The Doll House Chapter Four The DOll House Chapter Four

China wasn't the best place for a woman to be. It was never safe, even years before the Doll System was created. Now, in the chaotic aftermath of the Dolls Freedom Act, tension had grown much thicker. Dorothy Catalonia did not care though. She was going to do what she came to do, and no one would stop her.

Clothed in a traditional Chinese dress with splits UNtraditionally high on each hip and soft, white-blonde hair placed in an elegant bun, she easily stood out. For in China, in these days, women had been forced to begin wearing veils and robes, much like the women of India and the Arabic nations of old. But Dorothy could get away with it. She was a senator, after all.

She sauntered across the street to the meeting point she had arranged with Quatre Winner. He was late, damn him. She glanced at her watch impatiently, yet gracefully. She wasn't the type of woman who would wait all day for anything, much less a man. Her impatience was distracted though, when a voice came from the shadows behind her. "Hello, Miss. Are you aware of our customs concerning women?" the Chinese man asked her in perfect English. In the year AC 197, English was the universal language, with only hints and remnants of original dialects still intact.

"Of course I'm aware. I'm also aware that I am not Chinese, nor am I a Chinese citizen. Therefore, your foolish customs do not apply to me." she said cooly, turning her face away from him.

Two more men emerged at her sides. "We don't think you understand, Miss. We don't care where you come from. You're on our soil, you obey our rules!"

"I am a guest to your nation from the Universal Congress! I will obey no such outlandish rules. They are moronic to begin with, and I refuse to humble myself to the customs of your old-fashioned country."

"Maybe the cops are afraid to say anything to a high and mighty senator, but to us, you're just another woman!" one of them yelled, lunging toward her. She easily evaded his would-be attack by simply stepping aside at the right moment, effectively making him look like a fool. Another of them cursed under his breath and grabbed her wrist. She wasted no time flipping him over her own head and slamming him into the ground.

"I'm not all bark, boys. You would do wise to remember that." The third man helped the other two scramble to their feet and they took off back down they alley they came from.

A faint clapping came from the next alley, as another man strolled over to her. "I thought I would step in and be the hero, but you probably would've beat me down the same as them for treating you as a damsel in distress, ne?"

"You know me well, Quatre." she smiled, icey eyes gleaming.

Quatre just grinned, the ciggarette dangling from his lips. The two eyed each other form a moment before they both stepped foward until they met in a gentle hug. "I missed you." he finally said.

"I missed you too." she replied, pulling back. "But we're here for business, Quatre. We can have a better reunion later."

He nodded and the two of them headed down the alley. "The coordinates Trowa sent me lead to an underground base that should be around here somewhere." Quatre said, holding a piece of paper with numbers written across it. He stopped suddenly and pointed to a pot hole in the ground. "Doesn't that look a little... unnatural?" he asked.

Dorothy walked over to it and tapped her shoe against it. "Hollow," she said, "but it doesn't seem like a sewer line should be through here. Let's check it out."

Together, they pulled the large metal cover aside and peeped down. It looked like some sort of tunnel. "Well this is inconspicuous." Dorothy remarked, climbing down the ready ladder.

"No one cares about the Dolls and the government is no doubt supporting them. Why should they work too hard to hide?"

"You have a point." she answered, walking down the narrow passage way. He followed close behind, until they neared a light. They slowed down and peeked around the corner from which the light was coming from. Quatre gasped, the ciggeratte falling from his mouth. Dorothy narrowed her eyes in anger. For what they saw was not only horrifying, but it was also maddening, and Dorothy could feel the rage building up in her soul.

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