Nemesis

IV - The Break-In

Nemesis

Chapter IV — The Break-In

[Tommy Lefroy — The Cause]

[23 October 2023]
[Ares Tech Headquarters]
[09:12]

Miranda found herself spacing out quite a bit on her way to Ares Tech, having not slept properly for the past two days. This previous night, however, was less about a brand new weapon, but more about her current investigation. Miranda could not stop thinking about the object stuck in Ashton's neck, it just did not seem natural by any stretch of the imagination, and she intended to remove it and find out where it came from tonight. She had also spent a bit of time on the phone with Orla, finding that she was not doing as well as she had hoped. That prompted her to schedule a visit later on in the day. Until then, there was work to focus on.

However, work would not be going as smoothly as she had anticipated. Miranda's doors were pushed open quite violently and Dain stood on the threshold. He did not seem in the slightest bit happy. Miranda raised an eyebrow at the rather nasty attitude he depicted. "My office. Now!" Dain demanded, walking away swiftly. She had no clue as to what issue this was about, but it did not seem like it was good news. 'Welp, this is going to be fun.' Miranda thought as she made her way towards the elevator, allowing it to climb to the eighth floor — only one floor above her own.

When Miranda made it to the office, she stared at a furious Dain. "Okay... what happened?" She enquired, cautious not to add fuel to the fire. "Where the hell were you yesterday?" Dain asked and Miranda shrugged her shoulders. "The hospital, why?" She answered, seeming quite confused. "And where were you supposed to be?" Dain asked, and that seemed to be the reminder that she needed. "Shit! I totally forgot!" Miranda exclaimed and Dain stepped forward. "You forgot? You forgot?! Miranda, this meeting was very fucking important, and you didn't pull up because you were out tryna play detective! And now, because you didn't pull up, they decided we should stop production!"

"Dain, I'm sor—" "Don't give me that bullshit! You know how important it is that we keep working, we have to win this fucking war!" Dain yelled, slamming his hand on his desk behind him. However, it seemed that what he had said struck a nerve in Miranda. "You don't think I wanna win this war? You don't think that I think about Russia every fucking day, that I don't want to see every one of them suffer? I want it more than you could ever realize, but I also understand that if I could find out who killed Ashton, we'd get a bigger leg up on them." She spoke. Miranda also stepped forward, only inches separating the two. "I went there, saw those doctors working on him and in that time, I found out more in a few minutes than any of those doctors did in those few hours."

Dain's face began to slightly soften, but Miranda's seemed to get more intense. "Ash was your friend, and you seriously think he just up and died? Maybe this doesn't mean a lot to you, but it does to me, it does to Orla, and I will find out who killed him, because none of you won't." She uttered, visibly frustrating Dain. "If you actually took a second to listen, you'd know that Ash had a heart attack, no one killed him. So, I'd suggest you shut your little mouth and find a fucking way to get the higher-ups to reverse their decision."

Miranda was prepared to fire back when Dain's telephone rang. He pushed a button on the device, and it spoke. "Mister Brock, we have a problem regarding Mister Burke's body, and we need you and the Burkes to come to the hospital." A voice coming from the telephone said and Dain shot Miranda a suspicious look at the mention of another Burke. She simply shrugged her shoulders. "We'll be there in a few." Dain finally said before hanging up. "This isn't over." He added and Miranda only made her way out of the office. He was correct, however, there was still more to be said.

[New York-Prebysterian Hospital]
[09:31]

As soon as they possibly could, either party had made it to the hospital in their own vehicles and Miranda found herself a few minutes earlier but, as soon as she made it to reception, Dain entered the hospital. Before he could say anything, Miranda interrupted the man. "We were called by the hospital because something happened with my father's body." She said, causing Dain to raise his eyebrow in slight confusion before all the pieces began falling into place. Miranda had pretended to be Ashton's daughter because she would not be allowed in otherwise. His relationship with Ashton was a bit more intimate in comparison.