hourglass, 𝒎𝒂𝒛𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓. ¹

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

encrypted video recording dated december 2231, stolen from chancellor ava paige's personal archives in the wicked compound.

⠀ ⠀ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑪𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑨 𝑫𝑰𝑺𝑷𝑳𝑨𝒀𝑺 𝑨 𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑷𝑰𝑺𝑻'𝑺 office, the video is blurry and the lens keeps twitching, but two armchairs facing a white sofa, a wooden desk sitting by a window and several cluttered bookshelves are clearly visible through subtle static and flickering glitches. a man, dr. mendel, is visible on the far right edge of the frame. he stands in an open doorway, facing away from the camera and speaking to someone in the waiting room (off-screen).

⠀ ⠀ MENDEL: "you must be athena. would you like to come on back now?"
⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ (inaudible response)
⠀ ⠀ mendel moves away from the door, retreating deeper into the room. he is followed by a short girl, no older than seventeen, attractive with dark hair and sharp blue eyes. the girl, athena, subject ██, carries a book. she scans the room, as if assessing for quick exits.
⠀ ⠀ MENDEL: "take a seat wherever you'd like."

⠀ ⠀ athena quickly chooses to sit in the chair nearest the door. her body is too short for it━ her feet end up propped and crossed at the ankles on the wooden surface, her arms looping around her legs and her chin resting on her right knee. the book is held tightly in her hands and she opens it once again, resuming her reading.
⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ mendel takes the seat opposite.

⠀ ⠀ MENDEL: "tolstoy. the kingdom of god is within you?"
⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ athena shrugs but tilts the book to show him the spine. never once looking away from the page she'd been reading.
⠀ ⠀ MENDEL: "interesting philosophy. (quoting passage from referenced book) how can you kill people, when it is written in god's commandment: 'thou shalt 𝒏𝒐𝒕 murder'?"
⠀ ⠀ ATHENA (without looking up): "it's something like that."
⠀ ⠀ MENDEL: "so, tell me about yourself, athena."
⠀ ⠀ ATHENA: "you know everything there is to know about me."
⠀ ⠀ MENDEL: "then tell me something i don't know yet, something i couldn't read in the papers or in the database, even if i wanted to."

⠀ ⠀ athena eyes him without lifting her head from the book. she frowns. the desk drawer opens and a syringe with swirling blue liquid emerges, accompanied by a stack of unopened files. mendel points towards the files and sets down the syringe, not out of his reach, but far from where his hands are currently set.

⠀ ⠀ ATHENA: "i think i'll pass and just read, if you don't mind. analyse that however you like."
⠀ ⠀ MENDEL: "that's not very nice."
⠀ ⠀ ATHENA (scoffing): "and who told you i was nice? was it ava? oh no━she's terribly wrong about that."
⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆. then mendel reaches for a pen and begins writing, his lips hitching up at the corner into what seems to be a smile.

⠀ ⠀ athena looks up, ice blue eyes observing the man's movements closely. her lips are titled into a puzzled frown and her eyebrows are tightly knitted together.
⠀ ⠀ ATHENA: "what are you doing?"
⠀ ⠀ MENDEL: "taking notes? did you not tell me to do that...? now, tell me more about your relationship with thomas and teresa."
⠀ ⠀ ATHENA (visibly confused): "i━yes but why are you━"
⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ mendel looks up, then 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒔. he puts down his pen and picks up a file, his eyes meeting hers.
⠀ ⠀ MENDEL: "your power doesn't seem to be working on me, does it?"
⠀ ⠀ ATHENA: "i beg your pardon?"
⠀ ⠀ MENDEL: "your power. it isn't working."
⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ athena stares intently. she's forgotten her book entirely, the pages falling shut as her finger slips from where she'd previously had it━marking a page.
⠀ ⠀ MENDEL: "of course, i'm no expert on the matter, i'm only a therapist, but nevertheless, i'm guessing it has something to do with my ███████."
⠀ ⠀ ATHENA: "what?" (her eyes darken and her expression shifts, a once calm sea roused to unimaginable anger.) "you can't━you can't do that━████████████████."
⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ mendel is still smiling, his eyes never wavering from hers.