apocalypsehowcomm | Event

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.

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“Well, is there any way we can use my resistance? It must be helpful to our mission somehow,” Malcolm says.

Nia rubs her temple. "I don't know. Maybe. Probably not. I don't see how it's gonna be particularly useful right in this moment. If you're trying to angle for some position of authority, I'm not handing those out because we've got bigger priorities. Hell, I don't know if I'm even gonna be in charge in a week. It might be someone else. Neil.

"But the thing is, even if I handed you the power to run with something, power corrupts. That's the problem, Malcolm. It corrupted me. I don't even understand how because it doesn't feel like I have been. I'm still committed to ADI. I'm still committed to doing what seems like it'll save our people and the rest of the world."

"I meant more like.... being the lynchpin in some sort of field operation. I could work closer to their influence because I can resist their influence. Maybe... create an opening to get to one of them somehow? You know more about them than I do, but... that sort of thing," Malcolm suggests.

"Come talk to me when we're planning field operations, then. Or whoever's in charge by then. I can't... deal with thinking that far ahead right now. There's a cursed plant around the corner that's gonna start rotting anyone who walks into that corridor and I need to get some lysol and start spraying it like crazy in there before-"

She cuts off, frowning. "I just... I knew what it was. How to fight it." Nia's expression crumbles, and she seems somewhere between frustration and fear.

“Do you think they’re preying on your fear of being afraid of them?” Malcolm asks.

"Probably. They'll eat whatever's available. And don't say something stupid like 'stop being afraid.'"

"No. That would be stupid. But there must be a way to trap them or... or lure them somewhere that would make them vulnerable," Malcolm suggests.

"That's not how this works, Malcolm." She sighs. "You fight avatars and monsters. You destroy cursed objects. You avoid certain effects and pocket dimensions, if you can. But you don't defeat the Entities. They're fear. They are literally fear. And feed on fear. And generate fear. It's like you're suggesting trapping or luring an emotion to destroy it."

"That's what we've been told about them. But they're intelligent, if they're harnessing people and changing tactics. They have some kind of intelligence. Where did we get our information about them and can't there be more to them than that?" Malcolm presses.

"Thing is, I don't think they are intelligent. Not the way people are intelligent. 'Some kind' doesn't mean 'comprehensible.' My information's coming from experience. Not just mine, but everything we've collected from the beginning at ADI. I think you're conflating avatars and the Entities. Their avatars can be clever, change tactics, get smarter. A single person? They're nothing to those things."

“People become avatars. And Entities target those people,” Malcolm points out. “They target vulnerable people.”

"I think you're anthropomorphizing them. Don't. This isn't a war we win. It's an apocalypse we delay. That has to be good enough."

“So we’re the Apocalypse Delaying Initiative?” Malcolm clarifies.

She crosses her arms and gives him a long look. "What do you think a disruption is? It's a delay tactic."

“Or a distraction. Maybe we need to think bigger. What difference does it really make if the world ends next week instead of today? We need to disrupt whatever sets off the end.”

"What I need to think about right now is what's in front of me. I don't have the time for knights in shining armor with big bright eyes who want to slay the dragons. We've been talking long enough, Malcolm. You need something else, or can I get back to work?"

“George Milton died for this project. If the head of the Agency doesn’t have time to look at the big picture, then who does?”

He’s really asking.

"A hell of a lot more people than George have died." Her tone is sharp. "The big picture is that we're here to stop apocalypses. And there are always going to be people trying to start them. There's no win condition. There's only us stopping what we can until we fail."

“Exactly. Stopping them is what I want to do. And what we’re doing isn’t working. Someone here needs to think outside the box!” Malcolm protests.

"Jesus Christ." She moves past him. "I told you I don't have time for this. You wanting to find some 'trick' to fix things isn't gonna happen in the next 15 minutes, Malcolm. So, go and do something useful while you think or stay out of the way so you don't get hurt. I have work to do."

“…Okay,” Malcolm says, glancing back at her once as he heads on his way, right before he disappears around the corner.

Event - Dogged

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