Angels and Ministers of Grace
Notes: While this is a crossover of Law and Order and Heroes, the main characters of Heroes will not be appearing. The characters of Law and Order will be doing most of the heavy lifting here, along with a small cast of brave-and possibly hapless-OCs…
1 Hogan Place
A gray-haired venerable gentleman, at the top of his game, Jack McCoy was on his way to Court. Didn't know it, but today was the day it was all going to come apart…
He had been following the news, of course; about Renautas Corporation, about their promise to save humanity from the Evos, and the Constitution be damned.
Adam would have eaten them for Breakfast…
Adam Schiff was somewhere in Europe, fighting the good fight there…
Hope he stays there, where it's safer…
The usual traffic-foot and motor-was in evidence today, but the pedestrians all seemed…edgy…casting nervous glances at three vans.
Two minivans, and a larger one, looked like it was designed for prisoner transport; all three bore the Renautas logo, and McCoy felt chills run down his spine.
Hunting…My god…They're hunting Evos here…
More to the point, four men, each wearing jackets with the Renautas logo on the lapels, each man armed…
They were walking right up to him, false smiles plastered on insincere faces.
"Jack McCoy!" the man in the lead called out. "If you would come with us please?"
"No," McCoy looked at his watch. "I have to be at Court right now. Please call my administrative assistant to make an appointment…"
He turned to leave, but-all of a sudden-his legs weren't working quite right. Had to be the two tranq darts suddenly embedded in his chest. Legs turned to butter, McCoy felt someone catch him before he hit the ground…
Claire…shouting something…McCoy can't hear her over the rumbling roar in his head…
Game of darts in a bar…
And suddenly, Jack is very small, his father's huge hands coming down…
Jack McCoy jerked awake in the rumbling darkness, tried to move, felt the straps holding him down.
Don't panic, he told himself. Just a little hard not to panic. He'd never been kidnapped before…
His eyes were adapting to the dark now…
The big van…
There were a few others; prisoners, like him, each strapped down on a stretcher, guards, armed with guns keeping watch; and McCoy heard muffled weeping. His throat tightened at the sound.
Children…They're taking children…
*Geriatrics too, Gramps…*
The voice, only in McCoy's head, shocked him into stillness.
*Don't worry, Gramps,* the voice continued. *Help is coming. We're getting rescued. Try to hang on to something…if you can…*
A few minutes passed. Then, the van veered suddenly. McCoy heard gunfire. The van veered again; everything tumbling. Someone screamed. McCoy's stretcher hit something. He saw stars, then he saw nothing at all…
"Hey, Gramps…" Someone gently slapping his face…voice softly hectoring…
"C'mon…open those baby blues, willya?"
Jack McCoy didn't want to. He hurt…all over; his head pounding like the great-grandfather of all hangovers…
"C'mon, Gramps…" the hectoring voice sighed. "We don't have time for this!"
McCoy opened his eyes, blinking owlishly up into brilliant haze. The haze slowly resolved itself into early morning sun, and a man he didn't know kneeling over him.
"Finally…" the man sighed again. "Feeling better, Gramps?"
Not so much…
McCoy slowly sat up, hand to his throbbing head.
"Where are we?" his voice came out a scratchy croak.
"Just inside Pennsylvania," the man said.
"Pennsylvania?" McCoy hauled himself to his feet. The sudden surge of vertigo almost laid him right back down again; but the man caught him by both shoulders, kept him more or less upright.
"Whoa, Gramps…" he said. "Catch your breath first. You've had a rough day."
That man's voice…
"You?"
"Yeah…" the man nodded. "I'm an Evo, and mental speech is part of my power. What's yours?"
"I'm not an Evo," McCoy stepped backward, wobbling slightly, ran a shaky hand through his hair.
"Gramps, you've got to be an Evo. They don't do this to Normals."
McCoy leveled a stern gaze at the man.
"I'm only going to say this once," he said. "I am not an Evo."
"Then, why did they take you?"
"I've spoken out against Renautas countless times; done editorials on all the papers, lots of them."
"So you're a…irritant?" the man snorted.
An irritant…
I certainly didn't do very much to stop them…
"Yeah…" McCoy nodded, feeling ashamed…useless. "That's about the level of what I was able to accomplish…"
"You see," the man said. "That's the thing… They don't take irritants. Either they ignore them; or they kill them. How come you ain't dead? How come you're here with us?"
"I don't know," McCoy glanced around, looking for a road. "I have to get back. I can-"
"Hold on, Gramps," the man interrupted. "You go back, they'll take you again. Do you know what they do to Evos? They use them. They'll use you right up, then discard your body in the trash when you're dead."
Chills ran through McCoy at the thought.
"If this is true," he fought to keep his voice steady. "Then Renautas needs to be brought down. They need to be brought to justice. And stop calling me Gramps!"
"What can you possibly do? Sue them?"
"I'm the fucking EADA of the District of Manhattan!" McCoy snapped. "Jack McCoy at your service."
The man chuckled softly…bitterly.
"Your belief in the so-called Rule of Law is touching…Jack" he said. "But you're still not getting it. You've been outed as an Evo. You don't have rights anymore. Your license to practice Law will have been revoked by now. You won't be able to bring anyone to justice."
It felt like a punch to the gut…
McCoy had to sit back down on the grass.
Adam…what would Adam have done..?
"There's only one thing you can do right now, Jack." The man settled down next to him. "Help me get Lainie to Canada…"
He gestured to the girl who'd been sitting there on the grass, nervously watching everything.
She couldn't be older than thirteen…
The man laid a gentle hand on McCoy's shoulder.
"I don't just have mental speech," he said. "I can also see Evos. I'm not as good as Molly-God rest her soul-but, if I'm looking directly at someone-like I'm looking at you right now-I can tell. Jack, you're an Evo. I can see that as plain as day."
"I'm over sixty," McCoy objected. "I could I live this long and not have it come out?"
"It's…different for everyone," the man shrugged. "Sometimes they're born triggered. Other times, it can take a man's whole life…"
"So, I'm a late bloomer…" McCoy stood, looked down at himself; his clothes, rumpled and stained…
"That's about the size of it, Gra…Jack," the man stood. "I'm Alex, by the way, and Lainie you know already. You ready to go?"
"What's in Canada?" McCoy asked.
"Haven," Alex picked up two backpacks, tossed one to McCoy. "Renautas has been expanding their reach, but the Canadian government hasn't been as…cooperative as the US…"
America…McCoy thought bitterly. The Land of the Free…
"We're going to walk to Canada?"
"Yes," Alex nodded. "Haven's there. Evos can be safe there."
"I'm not a…never mind…" McCoy sighed as he slid the backpack over his shoulders. "I'm not exactly dressed for hiking."
"We'll find you something better if we can…" the man assured him. "For now, we hoof it!"
McCoy settled the backpack on his shoulders, followed the two…fugitives.
Canada…
No choice but to follow, and pray the nightmare would end…