Act 2: As the Time Bomb Ticks
Fillmore rewound the tape. Once it reached the start, Fillmore stopped it himself, rather than let the auto release on the button kick in. He'd listened to the tape enough times that he knew where to stop it.
Fillmore pressed play on the tape player, and heard Ingrid's voice coming from it. "Tell me," she said, "What ties do you have to Chase Kristofer?"
"That name doesn't sound familiar to me," said Bruce Storm. Fillmore yearned to have been the one interviewing Bruce, so he could look in his eyes and tell instantly if he was lying. On a tape, that isn't a luxury you have.
"Why were you fleeing from the safety patrollers who came to question you?" asked Ingrid. Bruce paused for a moment before saying, "I'd rather not tell."
"You have to tell," Ingrid told him, "or we may have to assume the worst scenario."
"And what, pray tell, is that?" Bruce said it without coldness, or sarcasm, or any other form of rudeness. His voice suggested sincere curiosity.
Ingrid responded, "That you have been bullying Chase Kristofer for a month now, and that you have his missing homework assignment somewhere where only you can have access to it."
"That's absurd!" Bruce Storm said. "I would never do that to a fellow student! Why would I?"
"To improve your grades..."
"I have a 4.0 grade average."
"To remove Chase from the creative writing competition."
"You can trust me officer, I didn't do anything! Please let me go!"
Bruce coughed. It was a long cough, lasting about 5 seconds. It piqued Fillmore's interest this time through the tape. He opened a sound enhancement program and recorded the cough into his computer. He then selected a "remove noise" option on the program. It set it to filter at 53 htz, then again at 48 htz. Then, he amplified the sound to twice its normal volume. The result was a very raspy version of Bruce Storm's voice, interrupted by coughing occasionally, saying "... meet Victoria... 't the... cove."
"Disco," said Fillmore.
Just then, Vallejo came up to Fillmore's desk. "Fillmore," he said sternly, "Folsom wants you in her office, now!" Fillmore got up and went directly into the principle's office. She was angry. He'd seen her mad before; she was always mad. This time, though, something seemed different.
"Fillmore," she said slowly. She seemed to be restraining herself from yelling. Usually, though, she would yell as loud as her voice box would allow for any reason she saw fit.
"It has come to my attention that you have been skipping classes," she said through her teeth.
"Yeah, so what?" Fillmore responded.
"That is punishable with expulsion," principle Folsom said. Fillmore could see anger was trying to burst out of her, but she just wouldn't let it come.
"But I'm on safety patrol. I can get out of class if I'm on a case, and I'm on a big one."
Still through grit teeth, principal Folsom said, "No, Fillmore, you're not. Vallejo assigned you to forced vacation."
"Yeah, he did," Fillmore said, "and I unassigned myself."
"Fillmore," said Folsom, still trying to contain herself, "I assigned Vallejo as chief for I reason. I trust his judgment, and believe he will make good decisions. By challenging his judgment, you're showing that you don't trust me." The principle took a deep breath. Much of her tension seemed to leave. "I don't know if I can trust someone who doesn't trust me. Fillmore, if you don't do what Vallejo tells you, you're off the force."
Suddenly Fillmore felt all the tension that was on Folsom enter into him. He said through his teeth, "Yes 'mam."
"Good," the principle said. "Now get to class before I'm forced expel you."
Fillmore slammed the door behind him as he left the principle's office. He stomped over to his desk where his backpack was, and there he found Ingrid, just waiting there.
"Hey," she said. "What's up?"
"I have to get to class," Fillmore said through grit teeth. "If I miss English, I could get expelled."
"You wanna talk about it," Ingrid asked. Fillmore, without even looking at her, said, "No, I don't. See ya."
Ingrid watched as he walked out the door, which he slammed. Vallejo, who had been watching from the corner of the room said, "He's only making this tougher on him."
Ingrid walked over Vallejo. "Why don't you let him work on the case? All of this about forced vacation seems to really be getting to him."
"That's exactly why I can't let him back on," Vallejo said. "That much stress can affect one's judgment, and we can't have our best officer cracking in the middle of the case."
Vallejo went to his desk and rearranged some papers. "Ingrid, I'm putting you with the new kid until Fillmore comes back from the vacation. I hope there's no problems."
Ingrid hadn't met the new kid yet. She was the only one; the rest of the safety patrol had the kid in one or more of their classes. Today was supposed to be the kid's first day as a safety patroller, so Ingrid had never been able to meet him.
"I don't know the new kid. Will we get along?"
"Sure! The new kid is swell. Called the best officer in Z junior high." Ingrid knew that Z junior high was both where the new kid came from, as well as the best-behaved school in the state. It is believed the safety patrol was what made the school so great.
Ingrid blinked. "Wow!" she said.
Footsteps came from the hallway. "Oh good," said Vallejo. "Here comes the new kid now."
The door opened, and in walked Fillmore. "Sorry," he said, still through grit teeth. "I forgot my pencil." He walked over to his desk, grabbed a pencil quickly, and then walked back out. But shortly after his departure, he was replaced by the new kid.
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Author's Notes: Come on people, I need a new kid. To make it easier, all I need is your name and gender. Anything else is strictly optional. I had originally requesed it so I could make the character YOU instead of simply a character bearing your name, but I need a new kid fast, and I've had no entrys. I can only delay his/her coming one more part, but I'd prefer to have a new kid before that!
Fillmore rewound the tape. Once it reached the start, Fillmore stopped it himself, rather than let the auto release on the button kick in. He'd listened to the tape enough times that he knew where to stop it.
Fillmore pressed play on the tape player, and heard Ingrid's voice coming from it. "Tell me," she said, "What ties do you have to Chase Kristofer?"
"That name doesn't sound familiar to me," said Bruce Storm. Fillmore yearned to have been the one interviewing Bruce, so he could look in his eyes and tell instantly if he was lying. On a tape, that isn't a luxury you have.
"Why were you fleeing from the safety patrollers who came to question you?" asked Ingrid. Bruce paused for a moment before saying, "I'd rather not tell."
"You have to tell," Ingrid told him, "or we may have to assume the worst scenario."
"And what, pray tell, is that?" Bruce said it without coldness, or sarcasm, or any other form of rudeness. His voice suggested sincere curiosity.
Ingrid responded, "That you have been bullying Chase Kristofer for a month now, and that you have his missing homework assignment somewhere where only you can have access to it."
"That's absurd!" Bruce Storm said. "I would never do that to a fellow student! Why would I?"
"To improve your grades..."
"I have a 4.0 grade average."
"To remove Chase from the creative writing competition."
"You can trust me officer, I didn't do anything! Please let me go!"
Bruce coughed. It was a long cough, lasting about 5 seconds. It piqued Fillmore's interest this time through the tape. He opened a sound enhancement program and recorded the cough into his computer. He then selected a "remove noise" option on the program. It set it to filter at 53 htz, then again at 48 htz. Then, he amplified the sound to twice its normal volume. The result was a very raspy version of Bruce Storm's voice, interrupted by coughing occasionally, saying "... meet Victoria... 't the... cove."
"Disco," said Fillmore.
Just then, Vallejo came up to Fillmore's desk. "Fillmore," he said sternly, "Folsom wants you in her office, now!" Fillmore got up and went directly into the principle's office. She was angry. He'd seen her mad before; she was always mad. This time, though, something seemed different.
"Fillmore," she said slowly. She seemed to be restraining herself from yelling. Usually, though, she would yell as loud as her voice box would allow for any reason she saw fit.
"It has come to my attention that you have been skipping classes," she said through her teeth.
"Yeah, so what?" Fillmore responded.
"That is punishable with expulsion," principle Folsom said. Fillmore could see anger was trying to burst out of her, but she just wouldn't let it come.
"But I'm on safety patrol. I can get out of class if I'm on a case, and I'm on a big one."
Still through grit teeth, principal Folsom said, "No, Fillmore, you're not. Vallejo assigned you to forced vacation."
"Yeah, he did," Fillmore said, "and I unassigned myself."
"Fillmore," said Folsom, still trying to contain herself, "I assigned Vallejo as chief for I reason. I trust his judgment, and believe he will make good decisions. By challenging his judgment, you're showing that you don't trust me." The principle took a deep breath. Much of her tension seemed to leave. "I don't know if I can trust someone who doesn't trust me. Fillmore, if you don't do what Vallejo tells you, you're off the force."
Suddenly Fillmore felt all the tension that was on Folsom enter into him. He said through his teeth, "Yes 'mam."
"Good," the principle said. "Now get to class before I'm forced expel you."
Fillmore slammed the door behind him as he left the principle's office. He stomped over to his desk where his backpack was, and there he found Ingrid, just waiting there.
"Hey," she said. "What's up?"
"I have to get to class," Fillmore said through grit teeth. "If I miss English, I could get expelled."
"You wanna talk about it," Ingrid asked. Fillmore, without even looking at her, said, "No, I don't. See ya."
Ingrid watched as he walked out the door, which he slammed. Vallejo, who had been watching from the corner of the room said, "He's only making this tougher on him."
Ingrid walked over Vallejo. "Why don't you let him work on the case? All of this about forced vacation seems to really be getting to him."
"That's exactly why I can't let him back on," Vallejo said. "That much stress can affect one's judgment, and we can't have our best officer cracking in the middle of the case."
Vallejo went to his desk and rearranged some papers. "Ingrid, I'm putting you with the new kid until Fillmore comes back from the vacation. I hope there's no problems."
Ingrid hadn't met the new kid yet. She was the only one; the rest of the safety patrol had the kid in one or more of their classes. Today was supposed to be the kid's first day as a safety patroller, so Ingrid had never been able to meet him.
"I don't know the new kid. Will we get along?"
"Sure! The new kid is swell. Called the best officer in Z junior high." Ingrid knew that Z junior high was both where the new kid came from, as well as the best-behaved school in the state. It is believed the safety patrol was what made the school so great.
Ingrid blinked. "Wow!" she said.
Footsteps came from the hallway. "Oh good," said Vallejo. "Here comes the new kid now."
The door opened, and in walked Fillmore. "Sorry," he said, still through grit teeth. "I forgot my pencil." He walked over to his desk, grabbed a pencil quickly, and then walked back out. But shortly after his departure, he was replaced by the new kid.
------------------
Author's Notes: Come on people, I need a new kid. To make it easier, all I need is your name and gender. Anything else is strictly optional. I had originally requesed it so I could make the character YOU instead of simply a character bearing your name, but I need a new kid fast, and I've had no entrys. I can only delay his/her coming one more part, but I'd prefer to have a new kid before that!