Serve and Protect

Chapter 28

With her face set in a scowl to hide the panic rolling at her core, Catra burst into Entrapta's lab. Hordak looked up from where he hovered just over Entrapta's shoulder, watching her work, and cut Catra a reproachful look.

"She's gone," Catra said before Hordak had a chance to admonish her.

Hordak's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Shadow Weaver," Catra replied, following through with the half-truth she and Scorpia had practiced. "I just went to check on her and she's gone."

Without a word, Hordak stormed across the lab, shoving past Catra as he went. She took a deep breath before turning and following in his wake. Neither of them spoke as they hurried down the long hallway to where Shadow Weaver had been held prisoner. The door to the storage room stood open wide. Hordak paused to inspect the door frame, the handle, the latch. Catra assumed he was looking for evidence of tampering.

While she waited for him to step into the room, Catra shot a quick glance at Scorpia, who stood where Shadow Weaver had once been bound. Scorpia gave a tiny nod before looking up at the disturbed air vent above her. After discovering Shadow Weaver missing, the pair had worked together to fabricate some plausible way that she could have escaped that didn't include an unlocked and unguarded door. The air vent had been Scorpia's idea.

Hordak circled the room, his face twisted in rage.

"How did you let this happen?" he snarled down at Catra. She stood her ground with a defiant sneer.

"I didn't let anything happen," she spat back. "I was standing guard just like you told me to. How was I supposed to know her cuffs weren't secure?" That little detail was a shot in the dark. As far as Catra knew, Shadow Weaver's hands were probably still cuffed behind her back wherever she was — it's not like she would have really needed them for her real escape. But there was no evidence that said otherwise, and if blaming the cuffs helped shift some of the blame off of her, Catra didn't mind adding to her lie.

"She must have gone through there," Scorpia said, pointing to the air vent. If it had been true, it would have been a tight squeeze for a full grown woman of Shadow Weaver's stature. But desperation made people try all kinds of crazy things — Catra was proof enough of that. "We already checked the intake vents outside and the cover's busted off."

This part was definitely true. Catra had broken it herself.

Hordak rounded back on Catra, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You were tasked with watching her," he growled between clenched teeth. "How did you miss this?"

"I did exactly what you told me to," Catra lied. "I was watching the door and checking in on her. You know what a sneaky bitch she is! I came to find you as soon as I realized she was gone. What more do you want from me?"

It was only then that Catra realized she may have pushed a little too hard. Hordak's nostrils flared as he stepped up to her, crowding her personal space until she had to step back just so she could breathe. He continued advancing until Catra's back hit the wall; she was trapped beneath his looming shadow.

"I want you to find her," Hordak said. He spoke slowly so that every word sounded like a threat. Before Catra could react, Hordak grabbed a fistful of her jacket and pulled her off her feet. He let out a furious yell as he threw her down at Scorpia's feet. "Now!"

Stars swam at the corners of Catra's vision as she gasped for the breath that had been knocked from her lungs. She felt Scorpia's hands on her shoulders, but she shrugged them off and got back up on her own.

"Yes, Hordak." Catra didn't trust herself enough to say anything else, lest she get herself into more trouble. She left the room without giving Hordak so much as a sideways glance and hurried out the back door.