Chapter 8.2
"Wait a se- haha, you think she's my kid?" Jason broke out laughing, to no one's amusement. They were all back in the living room. Alice was sitting in Emily's lap while the others sat nearby. Jason, pulling a seat from the dining table, sat down and listened to their entire story.
"She said your name for her parents," Alina said in an accusatory tone.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean she's mine. Kids usually have a trait or a look, no matter how small, that they inherit from their parents. Look at her! If the color of her hair or eyes were similar to mine, I'd believe you. But …"
Everyone looked at Alice and realized he was right, there was nothing similar about them.
"Of course, she could be a kid of someone I … was ... with. So, uh, step-kid, in this case." Jason added, causing every person to nearly fall from their seats.
"Start off with that next time!" Alina grumbled.
"But I don't think so, she's too …" Jason frowned as he studied Alice who was still looking at him in awe. It seems his charms worked on kids too.
"What is it?" asked Emily worriedly.
"I'm not sure, but … don't you think she's too perfect looking?"
"That just means she's really pretty, right?" Asami answered, confused about what Jason was pointing out.
"Maybe. Emily, I'll be taking her now." Jason said as he stepped forward to pick Alice up from Emily.
"Wait, where are we taking her?" Alina asked.
"Somewhere safe and not obvious like a penthouse?" Jason sarcastically replied.
"Wait, what?"
"It was stupid of you to bring her here, especially when you know she's being pursued." Jason lectured.
"Are you kidding me? Then what were we supposed to do?!" Alina shot back, annoyed.
"You know about the dozen or so safehouses I have around the city right?" Jason replied.
"Yeah but -" Alina turned to look at her friends, hesitant to continue.
"It'd be alright for them to know one safehouse Alina," Jason told Alina. "And for their safety too, you never know when they might need it."
"I trust them, I just don't want them mixed up in our crap!" Alina said angrily.
"That's not for you to decide," Emily said to Alina firmly.
"Yeah! If our friend's in trouble then 'course we'd help!" followed Asami. Michelle merely nodded and gestured to her gun, implying that she was ready for anything.
"I - alright," muttered Alina, a warm feeling gushing in her chest. "Thanks, guys."
"Alright, let's get a move on, her pursuers should know she's here," Jason said as he lifted Alice with one arm, preparing to take her out and the others followed behind him.
He guided them to the basement and into the garage, where he told them to get into the Baron. Opening the rear door, the others became shocked by the luxury that was displayed inside the vehicle. Two large three-seaters were placed opposite to one another and there was a small cabinet in the middle acting as a small table.
"Oh wow, this so cool!" Asami squealed as she entered. Looking up she saw a holographic screen that covered the entire roof. Right now, it was showcasing the stars twinkling in the night.
"Wow, this is like a limo," Emily replied as she took Alice from Jason and fixed her into a seat.
"Non, it is a tank prétendre to be a limousine," Michelle denied, her eyes on the plating outside the vehicle.
"Hm, as expected, you are keen," Jason complimented her. "The first of this vehicle was crafted as a luxurious vehicle from the Karlmann series. Later, they created another version called the General. It was an armored version but had none of the speed or flexibility of the King. So, I custom ordered one that was in the middle of both and then added a few … improvements. I call it the Baron."
As Jason was explaining the Baron's spec, he stopped Alina from sitting in the front seat.
"Not this time Alle, I need you in the back. Michelle gets to ride shotgun." Jason said to Alina while gesturing at Michelle.
"What? Why?" Asked Alina.
"She's easy on the eyes and knows how to shoot?" suggested Jason blithely and his compliment had Michelle blushing.
"Argh, fine. At least I get to sit next to my niece," Alina moved to sit in the back while she retorted.
"She's not m- ah fuck it," muttered Jason as he and Michelle also entered the Baron. Driving out into the city, Jason drove at a constant pace while studying his surroundings.
"Alle, are you sure she was being pursued?" Jason asked as he passed a green light.
"Yeah, they were about a dozen of them, dressed in loose clothes to hide their guns. Why?" She replied.
"Assuming that they're mercenaries or government agents, they should have known her location by now … but …"
"Could they be tapping through the système surveillance?" suggested Michelle while looking out the window.
"No, this car has a scrambler device that prevents any camera or monitoring device from detecting it. What?" asked Jason when he noticed everyone staring at him. "In any case, I don't think she's being traced."
"So, we're safe?" asked Asami and Jason nodded. He then looked at a holo-screen that showed up on the dashboard when he stopped at a red light.
The screen was connected to a camera at the back seat and Jason was watching Alice as she looked out the windows and into the streets in amazement. Her eyes were locked on a specific holo-ad that was showcasing the only amusement park in Sanctuary.
Her eyes, He thought. It's like she's seeing all this for the first time.
In his mind, a younger version of himself overlapped with Alice's figure. He wondered if he had that same look when Elizabeth had taken him to his first concert where she was performing. A honking noise from the car behind them interrupted his thoughts and Jason suddenly swirled the wheel, turning the car into a U-turn.
"Jason?" asked Alina as he continued driving.
"Just a thought," he said. "Since we're in the clear, we don't have to rush to the safehouse right? So why don't we spend the day hanging out?"