Justice Chapter 2, Reports.
To say that James was stunned was an understatement. He had to grope wildly for a chair to sit down and it looked like the only reason that his wife hadn't fallen was that she was already leaning on Kim. For several minutes, nobody could speak. Finally, James got enough control of himself to drag another chair over to Anne, so she could sit while still staying in contact with their daughter. There were a few, deep breaths before he forced himself to forge on and face the situation they found themselves in.
He concentrated on walking steadily as he approached the door and knocked.
"We're going to need to see our attorney," he told the police officer. "This goes a great deal deeper than simple assault."
"That won't be an issue," another man announced. He held up an identification card. "I'm Special Agent Smith, and your daughter assisted us in a classified area. Global Justice and other organizations have an interest in her development, so I've been sent to assist in any way I can."
James just looked at Officer Hobble.
"He checks out," the policeman informed the rocket scientist. "We made an official inquiry to Global Justice and they vouch for him."
"Well, Agent Smith," James looked the man over. "Why does a government agent look so disheveled?"
"Because I parachuted in, Dr. Possible," the man answered, with no hint of irritation in his voice. "Once your daughter's name came over our search algorithms, we moved fast."
"Well, that's a quick return on one of her favors," James sighed, relieved that there was an expert on his side. "I'm glad you're here. Could you come in and listen to what my daughter has to say?"
"That's exactly why I'm here, doctor," Agent Smith answered. "I'll ask the officer to be present. I'll see to it that her rights are upheld. In fact, I'm here to act as legal representation for your entire family."
Realizing that his daughter's crime fighting activities had provided her with a better lawyer than he could provide, James simply nodded and led the way back in. Kim and Anne were both crying and James was conflicted; who needed him the most now, his sons or his daughter?
"Maybe I should go be with the boys," he suggested. His wife looked up, clearly about to agree when her eyes widened slightly.
"Maybe we should leave them with Ron for a little bit," she suggested. "He's practically their brother. Let's deal with this, then go to them."
Kim had lifted her head and her eyes opened in recognition. "Agent Smith!" She gasped.
"It's nice to see that you recognize me," the government man offered a slight nod. "Why don't you tell me what led to you assaulting a teacher?"
"Before you begin, I'd like to let everyone know that this is being recorded," Officer Hobble informed the room at large.
"Excellent," Anne showed a bit of fire with that. "I want this to be heard."
"Very well," Agent Smith, with Hobble and Dr. Possible, found chairs. "Kim, please start at your convenience."
"Earlier tonight, my parents asked me to pick my brothers up from an evening science lab at the high school," Kim stated. "While on the way, my friend, Wade Lode, contacted me and we talked about the project they were working on and the fact that I was earlier than the 'rents usually are. When I got to the school, he told me that the doors would be locked and that he couldn't get a signal into the science lab, so he unlocked the doors for me."
Agent Smith and Officer Hobble exchanged a quick look, but didn't interrupt.
"I went to the lab," Kim continued. "And I opened the door."
Here, she hesitated but Anne put a comforting hand on her shoulder while James braced himself to hear this again...and in more detail.
"When I looked inside, I saw the teacher, Miss Allen, naked and with her back to me," Kim grated out. "After a moment, I realized that she was on top of my little brother, Tim. He was seated on a chair and naked, as well. I'm sure you can work out what was happening."
James flinched at this, but he noted that both both Officer Hobble and Agent Smith were taking furious notes.
"Where was your other brother, Jim, at this time?" The agent managed to ask, when Kim showed no sign of continuing.
"He was in the room," Kim answered. "He was stripped down to his underwear, working on what I assume was their project." She shuddered and set herself. "Jim noticed me and dropped some tool. Neither Miss Allen nor Tim noticed me. I'm sure you can guess why."
"Understood," Agent Smith noted. "What did you do?"
"I yelled for her to get off of him!" Kim snapped. "And I made damned sure that she did. She stopped...what she was doing...and looked at me, really scared. She wasn't moving to get off of him so I tore her off of my brother and punched her in the jaw. She dropped like a rock, leaving me to deal with my brothers."
"And what did you do then?" Officer Hobble asked her.
"I made sure that she was still breathing," Kim told him. "Then I checked my Kimmunicator and realized I didn't have any signal. Jim and Tim looked terrified, so I told them to get their clothes on. When they did, I gave them the Kimmunicator and told them to get to the door, or wherever they could get a signal and call 911. I told them that we would need the police and an ambulance."
"So, you were left alone with the teacher," Agent Smith noted. "Did you strike her again?"
"No," Kim shook her head. "I checked her pulse and stayed with her. I also immobilized her so that she wouldn't aggravate any injuries. She was just starting to come around when the police showed up and arrested me!"
"You didn't report what she had done?" Agent Smith asked.
"I didn't have the chance!" Kim snarled back. "The police took one look and thought they knew what was happening. They told me to keep my mouth shut, cuffed me and hauled me here! The ambulance was showing up as the police car was leaving."
For several, endless minutes, there was silence. Finally, Officer Hobble cleared his throat.
"I think we're going to need to question the lads," he finally said. "What they say may determine where Miss Possible here spends the night."
"I'll stay with Kimmy," Anne offered. "James, you go with the officers."
"No problem," he nodded, glad to have something to do.
"Doctor Possible," Officer Hobble addressed him on the way to wherever the police were holding the boys. "A word, with your legal representation present, if you don't mind."
"Very well," James struggled to keep his stride and voice steady.
"If what your daughter's saying is true...and I don't doubt her," he quickly added, at the rocket scientist's glare. "Then the wee lads might be very frightened of getting in trouble. When we start to ask them questions, I think we should make it very clear to them that they aren't the ones in trouble and it's important for them to tell us everything. It's very important for them to know that their parents aren't going to punish them, or even be angry with them, for not telling them about all of this. They may be bright boys, but they're still young boys and they can be confused about things."
"Okay," James nodded. It made sense to him.
"I'll add something," Agent Smith added. "There's going to be an in-depth investigation into this. However, it's late and I doubt we're going to get anything coherent yet tonight. I'd like to suggest that we confirm or deny your daughter's story..." the agent seemed immune to James' glare. "Then take this up in the morning. Global Justice is prepared to affirm that Kim will not attempt to escape the charges being leveled against her, so that she will be free to remain in your custody for now."
"But, she didn't..." James started to protest.
"Agreed," Officer Hobble stated. "On the condition that she stays at her parents house."
"This is acceptable to us," the agent stated.
"Like I was trying to say," James interrupted the two, his voice icy. "What charges could Kim be facing? She was protecting her brothers."
"We're going to have to confirm that," Officer Hobble told him. "But even if we do, and I don't doubt we will, there could well be assault charges and breaking and entering. These are minor enough, compared to what else seems to be at play here, but if we dot our I's and cross our T's now, it could save us a great deal of trouble in the future."
James could only shake his head in disgust as the officer led him to a door. Once opened, he saw that his sons were watching television with Ronald.
He had almost forgotten that his daughter's boyfriend was here.
"Agent Smith!" Ron gasped. "I didn't think I'd ever see you without Agent Smith!"
"We occasionally have separate missions," the agent informed the teen. "Mr. Stoppable, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Furthermore, I'm going to ask...nay, demand that you keep quiet about all of this. I know that your young assistant has a habit of finding out things that he really shouldn't, so he's probably deduced more than he really should have. If he tries to tell you anything, refuse to listen to him. Your ignorance and silence could prove invaluable to Miss Possible."
"Okay..." Ron answered, clearly looking unhappy.
"Ronald, there's something you could do," James told him, while noting that Officer Hobble was murmuring some intense instructions to a young, uniformed woman. "I'm sure that Kim's Sloth is parked at the high school and that Mr. Lode has some way of starting and unlocking it remotely. Could you get it and drive it to our home? I would really appreciate it."
"Can do, Mr. Dr. P!" The teen looked happy to have something to do to help. He was soon out of the small room.
His sons looked at James with fear in their eyes. How could it have come to this?
"Boys," he told them, taking a seat as the officer shut the door. "I know that this is going to be difficult, but it's important. I need you to tell me what happened tonight."
"When you called the 911 service, you said that you needed an ambulance and the police," Officer Hobble reminded them. "You told the dispatcher that your sister had hit your teacher. Was there something that prompted her to do that?"
It was true. James could see that in a moment from the furtive look his boys exchanged. Then he was feeling guilty. He was faced with the harsh choice; either knowing that his boys had been molested or that his daughter had attacked a teacher without provocation. How had it come to this?
"I want the two of you to know this," the officer told them, when they were hesitant to answer. "First, neither of you are in trouble for this. Your father has promised me that there will be no punishment to you for anything...anything...that happened in that lab."
James nodded his support.
"Secondly, the truth will come out eventually," the officer continued. "But if you tell us the truth now, it's going to be easier for everyone."
"Is Miss Allen going to get into trouble?" Jim asked, making James' heart drop even further. How could his son be more concerned about the teacher who had...than his own sister?
"That's not something you lads need worry about," Hobble insisted. "Please boys, it's very important for everyone that you tell us."
To James' shame, they seemed reluctant, like they were considering sticking up for their teacher by leaving their sister on the hook. He took some solace when, after the two shared a look that probably communicated much more than he would ever know, they finally sighed and faced the officer.
"When Kim came into the lab, Miss Allen and I...we were...well..." Tim looked at the floor, obviously struggling to say it. "Well, we were naked and she was on me" He looked at them, his expression pleading with them to not make him come out and actually say it.
"That's close enough," Officer Hobble told him. "And it's not easy to admit, but it needed to be said and you're a fine man for doing what wasn't easy. Now, Jimmy, what were you doing at the time?"
"I was calibrating the port side stabilization motor on our drone," James' namesake admitted, also unable to meet any eyes. "Tim had installed it earlier, when Miss Allen and I...were doing what Tim and Miss Allen were doing when Kim came in." He stammered to a halt, but offered the adults a guilty look.
"I get the picture," Officer Hobble told him. "You don't need to spell it out for us. I'm proud of you, as well. It isn't easy coming clean about all of this. However, I have some more questions to ask yet tonight, before we send you all off to get what rest you can. They won't be as hard as this one was, I can promise you that."
Both boys nodded, and James could see that they were setting up a little straighter, bolstered by the policeman's praise.
"First, I need to ask you how long this has been going on," Hobble asked them. "Now, I'm sure you know just what I'm talking about when I say 'this', so I won't spell it out for you. I don't need exact dates, just something in the ballpark, so to speak."
"Three, maybe four weeks," Jim said, in a tone that said he wasn't sure about the answer.
"Closer to four," Tim said. "It...well...really started a little after Larry's birthday."
"Okay, that answer is fair enough," Officer Hobble nodded and smiled. "But it brings on more questions. First, who is Larry?"
"Our cousin," the boys answered at the same time.
"You might remember it," Tim pointed out. "Professor Dementor showed up in Middleton."
"And Larry used Kim's super-suit to beat him," Jim finished.
"That's very good, lads," Officer Hobble gave them a thumbs up. "It gives me a solid time frame. Now, I have a bit more of a difficult question. You said it really started. What do you mean by really?"
The boys looked at each other for a few moments again, clearly nervous about answering. Officer Hobble seemed content to wait them out, to let them sort out their feelings. Finally, with a look of resignation, the boys faced the policeman again.
"I mean, that's when the actual sex started," Jim told him.
"Before that, it wasn't...well..." Tim stated. He and his brother were once again focused on the floor.
"I get the picture," Officer Hobble told them. "Mind you now, you'll be needing to give me some additional details at some point, but this isn't the night for it. We're all tired and it's been a trying day. I'll just ask you a few more questions before we send you home."
"Perhaps I can add a question," Agent Smith interrupted, to Officer Hobble's obvious annoyance. "How long have the two of you been meeting with this teacher after school?"
"It wasn't just us, at first," Tim answered, while Officer Hobble's vanishing annoyance showed that he approved of the question.
"There were about a dozen students when the evening lab started, last fall," Jim added. "Us and ten or so seniors."
"It was right after football season," Jim continued. "We had just stopped being the pep puppies and were looking for something to do after school."
"Pep puppies?" Agent Smith asked.
"Oh, you were the lads in the mascot costumes at the football games!" Officer Hobble exclaimed, which seemed to satisfy Smith's curiosity. "That was some fine entertaining you did!"
"Someone had to take over for the mad dog," they two boys stated.
"After the semester break, most students didn't come back to the evening labs," Jim explained.
"It was just us, Justine Flanner and Felix Renton," Tim pointed out. "But Justine was only interested in various fields and Felix was more into robotics."
"We wanted to try to build something that could be sold," Jim took up the story. "And Miss Allen said that applied science like that would be a good experience for us. Justine and Felix moved on after the quarter break."
"No hard feelings," Tim said. "They're still cool students to hang out with."
"They just didn't want to earn the coin," Jim concluded.
"So, since the start of this last quarter, the two of you have been attending these lab sessions on your own?" The policeman asked.
"Yeah," the boys answered, but any further explanation was interrupted by a knock at the door.
Officer Hobble motioned for the boys to be quiet as he answered the door.
"Alright boys," he told them, leading the same young woman he had spoken to before starting the interview. The woman was holding a laptop. "My assistant here has pictures of everyone in the school's alumni section. Now, one at a time, I'm going to ask the two of you to identify Miss Allen."
The policeman had Jim remain seated while the policewoman set up the laptop on the far side of the room and had Tim come over. After a few moments, he pointed to something on the screen that James, observing from an angle that didn't let him view it, couldn't see. The policewoman then had the twins swap, with Jim looking at the screen while Tim waited. It didn't take Jim any longer than his brother to point at the screen. The policewoman gave Hobble a satisfied nod before exiting the room.
"I'm going to say that this is enough for tonight," Hobble announced, which prompted a nod from Smith. "There will be no school for the boys or for Kim tomorrow. Call the school yourselves tomorrow to confirm it, but the department will call them around seven. The day after is Saturday, so by Monday, we should have plans in place. Doctor Possible, you will be getting a call tomorrow, asking you to bring all of your children down to the station for further interviews. Before you leave, I'm going to give you all a piece of advice. You're all family, so don't let this drive a wedge of any sort between you. I've seen it; a crime is committed and instead of pulling together, a family pulls apart."
"Boys," he now addressed the twins. "I know that this is awfully confusing and it's going to seem like you're being punished. You're not. We only have the best in mind for you. The same is to be said for your parents and your sister. I've dealt with your sister several times and although she can be a bit bossy at times, her heart's in the right place and she wants to help you."
James had a moment to note that his sons looked a little defiant at that last one, but then the officer was dealing with him.
"It's going to be hard," Hobble warned him. "The high levels that you and your wife have achieved in your fields and the community are going to bring more attention to this crime than would usually happen and let's not forget the fame your daughter has achieved. You're going to be more in the public eye than is typical. Yet, you're a strong family; you'll do well as long as you don't turn on each other."
"We'll be in touch," Agent Smith told James, as the policeman led them out of the small room and towards the room where Kim was being held. "We have a great deal of research to do before we meet again. I've already sent you an email with my contact information..."
"I didn't give you my email address!" James protested.
"That wasn't necessary," Agent Smith offered a brief, faint smile. "But since we're going to be your daughter's legal defense, we will be working closely with both the Middleton Police Department and the Middleton School District. The best way of supporting your daughter will be to get the real criminal convicted."
James again noted that his sons shared an irritated look.
"We'll also arrange for counseling for the boys," the agent said; something that made their shared glance grow even more annoyed. "Or, if you have your own mental health professional, you can keep him or her."
"I'd like to talk this over with my wife," James told him, as Officer Hobble opened the door to Kim's holding cell.
"Of course, doctor," Agent Smith turned and walked away.
Once inside the cell, the policeman wasted no time unlocking Kim.
"Now, you're going to be released to your parents' authority," Hobble told the teen. "That means no going on missions, even if it's in town. When you get called to come down to the station, you come down, with a parent, is that understood?"
"Yeah," she grumbled. "I gotta be a good girl."
"You can have that attitude all you want, but I suggest you keep it to yourself," the policeman told her. "This is serious. You attacked a teacher in her classroom after entering the school through a locked door."
"But she..." Kim tried to protest.
"It doesn't matter," the officer interrupted her. "You're facing potential assault charges and you don't want to give a vindictive DA any more of a lever than you have to." He paused. "I shouldn't have said that. My suggestion is that you go home with your parents and stay there until your legal representative has had a chance to explain things to you."
His daughter looked like she was ready to argue, but the good advice seemed to have gotten through the stubborn, Possible pride.
"Fine," she sighed. "I guess it isn't very much work not going on missions and not talking."
"Fine lass," the officer patted her shoulder. "That's actually good advice for everyone; don't talk to anyone until your lawyer talks to you. After that, let the lawyer do the talking."
Anne hugged the boys; which had them looking confused. James didn't understand that; after what they had been through, he was sure that they would want a motherly hug. He mentally shrugged; different people responded to trauma in different ways. He determined to be there for them when they needed him. As Officer Hobble led them out of the station, he made his own announcement.
"There aren't any launch windows for two weeks," he told his family. "And what work I need to do can mostly be done remotely. I'll be staying home with the children."
His wife gave him a grateful smile and a pat on the back while all three kids, as he expected, protested being called children.
Those protests, mostly in fun, got them to the van. Once everyone was buckled in and the windows were rolled up, his daughter made her announcement.
"Guys, I'm very sorry that I didn't figure this out sooner," she told her brothers. "You should have never had to go through this."
"The fault is ours," Anne interrupted her. "We thought that being with other teens would be good for the boys. After their stint as the mascots went so well, we thought that it would be good for them to socialize more and enjoy science. We had no idea that this teacher would be such a monster."
"Monster?" Tim asked.
"She's no monster," Jim added.
"She might seem nice," James corrected his boys. "She seemed to be a nice and knowledgeable young woman to me, but that doesn't excuse what she did to you."
"Did to us?" Jim stated. James was too busy concentrating on his driving to look at his son, but his sarcastic tone told him what the boys expression would be.
"You guys act like we're about to fall apart," Tim added. "We're mad alright; mad at Kim for showing up early and making this stop."
"If it wasn't for her, we'd still be in the lab and we'd still be with Miss Allen." Jim pointed out.
"Boys, you can't mean that!" Anne's protest didn't quite cover up Kim's gasp of shock.
"The only reason we told the truth back there was because if we didn't, Kim would have gone to jail!" Jim snapped.
"This is even worse than the soccer team," Jim complained. "Only this time, there's no going back to having fun! Miss Allen is going to go to jail, the evening science lab is going to be canceled and we're never going to get to finish our project."
"Why is it that whenever we're having fun, someone has to come along and ruin it?" They both whined.
A/N: Again, my thanks to Joe Stoppinghem for beta-reading.