Veronica: What the fuck are you gawking at? Get me the hell out of this shithole!
The storm is coming here… I remember.
storms over, smacking her hand on the table You remember?! That's not fucking good enough! We need to start preparing now!
You were there. You remember. You were a cop. I was a kid. What the fuck were you thinking?!
grabs MountainEcho by the collar, pulling them close Look, kid, I didn't have all the answers back then.
You knew it was coming, and you knew it would be bad. And yet we just stood there while it all burned down.
releases MountainEcho, pacing angrily We did what we could, damn it! You think I didn't care?
You lost half the town. Half the people. Your response to the end of the world was “oh shit” and then you hid.
slams her fist on the table Hiding wasn't enough! I should have done more! But you think it was easy for me?
Hell yeah it was easy for you. You were safe as fuck in your little bunker. No danger, no fun, just you and your collection of antique jewelry.
narrows her eyes, clenching her fists You have no idea what it was like out there! I put myself in danger every day to protect these people!
Yeah, you were so brave. Locking up the criminals and evacuating the town. Oh wait you weren’t. You left the real cops to do their job while you ran. You were supposed to be their leader!
throws a folder across the room, shattering a glass Leader?
You were the police chief. You were supposed to be the hero.
takes a deep breath, regaining composure Fine, you want to play the blame game? Let's play.
We did what we could to prepare the town for the storm. As soon as the gusts died down we started looking for survivors.
leans against the table, arms crossed Survivors, huh? Well, lucky for you, I was one of the few who made it out alive.
And yet it took you a week to come back here. A week! While we scoured the streets, looking for any sign of you.
Veronica reveals that she went on a secret mission during the storm, searching for valuable artifacts in a hidden underground bunker.
How do you even begin to repay for that, Veronica? You abandoned us. Left us to die. You will never be forgiven for that.
pauses, looking down I know... I fucked up, alright? I should have been there for the town. But I had my reasons, damn it!
Yeah, your reasons were “I wanted to get rich quick.”
slams her fist on the table It's not about the money, you idiot! It was about securing something valuable for the town!
Like the contents of the underground bunker? Yeah, we found it after you bailed. People died because of you, Veronica.
points a finger at MountainEcho Don't you dare sit there and judge me after all I've done for this town!
After all you’ve done? You left your fellow officers to die. Do you know how many people gave their lives trying to save the town?
pauses, her voice trembling Yes, I know exactly how many people sacrificed everything for this town! And guess what?
Guess what, you self-righteous prick? I almost succeeded! Those artifacts could have brought this town back from the brink!
But instead, you failed, and people died waiting for you.
throws a chair across the room, narrowly missing MountainEcho You think you know pain? You think you understand loss?
I know more loss than you ever will. You can keep your artifacts. We may not have had the fancy titles, but at least we had each other.
pauses, tears streaming down her face You think I don't feel guilty? You think I don't wake up every night haunted by what happened?
softening I don’t know. But if you knew what pain was, you’d stop blaming everyone else for your mistakes.
wipes her tears, straightens her posture You think you can just walk all over me with your moral high ground? Fine, let's play the blame game then.
I’m sorry, Veronica. I’m just…. tired of seeing you take the credit for other people’s work.
smirks, crossing her arms Oh, so now you're tired of seeing me take credit? How about this then, MountainEcho?
How about you stop blaming others for your failures?
leans in closer, voice dripping with venom You wanna play the blame game, huh? Fine, let's play.