A Scene Too Big to Control

Catherine paced back and forth irritably until Stephanie told her to stop.

There was no carpet in the room, and the sound of Catherine's high heels striking the wooden floor was interfering with Stephanie's phone call. At Stephanie's demand, Catherine stomped her feet a few times before stopping. "My job is to protect you, but I don't have my sword!" The swordswoman tugged unhappily at her tailored women's suit. "And I can't carry a gun in this outfit either. Damn FBI! Damn Secret Service! I should be at the Monarch's side guarding him, instead of letting a child who has just undergone genetic modification surgery and is still growing do that job!"

"If the situation changes, you'll get what you want. But not now. You only need to know that we're safe in this room." Without even looking up, Stephanie continued making calls on her cell phone rather than the landline in her father's office. Gideon Malick was currently working in the President's Office. Through the operations of the City of Immortals, Gideon now held the post of US Secretary of State. In return, he used that identity to assist the City of Immortals' operations. For example, he had placed Victoria Hand's Intelligence Department under the State Department's Black Ops Squad to conceal it from prying eyes.

"And it's not as if you don't know how much the Monarch values Gene-modded Warriors. That child was personally made by the Monarch."

"I was personally made by the Monarch too!" Catherine snapped furiously. "Why is that boy the only one allowed to stay by the Monarch's side?"

Before entering this office, Stephanie had repeatedly checked for surveillance and listening devices. She did not want the contents of her upcoming conversation to fall into the hands of American intelligence agencies. The air strike