Chapter Text
Now that I'm back living on my own and I'm officially persona non grata at every academic establishment in the country, I know one thing's for sure. I need a job. Based on my pre-belltower college record, I shouldn't have too much trouble, but there's a problem. I can't just get any job. I want to be doing something where I'm on the street helping people, using my skills. I can't do that if I'm chained to a cubicle or pouring coffee. No… I need something different.
I start scrolling through TikTok and see a video. A black haired woman wearing a leather jacket, tearing through a whole bar of dudes twice her size. After the fight, the person filming shouts out at the woman.
"Hey I know you! You're Jessica Jones!"
The woman, knocking dust off her jacket, flips the camera off and leaves the bar. Jessica Jones… why does that name sound familiar? A quick web search later and I have my answer; Jessica Jones is Alias Investigations. I've seen her ads in that weird indie paper they have in the coffee shop. Being a private investigator would definitely fit the bill for me. I'll give her a visit and see if she's hiring. Maybe I could be like her apprentice or something.
After finding her address, I toss on a coat and head out. While I'm on my way over, I'm trying to work through what I'll say to her. Gotta make a good impression. I'm great at first impressions! I've been called charming and lovable! My smile has been described as infectious! This is gonna be a cakewalk.
Once I get into the building, I take note of the Alias sign, pointing me upstairs. I really wish it hadn't, though, because the second floor seems to just be a long hallway with a single working light, and I don't have high hopes for how long that one will last. But there it is, at the end of the hallway; Alias Investigations. Alright Kate, just remember your college entrance interview. Easy breezy. You got this.
With a smile on my face, I grab the door handle, but it won't budge. Locked, but I can see someone's in there. I'll try to get their attention. With a knock, I announce my presence.
"Hello? Miss Jones, are you in there?"
Nothing. I'll knock some more.
"Miss Jones?"
One more time should do it. Before I can finish my third knock, the door opens.
"What is it? We're closed before 5."
"It's actually… 6:43pm."
"F***. Ugggh. Alright, come in."
She lets me into the office and I shut the door behind me.
"Hi, Miss Jones. My name is Kate Bishop."
"So happy for you. What do you want?"
She was back in her desk chair for maybe a minute before she laid her head on the desk. I hadn't noticed before, but she is wearing sunglasses in what is already a pretty dimly lit room.
"Well, I'm interested in becoming a private investigator and-"
"I'm struggling to see how this involves me."
"And I was wondering if you needed like an apprentice or assistant or um… I guess I'd be ok with sidekick as a starting point but I'd-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there. You seem like a nice kid, so I'm gonna say this nicely. No. Have a good day."
Don't quit yet, Kate! I know it's lame to name drop, but it might help me here.
"Wait! Maybe if you got a letter of recommendation from my partner you'd reconsider?"
She lifts her head off the desk ever so slightly.
"Who's your partner?"
"Clint Barton."
Her head is now back on the desk.
"Ha! Let me change that answer to 'F*** No'."
Shit. That backfired.
"Hold on, just give me a-"
"Look Hawkeye Jr.-"
"It's just Hawkeye."
Now she's looking right at me. I can't see her eyes, but I can tell she's annoyed now.
"I don't give a shit if you're the Grand Duchess of Topeka. I'm not in the market for a babysitting job. Especially not one where I have to pay the baby. Now, as you can see, I was in the middle of some very important work."
"You were sleeping."
"Yup, and I'm neck deep in it, so go find Veronica Mars and leave me the f*** alone."
I get up from my chair and start to leave.
"And tell Clint he owes me $200!"
Jeez. I'd hate to hear that story. Closing the door behind me, I walk back into the poorly lit hallway. It was actually less scary when there was a light for me to focus on. Now it's just… back to darkness. On my way down the dark stairs, I bump into someone.
"Oh! I'm sorry. Let me just-"
"Wait! Are you the private investigator?"
I look back at the flickering light, flashing like a warning. Hey. Better to not bother her with this, right? Not when I'm… right here. In need of cash.
"Yes! Yes I am. There's an electrical issue in my office right now, so let's discuss this downstairs."
Once we're in the light, my eyes come into focus and see a short balding man in an ill fitting suit.
"Kate Bishop, P.I., at your service. How can I help you, sir?"
"Well Miss Bishop, I come on behalf of a very important client, who wishes to remain anonymous. My client is considering a business venture, but he wants to look into it before he makes any decisions."
Business stuff, huh? That might be a little too big for me to handle just starting out. But I'll hear his offer.
"Ok, so what will you need from me?"
"I have prepared a folder with all of the information and people of interest that you'll need to investigate. We need to know if this company is on the level before we enter a relationship that could be, shall we say, financially ruinous if it ends in scandal. I'm sure you understand."
"Oh yeah! Of course! Can't be too careful with stuff like that. So... on the subject of payment?"
"I have been authorized to allot a total of $100,000 to this case. $75k for the job itself, with a potential for a bonus based on your… discretion."
If I had been drinking something, I would've done a spit take at that. I was just hoping for rent and grocery money. Maybe I'll toss some of that cash Jessica's way for putting me in this position. Maybe.
"I'll take the job."
"I'm happy to hear it, Miss Bishop. Here is the dossier along with my business card. I will be acting as your liaison to the client. Do be in touch, won't you?"
He starts to leave the building, and idiot that I am, I realize I didn't get his name. Before I can stop him, he's already out the door. Looking down at the card he gave me, there's his name; William Snitsky. Funny. He didn't strike me as a William. Maybe a Bill? My guess was Roger... I'm getting off track. Gotta get this back home so I can get started on the case.
Once I'm home, Lucky greets me at the door. I really don't know where I'd be without him. It's been pretty lonely around here. Sure, I hear from Jack and Grills and Clint every so often, but they're just some old guys. Usually boils down to them asking if I'm staying out of trouble. And Yelena… well she had to go back to work, which meant leaving New York. I haven't seen her since New Year's. I give Lucky some extra pets for being my very good boy.
I set the folder on the table and start brewing some coffee. While that's heating up, I open up the folder to skim the top paper. Alright it looks like the basic overview. Company is called OAD, but it doesn't say what it stands for. Tough thing is searching for that acronym online is unlikely to give much insight.
CEO is a guy named Benjamin Braithwaite. Looks like he's been in charge for about six years. Took over when the prior CEO was blipped. I bet that conversation was weird. 'Oh hey, I know you thought you were only gone a couple seconds but you actually don't have a job now because I took it. Anyways. Bye!' Seems like a peach so far.
I'm assuming that's the main guy I'm going to be looking into. Seems like they're very… successful? I don't know. I wasn't a business major so this chart means nothing to me. I'm pretty sure the line going up is good. Last order of business is where I can find this place. Let's seeeeee… ha. Hahaha. It's in Eureka, CA. That seems. Far.
Google maps says it's a… FORTY SIX HOUR DRIVE?! And I don't have money for a plane ticket. Oh. And I don't know how to drive. Shit. Shit shit shit. How am I gonna do this? Why ask me and not someone in California? But like. $100k...? I really wish he would've given me an advance on that. I could be flying first class.
Ok. Think, think, think. Who do I know that can drive? Mom's in jail, Jack has had a chauffeur his whole life, Clint is still with his family, and everyone I went to school with also grew up in New York so none of them know how to drive either. But… There is one person I could ask. Would she say yes? Well what harm could it do? I'm just sending her a text. That's it. Just an innocent little text. That's cool, right?
Kate: [Hey, how far from New York are you?]
I'm... probably not going to hear back soon. I should go back to the folder and see if there's anything I can do here in the meantime.
Ok, I see why my mystery client wants to check in on this. Looks like under the prior CEO, they were a pretty small scale operation. I don't know what they were distributing, but it barely leaves the Northwest coast. That is, until Braithwaite takes over. Within 2 years they're nationwide and their profits tripled. During the blip years, that is a very weird thing to see. I wonder if I can track down that old CEO and get some sort of read about this Braithwaite guy.
The previous CEO is named… Carl Braithwaite. Oh good. Keep it in the family, right? Please live in New York, please please please. It says online he's got a place downtown. Thank God. I'll head there and see what I can learn.
While I'm on the train, I'm compulsively checking my phone. No new messages. Come on, Yelena. I really need some help here. The train arrives at my stop and I shove my phone into my pocket. Just don't think about it. She's probably busy. It's fine.
Once I'm at Carl's building, I start looking around. It looks crazy locked down. The keypad at the door is all teched out, with a camera and everything. Don't think the delivery trick is gonna cut it this time. Ah whatever. I'm just doing my job. Nothing to hide. I'll just play it straight and see if I can talk to him.
I press the call button on the keypad and try to put on my best 'pro detective' voice. The keypad chirps out a greeting.
"Hello! Please state your business!"
"Hi, my name is Kate Bishop. I'm a private investigator and I would like to speak to Carl Braithwaite."
"Oooh I'm terribly sorry but Mr. Braithwaite is unavailable at the moment. Can I take a message?"
"Look, just tell him it's about Benjamin."
There's a long silence that feels eternal, as I'm forced to look at my own face on the keypad's video screen. Then, the door clicks open and the voice returns.
"Please, come in."
"Oh! Uh um thank you."
The door is way heavier than I expect, but I make my way in. I was thinking that this was just a swanky apartment building but I think this might all be his house. This could not have been cheap, but everything feels so… sterile. Lifeless. Just when I was thinking I had a handle on things, a tall humanoid robot, all white except for its bright green eyes, comes around the corner.
"Ah! And you must be Kate Bishop. Please. Come with me."
"Whatever you say, 3PO."
It is very weird that it talks but doesn't have a mouth. It's also unsettling how cheery its voice is. This hallway feels like it stretches forever. The robot points into a room that is pouring blue light out.
"In here, please."
Oh so I'm gonna die, huh? Carefully, I step into the room, keeping my hand on the door frame as long as I can like a little kid at the pool. Once I'm in, a door slides shut and I barely pull my hand away in time.
"Cool room… uh… you got here."
The blue light is emanating from a large screen, but what is more important is the hospital bed in front of it. And who's in it.
"Mr. Braithwaite? Carl Braithwaite? Hi sir, my name is Kate Bishop. I was wondering if you had some time to answer some questions about Benjamin?"
Carl doesn't move. Not even his eyes waver from the complete stillness he's locked in.
"Sir?"
"He won't answer, Miss Bishop. He can't."
The robot chirps up again.
"Why? What happened to him?"
"Well you see Miss Bishop, the venerated Mr. Braithwaite was tragically taken from us 6 years ago, on that horrible day when we lost so many friends and loved ones. I say tragically because, although Mr. Braithwaite was returned to us last year, his mind didn't come with. He has been in a vegetative state ever since! And so that's why I'm here. Benjibot! I'm a medical marvel created by the genius that is Mr. Benjamin Braithwaite with the sole intent of taking care of his dear father Carl. My only goal is to ensure the comfort and health of Carl Braithwaite, the progenitor of-"
"Hold it there, Benji. Benjamin created a C-3PO to keep his dad alive?"
I was really not prepared to have a back and forth with a robot today.
"In layman's terms, yes! My creation was just the first step in Benjamin Braithwaite's plan to revolutionize medical treatment. It is all done in the pursuit that one day, Benjamin can restore his dear father's mind."
Pretty noble pursuit. If it's true, that is. This all feels weird.
"So I gather Benjamin really cares about his dad, huh?"
"No one loves the venerated Mr.-"
"Ok ok I get it, we don't need the whole king's proclamation every time. Look. Not for nothing, but if he cares so much about him, where is he? Why just leave him alone with a creepy robot? No offense."
"Mr. Benjamin Braithwaite is a very busy man, running his empire OAD Industries, located in Eureka, CA. Although he dearly wishes he could be here, he knows his focus is better served at the head of his company, pushing the medical field forward to greatness!"
Well I guess Benny boy is not a guy with an ego.
"Thank you, Benji. I'll be going now."
"Let me show you out!"
Once I'm back outside, I have never been so happy to breathe New York air. That room felt like it was suffocating me. And I couldn't help but get a weird feeling about that big blue light. But that relief doesn't last long when I look to the end of the block and see five tracksuits. Bad news? They see me, too.
I didn't bring any gear with me so this is gonna be a "run away" kinda move. Picked it up in elementary school, you're gonna love it. I make a mad dash in the opposite direction and try to snake around the city blocks to confuse them, but I rounded a corner right into a car that was making a turn. Luckily, it stopped before it hit me. More shocking than that, however, was who was driving the car.
"YELENA?!"
"KATE BISHOP?!"
"Yelena, I need your help."
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