everyonelives | there's something due any day

[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.

( William has occasionally looked to Isaac, to see if there are any heartbeat irregularities. He believes Cooper, too. But, he is his father's son. )

Okay. William?

( He leans over.

"Yeah?" )

I uh ( Why are you like that? William sees that expression and slides in next to Cooper. Yes. Better. ) think our best bet is an untraceable earpiece. He can't have a second phone, it's too conspicuous. So, you will be our ear inside.

( "It's also waterproof and they won't find it if you're swept for anything." )

I want to save these people. I want the hatred to stop. Because, at the end of this, I can help hunters the right way. I know I can. But, it's going to be different with me. How big is your operation? Entirely? Internationally? How far has her word spread?

Definitely international. You took out the cell in Mystic Falls, but they've sent people to scope out New York, New Orleans, Asia. She's trying to go as far as she can, starting with the local hunters, then expanding out.

That cell was small. I assume the others, New York, New Orleans... they have larger outfits?

( She considers this. )

We need to work on dismantling enough, on tilting her entire operation so that we can devote one team to cleaning up the other, more obscure cells. There has to be a way.

I can reach out to the guys I know in other cells - the good ones. See if I can start spreading doubt. But ... you have the Winchesters, for better or for worse. It might be good if you started putting the weight of their name to work.

( William speaks up. )

The Winchester's reputations vary among hunters, everything from, they will bring the end of the world, to they saved the world they almost ended. They have an inner circle, but beyond that, not everyone trusts them. There are...

( He leans over again, pulling his laptop from his bag hanging off the chair and opening it up in his lap. )

I did a few cursory keyword searches. The Winchesters do have loyalists that, according to texts exchanged, are not from this world. They could be untapped potential at leaking from the inside. And then, the last contingent would be Winchester apologists and... that won't get us far.

[Cooper shrugs.]

All your other assets would play better with the supernatural community than it would with mine. Unless your dad still has some pull?

[Allison's dad, not William's.]

( "Of the 1% variety." )

He means. Mine. I can see. Most of my dad's old contacts are old school. They didn't love that I took over in the first place, and Monroe gave them a male to believe in. But, I can ask how deep his bench goes. That's a good idea.

( Pulling your weight! )

I know your dad went through a lot in Beacon Hills and he lost a lot, but ... I think people still have a lot of respect for him.

[Respect doesn't always equal changed hearts and minds, but it's a start.]

And I would just keep the local cryptids on the look out. Try to lay low as much as they can.

Okay. Cooper, I am sorry about your brother.

( It must be said. )

Thank you.

[He's never good with accepting sympathy, but that usually works.

Isaac nods, before he gets a text from Gloria. "If we're all good here, I've got somewhere I need to be."]

there's something due any day

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