Author's Note: I really enjoyed writing this from Kit's view. Thanks for reviewing! They fuel me, guys!
"Checkmate, sweetheart," Kit declared triumphantly, clasping her fingers together on the desk.
Gatlocke's eyes flickered to the chess pieces then back at Kit. His mouth was distorted into a frown. His fingers scrabbled across his lap. Finally, he said, "No fair."
Kit grinned at him. She leaned back in her chair, arms over her head. "On the contrary, luvvy, it's very fair. I won, you lost. It's simple." She stretched her tired body. Who knew chess could be an exhilarating game? Well, it was fun when Gatlocke was your opponent.
His eyebrows lifted ever so lightly. His face became very child-like. He looked down at the chess board again and wrinkled his nose, as if he was trying to figure out exactly how he could have lost.
"But I got your king," Gatlocke whined. "That means I should've won."
Kit reached out for his hand under the desk. "You aren't very British if you don't know how chess works. You see, it doesn't matter who got whose king. As long as you take the queen, you've won. Which I did. So…"
He clenched his free hand into a fist. "I want a rematch."
"No can do, luvvy," Kit said. "I'm drained. We've had too many rounds of chess and if I participate in one more, I'll be a pile of goo." She yawned to prove her point.
"Hmm. A pile of goo could be fun. I never got around to using the toilet paper, maybe I could wipe up the mess with those," he mused.
She smirked. "Either way, we're not playing any more chess. Got it?"
He grumbled, but gave in.
"Good," Kit said. She let go of his hand and began to pick up the pieces from the board. She set them aside and turned the board upside down. Kit dumped the chess pieces into the board's empty space carelessly, then shut it together. Gatlocke watched her with curious eyes.
"I want to play again," he said. "Not now, but later."
"Why, so I can beat you?" Kit teased. She set the closed board on her lap. "Fine, maybe later. What do you want to do now?"
"I was thinking of something among the lines of spring cleaning…"
"It's not spring, luvvy, it's winter," Kit corrected.
"Right," Gatlocke said, his eyebrows furrowing once more. "But so what? I still want to clean."
Kit shoved the board onto her chair and walked over to the floor where Gatlocke's straightjacket lay. She had gotten it off him when she entered his room earlier and pretty much forgot about it. She slung it over his bedpost.
"There you are," she said. "Spring cleaning over."
"I want iced tea," he suddenly said.
"Okay. Let's get out of here and get iced tea."
"I'd rather you bring me the tea," Gatlocke sniffed.
Kit raised her eyebrows. "Well, excuse me, Mr. High-and-mighty…"
"Fine, we'll both get it."
"Better," Kit answered gruffly. "I can get us out of here, no problem. Just need to call Breach…"
"Rex's girlfriend?" Gatlocke questioned.
"Yep." Kit punched the buttons on her cell phone. She waited impatiently for Breach to pick up. She had recently gotten the girl a cell phone in hopes she would become used to modern technology. Kit didn't mind waiting a few minutes for her friend to answer, but it was Gatlocke she was worried about. When the man didn't get what he wanted, he would explode into a million chunks.
Breach finally picked up. "Hello?" Her voice was jagged with excitement.
"Breach, it's me, Kit. Listen, Gatlocke and I-"
"Gatlocke!" someone shrieked. Kit leaned away from her phone, wincing. The voice was awfully loud.
"Was that Rex?" Gatlocke asked her.
"Nah, it's too girly to be him. Although you must admit when he screams, it can get pretty girly."
"I'd say it was more like his friend Noah," Gatlocke said.
"Hey!" someone shouted.
"Noah?" Kit called, confused. "Blondie, is that you?"
"Yes, it is him," Breach answered tensely. "Look, Kit, I'm in a bit of a tight spot right now…"
"You have no idea," the voice hissed. It was a female's.
"What's going on? Are you okay?" Kit asked, frantically running her fingers through her hair.
"I'm fine…for now…"
"Breach! Do you need help?"
"I'll arrange a portal to send you here; do not attack anyone when you arrive."
"You will not be sending a portal to anyone," another voice said stiffly. It sounded like a male.
"Buzz off, Six," Rex snapped.
Kit furiously ripped apart strands of her hair. She began pacing back and forth, waiting for the portal to arrive. "I'm on my way!" she shouted to the phone when she saw a swirling blood-red circle. She shoved her phone into her jeans pocket and ran for it.
"Come on!" she yelled to Gatlocke. Kit didn't wait for any reply. She hopped into the portal.
She skidded across the floor as the portal spit her out. She felt a thud. Gatlocke was sliding next to her. He grinned at her. She felt the metal floor. Providence's base.
Kit was greeted by familiar and unknown faces. She saw Breach, her face incredibly stoic. Rex, his eyes confused and his mouth set in a determined line. Noah, who appeared to be cute and distressed at the same exact time. Breach had informed her about Agent Six's green habit and Dr. Holiday's looks, but she had never personally seen them. Her eyes widened when she saw a sickly pale man in a green suit.
"Well," she said as she carefully lifted herself off the ground, "I suppose Breach wasn't kidding when she said you always wore green."
Six's expression stayed the same.
"Who are you?" a woman growled. She wore a lab coat and had her black hair tied up in a bun. Dr. Holiday.
"I'll tell you if you tell me what you want with my friend." She gestured to Breach.
"She's been caught in the act," a voice boomed. Kit looked up to see a huge screen. On that screen was a pale man with white hair and a large body. He was like some sort of whale.
"Yikes," Gatlocke said. He must've had the same thought.
"And not only that," Dr. Holiday said coolly, "she has released one of Providence's prisoners."
"I have a name," Gatlocke murmured. Dr. Holiday shot him a look.
Kit's temper flared. "Oh, don't act so snooty, lady. For your information, Breach has been visiting Rex tons of times! So don't think you're so great because you found out this one time."
She realized her mistake after Breach and Dr. Holiday gasped.
"She's been coming into his room tons of times?" the woman thundered.
"Double yikes," Kit mumbled.
Dr. Holiday turned on Rex. "Are you okay, Rex? Did she brainwash you in ay way? I can't believe you'd let her into your room!"
"It was only two times," Breach said meekly.
The doctor ignored her. "Rex, I want you to tell me why you've seen her on numerous occasions. She's a part of the Pack."
"She's an enemy," Six added smoothly.
"The thing is, Mr. Six," Kit began, "is that Breach has been kidnapped at a young age by the Pack. Van Kleiss used her for a longgg time. Breach here recently escaped and attempted to put an end to a scheme that sold off good-looking EVO boys to Van Kleiss. You know how he is." She shrugged. Gatlocke gave her a toothy grin that meant, "You're so good at this."
Rex looked freaked out by her explanation.
Kit was about to interrupt furiously, but Breach held up a hand. She gave Kit a sad look.
"It's time to tell the truth, Kit," she said quietly. "No more lies."
Rex turned to face everyone. "I never meant to lie to anyone, Dr. Holiday. It's such a crazy story."
Dr. Holiday glared. "I'm listening."
"Breach saw me one time… Remember, she saved me from that EVO. We began seeing each other and… I started to realize I always sort of liked her. And she liked me back. We kissed two times, it's true, but I swear it wasn't anything serious."
"How quickly he dismisses your love, Breach," Kit mumbled.
"You two kissed?" Dr. Holiday asked, appalled.
"Yes, and I didn't mind one bit," Rex shot back. "I love her. She loves me."
"But…" Dr. Holiday was at a loss for words.
"How could you let our best weapon fall for a Pack member, Six?" White Knight demanded. He stared at Agent Six.
"Sir, I had no idea…" and "I fell for her from day one!" mixed together, both replies from Six and Rex.
They were cut off. "Exactly!" Dr. Holiday snapped. "Rex, I'm sorry if this is hurting you, but you have to realize that Breach could be using you. Information for Van Kleiss, that sort of thing."
"You idiots!" Kit cried, boiling from indignation and the injustice being thrown at her friend. "She's reformed! She separated herself from the Pack a long time ago! She's clean!"
There was silence.
"Is…this true, Rex?" Six asked.
"Definitely. She wasn't with the Pack when they attacked us last time, remember? And she saved me from that EVO!"
"She could be lying," White Knight interjected. "Kleiss could have told her exactly what to do and say in order to gain your loyalty."
"You don't know a single thing about her," Rex hissed. Kit never saw him so angry. "I don't have to listen to any of you. Stop pretending you know her inside and out, because you don't. I do and I'll make my own decisions."
"Rex, please," Dr. Holiday pleaded.
"Why are you so sure you know this girl?" White Knight asked.
Kit grounded her teeth. She hated this guy already.
"Because I do," Rex replied. "She's going to be visiting in the open from here on out. The guards will let her in, and if not, she'll be coming with her portals. She will come into my room if I let her in, which I will. You can speak in front of her and discuss strategy against Kleiss. She can stay here as long as she wants. Breach has her own place to live. She won't have to sleep here."
"Unacceptable," White Knight growled.
"Okay," Rex said.
Kit felt her jaw drop. He was giving in, just like that?
"I meant okay, I'll leave Providence," Rex said in a monotone.
Everyone started to push in their own two cents.
"You can't do that, Rex, we're your family-," Dr. Holiday was saying.
White Knight cut her off. "Are you willing to leave just because of one girl? And what if she is still with the Pack? Will you come back when I'll say I told you so?"
Rex glared at him, his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "One: she's not with the Pack anymore. Two: I love her. Three: I'm leaving if you don't accept my conditions, and I'm leaving with her."
Six finally spoke up. "Rex," he said. "I believe you when you say you love her. And somehow, I believe it when you say she loves you back." Six walked up to Breach. Kit felt her nails dig into her palms. She felt ready to lash out at the man if he dared to hurt her.
He leaned in close to Breach. She kept her face just as stoic. "I'm not guaranteeing your safety if you hurt him in anyway," he said smoothly. Then Six left the room.
No one called him back. Kit raised a brow, impressed. Beside her, she could feel Gatlocke tugging on her sleeve.
"Not now," she whispered fiercely.
"What about Noah, Knight?" Dr. Holiday asked. "He knew about this."
"He did," Knight agreed. "But I doubt I could do anything about his knowledge about Breach." Noah seemed to shrink back as he spoke.
"He's my friend," Rex said. "You can't fire him because he doesn't work for you. And you can't hurt him either because he's human. Are you willing to harm a civilian?"
"Absolutely not," White Knight mumbled, beaten. "He should have informed me though."
"But Breach didn't do anything," Rex pointed out. "So you can't complain about him not telling. If she did something bad and Noah kept his mouth shut, then you'd have a problem, but she didn't, so…"
He suddenly glared at Kit. She got up from the floor to look more civilized. "White Knight," she said icily. On the inside, she was thrilled to be speaking James Bond-esque.
"What is your name?" he demanded. "What affiliation do you have with Breach?"
"That's what I was going to ask," Dr. Holiday said.
"I'm her friend," Kit said. "We met some time back. I'm an EVO, in case you're wondering. Oh, and I'm not leaving either."
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Breach smile faintly.
"A friend?" Dr. Holiday asked. She seemed a tad stunned that someone like Breach could have a friend.
"Duh, that's what I just said," Kit mumbled. Then, in a louder voice, she added, "Look up my criminal record, if you want. I haven't done anything to the humans or to the Providence agents."
"I'll be sure to do that," Knight replied.
"What about Breach's appearance? Her arms?" Dr. Holiday demanded. Kit could see that even though she didn't like Breach a lot, she seemed to be very interested in her anatomy. Of course, her being a science kind of woman, it would make sense.
"Over time, my form shifted," Breach explained, her voice smooth and clear. "My large arms grew back to become regular ones, except they're hidden in my back. I only take them out when I need to summon portals. Other than that, I'm like Rex." She gave him a sweet smile. He grinned back.
White Knight looked at something over Kit's head. She turned her own and saw Gatlocke. Oh! He'd want to know about him, Kit realized, wincing.
"Who let him out?"
"I did," Kit lied. "Well, I was going to. But Breach sent over a portal…" She hoped she wasn't ruining Breach's chances at being with Rex.
"She did, did she?" Dr. Holiday screeched.
"Calm yourself, woman!" Kit shot back. "It's not like he's a psycho or anything like that." After seeing the looks from Breach, Rex, and Noah, she sheepishly admitted, "Okay, so he's one bandana short of an Amazon store, but that's no reason to discriminate against him, correct?"
Everyone appeared confused altogether now.
"He's a tad insane, sure," Kit continued, "but aren't we all, somewhere deep inside?"
"That's like poetry," Gatlocke said, genuinely in awe.
"He isn't as crazy as Kleiss," Noah asserted.
"Good enough for me," Rex mumbled.
"I can handle him," Kit said. "I'll keep him on a leash; I'm the dominant type."
"I'll say," Noah said under his breath.
"So…are we good?" Rex asked Knight.
"I suppose I'll have to accept your terms," he said reluctantly.
"I can work for Providence," Breach suddenly said. "Wouldn't you like the extra help? My portals are incredibly useful."
Knight's eyes seemed to sparkle. "Are you willing to?"
"Of course. And if anything happens to me, I'll take care of myself."
"I can work too," Kit added. "It won't be a problem. Of course, my ability only allows me to extract information from things."
White Knight had to agree to such a deal. Kit couldn't help but feel a great boost of satisfaction.
"You don't have to do that to help me, Kit," Breach said quietly.
"I know. But I want to."
"I wanna go out, too," Gatlocke complained.
"Not now, luvvy!" Kit hissed at him. He looked taken aback. He opened his mouth, but Kit shook her head.
"It's settled, then," White Knight said in a guttural. He leaned back in his chair slightly, showing his massive chest.
"No!" Dr. Holiday sputtered.
"Do you have any better ideas, Dr. Holiday?"
She didn't.
"We'll be leaving," Rex said to them. He put his arm around Breach's waist. "Call us if there are any EVO attacks, 'kay?" He didn't wait for the okay and began to leave.
"I'm not happy about this, Rex," Dr. Holiday said as they neared the exit.
"There's no reason for you to be," Rex replied. Kit pulled Gatlocke's hand towards Rex's room. She made a motion for Noah to follow.
Rex's room was pretty big for only one person. Kit saw a monkey there.
"Bobo," Rex explained shortly. He sat on the bed next to Breach. Bobo, who was in his suspended tire, didn't look confused at the sight of her. Kit pulled Gatlocke in and quickly shut the door. The doors almost hit Noah. She apologized before shoving Gatlocke onto a white chair.
"All right," Kit said to him. "This is the thing: Breach is going to be coming more often than not and I'm going to have to go on missions with her. You're familiar with nanites and stuff?"
"Yep," he said cheerfully.
"Good. There's someone named Van Kleiss who is incredibly British and incredibly crazy. He's convinced he's some sort of martyr; well, he thinks this when someone is ready to put him to death. He always comes back, for some reason. Van Kleiss is deranged, and I'll be facing him soon, along with Rex and Breach. Six too."
"I want to go too," Gatlocke said.
"Maybe you can come along," Kit said unwillingly. She didn't want him to. He would get hurt. He was a bit too up in the clouds to take anything truly seriously. "But not a lot. I want you to stay here sometimes, in your room. And be good when I leave."
He considered this. "Fine," he eventually grunted.
"Fabulous," she answered, leaning back in her chair. "Take it away, Breach. Or Rex. Whoever."
"I can't believe he allowed this," Breach murmured, pulling herself closer to Rex. They stared into each other's eyes. Kit never understood this kind of love. You could love someone, sure, but why waste all the time going over promises and vows? Just do whatever you want with the person you love. If you truly love them, then they shouldn't hold you back.
"Aren't you at all confused?" Breach asked Bobo. "I mean…"
"I heard through the door," the monkey said, grinning. "Got everything. Can't believe Chief would settle down."
"I'm not settling down, I'm in love," Rex said, making Breach blush.
"You did that for me, didn't you?" she asked. "Stand up for me?"
"Because I love you a lot. Duh," he said.
"Me too," she whispered. Then they immediately kissed. It was all so sudden. Bobo hooted. They parted quickly.
"I can't wait for our next mission," Rex said. "I want to see you in action, Breach."
"Imagine if you were fighting against the Pack and Kleiss," Kit said. "How shocked would they be?"
Breach smiled slyly. "A double betrayal, they'd think. I went to Providence and I am supporting Rex in their cause as well."
"We should be going," Kit said. "Gatlocke and I have another chess game to complete."
"You guys are friends?" Noah asked. Kit had forgotten that Gatlocke and Noah met before; unpleasantly, she should add.
"Something like that." Kit winked at Gatlocke.
"Something like that," he agreed, winking back.
Noah looked like he was revolted.
"Have fun with your chess game," Rex said, shrugging.
"We will." Kit got up and gestured for Gatlocke to leave his room. They paused at the sliding doors.
"Oh, and Noah?"
He looked up. "Yeah, Kit?"
She put on her best dramatic face. "I apologize for leading you on. I thought I had a thing for you, as I like blonds. But I guess Gatlocke stood out more than you did. Sorry."
"No problem," Noah said, blushing furiously.
Outside Rex's room, Gatlocke asked stiffly, "You like blonds? Should I dye my hair, then?"
"Don't bother. I may have a thing for sweet blond guys, but I am all for older men who wear bandanas."
He smiled. It lit up his face. She wondered, in the back of her head, what he was thinking about.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on inside there?" Kit reached up to tap his right temple lightly.
"When am I going to get my iced tea?" he asked.
"The ball will be wonderful, my dear," Eric said, taking her hand and pulling her gently up the steps.
"If it's hosted here, then I am sure it will be." She looked down instead of at him. Veronica stared hard at the chipped marble. She didn't particularly like balls or dresses, but she surely did want to host one in order to attract a certain someone's attention.
"He will come, won't he?" she suddenly said. He looked hurt.
"Yes, dear. He will, I promise."
"He'd better…"
"EVO activity spotted in the Crystalline House," White Knight said. Breach looked at him and felt herself squeeze Rex's gloved fingers. He gave her a reassuring smile. Breach couldn't feel assured when Dr. Holiday was glaring at her and Six was sitting without saying a word.
White Knight continued his drawling. "A party is occurring there. The EVOs seem to be in control and aren't moving. I believe a third party is controlling them. It could be Van Kleiss, though I doubt he'd pull another party trick. In any case, Agent Six, Dr. Holiday, Rex, and…Breach will be going." He gave the location of Crystalline House. A machine worked away as it handed the forged, crisp invitations to Six.
As Breach and Rex got up to leave, Knight suddenly said, "This is Crystalline House, remember?"
"So?" Rex asked.
"It means you must dress formally."
"We can handle it, Knight," Dr. Holiday said.
When they were out of earshot, Breach hissed, "I have nothing to wear!"
"Call your friend," Rex said. He went off to another branch of Providence's base. She watched him go.
"Kit, I need something to wear," Breach said into the phone. She launched into the details. "Do you have anything?"
"You're in luck! I have some dresses from the store. No one bought them, for reasons unknown. They're really pretty. I'll come over so you can pick out one."
Breach arranged for her to come through a portal. She waited in Rex's room. The door opened. Rex poked his head in. She saw him clad in a nice green suit.
"Green isn't your color," she sighed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled her face close to him. "However, I might make an exception." She felt her lips touch his, and enjoyed the warmth of their kiss.
"Lovebirds, move aside!" Kit snapped as she stepped through the portal. She grabbed Breach's arm and took her away from Rex. She laid out the dresses on his bed.
"Choose one," she ordered. Turning to Rex, she glared and said, "You! You look like a cucumber! The only one who can pull that off is Six!"
"I don't have any suits," Rex returned sourly.
"Good thing I brought some," Kit said smugly. "They're threadbare and a tad old, but still well enough to wear. The idiots who come through the shop don't bother to buy them, though." She threw a crisp black suit at him and a tie.
"Go change," she said.
"This is my room!"
"Too bad."
He grumbled as he left.
Breach sighed and sifted through the pile of dresses. She didn't find anything to her liking. Actually, she did want some of them; the only problem was she didn't believe that she would look good in any of them.
"Pick one for me," she sighed. "I'll look hideous anyways."
Kit gave a strange look. She picked out a dark green dress. It was more like a pretty school outfit. There was a puffy skirt with ruffles at the hem. It was black with a light green belt. The top was more of a dark green blouse with olive buttons. The short sleeves were puffy as well. Overall, it looked cute. Kit showed her the dress she would be wearing. It was a deep purple. They turned their backs to each to change in privacy.
When they were done, they turned to look at each other. Breach gasped at how beautiful her friend looked.
"You're amazing," she breathed.
"Please. You're gorgeous. I think everyone will be looking at you today," Kit said, smiling.
Breach doubted it. She took off her socks and wore the black shoes she always had on. They looked different without the socks. Kit offered her jewelry, but she didn't want any.
"Fine," Kit murmured.
In a few minutes, everyone met in a room where the ships were stored. Breach thought Rex looked dashing in the black suit. She was glad Kit gave it to him. Dr. Holiday ignored her. She realized he was staring at Six, who was in a regular green suit. Breach felt self-conscious when she saw Kit enter. She came in with another man. He wore a black suit with a red bowtie. Breach narrowed her eyes when recognition set in.
"Is that Gatlocke?" she asked Kit.
"Yeah. I decided he should come."
"It'll be my first dance," he said proudly. His tone then turned sour. "I suppose there will be iced tea there, right?"
"Right. I didn't get you any last time." Kit lifted her hand. "I swear on Noah's life that I will get you some iced tea there."
"Don't go swearing on his life," Rex said, frowning.
"Don't worry about tonight," Kit said to Breach as the Keep came. "Everything will be great."
Breach wished she could believe it.
I can picture Breach wearing green to compliment her eyes, right? Keep those reviews going! Thanks!
-ChimeraRaven33