the ultimatum ↬ elliot alderson ✔

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Dominique DiPierro, the FBI field agent whose voice and name was presented in the fsociety video sits on the edge of her bed, her thick-framed glasses on her head. She lets out a sigh, reflecting on today's duties. She was called by her super-ordinate the Intermission Diner. This irritated Dom, as she prefers to be called, as the last thing she wanted to do was leave the building. 

Despite her arrogant, methodical nature, she hides a side of her that is nothing but lonely. Every night, Dom arrives at her E House, (a courtesy of the FBI) however, it's not like she has much of a choice in where she lives. She eats alone, showers and removes her 'work' makeup. She lies staring at space for hours, the thought of someday being able to feel satisfied always present in her mind; always rooted. 

"Goodnight Alexa," she would say to her Amazon Echo, just to hear someone talk. Her loneliness is what keeps her awake at night. 

But tonight was different, because today she was able to fit certain pieces together. She arrived this morning at exactly 9:03 at the Intermission Diner, that has been closed since the fire from last night. There was something on Dom's mind, as she examined the crime scene, that made her wonder why the man that was murdered was a target. 

On her way to the office again, several men and women approached her on the street. They began shouting at her, throwing crude insults before walking away. Dom knew the root of this verbal abuse. Her name was written in the fsociety video. She is now blamed for the invasion of privacy of 3 million civilians. Mainly, because in the tape she announced her ideas regarding the plan. 

Once she arrived at her office, one of her colleagues, Raj Awan, called her. His tone was agitated, as if he were blaming Dom for the inconvenience of coming into work that day. Dom popped a Chupa Chup in her mouth before opening the interrogation room. Her eyes scanned the girl in front of her, who must have been the same age as her. Blood covered her collar, yet she did not seem to mind. 

Her eyes seemed to narrow in disapproval as she walked in. 

"Darlene Alderson," she said, reading the girl's file. There was no sign of delinquency, but she had to be brought in for interrogation because of her connection with the man that was murdered. 

Darlene said nothing. Instead, she almost spat on the agent. 

"You know, you and I aren't very different," Dom said, licking her lollipop. 

"How the fuck are we similar?" Darlene hissed. This didn't irritate Dom, but only intrigued her. 

"We're both Jersey girls," she replied, a smile on her face. 

The memory from this morning fades. Dom throws herself on her bed, the pieces she'd been collecting for weeks beginning to click. Although Dom may enough information to hand a few of members of fsociety in, sending them to a life-long prison sentence, she does not have the courage to do it. The murder of Francis Shaw still lingers in her mind. Hacking was listed on his criminal records and coincidentally, Leslie Romero did, too. Dom believes the Dark Army may have been a reason behind both deaths, but even if she did have enough evidence to investigate, she knows the murder of both has a sinister meaning. 

She could report both to the police, but what difference would it make? With both being deceased, their histories have been erased. She knows that no matter what, the pieces she'd be able to put together someday will be too much to handle. 

Tonight was different. 

***

Shit. Cisco is dead. I run my hands through my hair again, but it doesn't ease my panic. That's two people involved in the Five/Nine hack, murdered within a week. One of them a Dark Army member.