Chapter Text
All it takes for evil to triumph is for good to do nothing. When her father first said it, she thought it was a cynical, jaded thing to say. Of course, her father was a cynical, jaded man. A lifetime of work, ruined because of a moments weakness.
Somehow, the quote became less impressive when she realized it wasn’t her father’s own words, but instead the words of someone else. She became detached from it, convinced that it was a petty, terrible sentiment.
It wasn’t. Ten years on, it’s hard to deny the truth of it. She’s seen who succeeds in business, and it’s not the people who think about good and evil. It’s the people who are willing to do the most to succeed. Kai himself is more than willing to do whatever it takes, so it’s hardly surprising he’s made it to the top so fast.
She’s been at her new job for a week when she’s taken into a lab in the highest security part of the building, and every instinct she has is screaming that it’s a test. This is meant to show just how loyal she is, to see if she can keep her mouth shut.
She feels like screaming the moment she sees it. She doesn’t want to ask, but she does anyway - playing dumb like she needs an explanation in the frantic hope that she’s wrong, that the pale skin she sees poking out from between the wrappings is really just realistic plastic.
It isn’t, and she knows it.
Kai explains the whole thing, bit by bit. She knows it’s a test, but knowing that doesn’t make it any easier to stare at.
It’s hard not to think about her father and his stupid, cynical saying. The status quo doesn’t solve anything, but it’ll carve out chunks of her soul every day she comes just the same.
It’s easy to get into the building to see the test, but it’s harder to stand there and not fidget as magazine after magazine is emptied into the body on the other side of the glass. Kai isn’t there, and hasn’t been there since the first day. It’s easy to figure out why: No amount of time is going to make it comfortable for her, and she has to wonder if Kai has managed to scrape together enough of a soul to make himself feel bad about it.
Probably not.
The minutes seem to drag on forever before they finally declare the tests done, lifting the subject onto a gurney and starting to roll him out. It’s then that she steps forward, clearing her throat to get their attention.
“The president wants him moved to the secondary lab a day early,” she explains, her voice steady and even.
No one is surprised to learn that Kai has changed his plans, although they all look irritated to learn it. It’s late, and it’s obvious that everyone wants to go home.
“If there’s going to be an issue, I need to head to building three either way. I’d rather it not be delivered late, since I was the one instructed to make sure it was delivered.”
There’s a lot of humming and hawing about proper procedures, but in the end she’s the one riding along in the van. There’s three guards with her, and one keeps looking at her in a way that would get human resources called in a minute if not for the secrecy of the project.
But once they’ve arrived at building three, the guards are back to the van while she helps the lab assistant roll the gurney through the deserted hallway, back down to the lab where it’ll be secured until the morning.
They’re halfway there when she whispers an unladylike curse, halting and glancing behind them. The gurney rolls to a halt as the lab assistant stops as well, glancing back at her for a moment.
“I left the files back in the lab - are you going to be back there tomorrow?” She asks, but she doesn’t get an answer. In two quick steps she’s behind him, her elbow wrapped around his neck, and suddenly eight years of judo training are coming into practice.
Judo is supposed to be the gentle way, but there’s nothing really gentle about cutting off the flow of blood to the brain. She tries to count the seconds, terrified she’s going to hold too long, and only releases it when he goes limp.
If she’s caught, she’s dead anyway.
Five minutes later, she’s slid it neatly into her trunk, the gurney and its new patient confined in a supply closet. No one is in the building, the lab is empty, and the guards are already gone. She’s tried to cover every option she can think of - from the lab assistant’s cellphone to the amount of noise he’ll make when he regains consciousness - and she hopes it will give her a few hours at least.
A few hours might be enough, and she gets in the car and heads towards the expressway.