Chapter 32.3

"So … are you free this coming weekend? Maybe we could all get together and have fun?" Katherine asked Alina as Jason approached.

Alina turned to Jason who was grimacing: he didn't like Katherine and he didn't want to make the decision for Alina based solely on his opinion. In the end, all he could do was helplessly shrug, indicating that it was up to her. After some hesitation, Alina crossed her arms and opened her mouth, "I can't guarantee it but I'll try. Let's exchange numbers."

While she didn't say anything, Alina had mixed feelings about Kathrine. For the longest time, she thought it was just Jason that was her only family left. But now, another family member showed up and, despite being nice, Alina felt it was bizarre; she wanted to sort her own feelings before getting to know her stance on Katherine.

"Ok," Katherine nodded. She saw that Selena was quiet so she patted her on the shoulder while smiling at Alina. "We'll see you this weekend then."

Katherine and Selena left, leaving Jason, Alina, and Alice alone. Alina roused herself and smiled at Alice. Right now, the only thing that mattered to Alina was Alice, the only remaining link to her best friend, Katelyn.

"Hey, Alice," Alina said softly while holding hands with Alice. "Do you want to see a movie tonight? It's sorta a tradition to watch it together."

As she said this Alina turned to Jason and her mind went back to when the latter sneaked her out of the Sage mansion to watch a movie together in a theatre. It was her first time watching a movie on a large screen with a crowd, and Alina's only regret was that Katelyn wasn't there to watch it with them; she was distracting the others, specifically her mom, back in the mansion.

"Really? A cinema! I haven't seen a movie in a cinema before!" Alice said. Her excitement doused the smile Jason and Alina had. From the sounds of it, Alice barely had a proper childhood.

"Yeah, we'll go watch a movie. The three of us, together," Jason said softly as he placed a hand on Alina's and Alice's head. "Then we'll have a family dinner at a restaurant."

Alice smiled and giggled as Jason rubbed her hair. She felt genuinely happy at the attention both Jason and Alina were giving her. They treated her better than Katelyn could, but that was because she was almost always away, busy doing a mission or something else for the Asāsiyyūn.

"First things first," Jason said as Alina escaped his head pat with a pout. "Let's go home, take a shower, get you guys ready, then head out again."

"Ungh, not the Loft again," Alina groaned.

"Nope, not the Loft," Jason said with a smile. "We can't go back to the penthouse. I'm not sure if it's been compromised, but there's this nice mansion I have near the Graves."

"Wait just a sec," Alina interrupted. "You have a mansion at Griffin's Court? Why weren't we living there in the first place?"

Jason hesitated before answering Alina quietly. "After our last mansion, I wasn't sure …"

Jason was hesitant in introducing a mansion to Alina as he knew she was still in pain over losing her family in the Sage Mansion; he was afraid that getting a new mansion would only open her wounds again.

"Thanks, but you don't have to worry about me," Alina said. Her heart was feeling warm and fuzzy despite the panging pain that felt like someone was stabbing a needle into her heart. "I'm fine. I will be fine."

Alina looked at Alice and smiled. She wanted to see her reaction when she saw the mansion.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Alina asked as she and Alice raced to the Baron. "Let's go and check it out!"

"Sure. But first, I gotta go and check on the penthouse," Jason said as he helped Alice enter the backseat. "Just to make sure everything's fine."

***

"Emily, you sure about this?" Asami was standing behind Emily in a salon. A hairdresser cut Emily's hair to the size that the latter desired. Asami only felt that it was a shame to cut such beautifully voluminous hair so short.

"I'm sure," Emily said. Her hair was cut into a hairstyle that wasn't precisely a bob; it was longer than a bob and was purposely uneven with multiple jagged and messy layers that covered her snipped hair.

"It looks wonderful on you," the hairdresser said. She nodded with satisfaction at Emily, thinking she did an amazing job to fix the irrevocable mess that happened to the latter's hair. "It's stylish but messy, requiring little time to fix. Not to mention it brings out your gorgeous looks."

"True, you do look great," Asami agreed. "But really, I liked your long hair. It was so silky and smelled great when I'd comb it."

"Don't worry," the hairdresser said. "Your girlfriend can do that to your hair."

"Oh, uh, we're not - it's not like that," Emily said and Asami nodded.

"Yep. We're just friends with benefits," Asami explained shamelessly, unnecessarily complicating things.

Emily looked away and wished for the first time that she didn't come with Asami as it was beyond embarrassing.

"Oh, don't worry," the hairdresser noticed Emily's face and reassured her. "I think every girl has a girlfriend like her. Not that kinda girlfriend - you get the point."

"It's God's gift, really!" Asami agreed and said enthusiastically.

"Let's … just continue," Emily said while avoiding Asami who was grinning at her successful teases.

The hairdresser nodded and Asami sat next to Emily while another hairdresser came to help her. After getting a hair wash and curling, the two had their nails done before leaving the salon. Emily was surprised when her hairdresser waived her fees in exchange for having her model for a fashion show that the salon was sponsoring. Of course, Emily agreed immediately, she was worried about how frugal she'd need to be if she had to pay for today.

"So where to next, Em?" Asami asked.

"The arcade," Emily answered before hesitating. "I - you were right Asami, there's something wrong with Accelerant."

"What do you mean? Are you okay?" Asami asked. She stopped and grabbed Emily's shoulder, studying the latter with concern.

"I'm … I'm not sure," Emily said. "But I think the cold I have has something to do with Accelerant."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Asami asked impatiently. "Let's go there ASAP!"

***

Jason sighed as he entered the penthouse. He left Alina and Alice downstairs inside the Baron that was parked on the other side of the road. He scowled when he noticed a layer of dust that coated the place.

Maybe I should get some bots from the Loft to maintain this place, Jason thought as he brushed a finger over the dusty counter. A layer of dust coated his finger and he grimaced before looking around. Immediately, he noticed the open window and sighed again. He checked the windowsill and noticed that someone entered through the window.

She was here, Jason thought. If I was earlier, then maybe … Katie ...

Knowing he wouldn't find anything, Jason turned to the fridge and opened a can of root beer. Now that he was feeling pressured by this group that was controlling Katelyn, he decided to abstain from drinking; he wasn't sure when he'd need to sober and he couldn't afford to dull his skills anymore then he has.

"A.V.A, anything from the files?" Jason asked out loud while pouring the root beer into a glass. He was asking A.V.A about the files he collected the other night from the docks.

"I've only shifted through a petabyte, but you will not like the results," A.V.A answered.

"Just tell me if there's anything on Katelyn," Jason said.

"No," A.V.A replied. "However, through the number of ships and containers cataloged, along with a variable including the port gang's previous movements and actions, I've calculated an eighty-nine percent chance that the syndicate was working to smuggle both mercenaries and Practitioners to Atlantis."

"How many?" Jason asked grimly while he placed the glass back on the counter without taking a sip.

"From my calculations, I predict about a thousand merc-"

"The mercs are nothing … insects," Jason interrupted with a hiss. "It's easy for me to crush them, I can do it in my sleep, what I want to know is how many Practitioners have infiltrated Sanctuary!"

"Based on my calculations, about five hundred," A.V.A answered calmly while Jason swore under his breath.

"Fuck," Jason muttered. He could handle Adepts without a sweat, but he was sure that these Practitioners would send them in teams controlled by Masters and Grandmasters. And those geezers would definitely be a challenge.

An army of Practitioners … there must be a sect involved, Jason thought grimly. He was beginning to realize that there was a bigger conspiracy lurking in the shadows. And somehow, his daughter and lover were caught in it.

"Anything else?" Jason asked.

"Among the files were unfinished codes that I compiled together," A.V.A answered. "There's a chance that it's an encoded message but most likely, it's -"

"A trap?" Jason asked and A.V.A confirmed his suspicions.

Hmm … did they know I'd hit the docks? Or is this a trap for anyone that accesses their files? Jason lowered his head and thought about it before smiling.

"I guess it doesn't matter," he said as his smile turned ferocious. "I like this cat and mouse game, so I'll play along. For now.

"A.V.A, send me the code," Jason said commandingly and A.V.A complied, sending it to Jason's phone which wasn't connected to her servers. Activating the program, Jason noticed his phone sending a signal.

"Is it receiving or transmitting a signal?" Jason muttered to himself. A moment later, he froze as the back of his hair stood up and his body sent warning signals. He turned to look at the window and saw a small speck slowly growing larger by the second.

"Shit!" Jason swore as he began running to the window.

As the speck grew closer, its cylindrical body and flaming back became more apparent in his eyes. In his mind, time slowed down as Jason thought about several ways to escape the impact radius. Unfortunately, despite his mind overclocking itself and allowing him to think more than thrice as fast as an enhanced human, Jason was unable to move his body at the same speed.

The missile crashed through the window and breezed past Jason even as he made it halfway through the room. The shockwave from the missile travelling at a supersonic speed nearly sent Jason tumbling but he gritted his teeth and cancelled the shockwave by creating his own.

I won't make it! Jason gritted his teeth and launched himself forward while turning his body so he'd face the explosion. He held his hand out and created a kinetic forcefield in front of him even as the missile hit the wall and exploded.

A shock wave of invisible concussive force slammed into him before the flames did. It broke through his forcefield and sent him flying through the window while his eardrums ruptured and his lungs collapsed.

Well, shit. I just had … to ... get … cocky, Jason thought as his vision faded to darkness and he fell from the skies down into the streets.