Chapter Text
I'm a teacher. I'm a hacker on the side. I am by no means a remarkable individual, nor do I have any revolutionary tendencies.
Look, I'm not a brave guy. I jump at my own shadow if it moves too fast. I apologize to door frames. In fact, i apologized to the vase that i barely bumped on my way to open the front door when someone rang the door bell.
I wasn't expecting visitors, the only ones I may have had were all busy as far as I was concerned, or just got too tired of hearing all about my new hacking gig. Ilyukhina is genuinely incredible at convincing you something is a good idea, by the way. She's also good at keeping you thinking it's a good idea until a woman in a black suit turns up at your door.
Okay, this is...interesting.
There's a brief moment of silence that stretches on, as the woman, to her unspoken disappointment, realises I was not intending on speaking up first.
"Does Dr. Ryland Grace live here?"
*Well, it depends on who's asking*, i want to say, but bite my tongue. Bad idea to be saying something like this to someone who so obviously means business.
Instead, I settle for the option that is less likely to result in me getting my butt handed to me.
"...Yes.", I respond hesitantly, gauging a reaction that never comes. "Yes, how may I help you?"
The woman pushes her sunglasses to sit higher up on the bridge of her nose, assuming the 'I am the boss here' voice and attitude. It only half works on me. She's the boss, but not of me.
That being said, I listen to her very carefully.
"I am the leader of Stratt's Vat, and you, Dr. Grace, are a *remarkable* hacker."
I pause and process her words. Me? A remarkable hacker? Is there some other Ryland Grace living on this street and can they please come and get their scary lady in black?
I seem to spend a few moments too long grappling with myself, because she gets bored and speaks up again.
"I would like you to come with me and...assist my organization."
Well, that's not sketchy at all. I've heard of Stratt's Vat before, it was once, and it was by no means in good light. Stratt's Vat are a vigilante group, who have been wreaking havoc on both the government, and, to their credit, various shapes and sizes of criminals and other treacherous folks.
But once again, I am a teacher.
"I don't think I'm the right guy for that.", I say truthfully, trying to be polite. Why the heck am i trying to be polite? This is, allegedly, the leader of an active vigilante group. I'm fully within my right to fly off the handle, and yet, for some reason, i don't.
The woman rolls her eyes (I don't see it, but by God do i feel it), like I'm wasting her time.
"Yes, yes you are. You were recommended to me. Apparently, you're excellent at what you do."
I try to think about what could be so remarkable about my admityedly small and insignificant hacking gig. Besides maybe that one time I...yeah, okay. If they somehow caught wind of that occasion, I definitely understand where her interest in me came from.
"I'm *good*, but I'm not excellent, ma'am.", i say, assuming a demeanor not dissimilar to that of a teacher trying to appease an unreasonable parent. It doesn't work.
"Yes, you are, and you're coming with me."
So no choice, huh? Yeah, no. I move back and shut my door in her face. I hear her make a sound similar to an outraged squawk and then she rings the doorbell again. I don't answer. This becomes a game of sorts for the foreseeable future.
The game I have come to affectionately call "avoid being recruited as a vigilante like your life depends on it". It's been going pretty well, if i say so myself.
That's to say, it's *been* going well until i came back from work to my apartment having clearly been broken into. I'm not a horror movie protagonist, so i know to immediately start backing away from the cracked open door, and then turn and run away.
Shoot. What do i do? Who do i call? I can't just- come back in there, and i don't exactly want to have to explain this situation to the cops. Because if these are *Stratt's Vat* people, then I'm thoroughly fudged. Law enforcement would be very interested in me and why they want me, and they definitely will want to know about what I've done and who the mysterious woman on my doorstep was.
So i do the only thing i can think to do. Which is running. I also try to call Olesya while I'm at it. She can help, I'm sure. I can hear running footsteps closing in behind me. She picks up the phone. I'm out of breath, barely saying words, but i keep moving.
"Olesya- i need help, i think i-"
I don't get to finish the sentence before everything cuts to black.