a/n: scared by the frequent updates? So am I. Especially since I should honestly be focusing on rewriting my story from nanowrimo. Whatever. This is helpful to me for improving. My next fanfiction might be a jeankasa au or a road trip au for something like pokemon or percy Jackson. I would like to write for some lesser fandoms though…

this one has the Mocking J's Oc in full.

Chapter 5

"You're awake." A familiar voice said next to him. Clive slowly blinked, frowning as he saw the brunette girl in glasses sitting next to him. A few dull beams of sunlight streamed into the room, shining in his eyes.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Three days." She paused. "I was starting to get worried."

"Did they make it out?"

Katarina was silent for a long time, making his heart beat a little faster. No. They had to have gotten out. They had to have. If not, it had all been for nothing. He'd let someone else die on him.

"Not… not for long. It was horrible. They were beat upon escaping by one of the rioters."

Clive winced, feeling the burns stinging. He hadn't saved them. Just like he hadn't been able to save his parents. Just like he'd had killed thousands of people with his mobile fortress. His head ached as he

"Where are we, Kat?" He rubbed his eyes, sitting up. "The flat?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the faintest of smiles come across her features. Was it the nickname he used? Before he could confirm it, it faded away into a frown.

"We're in underground London."

He nearly choked. Underground London? It exploded! Not to mention how they would even be able to get into it without killing themselves? He was sure they hadn't gotten in through the clock shop. Cogg and Spring wouldn't let them through. That is, if they were still living there. It wasn't hard to believe that at least a few people didn't manage to evacuate somewhere safer.

He looked around the mostly empty bedroom, struggling to get up and look out the window. Sure enough, they were in his London or at least something that looked like it. Maybe a good portion of it had managed to withstand the explosion? It almost made him sick to be back here and he wanted nothing more than to be back home in his room. Not only was it how he started this whole mess, but it was how he single-handedly wasted all of his inheritance in three years.

A tall woman walked into the room, clearing her throat. "Mr. Dove?"

"That's me." Clive struggled to get up. "Where's the professor?"

"He woke up earlier, but who I really wanted to talk to was you." The woman smirked in a way that made even him uncomfortable. "Privately, of course."

Katarina stared at the woman before nodding and left. He hoped she could stay, but he was reluctant to mess with the woman. Even with what he'd been through, this woman was still able to scare him half to death.

"I'm Monique Dixon. I really admire your work." The woman smiled, holding out her hand.

He shook it with hesitation, trying his best to look her in the eyes. "I'm afraid I can't say the same, Ms. Dixon. Take that however you'd like."

She tilted her head in the slightest, her mane of unruly red hair falling over her shoulders. "And why would you say that?"

"Bad career choice. Besides killing at least a thousand people, wasting my entire inheritance and then being sent to prison for a good while, it was pretty hard to get any kind of job or get into a university."

"You've inspired a revolution." A grin spread across Monique's painted red lips. "The government's finally opened its eyes. If we could replicate it, maybe we could overthrow them…"

Clive felt his stomach churn with uneasiness. She wanted to recreate the fortress or something just as bad?

"It was a mistake." He managed through gritted teeth. "Besides, I'm not the one who built it. I didn't design most of it either. Not to even mention that it took three years to finish it."

"I'm not looking to build a fortress, Mr. Dove. I'm looking to build something much more… one use."

"Like a bomb?" He frowned.

"Exactly like a bomb."