Inwardly, Fritz was tugging at his hair. She was REALLY insistent on him earning her trust. Was there no winning with this woman? Out of all his friends, he was by far the most trustworthy. He was bound by a code and that code forbid him from harming women or the innocent. Her rag-tag team of experiments certainly fit the bill, sans the men but they did nothing to provoke him thus far.

Then the words both crossed her lips. Ah, so she was fully aware of the fact that Melik was a seed planted by an outside force. Well, at least parts of his story got through to her.

Much to is dismay, she wandered off leaving Nixie and the beast creatures to their own fate. Cringing, Fritz slipped this eyes to the corners of the mountain. Sure enough, tangled in a web, he found what he needed.

"I need you to keep an eye on the kids and the woman with the white hair. If anything looks out of place, find me immediately."

Turning on his heels, he followed Eleanor into the cave. A few brows were raised at him for none remembered seeing him exit. So just how did he get outside with Eleanor? They figured it best not to ask for the look the olive eyed woman's face didn't look to be a questioning mood.

"Yeah," a blush clung to his cheeks. "I do miss him. And it has been a while since I've seen him. I'm also very worried about him." Brows knitting together, guilt overcame him. "I... I might ha--"

His confession was cut short when Eleanor stormed into the room. Noah took her leave, which caused Melik to squirm some. They were found out and from the look on Eleanor's face, she wasn't pleased.

"So," Melik rolled his eyes, "I'm really not an experiment. I mean, I was but I had my powers long before joining the facility. My friend and I went there to sort things out. She would send out weekly codes to her organization with the intel she gathered. I was to sit in those cold cells and collect information on how they went about handling us. Poorly, might I add." That part was more for Fritz's benefit. A scornful look grew on his face. "There's nothing you could have done. I did my best to endure it but there means were brutal. Day after day, I had to go through tests. They even tried to inject me with something--the very thing that turns you."

"Wait," Fritz fingers danced across his lips. "Tried?"

Scoffing, Melik flashed a wry grin. "Uh, duh. I wasn't about to mix my blood with something else. That's Arvin's thing." Turning to Eleanor, he made a quick tangent. "Arvin's a master of all things poison. Be it bio-toxins, venom, simple food poisoning, rare diseases--you name it. His body is extremely toxic to the point where he is considered radioactive. Kiss him without his consent, and that'll be your last. His breath is dripping with acid and his skin is caustic."

Fritz nodded, confirming Melik's statements.

"So anyway," Melik's skin tone shifted. It was no longer a sandy color. Now it was pale, almost like that of Fritz's. A pile of sand pooled beneath his feet and, in it, a bright red liquid could be seen. "I isolated each injections and kept them. I was hoping to pass them to Aleu but..."

"Pass them to Varun and Arvin." Fritz turned to Eleanor. "Varun's our medic." His eyes went back to Melik. "Get them to run tests. Perhaps they can figure out what DNA splicing went on."

"Wait," Melik's nose wrinkled, "splicing? Gene splicing? As in," his eyes went wide, "that would actually explain it. I couldn't figure out why the Intergalactic Bureau of Investigation was involved. But if there was foul play." He point a hand on his chin. "It would explain a lot of things."

"I agree. It's likely why some of these experiments mimic or share traits of other alien races."

Letting out a sigh, Melik's soft gaze met Eleanor's. "This would make a lot more sense if you could see what we're talking about." He cracked a grin. "Don't suppose Rroy wou--"

"Are you mad?" Fritz's voice cracked and gave way that clearly Melik was stumbling down a very dark path. "Rroy seeks to destroy all those involved in his fiancee's death. Why do you think I'm here? I'm the first wave--the initial scout. If I can't convince him with sound evidence that your new found friends aren't the enemy, he will come. He will come." Those last three words rang with a very sadistic undertone.

Melik was quiet and from the way he grabbed his face, the boy was completely out of the loop.

"I do agree with you though." He turned toward Eleanor, that same protective, enduring look in his eyes. He was really trying to win her over by being a respectable gentleman. "If you want proof, I can take you to the Civitas. We both can. A Spectre is always able to return to the main hub."

Nodding Melik bounded forward. "Yeah but we need our Spec-tool. I didn't get to keep mine as I was obviously acting undercover."

Tapping his arm lightly, an interface appeared. It was nothing large--maybe 3-inches wide and it wrapped completely around his arm. As it came alive, a holographic screen appeared. Written in a language foreign to all but the Spectres, were notes and missions that were available. He flicked the screen to the right and soon a map appeared.

"You want proof," Melik's grin had a devious look to it. "Let us show you our world." He smiled warmly at Eleanor. "Promise it won't hurt. Fritz it the master of warping. Though you may feel a bit dizzy."

Slowly, Fritz unfolded his hand before Eleanor. It was up to her. If she wanted to see the truth, she would grab that hand and trust that they weren't lying. But, of course, she could always reject the offer and call them both liars.

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