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You would have to look far for a person with steps more quiet. Yet the speed, for which she moved, was also near impossible to match.
The dusty, dark hallways seemed to contain an unlimited amount of doors, but there was no doubt in Kate’s mind which was the right one.
Oh so silently the door was pushed open by her fingertips. The light revealed it was already occupied.
Only just did the target have time to see her before she was on him. Both knees held down his struggling arms and her face leaned down for a thunderbolt of a kiss. A few main courses had been knocked down as both individuals had taken their place on the table.
Surprisingly for the first second Mark did resist. Eyes were little cracks and his body seemed tightened. He was in a suit certainly finer than the costume he put on each morning for work.
With just a slight smirk Kate moved a little back, freeing him and releasing her fingers from his collar. Though they looked tight, her jeans allowed full movement, as did the red top behind the leather jacket.

“This is my fault, but… Kate, you shouldn’t have done that. ”

At the moment Kate’s eyes were scanning the decorations around, not the seriousness in his voice.
The building was set for demolition later this very day, however this particular room was just one president away from being dinner at the White House. Long table with everything from salad to beef. Cola to vodka. All neatly set up. The portable lights on the floor almost made it out for candles, and the snacks almost made it out for roses.
 “You bought all this for me?” she asked in a teasing fashion.
On a midlevel government employee salary, it indeed was hard to imagine. As was his sudden spontaneousness. An abandoned high-school at midday this was so not, Mark; the guy she had been with for the last month or so.

“No,” a voice echoed from the door. “I did…”

In walked a skinny elderly man, almost fragile-looking. The logo on the jacket could not be misinterpreted.
[i]The Cabrillo fucking Group![/i]

For the first time in forever Kate’s aura of confidence disappeared from her delicate features, and changed into a hard grimace.
“What the hell is this?” She jumped down and looked from one guy to the other.

“Kate I’m so sorry. I-” But Mark’s apology was interrupted by her incoming elbow that send him right back on the table – now bleeding.

Then all the attention was directed at this stranger who started to open his mouth in a way too snobbish manner.
“You must be wondering why we are down here miss.”

“Actually I’m wondering why my foot isn’t down your throat,” became her reply.

“We are here to offer you a deal.”

Without joy her eyes peek over at the fabulous dinner table. “And you do that by tricking me to come here?”

“We could have met you with a firing squad; we choose a more polite manner.”
Much like a scarecrow the movement of this guy was stiff and awkward. Unlike her fluid cat movements. It truly became clear as they circled each other. This also gave Kate some time to think.

Her and Mark had planned to take down the Government together. To find out what they were hiding about gifted people and then crush them from within. Mark worked for them, but as he found out he too was gifted, E rank, he worried for his safety. He needed help, then one ting had let to another. Now Kate and he was together. He had said Kate was special, maybe he even loved her. She had never let him get too close, but [u]damn[/u], she had believed him. And now he had outright betrayed her: Made her meet him here right in the cross-hair. A part of her wanted to feed both men the other one’s teeth.

Now her thoughts were interrupted by the hollow sound of the Cabrillo Group’s representative.
“As you have probably figured out, you, miss X, are never stronger than your weakest link.”

“And that’s Mark, yeah I get it,” she said.
Somewhere behind her someone sounded hurt in more than one way.

However the guy, circling her, smiled.
“Our organization has spent a fortune just finding him, after getting to you was deemed near impossible even with our means.”

Now Mark finally spoke up. “You lied to me, you bastard. You said you already knew where she was.” The nativity proved the notion, of him being the weakest link, 100% right. Mark had clearly screwed up and let the organization get an audience with none other than the girl who used to make the rules about meetings.

Kate bit her lip and said to the stranger at the door: “I have my sources. I already know about your little problem. And now you want me to stop the attacks happening.” Much to the men's surprise she returned to her usual tone as her experience and instincts told her this guy was indeed telling the truth: No one really was around. No henchmen, no traps, nothing. The Cabrillo Group did try reasoning with her.

But again Mark cut in. “No. No, all they want is to ask you a few questions. Nothing major.”

“Is that what they told you?” She saw a bit of relief in his eyes as she finally faced Mark again. Not with the cheerful delight she used to, but still she faced him, and it seemed to release him from a bit of the agony.
“The Cabrillo Group want me to tip the balance,” she guessed. “They want me to get Valentin Caro to plea like a dog and accept the bargain.”

“Why do you think that?..”

Here she turned around and walked right up into the stranger's face. Even he seemed a bit uncomfortable by this sudden move, yet he remained tall and steady. Kate raised an eyebrow and confidence behind her eyes shined through. “Because they know I can do it.”