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The numbers were on her side.

Emilia had one fresh degree, two college majors, three relevant internships, and a slowly growing personal following on Twitch. That morning, she had spent thirty minutes on her appearance, leaving her squarely in the middle ground between being under-prepared and being vain. She had arrived fifteen minutes early, and while she waited, she had not even touched her phone once.

In short, she had done everything right.

Regardless, the interview stage of the process was a lot more subjective, and they were also a lot less predictable. Questions could either go right back to the resume, or they could be almost casually personal. She was as prepared as she could be, even for that. She knew how to give sugary smiles, and she knew her material. She knew that Renegade Media would be lucky to have her and that if they were stupid enough to let her go, that was their business.

As things started to wind down, she folder her hands on the desk in front of her and tilted her head to the side, an almost but not quite said so?

Her earrings made a soft jingling noise in the quiet room.

There was something about Ms. Argent that Emilia admired. She peered over her glasses at her as she walked back into the room. She was an interviewer, a supervisor, for this kind of company, and she couldn't have been more than a few years older than she was. Emmy wondered how she did it.

She smirked at the waved hand. That was likely one of the traits that made her successful. She knew how to be tactful and get to the point at the same time.

The implications didn't bother her. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth was for the courts. Media was for the stories. If people didn't understand that it was really their fault and their problem. She met the woman's eyes and nodded. "Some people have been very harsh on the media lately," she said. "I'm not one of them. I know what I'm getting into."

Outside of work commitments were a little more concerning, but it would still have to be better than the two part time jobs she was juggling now. "I don't have any family that relies on me. I won't keep any other jobs. I have a flexible schedule and I can work full time hours." Maybe that was too subtle. She'd go with the direct approach for now. "I can take criticism, if that's what you mean, and I'll support the company."

"Of course. I can assure you it will be my priority." She smiled wider, letting the real excitement shine through even as her nerves helped her sit up perfectly straight. "And I agree. The compensation package sounded perfect." Having a steady source of income was just as important as working in a job that interested her, and it was something that Argent Industries fulfilled.

She was confident about her choice applying here.

She was less confident about the rest of what the woman was saying. In any of her studies and encounters with media, she hadn't heard of any side organizations. She tilted her head.

Participation implied more than just needing a thick skin to deal with critics.

It had a high chance of being a good sign, she decided, if Jade was disclosing more information. Also, before she'd been a student. Now she was a full adult. She was a worker. There was likely a new level of things she would have to learn. She could do that.

"I have no problem doing what's needed," she said. "However, I feel like I need more information. Would I be using the same skillsets? That seems more relevant than morality."

Emmy took a moment to process, but it wasn't because she was worried about the duties or the implications that the other woman was describing. No, if anything, she was even more interested. It would probably be good for her to get some more physical activity in, and learning to defend herself on top of that would be a bonus. Neat tricks had a nice ring to it, and the subject matter was downright fascinating.

Yes, she still wanted the job.

It was just that there had been no hint that this would be linked to anything military. With the careful way that Jade was talking, that was likely intentional and something she'd have to learn to do herself. Still, it felt like that information would have been helpful in preparing her application.

Any concern didn't show on her face. She recovered, and said, "So it would involve doing reporting and advertising about these," she tilted her head from side to side, considering. "Costumed criminals, for lack of a better term?" She'd heard about them, of course. They were all over Destiny City's social media, and while interesting, it hadn't seemed like something that was too practical to think about. Now it was.

She pursed her lips, then broke into a sharp grin. "That seems like an exciting project. The rest should be doable, too." Honestly, the rest was still shrouded in mystery, but if Jade believed in her, Emilia was going to let her. She considered the half-offer for another second, then took a leap of faith.

"So, yes," she said, still grinning, "I accept."

Emmy sat tense under her smile. Jade's expression seemed encouraging, but as she well knew, that was business practice. She sat quite literally on the edge of her seat, waiting for the next round of questions to come. Would it be something else unexpected, or more questions of what military operations she could perform, things that were outside of her area of expertise?

It was neither, apparently. It was acceptance. At least, it seemed to be. Getting dismissed would not have her walking through locked doors. Emmy took a moment to grin, just to herself, and then she followed.

The heels she'd bought for her interview clicked on the floor. It sounded professional. She liked that. She'd keep liking that when she worked here.

When. No more ifs.

She took a look around as she crossed the threshold. "Where are we going?"

They were up to three keycard doors now, and a mess of hallways that Emmy did her best to map out in her mind. There weren't too many turns. As well as being large and secure, this place was practical. That was another good sign.

While Emilia felt sure she could find her way out if she needed to, she was not about to turn back now. She held back any more questions. Clearly Jade was showing her what she needed to see. The final door locking behind her got a glance over her shoulder. She didn't see why that was necessary, but now didn't seem the time to ask.

Instead, she looked around at this new, cozier room. "Oh, this is cute," she said. Her eyes settled on the cat, who was being a very good sport about dress up, and she cracked a hint of a real smile. "What a sweetheart! Hello there," she murmured, holding out her knuckles for the cat to sniff if it wanted to.

However, this job was more interesting than any cat could ever be, so she kept her attention on Jade and nodded. "Confidential. Of course."

Emmy's first reaction was yanking her hand away, brows twitching at the cat's remark. "Oh, you must have misheard," she said. "I was complimenting the room, not you."

Then, she turned her attention back to Jade and business before the double take hit. A talking cat? She cocked her head at the unappreciative animal, her gaze flicking between him and Jade for a few drawn out seconds. "What-" she began, but was cut off by Jade, who seemed quite serious when saying that the questions would be answered later. "Right. Of course," she said, and turned to face Jade completely, hands clasped neatly in front of her waist, although inside she was still very much trying to figure out what the talking cat meant. Was it some type of high tech product kept behind locked doors? Was it something else? Was there something more that went on here than back room bargains?

Negaverse was the answer that she was given now. It wasn't a company she'd heard of before, but the name was nice enough. She was rolling the way the title sounded around in her head when Jade changed. She'd have a position in the Negaverse. Yes, she liked that, but before she could think too much, there was a wave of darkness and Jade almost looking like a different person there in front of her.

She looked the woman up and down but kept a straight face otherwise. "That's a nice trick," she said. There was something a little intimidating about the dark cape she was wearing. There was something in general about all this that Emmy knew wasn't right, but all of that was deep down under the excitement that there was something new she would get to be a part of. Outside, she smiled.

"I'm still in," she said.

The cat was a second thought now. Emilia was completely focused on Jade, who somehow seemed even more professional, even more powerful than before. She threw around words like general as if they were completely normal and completely required when addressing her. Emmy nodded, of course. She could play by her boss's rules.

Despite the warnings, she was not prepared for Marcasite to push a hand inside her chest. Inside, painlessly at first as if her skin was just air. Emmy stared down at it.

Then, the pain came, an it was bad. Emmy bit down hard, grinding her teeth and trying to keep her composure. It didn't work. The truth was that she was a coddled indoor kid with next to no pain tolerance, and it all came out as a high pitched, slightly muffled whine. She even writhed, trying to pull away from the vicegrip on whatever Marcasite held inside of her.

It took several long, long seconds before it was over.



She gasped several breaths, shoulders heaving as she tried to shake off what she'd just experienced. She wiped the beads of stress sweat off her forehead and pushed off her glasses. That was when she realized the weight of her earrings was gone, and looking down, she saw that she was in a slightly different suit and a very different pair or red shoes.

She straightened and tried to still herself. "Are questions acceptable now, General?" she asked, a little hoarse.