Mackenzie Meret is a former socialite and the heiress of the Meret Estate. The only surviving member of her family, she's the leader of the community settlement she established in her house, only to be attacked by the Cleaners during Paradise Lost. She alongside surviving civilians were rescued by Division agents and were sent to Haven to recover. She also has ties with Natalya Sokolova, which is best described as a complicated relationship. In addition, she also had ties with Bridgette Douglas, as she used to be friends with the Rogue Agent.
Her fashion brand stores and advertisements can be seen throughout many areas in New York City and Washington, D.C.
Biography[]
Mackenzie Meret grew up in the Meret Estate with her family, whose bloodline was stretched as far as the Civil War. Her parents were tragically killed in a car accident, leaving her the only surviving member. She used her family's wealth to create a high-fashion line for rich and powerful clients.
Mackenzie became acquainted with Natalya Sokolova at some point, although their relationship was anything but positive. At one time, she called out the negative relationship that Sokolova has with her parents. She also got acquainted with Bridgette Douglas, due to her father's business.
Before the Green Poison, she was at the New York Free Clinic benefit party, where she got acquainted with Aaron Keener, due to his work as a futures trader. Despite his attempts to flirt and wanting to "make breakfast" for her, she dismissed him, although she was aware of the Smart Watch that both Keener and Douglas were wearing.
During the outbreak, Bridgette tried to convince Mackenzie to leave her estate and join the Black Tusk. She refused as she doesn't want anything to do with Sokolova, calling her PMC as a death cult, and preferred to stay at the community settlement she helped establish. Due to Bridgette's association with Black Tusk, Mackenzie's relationship with her went sour. This action would have her marked for a death warrant by Sokolova, though Mack wasn't aware of the fact.
During the events of Season 4: End of Watch, Mackenzie became aware of Felix Sokolov's death by The Division and called up Natalya to send condolences. However, due to Nat being dismissive over her brother's death, Mack got suspicious and accused her if she deliberately got him killed. Sokolova only dismissed the notion.
Attack on Meret Estate[]
Before the attack at her mansion, Sokolova ordered Wright to have his fellow Cleaners attack the Meret Estate to kidnap Mackenzie and bring her in. According to the comms recovered in the estate, Sokolova wanted to have Mack in her custody, with the motivation being forcing her to compliance and kill her if she still refuses. With the help of SHD Tech loaned from McManus, the Cleaners would promptly attack the estate under the pretense they were supplied by Rogue Agents.
Fortunately for Mackenzie and her community, Division agents were sent to repel the attack. Mackenzie did her part in helping the agents by guiding them through the security systems. After defeating the Cleaner forces, including their high-ranking commanders, Mackenzie and some of the survivors were sent to Haven to recover from the ordeal.
Learning more about the Wool Queen[]
During her stay, she noticed a picture of Keener in the settlement, which prompted a conversation with and Roy Benitez where she talks about her personal history with the rogue agent. It is not mentioned if she's aware of Keener's current status but given the fact that he sent his message to a Division terminal on Haven's lower floors where she's staying at, she'd very likely aware about it.
While Division agents were completing their tasks for the Hercules trial during the events of First Rogue, they intercepted comms where they learned a few things about Mack. For one, they learned of Keener's romantic interest towards her. Moreover, they learned that she had a few suitors in the past, but were "disappeared" by Natalya Sokolova as the Black Tusk's CEO saw them as competition, she needs to get rid of.
During the events in Burden of Truth, while Division agents fought True Sons in Roosevelt Island, they recovered comms where Mack's former friend, Bridgette Douglas, shared her misgivings about the ex-socialite to Aaron Keener and Bardon Schaeffer, talking about her negative attitude that caused a rift to her friends out of ego and competition all for the sake of trying to one-up against Natalya Sokolova.
In fact, Douglas often made excuses for Mack's behavior, but would later question herself why she made those excuses and why they were friends in the first place. Though, she does admit that Mack's behavior stemmed from losing her parents, growing up in a boarding school, and not wanting her family's inheritance as she saw it being built with blood money and exploitation, so she took it upon herself to never be happy and never have kids.
And during his debriefing with Manny Ortega in the events of Crossroads, Bardon Schaeffer shared what he knew about Mack, talking about her unrequited relationship with Natalya and their bitter and unhealthy rivalry that caused friction to her friends, and her community-oriented approach being a double-edged sword, as she is so single-minded in serving the needs of the community and making big systemic decisions, that she sees saving an individual's life, no matter how important or valuable they are, is a waste of her time. And she can't be as easily manipulated, as she does what she desires, regardless of the consequences.
With the loss of her community settlement and the damage that her family's estate suffered after the Cleaners attack, time can only tell if Mack would come to terms with herself and her damaged personality.
Personality[]
Despite being from a rich background, Mackenzie Meret put the needs of the community above herself. In spite of the tragedy she went through losing her parents, she used her family's wealth to create a high-fashion brand that became famous across the United States. Not only that, but she also used her wealth to make charities. One example is a free clinic she established in Brooklyn, New York before the outbreak.
Because of her background, Mack learned to be very perceptive, as she can quite see through the façade that rich people make during conversation. During a benefit party for the Brooklyn free clinic, she saw right through Aaron Keener's attempts to flirt with her, constantly pushing him off. In spite of that, Keener has romantic admiration for her, admitting later to her former friend, Bridgette Douglas, that he has a thing for complicated women.
However, a dozen comms that were recovered by Division agents reveal that deep down, Mackenzie Meret is a very broken and selfish woman. Combined with the tragedy of losing her parents, the time she spent in boarding school, and not wanting her family's wealth to go further up with blood money, Mack went out of her way to not let herself be happy and satisfied, which emboldened her with a constant negative attitude that soured her friendships, which included Bridgette Douglas, as she often went out of her way to make titanium bracelets for her friends with really inappropriate inscriptions. And Bridgette herself had to make excuses for Mack's behavior, that she later questioned herself why she made excuses for that and why they were friends in the first place.
Her community-drive mindset, while admirable, is a double-edged sword. Her work in serving the interests of a community matters above all else in her eyes. Saving even one person, when she could serve a community or making big systemic decisions, is a waste of her time as far as she is concerned. Furthermore, no one can easily control her as she does what she wants, regardless of the consequences.
And her relationship with Natalya Sokolova is unrequited, as Mack refused to become the image that Nat wanted her to be. And because Nat saw her mindset and not being easily manipulated as a game to be won, Mack often clashed with the Russian socialite in this rivalry, which was a toxic and unhealthy relationship and played a huge factor for Bridgette to break off her friendship with Mack.
To put it simply, Mackenzie Meret is a self-inflicted misanthrope with unhealthy trauma bonding who used her community-oriented mindset as a coping mechanism.
Trivia[]
- Mackenzie Meret is often called MnM by Sokolova and Keener, much to her chagrin, as she prefers to be called Mack.
- Throughout several locations in the game, many advertisements of the Meret fashion line can be seen.
- Mackenzie Meret is voiced by Lauren Stone, Narrative Director for Tom Clancy's The Division 2.