Bernie, Baird and Cole weren't included in Hoffman's invitation to his office. Lizzy sat in Hoffman's chair, her feet on his desk, fixing her hair. Marcus stood beside her, protectively. Dom sat across from her; he studied her face, trying to place it. Hoffman paced impatiently in front of the door. Lizzy adjusted her bracelet, and she moved her feet off her desk.
"Who are you?" Dom asked again.
"Lizzy," she replied.
"Last name?"
"It changes," Hoffman sighed. "For a while it was 'Stroud' then 'Hoffman'."
"Used to be 'Fenix' for a while too," Marcus added.
"We went to school together, Dom. Sort of. I was in Carlos' year," Lizzy said.
"... It'd upset you to hear he died, huh?" Dom muttered.
"It nearly killed me when I first heard it," Lizzy glared at Marcus.
"You... You're an orphan?" Dom asked, the bits of information churned over in his brain.
"Who isn't these days? But yes. I've never... Really known who my parents were. I've heard people say my dad died serving with Hoffman, and my mother died during childbirth."
"That's not true... Maybe you two should leave," Hoffman ordered.
"I'm not going anywhere," Marcus stood steadily beside Lizzy.
"I guess this isn't my place," Dom rose, "I'll be right outside if you need me."
The door clicked softly behind him. Hoffman sat down; he rested his elbows on his desk. Lizzy scooted forward.
"Did I mention I saw Margaret before the Hammer struck?" she whispered.
"Hmm?" Hoffman looked at her.
"Yeah. She stopped by my apartment. She gave me these," Lizzy dropped a pair of COG tags on the desk, "and told me to ask you about them if I ever saw you again. She had a few other things I was to tell you, but they weren't very nice."
"Margaret..." Hoffman muttered.
"Victor. Who the fuck do these belong to?"
Marcus picked up the tags and studied them. Hoffman took off his hat and rubbed his scalp. Lizzy sighed impatiently and searched the desk for booze. She took a swig of Hoffman's ancient scotch. The bottle slammed on the table; Hoffman took a long drink from it.
Very short, but I'm updating as I write. I have a lot planned out; it just isn't written yet.