Disclaimer: I do not own Worm, that belongs to Wildbow. I do not own Heroes of the Storm, that belongs to Activision-Blizzard and Blizzard Entertainment.
Call of the Nexus
Chapter 6
January 21, 2011
The Docks
It was after lunch and a young exotic woman in appearance, strikingly beautiful that was wearing a set of robes and tight fitting pants that were purple and white. The pants had a purple embedded gemstone on the thighs. She had a white shirt with black breastplate that accentuated her breasts, and purple and gold boots. Atop her head was a golden tiara with tines that held her raven black hair which was in a high ponytail. (AN: Li-Ming default costume in Heroes of the Storm).
The woman was wielding a wand that had a purple orb floating at the top of the wand in their right hand and above their left hand was a purple orb that was floating inches above the palm.
The woman was in an abandoned warehouse and they looked around sizing the interior. With a nod of approval the woman spoke aloud, "This will do. Let me show you what I can do everyone!"
With a flourish and a wave three bolts of arcane energy erupted from the wand and struck a makeshift target, a panel of rusted steel that was leaning against the far wall. When it it the wall there was a small explosion of arcane energies.
The woman looked at the scorched metal that was left behind. "That's magic missile!"
She tilted her head as a Voice in her head snarked with a French accent, "Magic missile? What is this, Dungeons and Dragons?"
Taylor's voice called out, "Hey Widowmaker, be nice. This is Li-Ming's turn! That's a nice spell, Li-Ming, what else can you do?"
Li Ming spoke quietly to minimize being overheard by anyone even though she'd checked to see if anyone was nearby. Her spells would no doubt bring attention to this area soon enough. "I can do quite a lot! Here, this one's called Arcane Orb!"
With a motion as if she was throwing a bowling ball while holding the wand in her hand a large orb of energy appeared and moved towards the steel plate at it struck the plate with a loud noise. The steel plate looked even worse, with a visible dent in the rusted metal.
Li-Ming nodded with approval. "You think that's something? Watch this!" She closed her eyes for several seconds then she repeated the motion and this time the orb that appeared was small, red and it streaked towards the makeshift target and struck the panel with a violent explosion. The panel had a small hole in the dent now and there was visible dust rising from behind in an indication that the blast struck the wall behind.
"Oops.", Li-Ming said. She went over and saw that there was a chunk of the wall blown off. She backed up and gave a chuckle, "Arcane Orb everybody! That was me using the Obliteration Rune. I have other Runes I can employ like this!"
Before anyone said anything she cast another Arcane Orb, this one looking like a giant ball of ice and it streaked towards the steel plate with shards of ice shredding off the orb, spiraling outwards as it flew towards the rusty target and as it stuck the panel seemed to freeze briefly.
Li-Ming said, "Alright, that's enough of that, let me show you….Meteor! Muahahaha!"
Taylor's voice in Li-Ming's head said, "No, Li-Ming, no Meteor crashing through the roof!"
Li Ming said, "That won't happen! Watch and see!"
With a wave of the hand that had the orb floating above I the ground near the steel plate seemed to glow orange for a second then a fiery rock struck he ground. There was a loud boom at the impact and the ground glowed orange as if it was molten then it faded away in seconds.
"Muahahaha! That's Meteor! I'm so good, I astound myself.", Li-Ming crowed. She did a spin and bowed with a flourish.
Widowmaker made an approving sound, "Très beau. That has potential."
Sarah said, "Not bad, kid."
Li-Ming gasped, "Kid!? I'm not a kid!"
Jaina said, "Very nice Li-Ming. How fast can you cast it?"
Taylor said, "Wait!"
Li-Ming said, "Like this!" She waved the orb that was in her hand and a meteor came streaking down then she did it again, and again and two more meteors came streaking down, striking the same spot. She said, "Not bad, eh? Hey, I can use this to blow up that large boat blocking the bay Taylor! Offer's still on the table!"
Taylor gave a sigh and said in Li-Ming's head, "No, we are not going to blow up the ship in the bay….as much as I want to."
Li-Ming moved around the room and she said, "I can do a lot more too! I can-"
She stopped when she thought she'd heard something. Tilting her head to listen, she heard voices talking that were getting closer.
Taylor's voice sounded concerned, "Someone's coming! Jaina, teleport back to my home!"
Li-Ming tried to protest but very quickly Taylor was using her power to bring Jaina out. Li-Ming's dark hair was lightening turning to a blonde color with a white streak. A short vest and half shirt that exposed her midriff and a long dress with blue panels atop the white. (AN: Theramore Sorceress Jaina costume from Heroes of the Storm). The wand and orb disappeared, replaced by the familiar staff that she always carried.
Jaina was now in place of Li-Ming and Li-Ming was not happy. Li-Ming howled, "I haven't had a chance to have any fun yet! I can take on whoever it is!"
Sarah gave a, "There, there. There's always going to be another time."
Raising her staff, and bringing her other hand outwards arcane symbols appeared at her feet and moved around, then right before the spell completed a group of people entered the room and saw Jaina for only one second as she vanished in a flash of light.
Jaina reappeared in Taylor's bedroom.
Right away Li-Ming picked up where she left off. "That's not fair! I could have handled it! Taylor, I am a Wizard of exceptional power, I've defeated Diablo, the Lord of Terror, a Prime Evil and Malthiel, the Angel of Death! I've been to the High Heavens and the Deepest Pits of Hell! Ordinary mortals? No contest!"
There was the sense that Li-Ming was sulking which led to the same sensation emanating from the Night Elf, Tyrande Whisperwind. She was not happy at all after her attempt to heal the sick and injured at Brockton General Hospital was rejected and in a fit of anger and/or pride she'd shown off a small portion of her healing power and prowess by healing the entire lobby of the hospital before walking out of the lobby. Since then the Night Elf was sulking in silence not understanding why the offer for aid was rejected and she was told to "jump through hoops".
Taylor used her power and Jaina changed back into Taylor. Immediately Taylor quietly said, "Li-Ming, stop that! I know you could have kicked their asses, but the problem is your magic, your spells are lethal! The PRT will come after me if I'm killing criminals!"
Li-Ming was furious. "So?! They're criminals! Scum! I've lost count of how many bandits and criminals I've killed!"
Taylor exclaimed, "Stop! That may be the way of things where you are from, but you are not in Sanctuary, you are not in Azeroth, nor are you five hundred years in future! This is Brockton Bay, on Earth Bet and while it may be full of criminal scum, if we kill the bad guys, the PRT and the Police will come after us and put us in the Birdcage! We put the bad guys in jails, not in the graveyard, except for the absolute worst of the worst!"
She let out an explosive breath then said, "Look, I can feel you're upset Li-Ming, and I can feel you're not happy either Tyrande. Look, I was thinking that there are other places that might accept healing without having to jump through the hoops at the PRT and...and I just remembered that Panacea can maybe help us with finding a way to use your healing powers Tyrande. She's a bit busy dealing with whatever is going on at Winslow right now...but after, like in a day or two we'll find a way to reach out to Panacea and see if she can help us."
Tyrande radiated gratefulness. "Thank you Taylor, I'm sorry for...it's just your world is very frustrating. So many policies, procedures, rules…" The Night Elf sighed.
Everyone in Taylor's head echoed Tyrande's statement and Taylor sighed. "I get what you're saying." Taylor ran a hand through her hair.
Widowmaker decided to chime in. "If we are not going out again, then I suggest you go downstairs and start putting the weight machine to use, cherie."
Sarah echoed that thought. "Yeah, let's get busy."
Taylor sighed. "Guess you're right. She left her bedroom and made her way towards the basement where she would work out for an hour or two depending on how much mercy Widowmaker and Sarah Kerrigan were having. She would eat a light lunch after the workout and shower.
PRT HQ
Downtown Brockton Bay
Director Piggot had returned to her office to take a break from the madness that was unfolding in the crisis center. She'd just learned from Assault that the FBI had wanted to be present when Assault scanned the wall behind Sophia Hess's locker and so they saw the crossbow and lethal bolts in the wall behind the locker. The FBI was going to be taking those in as evidence but they promised to share their findings with the PRT. She was furious as she stormed out of the crisis center and went back to her office.
Now she was taking the quiet moment to eat something so she grabbed whatever she'd stashed in her mini fridge. She was about to bite into her sandwich when the door to her office opened and a woman walked in accompanied by two men. The men, one was white with blonde hair, the other dark skinned with brown hair. Both men had close cut hair cuts and all three were wearing blue jackets with FBI emblazoned on the left side of their jackets.
Emily looked up and was pissed. "What is the meaning of this?!"
The woman had jet black hair pulled into a high pony tail replied, "Director Piggot, I'm Special Agent Maxine Smart, with me are Special Agents Johnson and Johnson." All three people showed their FBI badges and ID's to the Director.
One of the men, the dark skinned Special Agent said, "No relation."
Maxine resumed talking, "We're here about one of your agents, a Sandra Jefferson. We've uncovered evidence that she's linked in the corruption and embezzlement at Winslow High School. We've received the APB and BOLO notice you've issued, our people will be searching for her as well. We will be taking over the investigation into PRT agent Jefferson. We will expect your agency's full cooperation."
Emily stood up and said harshly, "Now see here, this is my department, we are fully capable of investigating one of our own!"
"Director Piggot, as Special Agent Sheppard told you earlier, you've got a rot in your department, we're here at the US Attorney's order by way of the Special Agent in Charge to conduct this investigation. If you have a problem with that, take it up with US Attorney Wall. Or, if you like you are perfectly free to call his boss, the Attorney General of the United States."
Emily was visibly seething. If one was careful, one could almost hear the grinding of teeth.
Maxine took a breath then she gestured with a placating hand, "We will happily work with your investigators as we conduct our investigation and keep you in the loop. On that note, some of our people will be arriving at Agent Jefferson's home, please let your people know that we're taking over. Now, if you could direct me to whoever you have on point for your investigation into Agent Jefferson we'll get out of your office."
Emily resisted growling and gave a thin smile. "Certainly, Agent McNichols is handling the investigation of Agent Jefferson's work area. I'll see to it you're escorted right over."
"Thank you, Director. We'll get going.", Special Agent Smart said. She turned around and left the office, taking Special Agents Johnson and Johnson with her.
As soon as the agents left, Emily picked up the phone. She hesitated then dialed the extension for the Chief Director. She was not going to be happy about this at all.
PRT HQ
Los Angeles
Chief Director Rebecca Costa-Brown's Office
Chief Director Rebecca Costa-Brown pushed the button on her phone that disconnected the call she had with Director Emily Piggot.
Both women were angry that the FBI was butting into an internal PRT matter. Now Rebecca was going to make another phone call.
The phone rang and the person on the other line answered, "You've reached the office of the US Attorney for the District of New Hampshire, how can I help you?"
"This is Chief Director Costa-Brown, I'd like to speak to US Attorney Wall please."
The voice replied, "One moment please." She was placed on hold. As she waited she looked over several other work related matters and took care of them quickly. After a couple of minutes the hold music stopped and a voice spoke on the other line.
"Chief Director, Steven Wall here, how can I help you?"
"US Attorney Wall, why is the FBI involving themselves in an internal PRT matter? My people are more than capable of handling a PRT agent that has gone rogue. Call the FBI off, we'll take care this matter and make sure it doesn't happen again.", the Chief Director said.
There was a moment of silence then the man on the other line spoke, "I'm sorry Chief Director but this is a matter that is too big for the PRT to just handle on its own. You have a rogue PRT agent embezzling money that was supposed to go to a high school where a Ward was attending. The agent was splitting the money with the school's principal, the assistant and someone in the school district office."
"Speaking of your Ward, uou know that Ward your agent was supposed to keep an eye on was going to that high school where the money was being embezzle and that Ward has been violating that wonderful deal she had worked out in her civilian identity given what has been uncovered so far. Your so called poster child for rehabilitating violent Ward vigilantes is accused of committing a bioterror attack for one, and I'm willing to bet she's been doing what got her arrested to begin with under the cover of authority."
"So no, Chief Director, the PRT is not going to handle this matter, we'll let the FBI handle it. It's something they have a great deal of experience in dealing with: corruption. Then my office will handle the prosecution and we'll be sure that the Brockton Bay District Attorney gets to put these people on trial too."
Rebecca was doing her best to remain calm. "Mister Wall-"
She was interrupted. "Chief Director, I'm sorry but the decision is final. I've already spoken with the Attorney General and he agrees with my decision. We can't let the public think that corruption in the PRT is going to be handled quietly. It needs to be dealt with in the light of day with juries finding the parties guilty and the guity parties sent to prison. You're free to talk to the AG and see if he'll change his mind, but I doubt that he will. Sorry Chief Director I have another call so have a nice day."
The call disconnected leaving Rebecca looking at her phone angrily. Before she could make another call, her intercom chimed. "Chief Director, Glenn Chambers is on line two for you."
Rebecca growled. She was going to call Glenn Chambers soon, but she wanted to do it after she dealt with the US Attorney. Taking a calming breath she answered the call.
"Hello, Glenn.", she greeted the man that was the Director of Image for the Parahuman Response Teams.
Glenn Chambers' voice answered her, "Rebecca, I'm just calling to tell you I'm on my way to Brockton Bay. I'm catching an emergency flight from Chicago. I'll be there in about two and half hours. What can you tell me?"
Rebecca said, "It's been reported that Shadow Stalker is involved in a criminal act at her high school in her civilian identity with two other students. That's one problem."
Glenn interrupted, "What kind of criminal act and what's the other problem?"
Rebecca replied, "The FBI is calling it a bioterrorism attack at the school. They've locked down the school and instituted a medical quarantine. Details are thin. As for the other problem, the agent assigned to monitor Shadow Stalker's been implicated in embezzling the money that was supposed to go to the Shadow Stalker's school with the Principal and others and apparently letting Shadow Stalker get away with anything."
There was an audible sigh from Glenn. "I see. I know you were going to call me to go up there anyway. I'll get a more thorough briefing from Director Piggot when I get there. I'll be in touch."
Glenn hung up the phone.
Rebecca wanted to smash something. She really hoped the Elite would try something today but she had a feeling that they were going to lay low. She heard chimes from her computer indicating new emails and by the tone of the chimes some of them were high priority. With an eye and an ear on the television monitor showing a news reporter from Brockton Bay she kept abreast of what was going on over there.
Winslow High School
It was after one pm and outside the locked down high school was steadily being cleared out of students and staff as they were brought out to the football field where after a brief triage, Panacea would check students and teachers for any infection, cure them if they were infected, and report what infections they had to the contact tracers nearby.
From there the now cured students and staff would talk to the contact tracers so that they could see if they might have infected anyone else.
Panacea was back from her lunch break that she got to share with her sister Glory Girl. The two siblings munched on pepperoni pizza slices and cans of Coca-Cola. Similar fare was delivered to every classroom, a mix of pepperoni and cheese pizzas and a selection of sodas.
The two sisters talked, and Amy made it a point to her sister to talk about anything except about what was happening at the moment. Amy wanted a distraction very badly which Vicky understood and so, Vicky decided to give Amy the latest gossip among the popular crowd at Arcadia High School.
Normally Amy didn't want to hear this kind of news, but right now she wanted a distraction and the funnier bits of gossip made Amy laugh. Seeing Amy laugh at the funnier bits brought a smile to Vicky's face.
Now that she was back to work, she could see her sister doing an airborne patrol of her area doing a circular loop overhead, making sure no one tried to run out and escape from the lockdown cordon around the high school.
With Panacea doing what she does so well, the Parahuman healer was quickly moving through the student body. She was finished with the freshmen class, and more than midway through the sophomore class and with her powers she was picking up something that was not blood borne among the students and staff. She'd noticed that what she was finding was more prominent among the staff she'd treated, especially staff members that were long time employees at Winslow High School.
After treating the next staff member that had the same problem she stopped healing and said to one of the workers with her. "I need to speak with Doctor McDowell. It's urgent."
The New Wave Healer quickly walked over to the CDC command post that was set up and walked in. Her costume so visible and she was so well known in the medical community that no one gave her any trouble when she walked in.
Panacea looked round the command post and saw the Doctor talking with other medical people about something while standing next to a white board that had a listing of how many people that had been infected so far and with what diseases that are undoubtedly linked to the blood borne pathogens from the scene of the crime.
Upon spotting the man, Panacea walked over and stood nearby, waiting for a moment. She thought about interrupting the conversation but the conversation seemed to be important so she waited.
The medical people took notice of Panacea's presence and Doctor McDowell reached a stopping point. He looked at Panacea and said, "Yes Panacea, what is it?"
Panacea stepped closer then said "Doctor, I've noticed a problem with some of the students and staff that's not related to the blood borne pathogen issue."
With a concerned look Doctor McDowell looked at his colleagues then he looked at Panacea. "What is it that you've found Panacea?"
Panacea replied, "Asbestos. A lot of the staff that I've treated have more in their lungs compared to the freshmen and sophomores that I've treated. There's asbestos in the school and the students and staff are breathing it in."
Everyone looked shocked.
One of the medical people said, "That can't be right! I remember they did an asbestos removal over the summer break more than a year ago! I think it was two years ago! It was in the news!"
Panacea said, "I'm telling you that they're breathing it in as we speak. There's asbestos in that school. If a clean up was done, whoever did it did a crappy job. But I'm telling you that no clean up was done based on what I'm seeing with my power."
Then there was a squawk at one of the work stations and a voice over a radio said, "This is Supervisor Howard Samuels for Deep Clean Incorporated, do I tell you guys at the CDC that my people found asbestos in the high school?"
The room went silent.
Panacea folded her arms in front of herself and had an expression of "See? I told you." on her face.
Doctor McDowell went to the radio and said, "Repeat that please?"
The radio crackled, "I said, do I tell you CDC guys that my people have found asbestos in the school?"
Doctor McDowell pushed the button on the microphone and asked, "Where in the school exactly?"
"Everywhere.", was the response.
Panacea unfolded her arms. She brought her hands to her head and brought her hood down then ran her hands through her frizzy hair. "Well, this day's really gone to hell. I'll take care of those that have asbestos in their lungs too and make sure it's logged by the contact tracers. I can smell a lawsuit over this."
Panacea put her hood back up then she walked over to the coffee pot and saw that it was full. She took two cups and poured herself two cups of coffee. As she was doing that Doctor McDowell looked over to her and said, "Uh...yes, thank you Panacea."
With two cups of coffee, one in each hand, she raised one of the coffee cups in a toast then she said, "Don't mention it." as she walked towards the door. Someone opened the door for her so she could walk out and Panacea thanked the person.
As she was walking back onto the football field to return to work, Panacea took a drink of one of her coffee cups. With the crap she was dealing with today, she was going to be well caffeinated. Panacea set one of the cups down on a table, then took a drink from the other that was still in her hand. Then she looked around and saw all the beds that had students and staff lying down or sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for Panacea to see if they were sick and if so, treat them. It looked like the workers put more students and staff on the beds she had cleared.
Panacea took another drink of her coffee then set it next to the other cup. She looked at the group of workers that were going to be with her then said, "Alright let's get back to it."
The group followed her as she went to the front of the large group of beds, looking at everyone. She took a megaphone from one of the workers and began speaking into it and the device projected her voice loudly and clearly. She had to admit to herself that the megaphone was fun.
"Hello, in case you don't recognize me I'm Panacea from New Wave. I'm going walk down each aisle to touch you and see if you are infected from the airborne pathogens that were not properly cleaned by your school administration. If you are infected I will be curing you of the infection and informing these people here so they can speak with you about where you've been and who you have been around and that you might have infected, if it is determined that you may have infected others, those people will need to make arrangements to go to Brockton Regional or Brockton General so that I can treat them there. Due to this emergency, I do not have to ask you for permission. If you are not infected, you will be guided out and arrangements will be made so you can go home with your parents and/or guardians. If you're staff, the FBI will want to talk to you before you can go home."
She passed he megaphone to the nurse that was with her since it started. "Alright, let's get started.", Panacea said. Panacea went to the first aisle and started on checking for signs of infection.
The office at Winslow High School was a mess. There were boxes filled with papers that the FBI agents had taken from Principal Blackwell's office that were now considered evidence against the principal for her criminal actions.
Superintendent Brent Wilkenson was in a foul mood ever since he arrived at work this morning. Upon arriving at his office he'd received a phone call from FBI Special Agent Sam Sheppard that Winslow was about to be raided by a joint group of FBI agents and Brockton Bay police officers. He'd raced over here with some of his staff but by the time he'd arrived the raid was already underway.
The man was looking at copies of the account books that the FBI had made and it was clear that there was money missing from the general account that belonged to Winslow High School. That was a big problem. Another problem was the money that the PRT sent to the school because there was a Ward in attendance. A lot of that money was missing too. The superintendent looked up as he saw another FBI agent enter the office and walk over to one of the counselor's offices where FBI agents were questioning Winslow office staff.
Seconds later he watched as the FBI agent that walked in to the counselor's office was bringing out a woman that was now handcuffed behind their back. He recognized the woman as being Principal Carrie Blackwell's Executive Assistant. As the two were walking out, the FBI agent was reciting the Miranda warning.
"Do you understand the rights that I have read to you?", the agent asked.
"Yes, I understand. I want a lawyer.", the handcuffed woman said.
"So noted. This way please.", the agent replied and guided the woman out of the office.
Superintendent Wilkenson shook his head then looked at one of his people that he brought with him. "Find out what she's being charged with."
"Yes sir."
A couple of minutes later Special Agent Sheppard walked in and he was not looking pleased. "Attention everyone, I've just been informed that the hazmat cleaning crew that we called in to clean the locker crime scene had discovered that there is asbestos present in the school. Panacea has discovered that multiple students and staff have signs of asbestos fibers in the lungs among those that she's been treating. So, everyone...we're going to evacuate. Bring out all the evidence we've collected so far. We'll seal the room and come back with proper gear. Everyone's going to see Panacea and make sure you're clean and that means agents and office staff. Nobody is skipping out on seeing Panacea."
Superintendent Wilkenson couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Wait!" He held up a hand in protest. "This school was cleaned of asbestos a little over two years ago!" He looked at the Vice Principal and pointed at the man. "What's the meaning of this!? Carrie told me that the removal of the asbestos had been done!"
The Vice Principal shook his head and stammered, "I-I-I d-do-don-don't k-kno-know! I thou-thought it had been done! I saw the crew working on it during the summer break two years ago!"
Superintendent Wilkenson snarled, "You're the Vice Principal!"
The man retorted, "Blackwell tells me nothing! She keeps me in the dark, telling me only what she wants me to know!"
Superintendent Wilkenson responded, "So you just put your head up your ass and do the absolute minimum!? This is outrageous! No wonder the school's falling apart, the gangs are rampant here, the drug problem at this school, my God!" He looked at the office workers that worked at the school. "All of you, every single one of you is suspended pending investigation. I'm going to get to the bottom of this rot and I'm going to pull it out by the damn roots!"
Special Agent Sheppard cleared his throat then said, "We still need to talk to many of you, so no one will be going home just yet. Now, let's get out of here so no one's breathing in asbestos fibers anymore."
The agents grabbed their boxes of evidence and began to leave, other agents escorted the office personnel out of the office.
As the student and staff would be treated by Panacea, they kept the students and staff in the classrooms until it was their turn to move out onto the triage area before moving to the treatment beds where Panacea would treat them.
The Docks
Dockworkers Association Building
Danny Hebert was working in his office, keeping appraised of what was going on at Winslow High School. It had been an interesting day so far and now he was getting the law firms that Christian suggested but had initially rejected him were now calling him back asking to represent him and Taylor in suing the school, and the school district.
Danny was now playing the "I'll get back to you." game with them now. First they rejected him, now they're wanting to talk to him.
Danny looked at his watch and realized he hadn't eaten lunch yet so he got up and walked out of his office. He was quickly at the front desk and saw Susan talking to a man in a very expensive suit. She saw Danny and said, "Danny, this man here wants to meet with you."
Danny and the man looked at each other. The man's expensive blue suit was a very good indicator to Danny that the man most likely was a lawyer. He had dark hair and tanned skin. The man introduced himself extending his hand in a handshake, "Mister Hebert, Robert Cheatum of Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe. I was wondering if I could have a few minutes of your time."
Danny shook the man's hand, "Yeah, I'm Danny Hebert. Why don't you come with me to my office?"
Mister Cheatum said, "Certainly, lead the way."
Danny led the lawyer back to his office and gestured to the man to take a chair which he did. Danny sat in his chair and said, "Well Mister Cheatum, you wanted to talk, so go ahead."
Mister Cheatum began, "Mister Hebert, can I call you Danny?"
Danny replied, "We're not there yet. Mister Hebert's fine for now."
"Fine. That's fine." Mister Cheatum began. He steepled his hands then resumed, "Mister Hebert, I know you called my firm and spoke to one of our Associate lawyers with regards to hiring our firm to represent you and your daughter in a case against the school and the school district. I'm aware that our Associate told you that the firm was not interested but our Associate was sorely mistaken and has been fired."
Mister Cheatum brought his hands down and said, "As my name happens to be one of the names on the door, I fired the Associate myself for his...shortsightedness and I've spoken to my partners Mister Dewey and Mister Howe and both of them agree with me that you have a case Mister Hebert. Especially now that...certain things are coming to light."
Danny steepled his own hands and said, "You're talking about the PRT. They're saying a Ward was one of the suspects in the January third incident, so if that's true…in addition to suing the school district, and Winslow High School, I want to sue the PRT."
The man smiled, a shark's smile. "Indeed, Mister Hebert we realize that ourselves and if the PRT is sued well the money that stands to be gained either from the lawsuit or a settlement would be substantial."
Danny was quiet then he asked, "I'm already getting calls from the firms that rejected me. Now they want to talk business."
Mister Cheatum said, "And here I am. The first firm to reach out to you personally, a founding partner in the firm in fact. I'd like to think that makes a more favorable impression for my firm."
Danny lowered his hands and said,"It's a good start Mister Cheatum. While I'd like to talk some more, I have work."
Mister Cheatum nodded his head and responded, "That would be fine. I'd be willing to meet with you at your home later today?"
Danny said, "That would be fine."
Mister Cheatum stood up and offered his hand for handshake. "Would six o'clock be alright?"
Danny replied, "Six would be fine.", shaking the man's hand.
Danny escorted Mister Cheatum to the front door and the man walked out with a final goodbye. Danny turned around and went over to Christian's office and knocked on the door.
"Come in.", Christian said.
Danny entered the office and said, "You're not going to believe this, Robert Cheatum came to see me here and he wants to meet after work at my house."
Christian arched an eyebrow. "Robert Cheatum came here to see you?" He gestured for Danny to take a seat which Danny did, sitting in one of the chairs across from the in house lawyer.
Danny replied, "Yeah. He told me that he fired the associate lawyer that I spoke with for telling me that there was no case."
Christian nodded his head. "That doesn't surprise me, he takes screw ups very badly. So, tell me what you two talked about."
Danny explained what was discussed and Christian listened. When Danny was done Christian said, "Well that's interesting. For Bob Cheatum to come over and pay you a visit that's a big signal that he wants his firm to represent you in the lawsuit against the school district and the school….and quite possibly the PRT if one of those girls that took part in the incident that put Taylor in the hospital is indeed a Ward."
Danny growled, "A fucking Ward...I know it wasn't Emma…."
Christian interrupted Danny with a pausing gesture. "Careful Danny, we can't talk about Ward ID's."
Danny looked angry, "Even if…"
"Danny, the PRT takes a hardline stance on the secret identities of its heroes, even if one of them is accused of a crime, you know that!". Christian said with an expression of "don't go there".
Danny scowled. After a few seconds Danny said, "You're right, but…" He took a breath. "If the PRT covered up this girl's crimes I want their heads on the platter with the rest of 'em."
Christian nodded and knocked on his oak desk with his knuckles. "I understand completely."
Danny said, "Should I sign on with Mister Cheatum's firm?"
Christian replied, "Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe is one of the premiere law firms in the city, even in the North East. It's for that reason that I put them on the list for you to talk to. They pull no punches, they're willing to do what it takes, and they win big cases for their clients. They'll represent your interests Danny."
"Should I have them represent Taylor and I for our suit against the families of those girls?"
Christian rubbed his chin in thought. "You could do that, they'd like that in fact. Keeps things simple. Or you could have one firm sue the district, the school, the specific staff members, and the PRT if what's coming to light is true and then have another firm sue the parents of those that harmed Taylor."
Danny rubbed his own chin in thought. He quietly hummed as he processed his thoughts. Then he asked, "Should I sign on with them? I'm leaning towards it since he came down here himself. So far I've gotten three phone calls from the other firms asking to meet."
Christian leaned forward and placed his hands on the desk. "Here's what I would do tonight when you meet with Bob Cheatum. When you talk numbers, find out who's going to do the work, another Associate or if he or Mister Howe are going to first chair. Mister Dewey only comes out of the bullpen as it were to handle the really big cases. Suing the PRT is big enough that just the mere thought of government lawyers going against him would cause them to piss in their pants. If Cheatum says the case would be handled by expert people in their firm, you can be assured they'll do good work but that the partners aren't going to first chair."
"Would mean that my slice of the settlement money would be bigger if they sit out.", Danny said.
"That is true. Those men are very expensive when it comes to billing hours. But, if Cheatum says that he's going to take the case himself or hell if all three decide to get involved, you'd be crazy to say no. Just do what you do best Danny and work the numbers out between the two of you.
Danny nodded his head. "Thanks Christian." Then he stood up and shook the lawyer's hand. "I'll get out of your hair."
Christian stood up. "Not a problem Danny. It's what I'm here for."
Danny left the office and went out of the main building, telling Susan he was going to the cafeteria. Once there he went and grabbed some lunch. It looked like there was a special on fish and chips so he was going to go for that and a coke. He would take the food back to his office and eat while working.
The Hebert House
Taylor Hebert was sitting in her room at her desk using the advanced computer that Sarah Kerrigan had brought out again. Taylor was looking over things, specifically locations of homeless shelters and free clinics.
Jaina asked, "Why are you looking at these places?"
Taylor said, "Homeless shelters and free clinics are places that those without anything can go for shelter and for treatment of ills when they have no money or health insurance."
Jaina, Li-Ming, and Tyrande asked, "What is health insurance?"
Taylor sighed. "Basically, you pay money to an insurance company in case you get sick and the insurance covers the cost or most of the cost of your medical treatment. But it can get more complicated."
There was confusion among the three after Taylor's explanation. Widowmaker just made a scoffing noise while Sarah sighed.
Taylor said, "There's also churches, there are religious organizations that also help the homeless and they take care of some of the sick. We can go there and offer aid, Tyrande."
Tyrande's presence perked up at that. "Temples! Of course I should have asked about your religious temples. That is where your Gods heal those that pray to them?"
Widowmaker chucked, "Dame Tyrande, haven't you realized there are no gods here save these…'heroes' that run around in costumes like a comic book?"
Taylor huffed, "Hey, I haven't even shown a comic book, so how is she going to know? Besides...comic book superheroes went away when reality hit. But...Tyrande...there are…" She hesitated. She let out a sigh.
Before Taylor could resume, Widowmaker said, "The people pray Tyrande but their prayers are not always answered. Here in this world much like the one I came from, the Gods are not present like they are in your world."
Sarah chimed in, "This is a world of science, not magic. Although I have to say that I've seen what the Protoss can do. They talked about a race, a race that birthed them, the Xel'naga. They could practically be called Gods compared to us. The point is, your magic works here Tyrande, your magic works here Jaina, and your magic works here Li-Ming. So, something is at work to keep your magic working. Call it faith, call it belief, what matters is that your magic works and that must mean whatever Gods you pray to somehow hear your call."
Widowmaker huffed.
Both Jaina and Tyrande radiated happiness while Li-Ming was feeling pleased.
Jaina said, "Thank you Sarah."
The phone downstairs started ringing. Taylor got up and went downstairs quickly and answered the phone on the fourth ring.
"Hebert Residence.", Taylor chirped.
Her dad's voice was on the other line. "Taylor, how are you kiddo?"
"Fine dad, finished working out and took a shower then had lunch. What's up?", Taylor replied.
"We're going to have company, a big shot lawyer came over to pay me a visit to talk about taking the case against the school district, and the school. He is coming over around six to talk about it some more. If we can agree to numbers, we'll probably go with his firm."
Taylor thought for a moment then asked, "What about suing Emma, Madison, and Sophia's parents?"
Danny replied, "His firm can do that too but I was thinking about letting a different firm handle suing the parents. Sort of spreading the workload and taking lawyers that the parents could call and hire against them."
Widowmaker chirped, "Now that's a good idea! C'est assez vicieux!"
Taylor said, "I see, that's a good idea. So I guess I'm making dinner for the lawyer?"
"No, I'm bringing burgers from Fugly's is that alright?", Danny said.
There were cheers in Taylor's head. Taylor quickly replied, 'That sounds fine dad, get me a double cheeseburger combo."
"You got it, kiddo. I'll be home by five thirty."
"Alright, see ya dad." Taylor hung up the phone and started going back up the stairs to her room.
Widowmaker gave a clearing the throat sound in Taylor's head. "Enjoy the double cheeseburger cherie for tomorrow you will be exercising tomorrow."
Taylor said, "I know."
Taylor sat back down in her chair and loaded up a search engine and typed in a search for procedures for getting parahuman healing approved. Once she found the sites listed, one of them being the PRT's she went to the web page to read up on exactly what hoops Tyrande would have to go through to get certified.
The Docks - South
Armsmaster was leading the pursuit of Shadow Stalker, who was running for her life. Thanks to Director Piggot, an additional squad of PRT troopers had been deployed and he'd gratefully accepted the help because Sophia Hess was indeed using everything she'd learned since becoming a Ward to stay just ahead of them.
The Protectorate hero was angry with himself. He'd heard the news that Shadow Stalker was implicated in what went down earlier this month at Winslow High School in her civilian ID. The PRT team searching her house had found evidence of vigilante activity. They'd taken over the scene from BBPD and using specialized scanners they'd found equipment that Shadow Stalker had hidden in the walls and floor throughout the house. Word had come in that the FBI was at Sophia's house and they were very interested in what had been found so far.
Armsmaster pulled his tinkertech motorcycle next to one of the PRT vans that was being used as a mobile command post. He got off of his high tech bike and went inside the van. There were many screens, a lot of surveillance and communication equipment and multiple computers in the cramped vehicle.
Armsmaster saw an empty chair that was rated to support his power armor and he sat on it and started typing on the keyboard. He logged in remotely using the secure connection to his computer. From there he began running a search query and after completing the parameters he executed it.
He watched the screen as it shifted to an overhead map of the city, specifically the Docks, Boardwalk, Downtown, and Trainyards. He watched as data points appeared which turned into a trails. After a minute the computer beeped and Armsmaster looked at the completed screen. Armsmaster watched the screen then made some adjustments and watched the data change accordingly.
After a moment he turned around to look at the others in the van and started to issue orders. "I want Team Seven deployed here out of sight." He highlighted on the map where he wanted to deploy the team. They are to stay out of sight but keep this particular building on surveillance at all times. I will be deploying a drone for aerial reconnaissance. Data tracking indicates that this is a building that Shadow Stalker frequented. I believe she will run to this building to secure equipment and money in an effort to escape the city. Team Twelve will continue the grid search as indicated to herd her to this location. Let's move out."
Armsmaster left the van and boarded his motorcycle. Miss Militia and Velocity joined up with him.
"What's going on Armsmaster?", Velocity asked.
"I remembered that I had put tracking chips on Shadow Stalker's equipment. I decided to run the tracking software to see where she would go during her patrols. The data shows that she went on a lot of unauthorized patrols. That building I highlighted shows that she went there twenty seven times. That has to be her hideout. We're going to send a team to watch it and see if she goes there."
Miss Militia nodded with approval. "Sounds good. What do you want us to do?"
Armsmaster stated grimly, "We're going to run her down and run her ragged. I want her exhausted by the time she reaches her safe house. Then when she thinks she's escaped from us, we hit her hard and fast. I want her in custody by six pm. Velocity, you're on point. Militia, you're on the left flank and I'll take the right. Move out."
The heroes began moving, starting to execute Armsmaster's plan.
Brockton Bay Police Headquarters
Downtown Brockton Bay
It was past four pm, there was a sea of reporters along with many film and video cameras at the Press Briefing Room of the Brockton Bay Police Headquarters building.
Everyone was waiting for the press briefing to begin, there were so many questions needing answers and the reporters in the room were going to do their best to get those answers not just for their bosses but to the people of Brockton Bay.
The doors at the front of the room opened and many men and women walked out to take their positions near the podium. A lot of them wearing their dress uniforms and there were a few people in suits.
One of the men wearing his police dress uniform was the Chief of Police for the city of Brockton Bay. The man was Caucasian with black hair and gray on the sides and brown eyes. He walked up to the podium and after checking what he had in front of him he began.
"Good afternoon, thank you to the media for coming to this press briefing. I'm Robert Moore, Chief of Police for the city of Brockton Bay. Earlier today, shortly before eight am, a joint group of law enforcement officers from this department and agents of the FBI went to Winslow High School to serve arrest warrants on multiple individuals at the school. This was all possible thanks to an anonymous tip and because of the courage of an ordinary citizen in sending that anonymous tip, the people responsible for some heinous crimes are going to be going to prison."
Looking down at his notes then back up into the camera he resumed, "These are the details that I can disclose. The Principal of Winslow High School, Carrie Blackwell, her assistant Jennifer Anderson, and Assistant Superintendent Monica Shelby were all arrested for multiple Federal and state charges of embezzlement, corruption, falsifying documents, conspiracy, and fraud. In addition to these individuals I am announcing that the FBI, BBPD, and PRT have issued an All Points Bulletin and a Be On The Lookout for PRT Special Agent Sandra Jefferson. She is suspected as being co-conspirator in the corruption at Winslow High School. The US and District Attorneys may add further charges as the investigation into these individuals actions is ongoing and that further arrests with regards to this case are still possible."
There was an easel with a large cork board on it. There were pictures of Carrie Blackwell, Jennifer Anderson, and Monica Shelby on top. Right below was a picture of a woman with brown hair that went down to the top of her shoulders and brown eyes. The Chief pointed at that picture when he named the fourth name of Sandra Jefferson.
"In addition to these arrests, arrests were made in the Winslow Locker Incident. Given that the arrested suspects are minors, their names are being withheld. Two arrests have been made, the third suspect was initially taken into custody but escaped using Parahuman powers, the specific powers of a particular Ward. This individual is still not in custody and I can confirm that the outstanding suspect is a Ward and took part in planning and committing the crime. The Protectorate has been informed of the actions of this Ward and they as well as the PRT and BBPD officers are working as we speak to bring the third suspect into custody. I caution the media with regards to naming of juveniles, especially Wards, even one that is a suspect in a horrendous crime."
"As you know, Winslow High School was placed on lockdown for a medical quarantine. This was linked to the crime from January third in that the school administration led by Principal Carrie Blackwell failed to properly clean the crime scene with a professional cleaning crew. This allowed blood to seep into the walls and floor behind and under the locker and airborne blood borne pathogens to fester and spread which was the reason for the lock down and quarantine. New Wave and Panacea was brought in to assist the CDC in identifying those that were infected and Panacea healed everyone that had been infected. I am pleased to announce that the medical quarantine will be lifted shortly and that we have one of the leading doctors that was working with the CDC, our local hospitals, and Panacea in bringing this crisis to an end here to speak."
The police chief continued to talk, making comments about the hard work of the detectives, specifically naming Kim Voight first and her partner John Wellington in bringing the case forward to the point of getting arrest warrants on the suspects in the Winslow Locker case. He commended the FBI for being a great partner as they worked together to bring in the Principal and her co-conspirators into custody.
Then he introduced the next speaker, Doctor Roland McDowell. The light brown haired man approached the podium, thanking the Police Chief. He checked his notes and began, "Hello, I'm Doctor Roland McDowell, I work for Brockton General Hospital, I am the point person for infectious disease outbreaks for the city of Brockton Bay. I work with the CDC, but I am not employed by them. I was the point person for the response to the medical quarantine at Winslow High School."
"I want to commend law enforcement for their quick handling of locking down the school, my medical colleagues in assisting with bringing this crisis to a swift resolution, and most of all to the team of New Wave and the Cape Heroine Panacea. Without her, we would be facing a true epidemic. Panacea, thank you. Thank you so much."
The Doctor was silent for a moment then he rearranged his notes and resumed, "The medical quarantine was necessary and it is because of this quarantine and our quick response that we are able to avert what could have been a major disaster. However, we're not completely out of the woods yet. Contact tracers are working to get in contact with those individuals that may have been infected by someone that was infected at Winslow High School. They are also getting in touch with those students who were absent from school today and will speak with the family members as well."
"We are setting up testing clinics at Brockton Regional and Brockton General Hospital, if you are contacted you are to go to one of these hospitals where you will be tested and if it is determined that you are infected, Panacea will heal those that were infected by a student or staff member from Winslow High."
"People of Brockton Bay, this was a horrendous thing that was done to one person and the school administration's failure to properly clean the scene of the crime is the reason we had to deploy to Winslow High School and lock the school down. With regards to the infection types and number of infected, I can say that the higher percentage of infected was among the freshmen and sophomore classes and associated faculty. Junior and senior students and faculty that taught the junior and senior class were also infected but at a lower rate of infection given that they generally did not go near the area where the blood borne pathogens were spreading from."
"As far as infectious diseases that the students were infected with...most were infected with one or more Hepatitis strains, a smaller percentage were infected with HIV, after that it was septicemia, syphilis, and very small percentage of MRSA. I repeat that everyone who was at the school from staff, students, even the law enforcement and medical personnel that were on the scene have been treated by Panacea and are no longer infected."
"Now, I have to bring up a situation that was uncovered at the school. As Panacea was healing students and staff her power was informing her of a another illness among many staff members and a percentage of the student body. Then the cleaning crew that the FBI had called in to clean the scene where the blood was left to fester made a discovery that matched Panacea's findings." He paused for dramatic effect and announced, "Asbestos was found at Winslow High School."
The doctor was angry now as he was looking at the camera. "That's right, asbestos was found in Winslow High School. Panacea noted that her power was seeing asbestos fibers in the lungs of many long term staff and faculty as well as the student population. Seniors and junior classes had higher concentrations, with senior class students having the highest, followed by the junior class, then the sophomore and finally the freshmen class having little to none as they haven't been at the school for long."
"A check of records shows that an asbestos removal program was funded by the school district but it appears that Principal Blackwell only had the cleaning company remove the asbestos from the main office area, the staff break room, the and the area around the closest bathrooms to the office. That this individual would be so callous to only remove asbestos from a small area of the school is indeed criminal and I am hoping that the US Attorney and District Attorney take the evidence that has been uncovered and add this criminal act to the list of charges."
Doctor McDowell then said that a CDC press conference would be scheduled for the next day and then he introduced the next speaker, the US Attorney and stepped aside.
The US Attorney was an older man in his mid to late forties, he had graying hair on the sides and a little on top of his dark hair. "Good afternoon, I'm Steven Wall the United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire. These two cases, one of corruption and embezzlement and the other, a clear case of bioterrorism and so much more will be prosecuted by my office. My office will announce all the charges that the suspects will be facing during their arraignment. I am confident that all of the accused individuals will be found guilty and we will push for the maximum sentence."
"I want to commend the work of the FBI agents and our partners in Brockton Bay police department with how quickly they put this investigation together and how quickly they identified the suspects and secured the arrest warrants. There may be one or two more arrests coming, but we do expect all suspects we've currently identified that are still outstanding to be in custody very soon. After that it will be my office's job and the job of the Brockton Bay District Attorney's office to finish what our law enforcement officers have started."
The US Attorney talked for several more minutes, giving more credit to the FBI and to the BBPD among other things. Then he introduced the next speaker, the Brockton Bay District Attorney.
The Brockton Bay District Attorney was an old man in his sixties. He stepped up to the podium and said, "Good afternoon, I'm Arthur Wolfe, the city of Brockton Bay's District Attorney. This office is proud to be working with the FBI and the US Attorney's office in bringing the perpetrators of corruption at Winslow High School as well as the perpetrators of the horrid attack on a fellow student at the same school."
"This office is looking into the latest allegation that Principal Carrie Blackwell took the money for asbestos cleanup and only cleaned a small portion of the school and took the rest of the money for herself and a few others. We will be looking into the company that the Principal hired and even though the company is gone, we may still file criminal charges against the individuals involved. These people will be punished to the fullest extent of the law."
The press briefing went on for several more minutes as the District Attorney had his moment in the spotlight. No questions were taken, the group announced that another press conference where questions would be taken would be scheduled later in the upcoming week.
Author Note: And that's enough for this chapter. Decided to cut it here. Don't know when I'll have another chapter of this. These are the first words of fanfic for this year, hopefully there will be many more. Let me finish by saying to you all Happy New Year!
Translations
Très beau = very nice
Dame = Lady
C'est assez vicieux = that's pretty vicious