"We should find Keliek, " the one named Arik said into his twin's mind. The twins had just concluded their meeting with the one they named Father. To everyone else in the organization, he was nameless and faceless. They had been detained by the group from Trinsic again. They were eventually released, and they had gained quite a bit of information. Even making a new way into the group perhaps. One they could try to exploit. They had decided to give up the commander's name in hopes of taking some of the heat off themselves. Now they were on the way to tell him exactly what they had done.
The Twins stopped to face each other.
"Agreed. One is not sure of Keliek's reaction. However, we should not lie.
Kira's mind spoke in response.
"He will know if we lie. Keliek will be angry. He may punish."
Came Arik's reply a moment before they both turned to continue walking.
They came to a set of stairs and stepping on the first step in unison. Side by side they ascended them together until they reached the top. A long hallway with doors on either side awaited them, a large door at the far end was their destination.
Kira reached out her left hand for her brother's right. "If he punishes us, we did something wrong. We made a mistake. He doesn't punish without reason. Keliek only wants us to be better than we are."
Ark took his sister's hand,meeting it halfway as his mind listened. "He does. Keliek is fair with his discipline. Our mistakes are outweighed this time." They walk side by side, hand in hand, down the corridor until they stopped in front of that door.
Kira's mind whispered, "Agreed. We already know they have one of Father's resources. We might figure out which they have. They should not have any."
"They should not have any any of His resources. We will get it back, " Arik agreed.
The two children squeezed each other's hands in tandem. Kira reached for the doorknob, her brother's hand covering hers as they opened the door together.
Stepping into the room the twins shut the door and their hands found each other's again. They were met immediately by the stern face of Commander Keliek who was seated behind his desk. Their gazes did not shift to the floor immediately like they did so often when confronting this man. The commander was dressed in a blue tunic, his short brown hair trimmed neatly to frame his face. He had a thick mustaches and what appeared to be a day's worth of beard on his jawline.
"Arik... Kira..." Keliek said looking to each as he spoke. "What have I told you about knocking?"
The twins looked at each other. Kira's face winced as did her brother's before they both looked back to Keliek.
"That we should always..." Kira started.
".... knock before entering, "Arik finished.
Keliek's face wore a deep frown as he looks at them. "I know the two of you are smarter than this. Why is it I have to repeat myself?" Keliek asked.
Arik spoke first this time, "Because we believe that our..."
"... information is important, " she finished.
Arik smiled. Kira smiled. Keliek definitely did not smile.
"Do not even start with that. Finish your own sentences, " Keliek said sitting back in his chair. "What information is more important than knocking before entering my office?" His right hand put the pen he had been holding down and slid off the desk to the arm of the chair.
Kira looked to her brother and then back to Keliek. She spoke an entire sentence this time. "Rotep has one of His resources." she said and then paused.
"We do not know which one yet." Arik said as soon as his sister had finished speaking.
Kira's voice continued after her brother's last word, "We can find out which one."
"We have a plan on how to find out, " Arik reassured.
"Yes. A plan. We will find out which one is lost." Kira agreed as both twins nodded their heads in unison.
Keliek looked back and forth at them as each spoke in turn with an impassive look upon his face. "Why are you here if you don't have its ID number for me?"
"They hide the resource's identity still. We have found a weakness to exploit we believe." Arik said and then paused a moment before adding, "But it cost us."
"What exactly did it cost?" came Keliek's reply.
Kira hesitated, watching Keliek. "They knew a letter. They had K. We do not know how." Kira started.
Watching as Keliek's face began to frown, Arik quickled said, "They demanded the name to the letter. We determined that to gain trust we would give your name."
"And giving them my name, you believe, bought you trust?" Keliek said, leaning forward at his desk with a scowl.
"Yes we have it. They let us go." Kira said as the twins stood their ground.
"They let us go without conditions. We will return and get the number." Arik reassured.
"I am not happy." He stopped there for a long moment, letting the weight of its implication hang heavily over the twin's heads. After a minute he continued, "This whole situation is getting out of hand. Our main resource broker was stupid enough to leave her instructions lying around. " Keliek said as he sat back in the chair. His right hand came to rest on the desk again.
"We have no desire to make you unhappy. They asked if we knew where you were, "Kira started as she looked to Arik.
Arik started to speak but Keliek waved a hand at him and he obediently stopped.
"That's not my concern at the moment. Finding out who this girl child they have. Is. They've shown themselves capable of making the two of you forget things in the past. In order to help you find out if they've done it again, I want the two of you to go see Avalynne." Keliek said.
The twins smiled as he said her name.
"We are sorry Keliek. We should have more to tell you, " Arik said hesitantly.
"Yes, very sorry. We will do better. We are happy you are not angry with us," Kira followed.
"I will be very angry if this does not produce results. I'm going to reserve discipline for after I see where this action goes. " Keliek said.
The twins looked at one another, frowning for a moment. Hesitantly they looked back to Keliek as Kira's voice piped up, "We will produce results. We know there will be consequences for not doing so."
"Which one of you was caught first this time?" Keliek asked absently.
The twins looked to each other, they couldn't help but squeeze at each other's hands just a little tighter. Looking back at Keliek, Arik said, "This one was."
Shaking his head with a disgusted look on his face, Keliek said, "Go. Report to Avalynne. We're done here."
The twins looked down to the ground at the sight of his disgusted look. Kira's mind touched her brother's as they turned to obediently leave, "He is seldom happy with us." They walked out the door with heads bowed and hands clasped.
"We will make him happy with us, " Arik said gently. "We will prove we are special." The twins crossed the hall again. Coming to the stairs, they again step in unison as they began to descend.
"I don't think he is ever happy, " said Kira quietly.
The Twins stopped to face each other.
"Agreed. One is not sure of Keliek's reaction. However, we should not lie.
Kira's mind spoke in response.
"He will know if we lie. Keliek will be angry. He may punish."
Came Arik's reply a moment before they both turned to continue walking.
They came to a set of stairs and stepping on the first step in unison. Side by side they ascended them together until they reached the top. A long hallway with doors on either side awaited them, a large door at the far end was their destination.
Kira reached out her left hand for her brother's right. "If he punishes us, we did something wrong. We made a mistake. He doesn't punish without reason. Keliek only wants us to be better than we are."
Ark took his sister's hand,meeting it halfway as his mind listened. "He does. Keliek is fair with his discipline. Our mistakes are outweighed this time." They walk side by side, hand in hand, down the corridor until they stopped in front of that door.
Kira's mind whispered, "Agreed. We already know they have one of Father's resources. We might figure out which they have. They should not have any."
"They should not have any any of His resources. We will get it back, " Arik agreed.
The two children squeezed each other's hands in tandem. Kira reached for the doorknob, her brother's hand covering hers as they opened the door together.
Stepping into the room the twins shut the door and their hands found each other's again. They were met immediately by the stern face of Commander Keliek who was seated behind his desk. Their gazes did not shift to the floor immediately like they did so often when confronting this man. The commander was dressed in a blue tunic, his short brown hair trimmed neatly to frame his face. He had a thick mustaches and what appeared to be a day's worth of beard on his jawline.
"Arik... Kira..." Keliek said looking to each as he spoke. "What have I told you about knocking?"
The twins looked at each other. Kira's face winced as did her brother's before they both looked back to Keliek.
"That we should always..." Kira started.
".... knock before entering, "Arik finished.
Keliek's face wore a deep frown as he looks at them. "I know the two of you are smarter than this. Why is it I have to repeat myself?" Keliek asked.
Arik spoke first this time, "Because we believe that our..."
"... information is important, " she finished.
Arik smiled. Kira smiled. Keliek definitely did not smile.
"Do not even start with that. Finish your own sentences, " Keliek said sitting back in his chair. "What information is more important than knocking before entering my office?" His right hand put the pen he had been holding down and slid off the desk to the arm of the chair.
Kira looked to her brother and then back to Keliek. She spoke an entire sentence this time. "Rotep has one of His resources." she said and then paused.
"We do not know which one yet." Arik said as soon as his sister had finished speaking.
Kira's voice continued after her brother's last word, "We can find out which one."
"We have a plan on how to find out, " Arik reassured.
"Yes. A plan. We will find out which one is lost." Kira agreed as both twins nodded their heads in unison.
Keliek looked back and forth at them as each spoke in turn with an impassive look upon his face. "Why are you here if you don't have its ID number for me?"
"They hide the resource's identity still. We have found a weakness to exploit we believe." Arik said and then paused a moment before adding, "But it cost us."
"What exactly did it cost?" came Keliek's reply.
Kira hesitated, watching Keliek. "They knew a letter. They had K. We do not know how." Kira started.
Watching as Keliek's face began to frown, Arik quickled said, "They demanded the name to the letter. We determined that to gain trust we would give your name."
"And giving them my name, you believe, bought you trust?" Keliek said, leaning forward at his desk with a scowl.
"Yes we have it. They let us go." Kira said as the twins stood their ground.
"They let us go without conditions. We will return and get the number." Arik reassured.
"I am not happy." He stopped there for a long moment, letting the weight of its implication hang heavily over the twin's heads. After a minute he continued, "This whole situation is getting out of hand. Our main resource broker was stupid enough to leave her instructions lying around. " Keliek said as he sat back in the chair. His right hand came to rest on the desk again.
"We have no desire to make you unhappy. They asked if we knew where you were, "Kira started as she looked to Arik.
Arik started to speak but Keliek waved a hand at him and he obediently stopped.
"That's not my concern at the moment. Finding out who this girl child they have. Is. They've shown themselves capable of making the two of you forget things in the past. In order to help you find out if they've done it again, I want the two of you to go see Avalynne." Keliek said.
The twins smiled as he said her name.
"We are sorry Keliek. We should have more to tell you, " Arik said hesitantly.
"Yes, very sorry. We will do better. We are happy you are not angry with us," Kira followed.
"I will be very angry if this does not produce results. I'm going to reserve discipline for after I see where this action goes. " Keliek said.
The twins looked at one another, frowning for a moment. Hesitantly they looked back to Keliek as Kira's voice piped up, "We will produce results. We know there will be consequences for not doing so."
"Which one of you was caught first this time?" Keliek asked absently.
The twins looked to each other, they couldn't help but squeeze at each other's hands just a little tighter. Looking back at Keliek, Arik said, "This one was."
Shaking his head with a disgusted look on his face, Keliek said, "Go. Report to Avalynne. We're done here."
The twins looked down to the ground at the sight of his disgusted look. Kira's mind touched her brother's as they turned to obediently leave, "He is seldom happy with us." They walked out the door with heads bowed and hands clasped.
"We will make him happy with us, " Arik said gently. "We will prove we are special." The twins crossed the hall again. Coming to the stairs, they again step in unison as they began to descend.
"I don't think he is ever happy, " said Kira quietly.