Preston was sitting in Principal Hasting's office, awaiting what was to come. While he wasn't a kid that went out of his way to cause trouble, he had ended up in the Principal's office a few times over the years, mostly as a result of when his tricks had gotten a little out of hand. He had spent more than a few afternoons clapping chalk dusters and writing lines. He'd even stayed behind a few nights to help the janitor clean up when some of his tricks had caused a mess or some minor damage, but this was significantly worse.
In the last two days, Preston's tricks had managed to cause a mass panic that had made headlines and caused an evacuation of the school, and now...now a student had actually been hurt as a result of one of his tricks.
Preston couldn't help feeling badly about Victor being hurt. Even though it was Victor's decision to slam his hand down on that nail in an attempt to ruin yet another one of his tricks, he couldn't help feeling ill just thinking about seeing him with that nail straight through his hand. He was also certain that a lot of other people wouldn't be happy. Victor didn't have 49 trophies in the school trophy cabinet for nothing. He was hoping for a basketball scholarship to go to Princeton, and the school had a big game coming up soon. He was sure the basketball team had to be steamed knowing that they'd have to do without their star forward for at least that game. The fact that Monty was pacing in the background was not helping his nerves in the slightest.
"Monty, what the hell are you even doing here?" Principal Hastings asked him.
"I'm here to make sure he gets what he deserves!" Monty sneered, pointing at Preston. "I saw the whole thing! He..."
"So you're here as a witness?" She asked.
"I'm here to make sure that he gets more than a slap on the wrist for crippling Victor!" Monty protested.
"Well, I've already heard accounts, so I really don't think we need..."
"So is this going to be another white-wash like his other tricks?" Monty demanded. "If his surname wasn't Tien he'd already be getting escorted off the premises and you know it!"
Preston didn't like to hear this, mainly because he knew that it was at least partly true. Mr Tien donated a lot of money to the school, and he all but owned all the local suppliers that the school used for everything from their stationery to the food in their canteen. If he was happy, things went well. If he wasn't he could easily make things very difficult for the school, something they were always aware of when dealing with Preston.
"Monty, when you've gotten your teaching and education administration qualifications and worked in education for ten years and been given a Principal's position, maybe then you can tell me how you would run a school, even then you wouldn't be teaching me how to run mine!" Principal Hastings warned him.
"The school paper would just love to hear about this." Monty huffed, crossing his arms defiantly. "I am their headline reporter you know."
"Yes, I also know that participation in any school extra-curricular activities is purely at the discretion of the Principal." She reminded him.
"Oh, so silencing the press now?" He asked her. She just groaned and pointed to the corner.
"Fine, you can stay! Now just sit down and shut up!" She told him. Monty went to the corner and sat down. "So what? Are we just waiting for Mr Tien?"
"Something like that." Preston grumbled.
Meanwhile, at a local business park, Hayley pulled up into the parking lot with Calvin in the passenger's seat. He just looked across to her as she pulled on the parking brake.
"Hayley, what are we doing here?" He asked her.
"Practice." She told him. "Alright, get out, you're behind the wheel."
"Hayley..."
"Calvin, this is about as close to real streets as you can get without it being, you know, real streets." She told him. "There are marked lanes, junctions, and since my dad works in the factory here I happen to know that the late shift has already gone in so none of these cars will be going anywhere in the foreseeable future."
"Hayley, you saw what happened at the practice track!" He protested.
"Yes, and that just means maybe we go a little slower." She suggested. "Now you have a few streets...kind of...with no pedestrians and no traffic."
"Hayley..."
"You're in a parking lot so you'll be moving slowly anyway." She reminded him. "When Brody's teaching us new ninja moves, what does he do?"
"He shows us how it's done." He told her.
"Well, yes...but then he gets us to do it." Hayley reminded him. "He'll teach us to do it, over and over again slowly, then he'll teach us it in a kata, then he'll put it into a practice drill for us, and then he'll get us to introduce it into sparring."
Calvin just stared blankly at her.
"He gets us to perfect the procedure slowly, and then with practice, speed builds up over time." Hayley told him. "If you're trying to do everything when you're driving at speed, of course things are on top of you way too fast if you have to think about every step of the process. So first..."
"Figure out the procedure and practice it until I get that down." Calvin said as they switched over seats. "So where do we start?"
"With probably the most important move you will ever learn in driving." She answered.
"Wait...you're in the wrong seat." Hayley heard a voice behind her say. "Why are you in the wrong seat?" She looked around, trying to locate it, but couldn't find anything.
"Kody, get your head down a minute." She said, continuing to look around.
"What is it?" Calvin asked. She just shook her head.
"Um...yeah, the most important thing you'll need to know." She said. "How to get this thing to a full stop quickly if you need to."
"You mean an emergency stop?" He asked.
"Exactly!" She told him. "Now, just start driving, I'll take a look around and when I'm satisfied you're safe, I'll call out stop and I want you to press the brake hard, and the clutch down just as you're coming to a stop so the engine won't stall."
"Wait, he's driving?" The voice came again. "Oh man, I can't look!"
Hayley was a little rattled by this, but after looking around and finding that no one was there, she just looked to Calvin.
"Alright, start her up." She told him. "I'll tell you when to stop."
Up on the Warrior Dome, Madame Odious stepped out of her secret door, sealing it behind the false poster of Galvanax with a gesture and a password. She had a look around to ensure no one had seen her before she left.
Once she was out of sight, Wrench de-activated his cloaking device and headed over to the door, before pulling out a device, attaching it to the poster, and beginning to work on a hand-held computer.
"Hm...there's definitely something behind here, something a lot bigger than just a hidden executive bathroom." He told himself. "These security protocols...what are you hiding Odious?"
He started to type, working on the coding, all in the hopes of opening the door. Things were good on the Warrior Dome. Thanks to Cosmo, he now had the Chief Engineer position, a steady paycheck, perks and benefits, and more "interns" than he knew what to do with! The last thing he needed was Odious screwing it up for him now. If she was up to anything that would upset the power balance on the ship, then he wanted to know about it!
Back at the High School, Monty was becoming restless, drumming his foot against the floor as they waited for the disciplinary hearing to begin.
"Monty, kindly stop that." Principal Hastings told him.
"This is ridiculous, how long are we meant to..."
Just then, the door opened and a man walked in. He was dark-skinned and about six foot eight, with a bald head, and a large, corpulent frame that was enveloped by an expensive, tailored suit.
"Sorry I'm late." He stated in a somewhat soothing baritone voice. He shook Principal Hasting's hand before looking around for a seat. Monty just looked between the man and Preston a little judgementally.
"Is this...Mr Tien?" He asked.
"Does he LOOK like my dad?" Preston asked him, rolling his eyes. "This is my stand-in dad."
"Mr Bartholomew, a pleasure as always." Principal Hastings said more in a tone that indicated this was more of a formality than any kind of pleasantry.
"Mr Tien has charged me with his authority in this hearing, and he wanted me to assure you he intends to deal with Preston very fairly, but firmly." Mr Bartholomew stated.
"Wait...Bartholomew...as in Bartholomew Morris & Hitchcock?" Monty asked, his mouth hanging open wide. "Your dad sent one of the city's top lawyers to a parent/teacher conference?"
"Mr Tien is a very busy man. Sometimes he needs someone to deal with matters for him." Mr Bartholomew said, before turning his attention back to Principal Hastings. "With all due respect, does this young man need to be here?"
"He's a witness to the incident." She told him, before beginning. "Alright Preston, why don't you tell us a little about the trick you were performing?"
"It's a variation on the cup game, where instead of finding a ball, the objective is to avoid the nail." Preston explained to them, setting up the leftovers from his earlier show which were sitting on Principal Hastings' desk. "Each of these wooden bases is empty, while one has a nail in it. The idea is when they're covered by cups; you can't see which one has the nail in it. So, then I get someone to mix them up and then I...smash my hand down on the cups."
"It's a completely irresponsible..."
"Is anyone else involved in the trick?" Mr Bartholomew asked. Preston just shrugged.
"The person who mixes the cups is an audience member chosen at random, but other than that, it's only me that participates in the illusion." Preston explained.
"And Victor mixed the cups." Mr Bartholomew asked him.
"Well...no, Sarah did." Preston answered.
"Did you ask Mr Vincent to be involved in the trick?" Mr Bartholomew asked him.
"No, I didn't!" Preston stated. "I told him not to touch the cup!"
"You've got to be kidding!" Monty shrieked. "This is...this is ridiculous!"
"Did you or did you not warn people about the dangers involved in your trick?" Mr Bartholomew asked.
"I...I did warn that this trick was dangerous." Preston told him.
"Then it seems like Mr Vincent's injury is more down to misadventure than any action on my client's behalf." Mr Bartholomew stated with authority. "If anything, all Mr Tien here can be accused of is being careless in allowing students close enough to his trick to interact with it. Since he warned Mr Vincent specifically about the trick and didn't ask him to participate, he can hardly be held responsible for Mr Vincent's lack of judgement."
"Oh come ON!" Monty shrieked. "He...he brought a freaking lawyer to a parent/teacher conference?"
"This isn't the first time one of Mr Tien's tricks has caused serious problems." Principal Hastings reminded him. "I believe you read the newspapers..."
"I did, and I have to agree that something should be done to curtail such incidents in future." Mr Bartholomew agreed.
"Alright Preston, with immediate effect, you'll no longer be allowed to perform magic on school grounds..."
Mr Bartholomew interrupted her with a couch.
"I think that may be taking things a little too far." Mr Bartholomew interjected. "My client would prefer that his son not have his impeccable disciplinary record tarnished over what could be argued to be down to another student's lack of judgement."
"Oh?" Principal Hastings asked, looking decidedly less than happy.
"I believe that the two shows that caused problems were performed in the school canteen. Perhaps this isn't the best environment for something that requires the precision and preparation of his illusions." Mr Bartholomew suggested. "Perhaps if it is agreed that shows within the school that are not sanctioned by you, the Principal, are no longer permitted that would be more appropriate."
"But...but Victor...Victor ended up blinded by his dragon costume OUTSIDE the school!" Monty protested.
"An incident I believe was caused once again by Mr Vincent's own misadventures." Mr Bartholomew answered. "I heard it had something to do with the use of a hoverboard he had no experience or knowledge of how to ride?"
"Preston is also already serving a period of detention, so this has to be factored into his punishment. He will also be suspended..."
Mr Bartholomew just coughed again. Principal Hastings just rolled her eyes.
"Really?" She asked.
"I don't think denying a gifted student education helps anyone." Mr Bartholomew told her. "Oh...while I was here, Mr Tien also wanted me to forward you his latest donation to the school."
He handed Principal Hastings and envelope.
"Mr Bartholomew..."
"He also wanted me to remind you that the new computer lab he's building is looking like it might be going a little over budget." Mr Bartholomew added in a decidedly less than subtle way. "It would be a shame if he had to pull out and leave it incomplete."
"I suppose we could always just extend Preston's detention by another week." Principal Hastings sighed. Mr Bartholomew smiled and shook her hand.
"Thank you for a very productive meeting." He declared as he got up from his seat. "Preston, your father will see you at home."
As he left, Monty just gasped in amazement and started flailing wildly. Preston and Principal Hastings though seemed a lot more subdued, like this wasn't an unfamiliar dance for them.
"That...that is...BULLSHIT!" Monty screeched.
"Monty! Language!" Principal Hastings warned him.
"You're going to talk to me about language when you just...just got bought off?" He screamed. Principal Hastings by now had heard enough and got up from her desk. "Someone's going to pay for..."
"You're right Monty, someone's going to pay! YOU!" She snapped at him. "Congratulations! Between disrespecting your principal and your language, you just earned yourself a fortnight in detention!"
"He only got a week for unleashing a panther!" Monty complained.
"A FAKE panther!" She yelled. "Want to make it a month?"
Monty realised this was a fight he wasn't going to win and immediately went silent. Principal Hastings just pointed to the door, indicating that it was time for both of them to leave. Preston and Monty just got up and left the room, at which she kicked the waste paper basket across the room in frustration, before sitting back at her desk, her head in her hands in frustration.
"Arrogant prick!" She muttered.
Outside the office, Preston looked far more miserable than someone who had only walked away with a week's detention for an offence most would probably have been at least suspended, possibly expelled for. Monty grabbed him and spun him around.
"I bet you're feeling pretty good about this aren't you?" He demanded.
"Yeah Monty, this is so how I wanted this to go!" Preston answered sarcastically.
"Wait until I tell everyone you've as good as got Hastings in your back pocket!" He hissed angrily. "How do you think everyone's going to like you when they find out your dad has her bought and paid for?"
"You know what Monty? Go ahead!" Preston responded, shoving him away. "You're going to tell them what you want anyway, so be my guest!"
Preston stormed away, fuming about the whole thing. He didn't mean for Victor to get hurt, but it wasn't at all unlike his dad to throw money at his problems to make them go away. Most of the kids at school no doubt assumed that Preston was just the same way. All things considered, he was beginning to think he'd have preferred to be suspended.
Back on the Warrior Dome, Wrench was struggling with the coding on the security door when he finally got a break. He heard some locking mechanisms trigger and the door slid upwards.
Unfortunately, before he could congratulate himself too much, he heard Madame Odious' voice. He hurriedly closed the door and retreated into a corner, activating his cloaking device just in time as she arrived with a couple of Kudabots.
Stopping before it, she waved her device and spoke her incantation, causing the door to slide open, before checking once more to ensure she was "alone", before heading inside. The door closed behind her, at which Wrench deactivated his cloaking device, pondering the secrets that lay within.
"Whatever you've got cooking in there, it has to be big if you've managed to convince even Cosmo that this place doesn't exist." Wrench commented to himself, running his fingers over the poster. "Of course I can't exactly go poking around if you're in there. I'm going to need...a distraction."
Just then, Cosmo came around the corner.
"Wrench my boy! I've been looking all over for you!" He declared. "The network went completely cuckoo after the last episode! I've got to think of something big to keep the momentum going, and they've scheduled a conference call in my office in half an hour. I hate these things; it's always a bunch of clueless executive types spouting off half-baked ideas."
"I was just thinking...maybe the next monster should be something from Odious' stable." Wrench suggested, a thought beginning to form in his mind.
"Odious? Why would...?"
"She just had her champion injured on camera in a mis-timed match, one he hadn't had time to prepare for." Wrench said, hurriedly putting some thoughts into action. "Perhaps featuring one of her contracted talent could appease her a little over Galvanax's unfortunate wounding."
"Hmm...you might have a point there." Cosmo said, rubbing his chin. "I also hear that creepy things are in right now. Odious does like her creepy types. I wonder if that spider thing of hers is match fit? Good thinking Wrench!"
As he left, Wrench just dusted off his hands.
"And while she's concentrating on her talent, I'll be able to figure out what she's up to." Wrench answered. "I worked damn hard to get here, and I'm damned if I'm going to let anyone screw with that now!"