Chapter Text
Hunter drummed his fingers absently minded on the table.
“And as you can see, with our profits up overseas, we’re looking at a potential doubling of last quarter’s earnings.” Said the same, boring man in the same, boring business suit. Talking about the same thing he’s heard over and over. Same boring room, full of screens showing more boring people all waiting to tell him things he already knew…
He didn’t expect taking over as head of a company would be easy… But even after two years, board meetings were about as dull as watching paint dry…
“However, this is still lower than two years ago. Your insistence on, uh, discouraging certain methods in the making of products from the person that previously held your position has had an…Affect…”
Hunter rolled his eyes lazily.
“And as I’ve told you.” He said. “The previous holder of this position was using inhumane methods. It is a change I am happy to deal with.”
“....Indeed.” The man said, uncomfortably. “Now, what that has ALSO done is helped our public image. Word-of-mouth, Social media buzz, all of that related to our company has vastly improved in the past two years. Though the revelations of our previous CEO still linger.”
“Can’t imagine why…” Hunter thought.
“Also, your own public image is hard to place.” The man hit a button, showing a different graph. “People call you, ‘the ghost boy CEO.’ No public appearances. Bare minimum in terms of showing up for events. People seem to like you, but they don’t know much about you…”
“And I prefer to keep it that way.” Hunter said. “I’m well aware that some of the changes I’ve made are not as popular with some people, not to mention that stepping into this role was quite unexpected. I’d rather avoid any media.” He then added to himself. “And having your world flipped upside-down in one night takes its toll on you.”
“Well… On that note, I think that covers the important issues. No real change to anything.” The man said. “Profits are up, and we are projected to cover our losses by next year.”
“Yeah, having to settle dozens of lawsuits will do that.” Hunter mumbled.
“And I believe that concludes our business today.” The man said. “Um, we have hit a snag with the Wal-Mart deal. It seems they aren’t a fan of the name of one of our pet-shampoos, but we are working through it.” The screens went blank, and the man quickly gathered up his notes and such, and left. Now it was only Hunter and a few other board members.
“Well, gentlemen.” He said. “Sounds like good news all around.” He got up to leave. “Now, if that is all-”
“Um, there is ONE thing.” One of the members said. “A bit pressing, actually.”
Hunter sat back down. Trying to hide his disappointment.
“Well?”
The four other men in the room exchanged unsure looks.
“It’s, well…It’s a bit unconventional, really.” One said.
“In fact, we’re not quite sure about it ourselves.” Said another.
“Hey, just means something different’s happening today.” Hunter said.
“It’s a bit strange. When debated to even bring it up, but, well… There IS a legal precedent here.”
“Legal? Oh no, did we find ANOTHER lawsuit?” Hunter groaned.
“No, no… At least… We don’t think so…” The man clarified.
“Well what IS it, then?” Hunter said.
“Blast it all, just show him!” Another man yelled.
The first man pulled an envelope out of his briefcase and dropped it in front of Hunter.
“What is this?” He asked.
“We…Don’t know.” The man said.
“That envelope has been in our records for seventeen years.” The other man said. “With instructions that it never be opened unless some very specific circumstances were met.”
“Who left it?” Hunter asked, looking it over.
“Well…The previous head of the company.” The man said.
Hunter’s eyes opened wide. “...Great-Auntie?”
“Yes…No one questioned it, at first. No offense, but your great-aunt was well known for her, erm, ‘eccentricities’.”
“You don’t know the half of it, mate.” Hunter wanted to say, but instead he asked. “What were the conditions?”
“That’s the strangest thing, sir.” He said. “The first stipulation was that it was to never be opened unless your great-aunt had been removed as head of the company, and only after two years had passed to ensure the change was permanent.”
“....Well, I can never say the old girl didn’t plan ahead.” Hunter said. “And what was the other?”
“Well, that’s the most troubling.” The man said.
“Mate, with all due respect, I don’t think you could tell me anything about my great-auntie that would trouble me.” Hunter said.
“Well…The second condition was that… It could only be read if her replacement was…You, sir…”
Hunter’s eyes went wide.
“What?” He asked.
“The conditions of that letter are that I can only be opened if YOU yourself had replaced your great-aunt, and only after you had held that position for two years…” The man shrugged. “Her words, not ours.”
Hunter looked at the envelope… It looked much more foreboding, now…
Everyone knew his great-aunt was a horror… But he knew things about her that no one else did… And to learn that she planned THIS far ahead…
….It made that envelope seem very, very frightening.
“....So you’re saying that…My great-aunt planned that I would one day take over the company?” He asked.
“It seems that way.” The man said.
“That’s all we know, though.” The other said. “To be honest, we’re just as confused as you…”
Hunter looked at the envelope…
“Welp…I guess there’s nothing left to do.” He opened it, and carefully slid the contents out.
It was a letter… A handwritten one, at that. In penmanship he recognized…
On the front was written, “For my only true love…”
“This…This was written by my great-aunt.” He said. He began reading.
“To whom it may concern.” It began. “If this letter is being read, it means that I, Cruella De Vil, am no longer head of my company, and my great-nephew Hunter is continuing my family legacy.”
Hunter frowned. The LAST thing he planned on doing is continuing HER legacy.
“If this is true, then I forfeit any and all claims I have to the company, and all assets involved to Hunter. Up to, and including my family’s property in Suffolk, and my fortune accumulated through the company and other business ventures.”
“Most of which had to be used to settle your lawsuits.” Hunter grumbled.
“I also grant him access to the company’s…” He stopped as he reread it…
“The company's lower archives? What are those?”
The four men all traded nervous looks.
“Perhaps you should finish reading.” The man said.
Hunter did, quickly reading the last part of the letter.
“If he knows what to do when he is there, so be it. If not, I wish him well. The rest is silence. Signed, Cruella De Vil….”
Hunter checked the back of the letter and inside the envelope.
“That’s it… That’s all she says…” He looked at the four men.
“What are the ‘lower archives’? To my knowledge, this building doesn’t have anything labeled like that.”
“*ahem* yes, well… Perhaps you don’t know everything about this building, just yet, sir.” One of the men said.
“I’ve studied the building’s blueprints. The deepest we go is the basement.” Hunter said.
“Officially.” The man said. “There may be one or two rooms that…Don’t appear on the blueprints.”
Hunter’s face fell.
“Are you saying this building has secret rooms?” He asked.
“....Possibly.”
“....And you didn’t think to tell me of this until just now?” Hunter asked.
“Well, it didn’t seem important.” One man said.
“Why would the previous head of the company making secret rooms not be important to the new head?” Hunter asked.
“Your great-aunt did many things that didn’t seem to make much sense.” Another man said. “Up until you read that letter, the rooms didn’t either…”
Hunter thought for a moment.
“....Okay, fair enough…” Hunter said. “But what are they?”
“We don’t for sure.” The man said. “All we know is the your great-aunt built an add one to the archives, yt had no readily available way to access it.”
‘....What?” Hunter said. “She builds these rooms that no one can get into?”
“That no one has yet accessed.” The man corrected. “That letter seems to imply that you may know how."
"Well I don't know how I could possibly know how to open a room that was built before I ever joined this company, that I am only discovering it exists as of now." He sighed…
"And why does it imply that I might know, either… Like there's something I might or might not have done…"
"Indeed… This only deepens the mystery." The man said.
"Where even is this supposed entrance?" Hunter demanded.
"We only know it’s somewhere in the archives.” The man said. “Your great-aunt was NOT one to share details.”
The other men got up.
“That is all we can tell you. It seems whatever your great-aunt hid in this building, she intended for you to find, alone.”
They all left, leaving Hunter alone…
He re-read the letter.
“Oh, Great-Auntie, what have you been doing?” He thought.
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Later that day, after dealing with all the other things a CEO has to do in the mornings. Like answer Emails, phone calls, meet with a few investors, and come to his sixth realization that maybe a tiny, TINY portion of great-aunts madness was justified after dealing with all this, he was in an elevator, on his way down to the one part of the building he hated going to…Mostly because he’d had to be present when they were investigating yet another one of his Great-Aunt’s lawsuits. So all this room was to him, was a collection of all the awful things his family had done, that he was now saddled with…
“Why do I even want to go down here?” He asked. “What do I expect to find? Do I really think that this ‘secret archives’ will have anything that I don’t already know? Do I think that I’ll find some evidence that my great-aunt really did love me, even though she was just using me? Is that what I really think?”
The other man in the elevator blinked awkwardly.
“...Are you, uh…Are you asking me, sir?” He asked.
“Wha-Oh, sorry Gerald.” Hunter said. “Got lost in thought.”
“Yes, well… Despite being both yours, and your Great-Aunt’s PA. I couldn’t tell you what you hope to find. You’re Great-Aunt was not a chatty woman.”
“Oh, I know… And trust me, I doubt there is anything down there that I expect to change my opinion of her… But still…She had this in place in case I replaced her. A part of the building only I could access… And, seventeen years, she had it in place since I was born! Probably wrote it up the very day…”
“Could that not be proof that she was thinking of you, sir?” Gerald asked.
“Probably, mate. But not in the way she was hoping.” Hunter said. “My Great-Aunt only cares about people she can use… And proved that I wasn’t going to be useful to her two years ago…”
“I see…” Gerald said, awkwardly.
With a strangely foreboding *ding* The elevator reached its destination. The archives. A dimly-lit place filled with records, documents pertaining to every decade of the company’s history, and as of recently, the site of many investigations.
“Well, here we are, sir.” Gerald said. “Now, what is it you would be looking for?”
“I don’t know.” Hunter said. “Her letter said I might know… Of course, I don’t know what she would’ve been talking about. I don’t even know where to start.”
“Well, the archives go back to the founding of the company.” Gerald said. “More than 60 years ago.”
“Oh, joy.” Hunter said. He looked at all the filing cabinets, and shelves loaded with papers, and files, and ledgers. Any one could be what his great aunt was talking about… To go over all of them, however, that’d be impossible. Assuming what he was looking for was even in them…
“We have financial records, records of previous employees. Every single product made by the company. All here in this room…” Gerald said. “Not that that makes it any easier.”
“An entire company’s history.” Hunter said. “The history of my family and… And I really don’t want anything to do with it…”
“Now, my opinions of your aunt notwithstanding, one thing I can say about her was that she was quite the entrepreneur. This company made everything. Beauty products, hygiene products, pet-care products… Most of those had to be recalled. But still, automotive products, this company created a reloadable airbag that could be used multiple times… However, the only car it was ever fitted on was her own before she deemed it a financial loss… Which was strange, as it worked perfectly…However, I wonder why anyone would NEED it.”
“Yeah, real mystery.” Hunter said, shaking his head.
“And of course, her offerings to the world of fashion.” He said. “Why, we even have the original designs for all her works stored here. Yes, for better or worse, your great-aunt was quite the icon.”
“And all it probably meant nothing to her.” Hunter sighed.
“All this…All this work, all this history…And to her, it was all just a stepping stone for getting revenge…”
“Uh, what was that, sir?” Gerald asked.
“Oh, nothing.” Hunter said. “Just mumbling.”
“Like you’d believe me anyway.” He thought to himself. “No, I’m the lucky one who knows that throughout all this. Great-Auntie was just biding her time, so she could get revenge on some spotty dogs… No, I’m the only one who knows that part…”
He sighed again, more heavily.
….and then something clicked in his head…
“....I’m the only one who knows that part…” He repeated. “....The only one who knows that…” The wheels in his head began turning…
“Her legacy… It was never in the company. She didn’t care about it, the only thing she ever cared for was…” His eyes widened.
“Her only true love…” He repeated, recalling the letter. “The only thing my Great-Aunt ever loved was…” He turned back to Gerald.
“Did you say there’s a record of all my aunt’s fashions?”
“Why, yes. It’s quite extensive-”
“Show me.” Hunter said.
Gerald brought him to a large binder sitting a table.
“A complete portfolio of your great-aunt’s designs. From the very beginning. It’s quite large, as you can see, looking through it will take some time…”
“I only need one thing.” Hunter said. He opened to the first page, showing the design of a simple, mink coat. Its first sketch, its design ideas. A reference number at the bottom. And most notably, a black and white photo of his much younger great-aunt wearing it.
It almost hurt to see her like that. A happy, 20 something woman just happy to be doing what she loved. It made him wonder…Surely there must have been some point in her life when she wasn’t all bad… If the version of her in the picture knew what she would become, how would she feel?
He shook those thoughts out of his head. It did no good to think about them now…
He flipped through the book. Each one similar to the last. A sketch of a coat, variants, before it’s final design, and a photo of her wearing it. Each one was made from a different animal hide. The usual at first. Mink, Fox, Chinchilla, Beaver. Then more exotic ones like Leopard, Tiger, etc.
Hunter kept flipping pages, not even paying attention to the specifics.
He was looking for one, in particular. One that he knew would stand out. One that he almost helped her with…
“Come on, where is it?” He asked. He flipped again, and again. He saw a coat made of a zebra hide, a buffalo hide, an….Otter hide? Sure. But none were what he was looking for.
“Uh, sir, just what ARE you searching for?” Gerald asked.
“For the one thing I KNOW will be different.” Hunter said. He turned the page…
And there… There it was…
It jumped out at him like something he shouldn’t be seeing… Like something cursed.
It actual gave him chills to see, even though it was just a drawing. And while Gerald might not feel the same, it made Hunter feel queasy to see it…
A black and white spotted coat.
“...So…This is where it all started, then?” Hunter said.
“Uh, beg your pardon, sir?” Gerald asked.
“This was to be my Great-Aunt’s Magnum Opus.” Hunter said. “ A coat made from Dalmatian hides…”
“Oh.” Gerald said. “Um, real ones?”
“Yes, mate.” Hunter said. “Real ones.”
“Ugh.” Gerald said. “I’m not a squeamish fellow, but the idea of wearing a dog…Well, it sounds a bit ghastly, to me.”
“Mate, if only you knew.” Hunter thought. He could only imagine the reactions if THEY saw this. The detailed drawing, the variations. One with a cape, one with a hood. It made him angry to think about… Far angrier with the knowledge that he twice almost helped it become a reality…
...But speaking of that…
“Gerald…Notice anything missing from this entry?” Hunter asked.
Gerald studied the page for a moment, when it hit him.
“There’s no photo.” He said.
Sure enough, unlike the rest of the entries, this show no photo of Cruella wearing the real version of the coat…
“But, why?” Gerald said.
“Because, mate.” Hunter said, with a hint of smugness in his voice.
“It never got made.”
Gerald’s eyes widened. “Interesting…But why?”
“I don’t think you’d believe me if I told you, mate.” Hunter answered. He looked down, and saw that just like all the others, this entry had a reference number as well…
…And he wasn’t at all surprised to find that it was, “1-0-1”
“Gerald…That number…. What does it mean?’ Hunter asked.
“Well, it might be a reference to its production record.” Gerald responded. “The files that detail its inspiration, its initial showings in any fashion shows, and any interviews your great-aunt might have given regarding it.”
“Exactly.” Hunter said. “But why would she keep one for a coat that never got made?”
Gerald thought on this, before his eyes widened.
“I see….” He said. “Come with me.”
He led Hunter to one the shelves, holding various folders.
“A record of each one of your great-aunt’s fashion shows.” He explained. “The dates, time’s cities, models, interviewers. Everything.”
“And the one we want is…” Hunter looked around…Until he found it. Folder 1-0-1.
“Aha!” He grabbed it, and opened it…
Predictably, it was scarce of anything Gerald had mentioned. Only a single piece of paper with a newspaper clipping attached…
It read. “Fashion Mogul Cruella De Vil arrested in suspected animal theft, and fur-smuggling of 101 Dalmatian puppies. ” And the paper it was attached to read “Refer to the company history volume of the appropriate number for more information.”
“My word.” Gerald said. “So…This recent event wasn’t her FIRST outing in animal theft?”
“Not by a long shot.” Hunter said. “What does it mean by company history volume?”
“Well, I assume that would be the record detailing the company’s goings on during those corresponding dates in a more…. Encyclopedic manner. Your great-aunt insisted that we keep multiple variations of documents in multiple formats for different uses. Legal, educational, etc.”
“And this is probably why…” Hunter said. “I’ll give my great-aunt this, she knows how to put something together.”
Gerald brought Hunter the shelf with several, large, leather wrapped volumes.
He knew what he was looking for, now.
“Appropriate number, eh… Well…Aha!” He found it. Volume 101.
He took it from the shelf, and opened it.
“Alright, great-auntie…Let’s see what you’ve been up to…”
He flipped through the pages…Then a few more…Then a few more…
“Wait… This can’t be right.” Hunter said. “This is just detailing stuff like the company's research on pesticides and how my Great-Aunt denounced Flares in the 70’s.” He flipped through some more pages.
“The companies revamp in 77, branching out to American markets, this is…This is all basic stuff…”
“That’s even before my time.” Gerald said.
Hunter checked every page… Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
“I don’t understand…” He said. “What am I missing?”
“I couldn’t say, sir.” Gerald said.
He read through to the very end…Nothing seemed out of the ordinary… Well, plenty seemed “weird” but not out of the ordinary for his Great-Aunt’s company.
He finally found himself staring down at the back cover.
“......I don’t understand…” He said. “I thought for sure…”
“Well, it IS your first time learning of this supposed ‘lower archives’.” Gerald pointed out. “No one said you had to figure it out in one day.”
“Yeah, but….Still, what did I miss? My Great-Aunt would’ve known I’d know her ‘true love’ is her furs… And the one without a picture, while not obvious, would’ve stood out… And the newspaper clipping…What did I miss?”
“Who’s to say, sir?” Gerald said. “Your Great-Aunt was… Well, she was a strange one… No one could really figure her out.”
“I guess not…” Hutner said, setting the book back in its place. “Still, to come that close…”
“Indeed, quite disappointing.” Gerald said.
He and Hunter started back to the elevator.
“If it’s any consolation, sir. I was rather impressed with your abilities to figure out that much.” Gerald said.
“Thanks.” Hunter said. “Not exactly happy about how I learned it.”
“I’m just confused at what it all means.” Gerald said. “A coat that never got made. A reference to a simple…And why does the number 101 keep popping up?”
Hunter chuckled. “Mate, that is a story I don’t think you’ll believe in a million years.”
“Oh, I don’t know…Can’t be any stranger than learning that your great-aunt had stolen 101 Dalmatian puppies for the SECOND time in her life…” Gerald said.
“Heh, yeah. That’s….” Hunter stopped.
“Hold on… No…That’s not right…” Then his eyes widened.
“Excuse me, sir?” Gerald asked.
“That’s not right. That newspaper clip….She didn’t steal 101 puppies, she…Oh my gosh, that’s it!” He ran back to the shelves.
“Uh, sir, I’m confused.” Gerald said.
“My Great-Aunt didn’t steal 101 puppies. She only stole 15!” Hunter said.
“What?”
“She paid for 84, but then stole fifteen.” Hunter explained.
“But…That only adds up to 99, where does the 101 come from?” Gerlad asked.
“From the fifteen pups’ parents.” Hunter said. He scanned the shelves, going down from 101 until…
Volume fifteen…
“Sir….How would you know that?” Gerald asked.
Hunter gave him the same smile. “Trust me, mate. You would not believe me.” He pulled the book from its spot…
And stopped half-way with a *Ka-Chunk!*
At the same time, the sound of something heavy moving brought their attention to the closest wall, which had dropped back, and parted. Revealing a hidden room.
Gerald and Hunter looked at each other in surprise.
“Bless my soul…” Gerald said. “A false book…A hidden wall… How… Now one would’ve guessed unless…” He looked at Hunter. “Unless they knew exactly what to look for…”
“And only if I knew very specific details… Which I could only ever learn from…” Hunter shook his head.
“Great-Auntie, what kind of game are you playing?”
He walked to the fake wall, and gave it a push… Inside it was a large, metallic room. Nothing was inside, nor was their any sign anything ever had been.
“...Perhaps it was just an old storage room?” Gerald suggested.
“No….This room has a purpose.” Hunter said. “I just don’t know…” He then noticed something. On the far wall, there was some kind of console. He approached it, and when he did, it switched on.
There was no keyboard, or buttons, or any other way to access it… But when he stepped close, the panels opened. Reveal three scanners.
“What are these?” Gerald asked.
“They’re hand print scanners.” Hunter said. He reached out to touch one… Then he stopped…
“Sir?”
“....The only way I’d know how to find this would’ve been… my gosh, did she really plan for this?” He said.
“Plan for what?” Gerald asked.
“For me to learn all that… She kept a lot of my family history from me, so she didn’t plan on telling me… I wonder…” He looked at the scanner…
“I’m not sure about this.” He said. “But I know I will not be able to let this rest.” He placed his hand on the scanner, and after a moment, it beeped…
He waited… Nothing happened.
He pressed it again, same result.
He pressed his hand against the other, but that buzzed red. Same with the other…
“Only one responds to my DNA.” He said. “But who would the others… He thought…And thought… Two pads.Two different sets of DNA other than his…
“What?” Gerald asked. “What is it?”
“These two…They need a different set of DNA.” Hunter said. “Not mine.”
“Well,that seems a bit odd.” Gerald said. “Why leave a computer you can’t access alone in a room only you can find?”
Hunter thought…He thought of everything he’d had to know to find this place… Everything he’d need to look for, all the details…
And then his jaw dropped.
“No…No, Great-Auntie, you didn’t…” He said. “You’ve got to be…” Then he sighed. “But that’s all it could be, isn’t it?”
“What?” Gerald asked. “Whose DNA do you need?”
Hunter started out of the room. “Gerald, clear my schedule for today and tomorrow….In fact, give everyone the day off tomorrow, even yourself. I want the building empty.”
“Uh, yes, sir.” Gerald said as he followed Hunter back to the elevator.
“Also, call up, have my car ready.” Hunter said.
“Of course sir, but…I’m confused, whose DNA do you need?”
“I’ll need the DNA from the family who has more history with my Great-Aunt than anyone in the world…” Hunter said.