Chapter 1: Version History
Summary:
Past versions for the files for those who wish to compare them.
Chapter Text
Version History:
Version 1.0 - Initial Files (Act I )
Changes have been made to the following files after Portrait of Decay ACT I Ch 8: SANCOEUR, N.; TSURUGI T.; DE LA SANGRE, C.
Version 1.1 - Change + Addition
Changes have been made to the following files after Portrait of Decay ACT II Ch 15: HARTONO, J file added.
Chapter 2: Sancoeur, Nathalie "Natasha"
Chapter Text
CONFIDENTIAL // LEVEL IV
SUBJECT DOSSIER: SANCŒUR, NATHALIE
I. IDENTIFIERS
Aliases: “Nat”, “Sancœur”, “Natasha” (historical)
Origin: Lille (FR) / Family emigration from USSR (Serdtseva → Sancœur)
Role: Field Operative; Retrieval & Penetration Specialist; Later: Executive Assistant (Agreste)
Competencies: Covert entry, cryptography, garment engineering, seam integrity (surgical grade), linguistic code-switching, controlled affect, martial arts, use of weaponry, high-pressure logistics.
II. EXECUTIVE SYNOPSIS
Asset is a high-value, high-risk operative defined by pathological loyalty and self-erasure. Demonstrates exceptional technical and analytical prowess, particularly in textile engineering and covert penetration. Primary utility is as a force multiplier and stability anchor for high-dysfunction assets (see: AGRESTE, G.). Core vulnerability is a monomaniacal drive to preserve a self-defined "family unit," which overrides all self-preservation instincts. Requires active management to prevent operational degradation via starvation logic, sleep denial, and unilateral martyrdom. A precision instrument; handle with calibrated empathy and firm control protocols.
III. BACKGROUND
- Street-level survival; brought in by G. Agreste & E. Graham de Vanily (Lille). Early signs: lock bypass, caloric aversion, hypervigilance.
- Tutoring appointment with House Graham de Vanily; outperforms academic gatekeeping; Primary evaluator (GRAHAM de VANILY, E.) records “dangerous composure.”
- Assumes labor + design partnership at Friterie Grassette; demonstrated emergent genius in structural pattern engineering. Chronic malnutrition noted; compensates with hyper-precision.
- Lethal engagements: Confirmed termination of Count Roderick (fountain, silenced). Historical, pre-Council mercy-kill of Claude Humbert (age ~13) following paternal assault. Consistently accepts reputational burden as a tactical shield for primary assets.
- Documented progressive physical decline (severe anemia/internal hemorrhage); pattern of self-sacrifice behaviors (see: GRAHAM de VANILY Greenhouse Arson incident). Foreign "education" and exile led directly to Council intake and somatic remediation.
IV. OPERATIONAL HISTORY
Operational Codename: THE SPECTOR
Mission Profile: Excels in long-term penetration, asset retrieval, and logistical overwatch. Noted for flawless execution in high-stress environments and ability to maintain cover indefinitely.
- OP-90-021 (Prague): Solo penetration of diplomatic embassy to secure target documentation. Neutralized three (3) security personnel; no trace left.
- OP-92-008 (Agreste Integration): Long-term placement as executive assistant to assets AGRESTE, G. & E. Primary objective: monitor and guide Miraculous acquisition efforts. Ongoing.
- OP-97-015 (Rotterdam):██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
V. PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE
- Core Drives: Preservation of designated "family unit" (see AGRESTE); imposition of order via controlled environments; pathological refusal to be perceived as a burden (manifesting as self-erasure).
- Failure Modes: Starvation logic; sleep denial; unilateral martyrdom (verbatim: "My safety is secondary to the objective.").
- Affect: Blunted baseline. Intermittent cracking observed under direct, emotional pleas from juvenile assets (see VALE, R. & M.) or when confronted with explicit moral mirrors.
- Susceptibilities: Sensory triggers related to food, hand hygiene, and left-handed stigma. Cues associated with paternal violence induce measurable stress responses.
VI. TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES & AUGMENTATION
- Somatic Remediation: Full scarless dermal regeneration. Subdermal composites for increased durability and neural interface compatibility. Maintains strict Tsurugi-prescribed maintenance schedule.
- Neural Architecture: Subject’s neural interface demonstrates high compatibility but increasing strain at memory-access junctions. Diagnostic scans indicate deterioration in episodic retrieval efficiency despite stable procedural memory.
- Technical Skills: Exceptional aptitude in textile engineering and structural analysis. Professional-grade proficiency in covert entry and misdirection.
- Operational Discipline: Exemplary command-center discipline; capable of managing multi-channel comms, complex route trees, and redundancy planning. Willingness to employ kinetic solutions when deemed necessary for objective completion.
VII. RISK / CONTROL
- Risk: MEDIUM → HIGH when isolated. Risk spikes exponentially with jeopardy to AGRESTE assets. Lethal to operational adversaries; non-lethal to in-group, except towards self.
- Controls: Mandatory team embedding on all missions. Enforced nutrition and sleep cycles monitored by ANDERS, L. Dual-authorization required for solo operations. Regular debriefs with clinical, systems, and logic oversight.
VIII. SELECT RELATIONSHIPS
- AGRESTE, EMILIE: Primary "light-source object." Subject prioritizes Emilie's happiness and safety over mission orthodoxy and personal welfare. Highly susceptible to her persuasion.
- AGRESTE, GABRIEL: Co-dependent design dyad. Subject oscillates between idealization of his talent and corrective severity towards his instability. Routinely absorbs his emotional and strategic volatility to maintain operational integrity.
- BOURGEOIS, AUDREY: Professional rivalry with underlying mutual respect. BOURGEOIS perceives subject as a "ghostwriter," while subject recognizes BOURGEOIS as a necessary, if blunt, mirror. Interactions are transactional but efficient.
- GRASSETTE, GABRIELLE & JOHNNY: Archetypal "mother" and "father" figures. Subject exhibits rare, genuine warmth and a sense of uncomplicated duty towards them. Views their well-being as a primary non-operational priority.
- GRAHAM DE VANILY, EMIL: Relationship defined by mutual respect forged through adversarial dialectic. The Duke recognizes her "dangerous composure"; she serves as his reluctant conscience and strategic counterweight at critical intervals.
IX. COUNCIL DYNAMICS
- Mission thesis: design a world with minimized suffering via controlled violence.
- Dir. MALRAUX D.:█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████ - DE LA SANGRE, C.: Mentor archetype. Mutual recognition of necessary violence; Catalina executes where subject hesitates; A protective bond noted.
- STAHLBERG, G.: Maintains a strictly professional and clinical relationship. Mutual recognition as fellow analysts; communication is efficient and data-driven.
- SERDTSEV, V.: Biological father. Maintains strict professional distance in public. Physiological monitoring indicates significant stress response (elevated heart rate, cortisol) in his presence. Private interactions are minimal and characterized by a clear power disparity and clinical detachment and deference.
- ANDERS, L.: Primary debrief & chess interlocutor. Subject demonstrates genuine, low-affect interest in his company. Shows minor displeasure at his "helicopter controls" but does not actively object, indicating a level of trust.
- TSURUGI, T.: Primary recruitment officer and caretaker. Initial subject assessment noted marked fear and hostility. This has transitioned to high-level respect and operational deference, correlating with subject's understanding of shared strategic goals. Relationship remains professional and task-oriented.
- PETRAKIS, T.: To be filled…
- VALE, R. & M.: To be filled…
- General Note: Subject is perceived as "the Shadow"—universally pitied for her burdens, yet routinely utilized for her capabilities. Her condition is an open secret; proactive intervention remains inconsistent.
X. NOTES / OBSERVATIONS (RUNNING LOG)
| Date | Notes | Observations | Initials |
|---|---|---|
| 14/06/1988 | Subject displays classic starvation logic; accepts food only under task framing. Micro-shakes at rest; compensates with deliberate motion. | D.M. |
| 08/10/1990 | Post-OP-90-021. Subject reported "no complications." Bio-metrics indicated 72-hour sleep deficit and acute stress response. Successfully suppressed affect during debrief. Recommended enforced rest cycle. | L.A. |
| 17/01/1991 | During Agreste integration prep. Noted meticulously repairing a child's plush. Action appears non-utilitarian. Potential sentimentality marker to be monitored. | D.M. |
| 14/08/1992 | Initial reunion with assets AGRESTE, G. & E. Subject displayed transient emotional elevation exceeding baseline affective profile (increased vocal warmth, micro-expressive latency, involuntary proximity-seeking). Notably, affective spike coincided with recognition and affirmation from AGRESTE, E. Within minutes, subject self-corrected: reaction interpreted as residual attachment response rather than instability. No intervention required. | T.T. |
| 10/09/1992 | Medical evaluation (routine): Neural diagnostics show 17% decline in episodic retrieval efficiency since last evaluation. Subject tolerated invasive diagnostics without complaint. Notable absence of anticipatory stress markers. However, biometric response spiked sharply upon unplanned proximity to SERDTSEV, V. (approx. +31% cortisol within 12 seconds). Subject maintained composure and did not acknowledge reaction. | L.A. |
| —/—/— | Add new entry… |
XI. ATTESTATION
Prepared By
Dominic — Director
Date
[REDACTED]
Classification
CONFIDENTIAL // EYES ONLY
Chapter 3: Tsurugi, Tomoe
Chapter Text
CONFIDENTIAL // LEVEL IV
SUBJECT DOSSIER: TSURUGI, TOMOE
I. IDENTIFIERS
Aliases: “Tomoe”, “Tsurugi”, “Tsurugi-sama” (by staff)
Origin: Tokyo (JP) // Descendant of Nagasaki hibakusha (maternal line)
Role: Director of Technological & Cybernetic Systems; Infrastructure & Logistics Oversight; CEO of Tsurugi Industries
Competencies: Advanced cybernetics engineering, AI architecture, predictive governance modeling, multispectral sensory analysis, strategic infrastructure planning, tactical data synthesis, neural interface design, close-quarters combat (blade specialist, post-augmentation retraining).
II. EXECUTIVE SYNOPSIS
Asset is a high-value, low-volatility operative defined by a pathological drive for order and a profound rejection of human fallibility. Her utility is unparalleled in systems architecture and long-term strategic planning. Core vulnerability is a blind spot for chaotic, unpredictable human variables, which she attempts to solve with increasing layers of control. Her allegiance is to the Council's stated mission of global stability, which she interprets as the imposition of a perfect, machine-like order. A strict, samurai-derived honor code governs her actions; she requires a logical, defensible reason for all violence, making her predictable but occasionally obstructive to more expedient methods. She is a foundational pillar of the Assembly's operational infrastructure; her continued functionality is paramount. Handle with respect for her capabilities and a clear, logical rationale for all requests.
III. BACKGROUND
- Raised in a traditional samurai household during Japan's economic boom; early indoctrination in bushidō codes of discipline and duty.
- Inherited genetic mutations from hibakusha grandparents; childhood marked by chronic illness and social ostracization ("tainted blood"). Seed of antipathy for biological fragility planted early.
- Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (age ~13), a progressive blindness potentially linked to radiation exposure. Viewed as a "curse of the past," solidifying her resolve to transcend the flawed human body.
- Intake during university years; provided resources to adapt to failing sight. Underwent self-designed neural interface surgeries, transforming disability into augmented perception.
- During her transition to cybernetic perception, DE LA SANGRE personally retaught her swordsmanship, translating her traditional forms into a new, hyper-efficient style based on auditory and data-stream cues.
- Founded Tsurugi Industries as a vehicle for her philosophy: the refinement of humanity through technology.
IV. OPERATIONAL HISTORY
Operational Codename: THE MACHINE
Mission Profile:Excels in long-term strategic system implementation, infrastructure fortification, and data hegemony. Not a primary field asset, but her systems underpin all field operations. Retains close-quarters combat proficiency for self-defense and sanctioned eliminations.
- OP-89-012 (Tokyo): Orchestrated the systematic digital dismantling of a rival electronics conglomerate attempting to expose early Council financial interests. Employed stock manipulation algorithms and industrial espionage via proprietary data-harvesting firmware. Rival corporation declared bankruptcy within 11 months; key patents and personnel absorbed by Tsurugi Industries front companies.
- OP-91-031 (Kyoto): Neutralized a traditionalist political faction threatening to block legislative favors critical to Council infrastructure projects. Authored and deployed a targeted disinformation campaign, leveraging compromised personal data to discredit three primary opponents. The faction lost significant influence in the subsequent election cycle.
- Ongoing: Custodian and primary architect of the Council's global surveillance and communications network. Oversees all cybernetic enhancements for field operatives.
V. PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE
- Core Drives: The imposition of perfect, logical order to eradicate human suffering born of fragility and incompetence. Atonement for personal "genetic corruption" through the transcendence of the flesh.
- Failure Modes: Underestimation of illogical/emotional variables; argumentative non-compliance when presented with violent solutions she deems "without honor" or "unnecessary"; contempt for assets who fail to meet her efficiency standards.
- Affect: Professionally detached. Voice is a calibrated, neutral tone. Displays minor irritation at inefficiency and sentimentality. No observed emotional cracking.
- Susceptibilities: Triggers related to institutional incompetence, willful ignorance, and references to her handicaps or genetic history. Demonstrates a controlled but notable rise in stress biomarkers during interactions with SERDTSEV, V.
VI. TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES & AUGMENTATION
- Somatic Remediation: Self-designed Tier-7 Perceptual Override System (SSG-01 "Shingan no Shinigami"). Replaces biological vision with multispectral data-stream interpretation. Includes advanced neural interfaces for sensory fusion, threat forecasting, and data analysis.
- Technical Skills: Genius-level intellect in cybernetics, AI, and systems engineering. Masterful strategic planner. Maintains expert-level proficiency with bladed weapons, utilizing a unique style adapted for her cybernetic senses.
- Operational Discipline: Flawless. Her systems are the bedrock of Council logistics. Adheres strictly to protocol and her personal code, viewing them as the embodiment of order.
VII. RISK / CONTROL
- Risk: LOW → MODERATE. Asset is ideologically aligned with the Council's macro-goals and is physically dependent on her own systems, which are interwoven with our infrastructure. However, the increased willingness to absorb harm silently, deprioritization of self-preservation in favor of perceived institutional necessity, and gradual convergence between ideological discipline and personal self-denial suggests that subject may be less likely to signal distress or objection prior to reaching critical thresholds.
- Controls: Absolute integration within Council systems ensures mutual dependency. Regular system audits and maintenance are required for her survival, providing natural oversight. Social isolation is maintained; the Council is her sole outlet and purpose.
VIII. SELECT RELATIONSHIPS
- TSURUGI, KIYOSHI & SUMIYO: Architects of her core trauma. Relationship is a complex web of filial duty and profound ideological rejection. Retain significant influence as a non-Assembly control vector. Their continued advocacy for traditional societal compliance reliably induces predictable, if temporarily sub-optimal, behavioral modifications in the asset.
- SAITOU, YUZURU: ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ - AGRESTE, GABRIEL: Civilian business contact engaged via Tsurugi Industries' textile innovation division. Asset's internal assessment characterizes him as "naive, thick-headed, and overambitious." However, she concedes a tolerance for his operational inefficiencies due to perceived genuine intent and raw, if undisciplined, talent.
IX. COUNCIL DYNAMICS
- Mission thesis: design a world with minimized suffering via controlled violence.
- Dir. MALRAUX D.:██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ - DE LA SANGRE, C.: Primary mentor and combat instructor. DE LA SANGRE's playful teasing is tolerated and appears to marginally improve subject's affect. Subject demonstrates a flicker of dry reciprocation and a degree of loyalty that occasionally supersedes strict protocol. Bond, forged during asset's perceptual transition period, provides significant psychological anchoring. Major point of contention lies in subject's deference to paternal figures.
- STAHLBERG, G.: Professional respect. Relationship is efficient and data-driven. Subject appreciates and relates to STAHLBERG's analytical, unemotional approach. Interactions are brief and focused on shared operational objectives.
- SERDTSEV, V.: Antithesis and object of contempt. Views his methods as the brutal, chaotic, and dishonorable old world she seeks to replace. Interactions are minimal, cold, and professionally necessary. Physiological monitoring indicates significant stress response in his presence.
- ANDERS, L.: A respected, quasi-mentor figure. Relationship extends beyond mutual professional dependency. Subject demonstrates a quiet, attentive interest in his historical and scientific knowledge, often seeking him out for technical discussions.
- SANCŒUR N.: Protégé of sorts. Recognizes her genius and shared experience of being "remade." Treats her with a degree of clinical protectiveness as both a masterpiece and mirror.
- PETRAKIS, T.: To be filled…
- VALE, R. & M.: To be filled…
- General Note: Subject is perceived as “part of the foundation" - universally respected for her intellect and reliability, but not feared. Her honorable, predictable nature and consistent, reason-based objections to unnecessary cruelty make her a stabilizing, if occasionally rigid and obstructive, presence. Her internal conflict with leadership is an open secret, but her value ensures it is overlooked.
X. NOTES / OBSERVATIONS (RUNNING LOG)
| Date | Notes | Observations | Initials |
|---|---|---|
| 15/09/1987 | Initial assessment. Subject's intellect is formidable. Her physical deterioration presents a unique opportunity. Her philosophical framework is already fully formed: order through technology. | G.S. |
| 08/08/1990 | Observed subject undergoing a significant change in aesthetics, enforced by parental pressure. Notable drop in affect and a rise in passive-aggressive compliance for 72 hours post-incident. (Note: Keep an eye on external anchors for threat escalation) | C.d.S. |
| 13/04/1991 | Noted subject spending 47 minutes in ANDERS' lab post-debrief, a significant deviation from her typical efficiency. Audio logs indicate she was quietly questioning him on pre-Chernobyl Soviet computational theory. A rare display of intellectual curiosity directed at a person, not a dataset. | D.M. |
| 10/09/1992 | Subject completed non-critical aesthetic modifications: changes improve external optics but offer negligible operational benefit. These changes correlate temporally with renewed parental contact and external scrutiny. Tensions significantly heightened when DE LA SANGRE challenged subject’s autonomy, highlighting non-consensual self-modification. DE LA SANGRE’s behavior suggests protective intervention impulses that are not reciprocated by subject, who defaults to justification and minimization. Tension remains unresolved but relations between assets have not been significantly changed. Suggesting continued surveillance and documentation on the potential escalation of subject's self-modification. | D.M. |
| —/—/— | Add new entry… |
XI. ATTESTATION
Prepared By
Dominic — Director
Date
[REDACTED]
Classification
CONFIDENTIAL // EYES ONLY
Chapter 4: Anders, Leo
Chapter Text
CONFIDENTIAL // LEVEL IV
SUBJECT DOSSIER: ANDERS, LEO
I. IDENTIFIERS
Aliases: ████████████████ (historical)
Origin: Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR (historical) // Graubünden, CH (current)
Role: Senior Research & Development Advisor (Chemical/Biological Sectors); Medical Systems Analyst
Competencies: Radiological chemistry, pharmaceutical development, toxicological analysis, biomedical systems, data synthesis & encryption.
II. EXECUTIVE SYNOPSIS
Asset is a high-value, non-field operative whose utility is derived from preternatural acumen in the chemical and biological sciences. His analytical prowess, forged in the Chernobyl disaster, is directed toward pharmaceutical stabilization, counter-agent development, and mitigating physiological degradation in field personnel. The asset's operational effectiveness is contingent upon meticulous management of two primary factors: his deteriorating health, which serves as both a control mechanism and a significant liability, and his diagnosed Obsessive-Compulsive and Paranoid tendencies, which manifest as a pathological need for environmental and procedural control. It should be noted that the asset's allegiance is not to the Assembly itself, which he views with overt distaste, but to its function as a necessary instrument for global stability.
III. BACKGROUND
- Exhibited exceptional aptitude for the physical sciences. Educated in Moscow during the 1950s; was a true believer in the Soviet scientific ideal.
- Served as senior scientific advisor during the Chernobyl disaster (1986). Credited with key interventions (e.g., boron compound deployment) but was exposed to high-level radiation. The event induced profound ideological trauma, survivors guilt, and the onset of clinically significant OCD and paranoia.
- Emigrated to Switzerland post-disaster, shedding his former identity as a rejection of the system that failed. Assumed the identity "Leo Anders".
- Accepted the offer purely for access to resources and a platform to apply his expertise toward preventing future catastrophes.
- Cooperation is pragmatic, not ideological.
IV. OPERATIONAL HISTORY
Operational Codename: THE SINGULARITY
Mission Profile: R&D and medical systems oversight. Excels in laboratory research, pharmaceutical design, and long-term physiological monitoring of assets. Not a field asset.
- OP-88-001 (Integration): Primary architect of the Assembly's pharmaceutical and biochemical safety protocols. Developed initial counter-agent suites for common bio-threats.
- Ongoing: Serves as primary medical and systems analyst for high-value operatives (see: SANCŒUR, N.). Oversees all pharmaceutical and somatic stabilization regimens.
- Ongoing:Custodian of the █████████████████, a comprehensive database of global medical, chemical, and biological research.
V. PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE
- Core Drives: Atonement for Chernobyl through the absolute prevention of biochemical and radiological disasters. The imposition of physiological and procedural order is a psychological imperative stemming from diagnosed OCD and paranoia.
- Failure Modes: Hyper-vigilance leading to research paralysis; obsessive micromanagement of asset health metrics; argumentative non-compliance if protocols are breached. His physical decline presents a clear and escalating risk to knowledge continuity.
- Affect: Socially awkward and disheveled. Projects a haunted, weary energy. Demonstrates significantly higher affect and diminished paranoia in controlled pedagogical contexts (see: Tutelage).
- Susceptibilities: Triggers related to radiological or biochemical incidents, and institutional deceit. Demonstrates a clear, if complex, paternal attachment to certain assets, viewing their physiological integrity as a direct extension of his own control.
VI. TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES & AUGMENTATION
- Capabilities: Genius-level intellect in chemistry and biomedicine. Masterful pharmacological designer. Skilled in pedagogical instruction and psychological profiling via dialogue (e.g., chess, tutorial sessions).
- Health: Chronic radiation sickness (fatigue, neurological tremors, thyroid dysfunction, mild hemoptysis). Physically frail; requires regular medical oversight. Mental acuity remains undiminished. Health is actively managed by Tsurugi technologies; his physical vulnerability is a key control mechanism.
VII. RISK / CONTROL
- Risk: HIGH. Risk is twofold: 1) Physical degradation leading to catastrophic loss of expertise. 2) His paranoia and control-seeking behavior can disrupt operational tempo. His allegiance is utilitarian, not loyal.
- Controls: Absolute physical dependency on Council-provided healthcare. Social and professional isolation is maintained to ensure the Assembly remains his sole operational outlet. All experimental and medical protocols require DIR. MALRAUX’S final authorization to circumvent his compulsive micromanagement.
VIII. SELECT RELATIONSHIPS
- NEXT OF KIN: Deceased. No ongoing familial connections.
- CIVILIAN CONTACTS: Minimal. Interaction is limited to professional colleagues at the Swiss Federal Archives, with whom contact is perfunctory and task-oriented.
- TUTELAGE: Maintains a curated directory of university students (see: SUPPLEMENTAL FILE AE/LA-004.1) whom he tutors. These sessions are sanctioned as a low-risk outlet that marginally improves his affect and compliance.
IX. COUNCIL DYNAMICS
- Mission thesis: design a world with minimized suffering via controlled violence.
- Dir. MALRAUX D.:█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ - DE LA SANGRE, C.: Considered a primary positive social contact. Was initially reluctant to engage with an individual of her operational profile but was quickly won over. DE LA SANGRE’s demeanor appears to function as an effective social stabilizer for the subject's paranoid tendencies. He finds her kinetic methods messy but acknowledges their utility.
- STAHLBERG, G.: Maintains an amicable but professionally distant relationship. He occasionally finds her data-driven approach too reductive for the complexities of biological systems.
- SERDTSEV, V.: Mirror and antithesis. Views SERDTSEV as a symbol of the brutal, chaotic old world he seeks to replace. Their interactions are minimal, cold, and laden with unspoken ideological contempt.
- TSURUGI, T.: Respects her technical prowess which maintains his health and the Assembly's technological edge, as well as her strict honor code. Relationship is professional and mutually pragmatic.
- SANCŒUR N.: Primary "ward". His management of her health is a blend of genuine care and a compulsive need to correct a "failing system". Their interactions are one of his few stable relational anchors.
- PETRAKIS, T.: To be filled…
- VALE, R. & M.: To be filled…
- General Note: Within the Assembly's internal social hierarchy, the subject is broadly perceived as a paternal, albeit physically compromised, figure. This perception frames him as the repository of institutional knowledge and a source of ostensibly benign oversight. However, this "grandfather" persona belies a significant strategic vulnerability: his deteriorating health and affective attachments render him susceptible to emotional leverage, potentially compromising operational objectivity.
X. NOTES / OBSERVATIONS (RUNNING LOG)
| Date | Notes | Observations | Initials |
|---|---|---|
| 26/04/1986 | EVENT: CHERNOBYL. Subject's psychological profile permanently altered. Note for recruitment potential: a brilliant mind shattered and seeking a new framework. | D.M. |
| 11/01/1988 | Initial debrief. Subject's cooperation is purely utilitarian. He explicitly referred to the Assembly as a "regrettable necessity." His control-seeking behaviors are pronounced. | D.M. |
| 17/10/1988 | During SANCŒUR, N. integration. Subject has taken a distinct paternal interest. His compulsive behaviors are notably directed toward stabilizing her. A useful control vector. | D.M. |
| —/—/— | Add new entry… |
XI. ATTESTATION
Prepared By
Dominic — Director
Date
[REDACTED]
Classification
CONFIDENTIAL // EYES ONLY
Chapter 5: Serdtsev, Victor ("Camilo Pista")
Chapter Text
CONFIDENTIAL // LEVEL IV
SUBJECT DOSSIER: SERDTSEV, VICTOR
I. IDENTIFIERS
Aliases: “Victor”, “Serdtsev”, “Camilo Pista” (official ID), “The Tutor”, “Professor”/"Doctor" (by students) (official ID)
Origin: Obukhivka, Ukrainian SSR (historical, destroyed); Leningrad (raised); moved to Lille (FR); moved to ██████████
Role: Interrogation & Applied Persuasion Specialist; Historical & Ideological Analyst; Senior Strategic Analyst & Threat Modeler; Special Division*
Competencies:Structural kinetics & non-traceable physical interrogation, psychological profiling via Socratic method, high-pressure intelligence extraction, Soviet-era tradecraft, pedagogical instruction, strategic threat modeling.
II. EXECUTIVE SYNOPSIS
Asset is a high-value, high-volatility strategic resource operating within the Special Division. His value is twofold: unparalleled analytical prowess in modeling systemic failure and ideological opposition, and a peerless operational capacity for high-yield interrogation and sanctioned neutralization. The asset's psychological profile presents a unique control paradox; he exhibits residual affective markers consistent with a previously intact moral framework, yet his operational conduct is characterized by a near-total absence of empathetic response. This dissonance is his primary vulnerability. Allegiance is not to the Assembly's ideological premises, which he considers philosophically naive, but to its function as a platform that utilizes his specialized skill set. Continued compliance is predicated on intellectual engagement and the structured outlet for his methodologies. Handle via unambiguous operational parameters and logical justification. Appeals to ethical considerations are counter-productive. Monitor regularly with care.
III. BACKGROUND
- Early life defined by the Holodomor, which ignited a lasting outrage against systemic failure.
- Excelled academically in Leningrad before being arrested during the Leningrad Affair for religious practice and intellectual dissent. Sentenced to the Gulag system, where his worldview was fundamentally shattered and rebuilt around a core of pragmatic survival.
- Post-Stalin release allowed a quiet return to academia as a professor, serving as a front for deep involvement in Samizdat and Tamizdat dissident networks. A rapid rise was halted by accusations of sexual misconduct ██████████, forcing his resignation and exile to France.
- In Lille, he rebuilt a life of poverty and bitterness, marrying a fellow émigré and fathering one child, SANCŒUR. His subsequent abuse of his family was a reflection of his fractured morality and need for control.
- His unique skills and ideological clarity were identified and recruited by the Assembly, providing him a purpose and outlet he otherwise lacked.
- Changed his legal name to “Camilo Pista” but retains a preference to his former identity.
IV. OPERATIONAL HISTORY
Operational Codename: THE SCYTHE
Mission Profile: Senior Strategic Analyst & Threat Modeler for the Special Division. Asset's primary function is the architecting of high-risk interrogation, neutralization, and systemic subversion protocols. His analytical products on ideological decay and resistance are considered foundational to long-term strategy. Field deployment is reserved for Tier-0 scenarios requiring his unique expertise, often serving as both strategist and field lead for the most sensitive "special cases*”.
- OP-89-018 (Tokyo): Sole architect of the 72-hour interrogation strategy for a corporate defector threatening a key financial front. Provided real-time analytical oversight; physical execution was delegated to field assets, with asset only observing to refine his models.
- OP-90-011 (Prague): Authored the operational plan for the digital and physical penetration of a research institute developing surveillance technology for a hostile government. The strategy utilized a multi-phase approach of social engineering and bureaucratic subversion. Field execution was handled by SANCŒUR, with the asset providing continuous strategic oversight.
- OP-90-044 (Mendoza)*: Personally deployed to retrieve a compromised Council courier from a hostile criminal network. Asset's strategy involved the non-lethal dismantling of three key enforcers to create a corridor for extraction, providing a live demonstration of his structural kinetics model under pressure. The courier was retrieved intact; the network collapsed due to leadership vacuum within six weeks.
- OP-91-055 (Athens)*: Personally deployed for the solo neutralization of a high-value political target within a secure compound after threat assessment flagged a >90% probability of conventional operational failure. Entry was achieved via non-standard penetration; termination was effected using environmental factors to simulate accidental death. Post-operation analysis confirmed zero forensic trace.
- OP-91-102 (Strasbourg)*: Authored the primary threat assessment and persuasion model for a high-value intelligence target. The scenario was deemed sufficiently complex and high-risk to warrant his direct field involvement. Co-led the operation with DE LA SANGRE, achieving objective in under three hours.
V. PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE
- Core Drives: A utilitarian philosophy that prioritizes operational efficiency over affective considerations, born from repeated exposure to systemic betrayal. An intellectual need to deconstruct and validate his worldview through practical application.
- Failure Modes: Cognitive dissonance when confronted with assets who maintain affiliative bonds despite high-trauma exposure (see: SANCŒUR, N.; DE LA SANGRE, C.). Non-compliance with directives he logically deems "theatrical" or "sub-optimal.
- Affect: Professionally detached. Communication is characterized by extreme bluntness and a focus on factual or logical inconsistencies. Demonstrates heightened engagement during intellectual debate or analysis of systemic failure.
- Susceptibilities: Demonstrates negative reactivity to perceived institutional incompetence and ideological hypocrisy. Observed to have a latent, clinically significant response to narratives of futile sacrifice or wasted potential.
VI. TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES & AUGMENTATION
- Capabilities: Master of structural kinetics; his physical interrogation techniques are considered the organizational standard for efficiency and deniability. Genius-level aptitude for strategic modeling of ideological and social systems. A gifted pedagogue, albeit employing brutally direct methodologies. Exhibits near-total somatic and vocal control, capable of near complete affective disassociation.
- Health: Long-term physiological deficits consistent with Gulag incarceration (scarring, muscle atrophy, nutritional deficiencies). Overall physical capacity remains sufficient for his specialized operational role.
VII. RISK / CONTROL
- Risk: CRITICAL. Asset is a contained, high-yield instrument. His controlled nature and intellectual compliance render him more predictable than a purely volatile asset, but a catastrophic failure would be exponentially more damaging.
- Controls: Integration within the Assembly's command structure provides necessary intellectual stimulation and a sanctioned outlet for his proficiencies. His operational partnership with DE LA SANGRE provides a stabilizing field dynamic. Absolute authority is vested in DIR. MALRAUX, whose control the asset resents but is conditioned to obey, representing a known, manageable variable.
VIII. SELECT RELATIONSHIPS
- SERDTSEVA, IRINA: Ex-wife. A fellow émigré, bound by shared trauma. Relationship is a complex web of mutual dependence and profound damage - a documented case study in long-term trauma bonding, devolving from positive affective bonds to mutual dysfunction. Serves as a reminder of the life he failed to build.
- TUTELAGE: Maintains a curated directory of students (see: SUPPLEMENTAL FILE AE/VS-005.1) whom he tutors. Marginally improves his affect.
IX. COUNCIL DYNAMICS
- Mission thesis: design a world with minimized suffering via controlled violence.
- Dir. MALRAUX D.:████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████ - DE LA SANGRE, C.: Designated as the asset's primary field partner and social stabilizer. The subject demonstrates a consistent, anomalous pattern of deference to her tactical judgment. While he categorizes her affective expression as operationally non-standard, he grants professional respect for her measurable efficiency, verifiable loyalty metrics, and direct engagement with his methodological frameworks.
- STAHLBERG, G.: A relationship characterized by professional respect and data-driven interaction. The asset acknowledges the utility of STAHLBERG's analytical and unemotional approach. However, he registers significant operational annoyance at her observed tendency toward self-compromising work cycles that degrade her peak efficiency, deeming it a preventable systemic inefficiency.
- ANDERS, L.: The asset identifies ANDERS as a psychological and experiential mirror, yet one compromised by a persistent, and in the asset's view, futile, drive for atonement. While he admires ANDERS’ intellectual capacity, he pities the retention of a moral conscience he considers an operational handicap. The asset finds ANDERS’ continued denial of their fundamental similarities both professionally irritating and personally lamentable.
- TSURUGI, T.: Asset holds her technical prowess and adherence to a structured honor code in high regard. A point of professional contention is the asset's assessment that TSURUGI undervalues the communicative utility of tactical actions, prioritizing pure function over strategic messaging. He further evaluates her extensive somatic remediation as an "unfortunate" loss of core identity.
- SANCŒUR N.: Biological daughter. Designated as the asset's primary protégé and a persistent psychological stressor. The subject represents a living contradiction to the asset's core operational philosophy. The asset's ongoing interactions are formally assessed as a sustained, and thus far failed, experiment in brutalist behavioral conditioning aimed at resolving this cognitive dissonance.
- PETRAKIS, T.: To be filled…
- VALE, R. & M.: To be filled…
- General Note: Within the Assembly's hierarchy, the subject is utilized as a strategic scalpel and a destabilizing agent. He is permitted significant latitude due to his unparalleled effectiveness. His tendency to verbally deconstruct the ideological premises and personal hypocrisies of other members is tolerated as a perversely useful stress-testing mechanism. DIR. MALRAUX's ongoing study of the asset's paradoxical compliance remains a top-priority intelligence project. Keep under surveillance.
X. NOTES / OBSERVATIONS (RUNNING LOG)
| Date | Notes | Observations | Initials |
|---|---|---|
| 10/04/1988 | Initial visit. ██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ █████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ Recruitment recommended. |
D.M. |
| 03/09/1988 | Initial debrief. Asset's primary concern was operational parameters, not ideological alignment. A fundamentally utilitarian instrument. The persistence of this utility, despite his professed nihilism, is the central question. | D.M. |
| 23/06/1989 | Monitored asset's observation of SANCŒUR during tactical drills. Physiological markers (micro-expressions, pupil dilation) indicated significant cognitive engagement, inconsistent with stated apathy. The subject-object relationship is not clean. | G.S. |
| 13/07/1989 | Asset engaged with STAHLBERG in a debate on Dostoevsky. His interpretation of Crime and Punishment was a deliberate, conscious rejection of its moral conclusion, not a misunderstanding. He has architecturally constructed his nihilism as a fortress. | D.M. |
| 24/08/1990 | During a routine behavioral observation of test subject #734-B (rhesus macaques monkey) in Laboratory 4, SERDTSEV entered the containment area. Contrary to standard euthanasia protocol for compromised specimens, asset did not immediately administer the terminal injection. Instead, he was observed to spend approximately 2.7 minutes simply observing the subject. He then provided a food enrichment item not part of the testing regimen. Post-interaction, asset remained stationary for 3.1 minutes, displaying a 12% decrease in standard respiratory rate and a fixed gaze on the subject. | T.T. |
| 26/12/1991 | ANDERS and SERDTSEV observed in the main library following the official dissolution of the USSR. No verbal communication was recorded for the first 17 minutes. ANDERS sat with a glass of vodka, untouched. SERDTSEV stood by the window, posture rigid. At 21:43, ANDERS finally spoke (audio transcript, translated from Russian): ANDERS: "So. It is over.” VICTOR: "It has been over for a long time.” The subsequent 11-minute period was characterized by a mutual and sustained cessation of communication as they drank. Biometric data was unavailable, but visual analysis indicated an absence of celebratory or relieved affect in both subjects. The interaction was instead characterized by a mutually recognized, somber acknowledgment. |
C.d.S. |
| —/—/— | Add new entry… |
XI. ATTESTATION
Prepared By
Dominic — Director
Date
[REDACTED]
Classification
CONFIDENTIAL // EYES ONLY
Chapter 6: Stahlberg, Gisela
Chapter Text
CONFIDENTIAL // LEVEL IV
SUBJECT DOSSIER: STAHLBERG, GISELA
I. IDENTIFIERS
Aliases: “Die Eisenfrau”, “Stahlberg”, "The Wall", “Frau Berg”
Origin: Berlin (DK), German Democratic Republic (historical)
Role: Director of Geopolitical Strategy & Social Systems Analysis; Aegis Directive Overseer
Competencies: Geopolitical forecasting, structural systems analysis, data synthesis, multilingual interrogation (non-kinetic), Stasi-derived destabilization tactics, strategic misinformation campaigns, high-efficiency bureaucratic subversion.
II. EXECUTIVE SYNOPSIS
Asset is a high-value, low-volatility operative defined by a profound, almost zealous belief in the Council as a necessary instrument for global stability. Her utility is unparalleled in the design and maintenance of large-scale social systems and the strategic application of non-kinetic pressure. The asset's psychological profile is a complex paradox: she is arguably the most emotionally perceptive member of the senior staff, possessing a deep-seated, empathetic understanding of human suffering, which she violently suppresses in favor of a meticulously constructed facade of pure objectivity. This internal conflict manifests as a relentless, self-sacrificial work ethic. She wholeheartedly believes the Council's "controlled violence" prevents greater chaos, viewing their actions as a tragic necessity she must clinically execute. Allegiance is absolute, born of ideological conviction and personal loyalty. A foundational pillar; her analytical products are considered non-redundant. Handle with professional respect. Appeals to emotion will be met with rigid, data-based rebuttals, not due to a lack of feeling, but as a defensive reflex against the moral weight of her duties.
III. BACKGROUND
- Early life in East Berlin defined by the Wall's physical and psychological presence. Excelled in state-mandated education, demonstrating preternatural talent for systems logic and languages. Exhibited strong empathetic tendencies in youth, later identified as a vulnerability.
- Voluntary defection to West Berlin in 1983. Brief exposure to Western ideals resulted in profound disillusionment, viewing its freedoms as chaotic and hypocritical, and its compassion as performative.
- Returned to GDR under clandestine motives to assist family in 1986. Captured by Stasi. Subjected to prolonged physical and psychological torture and interrogation culminating in the revelation of her brother's death (see: SUPPLEMENTAL FILE AE/GS-002.4) This event served as the catalyst for her decision to wall off her emotions.
- Professionally and socially blacklisted within the GDR post-interrogation (1987). Council extraction and long-term cultivation began during this period of isolation.
- Confirmation of her brother’s murder (1987) provided empirical validation for the subject's operational thesis: that unstructured systems possess inherent failure points, and that systemic integrity requires continuous, morally complex maintenance by dedicated personnel.
IV. OPERATIONAL HISTORY
Operational Codename: THE WALL
Mission Profile: Architect of long-term geopolitical strategy and social engineering protocols. Excels in the creation and maintenance of controlled informational and demographic ecosystems. Not a field asset in the kinetic sense; her battlefield is data, policy, and public perception. Subject also maintains her high-profile public role as "Die Eisenfrau" throughout all operations, using her UN advisory position and philanthropic work as both cover and implementation vehicle for Council directives. The cognitive and physical load of maintaining this dual identity while overseeing major operations is immense, yet she shows no signs of reducing her workload.
- OP-89-81 (Balkans): Primary architect of the "Balkan Stabilization Framework," a Council-backed policy that ended active conflict by strategically cementing ethnic and political divisions into legally recognized, heavily monitored territories. Considered a successful field test of the Aegis Directive principles. Worked 92 consecutive hours.
- OP-90-017 (Brussels): Orchestrated the discreet removal of a high-ranking EU official whose liberal immigration policies were deemed a significant threat to regional stability. Achieved via a targeted misinformation campaign leveraging compromised personal data, resulting in a scandal-driven resignation. Replacement was a Council-influenced candidate.
- Ongoing: Serves as the Council's primary talent scout and initial assessor. Maintains a constantly updated global database of potential recruits. Her recruitment strategy focuses on identifying individuals of exceptional ability who have been systematically betrayed by existing power structures, making them both ideologically pliable and highly motivated.
- Ongoing (Global): Custodian and lead analyst of the Aegis Directive. Oversees the global calibration of demographic flows, cultural assimilation rates, and ideological balancing acts within designated zones. Her predictive models on social unrest have a 94.7% accuracy rate. Routinely absorbs mundane data-synthesis tasks to "maintain a complete picture".
NOTE: Due to the subject's integral role in operational planning, logistics, and post-mission analysis across 84.3% of Council activities since integration, a comprehensive mission log is impractical for this format. The subject's strategic fingerprints are present in everything from budget allocation to long-term asset placement.
For complete operational history, see: SUPPLEMENTAL FILE AE/GS-002.1 (666 pgs).
V. PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE
- Core Drives: A documented, fervent conviction that the Consultative Assembly represents the sole viable mechanism for the mitigation of large-scale anthropogenic suffering. This operational thesis is supplemented by a persistent, internally-framed drive for atonement related to the subject's failure to ensure familial unit integrity during GDR incarceration, manifesting as a compulsion to preempt systemic failures on a global scale.
- Failure Modes:Subject demonstrates a consistent pattern of self-compromising work cycles, routinely exceeding recommended physiological and cognitive load limits, resulting in degraded peak performance and elevated risk of systemic collapse. This is compounded by a noted tendency to internalize the normative weight of Tier-2 and Tier-3 operational outcomes, leading to observable but unacknowledged periods of attenuated affect and fatigue, as measured by standard biometric and behavioral baselines.
- Affect: Maintains a facade of professional detachment through disciplined application of behavioral protocols. Longitudinal observation by cleared personnel indicates intermittent, low-intensity breaches in this facade, characterized as "subtle warmth". Exposure to stimuli associated with Stasi-era detention (see: SUPPLEMENTAL FILE AE/GS-002.4) can trigger acute, sub-clinical PTSD responses, which are typically suppressed within 0.5-2.0 seconds via conscious reactivation of affective control protocols.
- Susceptibilities: A confirmed and persistent profiling anomaly exists regarding assets with which the subject maintains affiliative bonds. Subject systematically re-categorizes these assets under a "protected" status, a clear deviation from established hyper-objective profiling standards. Furthermore, subject exhibits statistically significant increases in stress biomarkers when her operational parameters or strategic models are challenged on grounds of excessive rigor or purported ethical deficiency.
VI. TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES & AUGMENTATION
- Capabilities: Genius-level intellect in geopolitical and social systems analysis. Master of data synthesis for predictive modeling. Fluent in multiple languages. Expertise in Stasi-derived "Zersetzung" (decomposition) tactics for non-violent psychological dismantling of targets. Possesses almost superhuman capacity for sustained administrative and analytical labor.
- Health: Physically robust but chronically sleep-deprived. Maintains a strict physical regimen to support her punishing work schedule. Trauma sustained during Stasi interrogation - ocular heterochromia present in right eye and extensive dermal scarring - which subject refuses to have cosmetically corrected. Monitor extensive use of stimulants (cigars, coffee) and regular medical review mandated due to sustained high-tempo operational pace.
- Augmentation: Custom-fitted, subdermal aural implant (TSURUGI Model 7 "Wächter"). Designed to the asset's exact specifications to provide enhanced auditory processing and filtration, critical for multilingual interrogation and intelligence synthesis. At the asset's explicit request, the implant includes a secondary, low-grade neural-stimulation function to promote sustained wakefulness during extended operational shifts. Use is self-regulated; subject has a documented history of overriding safety lockouts during high-priority work cycles.
- CONTROL PROTOCOL 7-Gamma: Maintain active remote surveillance of the implant's power draw and stimulation cycle frequency. A sustained usage pattern exceeding 18 hours within a 24-hour period, or any sign of physiological degradation directly linked to the implant (e.g., severe neural fatigue, cognitive fragmentation), is to be flagged for immediate Directive review. Should self-destructive usage escalate despite verbal warnings, authorization is pre-cleared for a team (MEDICAL & SECURITY) to detain the asset and perform forceful removal of the device. The asset's strategic value is paramount; preservation of core cognitive function supersedes her operational preferences.
VII. RISK / CONTROL
- Risk: LOW. Asset's allegiance is absolute, rooted in profound ideological conviction. She is the Council's most reliable member. The primary risk is not disloyalty, but self-destruction through overwork.
- Controls: Minimal controls are necessary. The asset's faith in the mission is her primary control mechanism. Other senior members (ANDERS, L.; TSURUGI, T.; DE LA SANGRE, C.) have been observed attempting to enforce mandatory rest periods.
VIII. SELECT RELATIONSHIPS
- STAHLBERG, KARL: Younger brother. Murdered by Stasi operatives on subject's 22nd birthday (see: SUPPLEMENTAL FILE AE/GS-002.4). The foundational trauma and primary motivational driver. Anniversary dates trigger predictable, though well-suppressed, depressive cycles and intensified work output. Maintains a meticulously organized, private archive of his academic work and personal effects.
- STAHLBERG, HANS & INGRID: Biological parents. Subject initiated complete, permanent estrangement - a protective measure to insulate them from association with her activities and additional Stasi-era stigma. Monitored indirectly through council assets; all direct contact is blocked at the infrastructure level per subject's standing request. Subject's sole concession: council-approved anonymous annual fund transfer.
- MAUER: Russian Blue feline (Felis catus). Acquired 1988. Designated as a non-operational emotional support asset. The subject's only sanctioned, non-Council affective attachment (See: COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 2.2A)
IX. COUNCIL DYNAMICS
- Mission thesis: design a world with minimized suffering via controlled violence.
- Dir. MALRAUX D.:███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ - DE LA SANGRE, C.: Designated as the asset's primary peer-level contact and most effective social stabilizer. Despite operational methodologies that are diametrically opposed, their long-standing association has resulted in a deeply integrated professional rapport. The asset's biometric data indicates a significant positive affect response to their interactions. DE LA SANGRE’s propensity for unorthodox interventions, particularly those that disrupt the asset's unsustainable work cycles, is logged with artificial irritation but is, in practice, tolerated and subconsciously welcomed.
- SERDTSEV, V.: A relationship defined by high-yield professional antagonism. The asset acknowledges his analytical prowess and values their debates as a superior method for operational stress-testing. However, she files a constant, internal dissent against his advocacy for maximal-efficiency kinetic solutions, pushing instead for models of minimally sufficient application of force. His repeated citations of her "self-compromising work cycles" as a systemic inefficiency are noted and dismissed as a failure to account for long-term asset sustainability.
- ANDERS, L.: Maintains a relationship of mutual professional oversight. The asset appreciates his analytical mind and his consistent, data-driven monitoring of her physiological status driven by genuine concern. However, biometric markers indicate a recurring, negative affective response when he characterizes her operational demeanor as "cold" or "detached", suggesting a perceived misreading of her motivational drivers.
- TSURUGI, T.: Exemplary professional synergy. The asset's collaboration with TSURUGI is characterized by seamless integration and a shared commitment to systemic order. Their work ethic is mutually complementary, often resulting in highly efficient, non-verbal operational coordination. TSURUGI is one of the few who can match her work ethic, and they often work in silent, efficient tandem.
- SANCŒUR N.: Registers the junior asset as a subject of professional concern, identifying parallels in self-sacrificial operational conduct. ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
███████████████ SANCŒUR’s demonstrated initiative in proactively managing logistical overhead to reduce the subject's workload is noted with quiet appreciation, though it has not yet resulted in a modification of the subject's own work habits. The relationship is characterized by unspoken, mutual burden-sharing. - PETRAKIS, T.: To be filled…
- VALE, R. & M.: To be filled…
- General Note: The subject serves as the Assembly's de facto administrative center of gravity. Her belief in the mission's necessity is absolute, making her profoundly stable, while her concealed empathy renders her the organization's most consistent moral compass. Her internal conflict does not manifest as operational hesitation, but as a driving compulsion to personally absorb collateral damage, both bureaucratic and psychological, to preserve the functionality and perceived integrity of other assets. She is the load-bearing wall of the organization,████████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████
X. NOTES / OBSERVATIONS (RUNNING LOG)
| Date | Notes | Observations | Initials |
|---|---|---|
| 12/11/1987 | Subject provided confirmed report of brother's death in custody. No overt emotional response. Instead, she requested access to the full Stasi file and spent 14 hours cross-referencing it with Council intelligence networks. This appears to be her mourning process - converting grief into data. | D.M. |
| 22/01/1988 | Subject was instructing DE LA SANGRE on interface operation. DE LA SANGRE input several incorrect commands in sequence, resulting in a system error message. DE LA SANGRE then made a colloquial remark regarding the device's presumed parentage. STAHLBERG emitted an audible laugh (0.8 second duration, unprompted) before immediately re-engaging professional demeanor. This represents a 300% increase in positive affective expression from baseline. Notably, she did not correct the inefficiency of DE LA SANGRE's learning method. | T.T. |
| 03/12/1988 | Subject and SERDTSEV engaged in heated debate about Hungarian border policy. Subject advocated for complete biometric control and mandatory ideological screening. SERDTSEV argued for manipulated permeability - allowing precisely calculated flows to create dependency and leverage: "You build a dam and call it order; I would turn their own thirst into a weapon." The argument lasted 43 minutes before subject stood abruptly: "You would solve a fever by stopping the heart." SERDTSEV responded: "And you would try to reason with a plague." First time subject has shown genuine frustration with another member. (Dialogue from verbatim transcript). | D.M. |
| 13/07/1989 | Found subject asleep at her terminal for the third time this month. She had completed not only her own work but had also pre-emptively finished the quarterly reports for three other departments. When confronted, she stated, "It needed to be done. Their time was better spent on other priorities". | L.A. |
| 10/11/1989 | Subject arrived at the safehouse with a split lip, bruised cheekbone, and slight limp. Uniform immaculate as always. Asset initially refused medical attention, insisting the data from the Balkan sector took priority. ANDERS had to physically block the doorway to her office to administer care. When pressed, she reported being "jumped by celebrants" near Potsdamer Platz who recognized her East Berlin accent. "They called me a Stasi whore for trying to go home". (Dialogue from verbatim transcript). | C.d.S. |
| 03/02/1990 | Overheard subject on secure line with a West German official. Tone was perfectly professional, even as she referenced demographic data from the district where she was assaulted. No indication of personal connection. After disconnecting, she sat perfectly still for 1.2 minutes, hands flat on the desk. Then resumed work. | D.M. |
| 06/11/1991 | Subject ANDERS characterized STAHLBERG's threat assessment model as "computationally elegant but affectively sterile," stating it failed to account for "human variables" (verbatim). STAHLBERG offered no verbal rebuttal, maintaining professional detachment. However, biometric monitoring via her terminal's touchpad registered a 22% increase in micro-tremors and a sustained galvanic skin response spike for 4 minutes post-comment. The data suggests the critique was registered as a significant interpersonal stimulus, despite the subject's external presentation of indifference. | T.T. |
| —/—/— | Add new entry… |
XI. ATTESTATION
Prepared By
Dominic — Director
Date
[REDACTED]
Classification
CONFIDENTIAL // EYES ONLY
Chapter 7: de la Sangre, Catalina
Chapter Text
CONFIDENTIAL // LEVEL IV
SUBJECT DOSSIER: DE LA SANGRE, CATALINA
I. IDENTIFIERS
Aliases: “Catalina”, “de la Sangre”, “Abuelita”/"Welita" (by junior assets), ”La Espada Que Danza”/“La Muerte Florecida” (field legends)
Origin: Dolores Hidalgo, GTO (MX); moved to ████████████, QRO (MX)
Role: Field Operations Director; Senior Tactical Instructor; Psychological Stabilization & Morale Officer; Designated Successor (non-active; senior consensus confirmed; activation contingent on volatility mitigation).
Competencies: Asymmetric & guerrilla warfare doctrine, close-quarters combat (blade specialist), tactical improvisation & real-time contingency management, advanced psychological profiling & behavioral shaping, high-risk infiltration & exfiltration, multilingual interrogation (kinetic & non-kinetic), talent acquisition & developmental mentorship, organizational loyalty cultivation & management, cross-cultural symbolic communication.
II. EXECUTIVE SYNOPSIS
DE LA SANGRE is the Assembly's most versatile operative. She uniquely combines peerless field efficacy with an extraordinary capacity to understand and stabilize other agent, eliminating threats to the Assembly's operational integrity with a speed and finality that borders on the preternatural. Her value is not merely functional but deeply relational - she maintains the social cohesion of the senior staff and serves as a trusted mentor to junior assets. Her loyalty to the Director and team is personal and absolute. Despite being one of the Assembly's founders, she formally declined the title of co-director, opting for a role with greater operational freedom and direct asset contact. Still, successor designation has effectively been ratified by senior consensus, including SERDTSEV, though activation is deferred due to volatility risk.
III. BACKGROUND
- Execution of a maternal uncle (1976) served as a primary formative trauma, instilling the core philosophical tenet that would later define her operational methodology: "To survive by forgetting is to serve the murderer".
- Tutelage under RAÚL D. (1979-1983) provided foundational combat training and a philosophy of "honest violence", centering on the blade as an unambiguous instrument of truth versus the perceived deceit of political and social structures.
- First confirmed independent kinetic engagement at age 15, a retaliatory act for another victim’s state-sanctioned sexual assault. The action was notable for its symbolic messaging (a carved epitaph), establishing a lifelong pattern of violence as a communicative and memorializing act.
- Subsequently recruited by rural guerrilla remnants (1983); received formal training in asymmetric warfare and rural mobilization tactics.
- The 1985 Mexico City earthquake response mission served as a key ideological catalyst. Direct exposure to systemic corruption, institutional failure, and the erasure of civilian casualties solidified her operational thesis: the world's primary conflict exists between "those who remember, and those who erase".
- Instrumental in the founding of the Assembly with DIR. MALRAUX (1987), providing the kinetic, philosophical, and human counterweight to his structural and analytical approach.
- Independently founded and maintains a parallel, deniable external asset networks, "La Orden de la Sangre"(1986-present) and “Los Hijos de la Sangre” (1991-present) which function as proxy forces, independent intelligence-gathering apparatuses, and recruitment pools for individuals sharing her specific philosophical leanings.
IV. OPERATIONAL HISTORY
Operational Codename: THE BLADE
Mission Profile: Excels in high-risk field operations, leadership decapitation, and total network dismantlement. Serves as primary field lead for Tier-0* scenarios deemed "unsalvageable". Functions as the primary mentor and tactical instructor for all field-capable assets as well as the final, unappealable arbiter of field competency.
- OP-87-041 (Moldova): Led a 3-person team to extract a high-value target from a trafficking ring. The team lost contact with DE LA SANGRE for 5 hours. 12 hrs later, the emergency extraction team found the compound secured: 8 primary traffickers had been systematically dismembered and disposed of. All intelligence was stacked neatly for transport. The mission was logged as a textbook example of efficient asset recovery and total network dismantlement.
- OP-90-015 (Chiapas)*: Co-led a high-risk persuasion operation with SERDTSEV. Combined psychological profiling provided the critical leverage for a successful, non-kinetic resolution in under three hours. A benchmark for interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Ongoing: Serves as primary close-quarters combat instructor and retrainer for assets undergoing significant somatic remediation (see: TSURUGI, T.; SANCŒUR, N.). Her success in this role is considered exceptional.
NOTE: A comprehensive mission log is not feasible for this format. Her operational tempo is unsustainable for any other asset, characterized by a pattern of overwhelming, disproportionate force and near-total eradication of opposition. She has been the primary field lead on 78% of the Assembly's most high-casualty operations and has provided tactical overwatch or direct support on 82% of all other field activities. A significant volume of her field activity is also conducted through her external networks, the full scope of which is difficult to fully quantify.
For complete operational history, see: SUPPLEMENTAL FILE AE/CDS-001.1 (784 pgs).
V. PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE
- Core Drives: A deeply held belief in justice through remembrance, operationalized as the proactive prevention of historical and personal erasure. The protection and nurturing of her designated in-group is a non-negotiable moral absolute, directly linked to her core philosophy.
- Failure Modes: Boundary violations framed as care; High-risk acceptance; consistent prioritization of mission success and asset safety over personal welfare, leading to a pattern of accrued physical attrition; argumentative non-compliance with mandated rest periods or medical stand-downs - which she frames as maintaining operational readiness.
- Affect: Charismatic, playful, and possesses a finely calibrated sense of humor which she employs as a tool for social bonding, stress relief, and subtle psychological assessment. Highly effective in not only morale-building, but also to disarm, dominate, and assert social control. AFFECT DISCONTINUITY EVENTS: sudden drop of cheer to neutral/cold focus; produces acute environmental destabilization in room.
- Susceptibilities: Demonstrates a hair-trigger response to perceived betrayal, excessive cruelty, or challenges to her defining moral tenet. Exhibits a near-pathological need to memorialize every life she takes. Shows significant positive affect response to observable in-group bonding and successful mentorship outcomes. Assist with complex technologies so as to prevent property damage.
VI. TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES & AUGMENTATION
- Capabilities: Master practitioner of bladed combat and guerrilla tactical doctrine. Demonstrates genius-level aptitude for psychological manipulation and real-time tactical improvisation. Exceptional leadership and innate morale-building skills. Fluent in leveraging cultural and symbolic narratives for operational ends.
- Health: Possesses a terrifying pain tolerance and recovery rate. Refuses all cosmetic remediation for extensive scarring, wearing her injuries like trophies. Her medical records are knowingly incomplete, as she treats her own wounds in the field. This represents a significant intelligence gap. This combined with sustained high-tempo operational pace inherently risks cumulative physical and psychological stress, though the subject's external presentation remains consistently robust.
- Augmentation: Consistently refuses all offers of somatic hyperaugmentation, viewing her unmodified form as a testament to her philosophical stance against the erasure of inherent identity. This is noted in strategic assessments as a potential long-term liability.
VII. RISK / CONTROL
- Risk: MEDIUM. The primary risk is not disloyalty, which is assessed as virtually nonexistent, but attritional depletion through sustained high-risk operation and the consistent undervaluing of self-preservation. Her loyalty is personal and fierce, but her methods are unpredictable. Unlogged movement creates strategic uncertainty. Also see affect discontinuity event above (PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE - Affect).
- Controls: The subject’s profound personal loyalty to DIR. MALRAUX and her deeply ingrained protective attachment to staff are the primary and most effective control mechanisms. Standard external controls (mandated rest, medical compliance) are consistently less effective, as she systematically rationalizes bypassing protocols she perceives as detrimental to her team’s welfare or mission success. Control is therefore predominantly relational and trust-based - however, information withholding is currently being used by senior staff as a containment method
VIII. SELECT RELATIONSHIPS
- ████████████████ FAMILY: Biological family. Subject initiated complete, permanent separation at age 15 as a protective measure following her first lethal engagement. All direct contact is blocked at the infrastructure level per her standing request. She tracks their lives from a distance with meticulous attention, though she has never attempted to make contact.
- DON RAÚL: Deceased. A veteran of the Mexican Revolution who provided her foundational combat training and philosophical grounding. His death in a non-political altercation several years after her departure is noted in her file as a "permanent stain”. She makes an annual, solitary pilgrimage to his gravesite.
- LOS HIJOS DE LA SANGRE / LA ORDEN DE LA SANGRE: The members of her external network, primarily composed of rescued youths, survivors from trafficking zones, and refugees. They are not merely operatives; they are her extended family. They universally refer to her as "Abuelita”, a title she embraces. They are her eyes, ears, and claws outside the Assembly's formal structure, and their existence is a statement of her personal power.
IX. COUNCIL DYNAMICS
- Mission thesis: design a world with minimized suffering via controlled violence.
- Dir. MALRAUX D.:██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ - STAHLBERG, G.: Designated peer and primary social stabilizer. Their diametrically opposed methodologies create a highly effective, complementary partnership, and they are one of the few pairs capable of mutually disrupting each other's self-destructive tendencies. While Stahlberg's quiet presence has a calming effect, DE LA SANGRE's internal logs indicate persistent concern for her colleague’s unsustainable workload.
- SERDTSEV, V.: Designated field partner. A study in professional contradictions. She openly despises his methods and ideology, and is one of the few who will directly and publicly reprimand him for cruelty towards other members. Despite this, they share a somewhat amicable off-duty rapport and their field synergy is exceptional, a dynamic that continues to baffle other senior staff.
- ANDERS, L.: A paternal figure and mentor. DE LA SANGRE seeks out his company frequently, for both mutual intellectual enjoyment and to discreetly monitor his health. As two of the more verbally expressive members, they are often observed in extended conversation, which reliably improves the affect of both.
- TSURUGI, T.: Protégé and one of her most significant relational anchors. The bond was forged during TSURUGI's period of perceptual transition and retraining. The asset demonstrates a fierce, protective loyalty and grants unique latitude to engage in personal teasing and informality. The relationship provides measurable positive affect for both parties.
- SANCŒUR N.:Protégé. DE LA SANGRE has taken a pointed, protective interest, potentially identifying parallel behavioral patterns. She actively, if subtly, intervenes to mitigate the SANCŒUR's self-destructive tendencies.
- PETRAKIS, T.: To be filled…
- VALE, R. & M.: To be filled…
- General Note: DE LA SANGRE is universally perceived as the organization's charismatic center and its most accessible senior member. She is both respected and feared for her lethality, but is simultaneously the recipient of significant affection and trust due to her perceived authenticity and consistent interpersonal support. Her demeanor and observable care for other assets' well-being create a cohesive, familial atmosphere that metrics indicate significantly enhances asset retention and loyalty. She effectively functions as the primary interface between the Director's structural logic and the staff's human psychological needs, increasing the machine's overall efficiency by making it a more habitable environment.
X. NOTES / OBSERVATIONS (RUNNING LOG)
| Date | Notes | Observations | Initials |
|---|---|---|
| 17/06/1987 | Following success of OP-87-041 (Moldova), subject initiated an impromptu celebration with both senior and junior assets. DE LA SANGRE consumed a significant volume of low-quality mezcal, maintaining high affect and social cohesion for 2.5 hours. Post-event, she was discovered by TSURUGI experiencing emesis, verbally berating the alcohol bottle for its "treachery" and failure to incapacitate her, accompanied with a significant volume of colloquialisms and pejorative terminology - the specific content of which is not suitable for this document. The gathering significantly improved inter-asset cohesion. However, subject's capacity for alcohol is noted as exceptionally high, and her reaction to overconsumption is not incapacitation but belligerence towards inanimate objects. Future non-operational social functions should be pre-emptively stocked with quality-controlled consumables to prevent both property damage and the degradation of a formidable operative's dignity. | G.S. |
| 15/12/1988 | Subject was overseeing a live-fire exercise with SERDTSEV. During a lull, they were observed sitting on an ammunition crate. SERDTSEV was sketching in a small notebook. Subject was speaking quietly, gesturing to the sketch. Audio picked up her saying, "...so the fool sees the tragedy, but the martyr feels the farce... And you, Victor, always miss the joke". SERDTSEV did not reply but offered a nod. Subject's biometrics showed a 15% decrease in baseline cortisol and a relaxed posture atypical for a training environment and proximity around SERDTSEV. | T.T. |
| 21/05/1989 | Located subject in the central gardens at 03:13 during a non-operational period. She was stationary, observed staring at the poppies woven into her hair. When approached, she immediately re-engaged her characteristic vibrant demeanor to discuss operational timelines, but the transition, while seamless, featured a 1.2-second latency in response initiation. | V.S. |
| 24/11/1989 | Subject took a potentially fatal blow meant for SANCŒUR during a live-fire exercise. The sim-round left a severe bruise over her kidney. She shrugged it off, winked at SANCŒUR, and said, "You owe me a drink, niña" (verbatim). Later, she was seen leaning heavily against a wall, showing suppressed signs of distress and pain. Was taken immediately to medical. | N.S. |
| 11/01/1990 | During a routine security review, subject's quarters were found to contain what appears to be a personal memorial wall. Contains photographs of 73 individuals - some targets, some victims, some collateral. Each photo is connected by string to documents, newspaper clippings, and in some cases, personal effects. The wall displays a level of personal attachment to operational outcomes that borders on pathological. Of note, she became internally agitated (increased respiratory rate, minor tremor in hands) when she could not immediately recall the surname of a factory worker from a failed 1986 extraction in Gdansk. | L.A. |
| 04/05/1990 | Subject engaged in a spontaneous, 2-hour close-combat training session with SANCŒUR, in Gymnasium B. Session escalated beyond standard sparring protocols. Final 12 minutes involved full-force, non-pulled strikes and complex joint manipulation. Both agents concluded the session with visible injuries. Noted that SANCŒUR did not once attempt to disengage or call for halt. DE LA SANGRE was smiling throughout. | D.M. |
| 26/06/1991 | Subject was conducting a final briefing for OP-91-102 (Strasbourg) with SERDTSEV. Her demeanor was professional but warm, using tactical slang to ease team tension. However, when Jr. Analyst RIGAULT (see: TERMINATED) challenged SERDTSEV's projected 12% collateral casualty estimate as "excessively conservative," the subject's affect shifted instantaneously. In 1.4 seconds, she closed the distance to RIGAULT and, with a precise structural kinetic adjustment, terminated the asset cleanly, minimizing suffering and spillage - postmortem confirmed atlanto-occipital dislocation resulting in immediate respiratory arrest. To the team (audio transcript): "The 'butcher's bill' is calculated by me. His numbers are my scripture. Question his math again, and I will personally demonstrate the variables." The subject's biomarkers showed no elevation. She later filed a report designating RIGAULT as a compromised mole. A Level-4 forensic sweep, initiated on her recommendation, uncovered an active dead-drop protocol in RIGAULT's quarters, confirming unauthorized external communication. |
G.S. |
| 03/09/1991 | Subject has initiated an intensive, unsanctioned training regimen with SANCŒUR. Sessions are characterized by extreme physical and psychological duress: 18-hour endurance drills, sensory deprivation lock-picking, and live-blade sparring where subject demonstrates lethal intent. | T.T. |
| 18/01/1992 | ██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ █████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ █████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ |
D.M. |
| 10/09/1992 | During cohesion gathering, DE LA SANGRE visually/auditorily assessed TSURUGI upon entry; subject’s affect shifted from high warmth to neutral threat-focus within the second. Subject issued direct command (“Look at me”), questioned TSURUGI regarding recent cosmetic modifications, and initiated escalation sequence. Secondary staff exhibited immediate risk-mitigation behaviors. Subject self-interrupted escalation, withdrew, reassembled humor, and exited briefly under pretext of retrieving supplies. Upon return, subject resumed cohesion facilitation. Assessment: DE LA SANGRE demonstrates capacity to “fold” high-intensity anger into controlled affect presentation when aware of collateral destabilization. However, others should aim to avoid such events completely as collective safety may become compromised in such instances. | D.M. |
| —/—/— | Add new entry… |
XI. ATTESTATION
Prepared By
Dominic — Director
Date
[REDACTED]
Classification
CONFIDENTIAL // EYES ONLY
Chapter 8: Malraux, Dominic
Notes:
Please read on desktop rather than on mobile due to AO3's limited HTML capabilities. If you still wish to read on mobile, click on "Hide Creator's Style".
Chapter Text
PERSONAL NOTES - UNSANCTIONED
SUBJECT: MALRAUX, DOMINIC
AUTHOR: ██████████████████████
I. Identifiers
Aliases: "Director," "Father," "The Gardener," "Archbishop", "Dominic"
Origin: Naples, Italy (1952)
"Head Gardener" might be more accurate
Role: Architect and Director
Competencies: Spiritual manipulation, systemic corruption, psychological profiling, organizational architecture
Captured shortly before restructuring council initiative; He monitored our personnel fatigue levels
II. Executive Assessment
Malraux represents the most dangerous kind of revolutionary: one who acts from genuine compassion rather than ambition. His operational thesis - that the world cannot be reformed, only rebuilt - stems from personal experience with institutional failure at the most intimate level. The Council serves as both his laboratory and his evidence; we are living proof that "broken" individuals can be repurposed for higher efficiency when given proper direction and purpose. The terrifying aspect isn't his methodology, but his sincerity - he genuinely believes this is the only way to prevent others from experiencing the suffering that shaped him. Every decision, no matter how cruel, is framed as a necessary step toward creating a world where no child is abandoned, no faith is betrayed, no mother is murdered for wanting to escape.
III. Background Notes
-
Product of Catholic orphanage system - learned early that institutions serve their own survival above all else
Early acquisition of information-for-absolution dynamic
-
Documented sexual assault by clergy member at age 12, followed by institutional cover-up and victim-blaming where he was forced to confess to "tempting" his abuser
-
Excelled academically within the Church structure while developing deep antipathy for its core beliefs - graduated top of his class at the Pontifical Gregorian University
-
Rose through Vatican hierarchy as an exercise in systems penetration rather than spiritual devotion - became the youngest archbishop of his generation
Thesis was on "Institutional Failure as Theological Necessity”
-
Personal tragedy: located biological mother in 1974, attempted reconciliation rejected. Her subsequent murder by domestic violence and the Church's refusal to provide burial rites served as the catalytic event cementing his worldview
-
Discovery of Miraculous legends during theological research provided both methodology and justification for his ambitions - he sees them as tools that previous "gods" failed to wield properly
He doesn't just want to be a god - he wants to be better
IV. Operational Profile
Field Name: THE SCEPTER
Governance instrument rather than blunt force
Methodology: Long-term cultivation of human assets through psychological profiling and manipulation. Specializes in identifying exceptional individuals at critical junctures where personal trauma intersects with systemic betrayal - what he calls "the moment of perfect fracture."
Some of us should have run when he found us.
Current Missions:
-
Consultative Assembly of Eden: Ongoing project in creating functional organizational family from high-risk individuals. Success measured in operational efficiency and interpersonal bonding
Charts our "bonding metrics" alongside our mission success rates. Believes he's found correlation.
-
Global Systems Analysis: Continuous assessment of failing institutions (political, religious, economic) to identify optimal pressure points for eventual collapse
-
Theological/Historical Research: Maintaining Vatican position while pursuing knowledge of anomalous power structures (Miraculous) - views them as tools for the eventual restructuring
V. Psychological Assessment
Core objective: prevent recurrence of childhood and clerical institutional harms
Primary Motivation: Creation of a world immune to the specific institutional failures that characterized his personal history. This is not power for its own sake, but about proving through practical demonstration that systemic suffering can be eliminated through controlled demolition and rebuilding.
Notable Characteristics:
-
Maintains preternatural calm in crisis - reads as spiritual serenity but is actually clinical detachment
-
Demonstrates deep understanding of individual psychological needs - uses this knowledge for both support and control
-
Uses affection and belonging as primary control mechanisms - makes compliance feel like family loyalty
-
Genuinely distressed by observable suffering among Council members - sees it as personal failure and evidence of current system's irredeemability
Vulnerabilities:
-
Over-investment in Council as proof of concept - cannot accept failure of the experiment
-
Apparent emotional dependency on certain key relationships - contradicts his professed detachment
Consistently positions himself to monitor ingress/egress points
-
Inability to accept incremental improvement when total transformation seems possible - shows impatience with "half-measures"
VI. Capabilities Assessment
-
Genius-level strategic planner with exceptional long-range vision
-
Master of multiple philosophical and theological systems - uses their language while subverting their purposes
-
Fluent in using institutional language to mask radical intent - appears orthodox while planning revolution
-
Exceptional talent for identifying and developing human potential - sees brokenness as raw material
VII. Risk Analysis
Threat Level: Maximum. Not due to volatility or impulsivity, but because of absolute conviction combined with strategic patience and the unwavering loyalty he commands.
He's getting impatient. The man who waited decades is now tapping his watch.
Controls:
-
The Council's welfare serves as his primary constraint - our suffering accelerates his timeline
-
His own intellectual commitment to structured process - may provide warning signs before action
Limitations increasingly viewed as obstacles rather than boundaries
-
The practical limitations of any single actor, no matter how brilliant - though he is testing this boundary
Analytical note: We are his controls. And he is straining at the leash. Every time one of us stumbles, the leash tightens.
VIII. Relationships
With both parents deceased and his disdain for the Church that raised him, he views the Council as both family and experimental subjects. His investment in our well-being is genuine but instrumental to his larger goals - he cares for us as both people and proof of concept.
It's an interesting relationship...
DE LA SANGRE, C.: Unique status as peer rather than subordinate. Their relationship appears to be the only one that challenges his operational assumptions but he struggles to express his feelings outside of practical terms - it terrifies him because it is the one thing in his life he did not engineer. She's his favorite weapon and his only friend, and he cannot reconcile these two roles.
STAHLBERG, G: Does not fully agree with her doctrine but realizes she is valuable as the foundation of the Council. As his first senior recruit, he finds her self-destruction quite tragic, and after multiple failures to restrain her punishing workload, is noticeably hurrying his plan, hoping to beat her ticking clock. Her exhaustion is his failure.
Started doing the paperwork at night
SERDTSEV, V: His favorite experiment and most curious case study. He obsesses over the question: why does a man who supposedly does not care about anything work for his Council? Whether Malraux knows of the hubris that possesses him in trying to study SERDTSEV, I do not know. Their debates are the closest he comes to intellectual pleasure.
ANDERS, L: Malraux holds respect for ANDERS but the two have accepted their mutual roles as tools for the other. Still, I suspect he would rather not have to replace ANDERS despite having multiple alternatives that are more practical. There's a certain comfort in their mutual understanding of being damaged goods.
TSURUGI, T: The perfect asset who took the path of transcendence he once considered. He respects her technical skill, but pities the humanity she shed. He also pities the amount of control she lets her parents have in her life - it mirrors his own history with the Church.
SANCŒUR, N.: The sacrificial lamb and the perfect daughter. The one who most perfectly embodies his philosophy of love-through-self-erasure. It both fascinates and horrifies him - she is the living embodiment of his ideals, and he watches her destroy herself to fulfill them.
He gave the plush cat back… an unknown variable
The other members find him unsettling precisely because of this contradiction: a man capable of deep compassion who also engineers catastrophe. His empathy makes them uneasy because it suggests choice - and choice implies intentional cruelty. We could forgive a monster. A loving god who permits suffering is much harder to accept.
IX. Behavioral Observations
25/12/1991: Found Subject in his private quarters, holding a faded rosary and a death certificate. He was not praying. He was staring at them with an expression of profound, world-ending grief. This is the well he draws from.
16/01/1992: Malraux observed taking notes on Charles Manson. Autobiography was filled with tabs, notes, and marks - he has clearly been doing this secretly for a while now. Not admiration, but study of manipulation techniques and organizational dynamics.
"Even failed experiments yield data" - overheard.
21/01/1992: Malraux observed Council social gathering. Demonstrated unusual stillness while monitoring interactions. Expression suggested memorializing rather than participating. As if already planning the next iteration, or saying goodbye to this one.
Found a discarded list of our names — "Anchor," "Foundation," "Scalpel," "Heart," "Mirror," "Sacrifice."
03/03/1992: Intercepted a memo he'd discarded. Had drawn a timeline with "Catalyst Events" marked. Our names were there next to dates. He's measuring our breaking points.
X. Projected Trajectory
Are any of us really willing?
Malraux is approaching a strategic inflection point. His tolerance for the world's imperfections appears to be reaching its limit. His plans are showing signs of strategic shift from management to active dismantlement of global systems. This appears directly correlated with observed stress levels among Council members. The suffering of his "family" within the current system is becoming the catalyst that moves him from theory to practice. He has the methodology (Miraculous research), the resources (Council and Vatican positions), and the willing instruments (us).
The only remaining question is whether anyone can offer an alternative that satisfies both his intellectual framework and his emotional investments before he decides the only solution is to burn everything down and start over.
God have mercy on our souls. Dominic certainly won't.
PERSONAL NOTES - DO NOT CIRCULATE - EYES ONLY - DESTROY AFTER READING
Chapter 9: Hartono, Johan
Chapter Text
CONFIDENTIAL // LEVEL IV
TERMINATION RECORD: HARTONO, JOHAN
I. IDENTIFIERS
Aliases: “Phoenix” (DGSE Operational Codename)
Origin: Jakarta (ID); moved to Marseille (FR)
Age at Termination: 27
Affiliation: Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE)
Cover Occupation: Financial Analyst (false)
II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Record documents the controlled termination of a junior foreign intelligence operative following full exploitation of compromised communications channels. Subject was deployed as expendable penetration bait and retained until intelligence yield was exhausted.
Emotional suggestibility, attachment-driven decision-making, and predictable recruitment behavior rendered subject unsuitable for continued operation.
III. BACKGROUND
- First-generation immigrant; childhood marked by political instability and paternal loss.
- Relocated to France with mother during adolescence.
- Recruited by DGSE during final year at Sciences Po.
- Selection emphasized linguistic aptitude, adaptability, and compliance.
IV. OPERATIONAL DISPOSITION
- Operational Codename: PHOENIX
- Mission Role: Junior infiltration / human intelligence cultivation
- Status: Compromised at inception
V. PSYCHOLOGICAL SUMMARY
- Primary Drives: Authority validation; rescuer self-concept; affiliative attachment.
- Failure Mode: Emotional collapse under exposure.
- Assessment: Predictable; manipulable; expendable.
VI. TERMINATION DETAILS
- Location: Porte de Lille
- Cause: Carotid artery dissection
- Executor: DE LA SANGRE, C.
- Notes: Execution reassigned following hesitation by SANCŒUR, N.
VII. COLLATERAL ACTIONS
- Cover narrative finalized (training accident).
- Next-of-kin notification scheduled.
- State compensation authorized.
VIII. ATTESTATION
Prepared By
Dominic — Director
Date
[REDACTED]
Classification
CONFIDENTIAL // EYES ONLY