Still working shopping the full back story, but here we go!
Name: "Quinn" Marianne Lindsey Carter
Nicknames: "Carter" mostly or "Q" if anyone is brave enough to come up with it.
Age: 28 || Height: 5'3 || Pronouns: She/They
Description: Pale skin with faded freckles. Pale blue eyes that are sensitive to light. Standard American accent that can swing between Californian (never been) or Southern. Shoulder length light red (can be mistaken for a light brown) that is usually kept up in a bun or pulled back in a ponytail. Never worn down.
Personality: Shifts between reserved and quiet to loud outbursts. They're subtle, but they are noticeable. Most days is calm, hardly speaking to anyone beyond what is necessary. Can very suddenly become demanding and confrontational. This stems from someone lagging behind in work that is now affecting them, or doing something they deem to be incorrect. This is not limited to how someone is managing a task, but how they act, talk, dress, interact with others etc. This often gets her called into HR.
Style: At work she only wears Slacks, flats and a tight button up shirt with a fitted suit jacket if weather allows. Long-sleeves only, never short-sleeves. If not at work, an array of plain colored t-shirts, jeans, tennis shoes, hiking boots all paired with either a hoodie or denim jacket. Both if cold enough.
Qualifications: Associate Degree in Finance, Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Forensic Accounting. Spent summers interning either with the Maryland office of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or the National Security Agency (NSA). Graduated with honors and was immediately offered a job by the IRS. Became an analyst in the Criminal Investigations department; specifically to evaluate and cross examine tax filings for federal organizations and nonprofits.
DONI Position: Treasury Secretary Assistant. Not allowed to mange funds directly, but mostly to do background checks of selected non-profits to ensure accountability prior to donations.
Names for Alfred: Jones when not in the mood and wants to get the point. Never gave him the respect of ever calling him "Mr" and never cordial enough to even attempt to call him "Alfred." Will call him "Captain" when being friendly, but resorts to "Felony" when pissed.
DONI Background: Moved to D.C. in 2019 (20yo) after graduating with her bachelor's degree early. While working within the IRS, she takes notice of a particular name that pops up multiple times on a donor list for seemingly unrelated nonprofits. Further research revealed to her that this had been going on for decades. The amounts ranged in vast quantities. When complied together it flagged as suspicious activity to the IRS systems. Given permission to pursue, Carter made it her mission to find out who this mystery donor was.
Only suspects tax evasion in the beginning. High profile people liked to do that in her experience. Embezzlement money to charities in their own name, or those under the ones in their inner circle. Money always moving, but never going to those that needed it. In the later portion of 2022, Carter is able to pull more detailed information collected by one of the nonprofits. A government email from the donor congratulating the charity on breaking a record, complete with a signature.
Alfred F. Jones from the Department of National Identity.
Having never even heard of such a department, Carter digs deep before finding it. The logo alone set off major alarm bells to her. In what world would anyone believe that a blog with a pie as a logo be a legit federal department of the United States? It was so ludicrous to her that this had not been caught before. It's from here that she searches deeper.
Still having contacts within the NSA, Carter requests an unofficial review of all past and ongoing projects that the DONI is conducting. Their cyber security is practically nonexistent. Everything being done within the department is handed to her for review. Pay roll. Staffing. Funding. Emails. Phone numbers. Addresses.
...genetic projects? Something labeled as the 'Gemini Report' by a Dr. Amelia Baker. What was a department formed for the preservation of the historical identity of the United States doing with a geneticist that used to work for the State Department?
Further looking through the staffing roster lead to that name popping up again. Alfred F. Jones, a former employee of the State Department, now in charge of the DONI and...only 21 years old? That was incorrect, he'd been a member of the State Department since- the 20th century?
Either someone in the department made an error typing the date in, or there was something else going on beyond simple tax evasion. Looking deeper into everyone within the DONI, Carter uncovered an unnerving pattern. All had been abruptly fired from other federal departments before being immediately hired at the DONI. All had NDA's mentioned within their files. All of them concerned about "the embodiment of the United States" and "Alfred F. Jones" as if the two were somehow interchangeable.
The further Carter went, the more of a conspiracy she formed. Eventually reads the Gemini Report in full. Between that and the file of decades long falsified birth certificates, driver's licenses and military ID's Carter is left with the only possible conclusion that either Alfred Jones was very young for his age, or he wasn't human.
The final nail in the coffin for Carter was when she found a report submitted by an Amanda Atkinson about a trip she had accompanied Mr. Jones with to Salem, Massachusetts. To oversee resurrected files of his death from the witch trials in the 17th century and the date in which his grave would be added to the memorial.
Left reeling from this information, Carter quickly complies all the evidence she has in mid 2023. Alfred Jones was not human- report be damned, humans do not live for hundreds of years. He had latched himself to the government like a parasite. Pulling away taxpayer dollars to fund trips, off the record flights, security escorts, military honors, health insurance, food bills, lodgings- everything around him was paid for by others and what? Just for his unknown department to be given federal funding? Funding that went to charities? Money that had been rightfully belonging to the people in the first place and never should have gone to him? He had access to all levels of the government. How many politicians were in his pocket? How many bent their heads so he could whisper in their ears? Too many if he stayed in power this long.
Carter submits the report to someone she trusted within the IRS. Had considered outright going public, but evidence backed or not, no one would believe such a thing. She didn't believe it- but all the numbers were there. His face, his signature tied to them all. It goes up the chain- then abruptly gets cut.
The friend in the NSA is transfered across the country. There is a full, official review of her department. Her home is searched by the FBI. She's brought in for questioning. For days this goes on. Questions of what she knows. Over and over in tactics to get her to change her story and second guess herself. Carter does not budge.
The ultimatum is laid before her. Either sign an NDA binding her to the State Department, FBI and DHS, that she will never reveal the information she uncovered. She will be transfered to the DONI where she will remain for the rest of her career, or she doesn't sign, and gets fired from the IRS. Sued for improper investigation into a private citizen, slapped with so many felonies that Carter would never know anything but a secluded prison cell ever again.
Is an early bird. The first to arrive to the office. Likes to travel in the dark and prefers the quiet of the office.
Uses the chance of being first in to sneak candy from the communal bowl and hide them in the bottom drawer of her desk.
Never socialize with anyone within the office beyond what is necessary.
Has Alfred listed as Alfred "Felony" Jones in her contacts.
Likes to do puzzles and watch crime shows. Other hobbies are reading historical texts, watching history dramas and going to museums or on a hike.
Huge caffeine addict. Unhealthily so.
Her office is not decorated or personalized. Beyond whats in the drawers, there is nothing in there to make it hers. This leads to an incident with an intern when they try to claim her office without anyone paying attention on the One Day that Carter is late. It was not a good day for anyone involved when they walked into their office that day.
Managed to get herself one of the good offices and not a cubicle. Keeps the door shut, lights off and windows blocked. Is very sensitive to light and sound. The ID reader to enter the office emits a high pitched sound that drives them up the wall. Unfortunately, hardly anyone else seems to be able to hear it.
Is very, very emotionally manipulative. Is capable to telling just enough truth with twisted facts to make others feel sorry for her to the point they can get what they want. Usually it's information. Does not do this within the office, but convinces herself that she does. Small part of why Carter avoids others. It's mostly the NDA threat though.
Does NOT get along with David. Will find ways to get under his skin and annoy him. She is intentionally antagonist towards Alfred and David will not have it.
Actually likes Tobias despite knowing it's not mutual. There are days when she's on her best behavior and will pop into his office just to keep her Days Since Last In HR counter at zero.
Loathes Amanda and Alfred the most. Personally blames them for what happened and up-ending her life.
The NDA Carter signed with the State Department is entirely seperate from the one they signed at the DONI- no one, not even Carter is aware of this. It was sign here or go to prison. No lawyer involved.
This was LONG but there is a very good reason that explains Carter's behavior and why they're the way they are on a more personal level that shall be posted in the group later. Here's the office asshole everyone! Hope y'all like π
YAYYYY YAYYYYY I LOVED THIS it fit so well and also fits so well with the corruption of the doni government and state department in particular. like yeah if you dont go work at the doni youre going away forever basically you dont know that but thats whats going to happen. i do wonder how much alfred knows about situations like that and if people actually have been put in prison for getting close to the secret without him knowng. anyway i think lots of governments have to do very corrupt things as time progresses to the 21st century to keep this a secret and its a miracle they made it so far.
i looooove this backstory the IRS of course! of course the NSA!!! now im wondering about a doni au where carter was somehow successful. lord have mercy. lets not worry too much about that.
i also like the aspects of this which are sorta dehumanizing to alfred and i wonder how carter takes his insistence at being called the personification of america in a human body since that distinction is important to him. and also carter being an office earlier birdie and alfred being that way as well is so funny like. them just being the only two people there THE VIBES ARE BAD. thinking about how you also need a psych eval to be at the doni i wonder what she thought about that
the doni really is the island of misfit toys isn't it. oh doni i love you. i loved that little snippet you posted in the community idk if that was just for fun or if you're working on something but you have my full support either way.
i do think it is very interesting that a similarity between carter and annette is their focus on the money part of being an NP, which i think is very understandable coming from people of their generation. they are very conscious of wealth inequality and government spending. i suppose the financial parts are kinda the parts that have the most tangible impact on the daily lives of average people, knowing they've been payrolling these people and their activities, even if thats not entirely accurate. just interestinggggg
i look forward to hearing more!!!
