Honor figured Tanner wouldn't remember much from before coming to Earth, considering how little Oscar remembered, but she hadn't known that as a Level One he would have that much less memory. "I'll have to talk to him." A bump in the road interrupted her as she was bounced in her seat before she continued, "I would think that if the agency is dedicated to keeping people safe, and helping out Erased Ones, then the easiest line of action would be to try to get them back to wherever they came from." She paused, about to tell him about how Oscar wanted to try to get home, but she closed her mouth before she was able to tell him. Who knew what the consequences would be if she brought Oscar into the situation. It could possibly put her in more trouble, and negatively impact him as well.
"Well yes, of course that would be ideal," Rashawn agreed. "But to do that we need to learn where exactly they come from and how exactly they get here, which, since they can't just tell us, in turn means studying Erased Ones carefully until we know more about their nature. And for this we need their cooperation, including the less friendly individuals. And this requires skilled specialists, and funding, and government support. We can't get those things unless we come up with ways for the government to benefit somehow from our research. So, you can see how we pretty quickly start to spiral from our original purpose into outlying business." He shifted, and he seemed to cut himself off. "Beyond that, I can't tell you much. I'm still only a junior agent from the Empath Unit—I'm not included in important meetings or decision making."
Tanner had been listening silently all this time with his eyes locked on Honor, but now he suddenly interrupted and addressed her. "Honor. Did you know that the Level Three–Oscar–Oscar burned your aura? I can see it."
As much as everything Rashawn said made sense in her head, she still couldn't quite comprehend it in a way. There were clearly good roots for the agency, but it had gone bad when problems like money and workers had arisen. Honor nodded, if only to show him that she was listening, even if she wished she could ask more.
She had opened her mouth to speak once more before Tanner interrupted and she turned to look at him. As soon as he spoke, a confused look crossed her face. "What do you mean 'burned my aura'?" She questioned, completely turning away from the conversation she and Rashawn were having.
Tanner fidgeted self-consciously. "….It's….it's all scraped on the outside, and gritty. Your aura, I mean. Bits of Oscar's energy got dug into it and they're sharp and….hot? Sort of? I think it's because you were close to him just now when he Manifested. And there are older burns too."
Rashawn was listening with a concerned frown. "That's the other thing," he said quietly. "The more powerful the Erased One, the more volatile its energy is. We still don't fully understand the risks of exposure. I'll make sure you're brought to the medical ward as soon as we arrive."
Honor seemed just as confused as she originally did, but now she was also slightly worried. "I don't feel any different, maybe there are no side effects to exposure?" She doubted her own words immensely, but they helped keep her from worrying anymore. If Tanner could see the burns, he could probably tell how old they were, and she didn't want to bring any other encounters with Erased Ones to light. "Oscar never mentioned anything about my aura, it that something only Level Ones can see?"
"Seeing isn't what Level Threes do," Tanner said, but that seemed to be the limit of his knowledge. He glanced at Rashawn, who didn't look much more confident.
"Level Ones are very sensitive to the energy of living things and to the energy of Erased Ones," he said. "Those like Oscar are attuned differently. They seem to have something more like a sense of 'smell' rather than sight, and it's mostly built to hunt down……prey. At least, that's the current theory. Your friend may not be aware of auras at all."
"That makes sense, I suppose," She replied, still slightly concerned about the burns in her aura, "Do you know if damage to an aura is bad? Or is it just a side effect of being around an Erased One?" Honor figured Rashawn wouldn't know the answers to her questions, but it didn't hurt to ask. As a worker for the agency, he would know more than she ever would as a civilian. The more she tried to wrack her brain with how she had been feeling after Oscar manifested, the more she realized she didn't feel any different. She felt the same as always, minus being slightly more tired, but she chalked that up to not a good night sleep.
"I don't know," Rashawn confessed, confirming Honor's suspicions. "You'll have to ask someone else, sorry. I mean, we can assume that a damaged aura isn't exactly good, but as far as how concerned we should be, that's still a mystery. I can tell you we've had agents get aura burn before, and there have been no recorded short-term side-effects. But Goldenrod is still young, as is the outbreak of Erased Ones. We have no way to predict how all this will impact people further down the line." He stopped, then looked rueful. "I…..probably shouldn't be telling you so much. A lot of this information is known by government officials only. I apologize, but I think we'll have to stop talking until we reach headquarters."
Honor seemed disappointed that she was right, but she nodded anyway, more questions filling her head as she realized she had ruined her chance to ask Rashawn anything else about the agency. At the very least, she clung to the idea that there would probably be no short-term side effects. It was still better than nothing. "Can I ask you one more thing? It's just about Oscar," She asked, hoping she could get even a few more seconds of conversation to keep her from worrying.
Rashawn eyed her, then caved and nodded reluctantly. "All right. But just one more question, and I'm allowed to refuse to answer. What is it?"
"If you have the chance, will you look out for him?" She asked gently, looking at the floor, "I don't know how he's going to react to everything that's going on, and I don't want anyone to get hurt. You mentioned you mostly work with Level Ones, so I understand it's probably not possible, but it would make me feel better to know that at least he's doing alright."
Rashawn didn't reply right away. He looked unsure how to. For several long minutes he studied Honor carefully, with Tanner watching from the side, before letting his shoulders drop and smoothing back his hair distractedly.
"I'll put in a good word for you both," he said. "Officially, I can't do much else, but in my off hours I'll try to find Oscar and let him know you're all right. Maybe I'm misjudging you, ma'am, but you don't seem like a criminal, or an idiot. I'm willing to do at least this much for you, as long as you promise not to make your situation worse by breaking the law again. I'm afraid that's all I can offer."
(Shall we do a timeskip or do you have anything planned?)
Honor paused, then slowly nodded, wondering if she could truly uphold the promise he wanted. She wanted to say she was going to, and she truly would try to..but if a situation like Oscar's came up again…she wasn't sure what she would do. "Thank you…that would be more than enough." Closing her eyes, she sighed, wondering how much longer it would be before they reached wherever they were going.
(Sorry for the wait! A timeskip is fine ^^)
After that, both Tanner and the young agent fell silent, Rashawn studying his phone and Tanner gazing out the tiny misted windows on the van's back doors. As they drove, the sun dipped steadily lower in the sky, and it wasn't until the afternoon had turned to evening that the deafening hum of the highway subsided and the van took a turn onto a smaller road. There was a great deal of starting and stopping, voices from up front as if the driver was talking to people outside, and flashes of tall metal fence in the back window as they entered somewhere that was clearly well-defended. Finally the van stopped and shut off, and a moment later the armored driver opened the van doors to let them out.
"Miss Kingsley first," she ordered gruffly. "Come out here and don't go anywhere until I say you can." Behind her, it was possible to see a wide, flat parking lot and the corner of a low featureless building, but not much else.
Honor had spent most of the trip slipping in and out of sleep, the constant lull of the engine and the highway making her more tired than she would admit. It was only when they pulled onto a smaller road that she woke up, mostly from the difference in the rumble of the road. Honor woke up slowly, blinking the sleep out of her eyes when they came to a stop. She glanced at the driver when the doors opened, but as sleep was still dragging her mind down, she did as she was told. Honor slipped out of the van, looking out around the surroundings but standing to the side to keep out of the way.
There was nothing to tell her where they had taken her, which she assumed was the idea, but it still was slightly frustrating. She knew they had driven quite a ways, but how far? There was no way to know, and that thought plagued her thoughts as she stood waiting for directions.
(description time lol)
From outside the van, the view was a bit better but no more informative. The mostly-empty parking lot was vast, so much so that it seemed less like a parking lot and more like an airstrip. Beyond it, a high chain-link fence stood, with rolls of barbed wire at the top. Some north-facing sections had plastic woven through them so no one outside could see through. The building they sat next to was a large, single-story building with little decoration, at least on this side. It was just possible to glimpse the corner of the front, which was made of more flattering sandy bricks and had a large glass window. This was probably the entrance used by guests and important people. Beyond the building on that side, lining the long driveway, were several huge warehouses with white numbers painted on them. In the other direction, behind the main building, another fenced-off area was filled with a forest of metal towers and boxes, somewhat resembling an electric power plant. From this, many lights blinked steadily and there was a constant low hum.
By now, Agent Jenkins and Tanner had stepped from the van as well. Shutting the back doors, the driver, motioned for Jenkins to lead the way inside through a featureless metal door. He scanned an ID card before unlocking it and shepherding Tanner through after him. The guard silently took up the rear.
"Orders are to take the suspect straight to an interview room," she said as they walked down a white hallway lit by fluorescent lights. "Agent Harvest got a debriefing from Chief O'Connell. She's waiting there for your sides of the story."
"Alright." Agent Jenkins paused at a crossroads and turned to Tanner. "Tanner, you have to go back to your rooms now. I'll come by later and we can talk, okay? Can you show this guard where you live?"
Tanner nodded reluctantly, and the two of them split off. Jenkins continued down a nicer-looking corridor, beckoning to Honor. "This way. Agent Harvest is the head of my unit. I'm glad she's here, I think you'll like her."
(Ooo yesss description)
Honor took in the meager sights while she waited, trying to find any clues as to where they had brought her. Nothing stood out or gave the place any personality, including the white hallway she was led down. "What level beings does she work with?" She asked, trying for any scraps of conversation. Rashawn had said he wasn't going to answer any more of her questions earlier, but she wondered if it still applied now. With her luck, he wouldn't answer, and she would be left with her question.
Apparently, this question didn't have a confidential answer, because Jenkins answered it readily. "Agent Harvest a very experienced, talented senior agent, so she works with all levels. She actually pioneered our unit and developed a lot of our modern techniques back when Goldenrod was still young. I'm essentially her paid intern, and I'm very lucky to be working so closely with her." His voice was filled with admiration as he spoke. He led Honor a little further down a hall lined with numbered doors, then stopped and knocked on one. Someone called for him to enter, and after a moment he opened the door for Honor to step through. "Agent Harvest, hello. This is Honor Kingsley. Miss Kingsley, Agent Elle Harvest."
"Please call me Elle," said an elderly woman's voice. She stood at a table in a small meeting room, in the midst of putting away her phone in the pocket of her perfectly crisp suit. Her face was framed by a sleek silver bob and lined with delicate wrinkles that did nothing to soften her sharp features. Her smile did, though, as well as the comfortable look she gave Honor as they entered.
"Pleasure to meet you," she told Honor, motioning for everyone to sit. "How was the drive over? Can we get you anything?"
Honor wasn't sure what she was expecting to see when Rashawn opened the door, but it wasn't the well put together woman standing before her. She quickly hid her surprise and focused back on the moment, offering a tiny smile to Agent Harvest. "It's nice to meet you as well," Honor replied, sitting down when it was offered, though she shook her head when Agent Harvest offered to get her anything, "I'll be alright, thank you for the offer though."
"If you're sure." Agent Harvest took a moment to look Honor up and down as she spoke. Her gaze was shrewd, but beyond that, everything about her was relaxed and non-threatening. Without her suit and the gleaming badge under her lapel, she could've been someone's mother.
"So," she began. "First, I want to apologize on the behalf of our Hunter Unit for any unpleasantness you may have experienced or witnessed this afternoon. They don't exactly specialize in tact, do they? You seem unhurt and calm, so I'll move right on to the topics you probably care most about. They tell me you've been sheltering a Level Three Erased One named Oscar for nearly a week now. When we found you, you were on the road with him in search of refuge. Is that all true? Do you have anything to add?"
Honor blew out a long breath as she put together an answer, trying to come off as confident and sure of herself, "We weren't looking for refuge, we were trying to find a way to get him home. Back to wherever the Erased Ones come from. He doesn't want to stay on Earth, or be here in general." She kept her eyes trained on Agent Harvest as she spoke, determined not to make a fool out of herself. Her leg bounced as she waited for whatever other questions she would have to answer. If there was a chance, she wanted to ask questions of her own as well.
(Sorry for the wait fam, I joined a new fandom and basically left social media to draw fanart over the last couple months TvT Hope you've been doing well!)
Agent Harvest nodded as she listened to Honor's explanation. "All right, that lines up with what we know as well. Erased Ones are not adapted to life on this planet, and are therefore uncomfortable here. Now if I may ask, how has this journey been going? You've had a few run-ins with our agency already on the record, but beyond that how did you manage to get so far with an unstable, high-level Erased One and avoid catastrophe? Without any training, I might add? Surely you had some incidents—Level Threes are known for their temper and lack of cooperation, and I'd say this Oscar is no exception."
(You're all good! I can't say I've been particularly on time with my responses!)
"I mean…the worst that has happened was he's gotten freaked out…" She wracked her mind for anything particularly incidental, but nothing popped into her head, "It's been pretty easy." Honor shrugged, worried that she was going to be in more trouble with her short answer. "He's not temperamental, and we get along well. I answer any questions he has, and between him exploring on his own, and telling me if he needs something, things are good." She looked around the room, finally focusing back on Agent Harvest, "Do other Level Three's not get along that well?"
"They don't," Harvest replied simply. "Level Threes are unstable, aggressive, intelligent, and very powerful. They prey on Level Ones and have little capacity for empathy towards other creatures. I am concerned that you don't know just how much danger you've been in while traveling with Oscar. Perhaps the two of you came to an understanding, but Erased Ones don't think the same way we do and he could have easily turned on you at any moment." She laced her fingers together and sat forward. "I'm sure plenty of people have already told you that by now, so we won't dwell. There's something else I'm curious about: you seem to have been actively avoiding Goldenrod all this time, and I'm told you protested our actions when taking Oscar into custody. In fact, you even helped another Erased One escape us last week when we had it trapped in a town. Why? You seem to think we aren't a competent organization. Who told you this?"
"Humans could do the same, I could argue," Honor mumbled, frowning as Agent Harvest spoke, though she let her continue without interrupting further. She couldn't help but feel a bit of pride at the fact that her actions directly affected the agency, that freeing Ernie from the Goldenrod's trap had set them back at least one Erased One. "I don't think I can answer that without getting in trouble, but all I will say is I've seen your organization do bad things to good people, and good Erased Ones." She was proud that she could defy the agency yes, but she wasn't stupid enough to let them know about her encounters with them that they already didn't know about.
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