It was a few days after the video viewing that the nerves started to calm down a bit. Hunter was pretty secluded in his office with his nose stuck in old case files. Hanson was tracking down as many leads as he could but hid dead ends at every avenue. The time finally came though they had to explain what was going on. This meeting wasn't just a group meeting, it was an all-hands meeting. Room 1A was almost an auditorium where they could seat upwards of 350 people. Every person, no matter how minuscule the position, was required for this meeting. Night staff, waitstaff, janitorial, everyone. No exceptions.
In the front row were a few individuals who had been with the company the longest. Everyone further back was on the newer end of the spectrum. Hunter was the one who took the podium. The lights dimmed, the projector was fired up, and a slide title with "All Hands Meeting'' in plain text was projected. Every seat had a folder with a pencil and folder. Everyone could hear the exasperation in his sigh before he began, "Welcome everybody for showing up on such short notice. There has been a development that requires the attention of everyone."
He flipped the slide over to a mugshot of a middle-aged man, balding, and rather portly in stature. "Those of you who have been here for a while know who this man is. This is Don John DeLeon. He was involved in one of the world's largest crime rings that reached almost every corner of the globe. From traffic, smuggling, drugs, genetic mutation, blackmail, extortion, money laundering, and so much more. He was arrested with the combined assistance of myself, Hanson, Danial, Carter, and the late Garrett Plight in cooperation with police and investigative services around the world. Within 24 hours, 95% of his dealings and operations were obstructed by law enforcement. Cargo ships were boarded, warehouses were raided, drug dens were shut down, and labs were destroyed. Don DeLeon refused to give up any of his people but from the information that was gathered ahead of time, many of his big players were arrested and brought to justice."
He hit the slide button showing a collage of 30-some people and monsters who were arrested. Their mugshots filled the entire slide. And some of those names were big players in many different types of dealings. Even Juliet remembered seeing a few of them busted while she was still in Texas.
The slide switched again to a slide of a man who looked like he was about to cry. His eyes were droopy, he had lines all over his face. He looked ragged. His nameplate read "Aaron Vigor". This man, Aaron Vigor, was believed to have been Don DeLeon's head of recruiting known as The Puppeteer. Turns out, he was a peon that was put in place to take his place and the real Puppeteer has never been found. He is a strange man with a strong affinity for hypnosis and suggestion control. And we believe he's back in play."
The slide flipped to a freeze from the video they had seen earlier that week. They had cropped the couple out of it and made it to focus on his face. "Those of you that were around when Don DeLeon was taken down remember that this individual was marked by international police as their number one target for a long while. The trail went cold as he went underground and now he has surfaced again. We've been working with international police since this information became available and they were able to confirm through events that happened recently that this individual is the original Puppeteer. He has specifically targeted us for our role in taking down his former boss, and that is why I have called you here. We need you to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior, suspicious individuals, and report anything that seems strange to anyone sitting at this front table here."
He flipped to the next slide containing a long list of text. "These are the signs that you need to look out for in people you interact with, including the people you work with." There was a long list of behaviors that were deemed suspicious. A section of it was picking up or suddenly quitting smoking or drinking without signs of withdrawal or common starting symptoms. "We will make sure that his picture and these are circulated around the office. This information is to be kept internal only. I know this poses a large threat to your individual and your family's safety. Effective immediately, I am offering expedited transfers to other offices anywhere in the world with moving costs covered. If you feel that is not enough, I will allow you to leave on good terms with one year of deferred pay. Meaning if you do decide to leave, you will still receive a paycheck as though you worked a full 40-hour week for a year even if you find new employment."
Juliet was taken aback. This is a lot of money he's ready to throw out there. If people do decide to leave then that's at least $80,000 per person. Even with the couple hundred or so people here, that can add up quickly. He really does take his people's well-being seriously. "I personally appreciate your understanding in this matter. If you have any questions you can email myself or Hanson. If you feel it's too personal for email, please stop by our offices today. I say today because we have a contract that we need to leave late this evening for."
He grabbed his papers, turning up the lights while the projector powered down. "Thank you all again. Please take the folder with you. It has some of the information presented here today. Mainly the behaviors to look out for." There was a low muttering as people started talking. Some started shuffling out of the room in a rather worried hurry. Hunter ran his fingers through his hair taking a deep breath once again. Hanson gave him a pat on the shoulder trying to help him calm down.
The front row left out the side door while everyone else shuffled out the back double door. Juliet was one of the last people to leave. She was still dumbfounded by this presentation. Was this person really that powerful? She saw the video of what he made that couple do but could he really have that kind of influence to reach them?
She made her way back to the second floor to find a small line of people holding their folders close to them. The line was split between Hunter and Hanson's offices. One would peak out, call for the next person, and they would disappear behind the door. Sometimes it was a few seconds, sometimes it was a few minutes with the longest taking a timed 16 minutes. It was going to be hard to get to either of them with this commotion going on. "You in line to quit?" She was poked in the back as someone asked the question. Their voice was muffled by a sandwich they were eating.
Adam was shoving his face with another bite looking at her. "No, I'm not here to quit! Why would I?"
"Well, we are the closest to these guys so we're prime targets."
"Does that mean you're here to quit?"
He chuckled, "Nah, I don't believe in hypnosis. Looking at all the crazy nonsense we've had to put up with here, including the mirror that eats people, I don't think it's a real thing." He was stupidly confident that there was no threat to him or anyone. She wanted to challenge him on it but knew that doing so would only be a waste of time. It would be wiser to send him to Hunter or Hanson to have them explain the threat.
The lines lasted until the afternoon. The hallway cleared out leaving the second floor to its usual quiet state. This gave Juliet time to check in with Hanson. She knocked politely before stepping in with Hanson's usual invitation. "Ah, Lady Juliet." He seemed rather pleased to see her. "I don't even have to ask if you've had a rough day." If she hadn't seen the line outside their offices she could see it on her face. It looked like he was still dealing with the aftermath of it too. His eyes were glued to his computer typing away on his keyboard. He could multitask like a champ though, "Oh yes, there has been quite the influx of employee interaction. Mostly I've been fielding questions and trying to get replies out while working with people in person. Surprisingly, we've had few people leave. We have had a few ask for a raise while we are in this heightened state."
There was going to be a lot of busy work dealing with this new threat. It had just started but like anything, it should quiet down a bit. "Well, I just came to check on you and see if you needed anything." Hanson actually looked away from his computer to give Juliet his full attention, "I really appreciate that. I did order lunch for myself and the young master but the front desk should deliver it to us."
"You really trust people coming in and out of the building?"
"You cannot let fear control you. You can either forget everything and run or face everything and rise."
That was inspirational but coming from Hanson, he's always been good at giving people motivation. He seemed rather proud of it but he quickly ratted himself out, "I can't take credit for it. I saw it on the internet at one point or another." Aww, he could have looked cool but he gave it up. It still helped though. Juliet got a boost of motivation and a smile out of it. "Well if you need anything, let me know."
"I will do that, Lady Juliet."
The next person to visit would be down the hallway. Hunter's door was shut but she knew he was still there. She knocked lightly and heard him call for them to come in. His face relaxed when he saw who it was. "Hanson did the same thing."
"I'm sure he's doing better than I am with this. I've got people reporting odd behavior and I'm trying to find a reliable third-party investigator that doesn't fully know what's going on to look into these reports for credibility."
"Sounds expensive."
"It will be but I need to take precautionary measures."
He was still all business. She knew now to push the subject too much. "Hanson told me he ordered you two lunch."
"Yes, from the local deli. I could really use it."
"He takes such good care of you."
In reality, he takes good care of everyone. Juliet made her way into his office taking a seat across from him. A voice came from the phone saying "Thank you for holding. What company did you say this would be for?" Hunter popped the phone off mute, "Contract and Investigative Services of Montana."
"Thank you."
The phone went quiet again as Hunter put himself back on mute. Juliet piped up, "I think that's the first time I've heard the name of this company."
"Well, that's not the proper name of it. That's what we use for tax purposes."
She learned something new every day. The phone chirped again, "OK sir, we will be able to get someone out tomorrow or Friday to go over a proposal with you." He quickly unmuted his phone, "Thank you. If I am unavailable when your rep shows up the receptionist will be able to direct them to the person in charge in my stead."
"I will make a note of that. Thank you for inquiring about a partnership with us."
"You're welcome. Take care."
"You as well."
Hunter hung up the phone with a single button press finally allowing him to lean back in his chair. This was the first time today that he could finally relax. He launched himself forward coming up to his desk, "OK! Now! What can I help you with?"
"I'm here to check on you." She boasted.
The morning meeting had her a bit rattled but she knew she was in good care. Hunter made that abundantly clear in the morning meeting. "Well, I have about two dozen people asking for hazard pay instead of taking the severance or relocation offer. I'm glad people are willing to stay but the budget will need to be adjusted. I've asked all kinds of weird questions, some of which, if I repeat, would be a HIPPA violation but no, I don't know if a side effect of The Puppeteers hypnosis is ED." Juliet choked on her spit trying not to laugh. She did a poor job of stifling it too.
She stood up from her chair and walked around to the other side of his desk. She leaned against the corner giving him a sincere smile. "I think you're handling this as well as you can." His eyes closed as he took a deep breath. It was nice to have some validation of his actions. She leaned in close, touching his chest as she did. He poked open one eye to look at her, "Hmm, kissing your boss while at work. I may have to report that as suspicious behavior."
"It's not suspicious. I kissed him in a hot tub once."
She made her move pressing her lips to his. As she pulled away she smiled, "Bitter Black Cherry." She licked her lips as she sat back up on his desk. He looked rather confused, "I know that collar should have activated."
"It did. But I've grown used to some of the pain. Sometimes it's enjoyable."
She winced for a moment before biting her lip. His chin dropped to his chest as he chuckled to himself. "Oh dear me, what have I unleashed unto the world?" He shifted and adjusted in his chair waving his hands at her. "Shouldn't sit like that though. Some people don't know how to knock before entering." She rolled her eyes as she got herself back up. She adjusted her shin-length skirt back to where it should be. A change of subject was needed though. The stress of the current situation was clearly getting to him. "You mentioned you would be leaving late this evening for a contract."
"Yes! Thank you for reminding me! It will be myself, Hanson, and you again. We are heading to Australia. Major fishing town. A trawler caught something unusual and we've been tasked with performing negotiations."
"Negotiations?"
"Yea, apparently they caught a mermaid."
Now she saw the gravity of the situation. If news of that got out then there could be a possibility that their whole world would be exposed. To be sent that far… "Isn't there someone closer?"
"There is, but they asked for us by name."
"That's odd, don't you think?"
"Normally, yes. But I personally know the branch that's requesting our services. They're a small outfit so they need some big muscle to help convince these sailors to give her up. Plus we have you."
Her? She was going to be useful in this? She would be much better working from the sidelines than upfront in people's faces. Unless… It hit her. "You want me to bat my eyelashes at them don't you?"
"I would do it myself but." He flickered his eyes at her. "Doesn't work as well for me."
"I dunno. Works on me."
Ooh, well played by Juliet. That quick retort left Hunter almost speechless. "Either way, we're going to need your skills on this. I hate to play dirty but we're going to have to play dirty." It was a simple game plan. Get in, get the creature, and get out. Hopefully without much need for anything else.
The briefing was formally held on the plane. It was going to be a 17-hour flight leaving plenty of time to kill. The rundown was pretty basic for this contract. A fishing boat snagged a mermaid in its net. The photos that were captured confirmed it. This creature was not a siren or a variation of, this was a full-blown mermaid. This being such a sensitive topic, negotiations to restrict the release of this information were swift. However, the boat that captured the mermaid is not giving in. They are asking for recognition or insane amounts of money. Neither of which can be given. Acknowledging that they captured this creature could set off a chain reaction that the world is not ready for. The money that they are asking for is not feasible and someone would not begin to ask the question of why five poor fishermen suddenly had enough money to buy their own island, each.
The local group called on Hunter after their assistance with a matter years ago. Something was eating Kangaroo at an alarming rate. It turned out to be a sandworm that had to be hunted and eradicated. There's currently no worry that this negotiation will turn violent but additional assistance is needed. Someone with some powerful persuasion techniques, preferably underhanded. Juliet piped up with a question, "So why me? Aren't there other succubus that could be called in who work for contractors like us?"
Hunter and Hanson both shot a glance between one another. Hanson nodded, giving him the go-ahead to tell her. "Juliet, no. Hisari." He used her real name! It's such a rare occurrence that she almost forgot that it was her. "There are a lot of succubus that contractors use or ask to assist them with matters. They have their own rank and registry along with other creatures and monsters in case their skills are ever needed. You! Are one of three! That is officially employed by a contracting service such as us. And because we've made sure to bring you on a lot of our jobs, you are ranked number one in the world. In the monster hunting profession, you're famous and you don't even know it."
He sat back with a smug aura to him. He worked hard to bring her up from what was a criminal to an internationally recognized resource. No, "resource" is a poor word choice for describing her. She was more than just an asset. She was almost a symbol of celebrity status. First and foremost, she was a partner to this team. The shock set in rather quickly, "How did I not know this? Why didn't you tell me?" Hunter shrugged it off, "Well, we didn't want it going to your head. I worked hard to make sure that you were getting credit for your contributions in reports to bring you up in the standings. It not only helps our contractors by getting our name out there but it helps you."
"How?! How does keeping this from me help me?!"
Hunter shook his finger at her, giving her validation to her question. "You and I have a contract right now to make up your debt for the incident in Texas. What do you think happens when that contract is up?"
"I'm free to go?"
"You are. You are free to go wherever you please but what will you do? You still need to live. Might have bills, need things like clothes, and food. If you chose to leave our service your name would move from the three to the list of many but your accomplishments still carry over. You would be able to find work by working as a freelancer and honestly, you would make more doing that than sticking with us and taking a percentage."
It started to hit her. She wouldn't be without a purpose but being bound once means that she would have a record with these contractors. Hunter not only made sure that she would be okay but that she could thrive after the fact. "When did you start this?"
"Day one. When you walked into the office your name was already registered as a properly employed asset."
She cringed at that word. Hunter nodded, "Yeah, I hate being called an asset too, but in the world of business, that's what we are. But what do you do with an asset? You have it gain value. If it loses value it becomes a liability. I'm sorry that we kept it from you but until your contract with me is completed, neither of us really saw the need to tell you. Now that it's become prevalent, you should know. The succubus known as 'Juliet' is known worldwide. We get requests for your transfer all the time. They want us to trade you like professional sports athletes are traded to other teams."
"You mean, people try to buy my contract?"
"They have! And I've turned them all down!"
The wheels started turning in her head. "How much were they?"
"Do you want to know?"
She didn't hesitate, "Yes."
He asked again, "Are you positive?"
Again, no hesitation, "Yes."
It looked like it hurt to say this part. "Well, when you first started, the opening offer I received was $25,000." Her jaw dropped. That's a lot of money for a person. But she was making more with her percentage cut than that. "Now that was day one and the highest that came across my desk. Your name hit the list and I have seven emails asking for you."
"Then what was the highest?"
He pursed his lips as he thought it over. Should he tell her? He really didn't need to hide it but did he really need to tell her? It was only fair. "OK, the highest offer was backed by a government of which I will not name. It would have been for $2 billion in USD. I actually received it shortly after word got out about our rescue of Angela's son Michael." Her eyes flared up as she was absolutely floored. "Hanson, did I say two or twenty?"
"You said two."
"I misspoke. $20 billion for your contract."
Her face started to turn red from the rush of blood. She had to think back that he offered her a way to that gross pig. It was for $200,000 and that was a lot of money then. Mind you, that was all fake and he never intended to sell her to anyone. Clearly that stayed true to turn down that kind of money. She could only try to collect herself as the tears welled up, "Why would you turn down that kind of money? You would be set for life."
"Money isn't everything. I'm already set for life. I could quit right now and turn this plane around. But this is a job that needs to be done."
It became clear that this wasn't just a job for the sake of having a job. This was dedication. The man gave a damn about the world around him and worked to have the power to change it. To have the ability to have a nation come at you and offer you more money than god, and to turn it down! Hunter really was something else. The amount of money still got to her though. She was just beside herself trying to rationalize it. She had to ask herself, would she sell Hunter for that money? She could only come to the same conclusion, that no she would not. She couldn't imagine selling to anyone. "I still have so many questions…"
"I don't doubt it. But know this. You're stuck with me until the contract is fulfilled."
She was okay with that. At first, she was bitter about the deal. Now look at her. She has a marketable skill under her belt. On top of that infamy, she didn't even know about it. All because someone actually cared.
The meeting was adjourned as dinner was announced. It wasn't anything like fine dining but it was good food. Juliet still had questions to ask. It had to deal with buying contracts. Turns out, it's not just limited to creatures or monsters. Offices could ask for people. Hunter explained his process with this.
He would act like an agent for them. They would offer him a price and he would ask what the individual would be making once they transferred. He would do some research once they returned the information about the cost of living, housing, moving, what they would and would not cover, and job reimbursement before even passing the information along to the person. He would sit down with them, let them know about the offer, and would ask what they wanted to do. They could decline, negotiate terms further using Hunter in an agent role, or accept. It wasn't often that a requesting office could take a team member away but every now and again there would be a sweet offer someone couldn't pass up or there was an office closer to family or dream location. The whole process really was like trading professional players.
Juliet's case was extremely special. A bounded succubus would be worth a lot on its own but her rank really increased her price, so to speak. She had no idea the entire time but rode the high as long as she could. Hunter even got her the list of the other two succubus that were employed. One was in Dresden while the other resided in South Korea. Between the three, they were pretty spread out across the world. Her curiosity started to get the best of her and wondered if she would be able to meet the others.
"While a possibility, very unlikely," Hunter explained. "They are like you in that their office needs them for work. These two run their own teams. You are still assigned to a team as the need dictates."
"You've had me on every contract you two go out on."
"Yup, that's why your ranking is so high. Hanson and I take the hard ones."
She didn't want to open that can of worms. There had to be a ranking system for the contracts or someway they put points on your rank. She didn't want to get that deep into the nonsense. That was way above her pay grade but not above her value.
The plane's crew swapped shifts to give everyone a much-needed break. The group decided it was best to get some shut-eye themselves. The jet lag from the flight was going to be killer on them so getting as much sleep as possible was the best strategy. Hanson pressured himself to take the single room this time leaving them to the master suite. He knew damn well what he was doing too. The wry smile gave it away.
The two stood at the base of the bed looking at the fresh sheets. Hunter threw his arms forward, "Bed is yours. I'll take the chair." Without a second thought, he flopped himself into the small chair in the corner. It only took a few adjustments and he seemed to lodge himself into place. His foot could still reach the switch so when she got into bed, he could get the light. She leaned over the bed putting her hands on the sheets. They were soft. A lot like the sheets he had bought for her apartment when she first moved in. They shimmered with the light as she disturbed the crisp layout. She pulled her leg up and laid herself down on the bed.
Hunter hit the light plunging them into almost darkness. A few lights in the overhead rack gave them just enough ambient light to move around if needed. The two settled in for a long ride. Juliet was restless though. The bed was too large compared to her full size at home. This was a king if not larger. His breathing permeated the silence. The low hum of the engines was just a background noise. "Hunter." Her voice squeaked in the darkness. He shifted a bit in the chair before responding, "Yes?"
"This may sound silly. Are you… really my boyfriend?"
His quiet started to get her nervous. Was he pondering something? Was it that hard of a question to answer? "I am if you are my girlfriend." The nerves melted away but were placed by silent excitement. She flutter kicked under the sheets to contain the squeal.
She heard him chuckle in the chair as he settled back in. "Then I have a request." She whispered it but she knew with his hearing it would reach him. "Yea? What's that?" There was a pause before her answer, "Would you join me in bed?" Everything in the world seemed to stop. Every sound disappeared as she waited. Did she cross a line? They agreed to keep their professional and personal lives separate. Was this plane ride part of their professional life? She shut her eyes tight waiting for an answer. But he kept quiet.
The absent sound of his voice became unsettling. The rustling of the sheets nearly scared her out of the bed. His ability to walk so lightly meant she didn't hear him cross the carpet. She didn't know he was there until he was right up to her. He sunk the mattress in enough she rolled into him. With one bump he rolled her back to her side. His arm wrapped across her stomach to her hip. In just one movement he was able to get them both settled into a spot where they were both comfortable. He let out a deep breath before he fell into his relaxed rhythm again.
His body was warm. The human blanket he had turned into was a feeling she had longed for and didn't know it. His breath tickled the hairs on the back of her neck until she got used to it. Her mind tried to race around thinking of what to do next, but her body gave in to the warmth and comfort he had provided. There was nothing more that she wanted at this moment. For her, this was the dream.