Serve and Protect

Chapter 33

[CW: This chapter contains depictions of illicit drug use. This in no way is intended to condone the use of illegal narcotics. Please see the end of the chapter for specific content warnings.]

Hordak's expression said it all.

As Catra explained that Angella wouldn't cooperate, she watched Hordak's jaw set and his eyes narrow, and she knew that she had sealed Angella's fate.

"If that's the case," Hordak said once Catra finished, "then you know what must be done."

Catra bowed her face to show she understood. "Yes, Hordak."

"Good. Come find me when the job is done."

Keeping her eyes focused on the ground, Catra tried to stand perfectly still as Hordak pushed past her and out of the cramped observation room of Entrapta's lab where they'd been speaking. It wasn't until she heard the door slam behind her that she let herself exhale. Dread sat in the pit of her stomach like a block of ice that turned her blood cold. Yes, she knew what needed to be done now, and the thought of it made her feel sick.

Out of the corner of her eye, Catra noticed a flicker of movement. She turned to the large window that looked into the lab and saw Scorpia and Entrapta gazing back at her from inside. Their mouths were drawn into firm lines and their eyes swam with pity. Scorpia raised her hand and gave a cautious wave. Catra sighed. She didn't have it in her to get angry, so instead she decided to join them.

"Hey Wildcat," Scorpia said softly as Catra slinked up to the work station. Her eyes widened with alarm as they fell on Catra's hands, the knuckles still bloody and raw. She reached out to take one of them in her own, but Catra folded her arms and tucked them out of sight. "You okay?"

Catra huffed a dark laugh. The others must have understood just how dire the situation was. Entrapta didn't squawk indignantly when Catra rested her elbows on the polished steel work table and dropped her head into her hands. Scorpia even managed to resist her usual instinct to pull Catra into a bone-crushing hug.

"Would you be okay if Hordak wanted you to kill Etheria's police chief?" Catra replied, her face still cradled in her palms. Of course it was more complicated than that. Angella wasn't just the chief of police: to Catra, she was the woman who had shown her and Adora kindness, even when they maybe didn't deserve it. Yes, Angella had failed her in such a profound way, but that didn't negate the fact that they had a history, and that made what Catra had to do next even harder.

Eventually, Catra forced herself to stand up straight, even though the weight of her grim task threatened to send her crashing to the floor. She could feel her heart racing. It hammered so hard against her ribs that she wouldn't have been surprised if Scorpia and Entrapta could see it trying to break it's way free.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Entrapta asked. "You can borrow Emily if you want; she's a really good listener."

Catra turned to find Emily, Entrapta's pet rat, hovering at eye-level in Entrapta's outstretched hand and blinking at her with beady red eyes. She let out a yelp of surprise and scrambled backwards, nearly crashing into the work station.

"Easy there!" Scorpia exclaimed as she caught Catra by the shoulders. "You don't want to knock over the Runestone mixture!" She pointed her strong chin toward the beaker of lavender-colored liquid that sat on the table, waiting to be poured. Catra had always thought it was funny that the drug was such a soft and cheerful color, especially in its volatile fluid state. It certainly didn't look like a compound that could explode if mishandled.

For a moment, Catra didn't move. Something about the firm but gentle grip of Scorpia's hands on her shoulders made Catra feel grounded and safe. There was a tiny flutter of relief that came with knowing she wasn't alone right now.