Author's Note: Here is another chapter! Finally, I can tie the different characters and plots together as I am slowly heading towards the ending. This chapter is starting to set up for the climax.

Enjoy! :D

Last time on "Indomitable Hope"

"Gabe, who is this guy?"

Gabe gazed at Catherine for a bit before turning his attention to the other man. The ADA finally answered, "Great question, Catherine. I was wondering the same thing. Catherine, I think he might be your long-lost dad. Doesn't he look a lot like you?"

Catherine gasped at Gabe's accusation. She moved her attention from the younger male to the older one as she carefully studied each of his features. They had different color eyes. And, she was unsure if they had similar hair color as the man's hair graying. However, upon a further look, Katherine noticed that they shared identical facial features like their noses and the width of their foreheads.

"Who are you?" the brunette finally whispered after her impromptu investigation.

Gabe continued to eye the man in question, hoping he will spend spill the truth. Taking the hint, Agent Reynolds took a deep breath and headed towards the chair next to Catherine's bed.

He focused his attention on the woman with regret in his eyes. "Catherine, ADA Lowen's presumptions are true I, Roberts Reynolds, am your father. You probably haven't heard of me before?"

It only took a week later till Catherine was ready to be discharged from the hospital. The doctor gave the alluring brunette a clean bill of health, telling her that it was ok to go back to work in a few days. The doctor's examination made Catherine gleeful as she found that being cooped up in a hospital bed was unproductive and dull. There was nothing to do while laying in a monotonous white hospital bed, surrounded by sparsely decorated white walls. There wasn't even a person that shared the room with, a person to talk to, a person to pass the time with together. Catherine would rather be at the workplace; somewhere where she could get back into the action. She could feel the excitement and adventure bubbling inside her. Finally, Catherine might have a chance to discover who was that female beast she ran into by chance before the accident.

She was still confused at the revelation made by her so-called father - Agent Reynolds. Why did he have to reveal himself now? What was he up to? Why did it feel like there was something some animosity between Gabe and Reynolds? Speaking of Gabe, he was sure acting nice. Maybe a little too sweet. First, he gave her the gorgeous flowers. Then, he tried to visit her every day. And now, it seemed that his attitude took a drastic 180 as the suave ADA wanted to help the lady in medical distress more. He was also more open towards her than that fateful night some months ago.

Catherine headed towards the hospital's entrance after successfully filling out her discharge papers. She stepped outside into the brisk October weather. Freedom, her mind rejoiced as she breathed in the crisp air and prepared for the journey home, anxious to continue the work she had left behind. However, the excitement of her plans dulled a bit when the brunette spotted a black car in the pick-up area. Inside it, a figure that Catherine instantly recognized. Drats!

Speak of the devil; the brunette mentally grunted as she walked towards the car. She didn't want to face the person inside - oh how she so wanted to run away and try to salvage the freedom she recently re-acquired. But, he was her boss, and she should have some common courtesy to him. It was when she approached the car was when the driver noticed her action and rolled down a window on the passenger side.

"Hey, Cat. I heard that you are finally out of the hospital today. Might I give you a ride back home?"

Catherine just shrugged. A free ride is better than no ride. It's not that she isn't grateful, it's just not the person she wanted to be with, not at this moment at least. He was offering her free ride, and she couldn't refuse that offer since it would take some time and a few dollars bills to get back home. All those train lines, bus routes, transfers, headaches! No thank you. And with that thought, the brunette jumped into the passenger seat of the car. She just hoped that it would be a peaceful car ride with minimal talking. However, that hope was shattered a few minutes after the car pulled out from the curbside. Drats!

"So, I hope that you are doing well. Nothing has happened at the office. Don't worry; there hasn't been another beast attack lately. Trust me; I would let you know if there was one."

Gabe tried to begin small talk with his lovely passenger while driving, but it was inefficient as Catherine turned her head to peer outside the passenger window, staring at the fall scenery outside with an emotionless face. She prayed silently that he wasn't going to continue blabbering to get her attention. She didn't want to talk to him.

As luck would have it, the car ride wasn't long at all. They reached Catherine's apartment within twenty minutes after departing from the hospital. Pulling up to the curbside near the front entrance, Gabe turned off the car's engine, pulling the key from the ignition slowly. He then turned to face his passenger with concern etched all over his face.

"Cat, get some rest, ok? Text me if you need anything."

"Ok."

"I told your boss that you need one more week of time off to take care of yourself and recuperate."

"Thanks."

"Promise me that you will not investigate the Beast attacks. Or even, think about resuming your search into Vincent's whereabouts. Please promise me."

"Ok."

In hopes that the woman next to him would enact on the ADA's demand, Gabe clasped his hands on hers and looked steadily into her eyes, hoping for a reassuring commitment. Catherine just nodded softly, still with an emotionless expression. She just wanted him off her back at this point. She would agree to anything half-heartedly to get him stop worrying about her. This nod made Gabe relieved, which allowed him to slowly let go of the woman's hands and place his back onto the steering wheel.

The raven-haired man glanced at Catherine again to ask for a favor. Maybe, he hoped, perhaps she would say yes to this.

"Before you leave, there is the fundraising gala for the police department at the end of this week. I was wondering if you could be my escort? Don't worry about people recognizing you. It is supposed to be a masquerade. I will be delighted if you are willing to go with me…."

"Sure. Just let me know the details later okay?"

"Thanks, Cat and I will."

Gabe smiled in her direction as his passenger gathered her belongings, opened the car door, and then headed outside. The ADA drove off once he affirmed that his co-worker was able to access her apartment building safely.

"How is the subject faring?"

"He is responding to the drugs we have given him just fine. It is like he didn't take a break from these experiments. Doesn't even know what we're trying to accomplish here. He did try to question my motives a few days ago, which I just told him that we are giving him drugs to cure his beast side and to recover memories. What is the purpose of these experiments, Agent Reynolds?"

The man in question took a half-filled glass of Bordeaux wine - one of Reynold's favorite past time drinks - from the table next to him, bringing it to his thin lips to take a sip. Although the room was dark, the man with salt and pepper tried very hard to not to spill any of the wine onto his new Armani suit, yet he still wanted to drink the red liquid delicately. He pondered for a short while, trying to find a decent answer while savoring the delectable drink. Slouching further into the lounge chair he was sitting in; the agent finally spoke up.

"Well Mr. Windsor, I want to find out how much of a beast can this "Vincent" really be. What if he had all his abilities heightened? Could he become a demigod? Could we fulfill the original project's original goal of creating super soldiers from normal humans?"

Mr. Windsor thought for a minute that Reynold's reasonings were just and fair. This project was critical to the future development of science - especially in human generics - as well for humanity. But, how about the safety of humankind? Questions and worries related to this topic flooded Windsor's thoughts.

"Couldn't that pose a danger to normal citizens?"

"Well, if he tries to harm innocent people, that is where your anti-beast antidote will be useful. Besides, you have been getting lots of money from the government for this project, well, mostly yourself. Am I right?"

The agent chuckled lightly at that notion before taking another sip of wine. After taking a couple of sips, he placed the glass down on a small table next to him. He gestured from the millionaire to come and join by sitting in a vacant lounge chair near his. Reynolds also poured some of his Bordeaux wine into an empty glass, offering it to the millionaire to take part in a little drink. However, Windsor refused; he still had many more questions that he needed the answers to now. Reynold noticed and picked up his wine glass once again, savoring the taste of the red wine inside.

"How about your daughter? Does she know about this?"

"Ha! She doesn't know anything about you, me, nor this project. She has been cooped up in a hospital bed for a week. Besides, that brown-nosing ADA is keeping her company and her mind far from the thoughts of Vincent. I heard that she isn't returning to work in the near possible future too."

"Gabe Lowen? What! Has he been digging his nose deep into our project?"

"He barely scratched the surface. I have asked the government to keep locks on this project's details and keeping our secrets safe. Besides, they want us to be successful this time as they asked us, not Muirfield, to restart their beast experiments from twelve years ago. Also, Gabe is too infatuated with my daughter to be sniffing around. He's been severely worried about her state. It seems that he has been visiting her every day."

Windsor sighed, "That's some relief. That pesky ADA was sniffing around the lab last week, trying to uncover secrets. However, my daughter was able to scare him off. I want him off our backs."

"Agreed," Agent Reynolds spoke in agreeance, putting down his empty wine glass, "Let me handle Gabe. I need you to continue taking care of these experiments."