8

Coyote Talks

Title: Coyote Talks

Author: Lady Bethia

Series: Partnership Series

E-Mail: Page: http://groups. PG

Warning: Some adult language.

Disclaimers: I do not own the Sentinel or the X-Men. I am just borrowing the characters and abilities from Pet Fly Productions. And I promise to return them in good order maybe. I am making no money off this either it's just for fun. Thanks to Susan Foster for getting me hooked on Sentinel/X-Men crossovers. This is the beginning where Blair and Jim first meet. It is set in an AU where the X-Men exist as well. However, in this story there will be no mention of the X-Men.

Summary: Jim and Laura have an unfortunate run in with the Councilwoman Paulette Morton-Lawler.

COYOTE TALKS

Chapter 9: Trouble Your Name Is Sentinel

"Sheriff, Detective Ellison and I will follow you down to the station. I want to get these statements over with so I can get back to my nice comfortable bed that I haven't seen in ten days." Laura said as she turned in the direction of the ranch and the alluded to bed.

Both were quiet as they started out after the Sheriff, his deputies and the thieves. After turning off of the dusty gravel driveway and on to the main road Laura asked Jim, "You're not mad at me for getting you involved with this are you?" She looked over at him sitting next to her. He appeared so tense and sullen.

"No, you needed back up and I was there. Besides I wanted away from MJ she was driving me nuts. I don't know how you can stand all that chattering and pestering all the time." Jim answered her in annoyance.

"I don't mind at all. She's my best friend. I'll tell her to lay off with you though. The other guests seem to like being the center of our attention. We are both trying real hard to make it work out here because we can't go home." Laura told Jim with a heavy sigh.

"Why," asked Jim as his cop instincts went on high alert.

"MJ went to work for the wrong company in Memphis and got outed as a mutant. After that they tried to kill her, I stopped their assassin and began helping the Memphis police try to bring them down. They were behind a lot of murders, rapes and kidnappings of people all over the county." Laura stated as she flexed and tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

Jim sensed that there was a lot more to it than that and asked. "If you were helping the police why can't you go back?"

"Did you hear about the Nuzan-Tech Corporation in Memphis? They were a front for the FOH-Friends of Humanity whose main goal is the purification of the human race of mutants by any means necessary." Laura said with a quiver in her voice.

"Shit! I heard about that it was a freaking mess, twenty-seven cops injured and three dead! The death toll would have been higher if it wasn't for an undercover cop that brought the whole thing down." Jim said as he looked at Laura more closely.

"They stated to the general public that the undercover operative was a cop to protect me. I was shot three times while protecting two cops that would have died after being gunned down by those deranged monsters. The two officers' job when they went in was simply to get to me and get me out safely and instead I ended up doing the gun fight at the OK Corral down a corridor. By the time the cops on the other end of the corridor and I mowed down all the psychos between us I was dry firing at the cops in a zone." Laura started to shake as the memories came flooding back.

"I spent ten days in the hospital. The police paid for everything as well as arranged for me to get several rewards for the people I helped kill or capture. It was all they could do to repay me considering I was now out of work and injured. Furthermore, it would have been impossible for me to get unemployment from my job at Nuzan-Tech seeing that I worked there for less than two months and was there to shut down the company to begin with." Laura concluded trailing off in silence.

"I was in on the bust of the Nuzan-Tech Corp. in my city about three weeks later. They had several kids in cages waiting to be experimented on. We also captured three serial killers that had been hired to do the director's dirty work. And we found their connection to the FOH too. We rounded up over 123 people on various charges. Washington State is now one of five states that have outlawed Eugenics and all hate groups like FOH from operating in any capacity legally in the state." Jim acknowledged.

"Well Nuzan-Tech Corp. International as a company is going under completely. They have lost almost everything they own. All their assets have been frozen and they are being sued to death as is the FOH." I am keeping in touch with some people who are trying to bring in sensible laws concerning mutants and mutant accidents." Laura turned the corner in to the Sheriff's station parking lot while waiting for Jim's opinion on that little bomb shell. Some cops just wanted to kill or jail mutants when their powers came on line not realizing that the kids had no control over what was happening to them and mainly just needed help not abuse or blame for accidents their powers cause.

"Well let's get this over with." Jim growled as he opened the door to the jeep and got out.

Laura watched him not knowing what to think. She knew Jim was angry and a little bit frightened but she didn't know why. "Jim waited for me," she asked as she ran to catch up with him. "What's wrong? Are you mad at me?"

"No." He replied as he placed his hand on the door knob.

Laura reached over to keep him from opening the door. "Jim come over here and talk to me please. What is wrong you're scaring me here?" She pleaded.

With disgust plastered all over his face he replied with a growl, "No one but my boss knows I am a freak."

"You are not a freak you're a mutant like me. And if you don't want anyone to know I can be trusted to remain silent. All you had to do was tell me damn it, I thought something was seriously wrong and you almost had me freaked out." Laura growled back.

"As if that isn't serious enough!" He shouted.

"Don't yell at me. We will discuss your problem with being a mutant later but right now we need to put some scumbags in jail so please quite acting like a pissed off jerk." Laura turned and head back over to the door.

Jim turned off his attitude took a deep breath and counted to ten. He straightened his shoulders and headed toward the door that Laura was holding open for him. He glowered at her and she barred her teeth at him chuckled with menace and ducked into the front desk area.

Jim followed her in confusion.

"Hello my name is Laura Brandon and this is Jim Ellison. We need to give our statements to the Sheriff concerning the pothunters he just brought in." Laura said to the middle aged woman behind the reception desk.

The receptionist at the desk looked at her in awe and said, "You're the one that did the citizens arrest on Jason Lawler!"

"Yes, where do we go please," Laura said with impatience.

Three hours later both Jim and Laura had given their statements and were leaving when they heard a commotion in the reception area.

"I do not care that the judge is in Durango and can not be notified of this until tomorrow! I want my son released now and I want the one responsible for his being in jail put behind bars until they rot!" The City Council Woman screamed.

"I want to talk to the Sheriff this instant DO YOU HEAR ME YOU STUPID COW!" She yelled at the receptionist.

"Councilwoman Paulette Morton-Lawler you will stop yelling in my station or I will have you arrested for disorderly conduct!" shouted the Sheriff as he walked down the hall to meet the irate Councilwoman.

"I will have your badge for this you you…" She stuttered to a stop as he yelled back at her.

"No you won't. Your authority is very very limited ma'am and you have over stepped you rights. Get out of my station your son will see the judge tomorrow and no amount of hollering will make it happen sooner." The Sheriff growled as he glared down at the offending woman.

"You will be sued for harassment and so will this department. My son is innocent and you're just doing this to get back at me." She spat and stormed out.

"Wow so that is the Goddess we are all suppose to bow down too just because she is a council woman." Laura said snidely as she approached the Sheriff.

"Yes unfortunately and you are going to be her primary target." The Sheriff warned.

"I can take care of myself Sheriff. She just better remember to stay on the right side of the law or she will find herself behind bars with her son." Laura intoned solemnly.

Laura and Jim got in the jeep and headed back to the ranch. As soon as they got there they knew there was trouble. Three large black cars were in the driveway and you could hear people yelling from outside. Laura waved for Jim to follow her around to the side of the house. Once inside, she headed straight for the telephone and called the Sheriff's cell phone number that he had given her just in case of emergency.

"Sheriff this is Laura Brandon. There are several people here at the ranch and they are screaming and threatening the Kenny's and when they find out Jim and I are back I expect they will try to threaten us." She whispered into the phone.

"I will be there right away. Don't go anywhere near them until I get there." The Sheriff said as he hung up.

Laura then started to make a second call.

"Who are you calling now Laura?" Jim asked.

"I am calling the Cortez Herald. I want the newspaper here to catch that woman terrorizing good citizens." She said as she waited for the phone to be picked up on the other end.

"Hello Cortez Herald how can we help you?" said the cheery voice on the other end.

"Hello today I helped catch Jason Lawler in the act of pot-hunting with two of his friends. They have been arrested and are in jail. His mother the Councilwoman Paulette Morton-Lawler came over to the station demanding and screaming that her son was to be released. She screamed at the Sheriff and he had to threaten her with arrest for disorderly conduct to get her out of the station because her son could not see the judge till tomorrow and that would be the earliest he could be released. She is now over at the Silver Dollar Dude Ranch screaming and threatening the owners on whose land he was caught digging. The sheriff is on his way." Laura said all in a rush.

"I got it we will be right there. And thanks for the tip." The lady said as she hung up.

"Shit why in the hell did you do that for?" Jim snarled at Laura.

Laura smiled as she said, "Because I want witnesses. This woman is threatening my friends. Soon she will be threatening us. And we are witnesses to the crime that her son committed. I want this power hungry bitch to go down. She has no right to threaten anyone. Her son is a criminal and I bet if we scratch the surface just a little bit we will find out just how big a criminal he is. Furthermore, I know that she has known about it all along and has been protecting him with her position on the council."

"You're getting the press to push her over the edge and into showing what other illegal things she or her son have been up to. Sneaky." Jim said as he analyzed Laura's actions.

"Yes, I think there maybe more behind this than just a little pot hunting. I hate politicians besides I think this woman may actually try something illegal against us like having someone vandalize our property or even hurt us. She seems that crazy to me." Laura stopped and began to listen closely to what was happening in the next room.

The sounds coming from the other room change abruptly and then all hell hit the fan. The door flew open and in stormed the Councilwoman. She started to immediately verbally attack us upon recognizing us from the Sheriff's station. "You two! It was you who had my son arrested illegally. I am going to tear you apart. You won't be able to work in this state ever again because you will be so far under the jail no one will ever be able to find you!"

"You will stay away from us. Threatening witnesses is a crime and I have called the Sheriff and he is on the way right now." Laura said in a deep growl.

"BITCH!" She yelled as she came toward us.

Jim pulled his gun and yelled back, "Freeze you're under arrest for attempted assault and intimidation of witnesses."

The Councilwoman stopped and snarled and spun to leave but Jim grabbed her by the arm and pushed her against the wall. "Call the Sheriff station again and find out where he is now!" He ordered. But before Laura could dial the sound of sirens filled the air.

"I'll go get him." Laura said. As she left one of the Councilwomen's goons saw Jim holding her against the wall with a gun.

"What the hell is going on? Drop the gun or I will blow your fucking head off!" Her guard shouted. He had been on the other side of the door to keep anyone from helping Laura and Jim in the kitchen.

"I am a police officer and she threatened us and I have arrested her and unless you want the Sheriff to blow your head off I suggest you put your gun down now." Jim demanded.

"George Hallister put the gun on the floor and kick it to me NOW!" ordered the Sheriff.

"But he has a gun pointed at the Councilwoman's head." Hallister replied.

"He is a detective and if he drew his weapon on Paulette he had good reason too." The Sheriff stated.

"No the bastard does not. They attacked me. And he threw me against the wall and broke my wrist. Arrest him and call an ambulance!" She screamed and cried.

The kitchen was silent except for the crying of the Councilwoman.

"Sheriff do you take custody of the prisoner?" Jim asked formally.

"Yes." The Sheriff said as he walked up to Paulette searched her and handcuffed her behind her back. "I know your wrist is not broken and now you will spend some quality time with your no account son in jail."

Just as everyone was being herded out side the reporters show up and questions and picture flashes explode.

Later after everyone that was not suppose to be on the ranch left, Laura and MJ walked Jim over to the guest bunk house. "Jim I am sorry for all the trouble. Tonight MJ, George and I were supposed to go into Durango to my favorite Japanese restaurant but because of all this mess we will have to do it tomorrow would you like to go please?" Laura asked sincerely.

"Yeah that sounds good." Jim replied with a tired smile.

Laura brightened up and said, "You'll really like it if you like oriental food. See you tomorrow."