"So, I imagine you'll be intending to tell everyone about this?"
The woman was taken aback by his rather...nonchalant response. The man sitting across from her dug in with his eyes, fingers interlocked as he sat back in his chair. He had olive skin, and a completely bald head, but still possessed the physique of youth, hidden behind a well-tailored suit and a red tie.
"Of course I'm going to! Why even ask that?"
She, meanwhile, still had on her mercenary fatigues. The red fang logo of her corps still emblazoned proudly on her breast pocket, she clenched her fist and her teeth.
What was it that he had in his pocket? Why did he seem to not care, even as photographic proof of his atrocities was splayed across his table?
"Think this through, Jane. You're an intelligent woman." With an ever-so-slightly condescending tone — or at least, that's how she took it — the man didn't back down to her fierce gaze. "What will happen if you make these photographs public?"
"You'll be exposed. Everyone will know what kind of monster you are—"
"Where were the photos taken, Miss Hyder?"
At that, she stopped. Her breath halted in her throat. That was it. That was why he wasn't afraid.
"You know the answer, Miss Hyder. Where were they taken?"
"...Hyder Pharmaceuticals."
"And where are the devices, pictured here, stored and operated?"
"Hyder Pharmaceuticals."
"And who, then, will be undone, if these photographs become public?"
Even through her gloves, it felt like her palms would bleed. That was the reason he was using a shell company as his base of operations...it would be simple for him to distance himself, and deny any involvement. NeoCortex would sell all stock in Hyder Pharmaceuticals, and publicly denounce them. And the president of that company would be blamed for everything...President Hyder would be blamed for everything.
"I'm glad that you understand—"
In a flash of motion, she drew her sidearm, pointing it at the man's face. A 9mm ballistic pistol wasn't much, but against an unarmored opponent at point blank, it would splatter his brains against the window behind him like day-old lasagna.
Her hand shook. His head didn't move.
"You lack conviction."
"I'll shoot."
"These things are plain as day to me, girl. There isn't a shred of killing intent in your entire form. Honestly, I wonder why you became a mercenary at all..." He furrowed his brows, paying no mind to the lethal weapon at his nose. He wasn't so much unnerved by the threat as he was insulted by her clear inability to follow through. "Ah, yes, it was to protect your father, wasn't it?"
A chill took over her body, and Jane shuddered so violently that she almost pulled the trigger by accident as her finger twitched. How much did he know? About her? About her father, the president?
Here she was, with irrefutable evidence of his crimes laid out in front of him, pointing a gun at his head...
...and yet, this man still had complete control of the situation, and was utterly unafraid.
There was no victory condition for her from the very beginning. Everything she had done had been a waste. All he was doing was waiting for her to realize that the game had begun with her entire family already in checkmate.
"Ah, don't fret. How about a...consolation prize?"
"What? You...you don't need to buy my silence."
"Oh, I know, but I'm interested. You know what these machines are capable of...surely, after seeing them, you've been thinking of what you would do with such power." He tilted his head, ever so slightly, to look her in the eye, around the barrel of her gun. "I'm curious. I'd like to see what a person like you could accomplish, given the chance."
She blinked, her expression devolving from crushing disappointment to simple confusion. "You're...what?" She asked, turning her head. "You're going to give me these...just to see what I do with them?"
"They do, technically, belong to your father's company. It seems appropriate." He mused, "I reason that I do not need to buy your silence, but even so, I'd rather reward you for your hard work than leave you with nothing but festering resentment towards me, Jane Hyder. Who knows when and how you'd come to act on it." He lowered his head, with a disarming smile. "An alternative viewpoint is hard to come by, when all my efforts are constrained by such secrecy. So, as one who has pierced this veil...I shall task you with being my confidant."
Jane Hyder was previously affiliated with Crobh Dearg, a guns-for-hire unit operating in Frixion Prime. She became a mercenary shortly after exiting school, and served as such for five years. While she found a distaste for violence, and was on the verge of changing careers, her unit was suddenly purchased as a protection unit for her father's company, Hyder Pharmaceuticals.
Given the chance to protect her father, she stayed on-board for another year, unbeknownst to him, as he would never have allowed the corporate heiress to place her life on the line in such a way. Within the company's headquarters, however, she began to piece together a heinous and troubling mystery...
While Jane has no official position at Hyder Pharmaceuticals, the company is owned by her father, and she can obtain things from it, over-the-counter or illicitly, if need be.
The woman was taken aback by his rather...nonchalant response. The man sitting across from her dug in with his eyes, fingers interlocked as he sat back in his chair. He had olive skin, and a completely bald head, but still possessed the physique of youth, hidden behind a well-tailored suit and a red tie.
"Of course I'm going to! Why even ask that?"
She, meanwhile, still had on her mercenary fatigues. The red fang logo of her corps still emblazoned proudly on her breast pocket, she clenched her fist and her teeth.
What was it that he had in his pocket? Why did he seem to not care, even as photographic proof of his atrocities was splayed across his table?
"Think this through, Jane. You're an intelligent woman." With an ever-so-slightly condescending tone — or at least, that's how she took it — the man didn't back down to her fierce gaze. "What will happen if you make these photographs public?"
"You'll be exposed. Everyone will know what kind of monster you are—"
"Where were the photos taken, Miss Hyder?"
At that, she stopped. Her breath halted in her throat. That was it. That was why he wasn't afraid.
"You know the answer, Miss Hyder. Where were they taken?"
"...Hyder Pharmaceuticals."
"And where are the devices, pictured here, stored and operated?"
"Hyder Pharmaceuticals."
"And who, then, will be undone, if these photographs become public?"
Even through her gloves, it felt like her palms would bleed. That was the reason he was using a shell company as his base of operations...it would be simple for him to distance himself, and deny any involvement. NeoCortex would sell all stock in Hyder Pharmaceuticals, and publicly denounce them. And the president of that company would be blamed for everything...President Hyder would be blamed for everything.
"I'm glad that you understand—"
In a flash of motion, she drew her sidearm, pointing it at the man's face. A 9mm ballistic pistol wasn't much, but against an unarmored opponent at point blank, it would splatter his brains against the window behind him like day-old lasagna.
Her hand shook. His head didn't move.
"You lack conviction."
"I'll shoot."
"These things are plain as day to me, girl. There isn't a shred of killing intent in your entire form. Honestly, I wonder why you became a mercenary at all..." He furrowed his brows, paying no mind to the lethal weapon at his nose. He wasn't so much unnerved by the threat as he was insulted by her clear inability to follow through. "Ah, yes, it was to protect your father, wasn't it?"
A chill took over her body, and Jane shuddered so violently that she almost pulled the trigger by accident as her finger twitched. How much did he know? About her? About her father, the president?
Here she was, with irrefutable evidence of his crimes laid out in front of him, pointing a gun at his head...
...and yet, this man still had complete control of the situation, and was utterly unafraid.
There was no victory condition for her from the very beginning. Everything she had done had been a waste. All he was doing was waiting for her to realize that the game had begun with her entire family already in checkmate.
"Ah, don't fret. How about a...consolation prize?"
"What? You...you don't need to buy my silence."
"Oh, I know, but I'm interested. You know what these machines are capable of...surely, after seeing them, you've been thinking of what you would do with such power." He tilted his head, ever so slightly, to look her in the eye, around the barrel of her gun. "I'm curious. I'd like to see what a person like you could accomplish, given the chance."
She blinked, her expression devolving from crushing disappointment to simple confusion. "You're...what?" She asked, turning her head. "You're going to give me these...just to see what I do with them?"
"They do, technically, belong to your father's company. It seems appropriate." He mused, "I reason that I do not need to buy your silence, but even so, I'd rather reward you for your hard work than leave you with nothing but festering resentment towards me, Jane Hyder. Who knows when and how you'd come to act on it." He lowered his head, with a disarming smile. "An alternative viewpoint is hard to come by, when all my efforts are constrained by such secrecy. So, as one who has pierced this veil...I shall task you with being my confidant."
"We shall share of these. Half of the cloning tanks, yours. For whatever purpose you desire."
"In return, their source remains a secret, and of course, your father remains safe and secure."
"What say you, Miss Hyder?"
"In return, their source remains a secret, and of course, your father remains safe and secure."
"What say you, Miss Hyder?"
Jane Hyder
Height ——— 182 cm
Weight ——— 65 kg
Age ——— 28
Home Planet ——— Frixion
Tier ② ——— Local
Weight ——— 65 kg
Age ——— 28
Home Planet ——— Frixion
Tier ② ——— Local
Ex-Mercenary ②
Jane Hyder was previously affiliated with Crobh Dearg, a guns-for-hire unit operating in Frixion Prime. She became a mercenary shortly after exiting school, and served as such for five years. While she found a distaste for violence, and was on the verge of changing careers, her unit was suddenly purchased as a protection unit for her father's company, Hyder Pharmaceuticals.
Given the chance to protect her father, she stayed on-board for another year, unbeknownst to him, as he would never have allowed the corporate heiress to place her life on the line in such a way. Within the company's headquarters, however, she began to piece together a heinous and troubling mystery...
- Arms Skill ——— The ability to operate military-scale weaponry. While citizens are able to carry small arms and common weapons, a mercenary or a soldier has training and experience with weapons that are outside of a citizen's ken. Jane is able to operate large firearms, energy weapons, armored vehicles, and anything else that would fall within such a categorization.
- 9mm Sidearm ——— A concealable ballistic pistol holstered at her side. Jane's mercenary background allows her to draw, aim, and fire the gun quickly. It has an effective range of 50 meters, and a 20-round magazine. It's not strong enough to pierce armor without specialized ammunition, but is meant only for civilian self-defense.
Hyder Pharmaceuticals ②
While Jane has no official position at Hyder Pharmaceuticals, the company is owned by her father, and she can obtain things from it, over-the-counter or illicitly, if need be.
- Resources ——— A portion of the income generated by the company. As her father means for her to inherit the company regardless, as long as it is for a worthwhile expenditure, its money and resources are hers to make use of. Naturally, she wouldn't use company funds for anything that would put her father's legacy at risk.
- Biology Skill ——— Her training to take over the company involved schooling in chemistry and biology. She's well-learned in fields relevant to pharmaceuticals, including plant and animal ecology.
