Blood Oath (Ruby Rose/Ares fan fic)

Five

Ares parks her car in the garage passing through my backyard. Once inside, I turn on all my alarms again while she takes her luggage and I show her the way to the living room on the main floor. The assassin looks around dropping two bags on the carpet, the bigger one makes a metallic sound when hitting the hard wood floor, I guess those are her weapons. I swallow hard and take a look around too, probably she's thinking that my house is horrible and it certainly is: big and cold, painted in neutral shades, sparsely furnished, with a few ornaments and personal details and any touch of colour that could provide warmth. It looks like a temporary place where you can sleep sometimes instead of a real home. And that's exactly what it is.

"I don't live here," the assassin stares at me confused; "I actually live downstairs, this is just a... scenography. Sometimes I come here and I make some coffee in the kitchen, I leave the dirty mug on the counter and jump on the couch making a mess of the cushions, I open and close the curtains and rearrange vases or photo frames in order to make this place... more real just in case someone breaks into my house but... I don't live here. Follow me."

We walk through the kitchen corridor till we reach the basement door that she found hours before. "This is a two-storey house with an attic and a basement. There're two defensive perimeters around it consisting of motion detectors and a state-of-the-art video security system. The first perimeter is two blocks from here and I'm able to see anyone who's coming, the second one is just one block away and, if someone uninvited crosses it, he sets off the alarms and any door or window that I've left open closes automatically. The house is surrounded by cameras, it has bullet-proof windows and doors lined with steel. The manhole covers around this block are welded and they've their own alarms too. The ventilation system, the gas line, the electrical service panel, the phone line and, of course, the Internet connection cable... everything is protected. The basement door seems simple, made of wood, but if you look here you'll notice that it's thicker than usual. Inside it's made of steel and, when you close it, it's secured to the frame like a bank vault door."

I go down stairs and Ares follows close behind me and looking around blinking in surprise. When I told Winston that I didn't need to go to the Continental to be protected I was deadly serious: I'm absolutely in love with all kind of technological devices and I have the best ones in my house.

"As you can see there're also cameras here in the staircase. If someone reaches this point he'd find an unpleasant surprise: those holes expel a gas that can knock out a grown man in less than thirty seconds. This door is exactly like the one upstairs, it also closes like a bank vault door but I usually keep it open. I'm not claustrophobic or anything but, since there aren't windows down here, sometimes the atmosphere could feel a bit stifling, that's why a keep it open. The ventilation system of this basement is independent and I have a generator just in case someone cuts the building's power."

My new roommate drops her bags on the floor once again and looks around curiously. This part of the house is messier and homier; it's still painted in neutral shades but there's a colourful carpet, the couch is blue, there're pictures and posters on the wall and a mug of coffee and a half-eaten doughnut on the table. Someone lives here definitely. Her gaze rests on the back wall where I keep six screens turned on at the same time; there're keyboards and some laptops on a large table along with all kind of electronic equipment, cables hanging out the edge, speakers and microphones. It seems a bit chaotic but it's not, everything is placed based on my needs.

"Well... as you can see, this is the living room where I work even though there's a couch to rest... and sometimes fall asleep. The kitchen is to your left, it isn't very big but well-equipped and I keep the fridge well stocked. Two bedrooms are just through this way to the right, each of which has its own bathroom; the one close to the door is yours, I know it's a little small but the decoration is modern and functional. I'm afraid I don't have a TV, to be honest I keep up on things thanks to the net because it's faster and more accurate but I can lend you a laptop so you can watch Netflix or read... Behind that bookcase there's a tunnel that goes under the backyard and reaches a manhole two streets over, just in case I need to escape as a last resort. I also know how to shoot a gun, Winston insisted that I should learn and I practise sometimes; I'm not outstanding but I manage very well. You see, I'm not totally useless. I think that's all... I'll leave you to get settled in. Oh, yes! I have this for you, it's similar to a cell phone, you just type the text but, instead of sending it, this device will read it out loud... it'll be easier for us to communicate this way at least till I learn sign language... but it may take a little time."