Law & Order: Leanbox

Guilt Tripped

by Derald Snyder

Part 1- Plutia's Guilt

*At the police station...*

"I can't believe it... I tortured the wrong man..." Plutia lamented as she sat in the chair by Bennie Crisco's desk.

"She's been like this ever since we got back," Crisco said to his superior, Lt. Lita Van Braun. "Got any ideas to snap her out of it?"

"I think I do," Van Braun said confidently, walking up to the CPU, before grabbing her tightly by the cheek!

"OW! That hurts!" Plutia protested.

"Are you listening, young lady?" the lieutenant asked sternly.

"I'm listening, I'm listening!" Van Braun promptly let go, Plutia nursing her cheek. "Oww... meanie."

"I call it tough love," Lita snarked back. "Now look, why don't you focus on the positive. Thanks to you, we were able to bust up that child trafficking operation without any police casualties, and we recovered all the children..."

"But that guy I tortured was a victim himself... Mr. Bennie said so..."

"Hey look," Bennie spoke up, "There was no way you could have known that at the time! I didn't even recognize the guy at first! You can't keep beating yourself up over something you had no way of knowing. Believe me, it's happened to me before..." Just then, a door opened, Detective Eddie Green walking in. "Hey, where you been?"

"Well, I thought I'd try to cheer Lady Plutia up by bringing a couple of the kids we saved," Green responded, indicating an eleven-year-old boy and nine-year-old girl he'd brought with him. "She's right over there," he said to kids, pointing towards Plutia.

"Miss Plutia?" the girl said as she walked up. "I wanna thank you for saving us from those mean men who took us away..."

"Yeah, thanks to you, I'm see Mom and Dad again!" The boy piped up. "Whatever those bad guys had planned for us couldn't have been good, I know that much..."

Plutia was silent as she looked at them, getting off the chair... then she gently embraced them both, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome," the children responded as they hugged her back.

"...Nice work, Eddie," Bennie in approval, Green giving a small grin in response.

LEANBOX BASILICOM

MARCH 11, 10:29 AM

"I'm here, Lady Vert," Peach C. Macintosh, also known as Peashy, said as she entered the room.

"Thank for coming on such short notice," Vert nodded. "I know you're busy helping Adrian get that training gym set up..."

"It's okay, this is more important. Where is she?" Peach asked.

"Right this way," Vert gestured, walking to another room with Peach following... She opened the door, revealing Plutia lying in bed, staring listlessly at the ceiling. "She's been like this since she came back here yesterday," the busty CPU sighed. "I can't even get her to eat..."

"..." Peach bit her lip for a moment. "Alright, leave her to me, Lady Vert." Walking up to the bed, she snapped her fingers over Plutia's face a few times to get her attention. "Hey, Ploot! It's me, Big Peashy!"

"Huh? Oh, hi..." Plutia sat up so she could get a better look at her friend. "I thought you didn't work here anymore..."

"Lady Vert called me to come and help you out," Peach explained. "Now, can you please tell me what's wrong?"

"...I tortured a man who didn't deserve it," Plutia said after a moment. "I thought he was helping with a child trafficking operation..."

"No, he was," Vert cut in. "And he's been incarcerated for his crime."

"You mean he's in jail," Peach said.

"Exactly."

"Oh... but that detective... Mr Bennie, I think.. he said that guy was a victim himself, years ago..." Plutia elaborated.

"But he was helping the others?" Peach pressed.

"Uh huh... now that I think about it, he was the one closest to the children, so that's why I targeted him..." Plutia recalled. "But what if... he was trying to protect them instead...? The kids thought I was a villain until I changed back..."

"Well, only one way to find out," Peach said, an idea occurring to her. "I'll visit this guy in jail and get his side of the story!"

"Really...?" Plutia blinked, slightly nonplussed.

"Well, that'd be the fastest way to settle this right? And then maybe you can stop feeling so guilty about it," Peach pointed out. "But on one condition- you have to eat something."

"Do I have to...?" Plutia groaned.

"I don't go if you don't eat," Peach said firmly.

"Ohh... okaaaaay then... I guess I'll have some oatmeal..."

"I'll make some for you right away," Vert nodded with a relieved smile, before leaving the room.

"Good girl," Peach nodded and smiled. "Alright, I'll head out right away... Oh, did you get the guy's name?"

"Terrence... Gun-something," Plutia replied.

"Okay, that should be enough," Peach nodded again, before giving Plutia a chaste kiss on the forehead. "Okay, see you later, Ploot."

"Bye-bye, Big Peashy..." Plutia slowly waved as her friend left...

*To be continued...*