"What do you want, Parker boy?"

Percy stood in front of Electrica, looking determined yet careful. Kathrine knew this vampire was a good friend of Hanson... she could surely help him with his knowledge on slavery.

"Information."

Electrica stared at him for a second, then let out a laugh. Of course, of course, give out information to the spy among her own men. Amused, she folded her hands, awaiting him to continue.

"Information? On what?"

"Slavery. The business itself. I figured you must know how it works. I'm trying to understand the concept of forcing someone into a subhuman role."

Silence for a few seconds, then a chuckle. Adorable.

"Well, I ain't gonna tell you where to find the auctions."
"Unnecessary. My first mission involved stealing logs from auction staff. I am aware Hanson will soon launch an attack with what she has gathered on intel. I want to know what she will do. What she will do to slaves, guards, whoever resides under a master's wing."

Electrica slowly cocked her head to the side, then smiled at him. She nodded towards the chair inside her office and for Percy to sit down... he did so, cautious.

"Well, Percy... She is going to assassinate the residing master and replace him in the same moment. A seamless flow of leadership."
"I already know that. She will replace them with someone loyal to her to expand her territory."

"How right you are about that... More and more people gather under our banner."
Her smile twisted, forming into an arrogant smirk.
"Hanson Technologies grows, day by day... you should think about joining us for real, Parker boy. We are in the process of controlling the entire US. There isn't much more left other than erasing all the masters and mistresses opposing us and her rule."

Percy was turning a bit paler, only glaring into the smirk she threw him. That wasn't what he had asked, in the slightest. Electrica let out a laugh, softening again. Enough playtime, but teasing that cop was too much fun to her.
"You want to know what Hanson does to the slaves?"
"Exactly."

The blue haired woman stood up and turned away from Percy, letting out a soft hum.
"What if I would tell you she enhances their living conditions?"
Percy made a face, looking a bit confused. "What do you mean?"

"You see," she turned back to face him, gesticulating with her words, "Slaves are treated like ass by those who rule them. Sleeping on stone cold floors, nothing but hard work, leftovers to eat or nothing at all. Terrorized by their master and abused by those around them."

She made a pause, letting her words sink in.

"Boss puts a quick end to that. Each their own bed, regulated shifts, free time. Encouragement to leave the mansion for errands. Once slave, always slave... you won't loose that mindset, ever. Nobody can take it from you, the broken mind that was left behind after the training. Actual meals, praise for good work. A stop to physical abuse. Oh, how she hates that one..."

Percy sat there, stunned for a second. He couldn't quite believe that and he refused to do so either.
"You're lying, aren't you?"
"Go on, ask her. Sir Leon. Or even better... actually open your eyes and look around, you idiot. Try and spot the slaves among men. You're surrounded by rescues and criminals alike. Spot the difference, try to, we re-socialized and molded them into a new life."
Electrica sat back down, gesturing for Percy to leave her office.
"Fuck off, I'm busy. Other than you I have work to finish."

God how that woman annoyed him. Percy stood up, scrunching up his nose in displeasure as he made his way out of the door. But what she said never left his head. Slaves among men? He was surrounded by criminals and slaves alike?

Percy had to think more into this.

The next days, even weeks, were spent observing the crowd. No matter who, Percy kept an eye on them, their body language, their interactions.
Differences were there, a lot of them, but Percy did them off as simple parts of individual personalities. On top of continuing his work, that took quite the toll on him. The more he saw, the more he interacted with those around him, the more attached he felt himself become to them. Even Electrica, for goodness sake. She was a hellspawn to deal with but both found their own ways to care for one another, leaving food and blood in case any of them forgot their meals.

Percy felt himself kept awake by the guilt that ate away at him; he was betraying those that had accepted him with open arms into their home, and for what? To spite his father? It was ridiculous at this point, he was even starting to hide information from his own chief at the station.

Why?

Why did he feel so bad ratting them out? A bunch of murderous criminals? But Percy couldn't help it, for fuck's sake, he was nineteen! Others his age were partying like crazy and living off of their parents' money, why on earth was he trying to bring down a criminal syndicate?

Percy saw things he had never known to be possible. Hanson was meddling in so much more things than he had ever imagined. She was the one behind those anonymous hints to the police about any locations of interest. Heck, she was secretly funding things he had never imagined to be working for her. It was fascinating and horrifying to learn behind how much exactly she was, and Leon gladly shared any information he requested... within reason, of course.

Percy was no longer afraid to walk through the halls of the base at night, he was not fearing any vampire attacks. Somehow, within those rows of deadly people, he, the traitor, felt home. So much more welcome and accepted than before.

"Mr Parker, on a word."
Percy looked up. A month and a half had passed since his employment at Hanson Technologies.
"Of course, can I do anything for you?"
"Your performance has been dropping... is there anything bothering you?"
Percy stiffed- he hadn't expected Leon to notice. Yet he saw no reason to be dishonest with him.
"Electrica said something that left me thinking... Criminals and slaves seem to live in unison, right here. But... I can't seem to spot any."

Leon raised an eyebrow, then flashed a glance at his pin wall, filled with papers and sticky notes. Together with the large housing list.
"Approximately 38 slaves have been taken into this base. I am mildly surprised you haven't been able to spot any of them."

Percy fell silent, a bit disappointed in himself. But at the same time,this proved to be interesting. What had they done to those people that he was unable to distinguish between broken and unbroken? Percy stifled a smile.

Probably because most of the residents here were unpredictable lunatics. Or that vampire woman was telling the truth, and they did integrate them back into somewhat regular lives.

"Say..." he spoke up again, breaking the silence between Leon and him, "I'm not sure if I'm permitted to ask this... but my last mission involved stealing data from the slave auctions."
"I am aware."
"Now that Miss Hanson has that intel... she'll attack those rival houses, right?"

Leon nodded along. Of course she was going to, what a stupid question.
"What will happen to the slaves? The guards? Anyone living there?"

Leon sat up from his laptop, taking off his glasses. Obviously he predicted this to be a longer conversation.
"We make an effort to have as less casualties as possible, thus we aim to kill the resident master and take over seamless. With money and resources on Lady Hanson's side, it won't be a problem to take over those houses. Guards are bribable, and nearly all of them won't be displeased working for our cause."

Percy listened intently, a little caught off guard. How come Leon was telling him all this? Wasn't there supposed to be some kind of secrecy? At least everyone else was acting their part on this. On the other hand, he did not exactly believe this man to be so gullible to give away valuable information...

"And the slaves will be resocialized into a new and better life. We make an effort of integrating each and every one slowly back into our society, and Lady Hanson prides herself on her successes. Slaves are unable to return to making their own big decisions, thus we guide them ourselves."

Leon let out a chuckle, playing with one of his pens inside his hands.

"That is what our opposition never understood. Raiding a master's house is one thing. Taking proper care of a slave is a different one. Sure, arrest the master, bring him to justice, lock him up forever for his cruelty... But simple therapy won't be enough to heal a broken mind. Slaves who have been given proper training by the auctions need someone above them, someone to give an order, even if that order may just be to go and enjoy their day. Without someone telling them what to do, without someone they may prove themselves to and rely on... they won't make it any longer, especially not in this cruel world."

His words rang inside his ears, repeating themselves. Of course he knew his colleagues and especially his boss weren't dumb enough to believe they knew how to act with slaves... Especially since slaves seemed to share the common trait of being terrified of any and every law enforcement. Probably a drill they had gotten from their masters...
But Percy also knew that the top priority had always been to extinguish the crime lords around them, also known as masters and mistresses to slaves.

"Half a year is almost over again," Leon broke the silence once more, now focusing back onto his laptop again, "Maybe Lady Hanson might choose you this time."
"What do you mean? For what?" Percy frowned. "You shall see." God how he hated those kinds of answers but boy, he was used to them.

Goddammit.

A familiar face stepped into the lobby just as Percy returned from a wonderful dinner, exhausted from his workday and about to enjoy his leftover time. He paused in his steps, a little dumbfounded, just when this woman's gaze fell onto him.
"Good evening, Percy. How are you doing?"

The boss lady herself, showing her face once again after quite the time of absence. Percy swallowed his nervousity down, remembering that he was indeed one of her employees... at least at the current state.

"I'm doing just fine... work is good and Leon teaches me well. I even made some friends." He showed her a smile which she reciprocated.
"I'm pleased to hear that from you. Not gonna lie, I expected you to turn tail and take flight. Surprised to see you've got some guts left."

She let out a laugh and Percy felt his left eye twitching. Calm yourself, the incoming sarcasm was definitely not a good choice here. Instead, he chuckled himself to deescalate his own nerves.
"I am much better than you think I am."
"Oh,really. Say, why don't you prove that to me? I've actually come to take you myself onto a mission to take a look at your progress."

Percy choked on his own spit, coughing awkwardly and turning away for asecond.
"M-mission?! S-sure, I would have to talk with my supervisor and inform-"
"Already done. Leon can hand you out for a while. It's a simple mission, just an observation of a new target."

Hanson brushed past him into the direction of Leon's office, and Percy tensed as the scent of her shampoo flew with her past him.

"We'll go out next week. Ask Naomi for gear."

A few seconds too late, Percy stammered out a yes and watched her round the next corner. Jesus, why was he so nervous about this? It was just a mission, something he had done for last couple of weeks with others to learn. But imagining himself next to that Hanson on a fieldtrip...

He could fuck up in so many different ways and god, Percy dreaded exactly that.

"...so you're about to go on a mission with Hanson?"
"Mhm."

Percy sat on his bed, phone pressed against his ear, Commissioner Granger on the other end. It was time for his weekly update. He knew Granger would send an armee after him if he wasn't going to contact him on the same day each week...

"Any idea what it's about? I'm surprised to see in how many of those youhave been involved recently... in any case, your input was very valuable in tracking down one or another of Hanson's informants to keep tabs on them. Thank you for that."
Percy nodded to himself. Business was as it was. His job right now was to deliver information to the police with each and every week.

"Simple observation, she said. But I'll make sure to tell you what goes down once I get all the details."

"Good. Please assist Hanson as good as you can on this one... as more time you spend with her, the higher the chance gets that she slips up and we'll manage to figure out her race. I suppose it would be too much to ask for a DNA sample of hers to run it for testing... just please, observe her and give me any info you've got."

The Commissioner paused for a moment, before his voice took a different tone... he almost sounded worried.

"...if she is a vampire, I will stop your father from using holy water for his attempts to slow her down. It is against human rights. I can't have her injured more than necessary... I prefer her unharmed."
"Don't call him my father. I'll have to hang up now, Electrica is gonna be in her room any second."

After a quick goodbye, Percy hung up and breathed out a sigh. It was always so nerve wracking to call his boss in this nest of criminals, but so far none but Electrica had him figured out. Percy laid down on his bed, staring at his ceiling, quietly listening to his surroundings. Footsteps started to approach from the hall- stopping in front of his neighboring door. Of course, Electrica. Probably enjoying some freetime in her room or working on another blueprint again.

The lock made a soft click, the door opened up. Footsteps led towards her desk.
Percy relaxed and closed his eyes. She seemed not up for trouble, at least tonight.

And yet, sleep did not come for him. Percy turned and twisted, thenfinally let out a loud sigh and sat up, turning on his lights. His thoughts kept rampaging.
From Leon telling him he might be 'chosen' for something soon to this mission with Hanson. Kathrine, the most adorable girl he had ever met, and the chaos duo Rin and Jeff. The inu woman Naomi with her heavily accented English who kept him company during his training, and the sewer Stefan who was actually really nice. Hanson's lookout Joe who kept inviting him to beers, the one he could ramble on and on with about life and its twists and turns.

And there it was, just like all the other evenings he had experienced lately. The guilt.

So many people whose lives he would single handedly ruin. People who actually... didn't deserve this.
Pain made itself known inside his chest as he curled up again, shutting off the lights once more. He had to sleep now, there was not the time to be brooding.

"Hey Katie, Hanson said something that I can't forget... everyone here committed a crime. What was yours?"
"First you!"
"I stole one hundred purses before she finally accepted me. So...?"

Kathrine's smile fell a little and she let out a breath of guilty air.
"I...killed someone."

Percy was angry, angry at himself for being so useless. Police hadn't been there to help, and it was their job to prevent just that.

"I-I know how this sounds, but let me explain... I... I didn't meet Miss Hanson herself, like you did. I met Stefan. We became friends... and while I knew who he was, he was so nice and..."
Kathrine let outa small sob and shook her head quickly, wiping her tears.
"Promise me you won't tell anyone?"

Percy nodded in return, still shocked.
"When Stefan and I met for coffee again to talk about designs, someone else was faster than me...t-they were fighting. Rolling on the ground, punching each other, and Stefan's weapons were scattered too far away. Then... he pulled out a knife."

Kathrine silenced for a second, her voice turning weak. It sent a shiver down Percy's back.

"H-he was about to kill Stefan. My friend, right in front of me. I... I just saw red. I grabbed Stefan's scissors, and stabbed him in the back... It was as if I was moving on autopilot. And when I finally came to myself, I sat in Stefan's car, and we were on our way to the base."
Kathrine lifted her head, shooting a weak smile at Percy, tears streaming down her face. She had made her choice by lifting this weapon to protect her beloved friend.

"I killed this man... I believe I did. And Stefan brought me here."

He wasn't there to prevent this from happening. Katie had acted upon seeing someone she liked threatened for their life... and now she lost hers. Percy bit down onto his lip.

The moment he would blow this base up, she was going to be lost in the flames of the aftermath, just like all those he had come to respect and love.

How was he going to cope with this?
Percy found he did not know the answer.

After another hour of senseless writhing under his sheets, Percy finally got up. Maybe he just needed to take a walk to clear his head. Maybe even Joe was on duty? The hope alone made him smile again.

Percy quickly dressed, then made his way out of his room and towards the lobby of the motel. His smile grew the moment he recognized the dirty blond buzzcut of his favorite lookout, and the man on duty smiled back at him.
"G'day, boy. What do ya need?"

Percy rounded the desk and sat down next to him, leaning into his chair with a sigh.
"Company."
"Oh, tha' I do have. And this."

Joe opened his cooler and a second later, Percy had a new bottle of beer inside his hand. It was soothingly cold against the midsummer heat, and the lad opened it right away. Joe grinned at his company and took a sip of his own.

"Good to have you, Joe... good to have you."