6: Out of the Blue
"When all is said and gone, where will you stand?"
Traffic heading out of Portside was bad. Bad enough Catherine sat with both feet on the floor, elbow on the open window sill and head resting on her palm as Stevie clattered away in a parking lot of cars. Warm air flowed into the cabin, beating back the frigid mid-morning frost. She couldn't see what caused the traffic, but heard about it on the radio after they passed the exit. No thanks to Nia having turned the radio down the night before. Her toque had given way to a dark cowboy hat to keep her head warm, but the toque was far better at that then the hat.
Catherine sighed heavily, letting her lips flap together as she exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Ten bucks says it's a fatality,” the changeling said, waving a hand over one of the runes on the dashboard. A simple one to keep intruders out of the trailer. As she whispered the words, a light blue flash overtook the truck's exterior. Then faded to nothing.
Nia shook her head. “I’m not giving you money.” She gave the double barreled shotgun a pat, followed by making sure it was loaded for the third time Catherine knew of.
The sharp click of the weapon opening sent a shiver down Catherine's spine, causing goosebumps to break out across her arms. She reached for the pistol holstered between the seat and doghouse. Catherine watched Nia, again, pull each of the glass ‘shells’ out to see they were stored lightning bolts, and then slide them back in, snapping the breech shut.
Nia looked out her window at a car dealership selling the latest fancy cars.
Catherine pulled her hand away from her pistol and gave Stevie’s steering wheel a light pat. Although, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was wrong about the way Nia acted.
Nia kept checking her phone and sending messages to people while holding the device in a way Catherine couldn't see the screen. Had to be texting her son, or one of her other partners. Maybe. She couldn't be planning anything, could she? Why would she? She wouldn't. It was Nia, not some random person.
Static broke through the silence before a voice echoed from the CB radio. “Look at these idiot four wheelers trying to sneak in any chance they get. No one’s going anywhere!”
Followed by another, “Anyone see it?”
“Yeah!” a completely new voice pulled Catherine's attention up to the radio right as she drew from her cigarette pen. “I watched a four wheeler go pinballin’ across the road and slam under a sea crate!”
“I think they're having trouble pulling the body out,” another added.
“And that's why,” Nia said, snapping her fingers and motion at the radio.
Catherine shrugged. They had time to kill for sure. The load didn't need to be in Rocklin until Monday and Rocklin wasn't that far with two drivers. “How’s Sallros, eh?” Catherine asked.
“He’s doing well. Says hello, too.”
“Really?” Catherine tilted her head. “That’s a surprise.”
Nia let the phone drop into her lap next to the shotgun as she sighed and shook her head. “Yes…? He just got a dog and is asking me if I could go over and speak with it to find out why it's acting strange. Wants to make sure it's not a druid. You know, unlike some people.”
Catherine rolled her eyes at that and stuck the cigarette pen in her mouth. Her eyes were drawn to movement in the mirror as she exhaled a steady stream of warm smoke, turning it white with the crisp air outside. A person moved through traffic, cutting in between cars as they headed right for her trailer. She grabbed her pistol, racked the slide back and glanced at Nia.
“We got trouble,” Catherine said.
Areannia's light-pink eyes widened. “Here?! Where are they gonna go!?”
“Probably planning to teleport the load.”
“It might be a cop! Don’t overreact again!”
“Stay here.” Catherine popped open the door, swinging it wide on squeaky hinges as she hopped to ground. Her tennis shoes slammed into the slushy asphalt as icy wind bit deep into her unjacketed arms.
“Godsdammit, Cathy!” Nia yelled from inside the truck. “Get back in here! Nothing’s going to happen!”
Catherine glanced at the older car next to her and waved at the old woman completely oblivious to the world around them by way of watching a movie on her phone.
Having her pistol out in broad daylight might be a stupid idea, considering it's bright pink, but it was an idea nonetheless, especially since she couldn't cast her magic in public. Or rather, she wasn't supposed to. Nothing stopped her from summoning force blasts aside from an agreement between her and the new dragon government: No public displays of offensive magic unless doing so would preserve the secrecy.
Catherine thought of a spell she could use as she crept low along the cars, keeping an eye on the person moving through traffic, but they seemed to be moving awkwardly. Less upright and wore a helmet blocking anyone from seeing what they looked like, complete with a dark jacket. She pulled her pen out from her pocket and took a puff as she passed car after car, both hoping that it’d calm her racing heart and to mix a sleep spell into the smoke.
When the person came close enough for Catherine to see that it was just a motorcycle, her thoughts didn't change. They could still be a wizard or sorcerer trying to hijack the load. She leaned on the back of the trailer, pulling her hat low in a nod to the motorcyclist, never taking her purple eyes off them the entire time they slowly weaved around cars and moved on by Stevie. The changeling tilted her head back and exhaled, letting the spell flow out into the sky above.
Why filter through traffic when they could ride along the breakdown lanes?
Catherine finally stepped around the trailer when it was clear the motorcyclist wasn’t there for them. She ran her hand along the bottom of the doors, and up both sides as best she could, feeling the edges for a spell. Her magic flowed from her hand, seeping into the wood and metal looking for anything as her nails glowed a bright purple.
There was an old one on the door from a few minutes ago. A tracking mark of some kind if she were to guess. The threads wandered along the length of the trailer, down into the tires and even into the ceiling, all the way to her semi. Catherine pictured scissors in her hand as she ‘cut’ the thread and killed the spell.
It popped, sending a jolt of energy into her palm as pain flared across her arm. She cried out, nearly dropping the pistol. Her mind recalled a night long, long ago when she watched a living cloud devour someone and then come for her. Electrical tendrils snaked up her arm, pulling her toward it until her arm became a shell of ants again biting at her skin.
A flash of light smacked her in the face, sending Catherine reeling back. She stumbled into the trailer and covered her eyes, ears ringing profusely as her world tilted in a few different directions.
A trap.
Her hand burned within, smoke trailing off the skin as it tried to melt away, filling her nostrils with the stench of rot and purification. A woman cackled in her ears.
After checking the enchanted lock to be sure it was still there, she stumbled her way back to the cab. Her hand burned the entire way. She couldn't cry out or she’d draw too much attention. She had to complete her delivery, and she couldn't let other people see the bubbling skin, or the colorless tone it was taking. Catherine even kept her face toward the trailer in case her disguise had failed.
She didn't know if it did or not, so she made her way as quickly as she could back to the cab and climbed inside.
Nia looked over, then ahead and back over, eyes wide. “What the fuck?!”
“I need a healing potion!” Catherine shouted as she holstered the pistol next to the seat. She closed the door with her hand and reached behind her for Areannia’s bag.
But Areannia was faster. She had the bag open and was already pulling a golden vial out for Catherine.
The changeling grit her teeth at the fire smoldering underneath her skin and popped the cork, tilting the vial out over her hand. Amber fog drifted out as the honey and berry scented liquid splashed against the skin.
The burn flared like she just touched Stevie’s exhaust after a long day of driving, and yet the only show of it Catherine did was closing her eyes and grimacing. Beneath her, the semi moved forward on its own with traffic, slipping itself into gear as it worked the clutch all like it were its own driver. Not enough to get rolling properly, but enough that they were two meters further than where they started.
Catherine took a soaked bandage from Nia and wrapped it around her forearm. Then held the forearm out for Nia to grab.
Nia placed a hand over the wound, closed her eyes and whispered in a language Catherine didn't know.
“Someone put a tracker on the trailer and it's a trap,” Catherine said through her teeth as a warm glow took over her arm.
The magic seeped through the bandage and into Catherine's hand, a small smirk crossing Nia’s face as her eyes flared with magic for a moment and then died down. It was enough to heal the wound for the most part, but not enough to completely heal it just yet. “You forgot about your spell, didn't you?” Nia asked and shook her own arm as an ache throbbed underneath the skin.
“Huh?” Catherine blinked at her. She let out a soft sigh when the magic soothed the burning in her arm.
“Your defense spell!” Nia pointed at the dashboard where the defense rune and muffler were active.
“It stings.” Catherine pulled her hand away from Nia and shook it a couple of times.
“No shit. It's a lightning spell. Want me to drive?”
Catherine shook her head. Her fingers were red, but no longer bubbled. The skin looked fine, but hurt with each small twitch. She grabbed a black bottle from the storage compartment above the driver’s seat and sipped from the boysenberry flavored liquid.
“Why are you drinking that? You don’t need it.” Nia leaned toward Catherine, looming in her face like a cop inspecting a crime scene.
“Painkillers,” Catherine said as she capped the bottle, and put it away again.
The radio chatter had gone quiet, likely because Nia turned the radio down again, so Catherine reached up to turn it down, and then up to be sure.
“Gethel isn’t a painkiller, Cathy. You told me you quit taking it.” Nia went back to her seat and adjusted herself so she could comfortably rest one boot on the dashboard. Then closed her eyes. “Why did you start again?” Nia added.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Catherine reached for her cigarette pen and realized she didn't have it. She felt her pockets, checked inside her hat and then looked in the mirror. “Dammit… I forgot my vape.”
“I’ll get it.” Nia opened the squeaky door on her side.
Catherine grabbed Nia’s arm and kept her from leaving. She shook her head. “I’ll get a new one when we stop outside Nalia.”
Nia’s eyes went to Cathy’s face for a moment as she thought about what to do. Then she smiled and nodded, closing the door. “Alright. How are you feeling?”
“Aside from the arm?” Catherine held it up.
“Aside from the arm.”
“Not good.” Catherine shook her head, eyes slowly scanning from one car to the next around them, right as her cell phone dinged with a message. “I’m worried we might get hijacked. I’m worried there might be a bullet with your name on it hiding in any one of these cars. We can't sit here, Nia.”
“Well, if you stopped drinking that shit you might think clearer.”
Catherine glared at Nia for a moment. “That’s not what happened.”
“What do you propose we do then?!”
“I wish they'd just use magic and move the wreck or…” Catherine’s voice trailed off as she pulled her pink cellphone out of the overhead storage compartment. “Chessa can move it, eh?”
“For fucks sake… They've already got dragons on the scene. Look!” Areannia pointed out the window at an armored silver dragon circling overhead looking as if it was trying to find space to land, wings spread wide, neck craning around.
“Oh good. I didn't wanna hear Chessa rant about showing herself in public, because something something dragon code.”
“How did you meet her?”
Catherine tilted her head a bit. “Hmm?”
Nia flashed a smile. “We're stuck in traffic. Might as well have a story, no?”
“Well, why not.” Catherine shrugged and reached for her cigarette pen again, but found it was still missing. “Not much to it, really. It was after I left the Navy. I signed aboard a merchant ship bound for Halifax and little did I know that’d change everything I understood about the world.”
“What do you mean?” Nia folded her arms across her chest, leaning against her seat as she let her feet rest on the dash.
“See, the ship was… not what you’d expect, eh? A crew of misfits at best and a bunch of degenerates at worst. The list of their important employees is as follows.” Catherine held a pinky finger out and counted from there. “An ex-combat android known as ‘Cat’. Anita, a woman who is more tree than person and will absolutely talk your ear off about her favorite subjects.”
“Are you just making shit up now?” Nia raised an eyebrow at Catherine. She patted the doghouse between them as she looked up at the radio, clearly listening for any new information. “You never told me there was a bot involved in your old adventures.”
No news about the wreck.
Catherine shook her head. “You know me, eh? I don’t make shit up.” Bend the truth? Perhaps. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel one after the other in rhythm, much like the faint song coming from the stereo system. “So, that isn’t everyone on the ship, but they’re the most relevant to the story.”
Nia brought a hand close so she could rub her chin as she listened to the tale.
“This was that one job you hired me to do back in forty-three."
“The one you disappeared on?”
“Yeah. I was pregnant with Elly and Chessa was rightly concerned I’d gotten in over my head. So I was driving my car. The sky was bleak, like it’s threatening to drop a tornado any second as I drove down to the docks on the winding dirt roads that made up Rocklin’s streets. Rain fell in sheets across the road as I approached a ship that should’ve been scrapped years before. The night before, some woman slipped me a piece of paper saying to meet her at the dock at a specific time.
“I don’t recall what we said that night. There was quite a bit of alcohol involved and I awoke as dawn broke, finding myself fully clothed on a rooftop with the note stuffed in my hand.
“She was waiting there for me when I approached. Chessa wore a long lace-trimmed wine-red dress, well worn cowboy hat and an umbrella to beat the rain back. She stood next to a pile of crates with two other people. One, a pale blue-eyed elf with synthetic skin, was dressed in a flannel and tricorne. While the other, a heavily tanned human with wild leaf-filled hair hidden underneath a tophat, wore patchwork clothes that not even I would wear.
“I came to a stop near Chessa and popped the door open. She tipped her hat to me and smiled. That was when I saw a holster on her hip and even Anita, the wild-haired human, had a heavy revolver on her hip while Cat didn’t appear armed.
“ ‘Nice of ya to make it,’ Chessa said to me in her signature Amarillo accent. ‘How are ya with driving a truck?’
“I shrugged. ‘Can’t be any harder than a car, why?’ And really, it isn’t!”
Nia held a finger up as if to have Catherine wait. “You said the ship was better off being scrapped? Is it the same ship as last week?”
Again, Catherine's phone dinged with an incoming message.
“Yeah.” Catherine nodded. “It’s called the Porington and was old even before I was born. Turns out Chessa had been working on the ship for near on twenty years when I met her.”
“Did you take my truck?”
“No,” Catherine said and shook her head. “They kept the truck in the cargo hold and brought it out with one of the forward cranes after we agreed to a price. It was one of those based off a pickup and modified with a supercharger and open exhaust. No markings except the bare minimum.”
Areannia tilted her head. “Like Stevie?”
“Yeah. Same color, too. They told me Chessa was my guard for the run and I asked why. Anita explained that it was necessary for a guard in the truck, and two guards to follow in Chessa’s car.
“I thought it was kind of weird at the time and should've questioned it, eh? At least, that's what you’d do.”
“I don't question everything!” Nia replied.
It was Catherine's turn to fold her arms across her chest as she stared across the cab at Nia.
“So that's how you met Chessa?” Nia asked.
“Yes. We fell in love on the trip and the captain married us at sea.”
“And nothing else happened? Where did you meet Victoria?”
“They're the same person...” Catherine tilted her head again. “Are you feeling alright? Because you're acting like your husband with these questions.”
Nia shook her head, throwing her hands in the air. “I’m just curious!”
“Then who are you texting? You haven’t put your phone down since we stopped!”
“My son, you dingbat!” Nia tossed her phone in Catherine’s lap, right as the car ahead of them moved forward a few feet. "Stop taking Gethel, please."
Catherine fumbled the catch and it fell in her lap. She ignored Stevie again moving on her own with traffic, and checked the most recent messages. Sure enough, Nia was texting Sallros about a dog he just bought the other day.
“How’s your husband?” Catherine gave her phone back to Nia.
“He’s fine.” Nia shrugged.
“Just fine?”
“Just fine.”
Catherine nodded slowly and stretched her arms over her head, pressing against the quilted interior for some resistance. “Then I guess we wait.” Her phone dinged again, and again.
“Are you going to get that?” Nia asked.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because that's the broker telling us to get rolling. We've been stopped too long and they don’t want us to wait around on this one.”
“So they're tracking the load? What are we hauling?”
Catherine shrugged, grabbed her pink phone from the cupboard and gave it to Nia. “You can see.”
Nia checked the phone and gave it back to Catherine. “Why not explain the situation?”
The changeling shrugged. “They’ll keep calling anyway.”
Nia sighed heavily and held the bridge of her nose.
*** ***
Stevie hummed along the highway as Catherine drove on toward the gate, wondering where Elora was sneaking her transfer truck through the wall to bypass the customs gate. That'd be neat information to have, because then the changeling wouldn't need to worry about the cops. She gave the semi a small pat on the wheel, and grabbed her phone from the storage compartment so she could send a text:
Could you meet me when you get off work? I wanna ask something.
I just dropped off my last load for the day. What’s up, ma? Came the reply.
It’s not something I can ask over text. Meet me in my usual spot.
You're lucky my transfer has a sleeper.
Catherine set the phone in the storage compartment again. She glanced in her mirror to see if the motorcycle was following them. All she saw were generic everyday cars that blended in with each other, except for a bright blue car that stuck out like a sore thumb. She frowned at it, but it disappeared before she could get much more than a look.
“So why did you disappear during the trip?” Nia asked.
“Oh yeah! We’d spent a harrowing week trying to deliver the goods with Anita and Cat following us in their own car. I saw why they wanted a driver who knew the area when the narrow, gravel roads we took were better suited for horses than cars.
“We encountered a few unsavory things along the way, but managed to get through it pretty easy, all things considered. After repainting the truck for the second time, we made our way through the Prism checkpoint and were driving through the city since the highway ran through the heart at the time. Chessa was driving and wondered when I was due, because I was showing quite a bit and being pregnant made hiding it hard when I couldn't change my form. My body wouldn't listen and I was stuck in this half-elven form for the time being.
“We were sitting at a red light with the modified box truck idling quietly when I looked out the side window and saw a passenger in the back of a masterfully built car. The passenger was a beautiful elven woman in a fancy dress. Like... she was so beautiful it even made me have feelings. I didn't know if I wanted to be with her or if I wanted to take her form. She stared at me for a moment. Her light frost blue hair split down her shoulders and draped over her chest in a sensual way. Pointed ears adorned with many golden rings and ruby studs pierced through her hair.
“A plain silver tiara perched neatly atop her head giving her the air of royalty. By the way her ears were barely longer than mine, and the fact that her skin looked as soft as moonlight, I guessed she was a high elf. Yet, the luxury car was similar in style to many I’d seen at the time: long hood hiding a large engine, a place for the driver to sit with another section just for the passenger much like an old carriage.”
“You mean Chessa’s wreck she's got in her garage?” Areannia asked.
“Chessa’s was more impressive by a fair amount. The poor overworked chauffeur sat in the exposed front half of the car with naught but a tarp and a thick jacket to keep him warm.
“Ice crept across the edges of the window and fog remained whenever I breathed on it. I waved to the elf woman, wondering who she was.
“She looked away from me to an elven man sitting next to her. He looked as if I’d seen him somewhere before, but I couldn't remember where. A dark blue uniform adorned his body plastered with a few medals and tassels on his shoulder. The man even had a cape! His steel blue eyes drifted to the noble next to him, before they met mine. The man said something to her and she shook her head.
"The noble elf in the other car looked at me again, reminding me of Telas in a way. More rounder features and less pointed like other elves. She rolled her window down, pointed at her ear, and then me.
“I rolled my window down and called out to the noble. ‘Yes?’
“ ‘Is there something on my face?’ She asked in an odd voice. Annoyed, yet curious. Quiet, but loud enough I barely heard it.
“ ‘No, ma’am.’ I shook my head, flashing my best smile. ‘Just thinking is all.’
“ ‘About?’
“Chessa looked around me and waved to the woman. ‘Hello! Would you like to get some ice cream?’
“I groaned and covered my face. A car behind us honked its horn in annoyance at something while another went around. The light had turned and everyone ahead of Chessa had left. Chessa threw the truck into gear, but the noble held her hand out. ‘You will stay where you are!' she yelled. 'We are conversing and it is crude to leave without saying goodbye first.’
“Chessa apologized to her.
“Then the noble called us peasants!”
“You kind of are to a noble,” Areannia said.
“Anyway! The noble sat up as straight as she could get. Her movements fluid with all the grace you’d come to expect from a high born. One who looked down their nose at us lowborn. I frowned at her. The noble looked right at me, her lilac eyes bright and filled with curiosity. ‘What makes you think you can stare at me?’ she asked. ‘Do you know who I am?’
“ ‘No, ma’am. I was merely admiring your car.’ I waved to the vehicle.
“ ‘Hah! I have heard that before. This pile of trash I drive is not fit for me. It is too plain and forgettable. I much prefer the car I have at home, for at least the seats are comfortable.’
“ ‘Looks like an Arrow,’ Chessa and hummed for a moment. ‘A fifteen I think?’
“ ‘And?’ I muttered, not at all knowing what the significance was back then.
“ ‘Worth a lot to the right buyer and I know just the dragon. I have an idea,’ Chessa said in near perfect, but accented elvish. She pulled a bright silver key from her coat pocket and held it out for everyone to see. ‘Hey, fancy lady! Wanna trade your Arrow for my Ghost?’ she said in her best elvish she could muster, but again, it was still heavily human accented and had her signature drawl.”
“Hang on… you mean the car in Vic’s garage?” Areannia asked.
“Yeah. The one in our garage. The noble leaned against her door, eyes widening. ‘You have a Ghost? Truly?’
“ ‘I got her new in thirteen,’ Chessa replied to the noble. ‘Had Harlon an’ Harlon put a touring body on. Kelasi took my order. Chassis number four that year. Painted a dark grey with a light blue interior, silver accents. Fitted with a crank mounted supercharger to make sixty-five horsepower. And runs on LCM.’
“ ‘Let me see that key!’ the noble shouted. Chessa chucked it across the gap. The noble caught it easily in her magic and flipped the key this way and that, eyes narrowed as magic swirled around it. Likely seeing if it was authentic or not.
“ ‘Don't say a word about the wreck,’ Chessa whispered softly before raising her voice. ‘I got the title in my bag and pictures of it.’
“ ‘Where is it parked?’ The high elf noble asked.
“Chessa waved in a random direction. ‘At the crossroads up near Copperopolis. A place called Dan’s. Left her there for some minor repairs.’
“I could see the noble was thinking this over while her passenger looked very, very annoyed at us. They turned and conversed with each other.”
“Is Chessa’s car made from gold or something?” Areannia asked.
Catherine shrugged. “Dunno. Apparently they only made six a year and they were twelve thousand dollars when new. This noble didn't have one. She asked us who we were and Chessa introduced us with noble titles.
“I don't know why, but I leaned on the door and smiled at the noble. She raised her eyebrow as if not believing Chessa. Why should the noble believe her? We were driving a truck and wearing cheap clothes. Well, I was. Chessa’s dress was finely made and styled nicely if you were trying to look fancy in the Old World.
“ ‘You know,’ I said and waved a hand out the window. ‘Telas Sorvskan the Fifteenth of too many titles is quite the blowhard who loves to hear himself talk. If you set the phone down, I bet he’d spend an hour talking to himself.’
“The noble rolled her eyes. ‘I had thought the rube to be gone from my memories. Even now, I can still hear his voice saying ‘Berry, my dear! My good lady! Ah, my queen!’ and so on…’ she shivered visibly.”
“Wait, wait, wait!” Nia held her hands up, shaking her head from side to side. “Are you telling me, you and Chessa swindled High Queen Berrymoon?!”
Catherine giggled to herself. “We did! She took us over to her estate where she was having a party and they swapped titles!”
“How did you get the car back?!”
“Because Chessa stole the car back after selling Berry’s to the Matriarch! It was a perfect heist.”
“Then when did you kidnap the queen?” Nia folded her arms across her chest, glaring at the changeling. “You were talking about it in your sleep the other day.”
Catherine smiled sheepishly. “That night? See, I didn't know they’d been planning to kidnap her. None of us expected the high elf queen to take me aside and demand I save her from her ‘wretched existence’.”
“What?!”
“Her words, not mine!” Catherine held her hands up defensively. “As I stared in confusion at the high elf noblewoman, I had a vision of Berry’s death if I didn't follow her words, so I did. Well. Chessa made the decision by tackling Berry’s advisor to the ground and drawing her big iron. It was quite stunning to see a short human move that fast and knock an elf off his feet.
“We ran outside and filled in the others right as a Kill Team showed up and tried to take her from us. I have never seen Chessa mad enough to dump her whole revolver into someone at point blank since that day. The only thing the man did was insult her favorite rifle for being a single shot and still using primer caps. She stepped out from the shadows and pistol whipped one of the special forces before dumping all six shots into another one at point blank! The four of us fought it out with them until her guards got involved, allowing us to slip away with Berry’s car and the truck. We burned down the hill as fast as we could while dragon cops circled the estate.”
“But she was seen the next morning making a statement on the attack?” Areannia bounced her foot off the floorboard fairly rapidly. “I remember the news about it, some fringe organization tried to take her out. No mention of the Ventros Army.”
“The war was winding down. Do you really think they'd fan the flames and keep it going? No. The Captain caught wind of the kill team and sent us in to stop it.”
“Hold on. You said four. You have Chessa, you, that robot, and Anita. The Queen makes five.”
Catherine smiled at Areannia, winking one of her purple eyes as her appearance shifted to resemble the high elf Queen’s for just a moment, complete with the frost blue hair, then back to her ‘normal’ half-elven look with dark green hair.
“Oh fuck… you swapped places with her!” Areannia’s eyes widened, jaw dropping.
“Don't be silly, Nia! I was at the bottom of the hill when she gave that speech.” Catherine's smile turned into a smirk as she placed the cigarette pen to her mouth and took a deep breath.
"What about the robot?"
"What robot?"