Description: Daniel Little decides to have a little discussion about Zach's recent career choices.
There were problems.
Agent Daniel 'Jack' Little had returned from hell. He had befriended demons in his journey. He had seduced monsters. He left the depths of Majigen with... thoughts. New thoughts, old thoughts, whatever they were. But they were thoughts and ambitions, outside the scope of what he believed was the status quo. He found love. He found humanity. He saw opportunity of a new, enduring peace. There was a lot of Daniel's mind. Supernatural attacks across the world took a new meaning. He would filter them in, follow them, archive them. There was an attack in New Jersey, for example. An assault on a hospital. Not much, at first.
And then he saw the footage.
A hospital under attack by strange people. Receptionist killed. A man intervenes. Unnatural humanoid exploding. And then, a very, very familiar spiderwoman. Cold sweat came over Daniel Jack as he watches what is clearly an attack by mon- no. Not an attack by monsters. He forces that in his mind as he watches as the man draws a sword. A shaft of light comes out, and Daniel stares are it cleaves into the spider woman's skull. This was... Daniel Jack recognizes the man, in the light.
Zach Glenn.
Zach Glenn was residing in Yokohama, Japan. The Ex-Marine lived in a two-story building with a reasonably sized lawn. A shed sat in the back, following the classic style. It was an out of the way place, by design. But with an Interpol rental, Daniel Jack had all the time in the world to find it. He didn't need to contact Zach. He made sure the timing was when he was at home.
The American did travel quite a bit, after all.
The car was parked outside the lawn. The detective of Interpol was alone, and dressed in his greys; Grey suit, grey slacks, a fedora, and a red tie. Daniel Jack works his way up the walkway, moving briskly, his expression blank. His mind was swimming, he was watching the windows, the doors, recollecting the exits and escape routes Zach might take... and Daniel might need to take. It was paranoia, probably. Daniel Jack reaches the door, and pound his fist on it in an interval of three.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
Daniel gets the first knock when the door swings open, revealing a tired-looking Zach. Glenn blinks twice, tiredly, as recognition becomes evident. Concern immediately registers as well. Maybe not /how/ Daniel found this place, so much as why the Agent had a need to at all.
"Agent Little," he says by way of greeting. "What can I do for you?"
"Zach Glenn."
That was the immediate response from the detective as he stands before the doorway. The detective's tone is grave, his expression is grave. "Can I please step inside?" Was the first of countless questions. He considered going inside. And then, if said no. He wouldn't take no for an answer. But it wasn't important to start a fight. He wanted answers, not rejections. The man pauses a moment, before adding, "Or anywhere private. Right now. We need to talk Zach." The detective glances around, looking around warily.
The paranoia.
Daniel Jack's hands were buried into his jacket pockets. Something clearly seemed off. His eyes darted, looking at the shadows. "You are alone, correct? You're 'friend' isn't here, right? She's not here, correct?" The agent of Interpol was revealing more and more information known about the Ex-marine. Daniel Jack slowly fixes his eyes on Zach, dropping his voice low as he leans in.
"This is about Holy Name Medical Center, Zach."
Zach frowns deeply at the information Daniel has been inadvertently laying out. "She's not here," he confirms, "My cousin's in the workshop, but he knows pretty much everything that happened there." Zach scowls a bit. "Come on in," he finally decides.
The house is... not spartan, exactly, but it's not screaming money either. The furnishings are nice, but not expensively so. Definitely well kept. No dust, nothing really out of place. Zach finally leads Daniel to what appears to be a living room. A large television dominates one of the walls, and a large but low sitting table is surrounded by couches and love seats. At the wall opposite the television is a large bar that appears to be well stocked. Zach goes immediately to the bar, and pours himself a rum and coke.
"Can I get you something?"
He was let in.
Cousin in the workshop. Maybe true. Maybe a lie. Maybe knows everything. Maybe knows not a god damn thing. He doesn't share the name. Cover up. Daniel Jack's expression was still grim steel, as he moves through the room. His eyes cast over the interior, taking in every little detail. As he reaches the living room, he immediately pulls his hand out of his pockets, drawing out a notepad. He begins to scribble down notes, as Zach prepares his own drink... and asks Daniel for his.
"Whiskey. Neat."
Zach notes the notepad and the frenzied scribbling as he takes a glass, and a bottle of whiskey. He pours the first glass as he studies the agent. Something's... 'off' is not the word Zach would use here. But things are not lining up. He takes the glass and the bottle of Chapter 11, and sets them on the table in front of Daniel. Glenn frowns as he brings the two liter of coke, and the bottle of Captain Morgan's, and places his set on the table across from the Agent.
"This is more than just business," Zach states. "What's going on?"
"This is absolutely business."
Daniel Jack speaks with curt precision, aiming squarely at the point. He doesn't touch the whiskey yet. He will take his shot when the timing is right. For now, he was writing, scribbling, scrawling. He was taking in every detail in a feverish blur, down to the bottle of rum. This was of course more than just business. Daniel Jack just had to keep business in the forefront. He asks Zach, with the air of a investigator, a simple question.
"Can you explain, in your own words, what happened at the Holy Name Medical Center?"
"It's also that," Zach agrees without pushing the matter further. He takes a swig of his drink as he collects his thoughts. Okay. Truth. Or at least most of it.
"Well, you know I am not in the Corps. If you knew where to find me, you found that out as well. What you might not know is that I am working for a private security company. One that specializes in... unusual cases. The kind that conventional peacekeepers don't like to get involved in. Like what happened in Metro City. Or the beings we ran into in Transylvania. There was a rumor of something going on, involving bats, and the point of contact for the case was one of the doctors at Holy Name," Zach explains. He doesn't give Doctor Rachana Patel's name. It's in the report, and while Zach is willing to share?
He's not sure he likes Daniel's angle on this.
"Fraud, Zach."
That was the response from the detective. "Zach Glenn is a former officer in the United States Marine Corp. He is curently employed with a private security company that specializes in fraudulent activities. That's what you are, Zach, according to Interpol." The detective keeps scribbling down on the notepad. "That's because conventional peacekeepers do not recognize what you do as legitimate. Your company are liars, according to Interpol. You trick your clients into thinking that there are supernatural attacks. That's because the supernatural is explicitly unrecognized by Interpol. Doctor Rachanaa Patel is just another one of your victims." The detective pauses his scribbling, looking up at Zach. His expression is that same, grim deadpan.
"So you killed a bunch of vampires, and nearly caved in Fio Tessitore's skull."
Zach's eyes narrow at the accusations. "I don't really like it when people insult my family like that, Agent Little," Zach says in barely a growl. That's probably the only warning Zach will give on the topic. "Clan Glenn has been in the business of hunting monsters for fourteen centuries. They've been doing humanitarian work for at least that long. They own the company I work for." Zach lets out a long breath. Having cleared /that/ up, combined with the way Daniel is presenting information... Well, it's interesting.
"Technically, I did not kill the vampires," Zach continues. "But they were working under me, so I'm ultimately responsible. I should point out that that all happened /after/ Tessitore had killed one person, had taken a roomful of hostages, and was in the process of killing a second person. During all of this those vampires were in the act of kidnapping several doctors, one of whom was Rachana." Zach takes a deep breath.
"Your bosses are stupid. Or willfully blind. I'm just not sure which."
"Working under you."
The phrase is repeated under Daniel's breath, loud enough for Zach to hear. He just keeps writing down every detail. "CLan Glenn. Fourteen Centuries. Humanitarian. Company is family business." He seems to be dead serious. "Tessitore killed a person. Took hostages. Terrorist activity. Doctor Tessitore killed someone. Was ready to kill another person. Vampires were kidnapping. Tessitore. Tessitore. Tessitore...."
And then, stops writing.
His hand trembles, his stance sways. Cold sweat was all over his face. The steely expression was still iron, however. But something was causing Daniel to lose composure. He tucks the pencil into the wire spiral of the notepad. He tucks the notepad back into his pocket. His hands were still shaking as he looks up at Zach. And finally, the stony expression fades into delirium.
"Zach, there has to be a reason why."
The detective seems to get a faraway look in his eyes. His moves mouth for a moment, but no words come. He wipes his face, and looks away. "Majigen was not a supernatural event. I've submitted my report. And it was a natural disaster. The giant Egyptian mummy thing? ANarakis? Terrorist attack. Zach, you know my partner Daisy?" He turns back to Zach, still sweating. "Remember the Beast? That monster that attacked, that attacked me, and you had to treat me, and- Daisy's my boss's daughter. She was at ground zero for this. I gave the accurate report on this, Zach. The Chief's -own daughter- was the victim of a psionic predator. And you know what the report was?" A flash of chi energy surges over his body as he turns away.
"Serial Killer at large."
Daniel Jack actually laughs out loud. "I didn't understand it, really. Not fully. This was beyond stupidity. This was systematic. This was cultural. This was on purpose." Daniel looks at the television, staring into his reflection. "They were actively suppressing the knowledge of the supernatural. The things I knew first hand. The UN was attacked by Testament, a living bioweapon, a monster. A Darkstalker. And it was a terrorist attack. No supernatural. I was flayed alive by that thing Zach." He turns around, looking at Zach again. He was shaking. "They couldn't seriously be that willfully blind when so many human lives are at stake. They couldn't allow so much out of their control. If they could, they would have everything under their control."
"And then, I realized what you were Zach."
Daniel Jack takes the shot of Whiskey, and downs it. He begins to pace around the room, in a frenzy. "You are an organization dedicated to fraud. But you are actually monster hunters. You find them, and kill them. Ever make a mistake? Then Interpol can immediately shut you down for fraud. But they never act, they never ever act. We just keep watch on you, and can seize your records at any time." The detective is almost babbling, his words a frenzied pace. "It's convenient, how private individuals can murder them. No paper trail, no organized stand. It's not the government, it's vigilantes. Just like how it has always been. Right, Zach? You can kill them, without having to file a police report?" He breaks from his rambling and pacing to point at Zach, eyes wide, tone dead neutral, still holding that glass. "Because they aren't people, Zach, are they?"
"They're monsters."
Zach now knows what it's like to feel someone coming apart at the seams, mentally speaking. What is happening with Daniel Little right now? Zach is not /ever/ going to forget it. He stands up slowly, and makes his way slowly over to Daniel. Gently takes the glass out of the Agent's hand (it's not going to help the situation) and sets it on the table.
"Come on, man," Zach says quietly. "Sit down. There we go." Zach walks back around the table, and sits back down. The psion locks his gaze on Daniel's. "I'm sorry. I was out of line just then. I was also /in/ Majigen. So was Rachana, actually." Zach takes another deep breath. It would be /easy/ to fly off the handle right now, but that is not the right answer. "Actually, I prefer not to kill where I can manage it. I don't like doing it. I gave Tessitore a change to leave, provided she let the civilians go. She refused my offer. That was when I nearly 'caved in her skull' as you put it. Which would suggest that her skull's pretty durable; I was using a sword when I did that."
To be fair, Daniel WAS about to throw it
"Chance to leave." He mutters, as Zach takes the glass away. He moves to the table after Zach, sitting down firmly. "Prefer not to kill." He just repeats back. "Using a sword." He shudders. "Yeah well. It's a wild west isn't it? No real oversight, no real controls. Just whatever makes sense to you at the time, right Zach?" He smirks for a second, before scowling, disgusted.
"God damn what the hell is wrong with the world."
He begins to shake his head. "What is this Zach? What is this crap? Fio Tessitore saved my life. She's a terrorist. Majigen has culture, has people. This is all a giant misunderstanding. A great big cosmic misunderstanding." He smashes a fist on the table. "So vigilantes can be killing these people, without any need to bloody hands. 14 centuries of this. Hey, Zach, you've said your experienced in this crap." Daniel Jack stares daggers at Zach.
"Zach, what did you THINK of Majigen?"
Zach's head tilts to one side, considering the stream of information coming from the detective. "To be fair, fourteen centuries ago /was/ kind of wild-west-ish." He considers the question for a moment. "I think the closest I can come to describing Majigen is 'hell.' Lots of fear and terror and blood. But Metro City was no 'misunderstanding.' There was at least one other town, in Italy, that got sucked into a phenomenon similar to what happened to Metro City. No survivors that time, though. The person behind it even /admitted/ to killing everyone in that smaller town. Their only crime? Lacking the strength to defend themselves."
Zach leans forward, placing his palms flat on the table. "The people that I have met that are like Tessitore? Not /quite/ human, but kind of close? Most of them have tried to rip my face off without so much as a 'how do you do'. Or the faces of the people I was trying to protect." Zach's hands close into fists as he gets right up in Daniel's face. "And the governments of the world? Seem to be universally unwilling to do a /damn/ thing about it, if they even admit that it happens at all."
Zach stops, and leans back to let out another long breath. "Though I can kind of understand that," he finally admits, "Admitting the existence of werewolves and vampires and demons, not to mention the fact that they are more than conventional forces can handle would send people into a panic. Easier to lie about it, and cover it it, and then let groups like mine or that Hunters' Guild deal with it. If the cure is worse than the disease, then the government can crack down on them. If not, then less monsters terrorizing the public."
"Celle Ligure"
Daniel Jack corrects Zach. "Doctor Tessitore explained it to me. A town outside of Genoa. You know she used to be part of Genoa. A human, Zach. She was... is human, essentially..." He drifts off, before Zach can lean forward. "Majigen is made up of the cultures that it absorbs. Isn't that something Zach? It's not a hell, its a parallel to our world. We even share the same language in places. There is so much that we share, you dig? It's just... yeah, I can believe it. Lord Dohma...."
Daniel Jack stops dead as Zach gets up into his face.
He pauses, staring at Zach as he rages. Jaw slack, he just stares. And thinks. By the time Zach calms down, he can only mutter two words at first. "Hunter's Guild." Daniel repeats back, his expression hardening. An anger seemed to taking over it. "Yeah. The governments reject this. It disgusts me. We allow so many innocents to die. And for what? For a wild west of vigilantes and terrorists to battle each other, while Interpol and the world sits on their thumbs? There is so much power with have, so much potential. This is a modern era! This is something that should be brought into the light!" Daniel jack stands up at the last words. "The light, Zach! Don't you see? Both of our worlds could be in harmony! And instead, we have..." He balls up his fist.
"We have criminals against criminals!"
The detectives seethes. "Lord Dohma is a tyrant, and he's oppressing his people. You know we have so much in common with them, Zach? We could share, we could unite, we could love!" Daniel Jack begins his pacing again, his tone manic. "We could liberate! We could have both worlds in peace, in harmony, in trade! We aren't different from them, Zach. We aren't different at all!" He turns, staring at Zach with the frevor of a zealot. "Doctor Tessitore is a human being, Zach. She's a terrorist, and that is clear. But she's a human being! She shouldn't be fleeing from vigilantes like you!" Daniel Jack thrusts a finger at Zach. "She shouldn't be at YOUR mercy, at YOUR judgement!"
"She should be rotting in prison, dammit!"
Zach is right in Daniel's face. "We can agree on that," Zach says quietly. "It /shouldn't/ be this way at all. But I don't ever see the police involved in shit like this, and the military only gets involved when they stumble into it." Zach thinks about this for a moment, how he keeps coming back to Tessitore.
"You love her, don't you," Zach asks in that way that suggests that it's not really a question.
And Zach aims his shot.
It lands squarely on Daniel's face, judging by the stunned reaction. Zach somehow knew, or figured out. Maybe it was obvious. Daniel Jack had to answer for this now. He had defended himself in his head to the chief. But a stranger? To Zach? It was... Daniel Jack takes in a deep breath, closing his eyes. He relaxes a bit, as he reopens them, looking at Zach with those brown eyes.
"It's not love, its lust."
Daniel Jack states frankly. His posture was formal, and restrained. "It's a lot of things. It's power. It's the fact she is so energetic. It's the fact that she saved my life in there, it's the fact that as long as she likes me, Zach, she keeps me safe. It gives me insights, it gives me a chance to experience a side that you'll never experience. Diplomatic relations, Zach. This could be the beginning of a brave new world. A world where Darkstalker and men live in harmony. A world where..." Daniel Jack pauses, as a tone of contempt comes in his voice.
"A world where people like you aren't needed anymore."
Daniel Jack looks away, rubbing his wrists. "... I'll make them involved." Daniel suddenly states. "The police. Interpol. We don't need vigilantes lynching Darkstalkers anymore. Out of fear. The world doesn't need to fear what bumps in the night. There has to be rules now. Global rules, enforced rules. Darkstalkers shouldn't need to be in the dark anymore. They should be in the light. And so should people like you, Zach." He turns, thrusting a finger at him once more, stepping closer and closer, getting into HIS face. "It should be, it should be. Everyone tells me what should be. Maybe its time someone steps up, and makes the world as it should be." Daniel changes topics, swerving as he pressures his interrogation.
"How many other monster hunters are there, Zach?"
Zach straightens up as Daniel... honestly believes what he is saying. He's somewhat... rational about it. Which is pleasantly surprising to Zach. He listens, then grins a bit.
"I would /love/ a world that didn't need people like me," he admits. "Because that /would/ be a world at peace. I don't seek Darkstalkers out to kill them. Just to keep them from doing bad things to people who can't protect themselves."
Zach considers for a moment, trying to find the answer to Daniel's second question that will protect his family while not being an outright lie. "I wouldn't know. There are plenty of groups out there that do this kind of work, with a pretty wide variety of people. Some of them are /exactly/ out to perpetrate lynch mob 'justice.' Clan Glenn's sole mission is to serve and protect humanity. We try very, /very/ hard to operate within the rule of law. Ninety percent of us never break the law aside from the occassional moving violation. About five percent is people like me, who have a dangerous and distasteful job to do, because they are the ones best equipped to do it. The other five percent is the usual bad apples, buuuut we tend to take care of those in-house as well."
Daniel Jack was not grinning.
Yes, yes, Zach probably would love a world where he wasn't needed. Daniel felt that. Monsters Hunters weren't all bad. But the thing was, this was a modern era. It was a framework of mind. You treat them as monsters? And they are heroes. You treat them as people? And they take another tone. Zach wouldn't know. Of course not. He was just the beginning of the trail. He just had those 'dangerous associates.' Rumors. Notes. Daniel Jack begins to nod, as he glares into Zach. And then, he answers.
"You know, Zach. That's what the Klu Klux Klan is."
"A band of loosely affliated 'heroes' who are working hard to protect their people. Against threats, you dig? Outside threats. The blacks, the catholics, all kinds. And in some parts of the US, you know what? The Klu Klux Klan works well within their legal limits. It's that 5%, you dig? The 5% that string up those unsavoury types in a bit of Jedburgh Justice. Or maybe its 10%. Or maybe its 15%. 25%? That's the funny thing about these kinds of organizations, Zach. You never really know where the psychos end, and the do-gooders begin." Daniel Jack taps the side of his head. "You've killed any bad apples, Zach?"
"Or maybe just people you think are bad apples."
Zach's expression closes off when Daniel obliquely compares his family to the KKK. There is a faint shimmer of violet energy that washes up his body and through his hair, ruffling it as it passes. It might be a trick of said lighting, but where that ripple of energy passes Zach's hair turns a deep violet as well, before shifting back to the golden blonde he normally wears. That in itself might not be the terrifying thing. But several objects, including all of the drinks and drinkware Zach handled started to rumble in place for a moment.
"I have killed exactly two people in my entire life," he says, "When I was in the Corps. Both of them pretty extreme terrorists. Human terrorists, I mean, but both trained in the fighting arts. If I hadn't killed them, they would have killed me." Zach hikes up his shirt to reveal a jagged scar that skitters along several ribs before terminating in one of the gaps between bone. "Got that one in Kandahar," he says as he hikes the shirt on the other side to reveal another scar just inside his right arm. "This one in Ramadi." He lets the shirt drop. "Neither of them were family, mind you."
Zach slowly walks up into Daniel's personal space. "I think you should leave, Agent Little," Zach says, steel barely concealed in his voice, "You've overstayed your welcome."
Daniel Jack stares right back into Zach.
He crossed lines. Zach Glenn had every right to hit him squarely in the jaw. Daniel knew he deserved it. And he would cross that line again and again. Daniel Jack saw into the abyss... and saw people there. Humanity. And Zach? Zach was just the first one he found.
Just the beginning of the list.
"I can see what doesn't count as people for you then, Zach." Daniel Jack states coldly, staring past the psionic. "I'm done here. I'll see myself out." The Agent of Interpol pulls away from Zach, cool and calm. Walking towards the door. Walking away. He wasn't going to fight Zach over this. He could. He was here to just get a hard stare right into the face of a Monster Hunter... and for one more reason.
"Oh, by the way, Zach."
The agent stops in the hallway, calling back. "You run into Doctor Tessitore again? You call Interpol. You call me. I don't want you to lay a hand on her again. Or else I might have to start... looking into these fraudulent activities." He pauses a moment. "After all, there are no such things as monsters."
"It would be a shame for the legacy of the Glenn Clan to end up behind bars."
The door slams shut, as Daniel Jack leaves the Glenn estate.
"SURE," Zach roars. "I'LL JUST STAND THERE AND LET HER GET OFF ON MURDERING PEOPLE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!" Then the door slams. Zach whirls and heads towards the back yard. Zach finds the training dummies. Daniel might notice the brilliant and violent flashes of light erupting from behind the properties walls as Zach vents his rage on the training dummies, and not the one who just drove off.
Log created on 17:59:49 01/17/2016 by Zach Glenn, and last modified on 00:00:12 01/18/2016.