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Apocalypse How Mods ([personal profile] apocalypsehowmods) wrote in [community profile] apocalypsehowcomm2023-05-16 08:27 am

Event - Dogged


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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rainestorms: (pic#16399057)

[personal profile] rainestorms 2023-06-07 03:37 am (UTC)(link)
Raine gave Eda an apologetic look before they unlocked their phone. They listened as Eda and Pam spoke. Their eyes, however, were down on the clipboard, reading over each line of numbers. They lift their phone, and took a few quick pictures in succession, before they took a few more a little closer for good measure. They put their phone away wordlessly.

"Pam.. are you saying Zyrian Steel asked you to release the artefacts? And you did it for him..?" Their tone came out sharper than they intended, and they flash another apologetic look to Eda, before they say a little quieter; "Sorry I'm just- I'm trying to understand you, you sound a little.. muffled."
edalyn: (hair in face)

[personal profile] edalyn 2023-06-07 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Eda does her best not to react, not to tense up noticeably again at that answer. She gives Pam one more awkward pat as she waits for Raine to be finished taking pictures.

"Oh, that's—probably me," Eda realises. The glamour is always a strange experience; it feels like Pam simply has her face buried in Eda's shoulder, but it probably doesn't look quite right.

She takes the excuse to pull away gently, although not all the way.

"I guess... I do understand wanting to help them," Eda says finally. It's not like she's ever stuck to strictly legal means when it comes to money for her family. But... people were getting hurt because of the artifacts. A lot of people.

"Do you know if he even actually did it?" Because she has her doubts—but then again, it's not like he doesn't have the money to throw around.

apocalypsehownpcs: (Pam Ruan | ADI HR)

[personal profile] apocalypsehownpcs 2023-06-10 01:17 am (UTC)(link)
"He said once he was back in Wolf Trap, as long as I didn't tell anyone what I'd done." Her whole form is just defeated as she lets Eda disengage. "They'll kill me if they find out, won't they?" Her head dips a little more. "All the people I've- I hurt them. I've hurt you, haven't I?"
rainestorms: (pic#16321371)

[personal profile] rainestorms 2023-06-16 03:04 am (UTC)(link)
"You were.. trying to do what you thought was best. I'm not saying it didn't hurt people because it did but..."

Raine gave Eda a concerned look. What a delicate situation. They weren't exactly happy with Pam, but being outright in their anger wasn't a good idea. Pam had been through enough, frankly, and they didn't want her to dislike them.

"You've never been anything other than a friend to our community. I.. if people find out about it I don't want it to evolve into angry people doing things irrationally..."
edalyn: (grab hair 2)

[personal profile] edalyn 2023-06-17 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
Eda gave Raine an equally concerned glance back. She wasn't much for turning people over to authorities, just on principle. On the other hand, the crimes that she wasn't turning them in for tended to be things she approved of more than, say, freeing a whole warehouse of cursed artifacts to cause the kind of chaos that wasn't really fun.

But... Pam didn't deserve to die over it, either. It wouldn't help to lose someone who historically did care about the off-worlders, and it probably wouldn't help for the ADI to make an example of someone generally well-liked with tensions already running high.

And it wasn't as if they'd be getting rid of a threat, really.

"I... don't think they need to find out. They'd need to know if it was someone who was going to keep hurting people. But you're not gonna do that, are you?"
apocalypsehownpcs: (Pam Ruan | ADI HR)

[personal profile] apocalypsehownpcs 2023-06-17 05:42 pm (UTC)(link)
"No." Pam shakes her head tone turning earnest. "No, of course not. Never again. I-I don't know what I can do to fix this. But never again. I should- I'll help. Collecting the artifacts, getting them back to where they should be. Making sure we track down all of them. I'm so sorry.

"I'll help with that and anything else you need me for. It's the least I can do. The very least."