While waiting for the wheels of the NYPD to process her employment paperwork, she got a call from a very unexpected source. Carol, of all people, wanted a meeting the next day. By the sound of her very authoritative voice, it was not something she could refuse. Once at the site, she was ushered into a drab tiny room with just a table and a few chairs. Carol came in a few minutes later and while drowning on about the weather, pulled out a scanning device that lit up on the table in front of her.
Once the device vetted the room, Carol cut the small talk by saying, "Your Sonora adventure is the op that just keeps giving. That bitch you interrogated has a real burr up her ass about you. She has gotten some advance combat training and is now a contract enforcer for the cartels. Her name is Alma Vasquez, and she has built a nice little niche business as the cartels outsource their need for brutality. Along the way, she has told anyone who will listen that there is a substantial reward for finding you. Right now she doesn't have your name, but is working with a good composite sketch. We have done a preliminary review and deem this a credible threat to both you and us. Our job is to dissuade her."
Kate asked, "Why do you need me on this little caper?"
"We think your presence is needed to smoke her out. She is not someone you find in the phone book."
Kate responded, "What does dissuade mean in this context?"
"Stop her by whatever means necessary."
"So offing her is explicitly on the table.? I am done with some pious cubicle monkey second guessing what I do."
"I can get clear assurances. Our current background says she is somewhere in Sonora Mexico. If you agree, we will fly to Arizona and setup a command center at the nearby Army base. Then, the surveillance geeks can do their thing. In the mean time, you and I can get reacquainted on the mat to make sure you are mission ready. Can't have you rusty out there if things go sideways."
"If I join you, we go as equals. You trained me, but my days of following your commands are over. If we fight, you will get a full taste of the brutality you instilled in me."
Carol was surprised by the clear hostility in Kate's response. After a brief pause, Carol slid a folder over to Kate's side of the table and said, "This is the dossier we have on her so far. She is a formidable hunter. She is not someone you want to meet on her terms. Read it over, while I make a call." Kate wasn't surprised by what she read. The file was a damning indictment of a ruthless enforcer who set her sights on her probably as payback for their brief rather unpleasant time together. The decision before her was to do nothing or act. Kate was not a fan of doing nothing.
Six days later, Kate met Carol at the same private airport she had returned to after her time on the Island. The flight down was uneventful, and the spartan accommodations left them in closer company than either would have liked. Every morning they met with the surveillance geeks to go over any new information from the previous day.
When Carol brought up going to the fight facility, Kate was ready with response that would make it all worthwhile. "If that happens, each contest will be full contact, and it will go on until one of us screams out her concession. I have not slacked off on my training since getting bounced out of the cool kids club. Most are overwhelmed early and revert to defense. That's when I pound their ass. You instilled that viciousness in me, and I can't wait to see you hurt. The fights themselves went exactly as Kate hoped - gruesome and one-sided. For the better part of an hour each afternoon, Carol was pummeled with fists, feet, and elbows as her counterattack did little to slowdown Kate's fanatical offense. The only thing that mattered to Kate was hearing Carol scream out her concession. That never got old.
After a week of searching, the surveillance geeks found a snitch willing to provide a communications channel. After some discussion the message Kate employed was both concise and confrontational. "Heard you want a piece of me. OK, tell me when and where. You and me and a second - no one else. Waiting on you, bitch!" Carol and the geeks felt the tone was too boastful, but Kate wanted Alma to know she wasn't intimidated. The immediate acceptance set the time and date for that night in an abandoned storefront dirt parking lot. That afternoon the geeks reported that the site was under their control, and no third parties would make an unwelcome appearance.
While unsure why, both Carol and Kate sensed only Alma's demise would end this, and they planned accordingly. Kate would appear dressed for combat with one big addition. That was a small set of brass knuckles for her right hand. Carol would choose an armored jacket with a small pocket for her sidearm. If Alma would not back down, Kate would cough, and Carol would immediately take out Alma's second. In the ensuing mayhem, Kate would slip on her the bracelet and end Alma once and for all.
They arrived at the desolate site in a pickup and immediately saw a second set of headlights winding way though the murky dusk. Carol shifted the truck into park and the other vehicle put itself about twenty feet in front. Kate looked at the two occupants in the opposite vehicle and said, "Cut the engine. It's showtime." Carol killed the ignition as Kate and Alma both descended from their respective vehicle to face each other.
Alma greeted her by saying, "I dreamed of this day, and now it is finally here. You and me to the finish. Only this time it will not be as lopsided."
Kate replied,"Why do you want this so bad, bitch?"
"Because you probably were too busy that night with beating the crap out of me to notice that your friends obliterated everyone topside when they arrived. Even a ten-year-old innocent that offered no threat. That civilian was my brother, and I am going to even the score tonight." That bit of ominous news brought both Carol and her counterpart out of their trucks. Both Kate and Carol now understood that Alma and her colleague had sealed their joint fate.
Alma almost immediately stepped out of her worn sandals and unzipped her jump suit to reveal a muscled physique. Kate sloughed off her trainers, and for the first five minutes, both employed fists, knees, elbows, and feet tentatively exploring the defenses of the other. Preliminaries done; both began an all out attack. For longer than expected, a steady brawl ensued where no part of the face, abs, or legs was immune from absorbing painful blows. So far, no combination had significantly slowed the ongoing carnage that left both hideously discolored.
The beginning of the end came later than Carol would have liked. Kate finally coughed, and Carol fired. In that instant, Alma glanced over to her falling comrade; it would be one of the last moves Alma would make. Almost immediately, Kate's fist with the brass attached smashed into Alma's face leaving a huge gash of red pouring downward. Her second punch to the windpipe saw Alma fall lifelessly to the ground. Carol immediately documented the horrible scene and commanded Kate back into the truck for a hasty retreat. That night Kate was totally pumped by her successful return to the fray; it would be a thrill sorely lacking in her new job.
A few days later, she was surprised to find Rita on her sofa as she came back from her morning coffee run. Obviously briefed on her recent assignment, Rita wasted no time revealing the purpose of her visit, and said, "Carol gave us a glowing report on your Sonora Op and was particularly complimentary of your willingness to finish her off."
Kate responded, "That's different. Didn't think any of my expertise ever mattered to anyone, but the guy I hit."
"That kind of viciousness is in short supply particularly given our new mandate. Leadership wants the agency to transform. No more sitting back and monitoring. State actors are increasingly not the problem. All sorts of private entities now come together for all sorts of nefarious purposes. The more ruthless they are; the more power they have."
"We need to show them we still are the big dog. The plan is to wack them hard before they set their sites on the homeland. It is a huge change, and we need a few people capable of sending that message with harsh acts of unspeakable cruelty. They are planning a special Break and Maim school at the Island for the new unit. The top dogs think you might fit the bill."
Rita paused long enough to let the offer sink in and continued, "Without Castle, Kate, what's next?"
"My mother's murder defined me for so long that I just couldn't pass up the opportunity Jackson presented. I never appreciated how it could break us. Castle always came back. I have come to realize that putting him second was the defining moment of my life. Her death began my rather unorthodox transformation into a warrior for the good guys. I am drawn to the battle above all else. When Castle left, your job fit my bias. Thanks to you and your training, I get to thwart bad guys on a wider stage. Those situations are not for sissies. Most arrogantly take me on expecting a lopsided victory. Sick as it sounds, I enjoy those tests. It is gritty brawl - you against them. Winning those is an affirmation of everything I want to be."
Rita nodded silently rattled by Kate's candor and replied, "I know you have an cushy job all lined up at the NYPD. Is that what you really want? Are you going to settle for being on the sidelines or are you going to commit to the fight? You know Jackson was the first to recognize your true nature. Although he wanted you and Castle to work, he warned you might bail."
A week later she was on a plane with seven other women headed to the Island after reneging on the academy offer. In the end she had opted for the familiar surroundings of the rabbit hole. It was not brave; it was not smart. It was an admission to her authentic self. Her upbringing tilted her towards justice and her time at he NYPD made her an excellent hunter. This job was a combination of both, and the gruesome conflicts she would deliberately provoke were tests she would perversely enjoy. In the end, Jackson, who knew her least, knew her best.