Hunter

One's True Value

It was a few days after the video viewing that the nerves started to calm down a bit. Hunter was pretty secluded in his office with his nose stuck in old case files. Hanson was tracking down as many leads as he could but hid dead ends at every avenue. The time finally came though they had to explain what was going on. This meeting wasn't just a group meeting, it was an all-hands meeting. Room 1A was almost an auditorium where they could seat upwards of 350 people. Every person, no matter how minuscule the position, was required for this meeting. Night staff, waitstaff, janitorial, everyone. No exceptions.

In the front row were a few individuals who had been with the company the longest. Everyone further back was on the newer end of the spectrum. Hunter was the one who took the podium. The lights dimmed, the projector was fired up, and a slide title with "All Hands Meeting'' in plain text was projected. Every seat had a folder with a pencil and folder. Everyone could hear the exasperation in his sigh before he began, "Welcome everybody for showing up on such short notice. There has been a development that requires the attention of everyone."

He flipped the slide over to a mugshot of a middle-aged man, balding, and rather portly in stature. "Those of you who have been here for a while know who this man is. This is Don John DeLeon. He was involved in one of the world's largest crime rings that reached almost every corner of the globe. From traffic, smuggling, drugs, genetic mutation, blackmail, extortion, money laundering, and so much more. He was arrested with the combined assistance of myself, Hanson, Danial, Carter, and the late Garrett Plight in cooperation with police and investigative services around the world. Within 24 hours, 95% of his dealings and operations were obstructed by law enforcement. Cargo ships were boarded, warehouses were raided, drug dens were shut down, and labs were destroyed. Don DeLeon refused to give up any of his people but from the information that was gathered ahead of time, many of his big players were arrested and brought to justice."

He hit the slide button showing a collage of 30-some people and monsters who were arrested. Their mugshots filled the entire slide. And some of those names were big players in many different types of dealings. Even Juliet remembered seeing a few of them busted while she was still in Texas.

The slide switched again to a slide of a man who looked like he was about to cry. His eyes were droopy, he had lines all over his face. He looked ragged. His nameplate read "Aaron Vigor". This man, Aaron Vigor, was believed to have been Don DeLeon's head of recruiting known as The Puppeteer. Turns out, he was a peon that was put in place to take his place and the real Puppeteer has never been found. He is a strange man with a strong affinity for hypnosis and suggestion control. And we believe he's back in play."

The slide flipped to a freeze from the video they had seen earlier that week. They had cropped the couple out of it and made it to focus on his face. "Those of you that were around when Don DeLeon was taken down remember that this individual was marked by international police as their number one target for a long while. The trail went cold as he went underground and now he has surfaced again. We've been working with international police since this information became available and they were able to confirm through events that happened recently that this individual is the original Puppeteer. He has specifically targeted us for our role in taking down his former boss, and that is why I have called you here. We need you to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior, suspicious individuals, and report anything that seems strange to anyone sitting at this front table here."

He flipped to the next slide containing a long list of text. "These are the signs that you need to look out for in people you interact with, including the people you work with." There was a long list of behaviors that were deemed suspicious. A section of it was picking up or suddenly quitting smoking or drinking without signs of withdrawal or common starting symptoms. "We will make sure that his picture and these are circulated around the office. This information is to be kept internal only. I know this poses a large threat to your individual and your family's safety. Effective immediately, I am offering expedited transfers to other offices anywhere in the world with moving costs covered. If you feel that is not enough, I will allow you to leave on good terms with one year of deferred pay. Meaning if you do decide to leave, you will still receive a paycheck as though you worked a full 40-hour week for a year even if you find new employment."