Portland in Black Aside 1

Portland In Black 

Ada Blackthunder shook her dishwater blond hair in irritation.  "No, I still don't understand sir.  Perhaps you should spell it out to me."  Her eyes both were green, and she didn't wear much makeup.  Her skin was a darkish color, but blended with somewhat sharp eyes and a strong chin.

Wilson frowned.  "I don't make the rules Ada."

"These aren't fuck-" Ada stopped herself.  She realized she'd been shouting, alerting everyone in the Green-Wyatt Federal Building could hear her.  The main presence of the Federal Government in Portland, the United States Multiversal Survey only had a tiny corner office.  Most of the time, Ada and others working with her felt like the black sheep, relegated to a tiny office far away from the main activities of the rest.

She waited until eyes stopped staring at her and Wilson as they walked back to the safety of their office.

"It has nothing to do with rules, you know that."  Ada finished.

Wilson scratched the back of his short black hair.  His thick glasses made Wilson look more akin to a owl rather than the USMS's West Coast Director.  "Yeah, but USMS needs every hand it can get to keep the funding up, Ada.  You know that.  You know the contact, and it was a personal request."

"Ugh.  Politics."  Ada Blackthunder shook her head.  "I don't like that necromancer, Wilson.  He takes stupid risks, and he's convinced he's doing the right thing."

"And that doesn't matter.  If they hadn't told us about the incident, we wouldn't have you going out to find him."  Wilson replied.  He kicked the door to the office open and sat behind his desk.  Blackthunder shut the door behind them.

"At least give me an idea of who the fuck thinks they can order us to do things like this."  Blackthunder inquired.  She didn't sit down, pacing with one hand on her belly.

"An old friend of the Bureau."  Wilson took a deep swallow of his coffee before finishing.  "The Hornes Foundation."

"Really?"  Blackthunder furrowed her brow.  "We are really taking orders from people who steal from our networks?"

"Its not stealing if they pay for them."  Wilson retorted.  "Even if it is after they hack into them."

"Ugh."  Blackthunder shook her head.  "How bad is this?"

"Ways and Means is opening an audit of the Bureau.  Lobbyists from the Foundation have made offers if we... are willing to do a few things to keep funding going.  They agree with our purpose, in a 'economic and industrial' capacity."  Wilson grimaced as he quoted the words.  "Honest, I said the same thing when they told me half an hour ago."

"I've got how long?"

"Before fifteen-hundred."  Wilson sighed.

Blackthunder moved to the door.  "I better get on it."

"Don't kill the guy, Ada."

She shook her head.  "No, I'll go and try to hire the arrogant prick to go pick a fight with a serial killer.  How bad will this get if Black Anna gets involved?"

Wilson shrugged.  "No way to tell.  Outside our jurisdiction, anyway.  You just have to point Noir Badarte at the bodies, and keep away afterward."

"Ugh.  Fine.  I'll be back as soon as I can."

And with that, Ada Blackthunder left.