They had found –just as Rudy said- big guns in the crates. They put a tracker on the truck so they could find it later. Extra ammunition was never passed up.

"Do you want me to ask some questions? It's quiet and boring. Can we see what he says?" Kori asked as they walked.

Concentrating on a test for Rudy, she shrugged and waved her hand, "Go ahead, but don't ask anything too important."

Kori grinned and skipped ahead, her small frame bounding and catching on little trees and underbrush.

"So! How did you know about Zephyr?"

Zephyr glared at the back of Kori's black head, "I said no important questions!"

"Who said you were important?" Kori looked over her shoulder to meet her commander's cold, hard stare.

The worst part was that Zephyr knew that Kori knew she could get away with it. If it were literally anyone else in Supai, they would have their ears torn off at such a mocking comment. However, Kori was not only a friend, but she was second best next to Zephyr herself. Shadow and Kori often silently competed with each other, him being the other second best. But Zephyr would have done something even if it were Shadow. Somehow, she was powerless over Kori. Perhaps it was because she wasn't the harsh, masculine type of agent Zephyr was used to dealing with. Instead, she was playful and cute... and fully aware of it.

Rudy glanced back at Zephyr with a lopsided grin, "Everyone knows about Zephyr when you work with Mersor." All six Supai agents turned to stare at him anxiously. "They just don't know who she is. Most of them just know her as 'that damn woman!' and scatter at the mention. Mersor is always collected until you mention her. Then he turns into a red tomato and won't shut up about it."

They all relaxed, but the initial alarm kept the adrenaline in their systems, making them tread on their toes.

Zephyr couldn't keep the corners of her mouth from twitching as she imagined how much trouble she gave Mersor. From the reports, it sounded like it got to him which made her grin wider.

"He recently discovered your name." Rudy's words were suddenly directed towards Zephyr. Her grin disappeared as she realized he was speaking again, and she was sure some color left her face as he turned to look at her with a concerned expression. He slowed his pace so that he walked beside her.

It was just as she feared. Mersor knew her code name.

She pushed away the sinking feeling in her gut. It felt like defeat, only scarier since defeat hadn't actually come. Instead, she tried to analyze Rudy. His solemn reaction was perfectly timed and genuine enough to be human, but not enough to be suspiciously invested – a hard combination to pull. Despite how real he felt, she still had to doubt him. As a man who seemed to know Mersor closely, his skills would have to be exquisite. Many might pass up the art as unneeded, but Zephyr knew that acting was a key ability to have as a stealth agent. She could not take any of his word for it. She had to test him trick-proof and slick-proof.

"If it wasn't for me, he would have your face. As soon as I knew it, I destroyed the information. It was the final thing I needed to escape. That's how I knew who you were," Rudy said as he looked her in the eye.

Zephyr's instincts were screaming at her to trust him; that he was telling the truth. It was hard to push it away since so often her intuition was dead-on. She had to know.

They had to know.

An idea came to her as he finished speaking. It was that kind of an idea that even as a guarded person, Zephyr's face went blank in deep thought.

"There is a way I can get proof of your claims."

 ***

Zephyr messed up her hair and smeared dirt on her face as she glanced at the couple of rangers on the outskirts of Mersor territory. They were there to keep anyone from getting in, but Zephyr guessed they were an extra precautionary line of defense since their behavior suggested their job was not very important.

She muttered to herself as she made her way through the shrubbery, commenting on how everything would go much smoother if Rudy was telling the truth. As she approached, she pretended to be unaccustomed to the forest, tripping and catching on twigs and roots.

Their guns were out immediately, asking who she was.

"P-please, I'm so thirsty. I don't know where I am and I just- I..." Zephyr's voice flooded with conviction, she even added a waver on the end of her sentence as she bit her lip. She was extra proud of this performance and almost felt it was going to waste on only two easy targets.

"What is your name?" one of them asked.

"It's Z-Z," she paused for a dry gasp as if she were beginning to cry.

"Zachariah?"

One slapped the other on the shoulder, completely tearing his attention away from Zephyr, "That's not a girl's name!"

"What do you mean?" the other bickered.

She didn't want to be here forever, so she ended the banter right there. "Please, do you have water?"

They sighed and put down their guns while one nodded with a mumbled positive. He grabbed a canteen and tossed it over to her, obviously annoyed this ignorant woman was clomping around the middle of the forest.

Zephyr feigned being parched, gulping down the water and pouring it over her face. The act washed the dirt off her cheeks, clearly showing her face.

Reluctantly, she tossed the canteen back, half-expecting them to turn on her that very moment.

They seemed indifferent to what she looked like, but it could be they didn't pay attention. It seemed that she would have to take a more aggressive course of action.

"I don't mean to make you distrust lost wanderers," Zephyr began as she dropped her acting, "... but you should take a look at me again."

The guards immediately pulled up their weapons, recognizing her instant change and suspicious words.

Cautiously stepping closer so they could see her face, an unusual knot formed in her stomach. Despite the fact her façade looked graceful and deadly, inside she was anxious.

"Who are you?"

The question eased her nerves, a calm reassurance came over her to match he appearance.

Zephyr snapped and two bullets zipped into the guards' neck. She smirked slightly at how perfectly timed it was. Gunk really was as good a shot as Kori.

"Well, I guess that solves owr problem!" Gunk said smugly as he emerged from the bushes.

"Yes, it does," Zephyr replied softly as she turned, wondering about Rudy. There seemed more to him than a simple shift in loyalties.

***

"... And as soon as I had all the information I needed, I split; went rogue!" Zephyr only heard the last part of Rudy's sentence. She had caught interesting bits every once in a while, but otherwise she read between the lines while she mulled over everything in her head. He had gained some amount of trust, but he could be lying about other things.

If he had any information at all, they had to bring him in. So it seemed like he had a lot. There was something about him that confused her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Well, then, Rogue. Woudja like a granola bah?" Gunk grinned as he reached over the fire to offer Rudy a bit to eat.

"I would, thank you," he returned a smile and accepted it.

What Zephyr expected least of him was to be nice. Of course, he could be trying to get them to like him, but it didn't seem overly deliberate.

"Do you ever eat?" Rudy pulled Zephyr from her analytic thoughts when she found him looking at her.

She observed his face as the fire light danced over the shadows. "When I like to," she said blankly.

He shrugged and turned away.

"Are you willing to do anything we say if we let you into the base?" she said from out of no where.

Looking back at her, Rudy expressed great sincerity, "Yes, I would. I really mean to help you. That doesn't mean you have to trust me. Although, I suppose you'll have to trust me just enough to let me inside. I won't cause trouble, and I tell you everything I know."

After a few moments of silence, Zephyr looked to her agents, "We bring him in just before dawn."