The next day as Quinn testifies in Ronald West's retrial
"so Quinn we've heard a lot of evidence about the night of the murder, how does a student at Pacific Coast Academy become a star witness in Ronald West's retrial" asks a lawyer trying to keep Ronald West in jail
"because I was there that night, I was giving the cop information that I can't discuss here about a student at PCA that was committing crimes, I saw it all, Jackson Little, another cop killed him, not Mr. West, as I understand it Jackson was one of the cops that interrogated Mr. West" says Quinn
"is 'that' cop Jason Pensky not your father" asks the lawyer
"what's that got to do with anything, do you think if be here defending Mr. West if he had actually killed my father, I barely knew him anyway, I was the result of an affair he had with my mother just after his son was born, Jason Pensky being my father has nothing to do with me being here, I have video evidence of Jackson Little shooting my father if you want proof I'm not lying, Mr. West tried to save him, Jackson little had fled the scene seconds after shooting my father" says Quinn
"how can we be absolutely certain you being friends with Ronald West's daughter has nothing to do with you testifying in his defense" asks the lawyer
"your ignorance is showing, I wasn't friends with Jadelyn Monique West, in fact I hated her, she was rich and a lot like Logan Reese, at least that's how I saw it then, they were both rich and got basically everything they ever wanted, the only reason my father died was because Mr. West had no idea what to do to prevent a bleed out from a gun wound, he's staunchly in favor of gun control and has never even once used a gun, if Mr. West was actually guilty you couldn't have made me defend him for all the money in the world" says Quinn as the Jury realizes the lawyer is nuts
"no further questions your honor" says the lawyer as the prosecutor trying to free Ronald West gets up
"Miss Pensky, can you recount what happened that night" asks the prosecutor
"all I am free to say at the moment is that I was giving my father information that would start an investigation at my school into a student when his coworker pulled out his gun and shot my father, didn't say a word but pointed the gun at me before he pushed me to the ground and left, it didn't look like a typical cop gun, certainly not a cheap handgun either, it looked like the kind of silent handguns used by contract killers" says Quinn
"and what does that generally mean" asks the prosecutor
"it means that the odds are good he was hired to kill my father, someone who he worked with for the last year and a half, which tells me he has no loyalty to his co-workers and if asked to he will kill another one for the right price" says Quinn as her handler stands up and gives a salute to her as a way of releasing her from her secrecy about the connection to Logan
"do you have any thoughts on who paid him" asks the prosecutor having seen the salute from Quinn's handler
"most likely Logan Reese, Logan wanted access to my half sister and couldn't get it while my father was alive and he couldn't bully me into handing her over to him, Logan craves power, specifically power over women and girls, let me be more specific, he wants undeniable power over smart girls and he'll rape them to do it given time and space" says Quinn
"why did he want your half sister in particular, it would seem killing a cop is a pretty drastic thing to do unless you have a need for access that cop won't give you" asks the prosecutor Lilly Markham
"she's wicked smart, like really smart, her IQ is in the two hundreds, she was creating a device to keep wild animals at bay, it would protect dog parks and daycare centers, unfortunately the company she used sold her a faulty chip, promising her that it would meet her requirements, the chip failed in a way she couldn't have predicted as it wasn't one of the documented failure modes documented by the company, the device is a high frequency sound device, the kind that could be used to deter mosquitoes, ravenous birds, bears or even coyotes in a mile perimeter, the way the chip failed it could only execute what it determined as 'important' code, though what it determines as important code is wildly reliant on input from the user in this particular failure mode, which can be replicated easily, Logan wanted that device as he'd gotten into a fight with his father about letting him have more power at our school because he believed that men were born to own women, even though Selena had intentionally damaged the device as to halve its range so that it couldn't be used effectively, she was reluctant to destroy it, Logan stole it and used it on her after my father was announced as dead, I know at least fifty girls at school who he's used it on to rape them, making them unconscious to do so, so they wouldn't be able to remember what happened, all were virgins, he then sold these girls to guys at school, telling them that they could rape them without consequences because our dean at the time refused to believe Logan was evil" says Quinn
"so Logan had your father killed to get access to Selena and the device that makes girls unconscious, please tell me this device is destroyed and he can't get access to it anymore" says Lilly
"it can't be destroyed yet, it has to remain in FBI custody until it can be understood enough to be explained to a jury in a way they can understand, the kinds of devices Selena is capable of making often go even over my head so you have to understand I make some pretty complex things, she's designed things that governments in America use to keep communications secure, the CIA has tried to crack it and even they can't so you can see why understanding a device this complex is important, however the CIA is involved to make sure that the device doesn't accidentally trigger, as the battery begins to degenerate the device can randomly turn on and activate code, several FBI agents have already been affected by it because they didn't understand it" says Quinn
"so does it only target women since it failed or has it targeted men as well" asks Lilly
"it can target both, as the battery breaks down the code will corrupt and it is possible for it to explode" says Quinn
"wait like a bomb" asks Judge Quincy Stevens very concerned
"Selena used state of the art battery technology that at the time she made the device was considered stable, scientists have since learned that at low battery reserve voltages it can become unstable and release a ton of heat, which had Selena not altered the power regulation of the device so it would be useless, or so she thought, it wouldn't degrade or heat up, unfortunately she didn't want anyone else to get access to it and have a full functioning device after it failed, she favored that over protection against battery failure because she didn't think anyone wanted it so she didn't see the problem with breaking her battery fault failsafe circuit, just so you know, the company she bought the chip from has banned her from buying any of their products because they believe she created a weapon on purpose, her world revolves around science and that company is the most affordable, she can't afford to get a different brand chip, which would fix all the problems and wouldn't fail, she considers her life over, she's considered suicide almost every day since the company basically ended her scientific career, our father was the only one who understood her, her and I got our love of science from him, him being a cop was a last resort job, it wasn't his dream, anyway I should go, I've said enough, if what I've said doesn't convince the jury that Mr. West is innocent then nothing will" says Quinn as she runs out of the court room in tears
3 hours later at PCA
"did you really mean what you said sis, did Logan really have dad killed" asks Selena, reverting to a child-like mental state
"Unfortunately, he did sis the evidence is clear, the gun used was bought by Logan" says Quinn hugging Selena tight
"do you think that the jury will find my dad innocent Quinn, you went soft, you hating me is the softest way to put it" says Jade curious
"hard to say, to most people he confessed, that 'defense' lawyer is evil, dude's trying to keep an innocent man in prison, I do have good news for Selena though if she's willing to science again" says Quinn
"she's not too keen on that idea, she's still quite a mess, she's been off and on in what Jade's mom calls a 'little' state, basically her brain is reverting to a child like way of thinking, she's not doing much of anything scientific or anything like she used to at the moment" says Zoey as Selena snuggles her
"well they messaged me after my testimony, they're mighty embarrassed that their chip is actually faulty, apparently it was a corporate decision to silence her because they didn't believe their engineers when they told them such and such revisions of the chips had faults and should be recalled, there are thousands of faulty chips in devices in California alone, ticking time bombs with similar enough batteries, they're hoping that Selena can prove the fault, if she can they'll give her free products up to a total of a hundred grand total cost" says Quinn as Selena shakes her head no
"she's done with science for now, at the very least with that brand, in her eyes they branded her a criminal, it won't matter how much free product they offer her, she won't be convinced they see her as anything less than a criminal, maybe a public statement and a few people fired who made the decision to ban her will change her mind but nothing less than that, no behind closed doors deals" says Zoey
"they wanted to avoid a public statement, they felt that because they'd made it personal by targeting her that making a personal offer would suffice" says Quinn as Selena squints and exhales in response
"I know that response, she sees the point they're trying to make but it won't be enough to gain her trust again, she wants the public statement, the day after she was 'expelled' she tried to go to a book store to buy a science book, she's become a joke here because of them, they laughed at her and tried to redirect her to the 'virgin sex' section and that she would never be a scientist, that she would be better off as property than a scientist" says Zoey as Quinn makes a call
"hey Izzy, you there" asks Quinn
"what's up, yes I picked up, I was just about to go for lunch" says Izzy
"Selena is a joke now because of your father's company actions, she feels that your dad's company will only ever see her as a criminal, which she is not, she went to buy a book here in LA and was told that she'd be better off as property than a scientist, they tried to redirect her to the 'virgin sex' section of the book store, she will accept the offer for product but her image needs to be repaired or it will all be in vain because she won't be taken seriously, nothing she creates will be taken seriously, she's considering quitting science all together, if your father doesn't make that statement you won't be my friend anymore or my girlfriend because I refuse to support a company or family that refuses to right wrongs" says Quinn
"that's putting a lot of pressure on me Quinny, it was hard enough getting him to agree to the free product, we don't make much profit, most goes to wages and shipping expenses, you know how much I want to be your girlfriend and how long I've waited to be accepted as gay, if I fail you would literally end all hope for me, I only took this job with my dad because your perfect date is expensive and he agreed to pay me a lot more than he would anyone else, anyway I should get going, bye Quinny" says Isabelle as she hangs up and Selena bites Quinn
"hey what was that for" yelps Quinn
"no ruining her dream Quithy, take that threat back or I keep biting you" says Selena as Quinn tilts her head in shock
"you don't normally bite, this isn't like you" says Quinn
"oh believe me she bites when she wants to and she can bite quite hard so unless you plan on being able to explain broken fingers I'd suggest you listen to her" says Zoey
"your fingers don't look broken" says Quinn
"because she has use for my fingers, she bites my hair, my ears, my nose and my toes, last week she was tired and I said she should take a nap while I clean our room, she bit my nose, it was Rudolph the reindeer red for three days, redder than it gets with allergies, everyone knew it was because of a bite, she bit hard enough to leave a mark, trust me she means business, also it's self sabotage to use such a tactic on someone you love and that absolutely loves you back, also, what is your perfect date exactly" says Zoey
"Disneyland here in California, I never asked nor expected her to pay for that kind of date, I make enough money from my experiments to pay for Disneyland, she knows I make enough money to pay for it, I didn't know why she'd left PCA after three months two years ago" says Quinn
"I didn't know you were dating my cousin, I find that a bit odd" says Zoey confused
"we aren't technically dating, we've talked about it at length but her mom isn't supportive of gay people and she absolutely loves amusement parks but she's never been because her parents don't understand her or the point of amusement parks but her mom just got convicted of murdering someone, I don't know the specifics of that case, I just know that she's a lot calmer since her mom's been in jail" says Quinn
"yeah her parents aren't the fun type, they don't like spending money on things that are experiences as opposed to things you can physically hold, they don't see the point of it, also not making a lot of profit is literally uncle Jake to a tee, he likes to make just enough to pay bills, no frills he calls it, though he does get bonus points for paying his employees way above minimum wage, the starting wage is like seventeen dollars" says Zoey
"fair enough, let's watch a movie before Tori falls asleep again" says Jade
"ok" says Selena
With Isabelle
"I'll never understand what you see in Quinn or your obsession with amusement parks" says Jake Brooks
"do you really think mom was better, she killed a scientist to scare Quinn so I couldn't be happy, she doesn't want me to be with a girl that matches my style, she always preached about how opposites attract and that If I dated Quinn that we'd be too similar and that we'd be at each other's throats, that's not how to bond between Quinn and I would work, that's not how a relationship between her and I would work, about the amusement park thing, it's all science, doing the math to figure out top speeds, how aggressive the turns, flips and spins can be, that's great and all but experiencing it is another thing entirely, it's the form of bringing the scientific equations into the real world, its never as perfect as it is on paper and that's what makes them fun, all my friends at school used to laugh at me because you and mom didn't let me have fun, they'd call me your servant not your daughter, Quinn is the only one who would stand up for me, now that I work for you she gave me an ultimatum, either you make a press statement about the PR team being out of line by banning her from buying our products AND give her the hundred grand worth of product deal or Selena might quit science all together AND her and I won't get to date" says Isabelle
"that's a little extreme isn't it" asks Jake
"Selena is her half sister and a victim of Logan, he stole Selena's virginity dad, using the device she made with the faulty chip WE provided her, right now we might as well be as guilty as Logan, this job is about to cost me my happiness if you don't make that statement" says Isabelle
"I want to meet her first, you know I'm not the type to just overrule my employees, you asked to spend your lunch breaks with me and I obliged, I promised myself I would never be the over controlling CEO that makes people's lives terrible" says Jake
"trust me, Selena won't meet with you, she doesn't trust you not to see her as a criminal, Quinn negotiating is the only reason she trusts us" says Isabelle
"I don't understand, Josey is usually very careful about figuring out if a ban should be made public, what happened" asks Jake
"I don't exactly know what went wrong on Josey's end, she's been like a mother to me, all I know is that Selena went to buy a science book a week or so ago or something and she was told she'd be better as property than a scientist and was directed to the 'Virgin sex' , that's likely why Selena wants the public statement, she probably doesn't believe her inventions will be taken seriously, it would seem Logan is pulling as many strings as he can to make Selena as bad as possible to make his case more palatable, based on what Quinn said at that trial today had I stayed at PCA, I'd have been one of his victims, all because Corporate is running amok with power and refused to listen to those engineers that said a batch or two was faulty and shouldn't be shipped to customers, corporate shipped them anyway" says Isabelle
"so you're trying to say that if I'd been stricter this wouldn't have happened" asks Jake suddenly worried that he could be implicated
"no your policy about changing products at will works for the engineers who find faults easier this way, it's corporate that needs to be cracked down on, what I do know of their practices is that they make the decision to leak who gets banned by PR, PR doesn't get to make that decision, the corporate people like to leak ban orders to the public, something about keeping people honest, if there was a way that Selena's ban got out it is possible that's how it happened" says Isabelle
"now that you mention it Rebecca wasn't all too happy that Selena was rumored to be smarter than her, she believes she's superior, however in general she does do good work, I will speak to her and if necessary fire her, though speaking to Selena is non negotiable, I'll write the statement but I want her opinion before I make the statement public, I would hate to alienate her by not understanding something or misrepresenting something, I'd hate to alienate someone with her talents a second time, please tell them I will investigate and that I require a face to face conversation with her" says Jake
"she's dating Zoe from what I understand, it's best you go through her, though I will let them know as long as you let me return to PCA, even if only as a guest, I miss Quinn, I miss her touch, though I don't expect you to understand" says Isabelle
"I will transfer you to the Los Angeles headquarters immediately so long as you continue this truth seeking there, there are managers there that I don't fully trust, Malcolm Reese was their former employer and I fear that Logan has some sway over them, though Malcolm himself is not a problem, it's the proximity to Logan that has me worried" says Jake
"same pay" asks Isabelle
"obviously, you're good at what you do, like a private investigator, expensive but still cheaper than a professional private investigator, you're good with people, you deserve a lot more than I can afford to pay you, I cut my pay in half once to make sure my employees got a living wage, I cut it in half again to make sure that you, Sally and Josey could have a better life, paid as absolute managers in your positions, though it was mainly so nobody would get angry that I gave my daughter a very highly paid job, it would have been seen as favoritism, though Sally and Josey definitely deserved the raise" says Jake
"when can I leave" asks Isabelle
"tomorrow morning or later tonight, it depends on how quick I can transfer you to the Los Angeles headquarters, though you do have vacation days racked up, I suppose I could allow you to head down there now and take your two weeks off, spend time with Quinn, as long as after your vacation is over you spend some time at work, whether that be remotely or in person, the Los Angeles headquarters has decided that non essential employees can work remotely, this would allow you to return to PCA as a student, you certainly don't get along with your online students here in Seattle, that's for sure, you certainly did better at PCA" says Jake
"nobody here likes me anyway" says Isabelle
"I have to wonder though why you left PCA so easily, yet now you want to go back" asks Jake, hoping that by being supportive Izzy might say something he knows she's been holding back
"Logan assaulted me, I made a deal with him, if he left Quinn alone I wouldn't say anything to anyone, so far he hasn't targeted Quinn" says Isabelle
"I have news for you, he wouldn't have targeted Quinn anyway, at least not until her and Selena's dad was killed, like many people here, I think Logan had him killed, Quinn would be but a science tool for him, unlike Selena and Zoey who have model type body plans, Selena more so than Zoey, they're smart and independent, the kind of person Logan hates, Quinn is more dependent on her friends approval and therefore would confide in one or more of them if Logan had assaulted her, Selena and Zoey wouldn't do that, they'd be too ashamed, he wouldn't have targeted you without reason Izzy, when you get there talk to Jade, she knows stuff about the case, for all you know you are already on as one of his victims" says Jake
"how could Jade know, what is she some sort of spy or something" asks Isabelle
"I can't say exactly what she is, all I know is that it she was part of some sort of federal program while she was at PCA, Malcolm hired her to keep Logan in line, that's all I know for sure, Jade is a wealth of information if you know how to ask, ask her about project blueberry brew" says Jake
"isn't project Blueberry Brew a jet brew tea or coffee project" asks Isabelle
"that's the public model side of it yes, however to the victims of Logan it means so much more, the feds have been concerned about Logan for some time, Malcolm is very well connected politically and what he fears most is that Logan would abuse his power and stance in society against other people, he's warned several police forces across California and a few other states that Logan isn't to be trusted alone with females of ANY age, so while Malcolm feared Logan might rape girls, he hoped that Pacific Coast Academy could soften Logan's ideological extremism, unfortunately it did not" says Jake
"how well do you know Logan's dad exactly, that worries me" asks Isabelle
"our parents were friends, Malcolm and I were not friends, not exactly anyway though we do both tend to be centrists politically speaking though he leans right of center and I lean left, though he is beginning to think that he was wrong to lean right, he's coming left of center, Logan's actions absolutely disgust Malcolm, anyway you should get going, can't keep Quinn waiting can you" says Jake
"I need a written letter stating that you will make the public statement and give Selena the hundred grand in freem product as compensation for being wronged by the company, neither Selena nor the Quinn will believe me if it's not in writing" says Isabelle
"I'll email you, Quinn and Zoey the letter, you have an hour to prepare for your flight, if the letter is done by then I'll send it with you, otherwise the email will have to suffice, I have a public statement to write after all" says Jake as Isabelle nods and leaves
1 hour later at the Seattle airport
"miss Brooks, heading back to Los Angeles are we" asks a TSA agent
"on the company plane yes, I'm being transferred to the Los Angeles headquarters, though I'm taking my vacation first, Malibu has a nice beach, besides it's way too cold in Seattle for me, my body runs on the cooler side as it is, I almost got hypothermia three times this summer because the headquarters here run the air conditioning like its not going to be cold the next day, all year round they keep it cold, though I suppose keeping some chemicals from getting hot is a good thing but they assume that everyone has functional temperature regulation systems, I'm not so lucky" says Isabelle
"yes, you are your father's daughter after all, one temperature extreme or the other with you two, though there must be some corruption at the Los Angeles headquarters if he's sending you there, your talents are quite well known, I don't know if they'll fall for it, your father pays more than most people deserve, me, I'm not smart enough to make the cut, I should have been your mother not my evil witch of a sister, anyway your plane is all ready to go, don't forget to say hi to Quinn for me" says TSA agent Olivia Torres
"you know my dad isn't as closed minded as you think, he didn't seem surprised about what Logan did to me when I told him, I thought it was a secret, I was ashamed, I was afraid he'd take Logan's side, you should tell him how you feel, he certainly has no love for mom anymore, it's worth a shot, anyway I should get going, don't be afraid to call or text me" says Isabelle as she sets out to get to her plane
"oh I will contact you if what you say about your dad is true" says Olivia