CHAPTER 2
Arthur's limited edition Altis car all but glided into the parking lot of "The Trance," purring as it went. Although the Scorpio company had released a regular version made of two percent althruium to the public a few years ago, this car was custom made for both him and his father. It was made up of fifty percent althruium, which sapped Arthur of his energy after the creation of the two cars, while the ones made for their staff were made up of five percent althruium.
He turned it off and sat there, staring at the throngs of people all lined up, waiting to go in. From where he sat, he could tell the inside would be full by now, and he couldn't possibly go in with Cleopatra wrapped around his finger. Arthur felt a headache coming on from contemplating if he should go in through the front door or around the block.
The Trance was more than people took it for; it was both a club and a casino, alright. But it was also a cover-up of one of the biggest and most important labs owned by Scorpio that operated underground. It was also Arthur's favorite work space, where he carried out all the ideas in his head as well as experiments with althruium.
Arthur contemplated his choices as he absentmindedly twirled the ring around his fingers, knowing he held one of the most wanted and dangerous weapons in the world right now and that Omar was only the beginning. He closed his eyes and sighed, gently hitting his head on the headrest of the car in a rhythmical manner.
His shoulders sagged as he felt drained all of a sudden. He has always had a penchant for building things. While his friends had been solving puzzles and building sand castles, he had been building little weapons and blowing things up. Whether at home, school, or company
His parents didn't mind, but the people around them had been extremely concerned about his welfare and his father's property, which always ended up on the wrong side of the deal. He could remember his mother telling him he was free to blow things up, himself included, if he chose, because he'd only have his childhood once and he was invincible.
His seven-year-old self had asked her what happened when he blew up everything, and she had told him to get himself ready. Because he was going to use that genius brain of his to build it all up again. He had sensibly nodded then, thinking how it all made sense, but not now. Now, he felt ripped off, like he had been cheated into bearing a responsibility he wasn't ready for.
He smiled at the memories and thought about how old habits die hard, because here he was building things used by the military, governments, and God knows who else. Arthur had long lost count of his clients because they came from all over the world.
His father had asked him to put his talent to use at the company at an early age because he had been the "baby genius." But he chuckled mirthlessly as he thought about how tired Baby Genius now was, especially since his father had taken the backseat of the companies and let him run everything at his own discretion.
Thinking about all this now, he couldn't help but wonder if his mother probably knew he was different from the other kids. She tended to say the weirdest things at the perfect moment, which always fit with whatever had happened or he was going through.
Arthur deeply inhaled through his nose with his eyes closed and his hands tightly wrapped around the steering of his car. Then he exhaled through his mouth, opening his eyes as he felt his head clear up from his thoughts and the headache—somewhat.
He glanced at the crowd again and decided to go through the back when he spotted her coming through the doors. The party had obviously ended for her because she was drunk. It's not like it made her any less attractive than the other times he had seen her, during one of his quality times with Grainger and his boys.
She had always been a silent spectator, watching, ready to slip out of hiding if he couldn't handle their excessive exuberance. He watched her try not to stagger as she walked down the road, probably to her place or something. Arthur didn't know when he slipped on the ring, started the ignition, and began to slowly follow after her from behind. All his concerns about Cleopatra were gone with the wind.
They had come quite a long way; the club got lost in one of the numerous corners they had turned when she suddenly took a sharp detour. Arthur hit the brakes and parked his car because he knew that place and knew his car couldn't get through the narrow lane. He thought about going back, but his need to see her safely home overrode his sense of judgment. So he turned off the car, willed his face mask back on, and stepped down, inhaling the night air as he did.
Arthur looked this way and that, but saw no one about. Although his senses picked up on some people hiding in the dark, he pretended not to know and let his head drop to hide the ghost of a smile on his face. These people were really asking for it, he thought, as he entered the lane she had followed.
Arthur hadn't gone far when he sensed someone behind him and dodged, swiftly turning around. He found he had barely missed a kick aimed at his head by—wait, her? His mind almost blanked out on him like it always did when he was really surprised, but he forced it to keep going.
He tilted his head to the side, his amusement evident by the slight upward lift of his mouth as he studied her up close. Arthur saw how calm she was, when other ladies would have panicked and tried to make a run for it. But this wildcat stood there, poised for a fight. She even topped it all off with a stare that dared him to come closer and get some.
His eyes wandered down to her puny little fists, but a closer look told him those fists could do quite a large amount of damage to him. He chuckled and was about to say something when, suddenly, masked men in black started jumping down from the buildings around them. Arthur groaned inwardly at the interruption and glanced at the girl to see her reaction, but she simply stood there, watching them make their entrance.
"This one's interesting," he chuckled in amusement, not sparing the men around them a glance.
A look of understanding passed between Arthur and the girl, and abruptly, they turned their backs on each other and faced the men, ready for a fight. The men took that as an invitation and silently charged at them, and a fight ensued.
"Professionals" was the first thought on Arthur's mind as the fight commenced.
He wondered who she was to have these kinds of people come after her and for her to hold her own so beautifully. Arthur was beginning to feel bored with the fight and was about to start dealing real damage when he saw the men suddenly begin to retreat.
"No, you don't," he growled, pissed, as he turned around.
Right on time, and saw the girl slung over the shoulder of one of the guys, unconscious, as he tried to crawl up one of the walls. Arthur leaped and overtook the unfortunate guy in one bound. His hand swung out and back as Arthur leaped back to the ground in one neat movement.
The guy was about to leap onto one of the roofs and disappear when he felt his body go limp and lose control as he fell, helplessly letting go of the unconscious body of the girl. But Arthur caught her as she free-fell, while the guy crashed to the ground, dead. A deep gash ran from one side of his neck to the other.
The others didn't wait to be told twice or scapegoated; they disappeared into the night in terror before Arthur could look their way. He glanced down at her and smiled at how peaceful she seemed and how well she fit in his arms. Chuckling, he carried her and started jumping from one roof to the next, heading for her house.