|  Author | Topic: Set to Rights (Read 52 times) |
Abigail Aarens
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« Thread Started on Jul 8, 2009, 3:48pm » | |
Filing cabinets, trays, crisp paper, manila folders, desk, chairs, pictures in frames. Hard right angles were the make-up of the office. Yet while every surface was edged in them, the sharp, straight lines were not immediately apparent. What at first distracted from the unfriendly corners was hearty color. Dark, rich tones was the color scheme; cherry wood, bronze metal, deep blue carpet, everywhere there was a thickness of hue that seemed to have soaked into the room from a decorator with an overflow of warmth (and credit cards). It was only in the event that an observant person was left with too much spare time to look around that one realized the true dominant theme.
In the midst of her rich scheme and unfailing lines sat Abigail. Just then, she was rearranging papers and creased, folded documents atop her large desk. That new secretary of hers had gotten quite the earful not too long ago about how he was expected to file and how to never, ever simply leave a document lying around with no attached information regarding purpose or handling. It was a rather irritating thing to come back to after lunch, but at least things were now getting set back to rights.
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Alexandra Donovan
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« Reply #1 on Jul 8, 2009, 4:06pm » | |
She needed some answers, there was no way the brunette could carry on doing what she was supposed to be doing if she didn't know what it was her people really believed in. There was only one word to describe how she felt at the moment: used. It was time to go see her superior and ask for some advice. Maybe she could be told that her aunt had only been lying after all.
So Lexie found her way to the office where her mentor worked and found the right office where she was supposed to be and knocked on the door. Before she let herself in very quietly.
Even if she wanted a word with the older woman, it was somewhat scary to be in the office whenever she was called there. It was a big place and she didn't go there without a good reason because she didn't like how everything looked so classy and strict.
"You called, Mrs. Aarens?" she said, being professional at the moment as she didn't know how the other woman would react.
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Abigail Aarens
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« Reply #2 on Jul 9, 2009, 1:16pm » | |
Abigail was in the middle of sorting through a stack of papers that had gone from perfect order to a big heaping mound of chaos in the two hours she had left the secretary alone. Though she heard the knock at her door, she did not acknowledge it. If the visitor belonged there, he or she would come in of their own accord. If they didn't, well, that secretary of hers better damn well figure out how to handle it if he didn't want to be fired in his first week. The door opened and in her guest entered, bringing a voice with her. Alexandra Donovan's voice. When the door closed, Abigail finally set the stack of documents aside and looked up.
"Yes, I did. It's good to see somebody in this building doing what they're supposed to."
She cast an irritated glance at a spot to the right of the door. On the other side of that wall sat the secretary.
"Dawkins has decided to vanish so I've been given a new secretary. If anything about his performance so far has been extraordinary, it's that he managed to make an outstanding mess of things in two hours."
With a sigh, Abigail attempted to shove it out of the forefront of her mind for the time being. She waved toward one of the over-sized chairs in front of her desk.
"Have a seat, Alexandra. I didn't call you here to complain about ineffective help. Well,"
She added with a small smile.
"Not only to complain."
Folding her hands atop her desk, Abigail considered the young agent for a few moments while she waited for the other to sit.
"So tell me how you've been doing, Alexandra. Out in New York with the public, I mean. I know you're rather new at interacting with strangers and all that entails, but have you made in progress in contacting desirables? Or undesirables, for that matter. "
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Alexandra Donovan
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« Reply #3 on Jul 9, 2009, 1:23pm » | |
"Dawkins has decided to vanish so I've been given a new secretary. If anything about his performance so far has been extraordinary, it's that he managed to make an outstanding mess of things in two hours."
It took some effort, but she managed to not do anything but smile slightly at that. Abigail wasn't known to be subtle, at least not when it came to doing a good job. If anything, Alexandra admired the woman for how well she did her job.
"Have a seat, Alexandra. I didn't call you here to complain about ineffective help. Well, not only to complain."
Doing as she was told, Alex sat down somewhat curious as to what it was the other woman wanted from her this time. She only hoped she didn't need to go out anywhere till she got some answers.
"There's this woman, from the Box. She's giving different names every time I see her and is overly energic, and somehow she seems to always end up with the new people..." No wonders, the other woman knew a lot more than Alex did and she also had a way with words that was hard to keep up with.
"Also, I found my aunt and she said the most horrible things. About this place and the Company and seemed to be happy about earning the Box's trust."
She'd been fidgeting nervously with the hem of her shirt while talking.
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Abigail Aarens
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« Reply #4 on Jul 9, 2009, 2:10pm » | |
"There's this woman, from the Box. She's giving different names every time I see her and is overly energic, and somehow she seems to always end up with the new people..."
"Yes, they have a knack for getting into the business of others."
Abigail had risen from her seat the moment Alexandra had mentioned a Box female. She went to a locked dark blue filing cabinet that rested in the corner behind her desk. From it she pulled a stack of thick folders and brought them with her when she returned to her seat. The young woman continued,
"Also, I found my aunt and she said the most horrible things. About this place and the Company and seemed to be happy about earning the Box's trust."
Though her voice was fairly even as she spoke, Alexandra picked at her skirt the entire time. It was an obvious outlet for nervous energy, one Abigail made a mental note to teach her how to avoid. She considered the young agent gravely for a moment before saying conclusively,
"And now you have doubts. I must say I expected this sooner or later. Blind acceptance can only carry an intelligent person so far. It's just a matter of time before enforcement is needed. What did your aunt tell you?"
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Alexandra Donovan
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« Reply #5 on Jul 9, 2009, 2:17pm » | |
"Yes, they have a knack for getting into the business of others."
She'd barely noticed how Abigail went to the filing cabinet, because she was too uncertain about things right now to pay much attention.
"Also, I found my aunt and she said the most horrible things. About this place and the Company and seemed to be happy about earning the Box's trust."
"And now you have doubts."
The younger woman nodded slightly, listening to what else her mentor had to say.
"I must say I expected this sooner or later. Blind acceptance can only carry an intelligent person so far. It's just a matter of time before enforcement is needed. What did your aunt tell you?"
She took a breath and forced herself to stop fidgeting. It wouldn't get her anywhere and it made her look even more nervous and conflicted about things than she already was. Alexandra hadn't minded when she could just accept things, it was so much easier. This on the other hand was complicated, having doubt about what she'd been getting herself into.
"She said we were by far worse than the Company when it came to treating people, even though she openly admitted to having enjoyed the bagging and tagging process..." she sighed. "But if they're so good, why do they have Sylar on their side? Wouldn't they shy away from mass murderers like him?"
"She- she hinted that we experiment on people in worse ways than the company..."
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Abigail Aarens
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« Reply #6 on Jul 9, 2009, 3:04pm » | |
Abigail listened to Alexandra's words with the hint of a wry grin. None of that came as a surprise to her and she said as much.
"Such a simple argument on the part of your aunt. Rather elegant, just a few open phrases that allow whoever hears them to let their mind fill in the gaps. It's in our nature to fill them in with the worst things we can think of, doubts that we carry but haven't acknowledged."
She and others of her rank had needed to have similar conversations many times in the past and would have many more in the future. Each person required a different approach, the perfect version of the truth and new sets of open phrases to lead them back to subservience. They key was to make them think they were still completely in the right while removing the need to second guess. That the girl now had family vouching for the Box would complicate things to some degree, but Alexandra provided the perfect ammunition all on her own.
"But if they're so good, why do they have Sylar on their side? Wouldn't they shy away from mass murderers like him?"
Abigail shook her head sadly.
"Not if they provided enough benefit. despite whatever your aunt may have said about trust, they will never really trust Sylar or anyone who has defected from the Company. What makes them utilize such people is that they have something to offer. Should they ever cease to be useful, they will disappear conveniently and none will question the decisions of the founders. Speaking of, it's time you learned about those who brought the Box into being."
She produced photos from her stack of folders. There were no names and no information attached to the photographs. It was unwise to keep such things in the tentative security of a thin metal filing cabinet. All the folders contained were pictures and it was up to Abigail to remember who they represented. She handed Alexandra a handful of photos, all featuring people who looked tired and angry. Not a smile was to be had in the lot.
"Peter Petrelli is the one they rally behind. As a regenerator, he stopped aging twenty years ago and will remain young until extraordinary circumstances conspire to kill him. Someone like that, who has eternity to look forward to, does not simply dwell in small operations. As leader of it, Petrelli has a long-term agenda his members know nothing about. After all, they'll all be dead in a few decades. It's reasonable to assume he's building an empire. I can't imagine anything else from someone who plans on living forever."
She identified the others with short descriptions of their villainy. Hiro Nakamura, Matt Parkman, Noah Bennet, Nathan Petrelli, Mohinder Suresh.
"Those who have not worked directly for the Company are born directly from those who did. They all have ties in the murder of Daniel Linderman and the subsequent fall of the unified Company. It was only through the efforts of Uluru that the Petrelli matriarch, Angela, was prevented from taking hold of the pieces for her sons."
And now for Abigail's favorite piece of harmful information, one that Alexandra had brought up herself. She handed the young woman another photo. Unlike the others, the man in it was smiling, but there was nothing warm to be found in the Mad Hatter grin.
"If I could, Alexandra, I would shield you from any information about this man. But you are on the streets now, interacting with those who in turn interact with him. You've got to know just who it is the Box honors to do its bidding and what happens to those who cease to be useful."
She paused as if pained to expose the agent to such evil.
"That is Sylar. You already know he has a sizable death toll, but he is no mass murderer. The term suggests he struck a place or two as a terrorist and wiped people out in a few bursts of collateral damage. Not so. He is a serial killer, tracking down his victims one by one with clear intent and no regrets. He plays with them first, taunting them, sometimes even befriending them for a time before he rips their skulls open to expose their brains. People he took the time to get to know in order to spot strengths and weaknesses, in order to make himself feel powerful. People like you, Alexandra, people who happened to be born with abilities. He's their rabid junkyard dog and they let him off the leash when they feel they need extra force and terror."
A pause and then,
"He murdered someone Amelia was close to, a cousin of hers and yours and she knows it."
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Alexandra Donovan
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« Reply #7 on Jul 9, 2009, 3:27pm » | |
"But if they're so good, why do they have Sylar on their side? Wouldn't they shy away from mass murderers like him?"
All the while when the other woman was talking, she had Alex's full attention. Everything she said made perfect sense, why else would they keep Sylar or other Company agents around if not for their usefulness? And the founders sounded like some very bad people that would just remove their workers when they ceased to be useful. She didn't like this at all.
The pictures were interesting to look at: all the people looked like they were angry or tired, some both, and she didn't like what she was told about this Peter Petrelli either. People shouldn't live forever, it wasn't natural, even more abnormal than people with abilities. With eternal people, tyrrants would rise, and this Peter sounded like he could be a tyrrant when he had his empire build under him.
None of the other people she was introduced to triggered a reaction as strongly as Peter had. Until they got to Sylar.
The other woman could, at times, act as a second mother to Lexie, and it was nice, having someone who didn't force every truth out of her without even being aware of it.
One line would go with her for a long time about the serial killer:
"He's their rabid junkyard dog and they let him off the leash when they feel they need extra force and terror."
Then she was given information that finally made her put things together:
"He murdered someone Amelia was close to, a cousin of hers and yours and she knows it."
That had to be the connection she'd been looking for between Amelia, her father and her uncle Markus. Sylar.
"You're saying he's the one who murdered uncle Mark." She said simply, having to put her thoughts to words in order to remain seated. "Now I like him even less."
A sigh escaped her. All those times she'd asked what had happened to her uncle and no one had told her the truth. Finally she knew, and that her aunt would ally herself with the man that murdered someone close to herself, even if years and years had passed, made her angry with her aunt as well.
"Clearly she's as bad a liar as she ever was."
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Abigail Aarens
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« Reply #8 on Jul 9, 2009, 4:14pm » | |
Alexandra was doing wonderfully, filling in the little gaps on her own as she should, forming opinions in the direction that was best for her continued allegiance.
"Clearly she's as bad a liar as she ever was."
That comment was clearly about the girl's aunt. Abigail sighed as if the troubling matter effected her as well.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. She has been missing for years after she jumped from the Company to Uluru and betrayed both. Her ways are well suited to the Box. They will watch her closely, of course, and should she turn on them as well, Sylar will be all too willing to remove her as a threat. I hear he's always wanted pyrokinesis."
She leaned forward to make the girl listen to her all the harder.
"For that's what he does, Alexandra. It's not just life he steals; he takes the very thing that makes your kind special. He takes abilities as his own and grows more powerful with each murder. Because of that, you must never confront him. Only the most powerful here can hope to take him in and even then they don't have much chance alone. There are two who seem relatively safe, however. Not because of some amazing power, but because they are his."
She pulled two more photos from the top folder. There were plenty more she could sift through to find Alexandra's Box nuisance, but she had a suspicion from the "overly energetic" description. Abigail rose and rounded her desk, taking a seat in the other guest chair beside Alexandra. The first photo she held up was of a gravely serious boy in his late teens with dark brown hair and electric blue eyes.
"This is Joshua Gray. Sadly, the picture is several years outdated since he's rarely sighted. He is at the forefront of the Box's bioterror program. It's all our team can do to keep up with him. Now this girl,"
And Abigail held up the picture of a woman in her early twenties with wavy, sun-kissed brown hair, bright green eyes, and brighter clothing.
"This is his sister, Madeline Gray. She's extremely active and extremely troublesome, constantly seeking to sabotage our efforts to stop them. Do not let her strangeness put you off of your guard. Violence runs in the family."
Abigail glanced briefly at the pictures before setting one on each side of Sylar's on the desk's surface.
"Joshua looks a lot like his father, doesn't he?"
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Alexandra Donovan
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« Reply #9 on Jul 9, 2009, 4:31pm » | |
It seemed Abigail had nothing new to say about her aunt other than stuff she'd heard before about how her aunt betrayed both of her employers before disappearing. No wonder Amelia liked it so at the Box's place, what with all the murderors and bad people working there. And it seemed only fitting that a woman so cold hearted be taken out by the man that had murdered people close to her.
When her mentor leaned forward, she listened all the more intensily, because what was being said now must be of the utmost importance.
So that was what Sylar really did, why he was so bad and unstoppable.
"There are two who seem relatively safe, however. Not because of some amazing power, but because they are his."
She didn't understand what the other woman was hinting at, until two pictures were taken out, one of a man who seemed like he never had fun.
Now a picture of a girl was shown to her and she gaped. That was her! That was Tiffany. Adriana. Whatever her name was. Madeline! So that was her name.
"This is his sister, Madeline Gray. She's extremely active and extremely troublesome, constantly seeking to sabotage our efforts to stop them. Do not let her strangeness put you off of your guard. Violence runs in the family."
Woah. Sylar had kids?! She looked up at Abigail utterly surprised.
"Joshua looks a lot like his father, doesn't he?"
"I don't get how these people can call themselves heroes after all they've done and will do... How can they still believe they are helping the world if they are breeding killers and making weapons? If there was a way they could give every child a power, I'm sure they would, if only so they could rule everything."
She shrugged. Whatever doubts had brought her bring up her problems with Madeline, had been completely erased. Uluru couldn't possibly mean any harm when he didn't ally himself with killers and tyrrants or force people to do things out of fear of what he'd do to them if they didn't follow orders. He seemed like a much better person than Peter the Immortal.
"I feel much calmer now, thank you Abigail."
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Abigail Aarens
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« Reply #10 on Jul 9, 2009, 5:59pm » | |
Abigail watched the other woman with satisfaction. Alexandra was processing all she had just learned and by the look on her face, she was probably coming to the right conclusions. Indeed, when the agent finally spoke, she said,
"I don't get how these people can call themselves heroes after all they've done and will do... How can they still believe they are helping the world if they are breeding killers and making weapons? If there was a way they could give every child a power, I'm sure they would, if only so they could rule everything."
Breeding killers. Abigail nodded gravely. She could hardly be more pleased with the reaction. What made the whole thing so very satisfying was the fact that everything she had said was true. Who could really know if that Petrelli was building an empire? But Abigail had only said that it could be assumed, not that he definitely was. Truths were so much easier to keep track of, so much easier to use against an opponent.
"I feel much calmer now, thank you Abigail."
"You are very welcome, my dear. Now,"
And she stood, gathering the photos up in a neat pile before she returned to her usual seat.
"While we are on the subject of Sylar's children . . ."
Hellspawn was one of the more popular terms she had heard.
"If the rumors are true, Joshua is a lost cause and no good can come from him. He is said to have inherited his father's ability and, with it, his nasty addiction. The daughter, however,"
Abigail held up the picture of Madeline once more and delivered her next words with the same ring the real truth had carried. She paused, wondering if she ought to continue with this so soon into Alexandra's training, but decided the woman was in the perfect state of mind to hear it.
"She never stood a chance with her sorry excuse for a childhood: daddy/daughter outings to hunt down new prey, her father brutally murdering her aunt and her grandmother (his own mother), the murder of Madeline's mother, and countless other damaging atrocities. She's deadly and malleable. She seems daft at times, though, and our psychologists say it could be the product of escaping her reality, attempting to pretend none if it actually happening. That may mean that after everything, she still has something good in her."
She held up a hand of caution and explained very carefully,
"Make no mistake, Alexandra, she may be unbalanced, but she's deadly. Our psychologists want to work with her. We might be able to save her and in turn receive information key to bringing the Box down once and for all. She will not come willingly. You are not to try and plan a capture, but if you find yourself with an opportunity, take it. Just remember, the odds of you being able to take her on your own are slim unless something drastic happens first."
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Alexandra Donovan
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« Reply #11 on Jul 13, 2009, 1:39pm » | |
"You are very welcome, my dear. Now, while we are on the subject of Sylar's children . . ."
Whatever it was Abigail was about to say, Alexandra was listening and paying attention, because the news about the really-bad-guy-with-lust-for-powers-Sylar and his children were quite interesting. She never thought that bad guys like that could love anyone, much less raise children. Then again, hadn't her grandfather, even if he wasn't quite as bad as Sylar, done the same thing at one point? Even if he wasn't always there for her aunt.
"She seems daft at times, though, and our psychologists say it could be the product of escaping her reality, attempting to pretend none if it actually happening. That may mean that after everything, she still has something good in her."
That would explain why this girl kept doing weird things at times.
"You are not to try and plan a capture, but if you find yourself with an opportunity, take it. Just remember, the odds of you being able to take her on your own are slim unless something drastic happens first."
Without hesistation, she told Abigail: "I have no reason to want to die, and from what you've told me that would be the most likely outcome if things went badly."
There was only one thing she didn't like about having enemies like that, it was the thought of locking people up. Sure, if they'd killed or done other bad things they deserved it, but everyone couldn't possibly deserve to disappear or die just because of who they'd ended up with when it came time to take a stand.
If anything, she was set upon doing what she was told to do, because Abigail wouldn't lie about so many important things, she simply couldn't. And she'd known the other woman longer than her aunt, therefore she was more worthy of trusting.
"Is there anything else I need to know or that you want me to do?" she asked, not questioning the other woman because she trusted her and had accepted what she'd been told to be true.
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Abigail Aarens
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« Reply #12 on Sept 3, 2009, 12:34am » | |
Abigail was quite satisfied with the interpersonal events of the past half hour or so. Alexandra was falling in line perfectly still, all doubts replaced by even stronger resolve for Uluru's cause. It was so . . . fulfilling was such a cliche term, but it was indeed an interesting endeavor to play the heroic part in the story. Sometimes, it almost made it sad to engage in the necessary villainy again. Almost. Alexandra, perfectly content in her alleigance once more, asked,
"Is there anything else I need to know or that you want me to do?"
Abigail glanced ruefully at the remaining files she had not yet set back to rights as effectively as she had the Alexandra and concluded,
"Yes. Taking on a new responsibility does not mean shrugging off the old ones. You need to update your reports now that you have shown yourself ready for the new information I have just given you. You are proceeding well in the field and we must make sure your work in the office does not fall behind as a result."
She gathered up a document she spotted that belonged in another folder entirely and, though it was clear her mind was redirecting itself to the paused task of fixing the temp's mistakes, she added,
"As for Sylar's progeny . . . there unfortunately is no concrete advice I can give you now. Perhaps you can find some patterns in the reports and use your ingenuity to figure something out. We lost the mother; it would be a shame to lose the daughter, too."
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