The evening air was chilly as Katie fumbled with her apartment keys, unlocking the door with a jingle. Five, looking worn and disheveled, stood at her doorstep, gratitude in his tired eyes. "Thanks for letting me in. I appreciate it," he muttered, his usual stoic demeanor slightly softened by exhaustion.
Katie, playing the good Samaritan, ushered him inside. "No problem, Five. Good citizens help each other out, right?" she quipped, offering him a warm smile.
As they settled in her living room, Five couldn't shake the weight of recent events. He took a deep breath and decided to share a small detail about Katherine, the woman he mourned. "Katherine was… is, someone important to me. She's gone now, and it's been tough," he admitted, his voice tinged with sorrow.
Katie's expression shifted, her eyes reflecting sympathy. "I'm sorry, Five. Losing someone you care about is never easy." A genuine sadness crept into her voice as she considered the pain etched on Five's face.
Feeling an unexpected connection with this mysterious man, Katie couldn't help but grow fond of him at that moment. She reached out, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to face it alone, you know?"
Five, unaccustomed to such compassion, hesitated for a moment before ordering, "Stay with me."
Katie chuckled, thinking it was a playful remark. "Oh, Five, are you trying to confess your love to me?" she teased a glint of mischief in her eyes.
Surprisingly, Five didn't deny it. "Yes, I did," he admitted, his gaze fixed on her.
Katie burst into laughter, her amusement echoing through the room. "Come on, Five, you can't be serious!" she scoffed. "You don't even know me."
"I do know you," Five asserted, his tone serious. "You're Katherine, 2567. You tried to kill me once."
Katie paused, her laughter fading. She looked at him with a mix of confusion and disbelief. "What are you talking about, Five?" she asked, her smile now replaced with a hint of concern.
But Five insisted, "I know, and you can't deny it."
Katie sighed, a mix of frustration and curiosity in her eyes. "Okay, you've got my attention. Explain."
Five took a deep breath, ready to reveal the unimaginable truth. Before he could speak, however, Katie's demeanor shifted. Without warning, she lunged at him, a knife appearing in her hand. Five, relying on his instincts, dodged the attack, narrowly avoiding a potentially fatal strike.
"Katie, stop!" Five shouted, using his agility to evade her relentless assault. The apartment transformed into a battlefield, Katie driven by an inexplicable determination to harm him.
Despite the chaos, Five remained composed. He tapped into his abilities, manipulating time and space to outmaneuver her attacks. The room became a dance of swift movements, and for a brief moment, Katie was bewildered by the sudden change in her opponent.
However, her determination didn't waver. She pressed on, her movements precise and lethal. Five, realizing that mere evasion wouldn't resolve the situation, used his powers more assertively. He jumps above her, allowing him to subdue Katie without causing harm.
As he held her in place, Five explained, "I need your help, Katie. I'm from the future, and there's something crucial I must accomplish."
Katie, her previous aggression replaced by confusion, looked at Five with a mixture of skepticism and intrigue. "From the future? You've got to be kidding me."
Five, with a solemn expression, insisted, "I'm not kidding. The world is at stake, and I need your assistance."
A moment of silence hung in the air before Katie sighed, relenting to the unusual circumstances. "Fine, Five. I'll hear you out. But you better have a damn good explanation."