ro asked.
"It is nothing," he replied. "I must go now."
"Bye Losker," Laura replied absent mindedly as she put Sonya to bed.
"See you, Los."
"And you, Ro."
Losker left the room and hurried past the chortling guards as they took their posts by the door. As he made his way to the doors to leave, he once again cursed his bitter exisitence.
He stepped through the Bio-Scanner doors and prepared for the long wait while it prossessed the fact that he was a Neda-Galida. Ten minutes later, the doors opened and he dashed out into the nighttime air and headed towards the parking lot. He unlocked his ratty old rover (that was what the word translated to in English) and steered it into the brightly lit subtunnels.
Of course there's traffic on the day I have an appointment, Losker thought as he joined the group of angry honking civillians.
