Thick clouds from Audrey's cigarette fill the living room of the hideout as she paces back and forth... occasionally glancing at the room Zaunya lay passed out in. Shes tense... clearly rattled by the interaction with the corpo auditor.
"Molly Seeker..." She says to herself under her breath as her flowing adrenaline builds. "Just a middle of the night check-up!?". She pictures a quick flash of that dead stare attached to a big smile Molly had on her face during most of their interactions. "What does she know...? What. does. she KNOW!!" she mumbles with a low roar, gritting her teeth.
The adrenaline... the tension and internal dialogue shes engaged in builds to peak... triggering her to recall a memory:
Audrey is seen on the lower levels of a PetroChem megabuilding being politely escorted by two PetroChem building security. The long, hollow halls carry a quiet, chilling breeze down their long stretches... barely able to see any further than 6 feet in front of you with the sparse lighting. The quiet stillness in the air carries tension and dismay... halls were spotless... as if whatever's going on down there is neatly sealed away behind closed doors and the guise of clean floors. They bring her to an empty concrete slabbed room and leave her isolated for an hour with a single camera attentively watching her pace about back and forth. Her nerves run rampant as she thinks of the recent event that's sent shockwaves throughout the entire organization... creating this unpredictable chain reaction in house. This level of structural resettlement within the company is felt even at her level... pretty much no different than the head of any gang being severed.
Eventually a man enters the room wearing a black suit with a small gold Petrochem logo pinned on his lapel. He stands in the doorway making eye contact with her as she does the same.
"What's going on..?" She asks lowering her eyebrows nervous and confused.
The man approaches her without saying anything as the echoing taps of his dress shoes on concrete get closer. He reaches for her shoulder, gently ushering her over to the lone chair and table in the room. "Please, have a seat Presca."
She sits down frustrated... planting her elbows on the table with her forehead rested in her hands. Her knee begins to bounce uncontrollably... the nervous anticipation makes her feel like a caged animal backed into a corner.
"Smoke?" He asks as he pulls out a pack of cigs.
"No... thank you." Audrey quickly responds frustrated. He pulls a smoke out and lights one for himself... he then walks over to a corner of the room and leans his shoulder up against it... crossing his arms and legs.
A brief pause takes place as he makes her sit in the silence.
"What do you guys wan-"
"-Where is she Presca." He interrupts with no eye contact.
"Where's-?"
"-We know the pair of you were close... inseparable even. Clearly you were the last one to-"
"-SHE NEVER TOLD ME!-"
"-YOU WERE THE LAST ONE TO SEE OR MAKE CONTACT WITH HER... WHAT! DID! SHE! SAY!"
"SHE WOULDN'T! TELL ME!"
The door to the interrogation room slides open as another corpo woman walks in wearing black leather gloves and sporting black corpo business attire. The sound of her high-heels tapping across the concrete floor quickly towards Audrey intimidates her... she gasps as she approaches. The man stood up against the wall with his arms crossed calmly watches her step passed him.
The woman steps to Audrey and punches her in the face with full force... blood sprays onto the cold slabbed wall as she falls out of her chair... sending her to the concrete floor while she lets out a shriek of pain.
"Where is she." The corpo woman says in a calmed voice spoken like someone who has done this countless times. She punches Audrey even harder... again causing blood to spray out of her mouth onto the dry, cold concrete floor. Audrey's deep breaths and squeals of panic combine together with each thumping punch she takes to the face. The shadowy depths of the PetroChem megabuilding being put to their lighter use.
"WHERE!!" The woman yells as Audrey looks up at her and flinches in fear and surrender.
"S-SHE DIDN'T T-TELL MEE! S-SSTOPP! PLEAASEE!!" Audrey screams through her teeth with thick blood running out of her mouth as shes grabbed up by her hair and tossed up against one of the concrete walls. The woman grabs her by the throat and pins her up against the wall as she struggles to breathe.
The man stood in the corner watching slowly walks over with his arms still crossed. His dress shoes tapping on the concrete as he steps through a puddle of Audrey's blood... painting the soles of his black dress shoes red. He stands alongside the corpo woman as he stares deep into Audrey's eyes. Audrey resists... she shrieks as the corpo woman holds her still and he jacks into one of her Neuro ports. After a short amount of time he disconnects.
"You may not know where she is right now Presca... but you're gonna help us find her... if its the last thing you do." He concludes before the corpo woman yanks her off the wall by her neck. Ending the flashback.
She hears the sound of the back door to the hideout slide open causing her to look over. She sees Brian and Netty slowly step in casually talking about the gig as they enter... she notices Brian carrying a white sack with dark blood seeping through and dripping out of the bottom of it.
"Did you see that shit choom!? They almost-" Netty says before hes immediately cut off.
"-BRIAN!" Audrey says as she quickly approaches him and begins rattling off what went down in a frantic panic.
"What? H-Hold on- wait- Slow down.. slow down... What happened." Brian says putting his gear down and instinctually glancing over at Zaunya's room. Netty keeps quiet and makes his way over to the couch.
Audrey slows her breathing and takes a moment to gather herself while still breathing heavy.
"A corpo... c-came by my shop... said... said shes been brought in to lead an investigation on the warehouse explosion.. she-"
"-WHAT?!" Brian shouts causing him to storm over to the farside window of the apartment watching the main street. "Did they follow you!?" He shouts quickly looking back at her.
"They weren't after us! They!-"
"WERE. YOU. FOLLOWED?!" Brian yells as he storms up to Audrey standing right in her face.
"NO!!" Audrey yells. "I didn't just fuckin come straight back here!! I was-"
"-What did they say!?"
"A woman... Molly Seeker. She... It was... she's... she's fucking crazy!"
"Audrey..." Brian says in exhale trying to get her to focus.
"She doesn't know SHIT! OK!? She's never even been to NC before... just landed even. Said shes being briefed on the situation and doesn't have all the deets."
"Then what are you?-"
"I DON'T KNOW OK?! Its just... the way she looked at me... the way she spoke... the time she decided to show up at my shop?! Its just fucking weird!! Brian... I-... I don't know what to-"
The sound of a door sliding open from one of the bedrooms in the apartment grabs the attention of all 3 of them as they look over.
They see Zaunya stumble out of the room holding her head in exhaustion... she catches her fall with the doorframe. Cutting to black.