Nemesis

XXIII -- Scapegoats

Nemesis

Chapter XXIII — Scapegoats

[Johnald Ft. Frazer — So Cold]

[27 November 2023]

[Ares Tech Headquarters]

[08:09]

It had been a rather eventful two days for Dain, given the troubles he faced with his family, the interaction he had shared with Tatiana, and his hunt for the possibility of a traitor. Amari continued to pay him no mind, just as he did for a rather long time, and every time that he managed to get his attention, what he would say would not be enough to satisfy his hurting son. It was as if his words moved through one ear and exited out of the other. Despite these issues, he could not afford to stop working, not when there was so much to deal with.

There was the hunt for Dragunov, who had seemingly disappeared since his stunt at the hospital, and the possibility of a traitor being amongst them to deal with. There were only three possible suspects that he could narrow everything down to; Tatiana, Miranda, and Kane. The first of the three had seemingly cleared her name in Dain's books following their interaction, despite having the most evidence pointing towards her. Dain had seen the sincerity in her eyes that day, how she was legitimately hurt by his daggers for words.

He was convinced that Tatiana was not lying and that it was all a coincidence. They had not spoken since the exchange, but multiple glances had been stolen from either side, suggesting something beyond a professional relationship. He had fixed things, but where were things set to go from there? Dain had no clue, but he was interested.

As for Miranda, Dain knew that she was innocent, given how well he knew her. He had been there when she was younger, facing mind-shattering trauma that gave birth to a hatred for the opposing side. Miranda had lost a lot to Russia, there was no possible way that she would help them. That only left one final suspect in Kane, who Dain had already called to his office, hoping he can get some more answers from him. No evidence pointed to him, but he was the only one of the suspects that remained.

Right then, the doors of his office slid open and Kane sat at the threshold, holding up a hand for a greeting before he wheeled himself inside. He stopped beside another chair across Dain. "You wanted to see me?" Kane asked and Dain nodded, feeling a bit more confident about this confrontation, unlike the one with Tatiana.

"Yeah. I don't know if you heard, but the drones we sent out a while ago are out here getting niggas in the frontlines killed." He said, his tone informing Kane that he was suspicious, but about what exactly? "What do you mean 'killed'?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and Dain sat up in his seat. "The murder kind," Dain simply answered. "I think there's someone trying to sabotage the mission and I need to find out who." He added and Kane's face transitioned into one of concern, a complete contrast to how he felt within. He was not scared that Dain had such concerns because his golden tongue would be sure to put them to rest in this meeting.

Dain was still an important asset to Kane and if he did find out the secrets he and Tatiana shared, he would have to be removed from the equation — and he hoped it would not come to that. "I take it you think I'm the one who's trying to sabotage our plans?" Kane asked. His tone held no malice, but it was clear that he was a offended to an extent.

"I'm not saying that, but you're the most suspicious right now. I already talked to Tatiana and she told me she didn't do it, Miranda obviously didn't do it, which leaves you. You and I had our differences about this war before, which gets me thinking..." Dain explained, making no effort to hide the fact that he was highly suspicious of Kane. The man smiled at Dain, shaking his head at the accusation being implied. He found him rather