Stress Test Anon Part 16

>The first feeler the two of you approached was a paranoid looking man with wild blond hair, eyes frantically twitching about as he twiddled his thumbs around the cup of coffee in his hands.
>"So, do you think you can help us pass Dorothy's message along, Thomas?" You ask, cringing slightly as the man spasms in place.
>"No way man, I'm not even sure my heart can take the R&D Recruitment test, it's too much pressure!" He squeaked before taking a long pull of his coffee.
>It honestly reminded you of how you'd been after Agustus' death, a twitchy paranoid wreck too hyped up on caffeine and fear to be able to properly function.
Shaking your head to remove the memories, you thank Thomas and smile as Dorothy fruitlessly suggests that Thomas cuts back on the coffee.
>"Eeeeeyyyyyy, You Sunnova Beetch, Looking good!" Boris greets, flashing multiple golden teeth as he grins widely at you "You have my thanks for beating Tobias's face in, so what can I do for you and your lovely lady friend Anonovich?" the Bosnian man asked in his heavily accented english.
>"The pleasure was all mine, I assure you, and my new apprentice is looking to get a message to her father in the R&D Department, think you can pass that up the grapevine for us?" you explain, gesturing to Dorothy and trying to ignore her confused look in response to Boris' reference to you beating the shit out of Tobias.
>"Ah, and here I was thinking you were just showing off a Girlfriend" The Man says with a laugh "Would have made me big money on betting pool if you like human women!" he jeered playfully, making your eye twitch as he implied for the millionth time that you were some kissless virgin that had never laid with a human woman.
>But suddenly the levity leaves his face as he leans in close "This is not about August's death, Right?" He says flatly as his hawklike eyes scan your face "Stinging pretty girl along to chase conspiracy theories is bit of a dick move, Da?"
>You roll your eyes "As I told you five times over the phone, Boris, I'm just helping Dorothy get in contact with her father" you shoot back, letting out an internal sight of relief as the man's face shifts back into his usual goofy grin.
>"Conspiracy Theories?" Dorothy asks curiously and you scowl as Boris turns to her with a shit eating grin.
>"Da, Anonovich's mentor, committed suicide, was tragic, Anono here comes to work spewing crazy theory about murder!" The man says boisterously while spinning a finger next to his ear "Takes month off to cool head, comes back and luckily decides to talk sense when he comes back"
>"Can you take the message of not?" You snap hotly, refusing to look at Dorothy as she shoots a curious look your way.
"Da, Sure thing!" Boris says "R&D Have been playing hard to get though, so may want to ask a few others just in case" smiling as the woman passes him a handwritten note to pass along "You have my promise as man that I will not peek! much" The man says glibly, his wide shoulders and bearded face shaking with a barely suppressed laugh at what was to him a hilarious joke.
>Dorothy clears her throat as you're walking away "Why would you thinking that Agustus was murdered have anything to do with the R&D Department?" She asked.
>"Because I was looking for anyone to blame for him killing himself" You lied "Who better to blame than the Stress Testers that are pretty much a huge question mark?" The practiced deception was like ash in your mouth, but telling her that a washout Stress Tester pal of your who'd joined the police had illegally passed you confidential info was completely out of the question.
>If only you had just kept your mouth shut all those years ago, kept your head down and researched in secret to discover the truth rather than shooting off your mouth to anyone that would listen and ranting like a madman about assassination plots and corporate conspiracies.
>The Gaslighting you'd received in response had been so thorough that it was only recent events that had reminded you that no, Agustus hadn't eaten a gun.
>"Don't talk to the Research and Development Stress Testers, no matter what they say, no matter what they ask, Don't say a word to them!" You Mentor's terrified last words over the phone rang in your ears "Please, you have to!" The Man that you'd always seen as indestructible and fearless begged with Terror dripping from every word.
>From there things had dragged, and by the time you walked though the door at home you wanted nothing more than to break your year long break from smoking to fill your lungs with cancer inducing smoke, and chase the cigs with whatever booze you had lying around the house.
>"I need a drink" you groan as you settle into your armchair.
>"I take it things didn't go well?" Sammy asked as Lulu fiddled with the hem of her uniform dress, before leaving the room to fetch you a glass of water.
>"As well as can be expected, just a lot of long repressed memories swimming to the surface, thank you Lulu" You reply, trying your best to give Lulu and appreciative smile as you take the ice cold glass of water into your hands.
>But you only get a couple of sips of water before the phone rings, Lulu going to answer it.
>You see the exact moment a look of absolute terror crosses her face at the voice on the other end.
>"It-it-it's for you, Sir" She shakes as she holds the phone out to you.
>You're on your feet in seconds, holding the receiver to your ear.
>"I head that you'd been looking to contact me" Your heart stopped as Leland Ozmund's snakeoil voice slides into your ear "Let's talk then"