Robin Hood's Daughter

Chapter Two: An Unexpected Meeting

Newbury, Colony 13, 7008

Kahstel Nottingham was barely able to keep his eyes open. The meeting with the board about him taking over his father's company, once his father stepped down from being CEO in the next couple of weeks, had drawn out for three hours over the original time limit of a two hour meeting. Needless to say, Kahstel was bored out of his skull, to the point of counting the number of times his father shot him a glare for yawing (33), the number of times the head of the genetics department, made faces behind the head of finance's back (26), and the number of times someone kicked him after he had nodded to sleep (15).

As the clock on the wall made it to 2:00 pm, Kahstel stood, fed up with the proceedings. He stretched his tense muscles and yawned loudly, just to get his point across to the balding men around him. Then he looked into the surprised faces' of the ten, trimmed bearded, pudgy old men who sat at the conference table. He didn't care much for any of them, but he especially didn't care for his father. His father had always made sure that Kahstel had never wanted for anything, and Kahstel hated that. He hated the fact that so many people starved every day, while he threw a whole steak in the trash if he was full. And his father never let him forget the fact that the poor were beneath his higher class station. So he looked into his father's cold grey eyes and smirked.

"Gooday, gentlemen," Kahstel said, as he turned, grabbed his suit jacket from its perch on the back of his chair, and walked out of the room, letting the door slam as he strode purposefully away.

His father's indignant exclamation and cries of Kahstel's name followed him as he walked down the flights of stairs and out of the building into the bright light of the noonday sun. Kahstel decided that it was high time he grabbed lunch, so he went to the parking garage that was next to the Nottingham and Co. building and swung his leg over his motorcycle. He started the engine and revved it, before he sped towards Gareth.

The city of Gareth was best known for its gourmet food, well at least the Upper East Side was, but that wasn't the only reason Kahstel had for making the hour's drive to the city. He had a particular engagement in the town that should have made every headline in the media by now. Kahstel pulled out his slender silver cellphone, and dialed a number he had memorized earlier that day. The other end was answered after the third ring.

"Yeah?" The voice was soft, but it was still recognizably male.

"Shaw-shank, has Arrow arrived as scheduled?" Kahstel's voice would come out as much deeper to the other boy, because he had a voice modifier built into that particular phone.

"She did..." The boy trailed off.

"But?" Kahstel asked in irritation. If she had gone against protocol, again, he would suspend her for two months.

"But, well, sir, her father showed up," Shaw-shank's answer was slightly concerned.

"Is Arrow compromised?" Kahstel asked, his concern for the girl growing.

"No, sir, but I'm afraid she will have to take a leave of absence, be-" there was static on the other line for a moment as Shaw-shank was cut off. Another voice replaced the boys, and it was unmistakably a woman's voice.

"Hawkeye, I will not be taking a leave of absence," the girl said. There was a slapping sound, and a curse that sounded like it came from Shaw-shank. "I will continue to carry out operation Falcon. It will continue next week as planned."

"Why did Shaw-shank say-" Kahstel was cut short by Arrows next words.

"That...will not interfere with the plan. It is just something I must take care of before next week. It's...personal," Arrow replied with a clipped tone.