#off record interviews

SUBJECT: Maggie House

QUERY: Why Korean food?

Asher always said I was too used to the same soil.

On our first date, he sat me down in front of a sizzling stone bowl and told me to just... *experience* it. No overthinking. I remember the way the sesame oil hit the heat - that toasted, nutty scent that sticks to your clothes.

He went completely still when I took my first bite.

The way he looked at me - I felt like a girl who could do anything.

After the building fell, the world went grey. My own cooking tasted like ash. I couldn’t make anything without measuring it against what used to be.

But I kept walking past Korean restaurants. Fermented chili paste. Garlic. Anchovy broth. It was the only thing sharp enough to cut through the fog.

I didn't choose Masisseoyo. It chose me.

I went in for lunch one Tuesday, and the soup was... off. Just a bit. The broth hadn't simmered long enough to let the anchovies really speak.

I must have made a face, because Mr. Kim came over, squinting at me.

He didn't get mad. He just asked if I knew what was missing.

I told him it needed more time and a pinch more salt. He handed me an apron.

Over a year later, I’m still here.

I’m not the girl who wanted her own restaurant anymore.

But when I’m carrying a tray of banchan, I’m moving. I’m fluid.

I’m... trusting the process.

SUBJECT: Harmon, V. ("Vex")

QUERY: Criteria for field operative selection

Efficiency. Emotional detachment. High stress-tolerance thresholds.

Marksmanship is a baseline requirement. Infiltration is a technical skill. Both are trainable.

What isn't trainable is the ability to process shifting variables at 0300 with zero external support.

Most candidates fail because they prioritize ego or ethics over the objective. Negative outcomes are usually the result of hesitation - a 'human' moment where a tactical one was required.

I manage dozens of field operatives. Most are competent. They maintain protocol. They meet parameters. They are replaceable.

Once, maybe twice in a career, you find an asset that functions beyond the manual. Near-Zero Latency. Natural kinetic aptitude. Someone who has already processed the end of the mission before the first shot is fired.

You don't train that level of lethality.

You recognize it.

You refine it.

Then, you do whatever is required to maintain operational readiness.

Whatever is required.

SUBJECT: Graves, A. (“Corpse”)

QUERY: Origin of call sign

I didn’t choose any of them.

In the military, I was “Lady Bug.” Electronics glitched when I got close. It started as “Lightning Bug.” They shortened it. Call signs are meant to humiliate. It worked.

When I left and joined Caliber, they called me “Static.” Clean. Simple. Functional.

Then the building came down.

I stopped functioning.

That’s when Vex started using “Corpse.”