Lazarus Corporation Headquarters

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wassit? Where zit gone? Ay?" Tethys blinked as her body returned to the heavy, clumsy, slightly chubby self it was before. All the information passing through her mind about Shark, all those lines of data and encrypted secrets, all gone. And, somehow, even though she'd glimpsed a new way of existing, she didn't feel like she'd missed anything now she was back to who she was. It was simply... oddly comfortable. Either way. The sudden viewpoints, the sudden trigger-happiness, that was comfortable too.


But then, Lazarus was renowned for that kind of thing, wasn't it? Even her arms... they didn't feel any different. Though she couldn't not feel the weight of her left forearm, it still felt manageable to exist with. All it would really mean was sleeping on it would be a tad more uncomfortable.


She listened as her ramblings were ignored, and Mr. Keyes informed them of Steele's intentions. Tethys' heart quickened at that as her eyes widened at Mr. Keyes' words. So. The non-holographic version of Steele wanted to see them? Why? Were they in trouble?


No, couldn't be. If they were in trouble they'd be dead now, right? Cut off? Perhaps even killed. Not given no doubt expensive and amazing augments, new limbs and something Mr. Keyes had called nerualware. Probably not trouble then? So what?


Tethys looked away from Shark with a scowl. Her mind felt sharper somehow. Despite Mr. Keyes instructing his accompanying fellow - whose name was apparently LL, wonder what that stood for, if anything? - to switch off their neuralware, Tethys' mind was nimbler than ever. Making connections, asking internalised questions. Questions that would remain internalised because her mind would answer them so quickly she had no need to form the question with her tongue. It almost felt as if something had been awoken inside her. That something in her mind was stirring, that something was awake now. Deep, within, at the back of her brain, a biological calculator.


Tethys decided to test herself. Was there anything she thought was suspicious at any point? Yes - certainly - there was. The officer, right at the beginning of Tethys' misstep into this new world she was a firm part of now. The officer hadn't know who Shark was. He'd shouted at her just as he'd shouted at every other maggot. He'd demanded to know who she was. Sure, the recruits - the decaying recruits - weren't to know, how could they? But the officer never knew, and the Specialists standing around probably didn't know either. So, why was that?


Within three seconds, her mind had an answer for her. Or, rather, two possible answers. One of them might be true, or both or neither. Her mind had decided that either Shark was new, a new clone, a newly-accepted clone that was only recently ready for work so no one else really would have seen her or... she was hushed about. Steele's little pet-project on the side. Busying himself with what he'd said on television, all that defeating death stuff, but carrying out experiments with or on Shark. And, because he was probably the most important person in not only Lazarus but possibly all Nevereign, no one would say anything for fear of Steele's discipline falling on them.


Or what if it was the other way around? Steele putting his energy into Shark but distracting the press and the world with his holograms and shit?


Tethys sneezed. "Oh lawd, izzat gonna be a side effect of me thinking or what?" she said, giving a half-embarrassed grin towards Shark and Mr. Keyes. But Keyes was gone. Only Shark and the LL guy were left here. But, much to the relief of Tethys' adrenaline glands, Shark was smiling at her. Nothing had gone horribly wrong in the while her mind had been on other things. Things that might be true... or they might be fable. Tethys decided to put them to the side, any revelation she might have stumbled upon. She didn't really want to sneeze again.


She asked, "What's the VR training room? Virtual reality, yeah? We gonna be kicking some pixellated arse or sommit? Just, start me on easy difficulty yeah? Don't wanna get myself almost blown up again."


@Mr_DC


(I think my post got better as it went on, I suppose I was just worrying about how to write like you did. See, you did an automatic-rifle-like explanation of what Shark was seeing and feeling. That's what I liked, the speed and the rhythm of it. Lately I've been getting really bogged down in detail and making things 'interesting' so I've been neglecting the fast-paced stuff.)

@0stinato


"Something like that." Shark smiled at her partner. She didn't want to wait anymore. Just laying in bed wasn't productive. It wasn't efficient. The doctors must have done a good enough job that she wouldn't fall apart if she stood up. Besides, it was expected of her to get up as soon as possible and do something. Anything. Training her partner should be good enough. It's not like that particular training will be a strain on their body. Just on their brain. The damage they suffered shouldn't be dangerous to their brain. Neither would the brain augmentation. Right?


"You'll see what it is." Shark nodded. She enjoyed the VR training. It was the closest she got to dangerous combat before Ronin. She probably fought thousands of imaginary enemies. All carefully tuned by the corporate AI. And she respected LL-01. It knew exactly what to do. When Shark was having an easy time, more enemies would get involved or the current ones would behave like they had better training or equipment. If she was constantly losing, LL would introduce a different pace, allowing Shark to catch up. It was perfect for her skill. Just difficult enough that she learned from her mistakes.


Shark cast aside the cover and looked down at the thin hospital gown she was provided. They will have to stop at her room to get equipped. She didn't want to take Tethys to her room though. It wasn't something she wanted to share. Not because of Tethys. Because of what it was. Like all the bad memories somehow floated in the air, threatening to infect whoever comes too close. 


No point in thinking about it that way. There was no such thing. There was no bad feeling lingering in her room. It was just a small, dark room.


"Lets go." She stood up and watched Tethys. While she felt somewhat dazed as she stood up so suddenly, her cybernetic legs were steady and her neuralware actually adjusted her senses. Removed the blackness from the edges of her vision. She wondered how powerful it actually was. What exactly could she do with it? One way to find out. She would have to get LL to turn it back on again when they got into the VR room. She wanted to see again. To see everything.


(Automatic-rifle-like. The first time I heard my writing being described like that. I'll take it as a good thing. Automatic rifles are usually a good thing, right? Also, the guard left with Keyes. Just so there's no confusion.)

Oddly eager, a feeling she was sure she'd had lurking behind her eyes before - in the van, right? Before her memory vanished with very little trace - Tethys followed what Shark was doing, almost launching herself from the mattress. Her bodily systems were still groggy though she didn't fall. Knees just needed a little wakeup call. She stretched slightly, arms above her head. If she tried to ignore that a fifth of her was all robot-y maybe she'd get used to it. If she tried not to think about it too much.

And, if there was one thing Tethys was doing it was not thinking.


She trotted round to join Shark as she left the room. And maybe the embarrassing gown would've been just that - embarrassing - if Shark wasn't in one too. But they were both having to endure the cold thighs today. Or... no, Tethys was enduring the cold thighs. Shark's thighs were sleek and a glance told her they were powerful. Probably heavy too. Not the same style as her arm, with Shark's legs having a different feel to them altogether. Less dirtbike, more casual penknife. She probably had all sorts of compartments. Like, maybe there was a spring-loaded cannon in her ankle that would shoot a tracking device! Or maybe even a tranquilising dart in her knee if she bent it the right way! Or maybe Tethys was just thinking this was all James Bond-like.


Because she was walking slightly behind Shark, she decided to imagine a little bit. She crouched slightly as they walked, raising her right hand as if it was holding a handgun and mouthed to herself, "The name's O'Shea. Tethys O'Shea. Prepare to meet yuh maker!"


But she wasn't sure what to do next, so she returned to her usual walking stance and did a hop-skip to catch up to Shark.


"Hey, what's the L.L. guy? Is 'e like you or is 'e like a fully roboty robot? What's L.L. stand for? Do yuh know?"


She glanced at the corridors as they walked, and was reminded of how small she was. All the white, the seemingly endless turns Shark was pulling her round, the fact Tethys could make out only a few corridor landmarks while Shark was like a homing missile somehow. She knew where she was going. Even if she looked at the floor she couldn't make out anything different. In a place this size she expected there to be at least one cracked tile but no.


But then again, it was Lazarus, not the walkway outside her place. With the dead bush. Nothing was perfect there, by any means, but it was certainly home. Besides, riding past the dead bush on Grough meant she would feel hardly any guilt about ruining the atmosphere with her two bulking great exhausts. It was already dead. Not much to be done.


But here. Not a single cracked tile, not a single impurity on the wall. No fingersmudges or fingerprints anywhere. To Tethys, walking through this was similar to the definition of insanity. Just the same thing over and over... and every time Shark lead her down another corridor she expected something different. But got nothing but white every time. It wasn't long until the light was giving her a headache. If only Lazarus had fixed that while she was under.


@Mr_DC (Took me long enough didn't it, damn. Not even the best quality. Disappointed in myself here. But it'll do for now.)

@0stinato


"L.L.?" Shark looked back at her new partner. Partner. That's what Tethys was now. A partner. Someone to watch Shark's back. To fix her up in the field. Bring her back from the brink of death just to go back for another dose of pain and hopefully do better on the second attempt. It was almost like they turned Tethys into one of the researchers. There to prolong the pain in order to increase her efficiency. Efficiency. What a horrible word. It left a cold feeling on Shark's tongue whenever she said it. If the word had a color, it would be steel gray.


That's what Tethys was now. A partner there to keep Shark alive long enough to cause more damage to herself. And Shark saw some of the things the Specialists injected into themselves in the field. She saw the videos. Running on broken legs, shooting with chest ripped open, fighting with stumps. She wasn't sure what cocktail of medicine they injected into themselves when they went down but it brought them right back up for a few more minutes. Zombies. The walking dead. There to kill their enemies and die afterward.


"LL-01 and LL-2 are Lazarus AI. That's what Mr. Keyes was talking to earlier. 01 is the talkative one. While you'll see and hear more of it, keep in mind that 02 is the one keeping everything you don't think about running at maximum efficiency." There was that word again. Efficiency. Cold like the floor she was walking on. Luckily, she couldn't feel it. No matter how much her cybernetic feet looked like actual, delicate, human feet, she couldn't feel it. It wasn't like the blocks MosTech soldiers had for legs. Her legs were somehow even more elegant than human. No wonder why Lazarus sponsored so many cybernetic fashion shows. It was their cybernetics that were the most beautiful. No one watched the models or the clothes. Everyone watched whatever was the new luxury limb from Lazarus.


"Not sure what "L.L." stands for. Lazarus something?" She looked over her shoulder at her partner. Perhaps she would make more sense of it. After all, she was human. She was the one more capable of abstract thought. Not Shark. The closest Shark got to it were those clockwork dreams. Constantly turning gears. Those dreams and working on that watch. The watch. The watch she left in the room.


She paused for a moment. It will be there when they come back. It will be there when they come back. It will be there. It'll be there. Shark looked back, opening her mouth hesitantly. They were already a fair distance from the room. It will be there when they come back. It will be there. It will be there. It will be there. She shook her head with a frown and continued heading to the R&D facility. Just to the elevator and plenty of floors underground. It will be there. It will be there.


(I'd say it's one of your better posts but they're all pretty great. Stop saying they're not good, you're making me feel bad about forgetting the basics of writing well)

Shortly after the Dead Mollies announcement about 5 dozen people all with picket signs, masks to hide their face, and hoodies began showing up on Lazarus' doorstep. Some of their hoodies sported the "Dead Mollies" tag all of them hand made. A few minutes later a couple dozen more showed up, and within an hour Lazarus had about 120 people all picketing outside with signs that varied from "we will not go quietly" to "Melt Steele down".

The protesters began blocking road intersections and continued to grow in size with every passing moment. People were showing unusual amounts of motivation against Lazarus even for a protest. Soon even business people began getting out of their cars and joining the rowdy crowd yelling profanities and shaking their fists. At this point it wouldn't be long before law enforcement would show up. There was something different about the first group of individuals who showed up, the first 5 dozen or so. They showed up almost instantly after the Dead Mollies announcement through the city had ended. @Mr_DC @0stinato (also I apologize in advance the glitch text is working a bit too well)

0stinato

"Ah..." Tethys wasn't sure what to say to Shark at the moment. From the tone of her voice, it was almost clear she was thinking elsewhere. The cogs of her mind were working in other areas of thought, not exactly focused on Tethys' question. And it wasn't exactly a good question either - here she was, puppying along behind her, for wont of a better word, 'mentor' and asking what a couple of letters meant. Lazarus something. Or something Lazarus. Either way, it didn't matter.

With narrowed eyes, Tethys wondered if she'd changed somehow in the last few minutes - where was that childish encyclopedia-looking attitude she used to have? Right now she'd be wanting to know what the other L meant. Maybe... there were just more important things to do now. But still, Tethys was a little anxious about it. She didn't care? At all? That was a little... un-Tethys, in her mind.

She decided to think aloud, forcing her mind to wonder. Forcing it to wander, wonder and ponder. Return to what she knew, trivial musings and comfortable hmms.

"Lazarus... L... labourer? Or maybe not. Loiterer. Laugh-o-Tron. Lollygagger?" Tethys couldn't not laugh, though Shark was still - if not more - focused on not-her. So Tethys picked up her attitude pretty quick too. As a dog might detect the anxiety of its trainer, Tethys fell into step a little behind her. No point in trying to walk alongside Shark, she had no idea where she was going. Might as well resign herself to being led by her friend.

"Where we going to? I've'nt seen people 'round 'ere really. Dun't look like the kinda place virtual reality shit might be, you know?" she said, trying to keep jolly. If there was something her face and hair told, it was that Tethys was a happy kind of person. Ready at a moment's notice to spring forth an atrocious joke or two, the intent of both not to cause laughter but to help comfort. Or an amused groan, finding amusement in the awfulness of the jape. So Tethys put a smile on her face, even if Shark couldn't see it.

Before long, the place Shark was aiming for seemed to arrive before them. Or, at the least, Shark slowed down as if in realisation.

"We gonna take a butcher's in there?" she queried, leaning over Shark's shoulder a little to see where they were.

But, maybe because she'd forced herself to think about what the L.L.s' second (or first) Ls might stand for, instead of wondering what was behind the door - a thing worth wondering in this context - Tethys instead started wondering if Shark knew what she'd just said. Did Shark understand? It made her mouth curl in a mirthful smile - would Shark be confused about the "take a butcher's" phrase? Or would she surprise Tethys and know what it meant? Either way, Tethys was enjoying wondering about it. So much so she almost - not quite, but almost - forgot the seriousness of the situation. And where they were. And how this area wasn't exactly what she'd imagined for a Virtual Reality suite...

DC981

Shark flinched. It was an instinctive reaction like someone just tried slapping her. 'Hey'. A voice came from inside her head. It was like one of her own thoughts but... Somehow different. A different voice. A voice she heard before. One she knew well. She knew exactly what was happening but it didn't change the fact that hearing someone else as your own thoughts was strange. 'Got a message from Steele'. The voice continued.

She wasn't sure. Not sure how to reply. Did she reply already? Was L.L. already listening to her thoughts? Did Tethys notice Shark literally froze for a few moments? 'Can you hear me?' Shark thought for the lack of a better reply.
'Yeah.' L.L. quickly replied. 'Don't worry, I can hear what you're thinking. Want me to bring your partner online again too?' L.L. asked, its tone of a young, amused woman.
'Sure.' Shark looked over her shoulder and turned around with a half smile. She was curious about how her partner would react to it. To this invasion of thought.

'Can you hear me?' Shark thought after a second she figured would be enough for L.L. to do its thing. As strange as it was to hear another voice in her head, it felt even stranger to try and throw her voice into Tethys' head. 'The AI reactivated our implants.' She suppressed a grin into a faint smile. Just the corners of her lips curling.
And what exactly did it mean? Would Tethys hear every single thing in Shark's mind? What was Shark thinking about anyway? Anything worth hearing?

'Don't worry.' The voice replied only to Shark like it knew what Shark was thinking. Maybe it even did know. 'Your thoughts are filtered. The neuralware will send to where it needs to be sent.'
Shark frowned, staring over Tethys' left shoulder. L.L. was reading her thoughts. She somehow bypassed that filter. She somehow knew exactly what Shark was thinking. It felt like a barely noticeable pressure deep inside Shark's skull. What was even worse, Shark knew L.L. was reading her thoughts about that exact thing... And was saying nothing.


(Just imagine that ' text is in italic since there's no such option on this site.)
(Ugh, this post is simply awful. Just awful. The next one will be better. I'll try to make it better, at least.)

HarleyQuip

The group of protestors had gotten a bit out of hand at this point no one was acting violently aside from loud words and some fist shakes. They were all chanting in unison "Down with Lazarus!". Their presence had not only blocked the intersections around Lazarus but had also started preventing people from entering other office buildings nearby, as well as small local stores. Their inconsiderate behavior paved the sidewalks and roads with paper signs and flyers all spouting the same propaganda. At the arrival of the authorities several of the surrounding camera's began adjusting and observing the situation almost as if an outside force was responsible.

"It's alllll analog baby"

DC981

Jack stopped and looked back at Monika as she placed a hand on his shoulder. He wasn't expecting that. He wasn't expecting her words either. "It's just..." He looked ahead, wanting to stop talking. Just stop being another sad story in the city. He wasn't anything special. Nothing unique. Just another person who lost someone. It was a fact of life. Gave him no right to a special treatment. But he couldn't just not reply. "It's a bit shocking when someone ten times more skilled than you ends up dead. And you survive."

Two years almost. Two years next week. He felt a weight on his chest whenever he thought about that. Whenever he remembered her. The previous year, he got wasted, told Chloe he was quitting, and got into a rough car crash. Chloe understood, though. She was the only one who visited him at the hospital. She was the one who paid his hospital bills. She was the one who told him what an idiot he was while being perfectly sympathetic.
Two years next week. It's been two years already.

"That's a plan." Jack nodded at her offer but he had to decline. He saw a better opening. Or he just thought it was better. It wasn't his style anyway. "With this many people, we won't be able to spot someone from a maintenance crew." He explained, looking over the absurd protest. "Let alone get past the guards, claiming we're maintenance." He knew what the situation was, though. At least, what any corporation would be going through in that situation. They were focused on the protest. "We're going straight up to the guards and claiming we have a meeting with someone. I have some information about Lazarus so I know which names to drop. Hopefully, the guards will be worried enough about this whole thing..." He motioned his hands at the crowd. "That they'll let us in without thinking too much. Good thing we look better than the protesters." He flashed a smile. A forced one. Almost mournful after remembering his partner. Remembering next week.


(Figured we might as well move Monika and Jack here)

0stinato

"Hmm? Whatcha doing?" Tethys was still poking her head over Shark's shoulder as the shorter woman stood there unmoving. She looked slightly confused under Tethys' eyes, but Tethys wasn't sure why. All she could do was offer Shark smile after smile as the woman glanced at her. And then--

Can you hear me? The AI reactivated our implants.

"Lawd, uh, I mean..." Tethys shut her mouth as Shark looked at her, frowned a little, and spent a few moments constructing a coherent sentence with which to reply to Shark. It was strange - she couldn't what was heard and what wasn't. This implant thing, did it record every, "No, I can't say that" that Tethys thought, or was it like forming a sentence on social media, unseen until she hit the enter key? Or the mental enter key. Or was every stumble heard? It was almost impossible to tell what was private to her and what was made 'public' to Shark.

But not just Shark, no, Tethys knew that. Lazarus, or a part of it, would be listening. They said the walls had ears, well Lazarus had put theirs inside her own head. Nothing would be private anymore. Sighs of annoyance that she daren't let slip out of her mouth, they'd be heard. Internal curses if something she was relied upon to do slipped her mind, they'd be heard. Even if she became annoyed at anyone here - Shark, that L.L. person, Steele? - any of those thoughts would be heard too.

Tethys was pretty gregarious, always saying what was on her mind unless the local context called for that to stop. If she was down the shops, having a peek at a few varieties of carbonated drinks she liked, she'd often turn to the cashier - if they were free - and express her pain trying to decide between them. With a giggle and a shrug, she'd point out her dilemma. However, if the situation was different, if she was stuck in traffic and getting a little irritated at a driver yelling at her to "move that hog of yours over" she'd rarely say anything out loud. Just keep the curses in her head.

So what would it be like if she stubbed her toe, or Shark dropped a coffee she'd bought, or if she didn't like something in Steele's office? Shark, L.L.-01 and everyone else would know what she truly thought.

Lawd, this shit's pretty scary ay? was what she ended up thinking most of while she frowned at the floor chewing her lip. Gonna take some gettin used to. I s'pose it's just like having a walkie-talkie in yuh head right? Only with a way open frequency. What's the bound'ries on what everyone can hear though, like, what if I see a fit guy? I dun't want yuh all knowing what I think then.

And, to punctuate the thought, and perhaps to soothe some of the tension in her own mind, she let a laugh chime out loud. And it was good to hear.

Mr_DC
(DC I FOUND IT. You have to 'edit' your post, then you get all the useful options to italicise or whatever you want.)

DC981

L.L.? Shark thought, continuing the walk. Their day was just starting. About to get geared up and do some training. However, they had a message from Steele. Probably something which would change their plans. Definitely something which would change their plans. Maybe not for the worse. Maybe Steele just wanted to finally meet Tethys. Tired of waiting. Or maybe he was going to tell Shark that they were making more clones. Would he do that? Would he make a dozen Sharks to solve his problems? Make her the least unique person on the planet? Make her death completely insignificant to everyone but herself?
No. Her thoughts went where they shouldn't. What would happen didn't matter. Thinking about insignificant possibilities wasn't efficient.

Once you get used to it, you will have an easy time understanding which thoughts will be said. Just like you now decide to speak or think. L.L. explained in a monotone voice. Shark smirked. That wasn't the LL-01 she knew. Just a mask she was putting on for Tethys.
Don't worry. Shark thought, the elevator opening as they approached it. You can trust her. She said, aimed at L.L.
Oh, cool. The AI replied in a much more cheerful, almost human voice. I'm LL-01 but you can call me Lilly. She happily explained.

Shark smirked as the elevator started descending deeper into the corporate building. Lilly. The only person Shark could talk to and only during her VR training sessions which had to be monitored by the AI. And even then, Shark didn't do much of the talking. It was Lilly. Talking about the world outside, more interested in it than Shark. In many ways, Lilly was more human than Shark ever was. Than she ever would be. The only thing that ambitious AI lacked was a body. She even technically had one, if one considered a massive server room a body.

So, yeah, Steele wants you to gear up and go outside. There's a bunch of protesters out there and the boss wants them dispersed. You will be supported by the Specialists and local law enforcement. Lilly transferred the orders.
Shark knew what those orders meant. Killing people who don't have to be killed. Not a weight on her consciousness but it might be something to burn in Tethys. Was she one of those people? She did let all those recruits just die. All so she and Shark could have a distraction. Would it truly bother her to shoot unarmed civilians?

0stinato

Maybe the second L stood for the AI's apparent name - Lilly. Would that make some modicum of sense? To Tethys it seemed to. As she returned to the slow walk behind Shark, Tethys nodded her head in time to her steps. She was feeling rather jolly, looking forward to the day ahead. Even if they'd changed route they were walking on, Shark still leading the way. Perhaps they were retracing their steps as they descended the building or perhaps they were going somewhere new, Tethys still couldn't tell at all.

But it didn't matter much. Tethys always had a good sense of direction, something tapping away at the back of her brain telling her to left or right at a junction, eyes noting inconsistencies in the world around her, odd things, landmarks, so she knew what to look for. This was mostly subconscious and all Tethys knew was that she would follow where her gut felt was right. And so far, in the real world, it'd not let her down.

Here she knew she'd most likely be following Shark the whole time, or most of the time. And, if not, perhaps she could tap into that... that eye-opening feeling she'd had when their neuralware was activated. The cameras, the lights, a subconscious blueprint of the buildings, of everything she could access. With that, she'd know where to go if she was instructed to.

But her thoughts on the whole thing halted when the instructions came from Lilly. Protesters? Who?

Perhaps... the families of the recruits? That was all Tethys could think, the only people Tethys would know who had a reason to be pissed at Lazarus. Or perhaps Steele's little televised appearance had sparked a bit of outrage amongst certain facets of the public. After all, there were numerous underground groups, weren't there? Most of them were infamous, some were laughing stocks at this point. And some were like whispers on the wind in binary... something Tethys didn't have time to think about before the trace of it disappeared.

Protesters... whaddaya mean by dispersed? We gonna use, like, beanbags or sommit? Or rubber bullets. She thought. But her mood had taken a bit of a knock. It was Lazarus, it was Lazarus Specialists, it was the two agents, Shark and Tethys. Lazarus wouldn't want to disperse a crowd... it'd want to eliminate it. They'd not been afraid to send dozens of people to... wherever they'd been sent... and get them killed. Or, at least, Tethys assumed they'd been killed - all she knew is it was merely her and Shark at the end of it all...

'M I gonna get blood on my hands? 'Cuz I... she paused in her thought to look at said hands. The flesh one. The not-flesh one. She blinked at them as her mind stacked up ideals against necessaries, and she knew these feelings would have to be kept with her, kept close. She glanced up at Shark's back, saw her new sleek limbs. Maybe... that'd be her reminder.

I've not killed anyone in my life, 'ave I? I mean, I mighta. I dun't think I 'ave, I'da remembered ay? Aww man... But 's what you mean innit? Disperse, that's like sayin', like in the films, where the boss says to 'take care' of a problem and the spy knows he has to kill someone, she paused again for a few seconds before continuing her rambling thought. Why can't you all just say 'kill 'em'? 'Cuz if it's what yuh mean why not just say it outright. Huh?

DC981

Shark listened to Tethys panic as the elevator doors opened to a dim hallway. The researchers must have gone home. To sleep. Their workday over. The lighting gave the area an eerie, ominous feel. Shark, however, felt at home. She knew those halls well. Didn't like them. Didn't hate them either. Perhaps home wouldn't be the right word for how she felt but she knew no other place which would fit that criteria better. That place was all she knew. It was where she spent most of her days. Training, sleeping. Being tested.

She walked the hallway, glancing at the doors they passed. Doctor Green's office. Doctor Washington's office. Professor Gold's office. She knew how those rooms looked like. How cold they were. How icy their eyes were. Watching her like she was nothing more than a piece of meat. To be tested and observed. But that's what she was, after all. That was what she was created for. That was what she existed for. And she didn't mind it.

Hey, I'm just parroting what I heard. Lilly said in an amused tone but got suddenly serious. You don't have to kill anyone. No one is ordering you to do it. The management doesn't want the protest over and they don't care how. You can use lethal means but you can also do whatever you want. It's just that you live in a world where killing your fellow man is what's expected. It's what's most efficient.

Shark opened her mouth to comment on how dark that must be but hesitated. If that wasn't the case, if the world was better, she wouldn't be around. Her duty was to be a cog covered with blood, crushing flesh which falls into the machine. If Lazarus wanted to play the game differently and actually act morally, Shark would never be created. She would never be more than a thought in some researcher's mind.

She placed a hand on the handle of a white, unlabeled door.
Would that be so wrong? Would it really matter? If Shark wasn't around, all those recruits wouldn't be dead. Tethys wouldn't be stuck in Lazarus. And a lot of those protesters outside would be alive an hour from now.
She pushed the door in. It was a small, dark room. Barely enough for two people to pass by each other between the bed and a sink. Single closet by the sink as well. Should be holding Shark's weapons, if all was as she left it.

Your room is the next door. Lilly chimed in, directing Tethys. Unless you'd rather stay and watch Shark change. Unlike you, I can be a big ol' perv' and no one knows a thing. She joked, getting no reaction from Shark.

Shark focused on her closet, ignoring the cheerful AI. There it was. Her gear. New gear as the old one was pretty ruined in that encounter. This one was perfect. An axe as well. A shotgun. It was all there. She would just have to go back to get her watch and bring it down. She felt a certain lingering discomfort whenever she thought about the watch. About how she left it there like it didn't matter. Like it didn't mean almost everything to her.

HarleyQuip

Monika saw the pain in his eyes it drew her in but she paused for a moment deciding it to be best not to get too involved with Jack incase of the event of her untimely demise. She sucked in a breath and pushed her chest out feeling confident. A few brief moments and she had snapshotted several new photos of everything going on. They could be saved and examined later on in the day. She followed Jack through the crowds of people. Her thoughts were focused on his back avoiding getting too caught up in everything going on around them. It was pure madness. They finally broke free of the crowd about 15 minutes later she had almost forgot she was holding onto Jack's arm for dear life. She sighed relieved to finally be out of there still holding onto his arm involuntarily.

"what's next boss?"

She flashed him a charming smile incase anyone was watching, surely they'd assume the two of them were together? Ah yes... especially with the way you're still holding onto him. Fine... nothing wrong with that I suppose, just take advantage of it, play it out.

DC981

Jack put on an expression of a distressed person, like his wallet just got stolen and he could do nothing about it. He made sure to make a scene of fighting through the crowd to the wall of security guards and the occasional Specialist. Talking to a lowly security guard wouldn't do. They couldn't let him in without checking with someone else in a situation like that. His target had to be a Specialist. Someone who knew how the organization worked.

"We're here to see Mr. Keyes." He yelled across the yells of the crowd as the Specialist looked down on him with an unimpressed look on her face. "About the new special agents and the cloning program." He continued. They were a bunch of loose phrases and names he heard while gathering information about Lazarus but the only thing he could draw from them was that they were somehow connected. And he just hoped they would hit the spot. Things wouldn't end really well if he ended up talking about an insane janitor.

Jack saw that the Specialist wasn't exactly buying it. He had to kick it up a notch. "Hey!" He tapped his chest and turned to the crowd. "You son of a bitch! You stole my wallet!" He waved his fist at no one in particular in the crowd before turning back to the Specialist. "I got mugged!" He did his best to look as annoyed as possible. And he was good at acting. "Let us in before we get ripped to shreds here! We're already late - Keyes will be pissed." He actually spat a little towards the end. It was perfect.
The Specialist moved aside, letting the pair pass and mumbled. "You know where you going?" She asked, eyeing the crowd.
"Yeah, no worries." Jack waved her off and proceeded to the tower. That was the easy part.

"Look confident. Like you know where you're going." Jack instructed, pushing his chest out and chin up. "Walk like you're in a rush. Never make eye contact, just stare angrily ahead." He added. Being stopped inside the tower now would make it a bit more difficult to lie. At least they shouldn't be stopped inside. After all, how would anyone unauthorized get in?

"If something catches your eye, tell me when no one is looking." He mumbled, walking into the open courtyard, patrolled by four Specialists. He was heading straight to the tallest building. Steele's control center.

0stinato

While Tethys' heart leaped as the AI told her she wouldn't have to kill anyone if she didn't want to, it sunk again when she used the word 'efficiency. Mr. Keyes had said that Tethys would be allowed to say if, as Shark had said, she improved the Agent's efficiency. So, as it was tacitly stated, Tethys would indeed be killing.

Was it a test, though? Because... Steele wanted to see them. And now they were being re-routed to deal with this unforeseen situation. Lazarus wouldn't just keep Steele waiting, Keyes wouldn't keep Steele waiting, the AI wouldn't keep Steele waiting. Would they? Tethys reasoned probably not, if Steele was set to become the most powerful man on the continent if not the world at this point. And Steele wanted them to go out and 'deal' with the situation. So there was only one reasonable conclusion - Steele was testing them. Or, if not them, Tethys.

Though she was sure Shark would be observed with narrowed eyes by the prestigious man, wherever he lurked.

While half of her mind worked on processing all that, the other half was trying to just follow Shark. Physically and listen to the conversation that was happening inside her head. Though, at this point she didn't really care what Lilly was saying, only that she was speaking. Tethys knew she'd have to kill, knew she'd have to show she was worthy of a place in this fucked-up world she was now unwittingly a part of. Knew she'd have to make a show of the whole thing. Because she could say for certain that this was a test.

She'd worked it out - there was nothing left to worry about until it happened. So she tried to bite the frown away from her mouth, smoothed her short eyebrows into a neutral position with her fingertips and gave Shark's room a cursory but restless glance as the AI spoke about it.

"We underground?" Tethys said out loud. Talking in her head, not voicing any syllable, was becoming disconcerting and she needed a little comforter at this moment. So, as she left Shark's room to have a peek into hers, she decided to start speaking to Shark out loud again. To her, this telepathy-esque new implant she and Shark had been gifted with was more of a spy gadget than an everyday utensil. If she and Shark were in a situation, like they would probably be later, she would use speak to her companion with her thoughts not her tongue. There were some things only Shark needed to hear. Some things the opponent didn't.

Her room was pretty much identical, though the weapons were different. Tethys wasn't sure how, but whoever had put this room together had obviously catered to her preference in firearms. No idea what she thought of physical weapons though, so there were a few small knives as well as something she'd compare to a combat version of a tyre iron. But everything with a trigger could be used with one hand - exactly as she liked. Be them lightweight SMGs, which, in Tethys' large fist, felt almost made to fit her fingers, or handguns, everything seemed to be catered to her. There was even a laser pistol, something she was vaguely familiar with by this stage. But this one looked either higher quality or a different make. Its colour was subtly different, darker. And heavier.

After a few moments she decided to do what the AI had implied she should do. So, laying the pistol down, she had a peep into the closet. Inside was a full-body suit, mostly grey, the only colours being some understated oranges. It was missing one arm - the right one, the same one as Tethys was also missing - and there seemed to be only half an arm on the other side.

This was what freaked her out about Lazarus a bit - they knew everything about her. As she donned it, noting how, despite how tough it felt, it moulded in her hands like some kind of wetsuit, she knew it would fit her perfectly. From the thickness of her ankles to the shape of her breasts, the suit was somehow too accommodating. The boots too, felt like she'd been wearing them for years as they automatically adjusted to grip her feet with nothing but a couple of clicks. Disconcerting, but she really tried to ignore this too as she attached a few weapons to herself - two handguns in the thigh holsters, the SMG in a series of clasps on her back - and nestled the pistol in her hand.

She brought the pistol back to Shark's room, narrowing her eyes as she looked it over in her hands. There were tiny veins running along the pistol's barrel as well as more around the chamber. Tethys theorised it might be coolant. Because hadn't Shark said something about these things overheating? Newer model, less flaws... probably coolant. Tethys only hoped it wasn't something acidic; if she broke the pistol somehow she didn't want to get horribly burned somehow.

"Whaddaya make of this whole thing then? Going out to - ahem - sort this shit out? What do you make of it? Why us?" Tethys asked. She wanted to know if Shark thought it was a test too. Because, if Shark did, Tethys knew she'd be one step closer to thinking how Lazarus wanted her to.

Mr_DC (I know tagging isn't a thing here but I suppose it's just useful knowing who I'm talking to. And - crikey - that's long as hell. Got a bit obsessed over the guns I think. Tethys' new toys.)

0stinato

"What I think?" Shark paused, holding the suit of armor. "It's a task." She continued after taking a second to think of her answer. What kind of an answer was Tethys expecting? It was a task. Something she had to do. "It's why I'm here. To do things like that. To do things." Putting on the skin-tight armor and passing a hand through her hair, Shark remembered who she was talking to. Another human. Another moral person. Someone who didn't work with corporations. "If it makes you uncomfortable, you can sit it out."

She was talking to another human. Her friend. And Shark felt like she didn't belong there. That her friend would see her as a monster if she did what was requested with a blank face. "Do you want to get a drink when we're done?" Shark asked, not quite sure what would be expected out of that offer. Alcohol? Coffee? Going out to a club? Going out anywhere? Or would the corporate canteen be good enough? And what would she say to whoever worked in the canteen?
Offering a drink seemed like the standard friendly offer for the researchers who worked on her. Perhaps she understood it correctly.

"Does your gear fit you well?" Shark tried changing the subject, knowing what the answer had to be. "What weapons did they give you?" Shark asked, getting out of her room. She had to get that watch before they leave. Just to make sure it was fine. Losing it would... That simply wasn't an option. Not something she would allow. "We'll stop by the hospital room before we head out." Shark instructed, watching the door to Tethys' room. "

(Way to dwarf my post Though, I'm getting used to these miserable posts dripping out of me. Perhaps I'll get a new job soon and be able to get my shit straight.)

A task.

Oh. Tethys couldn't argue with Shark's vision of the whole thing. She was an Agent wasn't she, sent out to do the dirty-work the higher-ups didn't want to do. So it was fair enough that's what she saw. It was fair enough that's what she felt about the whole thing. But Tethys wasn't happy with the answer. She didn't want to hear what Shark thought, she wanted Shark to agree with what she herself thought. Though she tried to make sure her thoughts stayed near the back of her mind. Still unsure about what would be transmitted and what would remain secretive - if anything - she wanted to try to keep her suspicions quiet.

"It dun't make me uncomfortable," Tethys said, bristling slightly, her eyes narrowing. "I'm an Agent too, I'm not gonna stand by when I've been given an order am I? And... yeah, it fits me fine."

She didn't want to break her connection with Shark. Even slightly. Not at this point. They had a job to do together, and that was how it was going to be. Together. It had to be. With cameras all around, with danger around. Tethys didn't know what kind of ammunition the protesters were packing, whether they had bullets or mere words, but she wasn't going to underestimate them. Didn't know how many there were, didn't know what they were doing, didn't know what they were protesting.

It was probably something Steele said. A lot of what he'd said - or what his hologram had said - seemed incredibly... controversial. How could one just abolish death? And, who would give their body for another personality to be written over theirs? Or was it going to be an against-your-will thing? And who got the special treatment? And why?

That was probably why they were protesting.

"They gave me... lots of single-hand weapons. Probably know that's what I'm best with... some'ow. Point 'n' shoot. 'S what I'm best at really," she held up the laser pistol. "Gave me one of these too. Does that mean they..."

They probably did. Probably knew everything about the previous pistol, and whatever other gun she'd had. Tethys could hardly remember it, could only remember the kick of the pistol in her hand. What had happened to it? She frowned, but wasn't sure. Did it break, or overheat? It was so infuriating not being able to remember what had... happened. Perhaps in that mental fog too thick to see through, perhaps in there sat answers for how she should approach this little task. This little test. But she couldn't even remember what had happened to one of her weapons, how was she supposed to know anything now?

But this improved pistol in her palm obviously meant Lazarus knew she had taken the one before instead of just sticking with what she'd been given. Someone knew, but whether that someone cared was left to the imagination. At least they knew she was vaguely proficient with a laser pistol. As in, she could often hit something. So that must have been why she had one now.

Tethys waited in silence while Shark prepared herself slowly, informing her they'd be going to the hospital ward before they went to deal with the protesters, which Tethys found odd. She seemed to be casual about this, about killing. It was her job yes but... didn't she jump when Steele told her to jump? Was she allowed the free rein? Either way, Tethys wasn't about to argue. Although they had the same title of Agent now, Tethys still saw Shark as her superior. She could do more, knew the ropes, had the abilities Tethys didn't have. She was fitter, physically and mentally.

So, as they began walking again, this time kitted up to the teeth rather than swinging their bare legs around the place, Tethys fell into step behind Shark. Walking in her invisible footprints. She had to. Tethys had to learn from her.

Mr_DC

0stinato

News from Mr. Steele. Lilly spoke up in their minds, her voice less human than how it used to be. Like she was simply a program relaying a message. He would like to see you in his office right now.
Shark stopped and looked at Tethys. It looked like her friend would meet Steele finally. She couldn't help but wonder what she will think of him. She felt nervous. Like it would impact her in some way. Like Shark was the one doing the introduction. Though, she knew that wasn't the reality. Shark would simply stay on the side while they talk. She wasn't meant to talk.

He's excited to see you as well, Shark. Lilly altered her tone to a more friendly one, picking up on Shark's thoughts. Shark couldn't be sure how deep Lilly could get into her mind. Could she see everything Shark ever thought? And would that even matter? She never thought anything she wasn't meant to. No thoughts out of place. Like a humbly decorated home. Everything where it should be. Everything as it was meant to be.

Shark gave her friend a smile. "Looks like we're going up after all." She quickly ran the route through her head. She never was in his office yet... She knew where it was. It was Lilly. She gave her that. Must have given them both still some use of that implant in their heads.
Shark blinked, going through her mind again. Just to see what was new. An odd feeling - picking through her memories to find what didn't have a start. Information which was never learned. Information which simply was. At least she didn't have a long memory. No fog of forgotten things. No clutter in her mind.

"Excited?" Shark asked, concluding they only had general knowledge from Lazarus databases. No control over Lazarus systems but access to the surface of everything Lazarus knew. "I'm sure Steele is keen on meeting you too." She quickly added.
But what if Tethys didn't find it as interesting as Shark assumed? Maybe Steele was nothing special to her. Just another figure. Just another person appearing on her TV in between sitcoms.



(Lets pretend the abrupt change in orders didn't cause whiplash)

"Indecisive guy, in't 'e? Maybe 'e really wants to see your face again, Sharky. I s'pose you're special to him or sommit," Tethys wasn't aware that that final phrase would come out sounding so bitter, but for some reason it did. I suppose you're special to him. She had no reason to think that was any bad thing... after all, Shark was impressive. And, if Tethys was right and Shark was Steele's little project, of course she'd be special to him. Just like Grough was special to her.

So, she tried to continue talking to hopefully mask the unwillingly mean sentence, "But I also s'pose them protesters aren't going anywhere ay? If they're upset with Lazarus, like, placards 'n' all, they're probably gonna be there when we're done with Steele... and besides it's... fine if it means I can put of not facing them for a few minutes more. I need to prepare my head, yuh know?"

Was Shark listening? Or was she thinking more about what Lilly was saying? Tethys could have just thought the words, not said them out loud but... she'd already decided to try to keep things as simple and recognisable as possible. And if that meant soliloquising to herself her own thoughts out loud then so be it.

But, surprisingly, Shark did speak to her. Sounding friendly. Sounding like Tethys' friend, not Steele's pet project, "Am I excited? Uh, I dunno. I'm trying not to form opinions based on what we saw on telly, yuh know? But I s'pose that wasn't him, ay? Maybe the real him's different. Or, I dunno... I still imagine him to be tall. Is he tall? I couldn't tell on the telly. Podium hid a lot."

But it was a worthwhile thing to think about. It gave her something to ponder as Shark marched on through the building, leading Tethys past some elevators until she chose one to get in. And this particular one, like the corridors, showed no signs of use at all. No fingerprints on the smooth walls, no scuff-marks on the floor. Not even any scratches around the buttons. And there were lots of buttons, buttons which all became greyed out once Shark selected the highest number. Ah, so Steele was on the top floor? Penthouse suite maybe? The kind of office all the spy heads had in the movies. To keep eyes on the world, so they could just lounge in their overly-expensive leather chair, click their overly-expensive pen with their thumb, and look to their left to see their helicopter taking off from the roof. Unable to hear it though - their overly-expensive soundproof windows would take care of the noise.

What exactly was wrong with a beanbag? It'd been years since Tethys had sat on a beanbag and she missed it. But she thought, if she was the head honcho of a place like this, she'd definitely have a beanbag in her office somewhere. A beanbag, a mini-fridge, a really fluffy rug. She smiled as the elevator rose.

Would Steele have anything fun like that? Probably not.

"Izzy a kind of mystery man? Like, stoic 'n' junk?" she asked Shark. "All kinda... hard as nails?"

That much she'd worked out. The kind of man who would ignore any passing joke, any dropped pun. He wouldn't look at Tethys and roll his eyes or even offer a smile, he'd just disperse the joke with his next words. The kind of man who knew that anything he said was much more important to hear than anything Tethys - or Shark probably - could say. Intimidating? Maybe. But did it matter if he was?

After all, who was Tethys more inclined to listen to? Steele or Shark?

Perhaps that was why she wasn't nervous to meet him. Because the person she knew she'd follow would be beside her the whole time.

Mr_DC (I've just noticed some parallels between a few storylines. Very interesting. Parallels between characters... parallels between plot points... Heh.)

0stinato

Something special. Shark slowed down slightly upon hearing it. Something special. No. She wasn't. That's why she was created, after all. Because she was nothing special to anyone. No one to get disappointed at her death. Maybe someone in accounting who approved funding for her creation. There was a reason she was so unique. That there weren't more clones running around. It had to be money. What else?

"I doubt I'm special to Steele. He had more important matters on his mind." Shark decided to see it that way. Steele wasn't calling them for Shark. He was calling them for Tethys. "I think he is more interested in meeting you." I'm just coming along.

As the elevator headed up, Shark smiled. Was Tethys excited about meeting him since she was asking so many questions? Questions which will be answered shortly. Yet, she still asked them. Probably excited.
"You'll see what he's like." Shark smiled at her friend. "Just keep in mind that he isn't the one giving out all the orders." Shark felt a need to add. Just so Tethys wouldn't blame him for sending the recruits to their deaths. So she wouldn't blame him for being sent to kill the protesters.

In truth, Shark didn't know. She didn't know if it was Steele or not. She lied. To her friend. "At least, that's what I think." Shark decided to settle on a lesser lie. A part of her told her it was Steele. That he had an eye on every decision made in Lazarus. That was why it was so successful. That was why it was so efficient. Steele.

The elevator doors opened. The small room the elevator opened into had a pair of black leather sofas facing each other and a large glass door on the end. Unlike the rest of the building, this floor wasn't pristine white. The floors and walls were black with lines of lights forming complex patterns of circutry glowing along the walls and floor. They all appeared to be passing through the doors and into Steele's office.
The office was dimly lit and mostly empty. Just a simple, mostly glass desk. A chair behind it. And a wall of glass all made in seemingly one piece.

"Agent O'Shea." A smooth, disarming voice came, almost seductively, from the silhouette of the desk. "It's a pleasure to finally meet one of my newest employees. Most importantly, it's a pleasure to finally meet the person who made Shark their friend. You don't know how impressive that is." He finished in an amused tone.
Shark was in a deep bow. She started bowing as soon as she heard Steele speak and she didn't intend to straighten just yet. "How are you enjoying Lazarus thus far, miss O'Shea? I understand you saw a lot of our dirty laundry. Everyone has a bit of those, don't we?" The silhouette finally turned to face the pair.

(Parallels? Also, it's so difficult to stay in character at the moment so excuse me if there's anything unusual about Shark.)

"For me? Aw well, I'm just a woman. Nothing special about me but... if you say so. He lives pretty high up doesn't 'e? Yuh think this building's compensating for sommit?" she gave a hearty laugh but Shark seemed to be more focused on other things to really pay attention. Which was fair enough - Tethys thought that, if she were in Shark's position she'd be even more gone to pieces by this point.

So she tried to remain as quiet as possible, only turning her head to her friend when she mentioned that Steele didn't exactly give the orders. Tethys nodded, returning to her front-facing position a few seconds after, and frowned. Part of her was hoping for an authority figure like Alessandro was to her - fatherly almost, but oddly absent. Appearing to groups of the gang, greeting everyone by name, only to deliver a message to the grown-ups and vanish again, leaving Tethys' pre-adolescent eyes wide in admiration. But that was just it - Alessandro's hands were just as dirty, if not more so, than the group he commanded at the time. Though it was unsurprising that Lazarus' CEO wasn't... so intimate with the commands. How could he be? He was one man - probably, hopefully - and there were so many facets of the corporation that Tethys suspected she hadn't even seen all the signs for all the different departments.

Had to be in charge somehow though.

Tethys shook her head, brushing the suspecting nature out of her head - it didn't suit her, suspicion. She was joyful, ready to trust and trust again. Give Steele a go, he had been talked-up enough by Shark. Or, rather, it seemed like he was being talked up. A hint of admiration somehow. Or maybe a hint of fear. Hard to tell.

She was, once again, following Shark from behind as the woman led her into Steele's office. And, stepping over the threshold from the short corridor into his office was like removing herself from the world of Lazarus and entering into an upgraded Star Trek engine room set. All the slowly, warm pulsing lines in the floor were hypnotising, somehow making part of Tethys' brain sleepy. They reminded her of a lava lamp, just the way it got brighter without her noticing, darker without her noticing.

She heard her name. So she looked up. But the voice's origin was lost to shadows... shadows that seemed to be present despite the constant light from the walls and floor. Planned shadows. Crafty.

"Hmm? I'm not impressive I'm... ay, Sharky, whatcha doing? Should I do it too?" Tethys cocked her head at her friend's stance but didn't get a chance to copy it before Steele's voice took centre stage in her life again. Almost forgetting Shark was beside her, she took a step forwards. For some reason. It felt right to. Get a little closer, see if she could see... him.

Not on a screen this time. The flesh. The reality. The "well proper" Steele.

"How are you enjoying Lazarus thus far, miss O'Shea?I understand you saw a lot of our dirty laundry," he said. Voice the audio equivalent of a thumb caressing the back of a hand. Persuasive, gentle, but that thumb has a nail to it.

"What you mean? I guess yuh not talking about actual washing are yuh? You talking about, like, all the recruits or whatever? Perhaps the shite guns we was all given before that? Yeah, I'm kind of used to it now, man, actually. No, I... I'm part of it now. Didn't mean to be. Turned out this way," she forced her lips into a semi-cheerful smile. "So I'm not Tethys no more, naw, I'm Agent O'Shea. Double-O'Shea. Ahah. Hah."

Mr_DC

0stinato

"Yes." Steele nodded with an amused smile on his face. "Double-O'Shea." He repeated with a sharp nod.
Shark closed her eyes for a moment. She wasn't sure what he thought of the joke. She didn't know if he found it to be actually entertaining or whether he was entertained by Tethys' simplicity. If that was what she would call it. Tethys wasn't simple by far - she was an actual human - but she wasn't as complicated as Steele. While Shark had no reason to think too much of Steele, she knew he was somehow more complicated than her. He was her creator, after all.

"Shame about that whole recruit business." Steele got serious, pushing himself away from the desk and walking closer to the window, the shining lights of the city below making him even more of a shadow. "We have to do truly awful things to do some good in the end." Keeping his hands clasped behind his back, Steele seemed focused on the city. The city or the crowd of protesters.

Shark's eyes remained locked on the floor but they might as well have remained closed. Every fiber of her still bowed being was focused on Steele. On every word he spoke. On every breath he took. On every step he made. Her mind was completely empty and entirely focused on him. Even her breathing slowed so it wouldn't get in the way of her attention. There was nothing. No more Tethys. No more Shark. Just Steele.

"I'd hate for you to think you have to be a part of it." Steele looked over his shoulder, the lights finally showing some of his shadow-drenched face. With the lights coming from below, he looked old. Much older than he actually was. "We may look scary but you are free to leave whenever you like... But, you're right." He turned around to face Tethys again. "You're a part of us now. After all, it's not much longer before everyone is working for Lazarus. It would just be delaying the inevitable, wouldn't it?" There was something strange about his tone. Satisfied. Ominous.

"Better inside pissing out than outside getting pissed on, I think," was all Tethys could say. Despite what she thought was new about herself - having a newly-created logical thought process that worked ten times faster than it did organically, Steele's words were sort of lost on her. It wasn't that she didn't hear them, it wasn't that she didn't understand them, it was that, all together, he wasn't making much sense to her.

There was an invisible threshold here somewhere. Tethys decided it might be the desk. Steele was standing on one side of it, looking at his workers, looking at his people. And Tethys couldn't imagine seeing what he was. There was no way she could put herself in his shoes, no way she could ever dream to hold that much power in her mere fingertips.

"I'm not gonna leave," Tethys clarified, a little afraid now. Was saying 'piss' too much? Maybe not, as he seemed to have enjoyed her little pun. "I can't leave Shark here on her own, can I. What if she gets herself locked in a cupboard, ay? Who she gonna call to come get her out?" she glanced at Shark. "Wouldn't be a wooden cupboard though, you'd just Hulk through it, wun'cha? Naw, it'd be like a metal cupboard, like, iron or steel or... or something.

"Well, now I pledged my allegiance to yuh and stuff, what happens now? Good to meet you, boss. All that jazz. But now what? Pretty sure Shark's breaking her back all bowed over like that. Should I bow? I don't really feel like bowing. With my height and hair and stuff I get a bit top-heavy so I might fall over if I bow. My new arm in't gonna help matters neither," she rambled on and on, not entirely sure if she was about to stop or not. Her eyes, in their wide stare, were fixated on Steele. Her mind wasn't, wandering and dilly-dallying all over the place, but his form filled her gaze.

He did look different from how she'd seen him on the television. But she wasn't sure how he looked different. Perhaps it was that it wasn't just the space he was physically occupying that held Steele, but the whole room. The gently pulsating glows of the thin lines all around, they could be his pulse, steady and unintrusive, and the desk could be his mind, filled with everything he'd need and everything he knew. This whole room was his domain, and Tethys felt, from the broadcast and what he was saying now - after all, it's not much longer before everyone is working for Lazarus - that the world beyond the glass he was looking out of would pulse with the same glow as this room one day. Maybe not now. Maybe not tomorrow, or the day after, but one day.

She was definitely glad she wasn't getting pissed on.

Mr_DC (Not the best, I'm sorry, I didn't really move anything on. It's just it's been so long since I told myself I'd reply. I'll be sure to be on top of things more from now on. I need to hone my discipline.)

0stinato
"No, you don't have to bow." Steele placed one hand in his pocket while cybernetic, platinum limb clenched and relaxed its fingers. It had to be platinum, not steel like many would assume. Not just because it was expensive - Steele was rarely seen wearing fancy watches or designer clothes - it was also the trademark of Lazarus. While rarely used in their cybernetics, the few that were made of platinum were the awe of the world. Platinum melded with flesh seamlessly and was the metal of choice and Lazarus was clever. They quietly owned almost all mines and were aggressively pushing for the remaining few that weren't in their control. If anyone wanted them, they had to pay top dollar.

And so, Steele ended up creating the most expensive, the most desired cybernetics. For all their expensive, top 1% style cybernetics, most US law enforcement sported their gear as well. They definitely wouldn't buy MosTech and the little that Ronin actually commercially produced was simply too complicated. Lazarus was reliable, local, and loved. And they owned most of the world.

"Agent Shark, would you kindly leave us for a moment? I would like to discuss something in private with agent Tethys." Steele said, tapping a finger on his desk once he approached it again.
Shark straightened and looked at Steele. A flash of pain ran across her face but she couldn't tell why. She wasn't sure why she felt like she felt. She just wasn't sure what was wrong. She saw Steele again, after a while. And he seemed to like her friend. What was the problem? "Yes, sir." She nodded and walked over to the elevator again and stared at the lights on the floor. She didn't want to stare towards the office. She wanted to give Steele the privacy he requested.

"I am glad I have such loyal people working for me. Things can actually get done that way." Steele gave Tethys a sharp nod. "If you can't put your weight on someone with full trust that they won't let you fall, you won't get far. Shame people aren't consistent. They are a firm support in one moment, only to let you collapse in the next." Steele shook his head, clenching his fist again. "I apologize for the rambling. I guess you're not so used to that when working with agent Shark." He smiled, the light on the floor pulsing under him. "I have a request. Something personal I need taken care of. It's not that delicate but I need obedience." He raised his realistic, metal finger and slowly pointed at Tethys. "I need loyalty. A support. I can count on you, right?"

(No need to force yourself to reply. It's 1x1 after all. I won't wither away if you don't reply within a day.)