All You Have Lived For [Eliane, Alastair]

"That much could certainly be managed, should all the pieces fall into place, but you will be putting both of you at a greater risk than having a professional undertake the operation. I will speak to Mr Kleinmund and affirm his decision on the matter, but I would always choose the option with the highest chance of success."

This one comment was not born of particular compassion for Eliane but rather Alastair's near bottomless drive to preserve lives. These sisters might not be humans in the truest sense of the word, but they were all people in his eyes. None of them was inherently more expendable than him or anyone else. He could hardly get a read on Eliane before, and this sudden change of circumstance had hardly alleviated that weakness, but perhaps she would find that care amusing. Ultimately, it mattered little.

"Forgive me, I was not fully appraised on your creation, but this alternate version of yourself is lacking a soul? Yet she is still operational? Duly noted. Of course, we must take precautions to insure that the influence of the Duvalier Group is suitably curtailed before any of this freedom can be exercised. The same can be said of any of the Ovide siblings. You are all highly dangerous and, for lack of a better word, volatile. Our goals align, and I would rather work with you, but I cannot simply let the Duvalier Group be supplanted by another group of similarly amoral origins."

His phone buzzed. A message indicating that the documents were coming back good so far. That much was enough to draw out a sigh of his own from Alastair. It was never going to be an easy sell, and he was hardly a shrewd diplomat.

"So, will you submit to processing? The sooner we can get this done, the sooner we can start working on those collars."

It seemed like there was always more to learn when it concerned the depths of Claudia's machinations. No doubt there would be more revelations before all of this was through. Tailoring these modified souls to bodies of her own making, made to be the perfect servants. In a way, it was a testament to how incredible this process was that they had begun to think and act entirely independently. But that was where Alastair's compliments would end. Whatever this had been, the sooner it stopped the better.

"Very well. We will take care of this business with Antonetta, and then the pair of you will be placed under close observation by the Vandenreich. Your assets, whatever associates you might now have, and any specialist equipment will all be subject to review. We cannot be too cautious in this age of terror attacks, so every precaution will be taken to ensure that you are not a danger to society and to keep you safe."

Was this even a negotiation at all? He supposed not. But he needed all these pieces to be in order or the board might flip again and send him back to square one. The Ovide siblings were, unfortunately for them, quite unstable even bereft of Lady Duvalier. The exact nature of this close observation was still up for debate. They could operate as Arlette did, for example, or find themselves somewhere much more restrictive. Alastair was kind, yes, but he was not foolish.

Alastair hardly presumed that Eliane would give everything up at the drop of a hat. If she had been able to keep her assets hidden from Claudia for however long then it was certainly plausible that they would stay hidden from him too. Still, that did not prove malicious intent by itself so he was bound to the constraints of his morality.

"Indeed. This will all have to be thoroughly documented at a formal inquiry. I should thank you too, for your cooperation. I am glad that it was not as messy as I had feared. Continuing to act in such a manner is the best that you can do for us both."

Her comment about having his way with her was to be expected, given his knowledge of Eliane, but it still left the thought there in the back of his mind. It was a hard thing to shake after all. Pushing past that, though, this had been a surprisingly successful interaction. His concerns about not coming out of here alive had certainly abated. So he offered a satisfied sigh and turned to make his own exit.

"Unless there is anything else, Ms Eliane, Ms Antonetta? You have given me a lot of paperwork to fill out, but I will be in touch shortly concerning the device. Until then, I would get comfy."