Resurfaced 1.1
Douglas Garrett could not wait until his shift was over, if only to escape the dull monotony of his day. Don't get him wrong, he loved his job, and wouldn't trade it for anything else. But he absolutely despised drawing the straw for manning the front security desk. He would rather clean his field gear with a toothbrush than to be stuck having to pull a shift greeting and checking people in.
It probably didn't help that in addition to the duty, the PRT and Protectorate were at a 'heightened state alert. The ashes were still settling from the latest confrontation between the Empire Eighty-Eight and the Azn Bad Boys that had consumed a not-insignificant portion of the Docks. While both parties had retreated to lick their respective wounds from the inconclusive fight, it was only a matter of time before they went at it again.
Refraining from releasing a sigh that he knew the DO would verbally skin him alive for if he witnessed it, he instead went back to scanning the surroundings.
A gaggle of schoolchildren were milling around the gift shop, their field trip, scheduled months in advance, wrapping up. The teacher and fellow chaperones looked absolutely haggard, but then again, herding around a group of impressionable eight-year olds still in their cape phase was probably not the brightest of ideas, but who was he to criticize?
Drawing his eyes off them, he glanced over to where Hansen and Ortiz were posted on the foyers, overlooking the lobby. They were in full kit, both lethal and non, and the only reason they weren't stationed on the lobby floor was to avoid scaring the schoolkids. They would be the tip of the spear complementing the other stationed security personnel in the event that any action would break out in the lobby, holding the line until reinforcements arrived.
Other than those two deviations from the norm, everything was running well enough. The foot traffic was standard for the hour, with lunch being over, and the shift change not until later, it was looking to be a day in which nothing happened.
That was when she walked in. Before he even consciously realized it, he was on guard, the gut feeling that he had always gotten him out of sticky situations in the past all but screaming something was wrong.
He couldn't put his finger upon it, maybe it was the confidence in which the twenty-something woman walked, or maybe it was the fact that she was wearing clothing that even an idiot could recognize as designer-grade: A full black suit, complete with vest, jacket, a blood red tie and handkerchief finishing the ensemble. Styled black hair flowed over her shoulders and down to her back, done in a way that suggested that no work was put into it with how unruly it seemed, but he knew right away it was deliberately styled to appear as such. It was also her eyes, hidden behind dark sunglasses, when a civilian walked into a facility like this, there was always some measure of them looking around, taking in the place and scanning for heroes of threats, but she didn't deviate in any way that would suggest she did any of that..
Passing through the security sensors, the leather messenger bag she carried going through the same stringent procedures as she did, she collected her bag and proceeded to him, coming to a stop a foot away from the counter.
"Good afternoon," she greeted, her voice smooth, too smooth, his mind supplied, "I'm here to see Director Emily Piggot."
Alarms were now klaxoning in his head, that uncanny demeanor only ratcheting up his bad feeling. Making sure not to give anything away, he tapped his foot against a button that would immediately set off a warning in the building and cause the quick reaction force to begin mobilizing, an act that would be hell for him if he was wrong.
"Do you have an appointment," he asked, even as his earpiece started squawking, confirming that his action had been received and that reinforcements were five minutes out. In his peripheral vision, Hanson and Ortiz had also shifted out of their ready positions, stationing themselves on the rail above, appearing to be non-threatening at the moment, but ready to act in moments if shit the fan.
"I do not," was the quick and succinct response, as if the detail were irrelevant, causing his stomach to knot even further, even as she reached into her vest pocket and retrieved an id bifold and placed it on the counter for him to retrieve, "tell her it's Taylor Hebert. I'm sure she will make time for me."
For some reason the name was familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it, even as he fronted his lack of concern at the woman. Instead, he decided to play for time, reaching for her identification to scan over it even as he grabbed his phone and hit the line that would connect him to Piggot's secretary. After one ring, she picked up, even as he watched 'Taylor Hebert' take a few steps back, placing her messenger bag on the ground.
"Hey Janice," he greeted the woman, "I have a Taylor Hebert down here requesting to speak with the Director."
There was a long pause on the other end, and for a moment he wondered if she had hung up on him. As he waited for her response, he could only watch as Hebert began to lower herself to her knees not six feet from him, her arms reaching up to her head, pulling her sunglasses off and placing them on the messenger bag before returning to behind her head, keeping her eyes closed, and causing him to reach for his service pistol mounted underneath the desk. It was then that Janice responded, even as alarms began blaring all around them.
"Cheshire."
His sidearm was already out of its holster before she finished the declaration, initiating both Master/Stranger protocols, but also authorizing lethal force if necessary, training the weapon on 'Taylor Hebert', as she remained knelt upon the marble floor, hands behind her head, in the surrendered position.
"Stay where you are and keep your hands where I can see them," he barked, even as the reinforcements arrived, weapons and containment foam launchers at the ready, "you are under arrest for trespassing on a restricted building."
It was then her eyes, which had previously been closed this entire time, opened to reveal molten blue irises.
