One Year Earlier
Marissa stepped out of what was left of the TAC building and into the bright lights of New York City at night. It was hard to believe they had only been in there for a couple of hours. The building was surrounded by FDNY trucks and workers; several NYPD cars and officers; countless ambulances, some with people in the back, some empty. People were staring up at the ruined building, their mouths open in shock and surprise. Debris was scattered all over the place, and the street had been cordoned off. Marissa could see several people that worked in the TAC building, as well as people from the surrounding buildings on the street, looking dazed and confused. She could understand that- she was pretty confused herself. The damage that had been caused was significant and scary. A gaping hole in the building was obviously where the blast had originated. Smoke was still curling into the sky, and some of the firefighters were spraying water onto the building just to be sure that no fire would start.
"Who's wants a drink?" asked Chunk.
"I'm down," answered Marissa in agreement.
"You guys aren't sick of each other yet?" asked Cable.
"Freedom, Cable. Let's just indulge our freedom." Marissa grinned and took Cable's hand, leading her away from the ruined TAC building.
Present Day
Marissa and Cable laughed at a joke as they passed by the security checkpoint. They waved at Chunk, who was leading a group of teenagers over to security.
"Hey, ladies," said Chunk. He turned to the young students. "These two women are two of TAC's analysts. This is Marissa Morgan," he said, pointing at Marissa. Then he pointed at Cable. "And this is Cable McCrory."
"Hey, guys," said Cable, who wasn't that much older than the students. "How's your day going so far?"
The teenagers smiled and said they had enjoyed their morning in Central Park. The two teachers with them shook their heads and thanked the three TAC workers for allowing them a glimpse into a normal day at TAC.
"It's not a problem. We love having students come in," said Marissa. She and Cable entered the elevator. "We'll see you upstairs soon. Bye Chunk."
The two ladies smiled as they watched Chunk explain why they were going through security before being allowed into the building.
"What's made the two of you so happy?" asked Danny.
Cable and Marissa stepped out of the elevator. "We were watching Chunk explain the need for security to teenagers," said Cable as she and Marissa joined Benny and Bull in the mock courtroom.
"Is he on the way up?" Bull asked.
"Yes. Everything's ready to go?"
"Sure is," said Benny. "Six of them will be jurors, one the plaintiff, one will be the respondent. Chunk will be the judge, I'm the plaintiff's lawyer. Bull is the respondent's lawyer. A couple of the kids will be witnesses, a couple will be experts. The rest will watch."
"They're going to love this," said Marissa.
"I hope so. I want to give these kids a chance to see what they can become," said Bull. "They've been disadvantaged for too long, it's time for them to enjoy themselves."
"This is sweet of you, Bull." Marissa smiled. "The kids will love you."
Bull smiled. "Thanks, Marissa."
The elevator opened again, and Chunk led the first group of students into the courtroom. They were followed shortly after by the second group with the two teachers.
"Welcome to TAC," said Bull. "I'm Doctor Jason Bull. This is Benny Colon, our in-house lawyer. And this is Danny James, one of our analysts. I believe you have already met Marissa and Cable. And you've clearly met Chunk."
"Dr Bull, thank you for allowing us to bring the students in. They've been very excited about this," said one of the teachers, Mrs Waters.
"It's not a problem. I want to help these kids. I know how hard it is to be disadvantaged, especially when you're young." Bull smiled at the students. "Okay, everyone, before we start on today's activity, I'd like to get to know all of you. We'll start with your names."
Mrs Waters gave the students an encouraging smile. She gently pushed the closest one forward.
"I'm Melissa," the teenager said softly.
"Nice to meet you Melissa. Today, you are going to be an expert witness for a mock trial. Could you follow Benny to your seat please?" Bull asked.
Melissa nodded. She was now smiling, and happily followed Benny to the front row of the court seats.
"I'm Joanne," said the next student.
"Well, Joanne, I'm going to make you a witness today. You can take a seat in the opposite seat to Melissa."
Once Joanne was sitting down, several other students stepped forward, eager to find out what part they were going to play.
"These students are George, Alison, Megan, Peter, Tommy, and Joseph," said Mrs Waters, pointing out each teenager.
"Well, I think we'll make you our jury today," said Bull. "You may take a seat where Benny is standing."
Five minutes later, Bull had assigned the second witness role to a student named Jack; the second expert role went to Bobby; Tammy was the plaintiff; and the respondent role went to Amelia. The rest of the students, who all seemed happy about not participating in the fake trial, took seats in the gallery with their teachers, Marissa, Cable and Danny. Chunk was sitting in the judge's seat, and Benny was sitting with Tammy at the plaintiff's table. After making sure that everyone was seated and ready to start, Bull joined Amelia at the respondent's table, signalling for Chunk to begin the mock trial.
Three hours had passed, but it felt like it had only been one. Everyone was enjoying the activities and presentations that the team had organised. The lunch that Marissa and Danny had prepared went off without a hitch. The teenagers and their teachers were astounded by the technology that Cable showed them. Everyone had enjoyed themselves. But, now, it was time for the students and teachers to leave. Their bus was waiting outside the TAC building for them.
"Dr Bull, thank you so much for allowing us in here," said Mrs Waters. "The students have loved every minute of today, and you have no idea how much you've made their day special."
"It was my pleasure," said Bull. "I hope that we've given them some idea of what they would like to do after school, and I hope that they have seen that they can make anything out of themselves, despite their current circumstances."
"You certainly have achieved all of that. A couple of the girls wanted to be lawyers, and I think that having a chance to speak with Benny really helped solidify that interest. And one of the boys wanted to be a psychologist. He mentioned that chatting to you helped him see how good of a career it can be."
"I'm happy to have helped. And, also, I wanted to mention something. This excursion doesn't have to be a one-time thing. If you can talk to the principal at your school and have him contact me, I'll happily set things up so that every year, your senior class can come out and visit the TAC offices. We'll fund the trip, so you guys can use the money for other things."
"Dr Bull, we can't ask you to pay for it all."
"You aren't asking, I'm offering. It's nothing, honestly. Knowing that those kids are getting a chance to see how good their futures can be is all I want in return."
Mrs Waters smiled gratefully. "I'll bring it up at our next staff meeting. Thank you."
Bull just nodded. He waved to the teenagers as they climbed into the bus with the second teacher. Then he said goodbye to Mrs Waters as she, too, entered the bus.