As they went into the lobby, SarahBeth said to Perry, "I don't know about you, but before we go anywhere–"
"Anything I can help you with?" asked a teenage boy with a shaved head as he came up to them. The lobby was deserted except for the three of them.
"We're hoping to go out on one of the medical teams," Perry said. "But it looks like they all went out already."
The young man rubbed his hands together briskly, "Well, I'm sure we can work something out. There is, as you can imagine, a pressing need . . ."
His voice trailed off as he regarded SarahBeth, who had taken Perry's arm in both of her hands and was starting to gnaw on his forearm through his jacket.
The young man pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Perhaps you might want something to eat before you set out?"
Perry also looked down at SarahBeth, who was continuing to gnaw with her eyes closed. "That might be a good idea," he admitted.
She opened her eyes and grinned. "Oh, is there food?" she asked innocently. "I was afraid to ask the others, in case we were all planning on starving to death heroically or something."
The young man waved his hand negligently. "Come with me to the kitchen and we'll see what we can come up with. I think starving to death heroically isn't scheduled until later on in the week."
They went through the swinging doors into the large kitchen, which was also deserted. There were large pots on the stove, but the burners weren't lit.
"Ah," the young man said, lifting the lids and peering inside. "There was a little gas in the pipes, so we got them to burn for a while, but it appears that's used up." He leaned forward to sniff the contents of the pots. "This still seems fairly warm, though." He turned to them with a flourish. "For your eating pleasure, we have spaghetti. And, in addition, sauce." He shrugged. "That's about the only option at present, I'm afraid."
SarahBeth had a plate in each hand. "That will be fine," she said, and Perry started to pile food onto the plates.
"My name is Fifteen, by the way," the young man said. "I have to say that I'm surprised and pleased to see you here, sir, since I've heard that you have a negative opinion of our project."
Perry smiled as he and SarahBeth moved to the door with their food.
"We were persuaded that some further investigation could be productive," he said as the door closed behind them.
a third team
member