The Collecting Empire. (Dust)

[Demetrios]

One of Demetrios's greatest fears had come true, the Dust Collection Agency had been revealed to all. Perhaps it had been Asteria's plan all along to bring them out into the open so that the government could take care of him, he wouldn't put it past that bitch. Even in death she had found a way to kick him hard. Revealing Dust to the public had two effects - it scared the shit out of everyone and turned the government's fury towards him. Before it was easy to pay off the police officer and make generous donations to the Overwatch (Dust Collection Agency basically made Overwatch's anti-slavery department!) but now the Thelotian government was doing its best to distance themselves from the Agency.  This had brought many sleepless nights for Demetrios. The unity between the Thelotian government and the Agency had been broken and the order they established was being threatened. Being declared terrorists was about the worst thing that could have happened, now the Agency would be compared to things like the Anarchists or those pesky Rebels. The Agency was nothing like them! Yet if they wanted to put them in the same basket... the Agency had much information they could give those Rebels...

Demetrios sat within the office chair that squeaked a little with every movement he made. Sitting in front of him were a couple Collectors, his messengers that would deliver orders to the other Agencies when the meeting was finished. They were his way of avoiding being seen by other members of his agency.

"Sir...?" One of the messengers asked. Demetrios realized he had been silent for two long, his thoughts taking him somewhere far away. With a shake of his head he pushed those thoughts back and redirected his attention over to them.

"Yes, ah, I was just thinking." He mumbled a bit. Keeping his eyes open had become very difficult yet he wouldn't dare close them, "The Thelotians aren't going to back down until we remind them just how badly they need our good graces. I want you to gather up all the intel we have on military positions, how much money any politician took as a bribe, the name of every child of every high ranking officer along with all their mistresses and I want documents concerning the imprisonment of the mana using side of Thelotia's population as well."

"You want all of that-"

"Don't make me repeat myself." Demetrios snapped back, the men didn't respond. "Also could someone please find out where Parker is? He's a couple minutes late and I got a bad feeling someone's grabbed him."

"G-grabbed him? Like the Thelotians?" One of the messengers asked, wide eyed at the suggestion.

"Maybe. It could be anyone really. But I'm pretty sure he's gone..."

[Morgan Flynn]

In the days and weeks that followed after the mostly failed agency revolt Parker had honestly tried harder to do his work better. For starters, it helped when he was actually doing something for or with the agency rather than being told essentially no, just go sit and watch movies. He was even starting to get the idea of how to shoot a revolver and actually hit the target he wanted for once, so that was progress. And usually he didn't talk nearly as much as he used to. He was a bit quieter, moodier more often, still soured by the events Asteria had stirred up even now - there was only one person who had their ear talked off or ever saw the young man in a better mood more often than not, and that was unfortunately a very stressed Demetrios. That really was only when Demetrios cared to listen to any of it, of course.

Despite his earnest efforts to please his newly adopted boss/bestie forever/reallystrangefatherlikefigure, Parker still had serious issues trying to read a watch regularly. He knew well enough by now that Demetrios acted strangely about....well, everything, but Parker was starting to understand some of his more obvious quirks and most definitely being late for anything was very much one of them.

Outside the suite a thumping of frantic footsteps could scarcely be heard and coming up louder and louder as they got closer - moments after the door opened and slammed shut and a hissed "shit shit shit!" was let out.
Then a skittering sound of something that fell over - small objects, of what one could either guess was candy, bullets, or marbles.

Then suddenly everything went quiet.

Parker stood outside the office door now trying to rehearse in his head his excuse for why he was late and the epic apology he needed to deliver, and with each passing second he began to panic just a little more knowing that silence in this situation didn't make things better, it tended to do the opposite.

But he didn't have his speech ready yet, so there he stood with a hand shaking and hovering over the door before he gave the girliest knock that ever knocked.

"D...?"

[Demetrios]

Demetrios was finding it very difficult to get comfortable in his chair and he squirmed consistently, creating the constant squeaking sound as Demetrios shifted from one spot to another. "With Parker missing I'm calling an emergency task force to order. If it's the government we'll need the proper blackmail quick and if it's... if it's that FLYNN person I'll hang him up just as I did with Asteria..." as Demetrios grew more irritated the squeaking only seemed to get louder, "And if it's someone trying to FUCK WITH ME I'll have their heads!" He growled between his teeth, "Either way we're not-"

The loud noise of something falling outside followed by the wimpy knock quickly drew Demetrios's and his messengers attention towards the door. With a blank stare Demetrios watched as Parker peered through. With a sigh and a shrug Demetrios glanced back at his people, "Call off the hunt. Overreaction it seems..."

Parker had been receiving a great deal of attention as of lately, the Collectors called the battle at the Thelotian stadium 'Parker's Stand' or 'Parker's Charge' and the media had called him one of 'Dust's Generals'. It was hard to believe that the man-child standing at the door with his fidgeting hand had garnered so much respect so quickly.

"What held you up? We're you being followed? If so are you sure you lost them?"

[Morgan Flynn]

Parker blinked at the question. He couldn't be surprised by this point that he would have been asked it at all and it certainly wasn't a trick question or anything new, though it brought the usual blank expression to Parker's face for a moment until he could fully register what was even said. He blinked again a few more times and gave a sheepish smile as he answered, "N-no. Come on, D, I'm good at least making sure of that - I get followed I can lose 'em, I promise. It's just me."

Well, that was one thing he was fully certain of anyway. At least he thought he was. In all honesty Parker was very much used to evading pursuit of any kind, though there were times where he may not have been fully aware of the Agency's level. Avoiding gangs and the usual street thugs was one thing, but avoiding essentially everyone was just a bit different. He could do it, though getting his head around the idea took a few tries. He was certain today though, to save Demetrios a headache at least Parker could assure him that much.

"I-I'm sorry I'm late, I didn't want you to worry. I thought I'd have enough time," he bit his bottom lip and his eyes darted off to the side, "I just kinda felt bad because you've been busy and tired and the like that I thought a quick stop to get you coffee would have helped."

He had them, sitting there beside him on the table just outside the door. He'd been too busy holding onto them that he didn't even see himself walk into the decorative vase with all the glass pebbles inside of it and knocked it all over. Genius! Not. Gods that was going to take Parker forever to clean.

"You don't really look after yourself too well and I think that worries me sometimes so I wanted to help and I'm really sorry I'm late, I was going to call but I remember you saying something about only so many calls a day and during certain times and then there were other times where you don't call at all and I don't remember when or what phones to use or what areas to even call from because that gets confusing with 'bugs' and stuff..." rambled the guy who knew the entire road map of Thelotia as though he were some kind of high-tech GPS system, "so I just booked it and was trying to get back like super quick but then I didn't run any red lights because that's like, unwanted attention--" At that Parker actually gave a bit of a sigh and a frustrated shrug.

"--and then construction because there always is and I can't take too many side streets because blending in means you take a main road now and again even though they're garbage and today was the day I was supposed to change my routes anyway but I didn't really think how much extra time it was going to take and..." by this point he looked back to Demetrios and shrugged again, "I'm sorry. I mean, I guess it doesn't really change anything but I wasn't followed and I'm gonna like, shut up."

[Demetrios]

The Collectors found it rather odd to watch as the 'Great General' expressed his worry over the leader of the Dust Collection Agency. If any of these men were at all foolish one of them might say something over it, yet each of them favored their lives too much to risk it. Demetrios didn't seem to notice this 'oddness' and instead carefully weighed what Parker was saying. He found it difficult to be mad when Parker was trying his best to be hidden. Yet his best clearly wasn't good enough and Demetrios knew he could do better.

"You'll have to learn how to budget your time better. You can figure it out though, I'm sure." Demetrios was being easier on Parker than he might have been with anyone else. The Collectors could see that, "Take a seat, Parker. We have much to discuss here." With a wave from Demetrios the Collectors went back to relaying information to him.

"Eight gangs from the Adynamos District are having difficulty paying their tributes and have requested some alleviation." 

"Were they loyal?" Demetrios asked.

"Yes, each of them had people involved in Parker's Charge."

"Very well, cut their tribute cost by quarter for three months. We reward those who are loyal to us." Demetrios said with a light nod, "Next."

"We have people requesting a meeting with us. They say they worked for Morgan Flynn."

"Flynn?" Demetrios said with a small huff. The man had been a thorn in the side of Asteria for awhile. With the Agency weakened Demetrios was now in the business of getting rid of problems to the Agency. He admitted he had given Morgan little thought, as dealing with rebellious agencies proved a much greater problem. "Who are these people?"

"Currie, sir. Previous reports say he was second in charge of the Tyrants."

[Morgan Flynn]

Though Demetrios's words were a lot softer than expected, Parker still cringed. He nodded, took his seat as told and sat there relieved for the most part but the issue was still at the forefront of his mind that the conversation was almost lost on the man. He didn't truly tune in to the meeting until the mention of Morgan's name, Parker's eyes only bouncing along each of the people in the room as they spoke.

It truly was baffling to have Currie's name come up however, a meeting they wanted. Sounded innocent enough, though after the last meeting that Dust graced the Tyrants with Parker's insides already began to turn and he turned a worried look to Demetrios right away. It didn't make any sense for Morgan of course to try to come back after he shot one of their previous leaders, though Currie was just as sly and in all the years Parker had known him he knew he was a lot more careful than Morgan.

'Of course, who better between the two of them to off Demetrios? Don't let them in!'

Parker opened his mouth for a brief moment but quickly shut it. Even where he would have normally whimpered he was oddly silent, though the concern showed clearly in his features and body language as he began to fidget.

[Demetrios]

"Currie?" Demetrios asked as he thought back to earlier files he had read on him. "If he wishes to surrender he better have bagged Morgan's head in the process. Of course if he wishes to surrender who am I to deny it? What... what does he want?" Demetrios questioned his men who gave small glances to one another, as if a little confused at how to answer the question.

"We believe he wishes to negotiate the terms of surrender." 

"Believe, huh?" Demetrios questioned with a skeptical glance. He was ever aware the last time they negotiated terms of surrender with the Tyrants. With a glance towards Parker he wondered what the young man had to say about this, "You're being terribly quiet. You worked with this man before, have you not? What do you have to say on him?" 

[Morgan Flynn]

Currie was part of the Tyrants before Periot and Parker were, and he was still there when Parker left. The last time Parker saw Currie himself he'd replaced Parker with an amateur driver and opened fire on him and Asteria. Sure, Parker had a few things to say about him.

"Currie's loyal to Morgan," Parker managed to find his voice though he answered quite loudly despite the small group he was nestled in with, "and the last time Morgan was anywhere near Dust, Asteria was shot. It doesn't make sense that Currie would look to surrender unless Morgan is having him try an attack..."

This was really hard to figure out, especially when Parker only ever knew the men to be so closely knit and he was never allowed to know much about them then either. He scratched at the back of his hand and continued to mumble, "b-but Currie's smarter than that, you know? At least I thought he was. He and Morgan bicker a lot but he still takes orders from him, I really don't understand why he would show up to negotiate unless he was planning something bad, and if he was why try the same trick again. It doesn't seem...right."

[Demetrios]

"Hmmm..." Demetrios closed his eyes and thought carefully about it all. He would have liked nothing better than to end them where they stood and perhaps make another example like he did with Asteria. He looked back up at Parker and gave him almost a twisted smile, "Very well. Accept their meeting and prepare an assault team. We'll pull them to a location of our choosing and tell them to invite as much as their people as they wish... from there I'll leave it within the capable hands of our hero... you Parker, to choose if he should live or die."

Demetrios liked that idea. Parker needed to be put in situations like this, he needed the chance to hold the lives of a great deal of people in his hands and ask himself if he can kill them or not. He needed to learn to lead a group like the Agency. "I really like that idea. That's a really good idea." Demetrios said to himself, tickled at his own thoughts. Perhaps realizing how crazy he might have sounded he shook his smile away and simply turned towards Parker, "This is what I want... can you handle it, Parker?"

[Morgan Flynn]

Parker almost didn't realize what exactly it was that Demetrios demanded of him, for the moment he was asked 'Can you handle it?' Parker suddenly nodded and said, "Sure."

Wait. His eyes widened suddenly after.

"I-I mean. Yes," Parker re-stated his answer more concisely and blinked a few times. The idea was surreal. Demetrios was letting Currie be heard and yet ready to destroy them all at Parker's word? Something about this didn't seem right either for a bunch of reasons, the first being that it seemed more like something Demetrios should decide and the second being just him dealing with Currie of all people. Parker supposed it was better than Morgan himself, though Parker still remembered the first time he and Periot met Currie and how the dark-skinned man leaned over them and spoke down at them. He even remembered overhearing Morgan, Currie, and Periot's heated arguments over putting a bullet in Parker's head because for the first several months all Parker could hear was how "useless" he was when Periot defended the younger man at every opportunity. It took Parker a good deal of time to show his potential to even Morgan and Currie, though Currie's first thoughts back then was to just kill Parker. It was almost scary to think that it was...the opposite now?

But why was the biggest question. The answer seemed so obvious but it felt so wrong at the same time. Parker already gave his answer though, and unlike the others he'd followed previous he reminded himself he wasn't going to let Demetrios down no matter what so when he said he'd do it, he was going to do as he promised. He just hoped he would make the right choice was all.

[Demetrios]

"Excellent!" Demetrios declared with a smile and a clap of his hands before turning towards the other Collectors, "Get that message sent out. I want the meeting set up in one of our factories. We can clear one out for a couple of hours and do the business there." Standing up from his chair he gave a glance back towards Parker and gave him a pat on his shoulder, "You got this handled, you'll have all the Collectors you'll need. Plus I'll be sending some extra help with you, to advise and observe of course."

He briefly wondered if that was such a good idea, after all THAT person could be a bit rash at times. Yet perhaps that's what Parker needed, the boy seemed so timid at times that maybe he needed someone a bit more on edge to push him forward. The more he thought about it the more he liked that idea.

"I'm... suddenly feeling very tired." Demetrios admitted. It had been at least twenty four hours since he last slept and perhaps the idea of having someone else handle a problem instead of him helped lift some worrisome thoughts away. "May I leave you to finish up this meeting, Parker? I do not believe there is much to go."

"No, sir. There isn't." One of the Collectors informed.

"See? It won't take much time."

[Morgan Flynn]

Parker felt a little more relieved at the idea of extra help coming along, and not just in the form of numbers of Collectors. He hadn't seen Currie since...well, the night he'd opened fire on him. If Currie valued his life he wasn't going to try such a thing now, but the idea of having to face him was something that actually kind of scared Parker quite a bit. Currie was smart and had a way with words, that's why he always got along with Morgan as far as Parker understood. He was resourceful and terrifying because of the people he employed as well, and after Parker's leave from the Tyrants it was more than obvious that Currie despised the young man even more than he had before.

The more he thought about it the more Parker was realizing he wasn't sure if he really wanted to do this at all, and yet he saw the satisfaction on Demetrios's face and holy crap, the man was already commenting on being tired. He understood enough to know how restless the man seemed to be, how much he worked - he reminded him a lot of Morgan but Parker hadn't seen Demetrios become nearly as terrifying. Parker was willing to believe it was solely because Demetrios just wasn't as absolutely insane and cruel, which might have been just as well if the truth was that he was just lucky to never trip Demetrios's bad side instead. He didn't have to know if he was wrong.

Parker found it in him to smile as he spoke back up to Demetrios, "Ahh, yeah. Thanks, D. You go rest, we'll take good care of it."

[Demetrios]

"I won't be too long." Demetrios said in more of a mumble than anything before he left the small office to the confines of his room not more than a couple of feet away. Everything seemed like a weird haze, the light burned his eyes and the lack of sleep blurred his thoughts. As he laid down in bed he found himself on the edge of sleep but unable to fully fall into the warmth of it. His mind constantly played over frightening scenarios where gun shots sounded so very real. Yet sleep did finally find him and he would be thankful when it did... the lack of sleep and general paranoia had led him to do some weird things in the past. He didn't want to go back to that time.

As Demetrios found sleep the other Collectors went over the last of the arrangements with Parker. "We think we could have it set up by tonight if that's what you wanted. I do not believe the First specified a time so I imagine he left that up to you." The Collectors were rather comfortable with Parker. Perhaps they might have been annoyed if someone else was trying to give them orders but Demetrios, yet in this case the man giving the orders  was Parker. The man was a war hero in the minds of the Collectors. "Whatever you need I we can get for you."

[Morgan Flynn]

"Huh. Yeah I..." Parker bit onto his lower lip in thought. If Demetrios hadn't specified a time then he could only guess that it was probably safe to pick whatever, though the idea of just having it done and out of the way was the more desirable idea in Parker's head.

"If it's doable to do it tonight then sure, if you think you could be fully ready for whatever they might bring. I don't know how long they would have had to prepare but I would think it would be safer for us to, you know, do it as quick as we could as long as we're ready for anything," he spoke his very simple thoughts in a wordy way, though the thought was out and that was what mattered most. He didn't want to tell them something that could potentially screw things up because he had a very good track record for that, of course.

He had nothing else on his mind there then. The young man thought over what else he could need or want for the occasion but nothing came to mind. As far as he was concerned as long as Demetrios wasn't there in the open to be attacked he was more than happy.

[Demetrios]

"Very well." One of the Collectors nodded at Parker's words. "We shall begin to prepare everything. May I suggest we arrange one last meeting between all our officers once we've gathered them?" They had no idea who Demetrios intended to send with Parker but every other officer needed at least a couple of hours to prepare. "I can have them meet up at the factory we'll stage the meeting at. It's the factory that builds farm equipment, the 'Lexington Assembly Plant'."

One of the Collectors made a small glance towards one of his colleagues, "Are you sure we can clear it out for tonight?"

"For sure. They won't say no to us." The other Collector responded without a doubt in his voice. "Anyway, we'll handle the assembly of our men and getting the message out to this Currie. Once we gather them they'll be yours to control, I except we can finish all that by four PM, we should give you enough time to speak with them all."

With that the men stood up and gave a respectful bow of the head towards Parker,"If that'll be all, we have much to do."