Chapter Text
"Miss Pauling, collecting the people I've requested is a risky and laborious task for only one person… So I have assigned Simon to assist you." She took a deep drawl of her cigarette, "Get situated with him. He knows what he is doing, if you are smart you will listen to him."
Helen's name tag sharply glistened in the light. Her desk was modern, clean, and organized. Deep black TV monitors covering the wall behind her, almost swallowing Helen's silhouette as she glared down at Pauling.
Pauling swallowed and nodded, "Yes ma'am." Helen waved her hand to the door, and Pauling rushed out of the room. She shut the door behind her and started to walk down the hall. As she traveled the hallway and stairs to her office, it faded from clean and luxurious, to disgusting and unkempt.
She sat her clipboard onto her lopsided desk. It wobbled before settling down. Pauling walked over and plopped down onto her broken office chair, she took off her glasses and leaned into her desk. The room that Helen called Pauling's "office," but calling it that was a stretch. The light flickered a few times before she heard someone clear their throat. Pauling quickly sat up straight and put on her glasses.
"Oh, um, hello!"
She looked up, to have her gaze met by sharp eyes. She adjusted her glasses a bit,as the man slinked over to her desk. He kept his eyes on her, not breaking for even a second.
"I was going to wait to see how long it was going to take you to notice me, Miss… Pauling. But you were taking too long." He pulled out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket and took a puff.
"I am assuming The Administrator has already filled you in on who I am."
"I um.." She thought for a moment, before realizing, "Oh! Yes! Simon right?" She gave him a nervous smile, only for him to look back with disgust.
"Yes.. Simon." He looked away from her, taking another hit of his cigarette, "Who are we rounding up first." He said, picking up her clipboard
"Hey please don't touch that-" she tried to grab it out of his hands but he stood up and avoided all of her attempts effortlessly.
"Oliver Mundy… Dell Cohnager… Travich, Misha, Jeremy…" he groaned loudly, throwing the clipboard to Pauling, "Most of these lowlives are in another fucking country! Great!"
Pauling furrowed her eyebrows, as she rubbed the back her neck, clutching the clipboard close with her other hand, "Did you not hear-"
Simon cut her off by an almost audible rolling of his eyes, "Like I want to travel in a metal crate for 12 fucking hours." He turned his back to pauling and grumbled.
"Unbelievable."
"Well.. Airplanes aren't that bad but… all of them are actually in the states right now. We only have to drive to meet up with a few of them, to well… convince them to take the job."
She grinned nervously as he snapped his glance to her, his teeth grinding, "Offer them the job?" It felt like he almost teleported in front of her, his face close to her's, "Not all of them have accepted The Administrator's offer?"
She swallowed and shook her head a little, "N.. No..."
"Fan-fucking-tastic."
///
Simon held his cigarette out the window and tapped it, resting his arm on the window. He started out the windshield, looking for the house they were creeping towards.
“How much longer…”
Pauling closed her eyes for a moment and sighed, gripping the steering wheel tighter.
“Simon... We are like two minutes away...”
Simon huffed and leaned out the window, squishing his face into his hands, dropping his cigarette onto the road. The wind pulled through his hair and swished the smoke away. He hissed with slight disgust as he stared at a graveyard of stripped skeletons of stolen cars, they were in the absolute worst part of the city. Small groups of shady people stood huddled together, Simon looked away when they started staring at the car. Soon Pauling pulled into the driveway of a broken down apartment building.
Pauling got out of the car and started to straighten out her dress before going into the back seat to get out a briefcase.
“Oh yeah, Simon, Helen told me I should warn you that this person is… Extremely unpredictable.”
Pauling closed the door, and turned to be met face to face with him.
“What mercenary isn't.” he said flatley. Pauling didn't even hear the passenger door close…
He pulled a box of Mann Co Cigarettes out of his pocket and put another cigarette in his teeth and he walked towards the door, “His name is Adelrich Ludwig correct?”