章 144: Chapter 43.3
Katherine sighed before placing her glass of brandy on her lips. She felt the alcohol burn her throat, calming her down before she set the glass back on the desk. She was sitting in the CEO office in RogueTech, watching the news while waiting for Selena to finish her meeting with the executives. Stock rates for RogueTech went down once the anonymously released scandal of the weapon sales to Sanctuary was revealed to be true and Selena, despite running damage control, was being blamed for the aftermath.
What's also concerning are these protests, Katherine thought as she watched a live protest that turned sour almost immediately. The incited crowd was hurling stones at the SecBots that were overseeing the security while the latter used nonlethal suppressive tactics to contain the aggressive protesters. Tear gas and rubber bullets dispersed the crowd only to incite them further.
Dad keeps reminding me to leave Atlantis but . . . Alle . . . Jason, Katherine thought forlornly. I don't want to leave them so soon. Besides, those assholes are probably waiting for me back in Europe.
Katherine's face darkened as the last thought crossed her mind. While she had connected with Alina, she was still trying to befriend Jason, and she didn't want to leave and lose her opportunity. And though Sanctuary currently appeared to be in turmoil, Katherine knew that her enemies, Practitioners and other creatures from European sects and families, wouldn't act recklessly in the city. She was certain, however, that they would have no qualms about attacking her if she went back home.
Rock music blared the office room as an incoming phone call interrupted her musings, and Katherine's face changed when she noticed the caller ID. She sighed and hesitantly answered the phone after placing the call through her holo-glasses which created a virtual version of a man with curly hair and olive skin, who appeared sitting on her desk. The man smiled at Katherine gently while his figure distorted temporarily into pixels before the connection became secured.
"Hey Katie," the man said softly to a visibly uncomfortable Katherine.
"Hi, Faro," Katherine answered stiffly and mechanically.
"Everything ok? I've been trying to reach you but, uh, you didn't answer. I was starting to worry."
"Yeah, no. Everything is alright. I just . . . I've been busy," Katherine answered almost evasively.
"Your dad's worried about you being in Atlantis alone. Need me to come by?" Faro asked in a flirtatious manner and Kathrine shook her head.
"No, I'm fine. I'm actually taking my time trying to bond with my cousin."
"Hey, Kat, sorry I'm late," Alina exited Selena's secret entrance and greeted Katherine with a grin but paused when she saw the latter conversing with a cute guy, an eyebrow raised as she leaned by the door. "Uh, am I interrupting something here?"
"Yes," Faro answered at the same time that Katherine said, "No."
Both turned to look at each other before Katherine coughed lightly to clear her throat.
"Speak of the devil. I'll talk to you later, hun. Hey, Alle," Katherine quickly hung up and smiled as she stood up while Faro abruptly disappeared. "Any trouble getting here?"
Katherine gestured with her head at the television which was still broadcasting the protests occurring all over the city.
"Nope barely had any trouble. Rooftops," Alina shook her head and answered before adding the last bit when she saw Katherine's questioning gaze. "But more importantly, who was that? Your boyfriend?"
"No, not my boyfriend. Not exactly. It's complicated," Katherine answered while thinking, Yeah he's my boyfriend for the past me in this new timeline but not the current me who's from . . . sometime else. God, that is complicated.
"He's cute in a he-reminds-me-of-Jason kinda way."
Faro looked nothing like Jason. His eyes were much more soft and less devious, but his black hair, tanned skinned, and sharp nose was reminiscent of Jason. A tad too much for Katherine, now that she thought about it.
"Ungh, don't remind me," Katherine shuddered and Alina burst out laughing.
"So, what was so important that you needed to meet me asap?" Katherine asked with a smile and Alina pulled a hand-drawn schematic from her pocket.
"I was wondering if you could build this," Alina replied.
"Hmm," Katherine inspected the schematic for a very long time before sighing. "Whoever designed this was ingenious. Using stabilizers, not unlike those in aircraft, to turn the cable in midair . . . hmm. Of course, also creating a quantum algorithm that can calculate the vectors and well, everything . . . it - it's incredible. And incredibly complex."
"What makes you think I didn't design it?" Alina asked curiously and Katherine rolled her eyes.
Because I've seen Jason use this before, Katherine thought but she didn't voice it out loud. The Anchor Grapple was a favourite for Jason and Katherine fondly remembered how in the past timeline, Jason used it to saddle onto a rampaging Drake before killing it. Although, that Grapple was magically enhanced as opposed to being a technological marvel. Regardless, Katherine wouldn't be able to explain to Alina how she knew of the Anchor Grapple when it was currently an experimental prototype on Jason's desk.
"You stole this from Jason, didn't you?" Katherine asked, her voice carrying the weight of her accusation and Alina flinched and nudged her shoes.
"I . . . borrowed it," Alina muttered and Kathrine sighed.
"Why exactly do you need to borrow this?" Katherine asked with a raised eyebrow.
"For a - uh - school project," Alina fibbed and Katherine crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows while giving a reproachful gaze. Alina quickly relented while staring down at her sneakers. "Oh, okay, fine. I borrowed it cause it's just like the Anchor from that Batman game. What? It's cool!"
Katherine opened her mouth to reply to Alina's lie when the television caught her eye. The news broadcast had taken a break from covering the protests and instead focused on blurry and grainy video feeds of a masked figure in dark armor fighting in the Sumps. The figure was moving much too fast for the shaking camera to catch and the blinking street lights gave the illusion that the figure was teleporting as he fought with armed men. The news feed paused at a specific spot when the figure was moving upwards and all that could be seen was a large set of serrated teeth and glowing blue eyes.
"Huh," Katherine smiled knowingly and Alina followed her gaze. The latter blinked her eyes without being surprised, but Katherine noticed her heartbeat increasing as her nose flared ever so slightly.
"Must be hard for Jason, eh?" Katherine commented before walking back to the CEO's desk. "Pulling all-nighters for so many days without even taking a break."
"What do you mean?" Alina asked bemusedly with furrowed eyebrows. Her heart pounded irregularly as she tried calming herself down without revealing how much she was panicking.
"Alle, please, I know," Katherine said quietly and Alina stopped breathing as she realized what the former meant.
Alina rolled her eyes when she saw Katherine smiling and she briefly turned her eyes away from the latter's shit-eating grin before looking back with a piercing glare.
"How did you know?" Alina asked grimly.
Katherine's eyes moved downwards to study Alina when she noticed the latter slowly moving her right leg backwards while pulling an arm back; Alina was moving into what she assumed was a concealed fighting stance and this made Katherine shake her head wryly.
Kid's got a lot to learn, Katherine thought. That is one of the most blatant attempts of positioning yourself into a Kata. Nothing so subtle bout it.
"Because I'm just like him - and you," Kathrine answered as she raised a hand. After some sparks, a ball of condensed flames conjured above her hand and Alina raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"A Practitioner?" Alina murmured hesitantly. She still remained suspicious of Katherine.
"Relax, kid. I'm on your side," Katherine continued. "I am a Practitioner, but I'm also your cousin. Besides, I've fought Practitioners alongside Jason before. So we're . . . I wouldn't say friends but . . . allies? Buddies?"
"And I'm supposed to take your word for it?" Alina asked sarcastically.
"Kid, I'm just as strong as Jason," Katherine answered. "If I wanted to hurt you, you'd -"
Before Katherine could finish her sentence Alina struck out, sending a fist coated in a layer of electricity barreling towards Katherine. The latter instinctively blocked the punch with a flaming arm before sending a flummoxed gaze at Alina. Quicker than she could retort, Alina delivered a chain of attacks, punches and kicks, all of which were aimed at Katherine's weak points. Katherine, not wanting to harm Alina, merely deflected the attacks using her palms, elbows, knees, and feet while waiting for Alina to finish her chain attack.
Alina, on the other hand, realized that she couldn't beat Katherine when she saw how relaxed the latter appeared. She performed a spinning kick, then lowered herself and spun around, using her body to block Katherine's sight, before charging her fists and sending a double punch at Katherine. One fist was aimed at Katherine's face while the other was directed at her solar plexus. With her automatic reflex kicking in, Katherine blocked the fist aimed at her face but the second fist accurately connected with her chest and she slid backwards as pain coursed through her body only to be subdued by the numbing jolt of electricity traveling through her nerves.
"Alright," Katherine swallowed back the bile that threatened to escape her lips and then cracked her neck. She had been holding back against Alina this entire time but decided right then and there not to anymore. "That's it."
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