It was quiet and dark in the house. The sun would begin to rise shortly, but until then, Cat found herself wide awake with questions on her mind. She sat up in bed, focusing on every little sound in the house to determine if she had a moment to herself. She could hear the tiny claws of Mojo the Chihuahua delicately tapping against the floor as he sleepily made his way downstairs to grab a bite to eat from his dry foods bowl. She could hear the sounds of everyone else breathing slow and easy while they rested. She tiptoed to the window and looked down at the garage. The garage windows were dark. Bumblebee's usual radio noises had fallen to rest.
"Perfect," Cat whispered to herself as she turned to her bed and went underneath it. She pulled out the old Alchemy spell-book. It's soft, leather binding felt fragile as Cat carefully removed the book and placed it on her desk, nearby.
Cat opened the book slowly so as not to rip the stiff parchment pages. Cat felt as though this book were from a different realm, or it was handmade long ago. It had no title pages, no reference pages, and the illustrations were clearly an afterthought of the short paragraphs written on each page. She found some that were written in other languages, but she recognized most of the transmutation circles. Page after page, Cat rolled through each and every page, hoping to find some answers. She stopped on a small, quick spell.
"Some of this is hard to make out... But I think this is a paper bird circle. It might be best if I started with something small," Cat quietly thought aloud as she pulled out a piece of paper, drawing a transmutation circle on her desk in pencil (Judy would probably kill her if she used anything permanent). She crumbled up a small piece of paper and placed it directly in the center. She then placed both hands on the outer rim of the transmutation circle and focused.
Cat cleared her mind, taking a big breath and letting it all out. She closed her eyes and envisioned the completed paper bird flying off of the desk. She felt nothing happening.
"Come on," she whispered, "I've done this thousands of times. I'm a highly trained Alchemist, I can DO this!"
The room remained silent. She cracked open one eye and looked down at the transmutation circle. The crumpled up piece of paper had not moved, nor changed. Cat closed her eye again, leaving her hands steady on the circle. Cat's thoughts went to all of the Alchemy she'd performed while imprisoned as Project Seven. She also remembered having conjured up a giant dirt hand that had hit Barricade dead on in the chest back in the desert without the use of a transmutation circle. Why was she struggling so hard now?
Cat looked down at the paper. Nothing.
She backed her hands away and sat back in her roll chair. She stared hard at the crumpled up piece of paper as though it were mocking her and her inability to change it. The sun had begun to rise and a small beam of light poked through the window, running across the ceiling in slow motion.
"Maybe it's because this book is in a language I don't recognize. Which is strange, I've been trained in nearly every language in the world. There might be an element that I need to add, or I'm misinterpreting the transmutation circle reference... But who would know this language?" Cat looked back to the book for reference.
A sudden thought popped in her head, "Bumblebee! He could probably search the net for this language and translate it faster than I can!" Cat threw on a new outfit and grabbed the book, quietly, but quickly, making her way through the house so as not to prematurely wake anyone. She went through the kitchen and unlocked the back door, beginning her trek to the garage.
As Cat was nearly to Bumblebee, something in her mind suddenly spoke, "Seven.." it was a male's voice, one that she had heard before. She dropped the book out of surprise and stopped in her tracks.
"Seven.." The voice repeated, sounding somewhat angry even.
"W-Who are you?" Cat asked aloud, holding her ears and looking around, frantically.
"You will be ours again.." The voice growled.
Cat's eyes widened. Someone was coming for her.
"Yeah?!" Cat became angry, "WELL, COME AND GET ME!"
"Don't make this difficult for yourself, Seven," the voice seemed to tease.
A hand went to Cat's shoulder, she turned and in the heat of the moment used her right arm to strike towards who had touched her, not holding anything back, she was aiming to kill.
"WOAH!" Evan shouted as he deflected her hit with his own mechanical arm, grabbing Cat's arm in the process to stop her from attacking him, "It's just me!"
Cat's heart was beating like a drum in her chest. Her breathing was hard and quick, her eyes were wild with both fear and unhinged anger. Her body stood like stone, Evan wasn't going to be able to take another hit like that, he could feel the intensity Cat was putting off as he held her arm in place.
"It's just me!" He shouted again, "It's just me.." he lowered his voice as he could feel Cat begin to relax.
Cat looked down at the ground as she leaned into Evan slightly, her eyes beginning to water.
"Hey," Evan wasn't sure what to do as he spoke softly, "It's all right. It's okay."
Cat surprised both Evan and herself as she leaned into Evans chest and quietly wept against him, "I thought they were coming to get me!"
Evan was extremely confused, but put a cautious arm around Cat's shoulders, "Who's coming to get you?"
Cat continued to sob. She didn't even really understand why she was letting loose. She knew she'd been building up the anxiety, anger and frustration of the events happening over the last few months, but she suddenly felt as though she just couldn't hold back anymore.
"Was it Five, again?" Evan asked, trying to understand what was going on.
"No..." Cat pulled away and looked to Evan, her blue and yellow eyes filled with watery walls of fear.
Cat then realized something, "I'm lucky it was you and not a normal human," referring to Evan having his mechanical arms to block her attack with.
"I think I'm more lucky I could block your shot," Evan cracked a small smirk, "I know you don't want us around, but taking my head off would have really been a pretty good indicator."
Cat coughed a small laugh out as she calmed down.
The two walked over to the picnic table in the garden area behind the house. Cat sat down, feeling defeated.
"Why didn't you say anything before getting so close to me?" Cat asked.
"I did. I opened the door and saw you drop your book. I asked if you were okay, but you looked like you were somewhere else..." Evan spoke softly again so as no one could hear him, "Like you were trapped. You looked terrified. What happened?"
Cat looked to Evan, feeling as though she could completely trust him not to run off and tell the others what she was about to tell him, "Not too long after I moved into the Dam, I received a letter..."
Evan just sat and kept his eyes straight on Cat, listening to every word.
"It was someone letting me know that they knew I was alive, and to understand that they were looking to, essentially, capture me." Cat looked down at the empty table.
"Capture you?" Evan asked, "Why?"
"It's the same Sector eleven higher ups who ran the Projects, back when I was just a science experiment in their containment labs. They hadn't totally disbanded, and some of them had restarted their dreams to complete the perfect fighters. Just now instead of being run by the U.S. government, they're privately funded, somehow. They intend on continuing what they have started with me... and even, maybe, with new projects," Cat whispered.
Evans eyes went wide, "That's why the Autobots are so protective of you!"
Cat nodded in response.
"But... Why do they think it's best to restart things with you? It's not like you'd go along with any of it," Evan asked.
"We don't know... Every government affiliate sector has been investigating these guys. They've produced nothing out of any of the investigations. It's as if these guys are totally invisible." Cat sighed.
"So what happened to make you freak out, just now?" Evan wondered.
"I... heard a voice... And whoever it was, was trying to tell me they're onto me..." Cat admitted. "All of you are in danger with me being around..."
Evan leaned in, "Hey... No one's going to get you.. And no one, here, will ever want you to leave to make us 'safer'."
Cat looked up and made eye contact with Evan. His face and body language was speaking volumes to her. He was committed to the cause the same way the Autobots were.
"I've been pretty terrible to you.." Cat admitted, "Why do you want to help me?"
Evan looked to the table for a moment before looking back to Cat, "I made a promise to you. I know I was only six at the time, but for whatever reason even after all of the shit you've given me... I still intend to come through with that promise. You are NOT going to be one of their projects... Not with me around.."
Cat smiled. She had no doubt in her mind that Evan was being truthful.
"What were you doing out here, anyway?" Evan asked.
"Oh!" Cat looked back to the book lying on the ground in the driveway, "I had a question for Bumblebee!"
The two got up from the picnic table. Cat picked up her book, ensuring it wasn't damaged, "Come on!" she led the boy to the garage.
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Bumblebee studied the markings in the old book. He scanned them and searched the internet at lightning speed. After doing a search he looked at Cat, sitting in his bipedal mode, and shook his head.
"I see nothing of this language anywhere on the World Wide Web," he shrugged.
"Okay, then I'm not going crazy," Cat sighed.
"Maybe it's just some rubbish, made up language and this entire book is bunk," Evan theorized.
"There's hundreds of pages of Alchemy in here. And the transmutation circles are correctly drawn. I don't think this is bunk information, but I think there's someone who might know about it.." Cat replied.
"Who?" Evan asked, Bumblebee also curious.
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It was the same, old library Cat had visited before. In the middle of a small, seemingly abandoned town. The winds kicked up a cloud of dust skimmed off of the dirt roads in and out town.
Through the thick of dirt clouds appeared a motorcycle with a single rider, followed by a bright yellow Camaro. The vehicles pulled up into the small, gravel parking lot next to the dilapidated, three-story library.
Cat removed her helmet as four passengers exited the Camaro, one carrying a black leather bound book.
"You sure this is where you got this thing?" Evan asked, staring at the old building.
"Yep, this is it!" Cat hooked her helmet to the secure latch under her seat and locked the seat shut.
"There aren't any other cars, here. Maybe it's not open?" Sam asked as he scanned the area for other vehicles.
"Maybe the guy lives nearby and walks?" Cat speculated.
Mikaela watched as the old, half broken window shutters on the building slamming open and shut in the winds. This place definitely has an "The Hills Have Eyes" feel to it. Mikaela felt a creep flow up her back as she leaned into Sam, "You're a braver soul than I would be, coming out here alone, Cat."
Cat laughed, "This place is nothing! I'd much rather be here than stuck in a laboratory surrounded by jerks in lab coats!"
"Let's hurry along," Bumblebee encouraged.
Sam looked to the blonde hologram and smirked, "You're not scared are ya, big guy?"
Bumblebee frowned at Sam and followed behind Cat and Evan as they walked towards the entrance.
The door creaked as if it were about to fall off the hinges as Cat pushed it open slowly, poking her head in first, "Hello?!"
They all filed in close behind the young fighter as Cat walked in.
"Cat," Bumblebee stopped them as they were within feet from the front door.
"What's wrong, Bee?" Cat asked.
"My sensors stopped functioning as I walked in. My guidance system is also having trouble locating where we are," he seemed confused.
"I thought it was just me," Cat pulled out her phone, "My eye is still picking up bio-signatures that are close by me, but not much further. My phone is also on roam. Happened to me the last time, too."
"Let's get done so we can skip out as fast as we can," Evan suggested, "This place is making me more and more nervous."
"I second that!" Mikaela nodded.
"The sooner we find that old guy, the sooner we can leave," Cat turned back, walking further down the corridor.
The walls were lined with shelves and shelves of books. They were dust-ridden with cobwebs on every corner. There were tables and chairs for sitting and reading, but they hadn't been touched in ages by the dust marks
"This place could really use some sprucing up," Evan commented as he slid his fingers across a table to check the layers of dust.
"Helloooo?!" Cat was getting annoyed. She could feel the anxiety from Sam through their Allspark link and knew the others felt the same.
"Ca-" Bumblebee's voice trailed off. They turned and watched as his hologram disappeared into a fuzzy image, then was gone completely.
"Bee!" Sam yelled, looking around.
"It's this place," Cat said as the others frantically searched around, "It's blocking my optics' ability to see a particle field, but I'm sure of it that there's a powerful electromagnetic field. He can't maintain his hologram in here."
Beeeep* *Beeeep* *Beeeep*
Everyone looked to Cat, who's right arm was beeping continuously. She opened the panel where the emergency gps button was signaling it had been activated with a tiny red light flashing.
"Bumblebee must have activated my gps so he can keep tabs on us," Cat realized.
"He can do that?" Evan asked.
"All of the Autobots can. Wheeljack thought that if they weren't at the Dam and I went missing they wouldn't be able to find me. This way I'm never out of reach," Cat explained as she continued her search, "Especially if I'm with the kids. It could be the difference between life and death, for them most of all, which is why I agreed to have this tracker in the first place."
"EXCUSE ME!" Sam yelled, "WE'D LIKE TO GO HOME, SO IF YOU COULD JUST COME OUT, THAT'D BE GREAT!"
Cat turned towards Evan and the kids. She felt guilty for them feeling so creeped out, "You guys can go back outside if you're-"
"So you've returned.." the raggedy, familiar voice came from behind Cat as the other three's eyes went as wide as saucers.
Cat whipped back around to see a cloaked figure walking from within the shadows of the library. The face of an older man looked to Cat and smirked.
The old man stood firmly. He wore a dark grey hooded cloak which was tattered at the bottom. The cloak had quite a few years on it, the fabric matted and furry in some spots. The mans' face was mostly hidden by the cloak, but his smile was evident, even through all of the wrinkles and dry stubble. He motioned for Cat to come closer.
"Uh, er... yeah. I came back," Cat held the book up at her shoulder height, "We need to discuss this book you gave me," the group followed behind Cat with anxious feet.
"You should have no trouble with those," the man gruffed a little.
"I know I shouldn't but... I can't seem to make even the most basic things work," Cat said in a defeated tone.
"Hmmm," The old man leaned over the railing of the second story where he stood, "Come to me, child. Alone, preferably."
Cat began to walk forward when a hand caught her shoulder, "I don't like this," Evan warned, "This could be some kind of trap."
Cat turned her head to look at Evan, "I don't get that feeling from him. He seems to genuinely want to help."
"It could be a false sense of security," Mikaela whispered.
"Are you coming?" the old man raised his voice.
"Does this guy look like he has the capacity to do anything terrible?" Cat gave an annoyed look to her friends, "You guys are right here. He's not going to pull anything," Cat stepped out of Evan's grip and walked up the dusty, cobweb covered staircase.
"I don't like this one bit," Evan whispered to the other two.
"Let's give Cat the benefit," Sam quietly responded, "I don't like it either, but Cat's an experienced fighter who has the ability to sense deception... I hope.."
Mikaela gave a small nod, "Right," she agreed, "If nothing else, Bumblebee is right outside."
Cat stopped at the base of the staircase, took a deep inhale and continued her trek up the stairs, her friends watching with bated breath. Once she reached the top, she turned to face the elder. He had a crooked smirk on his face, one that made her blood run cold.
"What seems to be the problem?" he asked, nodding towards the book in her hand.
Cat suddenly remembered that she was carrying the book of Alchemist spells in them and snapped back to attention, away from the old mans' appearances, "Oh... Uh... Right. I know practically every language on this planet, but I don't know this one."
"Hmm," the man stepped forward, all the way up to Cat. His walk was steady, but with a slight limp. He strolled right up to Cat. Instead of reaching for the book he grabbed Cat by her chin, pulling her face down to his a bit as he was slightly shorter than her.
Evan began to take a step towards the two, Sam and Mikaela holding him back.
"Cat's not fighting, you shouldn't either," Mikaela warned, trying to give Evan reassurance.
The old man gave an annoyed side glance towards the three friends before turning back to Cat, looking her up and down from the top of her head to her chin. Cat was annoyed herself, she didn't like people touching her, though she put up with it for a moment. If she didn't play along, he might not give her the answers she needs.
"I didn't notice this before," the old man gave a scratchy whisper.
"Notice what?" Cat was almost glaring at him at this point.
"Your soul..." he let go of her face.
"What about my soul?" Cat rubbed her chin in response to the strong grip the old man held on her.
He turned and began to limp away, his hand soft gliding along the railing as he paced in thought. Cat was afraid he was going to just walk away without having said anything and nearly yelled out at him in anger before he turned to look at her with a side glance.
"Your soul is fragmented. You do not possess the power you once had because your soul has fragmented. You DO carry a fair amount of power. But you cannot complete an Alchemy spell when your own soul is not properly yours," he explained, shaking his head.
"Huh?!" Cat was dumbfounded, "How can that be?" she asked.
The old man thought for a moment, Cat could see that his mind was searching for the answers. He turned to face her fully, his dirty, raggedy robes scraping across the floor.
"Have you by chance... Died... at any point in your life?" The old man queried.
Cat was stunned but thought of the many times that this had occurred. She nodded her head, "Y-yeah... Why?"
"What's this dude going on about?" Evan asked.
Sam and Mikaela were at a loss as well, until Sam remembered something, "Wait, wait, wait... Didn't Cat say that her and Five stood in front of a door?" he looked to Mikaela.
"Oh... You're right! That's when Five told Cat to go back and live or something, right?" Mikaela couldn't recall the entire story.
Cat had heard the kids talking and her mind suddenly jolted her back to her standing in front of a large, wooden door. She could barely recall the exact markings on it, but she nodded to the old man, "I... I think so... Yes, me and Five were -"
"You and who?" The man's voice suddenly jumped up a level, his question was more demanding than anything.
"Me and... my sister... She was there too," Cat was nearly too lost in thought to think about anything else but that moment she and Five stood together in a space shared in front of that door.
"Wake up Seven... Open your eyes my little sister..." It wasn't the same rough voice that she had heard on her more recent travels. It was firm, yet soft and comforting.
Cat slowly opened her eyes, a bright while light surrounded her as she floated. She gently turned her head from side to side, noticing that she was completely surrounded by this light. It seemed to go on forever every which of way, even above and below her.
"Seven, I'm so glad to see you," Cat turned to her left and saw Five floating nearby her in the same manner.
"Five? What's going on?" Cat asked. She found herself still completely calm, her voice was soothing even to herself. And then she noticed something.
"Five... Your eyes... They're brown again. How is this so?" Cat asked.
As if on cue, a double-door walkway appeared out of nowhere. It was about fifty feet away, but it was still close enough to make out all of it's features. It appeared to be made of dark wood, laced with gold trim and alchemic spells cast upon it.
"What is this?" Cat asked.
Five turned to the doorway and said, "It's the path to the next life. It's the door that every Alchemist stands before to be judged in death. It... It gave me back my old body. The one that I was born with! I can't believe it myself but... Here we are!" Five turned back to Cat with a smile... A genuine smile. One that showed that she was feeling true happiness.
Cat floated forward a bit towards the doors and asked, "Does that mean it's my turn to be judged?"
Before she went even two feet, Five grabbed Cat by the front of her tank top and stopped her from going any further.
"...I was told to give you a message before you went..." Five looked down and away from Cat.
"What is it?"
"Your... sister.." The old man seemed as though he were also at a loss of words for the moment before coming back with, "So the door opened for your sister and you were able to leave?"
"N-No... No I don't think it opened for her either. I was pulled out of there by... Well I.. Don't recall how I got out of there. But I left her standing in front of the door while I escaped... You see she had created a circle that would allow us to bond our bodies together as one body... But she died before she could initiate the spell."
"I see... I think I understand now," the old mans gold eyes looked straight into Cats' eyes, "Your sister meddled in the gate and with your souls. She left parts of her own soul within you, you leaving parts of yours with her."
Cat gasped slightly under her breath, her heart practically stopping as she processed what he had just told her.
"Tell me," he asked again, "Do you occasionally hear or see your sister?"
"On uh..." Cat looked over at her three friends, knowing only one of them really knew about her moments of Five cutting into her vision and mind, "On occasion she seems to get in my head... I can't make her stop and the only way I think I can do that is if-"
"You were dead... Or on the verge of death," The old man surmised, "Is that right?"
Cat's eyes were wide and she was suddenly not sure of what to think. She nodded slowly.
"Hmph," the old man lowered his head, "Young lady... I know of the battles you are fighting within yourself. The temptation to find what you are looking for will forever have a hold over you..."
Everyone was quiet, focusing on what the old man had to say.
"If you ever want any semblance of a normal life, you'll give up on it now and let your sister go..." He started to turn and walk away.
"I can't do that!" Cat growled, the old man stopping in his tracks and turning back towards the girl.
"She's trying to tell me something! I just know she is! I NEED to take back my Alchemy skills!" Cat yelled, angrily.
"What you need is to give up! You're a fool if you believe you can save yourself... OR your sister..." The old man once again turned and began to walk away. Cat wasn't about to let this trip go wasted.
Cat ran around to the front of the old man and held up the book, "I need to know how to translate this language so I can understand the spells!"
The old man looked to the book. His eyes stared so hard into it that he could've burned holes right through the ancient binding of the tattered old thing. He then set his gaze upon Cat, with a soft, understanding expression of guilt. Cat almost dropped the book as she lowered it to meet his eyes.
"The problem isn't the language of the book. It isn't the ancient text or writings," he started, "The problem... is you..."
"Huh?!" Cat wondered what he meant, "What's that supposed to mean?" she began to get extremely irritated.
"You, no doubt, have all the memories of training in Alchemy, correct?" he asked.
Cat nodded, "Of course I do!"
"You could most likely perform any of these spells... But as long as your soul is in fragments, your power is very limited to your abilities.." he growled.
"You mean... Unless I can separate with Five... I'll never be able to perform alchemy?" Cat asked.
"That's right. You understand, now, why I told you to give up," the old man walked around Cat as she stood still, "There's no guarantee that you would survive such a feat..." he disappeared into the dark corridors of the library.
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Cat was laying in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her window was slightly open so she could hear the sound of a Spring breeze blowing softly by. She had stared at the same ceiling for months. When she could do nothing but lay in bed as her legs regained strength, to the sleepless nights of thinking back on her life in a cold, concrete cell. She couldn't help but think of the advice given to her by the strange imp of an old man at the library earlier that day. Give up? But Cat just knew that Five was trying to tell her something. She desperately needed to know what Five was attempting to say.. But there was some truth spoken by the old man. Cat had lived a tumultuous life until she had met Sam and Mikaela. Sam's parents had given her a chance to live a normal life by allowing her into their home and caring for her like no one ever had before. She never dared to try and think of the Witwicky family as her own, for fear that she would lose them, but it was impossible not to love them for the life they had given her. She could, this very day, live life between the Witwicky home and the Dam as though nothing would ever harm her ever again..
Cat sat up in bed at that thought.
"I can't live life like a normal person," she said quietly, "There are Decepticons out there just waiting for their chance to get back at me... Not only that, but Sector Eleven is still somewhere out there. They'll never let me live normally either. I'll always be watching my back... And I'll always be worried for those who have to live around me..."
Cat looked out of the window of her room at the full moon on the horizon, beginning its nightly trek up into the sky, "The Autobots can't live a normal life either... They know just as well as I do, that there's no 'normal' for any of us... It's impossible to let our guards down..."
A small knock came at her door. She looked over to see the hologram form of Bumblebee poke his head in, "Cat?" he spoke softly.
"What's up, Bee?" Cat walked over to the window and just stared out of it, hoping not to make eye contact with anyone at the moment, even with a hologram.
"You've been very quiet this evening," Bumblebee stepped into the room slowly, as if preparing for an attack.
"Yeah? Well I have a lot on my mind, that's all," Cat was stern and short with her answer.
"Understood," Bee just stood a bit uncomfortably in the room watching Cat for a moment.
"Anything else?" Cat asked.
"Well," Bumblebee shifted his way a few more feet into the room, although he could tell that Cat wasn't really interested in having company at the moment, "I wasn't sure if you'd like to talk about anything that happened today."
Cat sighed, "There's nothing really to talk about, Bee," she crossed her arms as she stared up at the starry sky, "I'll just keep getting these cryptic messages from Five the rest of my life and never be able to do anything about it.."
"Right, right," Bee nodded and looked around the room for a moment before he looked back to Cat, "And when exactly were you going to tell someone else that Five has been constantly contacting you through these cryptic messages?"
"Ugh," Cat groaned, "And there it is, the other shoe drops, huh?"
Bumblebee looked down curiously at his feet, "No, both shoes are where they should be, I believe."
"All of this we've learned today and you just HAVE to stay on top of anything you perceive that I've done 'wrong'!" Cat sat on the bed with her back to the hologram.
"Ah... Well, maybe we could have helped or even stopped-" Bee started before being cut straight off.
"At some point, Bumblebee, I'm going to have to deal with these things. And you, or Ratchet, or Optimus... NONE of you will be able to help me.. As much as you gripe at me to be more open with you, I have to do things on my own.. One day..." Bee stayed quiet as Cat began to trail off a bit, her voice calming down to a whisper almost, "One day, Bee... None of you will be there to help me.. One day... I'm going to have to make a decision that will either help me or..." Cat stopped.
"Cat?" Bumblebee worried what she was going to say next.
"My fate is not the same as yours.. My path will never be this simple human life.. As much as I've spent my time pretending that I can be part of a family, or just live a basic human existence... That was never supposed to be where I go..." Cat looked down at the floor, her face painted in exhausted anger.
Bumblebee stood quiet for a moment. As much as he hated to admit it, he and the Autobots had always known that Cat was always meant to be something greater than just live a simple human life. He sat on the other side of the bed, looking towards Cat.
"Maybe so..." Bumblebee resigned, "You have always taken the harder route that no other human could possible know about or understand..." Cat looked slightly over at Bee from the corner of her eyes, "But," he continued, "You always seem to achieve what you aim for.. You may not have the ability to perform Alchemy, but somehow I think you'll achieve a greatness far beyond what anyone, even you, could have expected."
Cat looked away, saying nothing.
"And the best part of you going above and beyond what any other human will do... Is that you still have all of us standing behind you, ready to give whatever you need from us. You've made a family out of all of us, no matter how hard to try and convince yourself otherwise," Bee finished.
"I've never tried to convince myself that you're not my family... But I'm not going to lie to myself about what kind of danger all of you are in by being around me either. And that bothers me more than anything... It bothers me that Five is never going to truly rest in death. I NEED to take back control of myself from her. I need to understand what she's trying to tell me, and maybe fix it before it can't be fixed anymore" Cat stared at the old Alchemy book the rested on her desk.
"As Primus as my witness," Bee swore with great assurance, Cat finally looking straight to him, "You will not be alone in your journey."
Cat gave a small smile and a lone nod, "Thanks, Bee."