everyonelives | there's something due any day

[He shakes his head. But he doesn't pull his hand away. That's kind of nice.]

No, I get it. It's a valid question.

Maybe, but it's also crossing. It's crossing lines. And, it feels like that's what we're doing and I am good with it. I want it. I just - want to make sure you want it, too. And, you can also save your answer for after meeting Allison.

( There he goes again, trying to let someone make their own decisions because all his dad does is make decisions without asking anyone. )

[He nods in agreement because...]

I might do that.

[Not that the answer is no. But if Allison says no, it might not be safe.]

( He pulls his hand away again. )

We only have a few hours. Do you want to do this? I'll be right there.

Yeah.

[He glances around.]

Should we do this here? Or should we ... find somewhere more private?

[Where they can speak freely.]

Private.

( In fact, there is a pub next door where Isaac should be waiting in a booth toward the back. It's early and empty and William's influence has definitely closed this particular pub for the duration of this call. )

Isaac, you may remember Coop-er.

[Isaac nods and lifts his drink in Cooper's direction. Coop nods as well.]

Nice to meet you, officially.

["You too. Have a seat."]

( William sits between them at a chair as Cooper slides into the opposite side of the booth. He presents Cooper with the number he'd jotted down pushing it across the table's surface with two fingers. )

Dial that number with your camera on, it won't do you any good after as it shuffles through a series of numbers every hour, and the IP bounces off of several others, so it is impenetrably untraceable. Unless you have me. Isaac is only here to listen to your heartbeat and I am here because you'd be my asset. And well, you know why you're here. When you're ready, she's ready.

[He nods.]

Sounds good.

[And with that, he'll do as instructed, dialing the number and waiting for Allison to respond.]

( It was the professional spiel, also for Isaac's benefit. Isaac is not aware of - well, he actually might be considering werewolf scent but William's not aware... anyway, William believes Isaac knows that this is all professional.

Anyway, Allison is not in any headquarters, but a familiar bar in a familiar town, again, tucked in the back with her AirPods in. Damon was nice enough to oblige. Scott and Stiles are devouring food and playing pool, and if Lydia wants, she can be sitting right there, or maybe she's at the bar with Damon. Allison's been waiting for this.

When the call goes through she pushes her laptop away to center herself in the window. )

Cooper Sullivan. ( This is about worst case scenario, defection, or best, getting a real double agent who isn't a conditioned hunter-vampire. Thanks Damon. ) What do you want to know?

[Lydia is at the bar, to give Allison some privacy and to take the opportunity to flirt with Damon. She still hasn't granted him his date yet, but that doesn't mean they can't flirt.

Cooper, on the other hand, seems a bit surprised at the question because:]

I thought that was going to be my line.

[But that being said, he'll move on.]

I just ... I don't want another London. And I definitely don't want another Mystic Falls. I know your people were doing what they had to do but ... a lot of the worker bees - they don't really understand what Monroe is doing. They can't see behind the curtain.

[They just think they're doing the right thing.]

( She knows why you asked for this meet, you wanted to talk to the source. You wanted to wade through the lies. )

Mystic Falls was a direct assault. And, not one of your hunters was killed on my order. An unaffiliated witch and then unaffiliated vampires took rescuing people into their own hands. And I admit they took it far. I arrived too late to call any of the direct shots. But, I take full responsibly. And I agree. London shouldn't have happened and neither should Mystic Falls.

But, I disagree, because amidst those worker bees, you have people that really believe in what Monroe says. They are the cause. And that is dangerous.

But, you came to me. Why.

Of course they do. Because they're not seeing it as the bigger picture.

[He pauses as he tries to figure out how to phrase this.]

I'm not saying there aren't zealots out there. But look, what hunters like me do - we take things one case at a time. We see the bodies and we act. I'm sure most of them aren't really looking for a lot of nuance in a rougarou that's taken out half a town.

So then someone like Monroe comes around, talking about making things more organized. Helping us better manage cases, and find the monsters faster. Most of us aren't thinking about the implications. And most of them haven't seen what I did in London.

[He wants to believe that people are still good. That his father might be misguided rather than a monster.]

You might not believe me, but I've had the wake up call. I want to help you. There are good people, and if we keep ramping up, and they finally hone in on places like New Orleans, they're all going to get slaughtered thinking that they're doing actual good. I'd really like to stop that from happening if I can.

What Monroe did, she started by giving more resources, by organizing everyone, but she stoked fear and she stoked hatred, so that when you're told to act, you do.

( Just so he can see her side and she sees his. )

I believe you, Cooper. But, deprogramming that many hunters... I'm going to need help - with ideas. Now, I can order hunters to not be killed. Disarm, not kill. But, how do I know what hunters I should disarm and what hunters are really out for blood.

What do you know about Prague, Cooper?

There, I can help.

[He's been making note, finding the ones who are whole-heartedly on Monroe's team versus those who are going along with the tide. But that's not what she asked for. She asked about Prague.]

I haven't been let in on the specifics, but I know that there's a high priority target coming to town that they're looking to take out. Someone they don't want to leave Europe because if they do they'll lose their shot.

( Witch, werewolf, Original. )

You're not in the inner circle, or you wouldn't be here. I believe that's what you know. In your unit, how many of you do you think are swept along and how many do you think are sincere. What kind of fight are we in for?

Edited 2021-05-22 04:24 (UTC)

[Tribrid. But neither of them are one hundred percent on that.]

I'm not in the inner circle, but my father is.

[And his father is also one of the ones he hopes are being swept along, but he can't say for sure.]

Most of my unit is ex-military. No really experienced hunters. They fell into it because it was familiar.

Because it was what they were used to. Because it was easier than acclimating back to society. She stopped recruiting actual hunters and went after ex-military.

( She says that mostly to herself first. )

But, they are more dangerous. They're tactical and used to being given targets without explanation.

( So. It went deeper than they thought. )

What can you do, Cooper?

I can feed you information when I have it, and try to send people your way when I can get through to them.

[He can't promise how often that will be, but he can start working from the inside.]

I can also go digging if you give me something specific to look for.

If you feel at any time you're in danger, William can extract you. I don't want you hurt. You could be an asset, but taking this on, it's dangerous.

( But, he came to her. He knows that. )

I know. But it's the right thing to do.

[All he's ever wanted to do is save lives. It doesn't really matter to him which side they're on.]

I want you to know, straight from me, Monroe uses my grandfather's name. But, my father and I, we don't condone what she thinks. We don't think like her. We protect those who can't protect themselves. That's what we believe. I've carried that with me since junior year of high school. That's how it's always been.

( Allison is the real deal. )

Before London, what were you told? What was the job?

[He actually believes her when she says it. Even through a digital screen, he's always been good at reading people. It's a talent you need to learn when you're trying to get witness information.]

I actually wasn't supposed to be there. My brother ... he thought something was weird about what we were doing. So when he got handed separate orders with his partner at the time - who was one of the zealots - he passed it on to me too. He gave me an address in Witch Town and that was it. So my partner at the time and I went to check it out.

[and that's where things went downhill.]

At first him being at a witch meeting wasn't that odd. Monroe recruited witches sometimes, after all. But Patrick Brighton wasn't having it. Then my brother's partner lost his cool, shot the Brightons, and then their daughter lost it and killed them.

[Isaac straightens as he describes it because yeah. That's pretty much what happened.]

I saw the footage. Do you know, indefinitely, that was supposed to be recruitment?

( She does right something when she says it, finally indicating that, yes, she is taking mental and physical notes. )

[He shakes his head.]

There were too many of us within that boundary, and they started going to town way too quickly. I think recruitment was just a way of trying to make things palatable.

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