Ciaran Frankfurt founded Dead End Solutions at twenty-three, back when havens were as safe as the depths, with hundreds, if not thousands dying every day.
At first, it was a personal effort to safeguard New Haven, where his family lived. But soon, the company became the unthanked protectors of the world, its influence stretching across governments, regardless of their respect for the work they did.
The earlier exterminators were the root of the problem—Osiris, Lovecraft, Iron. They worked under harsh conditions, showing up just for the paycheck and leaving just as quickly. The public's perception of them wasn't great, and their indifference only worsened that image.
Though the general reception had improved slightly since Sabrina took charge, exterminators were still often seen as little more than nuisances. Their disinterest in correcting these misconceptions only fueled the fire.
Sabrina walked into the room, the gun still tucked behind her back. She'd been goaded to the Assembly Hall only once before and that was during her initial days, when she was still finding her footing in the role.
"I'm tired as hell, John," she said, walking over to a chair and sitting at the edge of the room. "What is it?"
"You know what it is," Johnathan muttered, and Sabrina sighed heavily.
"What do they want? Isn't money or half of our imports enough?" Sabrina scoffed. "Do they want a damn heartfelt apology too?"
"They want your exterminator." Terrence, draped in blue with several stars across his chest, spoke from the corner of the room. He was the current leader of Border Security. "Can you blame them? Their man got popped like a blood-filled mosquito."
"So my exterminator should've just let herself get killed?" Sabrina shot back.
"Maybe that would've been for the best. Hell, it probably would've been."
"You got something you want to say?" Sabrina shot him a glance.
"Enough!" Johnathan interjected.
"You know what?" Terrence continued, his tone shifting. "Sabrina, I want to know something."
"What?"
"During the attack, your exterminators were already stationed. All of them in the haven at once... almost like you knew it was going to happen..." Terrence's eyes narrowed. "Why was that?"
"Quick thinking..." Sabrina's voice trailed off as she recalled the details she hadn't shared yet. She hadn't told anyone about the myutant in Raval. In the chaos of managing the aftermath and protecting her team, it had slipped her mind.
"What is it?" Johnathan asked, sensing her hesitation.
"Fuck me," Sabrina muttered. "You all might want to sit down for this."
They did as she asked, bracing for whatever came next.
For the next two hours, Sabrina laid it all out. She told them everything that had happened in Raval, from Diamantis being the myutant controller to the emergence of Knox, and their suspected base in Winterglaides.
The room fell silent.
Their preconceived notions had just been shattered after all.
"And you're sure this is all...?" Ladislav trailed off, shaking his head. Sabrina was foul-mouthed, unresponsive, and a pain to deal with, but she wasn't a liar, especially not in situations like this.
"Fuck me..." Johnathan muttered, walking toward a two-seater couch near where Sabrina sat. He collapsed onto it, hand pressed against his forehead.
"So there's a group out there turning humans into myutants... this is the greatest threat we've ever faced... Khusanov, why withhold this information?"
He stopped, suddenly nauseous. "You know what? I'm glad you did. I wouldn't have been able to sleep otherwise."
"That's how it is." Sabrina's voice was flat. "Most of my men are down for the count, and one of my own is in the hands of those... things."
"Do you know their objective?" Ladislav asked, sitting near the edge of the room.
Sabrina shook her head.
"Now you see why I couldn't give a damn about whatever haven wars are brewing."
"These haven wars are going to get a lot of our civilians killed," Terrence said, shaking his head in frustration.
Border Security and Dead End Solutions had never had the best relationship, mostly due to their vastly different foundations. The exterminators had been bleak, showing up only when paid, while Border Security operated like a new world police force, driven by duty and responsibility.
The contrast, especially when civilians died because Exterminators refused to show up until their cards beeped, had only fueled the growing tensions between the two factions.
But even with their disagreements and disputes.
The truth was:
"We don't have enough high-level players, Sabrina," Terrence said. "As much as I'd like to big up my own guys, whatever training you're doing in there seems to work. Your men are strong... We can't protect the city without them."
"What exactly is attacking us?" Sabrina asked, turning to Ladislav.
"Hallian..." Ladislav replied. "They're sending assassins, just like the Jackal here and they'll keep doing so until we either give in, or all die and they take over by military force."
"Those bastards are using the fact they never called for our help as their grounds, right?"
Ladislav nodded, and Sabrina shifted in her seat, thinking.
The best way to combat this threat would be to assign bodyguards to each potential target. Once the gates were rebuilt, they could begin a search—but that would only buy them time. This could go on indefinitely, little pokes bleeding them dry until they lost everything.
"We need the initiative," Sabrina sighed.
"Initiative?" Johnathan asked, his brow furrowing.
"I don't have enough men right now, especially with the expedition starting soon. But we'll need a strike team," Sabrina said, her eyes locking onto Johnathan. "Take the fight to them."
Johnathan quickly stood from his chair, his face tense. "What you're proposing is a war between havens? The exact thing they're trying to do to us? That's bad, Khusanov."
"Do you have any better ideas?" Sabrina shot back, crossing her arms. "Because I sure as hell don't."
"What exactly are you saying?" Terrence asked, his voice cautious. "A strike team of both our squads is understandable, we're better equipped for handling humans anyway. But... what do you mean by 'taking it to them'?"
"Hallian has been on everyone's backs for a long time," Sabrina began, "Khankar was bullied because they were smaller, and Pixis was overtaken. They can't take us down outright, so they're using the legality as cover for their attacks." She paused, glancing around the room. "But at the same time, war between havens isn't legal. So we can strike back."
"But we can't strike until they do. If we do, it becomes an entirely different issue," Ladislav said.
"That's why we're forming a strike team," Sabrina replied, "We'll have people protect John, Lad, Terrence, and me. We're the four arms of New Haven's government, and we're the most likely targets."
"But I have kids," Johnathan interjected.
"We'll safeguard them. And the moment anything goes down, we'll have the necessary reason to act."
"When you say 'attack' again..." Terrence's voice was skeptical. "What exactly do you mean? Attacking the Hallian population won't solve anything. Or am I missing something?"
"You're not missing anything. You're just not thinking big enough," Sabrina said, meeting his gaze. "We'll simply take a page from their book and do the exact same thing they plan to do to us."
"Taking over Hallian with military force?" Ladislav shook his head. "That's a horrible idea. What would we even use it for? It'll only make our civilians panic. The biggest haven in existence attacking a smaller one? It's bad news all around."
"That's exactly why they attacked first," Sabrina said, her eyes narrowing. "The Jackal is dead. No one except us and them knows it. They might scream that we killed him, but it won't matter. He's a serial killer. His death doesn't make us the bad guys."
"That's right!" Ladislav exclaimed. "And as long as we make the assassin who comes for one of our own confess, it's no longer an attack, it's a reaction! That completely changes the dynamic."
"Won't they be able to deny it's their assassin?" Terrence asked, still thinking.
Sabrina shook her head, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "That's the best part of all of this," she replied. "It doesn't matter if they deny it. They've already got a terrible reputation."
"No one will believe them..." Johnathan muttered, turning to face her. "You're a crude worker, Khusanov."
"They found an oil reservoir deep in the earth and claimed it," Sabrina chuckled, standing up. "I'm just curious about that, that's all."
"So, that was your entire reason?" Johnathan laughed, shaking his head. "And here I thought you cared about the haven."
"I do," Sabrina laughed, walking past the door. Then she grabbed the handle to close it, "But the country's taxes don't pay my exterminators... even when they should..." She paused, turning back to them. "Actually..."
She stepped back, pointing a finger at Johnathan. "We need to have this conversation again. You guys made over a hundred million in taxes this year. How come we don't get a cut of that?"
"Your service is breaking, Khusanov," Johnathan said, holding a hand to his ear. "I'm afraid I can't hear you."
"I'm literally right in front of you—" Sabrina's words were cut off as the door slammed into her face, the sound of Ladislav panting faintly audible behind it.
"Lock the door, quickly," Johnathan said, voice tight. "We must never have that conversation..."