Reporting From Forrestville...

Alizarin Crimson has seen better days. It hurt to stand, but she stood, leaning on a stool her crewmate and tech guy, Tony pulled from his van. Anything to keep her truncated tail from painfully touching the ground. Her right eye was bandaged and the left eye was red from irritation. Her left arm and leg are bandaged due to the road rash. She felt like a truck hit her and she wished it had.

Report the news, don't be the news, that was her mantra as a journalist. Especially as a Rept journalist trying to become on-air talent.

"I know you're hurting something fierce," Tony had said, trying to cheer her up. "But this is something you can spin and ride to the top. In a way, you are very lucky." He walked with a lip and a swollen eye looked as painful as hers had (and still did) as he set-up the equipment in the Family Waiting Area. She felt guilty feeling a touch of satisfaction that morning that he had not escape unscathed just because he was a Lion.

Still, she wondered how worse off he would have been if he'd been another Reptile in the street.

They were in a "nice hospital" in Saint Louis. A rich mammal's hospital. Tony had driven her there once it became clear that the Forrestvile Herptologica Emergency Clinic was packed. It, too, had been crowded, but they saw her right away. In part, because Tony had insisted on taping everything with the spare unit he had in the news van.

She should be grateful, but if they had stayed at the clinic, they would not have put her through the protocols... and they'd maimed her in their eagerness to save her... she would have crawled off to die when she discovered her tail had been whacked off and cauterized, but it was her job to report.

So, she was here to report, and Tony, bless his heart, kept her going and moving. "People know you," he said, as he runs around checking the lighting. "You're a reporter. A smart policeman would never have come near you. Even a dumb cop would have stop short of beating you on camera. What we have here are a bunch of Nutzi's used to ruling with an iron-fist. That is your story. You're going to ride this to the top, Alizarin."

"Not on this network," the damaged gecko said, just to let him know that there was a part of her not buying all this pep talk.

"Fuck this network," Tony said sincerely, grabbing the phone. "I'm freelance. I always wanted to break into Herpt News."

He spoke into the phone and put on a head set. He checked the sound and Alizarin nodded that she could hear him just fine. The machines in front of him all agreed. "Ok, for the next 15 minutes, this is a live feed. Just nod a few times and try to smile. This will be the typical guest standing-by feed."

Tony made the movement for Rolling and she put her hand over her ear piece with a small painful smile and nodded.

A tall young Canine came into the lounge. His breed was indeterminable because his fur and headhair had been shaved very short, but the suit and briefcase screamed lawyer. Corporate lawyer. "Ms. Crimson, My name is Patch. I'm from the Fast Network Legal Department. I thought you'd be broadcasting from your hospital bed."

Alizarin reached out to shake his hand, which he was gracious enough to be embarrassed for not offering it sooner. She understood that he was in a rush. Everyone was in a rush.

16 hours ago, she'd been part of that rush, too.

"I have to lie on my stomach," Alizarin said, her speech was a little flat. Her face was numb, for now. "It made me look worse off than I really was. Mr. Samuel thought it would be sending a message that would make the police look bad." She referred to Percy Samuel, the director of news programming. He was just about everyone's boss at Fast News, in a dotted line sort of way. Even the Legal departments. He got his marching orders from Rupert Monarch directly, with the occasional nudge and nods from the Kole Brothers. "And, of course, I am no where near having a Life or Death moment."

"Yes, of course," Sharp's manners seemed to be catching up with him, now that he could see that she was a team player. "I do hope you are feeling better. We have all been very concerned about you and your health."

Alizarin nodded, careful to make sure it was clearly an affirmation and not just another silly lizard tic. "Thank you. I don't mean to be rude, Mr. Patch, but we'll be going on the air in a few moments. I need to run through my prepared answers so I do not sound like I'm reading from a script."

The lawyer smiled and pulled out a handful of crisp, white legal paper. With lots of tiny print on it. "We just need you to sign some paperwork. Mostly workman's comp stuff. Standard boiler plate." He passed her a pen and most of the paperwork. "Now, I've seen your medical records, and -"

"Excuse me," Alizarin interrupted him with a look that would have warned a perceptive man. "What did you say?"

"I have a medical background," The suit said smoothly, not quite defensively, misconstruing her objection easily. "As I was saying..."

"How are you looking at my medical records, Mr Patch?"

"Well, as your lawyer..."

"Mr. Patch, you are NOT my lawyer. You are my boss's lawyer and I remind you that you have absolutely no standing to be requesting my medical rewards."

The suit seemed to realize his faux pax but had no inclination to admit to any of it. "Perhaps I misspoke, Ms. Crimson, but seeing how your accident happened while on the job..."

The gecko seemed to inflate. It was almost as if she had fur and her hackles had gone up. She was a master of reproducing every sort of mammalian mannerism and Patch was startled into silence. "Let's be clear, what happened last night was no accident. Police do not suddenly fall into mob mentality; this did not 'just happen.' These people who just happen to have shields were looking for a reason to start busting little green heads like mine. So, you take your paperwork back and you better check and double check every sentence, because I will."

"Ms Crimson, I really need your signature before you do any further work for Fox." He held out his pen. "I assure you, we really have your best interests at heart."

"Then you can prove it by not threatening my job." She held off his objection with her unbandaged hand. "Did you pass the bar in Mizzouri? Well, instead of reading my medical records, you should have been reading my resume because I did. It's one of my many qualifications, along with being the Token Rept De Jour, that got me put on this assignment. So, when I say I want to read what ever you typed up in an unhurried manner for my own personal due diligence, I need you to recall that the only person in the room qualified to give any legal advice in this room is me at the moment."

"You tell him, girl." Tony said cheerfully from behind his camera.

The dog in the suit seemed to notice the big cat for the first time. "Are you filming this?" He screeched. "You can't film this! It's confidential!"

Tony slapped the suit's hands away from his equipment. For the first time, Alizarin noticed just how big his hands could be with the claws extended. From the suit's gasp, he'd noted the cat's huge handspan, also.

"As I understand it, a lawyer's conversation with a client is not considered confidential if an uninterested third party is present." Tony said with deceptive calmness. "You walked in one us, not the other way around."

"Also, let me remind you," Alizarin reminded the suit. "You are not my lawyer."

"That's wire-tapping, filming me without my permission." The suit growled.

"I think that officially establishes you lack of knowledge of Mizzouri law, Mr. Patch. He has my knowledge and that's enough."

"Plus, it's in the cloud now. Fast News has that wonderful open source for all their affiliate stations." Tony put his giant paw to his head piece. "You're on in 30 seconds, Liz."

"Thank you, Tony." Alizarin held the papers out to the suit, "Take these now or I read them on the air."