2013-04-19 - Cutscene: Family Affairs - It's Going To Be Hell

It is lunch time at the Headquarters of The Agenda and Chief-Technician Keith and First-Assistant Erica are, as usual, sitting side by side in the refectory, its metallic tables and bright white lights making the whole ambient look perfectly sterile and effective. The clanking of kitchenware on the metallic plates are audible aside from the low murmuring as the employees of The Agenda usually take this moment to socialize and take a much needed break from work.

"So, why is everyone so paranoid around here, Erica? The bosses are acting like we are getting ready for war or something did something go wrong?", the chubby man asks while sparing a glance at his friend, a bit of sweat on his brow making him look even more clumsy and ugly than usual.

The woman, however, doesn't respond at first, just coughing a bit and looking about, and then to the other many agents around them, making sure they were all recognizable faces before replying "Look I don't know anything, Keith just do your job and we will do just fine."

"Oh, come on, Erica, I know you wrote those memos about Latveria and I know we have been studying almost solely about A.I.M. technology for what, a few weeks now? What's up? People at the factories are worried!" The man presses on, leaning closer to the fellow worker as if to really look as interest as he is in the subject, "Come on, I will get someone to take your nightly shift if you do."

And that is just an offer First-Assistant Erica cannot refuse. With her eyes beaming for a moment she lets the man know he has her, and leaning closer she hisses "Okay, smart ass, but if you tell this to anyone else, I am going to tell them exactly who has been selling bits of our tech to the opposition, got it?" Letting her know he accepts Erica's terms with a nod, Keith takes a breath, "So?"

"So, here is the deal: we are going to war on A.I.M.. Apparently the powers that be decided to go all out on those fanatics, but also go after the research they are so desperately seeking right now, something done by some Dr. Bella whatever. She has something THEY want, and so WE are going to take it. So we are going to cripple the competition in research and numbers, and that is why you are dissecting A.I.M. tech. We need to know what we are dealing with. Got it?"

"I don't know how you can be so calm telling me this! It's going to be hell, and people will probably die!" The man is almost speaking too loud for their own good.

With a hiss Erica silences him, leaning closer to almost growl "Look here, you geeky son of a bitch, I only have one month to go before I can get my promotion to another base, to serve more important people and earn ten times what I am right now. I don't care who dies for as long as we WIN this. And now you OWE me, and that substitute better be worth my Intel.", and with that last statement the woman stands up, a bit flustered, and walks off in a hurry.

"This is going to be hell," Keith mumbles to himself, looking at the soldiers around him that are probably unaware of what the higher powers have set in motion.