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The Good Life: It's Just A Matter Of Time (ch. 51)
🕑 Added 2024-06-07 15:05:24 +0000 UTC“Unfortunately, synthesizing the two agents together has produced… unpredictable results,” Shaun admitted as I leaned forward, looking down at a mouse on a wheel that blurred forward at around three hundred miles an hour. The cage that it was in was made out of thick bulletproof glass. The same as the others in the menagerie of cages, aquariums, and testing areas all holding animal test subjects. Mostly mice, but there was also a lone monkey.
The cages lined the walls, stretching up to the ceiling, all organized in rows. Mice with super speed. Mice with super strength. Mice that could turn invisible. There was a mouse that could teleport, but it managed to escape. Unsurprisingly.
“It is an issue of compatibility,” Shaun continued as I circled the lab, because they weren't just making animals enhanced with Compound V. On the other side of the lab, I looked into a cage and the creature inside of it lunged at me. It bounced off the glass with a thud and a saddened howl, but it just threw itself at me again, determined to break through the glass and tear me to shreds.
It was a mouse. I said ‘was’ because it was more of a large rat now. Motley green skin, absolutely hairless, so there was nothing to hide the bulging thick muscles that looked like they were going to break free of the flesh they were covered in. It was enhanced with FEV, or the Forced Evolutionary Virus.
As I continued my examination, Shaun explained the results from the initial bouts of testing. “Compound V is a highly complex evolutionary agent. It's truly incredible work -- it binds and mutates specific markers in genetic code, then stabilizes itself with a predetermined framework that then becomes activated. For that reason, a progenitor with the genetic markers for invisibility would pass down the marker for the power to their offspring.” He explained, and I suppose that explained how the kids of Supes always had similar powers to their parents.
“In comparison, the Forced Evolutionary Virus is much clumsier. More… direct and all encompassing. It introduces radical changes to the genetic code -- outright scraping some portions, strengthening others, or enhancing targeted genomes. That is, unfortunately, where we are having issues,” Shaun admitted while I walked to the testing bed.
Inside of the glass tube was… I'm not even sure what it was, but calling it a genetic abomination seemed fitting. No skin, organs on the outside, it had entirely too many arms but not enough legs while the tail split like string cheese. I hummed, “A bull in a chinashop,” I ventured and Shaun nodded.
“An apt metaphor,” He decided. “Compound V is… fragile, for lack of a better word. It is extremely complex to ensure a stabilized mutation. Incredibly, to the point that the carriers can produce offspring with non-carriers with little issue. The percentage in genetic mutations in offspring is within a rounding error of what we would expect from a natural birth. But, because of it, Compound V is hyper specialized and any significant variation leads to…” he trailed off, looking down at the resting chamber.
I nodded, not really surprised by the news. I wasn't much of a science guy, but I figured that you couldn't just mash two super drugs together and get the best of both worlds without any hiccups. “Did the stem cells help at all?” I asked, and Shaun looked pleased even as he shook his head.
“To a minimal degree. Stem cells, we've found, essentially act as a binding agent and a resource during the reconstruction of the carrier's genome. While the effect doesn't have a marked difference on the outcome, it has led to our current objective,” Shaun stated, sounding excited. I would say this about him -- the man had a passion for science. “A stabilizing agent. A bridge between Compound V and the Forced Evolutionary Virus -- something that will allow Compound V to structure FEV while acting as a shield for Compound V so it is not destabilized.”
That's what I wanted. I didn't really care how it was done and, honestly, I doubt that I would really understand it even if I got the step by step. “If you had to make a guess how long that would take, what would it be?” I prompted and, to that, Shaun seemed pensive.
He looked away, “The influx of talent will aid the process. Dr. McDermot in particular is a gifted geneticist, and he will be invaluable for the project.” He began before his lips thinned, “But… we are currently in the hypothesis stage of the project. At the very least, without a substantial breakthrough… I would estimate it would be years before we have a product ready for human testing. That is also factoring in the Nuka-Gen-Replicator when it comes to testing materials.”
Years, huh?
“Suppose you can't rush science,” I sighed with a small shrug of my shoulders. Shaun seemed vaguely surprised by my easy acceptance.
He had a question that he visibly didn't want to ask, but he couldn't help himself. “Did you… not wish for the product for the war against my mother? I was under the impression that… well…” He trailed off and I laughed.
“That we're losing?” I prompted and Shaun nodded after a second of hesitation. “Nah. I mean, they stalled our advance and took out some troops but it didn't really change anything. They blew their load early.” I said with a shake of my head, a bit disappointed that I had missed that light show. The remnants of Boston were still on fire based on what I saw before popping down a full two weeks after the battle for Diamond City. “Defenders always have the advantage in war, and your mum knows how to wage a guerilla war.”
On paper, the war had been a laundry list of setbacks. Minor defeats, stolen goods, weapons, and so on. The biggest losses had been at Diamond City. Cinder's army got wrecked, Taylor's wasn't much better but she could replace her losses with insects. And… it didn't really matter.
Everyone that died during that battle? We already had the replacements for the replacements of their replacements ready. The losses in materials? That stung a little bit, but unlike Nora and her Minutemen, we had manufacturing capabilities. It would be slow, but we could replace every weapon and set of power armor that we lost that day.
“They managed to delay the inevitable, but that delay doesn't necessarily work in her favor. Now she has a huge number of refugees with not enough room to house them, or resources to feed them. So, honestly, our situations have reversed,” I noted with some amusement.
The Institute had managed to get an additional Nuka-Gen-Replicator up and running, with a third one under construction. And, by tapping them into our power grid, we could teleport the tons of meat to wherever it needed to go. To that end, at least on this side of the portal, our logistics were looking better than ever. That was including the massive immigration that was coming from the Old World. So far, we had welcomed another hundred thousand into the New World, sprinkling them across the various settlements that we had taken.
Fifteen thousand people had settled in Diamond City. So, even if we lost everyone except for Taylor and Cinder, I was going to count it as a win.
I clapped Shaun on the shoulder, “So, take your time. There's no rush,” I reassured him. I'd prefer the super serum sooner rather than later, but I also didn't fancy getting turned inside out. Shaun nodded, relieved, before he looked down at the excitement in the tube.
He hesitated and I waited for him to gather up his courage. It took him a minute, but he got there eventually, “My mother. What… may I request mercy for her?” He asked me, and I tilted my head. Shaun grimaced, “We are estranged, and that is my doing but I do not doubt her love for me. She has more than proved it. For that reason, I ask for mercy when you defeat her. That she served some kind of penance rather than be executed.”
I pursed my lips for a moment, pretending that I was considering the request, before I shrugged. “Sure. No problem,” I agreed easily. I didn't want to kill Nora to begin with. We weren't mortal enemies or anything- well, I didn't consider her an enemy. The war so far had been more amusing than anything, because we both knew that there was only one way that she had a chance in hell of winning.
Relief flooded Shaun's expression but he conveyed it in a small nod. I just waved him off, heading for the door. “Just keep me posted about the serum,” I said, knowing that it would light a fire under his ass to give me what I wanted.
I was tempted to pop my head in and see how Curie was doing but I decided against it, mostly because there was a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign posted on her personal lab. And I already had a pretty solid idea of what she was doing, even if the why was something of a mystery. I'm sure I would receive an answer in good time. And it wasn't like I needed those prisoners anyway.
So, with my work here done, I popped back up to the surface to see that the ruined MIT building was under construction. Ants crawled all over the place, some carrying rubble while others spat up that weird mixture that anthills were made of. Even as the building was under construction, I heard the sounds of gunfire while thick black smoke rose up from a smoldering fire.
I made sure to pop up behind Taylor, and I noticed her flinch even as she tried to pretend that she hadn't noticed my arrival. She was leaning over a map in one of the ruined rooms while her ants and soldiers went about turning the place into a forward operating base against Bunker Hill, but mostly to protect the Institute. They were smart to bury it so deep, and odds are anything short of a nuke wouldn't bother them, but the Institute had officially become too important for us to risk.
Smiling to myself, I decided to punish her little fib by rearing up a hand, giving her a moment to realize what I was about to do. When she decided to commit to feigning ignorance, my hand lashed out and caught her right on her right ass cheek, making her grunt before looking over her shoulder at me. My smile widened at her annoyed stare, but I didn't comment on it. Instead, I stepped forward, invading her personal space. “How are things on your end?” I asked her and Taylor took a moment to answer.
“I- they're… fine,” she decided, turning to face the map again. I guess that she had decided to pretend that the spank didn't happen. “We're getting ready to push into Bunker Hill. We're expecting a surrender.” By that, she meant she had already overheard that they were considering it. It made sense. The settlement was small, barely more than three hundred people, and they were pretty close to being cut off on all sides.
“Works for me,” I said, my arm reaching around her to rest on her lower back. Taylor, I was finding, was pretty fun to tease. She didn't so much as get flustered, but she locked up. “What's the plan then?” I asked as Taylor went so still that she was practically a statue when my hand lowered onto the ass cheek that I had spanked.
She licked her lips, and I could see her mind racing. I was pretty curious what she would do -- she didn't dislike my touch. I could sense the stirring of arousal in her. Her locking up was just because she had no idea how to handle it. “We swing around and take Goodneighbor. B-by that time, Cinder will be outfitted for a push on the Castle. We've also started stocking up on EMP weapons to combat the machines.”
I chuckled, “Clever play that was,” I acknowledged and this time, Taylor locking up had nothing to do with my touch. Shifting around her, I leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Baiting Cinder into a full on attack, luring her into the Minutemen's trap.”
As if she hadn't already known that Diamond City was emptied. As if she hadn't known about the trap.
“While your forces hung back to avoid an encirclement that wasn't going to come,” I said, my hand snaking around to her front, my fingertips brushing against the waistline of her pants. Taylor didn't say anything. I don't even think she was breathing. So, in a low whisper in her ear, I said, “I approve.”
That breathed some life back into her. “You do?” She questioned as if it was some kind of trick, “But I-”
“Held up the invasion?” I prompted, my fingertips straying beneath her waistline. Taylor, I was finding, got turned on like a light switch. There wasn't much in the way of warm-up. She was either turned off, or she was turned all the way on. She leaned into me, almost unconsciously and I chuckled. “It doesn't change anything,” I told her.
It was a bold play, and I liked the boldness. Taylor let Cinder set herself up for failure, using Cinder's own greed and arrogance against her. “If your gambit had failed, we'd be having a very different conversation,” I admitted, my other hand ghosting up her side before I used my power to unzip her jacket. “But it worked, so I think you're entitled to a reward,” I said and Taylor's breathing hitched.
Taylor had done exactly what I wanted her to. Cinder had gotten in her own way, setting Taylor up for a homerun. She'd take Bunker Hill. She'd take Goodneighbor. Half the work was already done. What came next was all too easy to see, because Cinder would be desperate to deliver the finishing blow. Cinder wasn't as smart as she thought she was. If she was, then she would understand that taking the Castle was largely pointless because that's not where the war would be decided.
I didn't need to punish Cinder for selling out Robin. Not really. Cinder would do that to herself. Even better, she'd think it was her own fault.
My part in this was giving Taylor a little extra motivation.
Her pussy was already leaking arousal like a broken faucet by the time I slipped my hand into her panties, the pads of my fingers stroking her folds while my other hand pulled up her shirt to reveal her small breasts. Her nipples were small and stiff, grinding into the palm of my hand as I cupped one of her breasts while I kissed the side of her neck. Taylor's breathing hitched, leaning into me fully while lifting her hips to give me better access.
It was a little mean, I thought to myself, rubbing small circles into her clit, while I jacked up the pleasure she felt to unfair levels. Taylor wasn't Yoruichi or Robin or Cinder. She was a teenage virgin who hadn't even kissed a boy before me according to her, and I believed it. She had no resistance to the pleasure I gave her, and I was setting the bar high enough that I genuinely doubted that anyone else could reach it.
When my trail of kisses arked back up her neck, Taylor shifted her head to look at me, her dark eyes already glossy with her lips parted. Kissing her, I felt her body shudder when I slipped my tongue into her mouth. She reached back with her hand, placing it on the side of my neck. I chose that moment to make her cum and I felt the strangled gasp lodge itself in her throat as her eyelids flickered. Her legs gave out underneath her, leaving me to catch her.
Breaking the kiss, I set Taylor on the table and she was still in the throws of her orgasm. She barely noticed when I pulled down her pants, letting them hang off of one foot, and she only became aware when I parted her pussy with my thumbs. Her lips were covered in a sheen of her own arousal, flushed red while her clit emerged from its protective hood. It twitched and shivered, a drop of arousal falling from it. “Wha- What are you-”
Taylor cut herself off when I dragged my tongue over the length of her pussy, her nectar tasting faintly sweet. Her hips bucked but I kept her in place while her hands went to my hair, running her fingers through it while I ate her out. First with long slow strokes of my tongue across her pussy, delving into her slick tunnel before slowly focusing on her clit.
Her body was honest. Taylor grunted and gasped rather than moaned. Her hips shifted, grinding her pussy on my tongue while I kept her pleasure at the cusp of what she could take. Slowly, I let her build towards her second orgasm, making her more desperate for it.
And then it hit her like a brick to the face. Arousal gushed out of her, her hips bucked up high while every muscle went tense. Pulling back, I saw Taylor go crossed eyed for a moment before she grabbed hold of the table like it was a liferaft. The maps became soaked with her cum before it dribbled over the edge of the desk. I pulled back, wiping my chin as I smirked down at her, pleased with my handiwork.
I gave her a few minutes to calm down before I leaned over her, cupping her cheek to make her look at me. Her eyes seemed to roll from the back of her head to meet my gaze. “Keep up the good work,” I praised her.
And then I vanished with a flash of light.
I was chuckling as I arrived back at Nuka-World. I knew the effect that would have on Taylor. Like Cinder, Taylor also wasn't as clever as she thought she was, but that was mostly experience talking. As far as she was aware, it was a race towards the Castle to finish off the resistance. It didn't matter if she took it or not, but if she did beat Cinder to it, that would be the final nail in the coffin, so to speak.
In the meantime, Nuka-World had undergone some changes in the past month and a half. With the evacuation, having a sustained portal became extremely important. It didn't help that we were adding the strain of the Institute to our grid. So, power generation had become extremely important.
As such, the lake idea had been partly scrapped and instead solar panels were set up all around Nuka-World. Just about every single fusion core that we could get our hands on were set up in a daisy chain and it was just barely enough. Given how each fusion core could power a small town for centuries…
The demand for power was extreme. And not wholly because of the portal. Which had also undergone some renovations. It had always acted as a defensive position, but now it was more of a fortress. There was everything short of a moat and a drawbridge around the portal that was spewing people from the Old World. They were dressed in parkas, holding what little possessions they had managed to keep. From my position, I saw them look around with awe as they stepped into a brand new world.
And I saw that awe turn into despair when they realized they had traded one nuclear hellhole for another.
“You seem to be in high spirits,” Robin noted, unsurprised with my arrival. Using the teleporter was addicting. With it, I could teleport anywhere in the Wasteland on the condition that certain radio waves reached that point. So, my comings and goings were a lot more sudden as of late. “Should I be concerned?”
“Nah, my fun won't trouble you any. I made sure of it,” I said, flashing a smile her way as we overlooked the booking area. Nuka-World was completely overrun with refugees -- with our current setup, we could house around three hundred thousand. Currently, half a million people were kicking up a fuss as they dug their heels in. “Seems like you have your hands full already.”
Robin hummed in response, agreeing with me. “They imagined heaven and they found hell instead. Their anger is expected, if annoying,” Robin admitted. I watched a family look out into the Wasteland, the hope that they had to be free of the Old World dying a dog's death upon realizing the truth -- that they’d had better odds in the Old World.
“They can't say they weren't told, even if the idiots didn't listen,” I sighed. It was becoming a rapidly familiar scene. People wanted things to go back to normal and the New World wasn't that return they hoped for. So, they bitched and they moaned and they fought even as they were saved from certain death. The best of them were sent out to productive communities -- farming settlements, military checkpoints, and the like. Everyone else was deadweight, shoved into ruins where they complained that they had to rebuild them.
Honestly, the scene was so damn pathetic that even if I had been a hero before this, I sure as hell wouldn't be after this mess.
“It's not an issue on this side of the portal. People still fear you,” she stated and I heard what wasn't said. That it was an issue on the other side of the portal. No surprise there. “Though, there has been… a development.”
I tilted my head, “What kind of development?”
“We've kept a close eye on our intake. And we've conducted a census. There was a discrepancy of six hundred people…” She informed me with a small frown, “And our scouts have reported that they're heading towards DC.”
I frowned at that, not entirely sure what to make of the news. “So, all the people that got smuggled over and some change decided to strike out on their own?” I asked, and Robin nodded.
“Naturally, we've had some bleed off. Families striking out on their own rather than sticking with us. We advise against it, naturally, as most barely make it a dozen miles into the Wasteland before dying.” Robin started, and that was no surprise to me. People didn't want to be under my thumb. It was stupid, and most of them got their families killed because of their stubbornness and misplaced confidence that they could survive, but I kinda respected them for it. “What is a concern is that we don't know who could unite six hundred people.”
What she was getting at was fairly obvious. “Another Supe got through security?” I figured and Robin nodded. I was curious myself, but as things were… “They can be a problem for another day. Either way, they aren't our concern for now.” It was six hundred fewer mouths to feed. A drop in the bucket, but every bit helped I supposed.
“There is one more thing that requires your attention,” Robin said, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. “You need to speak to Asami. We’re at a cut-off point.”
To that, I sighed. “That was fast. Ah… she's going to be pissed,” I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose.
Robin chuckled, “It's why I'm sending you to deliver the news. You're the only one that has a chance of getting through to her.” I very much doubted that. Actually, I suspected that Robin was tossing me onto a grenade so it didn't blow up in her face. But I could hardly complain when she was so diligent about everything else.
“Wish me luck, then. I'm going to need it,” I sighed and, in response, Robin kissed me on the cheek. Feeling marginally better, I created a Room. My awareness stretched into the Old World, the portal serving as a narrowing point, like a rubber band around a balloon. But, it was hardly any trouble for me as I vanished, replacing myself with some trash that had fallen on the ground.
Just like that, I was in the Old World again and I instantly felt the difference. The sigh that escaped me came out as a cloud of fog and I could feel a harsh bitter chill in the air. Re-centering my Room, I found Asami but I didn't teleport myself directly to her. Instead, I teleported myself to the same floor so I could get a decent view of New York.
New York, as far as I knew, always had harsh winters. How harsh varied year to year, but during the year I had stayed in the city, there had been a few inches of snow. Enough to layer everything in white but not much more than that. So, it was fairly surprising when I looked out the window to see that New York was buried under feet of snow. Buildings were laid heavy with it, the streets were piled so high that people had to make tunnels through icy snow to get around…
“So that's a nuclear winter,” I noted, and with my power I sensed that the temperature was firmly in the negatives. Negative twenty to thirty, I think. And, despite the weather, I saw that people hadn't cooled off in the slightest because the entire city block was under siege. Asami had lost control over everything except the final line of defense. There was a checkpoint set up to allow refugees in, but the intake into the New World was still slow enough that the building was essentially already overrun with more besieging it outside.
Every so high up, I heard the chanting.
‘Down with tyrants! Death to Asami! No future!’
I could only shake my head at that, moving on to head to Asami's office where she undoubtedly heard the chanting. I didn't bother with knocking, simply opening the door while wearing a smile, “No good deed goes unpunished, huh?” I greeted her, making Asami flinch ever so slightly from behind her desk that was piled high with papers, maps, and folders. Her green eyes met mine and I saw that she hadn't been sleeping well based on the bags beneath them.
My gaze flickered to Rumi, who didn't seem surprised by my arrival, just vaguely annoyed. More so when she saw what I was wearing.
A black button down shirt, form fitting pants, high top shoes while a long black coat hung off my shoulders. The outfit that she had designed for me and, I had to give it to her -- it looked good on me, and it fit my style perfectly.
“Law. Why are you here? You never come to this side of the portal if you can avoid it,” Rumi asked, crossing her arms. I took a seat across from Asami, who was watching me like I was a coiled snake. My gaze flickered to the third person in the room, but only for a moment.
I tapped on the arm of my chair, looking at Asami. She looked tired. And stubborn. And I'm pretty sure that I was the last person that was going to be able to convince her of what needed to be done. “I was a lifeguard once,” I started and I could see the admission caught them off guard.
“Who in their right mind would make you a lifeguard?” Rumi questioned outright, horrified at the mental image.
“You aren't wrong, but it applies to everyone, not just me. It's an easy gig when it comes right down to it. All you need is a certification that you can get in two weeks. For a teenager, it was perfect. Ninety percent of the job was looking like you were paying attention, five percent was dealing with morons, and only the last five was actual work. Mostly cleaning up rather than saving anyone from drowning.” I chuckled, “It was my summer job for about two years. And in that time, I never had to rescue anyone.”
Asami’s lips pressed together into a thin line, “Is there a point to this story? Because I have things to do.”
“I never had to use my training but they kept harping on this one point over and over and over again. It was more important than knowing how to resuscitate someone, or how to spot someone drowning,” I said, leaning forward. “The lesson was that no one is more dangerous than someone that's in danger.”
My words struck a nerve. She hid it, but her hands tightened into fists below her desk. “When someone is drowning, they'll lash out for any lifeline they can get their hands on. More often than not, they latch onto the bastard that's trying to save them and end up drowning them in an attempt to save themselves.”
“That's not what's happening here,” Asami denied it, but she couldn't convince herself of that, much less me.
“It is. That's exactly what's happening here. It's not your fault-- you're the lifeguard in this little metaphor, who is trying to save six million people from drowning. Some of them are letting themselves be saved. Others are cursing up a storm. But, a few are trying to drag you under the water because they think it'll lift them out of it.” I stated flatly. I didn't expect her to be convinced. In the end, Asami was a good person. Working with me was bending her morals, but she just didn't have it in her to cut millions of people loose and sentence them to death.
Even as they hated her.
“Honestly… I didn't realize it before, but you're probably the closest thing I've ever seen to a genuine hero,” I told her, meaning it. “I would have cut them loose the moment they started complaining. I think most people would.” But, it couldn't be denied that we were in this position because of her noble intentions.
Asami closed her eyes, a grimace passing over her face. “Law. Just tell me what you want,” she asked, sounding about as tired as she felt.
“This place is in shambles. The more people we pull onto our side, the fewer people you have to defend this place… you're a bad day away from losing control. The Supes you have can't inspire enough fear to keep everyone in line because now people know you won't slaughter them like I will.” I said and I could tell that Asami knew exactly where this conversation was going. “While on our side, there is a war going on.”
“Robin said that you're winning,” Asami replied, leaning on her hands.
“We are. But, Nora is smart. We have a single point of failure -- the portal. She destroys that? Then her side wins, and she knows it,” I said, meeting her gaze. “Right now, all we have is the Anchor on our side. She destroys it, then you can make another portal in the same spot. So, she won't be aiming for the Anchor. She's going to aim for the Dias.”
Her eyes narrowed and Rumi shifted. She agreed with me, I could tell. So, I finished, “She destroys that? Most people on this side of the portal die. Our invasion ends because we won't have any need to invade. She wins. So, we need to remove the single point of failure.”
The Dias.
“So that even if it is destroyed, we can open a portal one way or the other,” Rumi said, and I nodded. It would mean building a Dias in the New World. A separate one. So that if the Anchor was destroyed, or even if the original Dias was destroyed, we just needed to plug up the power and we could pop right back to the New World.
And I could see it in her eyes, Asami didn't want me to have it. She didn't want me to get my hands on a Dias that I could control. She never said it in so many words, but her body language was screaming her reluctance. No matter how much sense it made.
We sat in silence, simply staring each other down in a contest of wills. Asami wasn't budging, I don't think. No matter what arguments I made, no matter how sound they might be… the issue was that I was getting my hands on a Dias. She was looking beyond our immediate problems and into the future. And she didn't like what she saw, I could tell that much.
In the end, the silence wasn't broken by either of us. Asami’s assistant reached a hand up to her ear as she received a notification, before she paled, her gaze flickering between us both. “Miss Sato… Nuka-World is under attack,” she reported, and my eyebrows quirked up.
I couldn't help myself. I was impressed. “That was faster than I thought,” I admitted, standing up and getting ready to pop back over to the New World.
The information put a crack in Asami's facade. “I'll construct another Dias,” Asami decided before I could leave. “But it will be built by my people and operated by me.” She stressed and to that, I smiled.
“Sounds fair to me. Keep your secrets, I won't pry,” I lied through my teeth before vanishing. Though, not before I sent one final glance at Asami’s assistant.
Cate Dunlap.
Comments
Metri Boomin
Oof, I imagine that Asami will not be too thrilled when she finds out Cate works for Law
