Maxwell Anders tried his best to not let the tension filling him be seen on his face as he smiled at his guests, "Is everything to your liking? I hope you're enjoying yourself."
The couple sitting across from Max made various noises of assent, nodding their heads in response to his question.
One of them, a woman with bright eyes wearing a dark dress, gave him a smile that was just ever so slightly off, "We are! You know how to treat your guests, Maxwell. Isn't that right, dear?"
Beside her, her husband nodded, "I agree. It's been quite a while since I've been treated right as a guest. These pastries are delicious."
Dorothy nodded in agreement holding one up to taste, "You'll have to give me the recipe, Maxwell. These will go over extremely well at my social gatherings back home."
Max gave the woman a strained smile, "I'll have my secretary write it down for you."
"Hoping to get one over on Mrs. Braun, honey?" Geoff asked, a small smile on his face.
"That woman, I swear." Dorothy huffed, "She just can't resist making snide remarks to anyone and everyone who will listen. As if she has any room to talk; she barely has her house in order at all. Do you remember the rumors about her son and what he's been up to?"
Max had met Dorothy and Geoff Schmidt once or twice when his father was still alive and even as a teenager he had always found the two of them a bit strange to be around. As if a part of him realized that they weren't quite as normal as they seemed.
Because the Schmidt's weren't normal. Oh sure, they acted civil and played the part of a doting couple almost perfectly, but it was just an act. Max doubted they had the capacity for empathy much less love.
As the couple across from him began to chat about some inane gossip that they had picked up in their facsimile of a normal home life, Max kept a polite smile on his face, barely paying attention to what was being said even as he nodded along to their tale.
Though he was putting on an air of civility, Max was the furthest thing from happy that the Schmidts were in his home right now. They were naught but another symptom of his recent issues and their presence here did nothing but remind him of everything that had been going wrong.
His hold on the Empire was being shaken. It wasn't noticeable from the outside, but he could see that the recent developments were worrying those close to him. Brad especially had been rather outspoken as of late, beginning to actually question his orders and decisions in certain situations, something that he would have never dared do just a few months ago.
Worst of all, the Gesellshaft was beginning to stick their nose in things. Despite Max trying his best to make it seem like he still has things well in hand, they had somehow managed to sniff out the fact that not only had he lost a great deal of potential territory to a rival gang, but one of his members had abandoned the Empire altogether. As one could imagine, they were the furthest thing from happy, especially given who said member was directly related to.
He knew that Agnes had something to do with their source of information. The woman had done little to hide her hatred for him since his father had passed and he had taken over leadership of the Empire. She saw him as some upstart child, not fit to lead in Allfather's place and no matter what he had done, he hadn't been able to make her believe otherwise.
Which was why two of her pet parahumans were sitting before him right now. The Schmidt's may have owed their powers to the Gesellshaft, but their loyalty lied firmly with the Herren matriarch and they wouldn't hesitate to do anything she asked, regardless of the nature of the request. Their presence was her way of telling him that she no longer trusted him with the current situation.
As if he cared in the slightest what she thought. His father had been the one responsible for the Empire's growth, not her or even the Gesellshaft itself. If it weren't for the fact that he was still operating under their banner, he would have told her exactly where she could stick her trust.
Unfortunately, that was nothing but a fantasy. The current reality was much more distressing.
Dorothy apparently noticed that he wasn't listening to her story and gave him an apologetic look, "Oh dear. It seems I've gone on another tangent. I'm very sorry Maxwell. We should get down to business, shouldn't we?"
Max gave the woman a strained smile, "That would be for the best. My time has become rather limited recently."
Dorothy smiled gently, "Because of all the happenings in the city, right? Would you care to tell us about them? I'm afraid Agnes was rather brief on the latest developments within your organization, but we are dying to know what's new."
Max knew that the woman was lying through her teeth. They likely knew just as much as he did about what was going on in his city because, while he hated the woman with a passion, he could admit she was nothing if not thorough when it came to her personal affairs. He doubted she would have sent them here without some sort of dossier.
Even so, he couldn't exactly refuse their request. Especially when he had no clear reason to do so.
"Well, to begin, things in Brockton Bay for the last few months have shifted greatly, as I am sure you already know." Max began, "Chief among these changes, is the fact that Lung is no longer ruler of the ABB. While normally that would be cause for celebration, the woman ruling in his place is arguably worse than he ever was."
"High praise coming from you, Maxwell." Geoff commented, "She's giving you that much trouble?"
Max nodded, "Unlike her brute of a father, Yosei seems to possess some semblance of knowledge on how to properly run a gang. Since she has become a player however, they have taken a much more active role within the city and that is an issue for us. One that I intend to deal with soon, but an issue nonetheless."
Geoff raised an eyebrow, "Really? I was under the impression that the ABB were nothing but brutes only capable of strong-arming the people in their territory into giving them money and women like some sort of medieval warlords. Have they really changed that much in such a small amount of time?"
"They have thanks to Yosei. The biggest example of this is her performance with the Merchants a month or so ago. Though her action in divesting the leeches of their leadership may have been one of opportunity, the way she quickly laid claim over their lost territory was anything but."
Max frowned, "I'll admit, I was caught off guard by her actions. I had planned a slow, methodical subsumption of the Merchant's territory into the Empire's fold so as to prevent us from overextending. I had assumed that the ABB would have been slow to react as they always are when they aren't directly attacked. I was wrong and we lost a great deal of potential territory."
"She proved a bit too much to handle, hmm?" Dorothy gave him a small smile that was as dead as her gaze, "You should remember not to underestimate your enemies, Maxwell, even if they are members of a lower species. Even animals can be wildly unpredictable after all."
Max nodded, conceding her point, "You are correct. Thanks to Lung's constant inaction, I became too complacent and wasn't prepared for what his daughter might do. However, Yosei is no mere pest. She may be just as powerful as her father and even worse, competent.
Dorothy gave him an interested look, "Why, Maxwell, you almost sound like you respect her."
"Nothing of the sort, I'm simply giving credit where credit is due. Yosei is becoming a spectacular thorn in our side. One that I've already begun taking measures to ensure doesn't become more of an issue." Max said, "Though before I can deal with her, Rune will need to be returned. Her disappearance has already begun to affect our operations and that is an issue."
He wasn't lying to save face, either. Without Rune, their response time to incidents within their territory had dropped quite a bit. It wasn't the biggest issue as there were always other ways to get around, but that wasn't the biggest issue. Her absence was beginning to be noticed.
The Empire was supposed to stand as a united front and all of their internal squabbles were kept out of the public eye to keep that facade in place. Rune disappearing so suddenly and without a word, was beginning to make people speculate about possible internal strife within his court.
"Speaking of issues, Ophelia also seems a bit out of sorts." Geoff commented, patting his mouth clean of crumbs from his latest pastry. "Almost morose compared to the lively girl we knew. Even Victor couldn't cheer her up."
"Yes, it seems just before Tammi disappeared she had an argument with Ophelia." Max commented with a sigh, "I'm not sure what was said, but it affected her a great deal. I'm not sure what the specifics of the argument were exactly, but it seems she blames herself for what happened."
Dorothy shook her head sadly, "Ophelia is such a silly girl. Family squabbles happen all the time. She shouldn't be taking things so close to heart."
"Still, perhaps we should resolve this issue quickly." Geoff said, "Agnes has been rather inpatient recently and she wouldn't have chosen us if she wanted to wait for results."
"You're right, honey. We had taken care of this as soon as possible. Family shouldn't remain a part for so long." Dorothy agreed, before turning to Max. "I don't suppose you have a lead on where she might have disappeared to, would you, Maxwell?"
"We believe she has gone to the ABB." Max said seriously. "The argument that she and Ophelia had pertained to a new friend she had recently made. A young Asian girl who she had begun to spend time with over more civilized company."
There was quite a bit he was leaving out of that statement, but it wasn't anything they truly needed to know. More importantly, Agnes didn't need to know that it was likely his orders to keep her confined that led to Tammi's disappearance in the first place. That would just be one more thing for her to hold over him and he had no desire to give her any more leverage.
Dorothy frowned, "An Asian? Oh dear, I had thought Tammi had more sense than that. Agnes said she's been a bit of a rebellious spirit recently, but I didn't think it went this far."
"Are we certain this girl she's been spending time with is really with the ABB?" Geoff asked, "I would hate for us to waste valuable time looking in the wrong place."
"It's mostly speculation, I'll admit, but we have been given more than enough evidence to make us believe so." Max answered simply, "We aren't sure of her exact identity, but the fact that she has been able to spend time with Tammi inside of ABB territory without being harassed by those savages means that she is likely one of them."
Dorothy shared a look with her husband, "Well I suppose that's as good a place to start as any. Do you happen to have a picture of this girl, Maxwell?"
Max shook his head, "No, but it shouldn't be too difficult to get one. Before I do however, I must ask what exactly are you going to do if you manage to find her. I assume whatever it is, you'll be discreet?"
Max didn't really care whether or not the girl died, she was just some random girl after all, but these things required a bit of finesse so it didn't blow up in their faces. Finesse that he wasn't sure either of the two people sitting before him possessed.
Geoff gave him a smile that was clearly meant to be comforting, "We'll be as discreet as possible, Maxwell. Between Dorothy and I, I'm sure we'll have Tammi back with us before the end of the month."
With us? Max noticed the odd phrasing of that sentence but didn't comment, instead giving the man the most genuine smile he could muster, "I'll leave it up to the two of you, then. Please keep me informed on your progress."
"Of course, Maxwell, we'll make sure you're up to date. Wouldn't want to cause unwanted issues in your operations, now would we?" Dorothy chuckled wryly.
"No we wouldn't…" Max frowned at the woman's words as Geoff stood, reaching over to help his wife up as well. If you should require any help then don't hesitate to ask. I have a great deal of resources at my disposal and won't hesitate to put them all towards bringing Tammi back to where she belongs."
Dorothy smiled serenely as she stood alongside her husband, "We'll keep that in mind, thank you. Family shouldn't stay apart for so long. We'll clear up this little misunderstanding in no time, Maxwell. You have my word."
As he bid the couple farewell and watched them leave his home, the smile that Max had been perpetually forcing into his face fell away, leaving a deep frown in its place.
That meeting had gone just about how he had expected it to. Though they had expressed some polite interest, neither Dorothy or Geoff seemed to be concerned in the slightest with the Empire's operations. They were truly here for Tammi and nothing else.
It was surprising. Max had been expecting Agnes to have shown more interest in what the Empire was doing, but it seemed that she really was only concerned with having Tammi returned to more civilized company.
He sighed leaning back in his armchair as he thought about the headaches that were no doubt going to spawn from this situation.
At the very least, he didn't have to worry about Tammi being hurt or killed during this fiasco. The Schmidt's may have been psychotic and barely human, but they were loyal to Agnes and wouldn't hurt Tammi unnecessarily so long as that fact remained true. What he really had to worry about was the damage they might cause in their path to her.
Her friend would likely be killed once the Schmidts were done torturing or interrogating her for Tammi's whereabouts, but that could be easily swept under the rug. Anything more overt however….
"I'll need to have someone keep an eye on them both." He muttered to himself, "Those two are unlikely to follow an order from me and I doubt Agnes cares at all for the security of the Empire right now. Keeping them in line will be difficult."
Truthfully Max somewhat pitied Tammi for having those two of all people set upon her trail, but she had brought this on herself. If she had stayed pure and not let herself be swayed away from her rightful path in the Empire, none of this would be happening right now.
Once she was back with them, they could make sure she understood that fact.
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