Snippet #1510369

Atalanza blinked slowly, her pale irises steadied as she gazed directly before her. Eyes narrowed and unfocused, her surroundings barely registered in her consciousness. An insistent and spirited rambling hummed in her ears, thrumming her eardrums. Cocking her head to the side, she slowly lifted her gaze, her pupils refocusing themselves on the workplace around her. In immediate proximity stood Joshua, a few paces away with his back to her. His arms crossed his chest and his defensive stance told all that needed to be known about the scene taking place before her. The throng of ramblings from the professor needn’t be more than a redundant and pestering mosquito at her.

Her ears cleared and vision lost its last blur, bringing her back to reality the way in which one would surface from a pool of water. Senses quickly sharpening, Atalanza moved forward in one stride, her long legs carrying her efficiently to Joshua’s side in a single step. She hugged her black coat to her sides, a chill running down her spine as she turned her eyes to the older man beside her, Vanderbilt continuing his fitful rant. Scrutinizing his solemn features, Ata lifted her firm chin slightly and shifted her gaze to the elderly professor before them. The rant had suddenly ceased, a momentary silence ringing in the workplace before Joseph’s strong voice boomed from beside her.

“Parliament does not deal in reason,—”

Ata had to restrain herself from falling into a fit of her own spiteful laughter, tucking her arms further into her sides as she smirked. Damn me if it ever did. Her lips pursed as her eyes narrowed once more. Prometheus leapt back into his rambling and she released a short sigh. The poor man had worked his tail off—not to mention Joshua and herself as well—,slaving over his precious Cure. They all believed in it and what it could mean for the city. They had all fooled themselves into believing that they could have been creating a solution to the pain and suffering in the lives of so many people, far more desolate than they. She brusquely shook her head, clearing the distant imagery of the grimy district in which she herself had writhed for two years of her youthful life. Yes, they truly believed that they were doing something good; something benevolent; something compassionate.

And now, where was this benevolence? In the filthiest, most grimy hands of all, that was where. Ata despised most of Parliament, especially and particularly the Prime Minister. However, as a scientist she had hardly a right to opinion at all. Any opinion she might have had would be completely ignored by anyone with the power to put action behind their opinions anyhow.

Her eyebrows cinched together as Prometheus hurled an accusation at Joshua, who merely refuted with compliance. The pair of assistants were clearly aware of the elderly man’s anguish over the situation. He rarely—if ever—became so distraught over matters. The best thing either of them could do was sooth the professor’s nerves whilst keeping their own boiling anger at the sickening thing being done. Their hard work for good will having been distorted into something devious. Her stomach churned at the thought.

“And what of you?”

Atalanza’s eyes widened momentarily as the two males rounded on her, yanking her out of her reverie. She looked from one set of inquisitive eyes to the other, her mouth falling slightly ajar as her mind reeled. Prometheus’s gaze pressed further as the silence lengthened. Her brow furrowed once more.

“Solution?” she scoffed. “I’m sure the only true solution is to hogtie the bastards and give them a taste of their own medicine,” Ata muttered under her breath, half-heartedly hoping that the professor’s aged ears wouldn’t have picked up all of her sadistic comment. When the two men’s gazes continued to press in on her, she sighed, dropping her arms to her sides. “Look, Prometheus, I honestly haven’t the faintest idea how to manage politicians, but I do know that while our chances may look rather dim, we need to fight back in some way. I don’t know how just yet, but there has to be something we can do. We are the biggest brains Revelation has to offer. I suppose fighting fire with fire would be an effective road to take. Fight our own science with more science. Fight The Cure with…science.”