Chapter Text
A woman entered the poorly lit room, her expression stern and unmoving at seeing the man that had caused her and a lot of others so many problems. A scar disfigured her otherwise pretty face, running across her left cheek down to her chin. It had split her lips too, but whoever her surgeons had been, they had managed to fix her up enough to not make her look hideous after the healing process. On the contrary: it gave her features something fearsome, something that commanded respect at simply laying eyes on her. Like a feral instinct hidden away in one's subconscious. Her blonde hair was tied back in a tight braid, like she didn't care at all about covering up what would make people stare at her in shock. She moved with a certain amount of natural grace, exuding authority with every step.
A man followed after her, his expression no more readable than the woman's. It was hard to pin down his age, the constant frown on his face and the greying temples in his hair most likely making him look older than he actually was. He stayed a few respectful steps behind his superior as she moved to the table, slapping down a file between her and the man sitting in front of her. He looked tired, the dark hair unkempt and loosely falling on his shoulders, rings under his eyes indicating that he hadn't gotten much sleep lately. Not surprising, after spending some time in a police holding cell.
“The Marquis of Mutts, hm?“, the woman muttered, opening the file and flipping though some pages, stopping at one that contained the man's pseudonyms – the mentioned one being his most used – and a list of his victims. The most prominent ones had been highlighted, emphasizing as to why he had been arrested. Her gaze wandered to him again, and she continued speaking. “Strange choice for a name. How did you come up with it?”
The man she had addressed looked up at her, a hint of a smile tugging on his lips despite his obvious exhaustion. “Strange way to start a conversation”, he said in return, “You really that keen on knowing it? It's a bit of a personal matter, you see”
If it was an attempt at seeming mysterious and witty, Meve didn't look impressed at it. The man sighed theatrically when she only raised a brow at him, waiting for a proper answer.
“Alas, if you really want to know ... I have a very dark secret. You see, when the full moon glows in the night sky, I turn into a creature that's half man – half dachshund! Then all the other hounds of the night harken to my command” He let out a howl that made Meve pull a grimace, especially at his smug grin afterwards. He looked very pleased with himself at that pun on his name.
“Cut that out, will you”, she said harshly, not at all amused about that insolent reply, “If you don't want to hold a normal conversation, it's your loss” She had already been told he was annoying, cracking jokes at the most inappropriate moments. Nonetheless this absurd explanation had caught her unaware, especially in combination as to why they had arrested him in the first place. This man – Gascon Brossard – had managed to infiltrate the most secure systems, leaving a whole lot of people in a disarray at noticing their precious data had been stolen and most likely sold to the highest bidding competitor. He was a hacker with experience, able to stay under everyone's radar for a very long time now, only his obscure pseudonyms known. Their own system had been the latest on a long list of cases the police were now finally able to close. Catching the man had been a lucky shot due to an anonymous hint, everyone knew that. So naturally, nobody wanted him on the lose again.
“I just tried to lighten the mood”, Brossard replied, that outrageous grin still plastered all over his features, “And you wanted an answer to your question, so I gave you one”
“... You are aware you're going to spend a long time in jail for what you did, right? Jokes won't help you at court”, Meve eventually continued, deciding to pay no attention the man's expression for the time being. There was no use to getting angry about stupid jests, especially since she'd been warned that he was prone to them. She had also been advised to simply ignore them if she wanted to get anything useful at all out of Brossard.
“Oh, I am. Not exactly something I fancy though. You don't happen to accept an apology and a pretty please with cherry on top to let me go? Maybe an invitation to dinner as well?”, his grin had changed into a genuine smile, charming under different circumstances but decidedly unfitting here, in Meve's opinion. She looked sternly at him, the ensuing silence lasting for a while until he raised his hands with a defeated sigh. Meve genuinely hoped he was finally dropping the act and would start behaving like an adult.
“Fine, fine. You're no fun, has anyone ever told you that before? Your buddy there neither, he looks like he had a whole net of lemons for breakfast”, Brossard mumbled, looking at Reynard for a few moments. The expression of Meve's head of security changed for the faction of a second at that stab in his direction, annoyance flashing across his face at the remark, but he caught himself before Brossard was able to notice.
“Stop joking around already, would you, Mister Brossard? This is about your future”, Meve said, turning her attention back to the captive hacker. He looked at her with an expression between confusion and distaste at those words.
“You already got everything you wanted from me, what else do you need?”, he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest, “Can't tell you more than what I did to the police, so I'm pretty sure you know all the details. And now you start talking about the future? Pah. You pretty much just said I don't have any, so why bother?”
“Because we've got a proposal for you”, Reynard cut in, and for the first time since they had arrested him, Brossard's face mirrored something like interest, maybe surprise. Of course a proposal from the heads of a famous private security company would make anyone at least a little curious. Especially if that security company happened to be the last one on the hacker's list of victims.
“Ah. And that would be?”, he wondered.
“A deal. You've managed to expose cracks in the most secure systems around, left no traces and played with everyone for years. It would be a waste of talent to let you rot behind prison bars” There were a few moments of silence, before Brossard eventually spoke up.
“... You want me to work for you”, he concluded and laughed, “Why on earth would I do that?”
“Because”, Reynard continued, “You'd be able to continue living your life – With some minor hindrances of course, but still more free than in prison – With good pay. And your dog”
The man straightened up at the final bit, worry flashing about his face as quickly as it was gone again. Meve noticed it anyway. They had taken the dog alongside its owner, and she had quickly realized that the hacker seemed to be more upset about his pet's fate than his own at watching the protocols the police had given her. And the fact that he now stayed silent after Reynard's words spoke volumes to her. You just had to know which strings to pull to win someone for your cause.
“It's your choice, Mister Brossard. You know what we've got to offer. We'll get in touch with you again”, she said. Meve retrieved the file she had brought along and gave Reynard a court nod to indicate that they'd leave. She exited the room, her head of security following right after her.
***
Gascon stared at the ceiling of his cell, arms crossed behind his head on this terribly uncomfortable farce of a mattress. Getting caught on his supposedly last job as a hacker hadn't been on his schedule – with the money he made from it he would've been able to live a comfortable life away from all the trouble that had chased him in the years past. Everything had been absolutely waterproof. But still they had gotten him somehow, and he had no clue how exactly. Sure he had caught up on the fact that it had been an anonymous hint from somewhere, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out who had given the hint. He only knew that it bugged him immensely that someone had sold him out to the police.
Sure they had promised a fair trial, a proper lawyer and everything, but no matter how good it would end up for him, he'd still serve time behind iron bars. Enough time to make it near impossible to get back to the life he actually wanted and had planned to have after this job.
And now, as if she had read his mind, the head of the last security agency he had stolen data from had proposed this deal. To work for them instead of being sentenced to jail. And he knew they'd be able to pull that stunt, they were influential and rich enough, even if they'd surely get some restrictions to do that. Most likely no computers or mobile phones allowed outside of work. Maybe an electronic tag for him, even. The thought made him shudder and grimace unhappily, but at least he'd be outside instead of stuck in a stinking hellhole. He'd be able to put up without a computer or mobile for that, he supposed.
And most importantly, Knickers would be with him. Another point the guy she had been with had brought up, and it was a smart one. Gascon cared too much about his dog, the thought alone that he'd end up in a shelter or with a new family instead of being with him broke his heart. He had been his companion and anchor ever since he had found him, and the prospect of not having him around anymore made him feel sick. That woman and her friend had obviously figured that out, and cleverly decided to use it to their advantage. Why wouldn't they? To him, they had certainly looked like a pair that was used to getting what they wanted, no questions asked.
He sighed deeply, running his hands across his face. It wasn't much of a hard decision, if he was entirely honest to himself. The offer was good. Very good even. During his little 'operation' he had seen their employee data as well, who their team so far consisted of – only the best of the best, highly studied and trained people even the police was most likely jealous of and would probably kill to get their hands on if that hadn't been against the law. He also knew he'd be the black sheep of the team with his background, but the fact that they wanted him in nonetheless almost made him feel honored. Even though it was clearly evident this was simply a matter of using someone with skill, rather than actually trusting him. Not that he'd complain, as he'd do exactly the same thing were their roles reversed – Why let talent waste away in prison if you could utilize it instead, as the guy had put it. A very logical and practical way of thinking, Gascon found.
The hacker sighed and stretched out, trying to get at least a little more comfortable. He had made up his mind. All that was left to do now was wait for that lady to show up again.