Year: 5478

Present Day Los Angeles

My head felt like lead. My neck was physically incapable of lifting the giant weight that was my skull. I moved my hands and found them clamped together behind my back. Chains rattled when I shook my arms. I felt a large metal band around my stomach and the touch of cold metal on my ankles let me know I was shackled there as well.

I was sitting in some sort of chair, by no means comfortable, and everything was chained behind me, secured to something heavy and unmovable.

I opened my eye a crack and found a bright circle of light on the concrete floor below me. The light sent a stab of pain through my head, spiking the pain level of my current migraine. I opened both eyes slowly and realized the light was only around me, everything else was pitch black.

"Your healing has become quite rapid" Brock's voice said quietly from the darkness. I opened my mouth to speak but found it to be dry and fuzzy.

"That is... after I had a nutrient pack shoved down your throat. I had to break your neck twice more to keep you knocked out once the food entered your system. Your hand and wrist healed nicely" everything he said, a nasty sneer to his tone.

"If-" I winced at the sound of my own voice, "If you wanted me to come home with you, you could have asked" I said with a dry laugh that turned into cough.

"Not a joke I would expect from my respectful secretary Constance" Brock said, barely stepping into the glow of the light. I could only make out the edge of shoes and pants.

"I thought we quit playing that game when you broke my damn neck" I growled, trying to lift my head up.

"I was not sure how long you planned on keeping that lie going" he practically spat the word 'lie'.

"It's all about staying alive, isn't it?"

"And that is all you have ever cared about" he said coolly.

"Now that's not fair, you only care about bossing people around but I don't point that out all the time" I said, finally lifting my head up with control.

"If you care about anything else in this world, you will only get disappointed" was his cryptic answer. I could see the outline of his brow and nose, but it was over shadowed by the darkness.

"Yeah, I know. I trusted people and it got me killed once. Fun story, I should tell you about it some time" I said, my migraine slowly turning to a minor headache. Thank you healing abilities.

"There is no way you can clear your name now. It has been too long" he said, then turned to leave, I'm assuming, since his footsteps receded until there was nothing.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes in frustration.

"Clear my name from what?" I mumbled.

___________________

"Hey. Wake up." Someone was nudging my leg with a booted foot.

"Oh but I was sleeping so soundly" I said, rolling my neck, a kink having formed there from the way I slept.

"Don't care" Gerry said, sitting back in his chair.

"My my Gerry, we've become quite hostile haven't we?" I asked, looking at him.

"You lied to me. Again. Actually three times, I'm counting this as two since you lied about who you were and you lied about your abilities. Even after I specifically said-"

"Did you really think I was going to say 'Yeah, I am deadly with a bow, knives, guns, swords, hand to hand combat, and I can heal from practically any injury, but don't worry, you don't know me'" I snapped, interrupting him. I shot him a 'are you shitting me' look.

"Why the hell did you come to the city then, dumb ass?!" he yelled, sitting up again. He was so expressive, every emotion resting on his face. Such a nice reprieve from someone else I know.

"Because SOMEONE kept taking all my fucking food!" I yelled, trying to get into his face. My chains tightened and rattled with the movement.

"Ha! It was working! Well I am a bad ass like that" he said, suddenly cocky and full of himself.

"I meant my pet mountain lion" I said, attempting to deflate his ego.

"Oh yeah, he was a bitch to catch" he said off handedly.

I sat up straight and squinted my eyes at him.

"If you hurt Ares..."

"We didn't hurt your dang cat. I mean, some people wanted to kill it, but a decision was made to keep it caged" he said. That means Brock wanted to kill it and someone stood up for me. Please let that person have been Gerry. I can butter him up to get what I want, always have.

"Gerry, why did you wake me up? I finally fell asleep after hours of trying to get comfortable with all these chains" I asked, trying to sound hurt and wounded.

"Well I-" he began, then stopped. He ran his hand over his face.

"Gerry, I'm no different than before" I said slowly. Not completely true, I was definitely bitter.

"You are! I mean you may not be different in your mind, but the way I see you is different. Don't you understand?" he asked, almost pleaded.

"No! I don't understand how YOU can see ME different! You should be begging for my forgiveness! Well maybe not you specifically but-"

"What? You think we should ask for your forgiveness?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, considering I was killed by your group" I felt like beating him with a stick.

"Because-" he began, but was cut off by a banging door and footsteps. A woman came in with a tray of food.

"Here, I got it" Gerry said, taking the tray from her without giving her a second glance. She was positively tiny, probably five foot even. She had brown hair, tan skin, brown eyes, just like the rest of the population, but something about her stood out, made you look twice. Maybe it was how big her eyes looked set into her small heart shaped faced. If Gerry had taken the second look he was supposed to, he would have noticed the lingering way in which she stared at his back and stood in her spot for a few seconds before slowly turning and leaving.

"She's adorable" I said, looking at Gerry, who was sitting down and adjusting things on the tray.

"Who?" he asked.

"That woman" I said, throwing my head in her direction.

"Oh, uhhh, Merida? Meredith? Courtney? Hell, I don't know" he said blithely.

"Wow. Nice" I said, giving him a chastising look.

"What do you want from me? She doesn't even talk" he said.

"So maybe you should talk to her. Ask her on a date. Something..." I muttered the last part because Gerry dropped the silverware onto the tray loudly, giving me an exasperated look.

"First: She literally doesn't speak. She can't. Second: I can't believe you're giving me dating advice. Third:-"

"Wai wai wai wai wai wait. Why is that such a shock?" I asked confused.

"Because-seriously? Because I- Wow, really?"

"You haven't actually said anything with content yet so my question still stands."

"Kat... I've been hooked on you since the first day we met" he said quietly.

Oh...

Well this is awkward...

"Why?" I asked.

"Why? What do you mean 'why?'" he snapped.

"Well I barely even like my own company" I said honestly.

"Because you were... are... strong and witty and smart and quick to anger and a great fighter and... and... well I used to love your hair" he said.

"Yeah me too" I said, skipping over all the compliments.

"But I mean... this you is gorgeous too. Just different" he said, looking away.

"Thanks" I responded, not knowing what to say.

"Your eyes though..." he said, finally looking back at me. "Those are the same."

"I couldn't change them. I should have. That's how you almost figured it out and how Brock did figure it out" I said frustratingly.

"He would, wouldn't he" Gerry said quietly.

"Uhh well-" awkward awkward awkward.

"There's something about them though, makes them stand out. Unique" he continued.

"Welllll that was my mistake" I said, wishing I could flee from this conversation.

"Yeah. Here, eat" he said, holding up a spoon full of... stuff.

I opened my mouth to take a bite then thought better of it.

"I'm not hungry" I said.

He sighed and put the spoon down.

"If you try to kill yourself by starvation, he'll come down here and force food down your throat" Gerry said sadly.

"Why would I kill myself?" I asked, trying to throw him off.

"To get away. And don't act like you treasure your lives too much to waste them on something like this" he said, "because you wasted a life to change your appearance."

"I can't die from starvation" I lied... again. I never realized how often I lied to Gerry.

"Lie four, I know you can. You told me about how you died in Ohio at the beginning of all this. I also know your healing slows down when you don't eat too" he said, offering me the spoon again.

I clamped my mouth shut and turned my head.

Gerry sighed, stood up, grabbed his chair, and left.