Event - Dogged

[apocalypsehowmods]

↬ Main Navigation

Dogged

The message goes out to everyone on ADI's network. It seems to be something captured live. It's Pam Ruan, head of HR who holds a prosthetic finger up to her lips before whispering, "Everyone's pushing for transparency right now, right? Figuring out where threats are coming from and sharing. I think that should come at all levels. Let's see what Nia's talking about with Mr. Zyrian Steel, hmm?"

The camera flips around as Pam clearly creeps closer to an office door. There are muffled voices, and Pam sets the phone face up before using one hand to shove the thing under the door. The video shows a sliding picture of the office's bland ceiling for a moment before coming to a stop. The voices become much clearer.

"-down in Wolf Trap," a masculine voice is saying. Presumably, Zyrian Steel. "There's just no need for that."

"Zyrian, this ain't a negotiation." Nia Lehrer's voice is familiar to most people working at ADI at this point. They've likely heard her speak in some pre-recorded training videos at the bare minimum. Nia's tone is no nonsense and clearly on the edge of snapping in frustration. "You're not hiring us. I'm sending my people down to Wolf Trap next month. We've got evidence of those signalhead things being on the march, one down that way, your kick off for New Horizons in the park, and evidence out of there about the Lullaby Girl from some of my people."

There is silence.

"You remember her? Ava? Or Amber, it seems like. She's the one you gave us those Lucidio masks to help train our people against. Frankly, I'd be surprised if you don't remember her, Mr. S." Another drawn out pause. "You ain't been straight with me for a long time. You ain't been straight with ADI since Tawnya was Warden. You tell me you need us in Buffalo, payback for helping in Wolf Pen and Cortana and the mobile med units, and not only do half the staff come back with crab claws and whiskers, but I find out you're using us for business politics." There's venom in her tone. "Or were you just going to stay quiet about Etcher's enterprises competing with your own software companies? ADI is not your personal attack dog. You are our client. And I thought my friend. But I'm about 30 seconds away from firing you from both."

Further silence, then a heavy sigh. "And I was going to offer to send you and your staff on such a nice retreat." There's the sound of a chair being pushed back. "Warden, I think you misunderstand the nature of our relationship. You are the dogs. I am the master. I hold your leash. Or have you forgotten just how much technology I've donated to ADI over the years, how many of your systems run on things I built? We've had a mutually beneficial relationship up until now- Well… you and I have. Tawnya got to be a problem before the end, too. But I made sure that was taken care of."

"You self-aggrandizing son of a-"

"You're a much more practical woman than she ever was, even with those shiny ideals you hold so dear. You'll compromise for the greater good, to protect what's yours. Such a good Warden, looking out for her charges."

"What are you talking about? And get your hands the hell off my desk."

"Haven't you ever wondered about the title? Warden. Odd name for a leader of any organization, even one like yours. But maybe not so odd when you consider your more eldritch masters." A scoff. "The Hunt always does pick out the most oblivious avatars, doesn't it? What does a Warden do?" A beat. "She controls the monsters, Nia. Sniffs them out and contains them. And she goes after the poachers coming after her prey. Tell me, have you ever noticed how you're always picking up on threats far afield with uncanny precision. It's been getting stronger, hasn't it? Tawnya was the same way. As was her predecessor, I imagine."

"That's not- I wouldn't ever…"

"Wouldn't you, though? Every time you sent your own dogs after a threat, reveled in it, you were being such a good Warden, instilling terror in the hearts of your enemies, ADI's enemies. So many cults know who and what you are and they fear it. Fear the Warden of ADI, famed avatar of the Hunt. Even now, I know you've compromised yourself. Have you considered what that's done to you? You let that Visionary kid stay alive. I rather think that might have been the start of your slide, hmm? Making exceptions, just this once.

"Now," he continues, voice growing louder and footsteps starting toward the phone, "I realize this is a lot to take in, to think about. Why don't you do that self-reflection while I attend to other matters? You are doing good work, puppy. I need a dependable pet to take care of all those nasty pests who keep trying rituals. But no need to worry about the New Horizons launch, really. I'll just-" Zyrian pauses and everyone will have a view of a middle-aged caucasian man with dark, slightly graying hair and a beard. He's wearing khakis and a Hawaiian shirt, and he's looking down at Pam's phone.

"Well… fuck." He stomps a heeled shoe on it and the transmission ends abruptly.

➥ Links

• OOC Questions - LINK
  
• General Setting Prompts - LINK
  
• NPC/Mod Response Prompts - LINK
  

↬ Main Navigation

Comments

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"Untangling myself looks like leaving ADI. It looks like... dropping everything. This organization was designed to fight the Hunt, but that's just turned us into Hunters. I can't keep doing this work without feeding it."

[worthallthis]

"Then stop doing it," Winter says. "Step down. Go do something else with your life. You know the rest of us will try to do it differently. Or we'll do something else, too." Like it's that simple.

For him, maybe it is. He's not the Hunt, though, he's with the Stranger. And it might not be easier to learn how to be a person again than it is to stop searching for prey, it is easier to see how it's necessary.

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"I have an apocalypse ritual on the horizon. I have Dogtown in the most dangerous state it's ever been, and you're telling me to just take a break? Retire." She gives him a hard look. "I believe in the mission that this organization was founded on, Winter. And I can't just... just sit, drinking tea, waiting for something to chase after me while I pretend it's not there."

[worthallthis]

Winter looks around pointedly. There's a lot of people in this building, most of whom either have no entity connection or are actively fighting it if they do. "We can do our jobs without an avatar at our head," he suggests flatly. "You need to work on untangling yourself. Backing off. Not helping the Hunt take over the world. Because that's what avatars do. You know that."

cw: suicidal ideations

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"I'm not going to help anything take over the world. My only goals right now are to get rid of these artifacts or at least re-contain them, stop Zyrian's apocalypse ritual, get all of you home or at least stop any more of you coming here, and then die. Because I don't want to become some mindless monster like Hickey did."

[worthallthis]

Winter is silent for a long moment. He doesn't like when people want to die. It bothers him. And it's... possible she doesn't have to. Maybe.

Should he tell? Will she want to hunt the hiding avatar down? Winter wanted to, when he found out, but the people at Bonnie's wanted to keep him safe. And he hasn't... done anything.

"I don't think any of us are going home," he says finally, deciding not to share. Yet. "And if we are, it will probably take years. Don't worry about us. Worry about you," he decides. "Maybe you can get free without going mad. Or dying."

[apocalypsehownpcs]

Nia shakes her head. "I'm in too deep. I need to finish this. And even if none of you get home, just stopping whatever's been happening to bring you here would be enough. If everything I've done means nothing, if it's all been in service of the Hunt, I can at least- I can do that much. Because that's not going to help any of them."

[worthallthis]

"Is that need you, or the Hunt?" Winter points out with a stern look. "We cannot have an avatar leading us to take out other avatars. You are compromised."

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"It's me who wants that," she snaps, clearly growing frustrated. "I can't- I'll give up the post and take whatever judgment's passed, if that's what most folk want, but I can't stop trying to help. I've been doing this since I was a kid Winter. I had to. After the Desolation got my brother... I came here to work just as soon as I graduated from high school."

[worthallthis]

He looks vaguely dubious, but doesn't challenge her. In part because yelling at him tends to make him back down, in general, admittedly. "Okay," he says. Then, after a pause, "What happened to your brother."

He's never really cared to find out the details. He just works here, man.

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"He was a firefighter. Ended up tangling with an avatar for the Desolation as part of his job. They burned him. Not to death, but near enough he died a few days later. I was the only one who saw what happened." She shakes her head. "My parents didn't believe me. No one did. Thought I was just traumatized. ADI believed me, though. And they destroyed that avatar. Like we've destroyed dozens just like him."

[worthallthis]

"Yes. We have. I've killed two of them, myself," Winter agrees soberly. "Two of you. I guess." Since she's one, too, and all. He's just glad now that he figured it out before he got that far in. Unfortunately: "It's really all I'm good at. So for now, I'm here, too."

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"That's not all you're good for." It's a quick and decisive counter. "Dangerous way to think. Which one's sunk its fangs into you that keeps that arm of yours running?" Her eyes dip to the metal arm. "Something that'd take advantage of that kind of thinking? Twist it, maybe?"

[worthallthis]

"Good at, not good for," Winter corrects. "I am a friend. And a teammate. I cook dinner sometimes. I used to dance until I forgot how. I am just not necessarily good at those things." He shrugs. His self-esteem is a lot better than it used to be, he's just also realistic about his current capabilities. Well, mostly realistic; said friends and teammates might disagree on how good he is.

But he can also say: "And it is the Stranger. I don't feed it anymore, that I can tell. The arm works, but it hurts a lot. I lost my superior strength and healing when I stopped doing the things that scared people, so carrying it is. Harder."

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"Mm..." Her eyes sweep over him again. "You think taking the arm off might cut you off from it completely?"

[worthallthis]

He shakes his head. "There's a. A serum inside me. In my blood. That's what causes the strength and healing. It would still be there." And he doesn't think he could let anyone do it. The very thought makes him want to curl up in a ball in the nearest closet. "Besides. Then I would be less effective at. Pretty much everything."

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"Sometimes it's not physical, it's symbolic, cutting them off. Expect the Stranger... removing whatever's foreign to your body like that arm'd count. But you're not willing to do that right now, right? Because you're worried about being useless?" Nia raises a hand, palm up. "You get what I'm saying, Winter? You're compromising because you're scared and you know you can do more keeping it, even though the Stranger's still got hold of you because of it."

[worthallthis]

He shoots her an annoyed look. "I'm not willing to do it. Because doctors. Scare the shit out of me." And... yeah, okay, because he knows he'd be useless without it. But probably 60% because he couldn't let a doctor near him without a complete meltdown and possibly (probably) hurting said doctor. "How do you think I got this arm and the serum. I was a science experiment, Lehrer."

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"I'm not saying you should do anything. I'm pointing out that you're making an exception for yourself. Whatever the reason. I've done that, too. Can't say it's the right decision. But it's the one you can live with, right?"

[worthallthis]

"The arm isn't something I feed for, it's not an exception. I can tell when I'm scaring someone, and the arm works okay without that," Winter grumbles at her. It hurts all the time, yes, but he can live with pain. Considering the advanced robot form Cortana made specifically to cut off from her entity, he honestly doesn't think there's anything that special about a mechanical arm.

He shrugs his good shoulder. "Besides. I have my team, watching me, helping me and making sure I'm not hurting anyone. We help each other like that."

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"Thought I had that, too. Surprising the blinders your team can put on sometimes. And yourself. I can tell when I'm scaring folk, too. This line of work, sometimes that's just part of it. Required." She shrugs a shoulder. "But I'm not here to convince you of anything apart from the fact we need to deal with the artifacts before anything else. We on the same page for that, at least?"

[worthallthis]

"Yes," Winter says blandly. "I was working on that when I ran into you."

His kind of scaring is very particular, at least, and a lot harder to do on accident, or in the process of his work. At least not when he's not having to shoot his co-workers in dreamspaces. Ditching his mask finally, at least most of the time, went a long way.

"You said you heard something?" He tilts his head a little in the direction she'd originally been looking.

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"Yeah. I can handle that if you wanna check..." She trails off as she frowns and squints into the middle distance. "I think there's something over in the gym right now that needs someone with good aim." Nia shakes her head, briefly. "Think you can cover that?"

[worthallthis]

"Yes, ma'am," Winter says with a nod, though he'd been watching her intently as she... used some kind of monster radar, apparently. Very Hunt-like, probably.

He steps away once, then pauses. "If there's anything I can do to help you get free. I'll try." There probably won't be, but he has to offer.

cw: sucidal ideations

[apocalypsehownpcs]

"End me if I go too far or when we finish this. That's the kind of help I could use." She gives him a brief nod, in turn, and sets off to deal with her own artifact.