(Continued awhile after Making Music.)

Katrina was bored. It was still a long time until the meeting and she had already visited the library and practiced oboe. Since it wasn’t dinner time yet, that ruled out eating. At this rate she might actually take up serious Calley’s offer to study every day so she didn’t go crazy. She almost wished she had math homework.

But she wasn’t that desperate yet. She decided on impulse to see if Kaz was around. He was the only person who she knew how to find in this giant labyrinth of a complex. She walked down the hall from her room. Kaz’s room was on the opposite end of the hallway from her own, with a sign on the door that read:
________________
| . . . Nicki & Kaz . . . |
| . Katrina welcome . |
| . . .(knock first) . . . |
---------------------------

She knocked and waited to see if anyone would answer.

Kaz's meeting with Hunter while interesting, hadn't been very productive, though it had been a bit aggravating. Stress he didn't need. The defense against Syn's pheromones lay on the table next to the bed. Kaz was looking at it, deciding whether or not to use it when he heard a knock on the door. Turning his head, <Is it time for the meeting already?> Glancing at his watch, <No, not yet. Who'd that be then..Nicki would come right in.> As if a light switch had just been turned on, <Oh, the sign. Maybe it's the little one.> Kaz put the syringe away and went to the door.

As he opened the door, <Young, blond, yup.> "Hey there," Kaz opened up the door all the way and put his arm out into the room, inviting her in. "What's up?" Kaz waited a moment before moving to the lone chair, sitting on it backwards he rested his crossed arms on the back.

“Hi. I thought I would come over and we could hang out.”

She blushed a little, suddenly feeling self-conscious. This guy was way older than her and way cooler. As in he could be a video game character he was so cool. It was like asking one of the popular kids from high school if they wanted to go shopping with a lowly seventh grader. Oh well, she was already here and he had left a sign on the door and everything. To cover for her blushing she just kept talking.

“I was just waiting for the meeting, and I thought I might come over and see if you wanted to go on a walk or something. I don’t even know how to get outside from here. If there was a fire drill or something I probably wouldn’t even be able to find an exit.”

She was babbling a just a little. Oh well. She glanced around the room. It was kind of plain, like her own but with a much bigger bed. Who ever had provided the furniture had probably just ordered the same thing for all the rooms. Katrina wrote a mental note to herself: decorate bedroom ASAP.

Kaz smiled as he saw Katrina blush slightly, though he said nothing about it. Kaz wasn't your typical pre-teen, but he could guess what was going through her head. "You're always welcome here Kat." He raised his eyebrow at himself, feeling slightly odd, "Err..Katrina..." He felt a bit silly being so informal with the girl. He didn't feel he knew her well enough to be shortening her name or giving her nicknames. "Just remember to knock first."

He smiled as he listened to her talk about being lost. Chuckling, "Yeah, this place is a bit daunting. I'm not so familiar with it myself. A walk would probably do us both good." As Kaz stood up he followed Katrina's gaze and looked at the room. "Yeah....boring huh? I was thinking of turning a sprinkler filled with different color paints on in here. Give it a bit of color." Kaz looked at the girl, "What do you think?"

"It's okay, you can call me Kat." she responded to his indecisive greeting. His being tongue tied also made her less self conscious. He was funny too.

His comment about redecorating the room made her laugh. "I think you had better ask Glasses...I mean Nicki before you do that." She grinned at the thought of Glasses coming back and finding the room spattered in rainbow paint colors.

Kaz chuckled at Katrina's response, calling Nicki 'Glasses'. Nicki probably knew about Katrina calling her glasses, at least if the girl had thought that in the Canteen. Kat seemed to relax a bit when Kaz made his joke, he was glad.

"I think you're right." Kaz put his hand to his chin and rubbed it like he was coming up with a devious plan, "Though, it would be fun to see how she would react." Kaz winked at Kat. Pushing the chair to the wall, "Was there anything you wanted to check out first, or to find?"

"Hmm. Are there any cool places to hang out in this place? Like a recreation room? Is there a computer lab? Or a gym? Or a bowling alley?" That one might be stretching it a little, but this place was huge.

"What is this place anyway? How come no one knows about it? Why is it so big?" She looked at him quizzically. This place was full of mysteries, and the more she saw of it, the more questions she had about it.

Kaz listened to Kat's multitude of questions with a smile on his face. <Ahh, kids.> He decided to answer her last questions first. "Well, this is Mondragon Labs, and like it's name, it's basically a gigantic laboratory. Where many many people test out different things. Thing I honestly wouldn't be able to understand in a hundred years. I'm not exactly sure what they're workin on, but I'm sure you know that places like this one, are what have come up with some of the most technologies or medical breakthroughs." Kaz moved next to her and set his hand lightly on her shoulder, holding his other hand out, motioning out the door.

As they continued out the door, "Because of the things they're working on, and how devoted they are to their work, many, if not most of the workers live here." Kaz got a puzzled look on his face. "Now that I think about it, I suppose it's wrong they 'live' here, more so they sleep here. Scientists...I don't know if they ever live outside their work." Chuckling a bit he continued. "To the rest of the world, this is just a large labs, and that's what it will stay as far as they need to know. Hunter is like us, a Mutant, he's been around a long time. To keep himself safe, he has a large security force that also lives here. They not only protect Hunter and the residence here, but also safeguard the work." Kaz looked at Kat, as if to ask if she was over explaining things. She may be young, but Kaz didn't believe he should skimp on answers, she was old enough to go through that raid and will be in the meeting with the rest of them. Besides, treating her like a stupid child wasn't gonna do either of them any good.

"Since there are those that aren't crazy scientists, and like to enjoy their lives, I'm sure there's a rec area somewhere here. Though, I don't know if there's a bowling alley." Kaz had never been around kids much, so he wasn't quite sure how to act around Kat. But he wanted her to know she could come to him, confide in him and feel comfortable with him. "I have no doubt there's a computer lab, you good with computers? I'm about as computer literate as a six year old. Hmm.." He looked at Kat and realized, "Speaking of age, how old are you?" Kaz realized he didn't really know anything about Katrina, and he'd really like to get to know the girl, age seemed like a great way to start

Katrina listened to Kazelf's explanation of Mondragon Labs with rapt attention. Mad scientists. Medical breakthroughs. Innovative technologies. It was like a spy movie! She was so going exploring tomorrow. She wondered how she ever could have been bored in such an interesting place.

And Hunter was a mutant. No surprise there, it seemed like everyone she had met since yesterday was a mutant. She had gone from never having talked to a person who was a mutant to surrounded by nothing but mutants in two days. And it didn't even seem weird any more. Except that she hadn't really seen any one use their powers except for Ali, who flew and Geo who turned his fist into a rock. Somehow that all seemed normal somehow.

"I'm twelve, and I'll be thirteen in July. I'm okay with computers," she said answering both his questions at once. "I know how to make a webpage and I have email and stuff, but I'm not a hacker or anything. My parents never let me go in chat rooms or anything like that either." Katrina shrugged. "Do you have email or AIM or anything like that? Then we could chat online when we're not so close by in real life. How old are you?" It was only fair, since he asked her first. "And how old is Nicki?" She was chattering, would he be able to keep up with her mile a minute mouth?

As Kaz explained the labs, he saw Kat's expression lighten up in wonder, which made Kaz smile in tern. "Ahh, gettin close to that magical 13. Beginning of some of the best, most exciting, fun, confusing, and annoying years of your life." Kaz chuckled a bit. "You're better with them than I am. I just follow directions. I can usually get them to do what I want....but can't really do much with them. Never had a need for computers...I was always out doing something, or had things to do. Though I own a lot of computers..mostly for the look." Kaz scratched his head, a bit embarrassed to admit what he did.

"I don't have email or anything, but I have a cell phone you could call at any time, or send me a text." Kaz thought for a moment, "Do you have a cell phone? If you don't I can give you one." Kaz smiled sincerely at Kat. "Oh, I'm 20, Nicki's 16. I'll be 21 relatively soon...I think. I lost track of when my birthday was."

She shook her head at Kazelf's lack of email. She would have to introduce him to the wonders of email. Everyone had email now. But not everyone had a cell phone! "I don't have a cell phone, that would be so cool! Except, it would be weird if you had to pay for it. I should pay for it myself." Katrina paused, "Wait a sec, you're twenty? That is so old! I mean..." she hadn't really meant to say that. "I mean old in a good way. That is so cool! Do you have a drivers license? And Nicki is only 16? She's exactly half way between us! Is it weird to date someone who is that far apart in age from you?"

Kaz let out a good laugh as Kat started talking a mile a minute again. <Ahh, to be young....I don't miss it.> He thought and laughed to himself. Kaz stopped and kneeled down and looked Kat in the eyes. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Katrina shook her head no, to which Kaz smiled and set his hand on her shoulder, "Now you do. And it's what older brothers are suppose to do, help out their siblings right? Don't worry about paying for the phone or anything like that.

It seemed to take a moment for Kaz and Nicki's age to click in Kat's head. "Wait a sec, you're twenty? That is so old! I mean..."

Kaz laughed a good laugh, stood up and put his hand on her head. "What would you have pegged me as? And yeah I do have a drivers license, as well as a motorcycle, truck, and a few other licenses." Kaz thought on Katrina's words, "I suppose she is. Ya know, I don't really ever think of her as being 16. Our situation is sorta...complicated, yet very simple as well. Simply put, we love each other, the complications come from them." Kaz swept his hand out, indicating the rest of the world. "When I first met her, I thought she was just a normal 16 year old girl, but she quickly showed herself to be quite mature and very smart and caring. She seems more like an adult than other adults I know."

A brother. Hmm. All of her friends' older brothers were annoying, but Kazelf would be a really cool older brother. One who gave advice and everything. She listened to him explain his feelings about Nicki. Love... simple and complex. Someone would have to explain that one to her someday. But she could accept that they loved each other. What Kaz said about the world making things complicated did make a lot of sense. The world had made her life a lot more complicated recently.

"I would have thought you were 18. I guess your ages won’t make as much of a difference in a few years. When you’re 24 and she’s 20, that doesn’t seem so far apart."

“Do you like to go fast?” she asked rather suddenly changing the subject. Well, it was sort of related to driver’s licenses.

Kaz nodded to Kat as she spoke. "Thank ya, glad I'm not lookin as old as I am. That's very true. I tend not to think of age much as it is. " He gave the girl a wink. Her question about speed caught him off guard a bit. "To go fast? Fast may as well be my middle name...not that I have one. Do you like to go fast? Roller coasters, highways, those sorts of things?" Depending on how she answered Kaz had an idea of how to give her a bit of a thrill, or a bit of speed. Either would be fairly fun for her, at least he thought so.

Katrina nodded sincerely, "I like feeling the wind in my hair. I ride horseback and it's really cool to go zooming around with the wind blowing my ponytail back. You have to have a ponytail when you go fast, or your hair will get tangled up. I also like convertibles. And I've never ridden a motorcycle before, but I want to someday."