“Everything about your life is our business, Mr. Hutchins. You waved any remaining shreds of privacy when you signed your contract with BLU- which you would know if you read it.”
She flips open the file, revealing an array of photos. Pictures of his family, his childhood home, even of him. Miss Pauling grabs the pile and flips through them, searching for a particular one.
“I’m going to be honest with you, Bruce. I’ve worked with a variety of mercenaries in my time with the company, so I know there’s not a lot I can say to convince you to see the doctor. “
She finds the picture she’s looking for and sets it face up on the desk, sliding it towards him. It’s a picture of Ben- alarmingly recent, by the looks of things.
“What I can tell you is this: your brother’s education hasn’t quite taken the…unfortunate turn that yours did. It would be a shame if your lack of cooperation somehow became his problem.”
Bruce sits up and leans forward, snatching the picture from off her desk. As he observes it... his stomach sinks. He knew, of course, that TFI was keeping tabs on everyone. But seeing it in front of him like this... the photo is grainy, like it was taken from a distance. In it, Ben isn’t looking at the camera, but off in the distance. Bruce swallows thickly- the photo most definitely is recent. He recognizes their campus- Ben’s campus, now that he’s not there. Suddenly, the high he was on feels very far away.
Frowning, he sets the picture back down.
“Ben’s a good student. What the hell could you possibly come up with that anyone would believe? Besides, this is my issue, not his. Do whatever you want to me, I don’t give a shit. But you’re gonna leave him out of this,” Bruce explains, leaning forward. The act is tough, but he can feel his voice waiver just slightly, trying to cut back to its Boston roots. It’s a dead giveaway that Miss Pauling is making him nervous, but he’s not ready to back down yet.
