Thread: Root of (Evil)² {HeavenSundered & darjeeling}

Seeing it now, it would have been incredibly difficult to believe that Lodestar had once been touted as the country's new beacon of hope, the very embodiment of the ever sought-after American dream. Erected some seventy years ago during the economical upswing following a long and dark recession, Lodestar seemed destined to evolve into one of the greatest metropolises in the country, if not the entire world. The government had been determined to prove its power and wealth, and they wanted to do it immediately, so their new city was built from scratch all at once in a matter of months rather than being allowed to expand more organically as most cities did. Hundreds of billions of dollars were recklessly pumped into the project, paying for the most state of the art infrastructure, the best utilities and the most impressive architecture available at the time. However, where there was so much money, it was only natural for opportunists, swindlers and vultures of all kinds to follow. It started with rampant corruption within the construction companies, each of which was affiliated with a different criminal organization, and from there it spread rampantly like a virulent cancer. The politicians were arguably worse than the mobsters, plundering millions from the city's funding at a time in order to line their pockets and push their own agendas. Within only a few short years, the government was forced to staunch the bleeding as it teetered on the edge of bankruptcy and another collapse, cutting all funding to their project which they hoped would quickly be forgotten. But Lodestar still stood, though it now carried the distinction of being the ripest nexus of corruption and sin in America, a glowing mark of shame tat attracted only the most unfortunate and dubious individuals. Zhanna Andropov was one of the latter. Born to poverty in one of Russia's most war-torn regions, she'd been a career criminal since she was a child, stealing only what she needed to survive. As she grew older, however, the girl aspired to do more than survive. Much more. Drawing inspiration from the countless gangster films that she'd watched, and having heard rumors of Lodestar City, Zhanna managed to smuggle herself out of Russia inside a shipping container with the intention of starting a new life, one where she'd no longer be just a pawn but a boss. In only five years, she'd already managed to accomplish far more than most. The small gang that she'd started was now a bonafide mafia known as the Order of Thorns, counting a few hundred members, most of them immigrants from the CIS or Russian Commonwealth region. They'd bloodily carved out a small but valuable turf for themselves on the waterfront, wrenching some control away from the Triads, but Zhanna was far from content. Just recently she'd initiated another war with the very same Triads, this time over control of their piece of the docks, which was where she'd be able to make some real money. Too much for her to launder through her own establishments, in fact, which was what brought her to Sanctum. She couldn't help but scoff at the name as her car pulled up to the curb in front of the impeccably maintained building, like a shining gem amidst the sea of decaying concrete that surrounded it. Boss, are you sure it's a good idea to be going in alone? came Yuri's concerned voice from the driver's seat in front of her, his Russian accent thick and obvious. Zhanna was busy putting the finishing touches on her new look, making sure that the bun which she'd arranged her hair into was still nice and neat. It was important that she try to fit in with the corporate sharks. I'm sure that we wouldn't even clear security at the front door if I tried to take you along. You don't need to worry, I can take care of myself. Zhanna had proven that time and time again, but it was her right hand man's job to look out for her, and the former Spetsnaz commando also happened to be her closest, most loyal friend. I'll call you when I'm done. Tell them to move the crane. With that, Zhanna stepped out of the black Mercedez, straightening her dark navy pencil skirt before walking up to Sanctum's massive front doors. The doorman opened one of them for her and she stepped inside, showing the security guard the intern badge clipped on to her fitted blazer which she wore over a simple white dress shirt. The guard seemed more curious about the diamond in the side of her nose than he was concerned about her badge, waving her through the metal detector. Leaving her phone and black leather purse to be scanned separately, Zhanna got through the security check just as planned without any incidents. As she walked to the elevators, the heels of her tall black pumps clicked lightly against the lobby's opulent marble floors which had certainly been selected with the intent of impressing potential clients. Zhanna rode up to the seventh floor before getting out and directing herself to the ladies' room on the south-east corner of the building. Once inside, she cracked one of the small windows open and waited for a few minutes. She was beginning to get a bit antsy and impatient when the crane being used for construction on an adjacent building finally whirred into position, its large metal hook dangling just outside of the window where Zhanna stood. After double checking that she was indeed alone, she reached outside to retrieved the Glock pistol and magazine that had been taped to the hook. She pocketed the mag, stuffed the gun into her purse and went back to the elevators, this time going up to her final destination on the tenth floor. Noticing Zhanna's badge, Mrs. Vincet's secretary didn't say anything when she passed by, instead only shooting her somewhat of a crooked glance, probably because of her purple and pink highlighted hair and her piercing. The CEO's personal floor included a small private kitchen, so Zhanna headed there first to brew a cup of coffee before taking it with her as she lightly knocked on Mrs. Vincet's door. Whether she got a response or not, Zhanna let herself in, laying eyes on Valerie for the first time this close up. She already knew that the woman was highly attractive, having stalked her for the past two weeks and tracked her every move, but the frigid beauty that she radiated was far more stunning now that Zhanna was standing in the same room as her. It was slightly intimidating, even for her, so she even played it up, slipping over to the side of Valerie's desk and teetering nervously, waiting with the cup of coffee in her hands for the woman to finish her phone call and acknowledge her.