Chapter 45.2

"That looks like it'll hurt. Badly," Alina commented with a slight wince before she blew the smoke from the gauntlet and Katherine shrugged at her statement.

"But it wouldn't kill them," Kathryn replied as Alina went back to admiring the gauntlet.

"Is it possible to lower the speed and instead make them darts electrified?" Alina asked Katherine as she flexed her hand. Each time she did so, the tiny launchers for the Stinger would activate and deactivate with a click, the flaps opening and closing almost instantaneously.

"Yeah, but why would you want that?" Katherine asked with curiosity.

"The penetration rating - "

"Pfft, penetration," Katherine interrupted with a snigger.

"- is way too strong," Alina continued while ignoring Katherine's juvenile interruption; she was quite used to it, partially due to Jason's childish antics. "Lowering it and instead adding a tasing element, to compensate for the loss of impact, would make the Stingers more effective for takedowns. That are more likely to not kill someone."

"Hmm. True," Katherine stopped joking and sent Alina a sharp, knowing look and the latter looked down at her shoes while kicking at the nonexistent pebbles.

Looks like she decided, Katherine thought as the elevator sounded and she turned around to see the newcomer.

An exhausted Selena came out of the elevator while rubbing her eyebrows. She sent an exasperated gaze towards Katherine once she noticed Alina wearing the Stinger Gauntlet, but was too tired to argue with either of them.

"Hey, Sel," Katherine exchanged a worried glance with Alina as she turned to Selena. "How's it going up there?"

"Not good," Selena answered. "The board wants me to resign."

"They're pushing all the blame to you," Katherine concluded with a sigh after a moment of consideration and Selena nodded.

"Sanctuary being hit with a missile was bad enough, but the discovery that the missile was supplied by our company? That, that makes it worse," Selena sighed. "Someone has to take the blame and the board . . ."

"Decided that it was you. Can they fire you?" Alina asked probingly. "Without Jason or Katherine's permission? Technically, they're the bosses, right?"

"Well, 'Mr. Garm', hasn't been seen lately so they're hoping he'll be vetoed by default due to being absent," Katherine answered while air-quoting to emphasize Jason's fake name. "Whereas I'm not officially in town so . . ."

"So they're hoping to pull a fast one over you," Alina finished and Katherine nodded shruggingly.

"It'd be harder for me to reinstate Selena as CEO if they succeed in firing her."

Alina shrugged without worrying as she turned to Selena. "Yeah, but Jason'll stop them."

". . . Alina, I appreciate your vote of confidence, but I'd rather not have Jason be involved," Selena told Alina who gave her a bemused look.

"He'll show up regardless of what you, or I, want," Alina replied with a raised eyebrow. "There's no way he'll leave you hanging."

"Me?"

"Yep. You."

Think I don't know you two have a history? Alina thought as she gave Selena a knowing look and the latter turned her red face away in embarrassment.

"Huh," Katherine smirked at Alina who suddenly became nervous when she saw the former's face focus on her. That grin only served to make Alina more nervous as Katherine always had that face when she wanted to make fun of her.

"What?" Alina asked rather defensively, her guard up.

"You seem pretty knowledgeable about boys. And girls," Katherine dawdled amusedly. "Does that mean you have some . . . first hand experience?"

"I . . . no!" Alina blushed and vehemently refused but Katherine's grin only grew wider.

"Hehe, so quick to refuse . . . that means you do have a crush! C'mon, spit it out, who's it?" Katherine teased and Selena sighed in relief as soon as the tables were turned against Alina. Instead, she tagged along with Katherine and focused on Alina.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Alina's cheeks turned a shade of pink as she spoke.

"This about that boy you used to know or the classmate?" Katherine teased and Selena gasped dramatically.

"Oh, someone's popular," Selena joked.

Alina's face changed and she shook her head. "No way, he - they're just friends. Both are. Just. Friends."

"Oh, but they're the only boys you talked about other than Jason . . . What was the new kid again? Barbie something?" Katherine asked teasingly with glee.

"Ken!"

"Right, right. Ken, that's his name," Katherine corrected herself while Selena laughed. 

Seriously, who would name their kid Ken these days? Selena thought as she wiped her eyes. Poor boy will have to live forever with Barbie atop his head.

"I'm serious guys," Alina pouted when she saw the two were still laughing. "Eryk is - was - a childhood friend, and Ken is . . . well he's nice and all . . ."

"Just not your cup of coffee?" Katherine asked while Selena watched on with amusement.

"No, not that. It's just . . ." Alina hesitated and Katherine became serious while Selena nodded gently for Alina to continue.

"I'm . . . we're not normal, Kate. Can we even think of living a normal life. With someone?" Alina asked. "I can't imagine myself working and then coming back to a house to . . . I can't imagine a relationship with someone, a serious relationship where I - he knows everything. I don't think . . . I'm not sure if Ken is . . . I'm worried that he'll see me as - differently."

Alina shrunk closer to herself as she spoke and Katherine sighed while getting up and sitting next to her while Selena looked away. The latter clearly understood what Alina meant as she thought about the complicated relationship between Jason and herself.

"I know what you mean," Katherine said after a moment of silence. "Know that guy I was talking to earlier? He's Faro, my uh . . . something. I got together with him before I became a Practitioner. And now . . . we both live in different worlds. Especially since I'm a different person."

Katherine sighed, her complicated feelings were bursting like a dam. Before her rebirth, she knew that version of her liked Faro, but after returning, after experiencing everything that happened in her previous lifetime, Katherine felt like he was a stranger. Or rather, she was the stranger now.

"If that's the case then why not break up?" Alina asked and Katherine smiled bitterly.

"Maybe a part of me still likes him," Katherine replied. "Despite knowing it won't work out . . . I don't want to hurt him."

"Ungh, why can't life be simpler?" Alina complained with a groan. "It's always so dramatic, even a side character like you has a complicated life!"

"Hey!"

Alina had turned to Selena and the latter pretended to be hurt by being sidelined before all three burst out laughing.

"So, Harvey's?" Selena asked, changing the subject in a lighter mood. "Burgers are on me."

"Amen, sister!" Alina jumped up and said.

"Wait a sec," Katherine also stood up and walked to a table before picking up a case. "Got something for you."

"What is it?" Alina asked and Katherine smiled mysteriously without answering. Alina slowly lifted the cover and a suit, similar to the under-armor that was used in combat class revealed itself to her.

"Just like Jason's," Katherine said. "Wear it all the time, it'll keep you safe."

"Katie . . ." Selena was surprised by Katherine's actions but didn't interfere as she too felt that it was necessary for Alina to have some form of protection, even if it meant giving away a 20 billion dollar armor.

"Like, even under my school uniform? I'd look like Michelle," Alina stated while not taking her eyes off the suit.

Michelle, since the beginning, had always worn an under-armor beneath her school uniform. From her neck, down to her hands, and to her legs, she was completely concealed, frustrating all the boys who had a crush on her.

"This one has holographic camouflage so it won't clash with your skirt and legs," Selena answered and Katherine nodded.

"So why give me one?" Alina asked curiously; she had an inkling as to why, but she wanted to confirm it first.

"Why did you snatch the weapon schematics?" Katherine asked back. Noticing Alina's silence, Katherine continued talking. "Allie, I won't push for an answer, but I want you to be safe, no matter what you do - or plan to do."

"I wasn't -" Alina began nervously.

"I told her how you want to be a bounty hunter," Selena interrupted, informing an annoyed Alina.

"Oh, really? Anything else you tell her?" Alina asked with crossed arms.

"Just that you and Jason had a fight about it."

"Huh. Go figure."

"Hey, I won't lecture you on whether it's a good choice or not," Katherine said. "But I'm not stupid enough to let you go out without any safety, and neither is Jason. Especially now that the city is in unrest. Besides, knowing you, I have an inkling that you're gonna do something stupid."

"Oh, gee, thanks," Alina said, completely ignoring Katherine's last jab with sarcasm. After stroking the suit once more, she closed the case before gesturing at a nearby stand with a sly look in her eyes. "By the way . . . what's that?"

Katherine and Selena turned to her direction before simultaneously looking at each other with wry smiles.

She really is like him, they both thought as they turned to look back at the mask Alina had pointed out.