Everest disappeared shortly after their conversation, which was probably one
of the major reasons he cut it so short in the first place. He acted like he
saw it coming. He lasted much longer than Erlendr and the old man in the
pocket dimension, though, suggesting some level of control that one can
wield over the process if they know to do so. It’s hard to tell how much
Everest does or doesn’t know, but there is no guarantee the next error they
encounter will be just as strong-willed. To be honest, it’s been so long,
Mateo forgot about that whole thing. He’s the cause of their banishment from
this realm, meaning he is still the worst person for the job. If they want
to pursue this endeavor further, someone is going to have to come back down
from the AOC so Alyssa doesn’t have to shoulder the burden alone. Marie has
tentatively agreed, but she’s finishing some work up there at the moment, so
she definitely won’t be returning today.
It has ended up being a good thing, because a certain prisoner of the
federal government has asked to see her, and Mateo doesn’t want her to deal
with that. He’s on his way to visit Fairpoint Panders himself. He tried to
escape into Canada after he took a bunch of people hostage, and tried to
kill Marie. Normally, the Canadian courts would handle the trial, since
that’s where he was when he was caught, and the crime went down in Palmeria,
but the Canadians don’t want to touch it, plus all non-Palmerian victims
were Usonian citizens. This was likely disappointing news to Fairpoint as
the Canadian judicial system is known for being highly respectful to
prisoner’s rights.
Mateo sits down on the good side of the glass, cleans the phone with a
disinfecting wipe, and puts it to his ear. Fairpoint doesn’t have any wipes
on his side, because this isn’t Canada. “I can only see one visitor at a
time, and I’m only given thirty minute sessions, so say whatever you wanna
say, then leave, so I can speak with Marie.”
“I’m not here to warn you about how you’ll treat Marie. She’s just straight
up not coming. You’re dealing with me today, and only me.”
“You’re not on my approved list. They shouldn’t have even let you in the
building,” Fairpoint spits.
“I work with SD6,” Mateo reasons. “I can get into any building I want.”
“I want to talk to Marie.” He’s desperately trying to keep his temper in
check, because he knows they’ll yank his visitation time if he gets too
riled up. He’s rattled...flustered even. He has spent the last month in his
cell, planning every word he wants to say, preparing contingencies for every
possible response out of her. This is wrong. It’s all wrong. Mateo’s ruined
it, and Mateo couldn’t be happier.
“She’s not coming. She never will. Over the years, we’ve had a lot of
enemies—”
“I’ll tell them about the baby.”
“What?”
“She was going to have a baby, but now it’s gone, which I know was something
she wanted, so either she’s incredibly lucky, or she figured out how to get
a secret abortion. Not even her position within the government could get her
out of this, so you tell her that if she wants me to keep quiet, she’ll come
here and give me thirty minutes!”
Mateo is foaming at the mouth. He takes out his phone, which a normal
visitor would not be allowed to keep. He keeps staring at Fairpoint as he’s
dialing Winona. “On second thought, I’ll take that transfer. I want him
moved to the black site immediately.”
