Title : Consequences.
Rating: R for swearing and some dark themes.
Characters/Pairings: Adelle, Laurence, Hearn, Mellie, Paul, mentions Paul/Mellie.
Spoilers: The Man on the Street.
Summary: Adelle does not tolerate such atrocities.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Joss is my master.
Warnings: Mild swearing, some sexual themes.
lj-cut text="There are consequences to these actions…"
I was watching some security feed from Ballard's apartment when Dominic came into my office and told me the news about what Boyd had done. I sat there, somewhat shocked, at what Dominic had just told me, and absolutely infuriated by who the culprit… the sick bastard that had been taking advantage of an active, was. I was stunned. How could this have happened? Why …what drove that sick fucker to do this? I told Dominic to go fetch Boyd, I needed to speak with him. He came in, his knuckles still slightly bruised from punching Hearn through a window, his face unreadable, almost like one of the actives. I was secretly thrilled, so happy that he had found who was really hurting poor Sierra. I really, really did not want to believe that it was Victor. He had been scrubbed, this shouldn't have happened with him. And thankfully, it didn't.
"Hello Mr. Langton." I greeted, in as firm and commanding of a voice as I could. "I suppose you know why you are here?" he nodded.
"Yes Ms. DeWitt. For putting Hearn through a window." He replied calmly.
"For putting Hearn through a window with a very, very good reason." I corrected. I walked over to the window and looked out at the city surrounding the Dollhouse, suddenly struck by how isolated we were, even though we were in the heart of L.A. "I never want to hear about this kind of stuff being conducted without my knowledge in this building again." I say, realizing that this behavior shouldn't be allowed, sick bastard or no sick bastard. "Is that clear Mr. Langton?" I ask, turning around to look at him.
"Crystal clear." he replies once more. I nod.
"A bonus is being added to your paycheck for this month." I once more look out at the city, that lonely feeling coming to me once more.
"I don't want a bonus." I hear Boyd say behind me. Right. Valor, chivalry, he was doing it because it was the right thing to do .
"Well that's too bad. I have to give one to you." I turn around once more and head towards my desk. "That is all Mr. Langton, thank you." Boyd nods and leaves the room, Dominic followed him and then came back in.
"Anything else Ms. DeWitt?" Dominic asks me as I look through my files, frustrated. Where the hell is November's file? Jesus, this day couldn't get any worse could it?
"Oh…um, yes. Could you bring Hearn in here? I feel the need for an interrogation. That sick bastard needs to learn that actions have consequences." Dominic nods and heads out of the office once again. I brighten up when I find November's file. Finally. Something going right. I clear a space in my office, and switch the lights, making it dark with the ever famous bright light to put in Hearn's eyes. Good technique.
Half an hour later, Dominic returns with Hearn in cuffs, and shoves him onto the chair I have set up. I look at Hearn with pure disgust. This sick bastard shouldn't be alive. He might have well raped a child, Sierra was innocent enough in her doll state to be such. What's really fucking hilarious and pathetic is that he thinks we are going to have him wiped and turned into an active. Like anyone would ever have a fantasy about a guy that looks like him. As the interrogation goes on, I become more and more furious at this pathetic waste of air, and reprimand myself for ever hiring him. But, I have a way of fixing this new problem that has arose. Dominic cannot know, I can't bring him into this, so I tell him to leave, I'll be quite safe, really. After he is gone, I plaster on the most convincing smile I could, and grab a fake file I had made up in the half hour Dominic was gone.
"We do use people Mr. Hearn." I agree with a statement he had made, fake smile still plastered on my face, the fury still raging on hot inside me. "But the real question is what is the best use for those people? People such as….you." I am in front of him now, handing him the file. There are five black and white photos of an active that I had taken to keep on the illusion that she was just a civilian. "This girl is a problem for us. She knows to much about the organization. Its not her fault really. I need her to be killed and it cannot be clean." I take a deep breath, the satisfaction is rising through my body. "This is your chance to avoid the Attic. Besides, you might even consider this to be a …promotion. After all, this one will probably…struggle." Hearn looks at me, shocked but relieved.
"My second chance?" he asks, so innocent, so unknowing, so…doomed.
"Your second chance." I confirm, getting up from the desk I had been sitting on. "Here's the address. She will be at her boyfriend's place. He will be out of the apartment." I tell him, not mentioning the fact that it was Ballard's apartment, and Ballard's new girlfriend. As well as the fact that the person he was going to…kill …might kill him first.. I give him the key to his cuffs "Go you sick bastard. Before I change my mind." I snap, and he scrambles out of my office like a whipped servant. I roll my eyes and go back to my desk, turning my computer back on. I flinch when I hear odd sounds coming from the security cam in Ballard's vent. Then I realize what they are… "New girlfriend indeed."
About forty minutes later, Ballard has left the apartment and my active is alone, all alone. She dresses herself in some underwear and one of his shirts. I feel a bit saddened, she looks so happy as she tidied up his apartment, listening to music that she had given Ballard as a Christmas present. That happiness is fake, not real. She is imprinted with a personality that is not her own, and … Jesus am I feeling the guilt, for the first time in ages. I watch as she pauses from her cleaning, and starts to walk towards the door, a smile on her face. Then I see Hearn enter the room, and I flinch once again as I watch him attack her, trashing Ballard's apartment. I take a deep breath as she goes to the floor, trying to escape, and I pick up the phone, dialing Ballard's number. The phone rings and just as it looks like Hearn is going to choke her to death, the machine picks up.
"There are three flowers in a vase. The third one …is green." I pause for a second, remembering the right color to say. Suddenly, her head turns towards Hearn, her eyes wide, and she precedes to beat up Hearn, very cleverly throwing him onto the table and breaking his neck, effectively killing him. I have to admit, I am proud of her in that moment. She's my active, I'm her handler. I'm doing well… "There are three flowers in a vase, the third one is…yellow." Instantly, the fighter in her turns off, and the poor, innocent, weak Mellie comes back. She stumbles backwards, crying , in shock, and a bit hurt. Ballard comes through the door to his apartment, checks her quickly before making sure Hearn is dead, then he goes back to her and holds her close, letting her cry.
This is just a lesson Hearn had to learn, and I am sure, in his last seconds alive as he was being thrown around, he realized that he had been tricked. Serves him right. He should have known.
You , under any ANY circumstances, especially as a handler, hurt ANY of my actives. If you do, the consequences can be fatal…
A/N Ah, I know it's kind of sick, but I LOVED how Adelle tricked Hearn in the episode. It also, in a way, showed she's very protective of her actives.