Emery hissed and came to a skidding halt. Ali stopped next to him and looked around. The dusty landscape still stretched for miles without any indication of ending. Here and there, Ali would see a run-down building, but other than that, there was no sign of civilization.

"Why are we stopping?" Ali asked.

Emery hissed again.

People…nearby.

Ali was impressed with Emery's growth. His voice was getting stronger with each passing minute. Although he was still unable to speak in full sentences, it was better than the picture images that he had tried to show her in the beginning. The top of his head had grown somewhat in the pre-stages of the crest that it would soon become, and his body was getting bigger as well. Soon, he would no longer be a he, but a she.

"Where?" Ali asked.

Below…ground.

"Why would they be there?"

Do not…know.

"Well, we better find out."

Better…to make…Hive first?

"You know of a good location for one?"

Emery nodded and lifted the unconscious body of Johner higher up on his shoulder before setting off again. He moved swiftly, aiming for a rundown building. Ali ran ahead to read the faded red words on the rotted wood sign: Peak Brown's Riverdale Orphanage.

"Here?" Ali asked.

Emery nodded and walked through the open doors. He moved through the hallways, making for a pre-located area. Ali studied the walls around her, she had never seen an orphanage before, although she had heard of them when she lived on LV-426, and she was slightly intrigued. She peeked her head into a couple of the rooms and saw desks and chairs in many of them. As they got deeper into the orphanage the chairs turned into beds. One of the rooms they passed was longer than the others and had long tables with chairs pushed neatly underneath them. Two stacks of plates where resting on the edge of one of the tables, covered in cobwebs and dust. Ali knew instantly what room this was just as her stomach let out a low grumble. She realized that she hadn't eaten anything since Emery had awoken her from the sleep chamber.

"You go on ahead and get everything set up the way you want, I need to eat," Ali said as she walked into the kitchen. Emery hissed over his shoulder and moved further into the orphanage.

Ali moved down the long tables to some cabinets on the other side. A scuffling sounded suddenly on the other side of the cabinets and Ali pressed her ear to the door. A heartbeat thudded quickly on the other side of the door and Ali pulled back with shock; a human. She hadn't expected to find one so soon. Instantly, her body went into defense mode and she prepared to attack.

Wait, Ali thought, stopping herself, His heartbeat.

Ali pressed her ear back to the door and listened closely. The quickened thud of the heartbeat wasn't one of shock or fear, it was a natural beat. Ali put her hand over her chest and could feel her own heartbeat thumping in perfect rhythm to the human's inside.

"This can't be," Ali said and she flung the door open.

A boy about a year younger than Ali cried out and backed up to the back of the pantry. Ali stared at the boy in shock, he had short black hair, as black as her own, and his eyes were the same dark blue. His nails weren't as long as Ali's, but they were the same color and sharpness.

The boy pressed his back further up against the wall, staring at Ali with frightened eyes. It was at that moment that Ali realized that this boy was like her; an alien child.

"Don't be afraid," Ali said, "I'm not going to hurt you."

The boy regarded Ali with a frightened expression before reaching over for a can on one of the shelves. He stretched out as far as he could reach and held it out for Ali. His eyes no longer held fear, but curiosity.

"Do you have a name?" Ali asked, taking the can and squatting down next to the boy.

"Devon," the boy answered. His voice was light and soft.

"What are you doing here by yourself, Devon?" Ali asked as she used her nails to cut into the top of the steel can. It was a can of pears and Ali took one of the halves out and popped it into her mouth.

"This is where I live."

"Here?!"

Devon nodded. "I've lived here for as long as I can remember."

"What happened?"

"I don't know."

"Well, come with me. I'll look after you from now on," Ali said, reaching out to take Devon's hand.

Devon accepted Ali's hand and allowed her to pull him to his feet. Ali was aware of his tight grip as she led him out of the kitchen. She followed Emery's footprints in the thick dust to a door with stairs leading down. Ali ate the rest of the pears and tossed the can over her shoulder as she stepped down on the first step. Suddenly, Devon's hand pulled out of hers and she turned around in surprise. Devon was backing away from the entrance with a look of horror on his face.

"What's wrong, Devon?" Ali asked.

Devon only shook his head and stared at the opening in horror.

"Alright, suit yourself," Ali said and she turned away from Devon and walked down the stairs.

"Wait," Devon said and he hurried to Ali's side, "Don't leave me."

"Will you come down with me?" Ali asked.

Devon stared down into the dark and began to shake. "I'm getting a bad feeling. I sense something down there."

"That's just Emery."

Ali? Is that you? Emery asked at that point. His voice had become more high pitched, yet didn't have the high ring of a true Queen.

"Yes, Emery, it's me. I found something interesting."

"Who's Emery?" Devon asked in bewilderment.

"You could hear me?"

"Yeah, you just said it, didn't you?" Devon asked.

"No, not out loud. I said it in my head."

"But, then how come I could hear you?"

"I'll explain later, there are some things I need to take care of first."

Ali started walking down the stairs into the basement. Devon hesitated at the top of the stairs before hurrying down to catch up to Ali. His small hand slid into Ali's and she jumped slightly. She felt a smile creep up and she looked down at the boy, realizing that she was happy she had finally found someone else like her. Suddenly, Devon's eyes widened again and the color drained from his face.