Superlative

EPISODE FOUR

Edit Note: I changed a tiny detail about Core and Knox's age from EPISODE ONE, where I said the last time Core was injured she and Knox were twelve, and it was also the last time they supposedly saw her brother. I changed it to sixteen instead of twelve. :)

★ ★ ★

{ THE CONFEDERATE | DIVISION ALPHA, THE GRANDE HALL | COORDINATES: X-5182 Y-2348 | 6TH SUN, 10TH MOON | 8:05PM }

ASIDE FROM BEING NIGHTSHADE, Core had another secret:

She couldn't dance to save a damn life.

"If you step on my toes again I will murder you while you sleep," Knox bit out through a wide, pasted smile. He pulled Core closer to keep her from making too much movements, both hands on her waist as they swayed slowly to the stringed instruments guiding them through the dance floor. Core took the opportunity to lean in, winding her arms around Knox's neck and laying her chin on his shoulder.

"I'd like to see you try," Core whispered. Her eyes darted around the hall, observing the people on the dance floor while Knox surveyed those lounging by the tables and bar. "See anything?" she asked, trying not to move her mouth too much lest someone make out what they were trying to prevent.

"I think so, give me a minute." Knox guided her to sway to the right, changing the angle of his vision. He was eyeing a man in a navy blue suit, who was glancing at his wrist watch. The man had a roguish look to him, and his eyes kept darting to a particular table in the room.

"We may not have a minute," Core pointed out. "It's a bomb, Knox. It's not going to wait for us to find it before it explodes." She tried not to snap at him, but her nerves were getting to her. They were racing against time, and the only reason she wasn't going completely ballistic was because Knox had assured her the bomb's countdown hadn't been activated yet. There were too many people in this room, too many possible casualties, and while she had no problem dealing with these things when she was Nightshade, she felt trapped and useless as plain Coraline.

She was going to knee that Eclipse in the groin after all of this was sorted out. What part of "Stay away from Alpha" did the rebel leader not understand? How did he get spies into Alpha, anyway? As far as she was concerned, nobody could cross the border between Beta and Alpha without her knowledge — she had the only available key, after all.

Unless...

"Found our guy," Knox said, giving Core a small twirl so they'd switch positions. "The guy in the ugly navy suit."

"God forbid everyone has your fashion sense," Core breathed out. She saw the man Knox was pertaining to, nursing a flute of champagne and leaning against the wall by the powder rooms. "Are you sure?" He looked like an ordinary man that was extremely bored, after all, possibly waiting for a proper amount of time to pass so that he could leave. "

Don't insult my intelligence," Knox said in an even tone. "Or my fashion sense. I helped Sebastian pick out that dress, you know."

"Shut up, we have work to do." She pulled away, and Knox led her off the dance floor to head towards the bar area. They had to keep up appearances and get the job done, so refreshments after a dance was logical and got them closer to their suspect as well.

"We've got more friends around the area," Knox said lightly, keeping it cryptic now that they were within earshot of other people. Some familiar faces greeted them with a smile, which they returned.

Core picked the message up pretty quickly, born from years of having to spend time with Knox. He was referring to the rebels scattered around the area, hidden amongst other guests, and she wondered what the hell Eclipse was thinking. How was he going to safely heard out all those rebels before the bomb blows? Or was this a suicide mission meant to just wipe out the entire area?