Mr. Saturday Night Special
10
Commissioned by alethiophile.
Taylor's stomach did flips as she trudged off the bus and down the sidewalk. Spotting Winslow ahead, she felt sick to her stomach, bile burning the back of her throat as her heart raced and her hands began to sweat, her whole body trembling. Clenching her fists, she looked for something to distract herself from what she was about to subject herself to. The swarm buzzed on the edges of her senses and she focused, turning her attention outwards. For a moment, she wasn't Taylor Hebert—she was a swarm of over three million insects and 'Taylor' was just one more body moving under her will. It was disconcerting, but if she was being honest, being that distant helped.
There was only one reason she was coming back to this place and not dropping out to get her GED already, in spite of advice she had received to do just that. Shinji had come by the previous night for what had become almost nightly training with her powers, driving her out of town and well away from prying eyes so she could practice in peace and safety. On the way home, he had convinced her to come to school today with the promise of 'seeing something good' if she went.
So, here she was. Forcing herself to face her fears and walk back into the hell that was modern public high school.
As she went, she moved a cloud of gnats in ahead of her, dropping tiny flies on heads and giving her an idea of exactly where everyone was and which way they were facing. More practice, thanks to Shinji. He'd had her tracking squirrels, birds, and other small animals as they jogged and walked through a state park, moving on hiking trails and learning to evade detection simply by being quiet and being where nothing was looking. She was practicing even now, spotting some of Emma's cronies and the jocks, marking them, and moving where they weren't looking, heading around to a side door instead of taking the main entrance.
She kept her head down as she made her way to her locker. The faculty had refused to assign her a new one, claiming that they didn't have any to spare, and when she opened it she swore that a faint stench still lingered. This time, she had her bugs on everyone around her and was ready for someone trying to come up behind her. No one did, thankfully, so she was able to grab what she needed for the next period after her first period computing class, lock it up, and get away from it before the stink made her throw up.
Taylor settled into a seat in the back of her computing class and logged in, then waited for class to start. From there, things became a sort of blur as she tried and failed to concentrate on school, but kept finding herself drawn away—not willing to pay attention when she had a million other things she could be doing that would feel more productive. Like having a couple of spiders spin a web and making shapes and words from the strands. It was completely inconsequential, but even that felt like it was worth more than sitting here for a class she didn't care about and could have passed in her sleep.
"Attention students and faculty. Please gather in the auditorium. Thank you," Ms. Blackwell's voice came over the intercom.
The teacher ushered them out of the class and Taylor followed along, wondering what was going on as they joined a line of other students moving through the halls. That was when something familiar came into range and she hummed.
The detective had been helping Taylor with her powers and they had some up with some pretty interesting things, so far. One of those came about from a trip to the arts and crafts section at the local Walmart. A pack of tiny, adhesive googly eyes was cheap, as was the small pocket knife he'd gotten her to break them open. Removing the eye part left her with a tiny plastic case with an adhesive sticker on the back—a case that would easily hold an ant and keep it alive for a day or two. It was something small that she could carry with her, stick anywhere faster than it would take from an ant to crawl from her hand into, for example, a car, and offered a little bit of protection from the elements. They were also easily identifiable, because the ant was trapped inside and she could tell it was contained within something—which made it stand out from the millions of other bugs she could control, if one left her range then came back in.
Why's he outside? she wondered, as she realized that from the direction and distance, he had to be in the parking lot.
Somewhere inside her, some rebellious, naive part of her dared to hope that maybe, just maybe this was it. That he was going to follow through and actually do something about the situation. The detective hadn't disappointed her yet, and he seemed to be actively working on her case, so… for now, she would give him the benefit of the doubt.
They were led into the auditorium and sent to take up a row of seats as a class, and then the waiting began as the rest of the school filed in. Eventually, once the place was nearly packed, the teachers all consulted with Blackwell for a moment. The detective entered from a side door, moving up to Blackwell and asking something, then nodding and walking away from her, speaking into a radio he pulled from his pocket, to a frown from the principal.
Principal Blackwell shook her head and made her way up onto the stage. Taking a remote from the podium, she hit a button on it and a movie theater sized projector screen descended from the rafters, in front of the closed stage curtains behind her. "Good morning, students. You'll be watching a short video, then I'll let you go back to class."
The door behind the detective opened and a man wearing a light jacket with BBPD in bright reflective yellow on the back hurried in and said something to him. Detective Kusanagi nodded and said something back, grinning as he made his way up onto the stage. The other officer spoke into the radio at his collar and someone carrying a camera with the logo for one of the local news stations came in and began filming.
Blackwell sent Detective Kusanagi a confused look as she fell silent and the detective quickly crossed the stage. He shooed her away from the microphone, then reached out and took the remote from her. Looking at it for a moment, he pressed the button to retract the screen and tossed the remote back under the podium.
"Movie's canceled, kids. But don't worry, we at the Brockton Bay Police Department have got something even better in store for you. It's said that the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing. However, certain occupations come with certain duties. As a police officer, if I see a crime taking place right in front of me and just let it happen, that's what we call dereliction of duty. If a teacher, or a principal, were to be aware of a crime happening under their roof and do nothing, it's what the law calls criminal negligence. If they try to hide it, we call that destruction of evidence. If they tell their fellow teachers or subordinates to cover it up, that's conspiracy and collusion."
Blackwell flinched beside him and began slowly easing away as the detective grinned and pulled out a pair of handcuffs, turning to the principal. "Karen Blackwell, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent—"
"You can't arrest me! No! Stop!" Blackwell yelled as the detective grabbed her arm and slapped the cuff on it, pulling it around behind her back. "Ow! Stop! You're hurting me! Stop! Rape! Raaape!"
Shaking his head, Detective Kusanagi looked over to the man who had come in a few moments ago. "Send 'em in. And come get this."
The other officer spoke into his radio and a second later, the doors to the auditorium burst open and more police officers poured in. Taylor watched in shock as several of her teachers were arrested—slapped in handcuffs and frog marched out of the building, including the worst of the lot. And they didn't stop at teachers. The aging security guard who always slept in his office, the janitor who ignored her and looked the other way, a few of the cafeteria workers who had seen the other girls ruin her lunch and turned away. It seemed like literally everyone on her list of adults who had known and failed to do anything was getting dragged outside in eyes stung and watered as things got stranger from there. Detective Kusanagi took the microphone again.
"When I call your name, walk up to the stage and pass through the curtain there where Officer Gray is standing," he gestured to the side, and a fit blonde woman smiled and waved to the crowd. "You're not under arrest, but you are being detained for questioning. You will be taken down to the station and, for those of you who are minors, your parents will be called in."
As the detective spoke, the cameraman shut off the camera at the urging of the officer beside him and left the building—and a glimpse through the door showed a reporter waiting just outside with her own microphone in hand. Reaching into the pocket of his trench coat, Detective Kusanagi pulled out a folded list. "Alright, let's see. Anderson, Michelle," he began, and one of the girls in her grade stood up with an unpleasant look on her face. Taylor recognized the face, if not the name, as one of Emma's many cronies—just part of the mob that had harassed her since her former best friend made it her mission in life to make Taylor's life a living hell. And he didn't stop with Emma's cronies—he called out everyone who was involved. Even the jocks, normally completely untouchable, were suddenly finding themselves looking unsure as several of their number were called for questioning.
It's happening. It's really, finally happening.
The thought hung in her mind, leaving her sitting there stunned. Until eventually, Detective Kusanagi left and someone else took the mic, telling the students they were dismissed for the day and to listen to the local news or radio to see if school would reopen the next day, as there was a good chance that Winslow would be closed for the next several days given the sudden shortage in faculty and staff.
Taylor left in a daze, just one of the crowd as students poured out of the school. A hand on her arm partially pulled her from her shock and she looked up, finding the watery blue eyes of Greg Veder looking at her in glee. "Earth to Taylor! Isn't it awesome? That was pretty much all of the assholes. What do you think is going to happen to them?"
"I don't know," she murmured, wondering that herself. She pulled her arm out of his grasp and continued walking, skipping the bus stop as she headed for home.
"Hey, aren't you happy?" he walked along beside her, a bright grin on his face.
"I don't know," she repeated, shaking her head. And it was the truth. She didn't know what to feel or think at the moment. He was right, in that she should be happy. It was finally over. Someone, an adult in a position of authority, had finally done something. The people who had let it all happen, the adults at the school who had failed her time and time again, had been arrested. Even if they somehow got off the hook legally, there was a good chance that their careers in education were over. All of the students who had caused her problems had been brought in for questioning and might actually face consequences.
Then why don't I feel anything?
"Christ, Taylor. Take the 'W' and be happy. You won! Blackwell, Gladly, and the rest were arrested. All of the jocks and popular girls are going to have to explain to their parents why they were taken by the cops. And the Bitches Three," he paused and frowned. "Actually, I didn't see them anywhere."
Where are they? Don't tell me they found a way to weasel out of it. Did Emma's dad do something?
"But hey, it's fine. They might get arrested later. Who knows? Anyway, uh," Greg hesitated, before taking a breath and blurting out, "So, what are you doing right now? Want to hang out?"
Taylor shook her head. "Sorry, Greg. I just want to be alone. I'm going home."
"Oh," the boy deflated. "Yeah, okay. Yeah, I get it. Alright. See you later then?" he asked, as he stopped following her.
Not if I can help it, she decided, making up her mind to take Crystal's advice—advice that the detective, that Shinji had agreed Winslow wasn't giving up, it was moving on with her life. If a genuine hero told her it was better to quit the field than try to stick around, told Taylor that if their positions were reversed Crystal would have dropped out a year ago, then really what was the point of her staying any longer? It wasn't brave, or strong, it was just stubbornness to the point of self-sabotage.
Maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment, she mused, putting one foot in front of the other as she let her mind wander, her swarm moving with and around her as she used them to navigate the early morning foot traffic, her eyes on her feet as she walked. As she went, she thought about all the things she would be able to do if she didn't have to waste eight hours in school.
She could move through the course material at her own pace—which, without being held back by Winslow's least common denominator, wouldn't take long. Taylor was a smart girl and, before the campaign of terror against her, she'd had good grades—had been nearly a straight A student, actually. She could spend a couple of hours a day working through everything she needed to, test out early, and move on to what she actually wanted to do with her life—finding a way to use her powers to be a hero.
I'll have way more time during the day to practice with my powers, too. I can start making a suit. I can spend more time exercising and even go out on patrols…
As she went and the thought of making a suit registered, Taylor hummed as she considered how best to do it. Why not spider silk? I've heard silk is kind of fire resistant and resists cutting and tearing.
With that in mind, she began gathering spiders of all different kinds. They weren't particularly fast, but she wasn't exactly in a hurry, either. However, she found a solution to that in the larger flying insects in her swarm and began using hornets, wasps, and other larger flying bugs to air lift several spiders at once—testing to see exactly how much weight each could carry and then moving the maximum load.
Moving into an alley, she opened her backpack and pulled out the books from inside. The air buzzed with insects as fliers began dropping off their payloads into her bag while she stood there, waiting. Over the course of several minutes, she filled the bag with spiders and closed it up, tucked her books under her arm, and continued on her way home.
Where can I put them? I guess I can just bring in other bugs to feed them, so they'll never run out of food. How would I even make a costume though?
Thinking on it, she remembered the arts and crafts section had several tools for making your own clothes, including patterns and books. The problem with that was, she didn't really have any money for those sorts of things. Free solutions, though… She could head by the library and use their computers to look things up and take her notebook to make notes. And if she brought her backpack, she could gather more spiders. She had a full day to her own devices and she intended to make the most of it.
Shinji piled into his car and sighed, leaning forward and thumping his head on the steering wheel. It was, if not over, then at least mostly out of his hands now. He had pushed everything forward, gotten the warrants, and set the department moving. That morning, they had busted the Winslow faculty, brought in kids for questioning, and even made some more arrests given new evidence that came to light. Simultaneously, search warrants were executed on Winslow's faculty computers, their homes, the school district's servers, students' phones and personal computers, and a certain PRT handler's personal and work computers and phones after she had been arrested with the rest.
It was such a massive undertaking, thanks to Shinji's thoroughness, that they would be executing search and arrest warrants for the next several days—on top of taking witness testimony, questioning suspects, and so on. It would normally take longer, but given just how many people wanted this done quickly, he had managed to leverage that against them and prioritize this little operation.
As for Shinji… Sergeant Baker had quietly pulled him aside, congratulated him on a job well done, then just as quietly told him in no uncertain terms to go home. He had made the shit list of some powerful people and out of sight, out of mind was the best play for him now. Especially when they were kicking the hornet's nest that was the PRT, with their bust of Sophia's handler and digging into her records. The PRT weren't going to take that one laying down, once they learned of it, and Shinji would be the first in their sights. Legally, they couldn't do anything to punish him. But that didn't mean they couldn't find other ways of making his life miserable.
Officially, Shinji was now on vacation, using PTO. Unofficially, he was to keep his head down and let the case get sorted out, and not come back for a couple of weeks unless the sergeant called him in.
Of course, being off duty didn't mean that he didn't have things to do—especially now. No, with the Winslow case going through the legal process and his work for the department on hold for the moment, he could focus on other, less legally sanctioned activities.
Taylor needs the practice and I should see if I can break some of her worst habits and the like early.
Pulling out his cell phone, Shinji sent a text off to Crystal asking if she was free that night, then made his way home—but not without making a few stops, first. One, to a cheap costume shop to pick up a simple domino mask just in case. The second, to a computer store to pick up one of those nice, new model ruggedized tablets and some wireless micro camera/mic devices. He had a bit of a budget and investing in Taylor's reconnaissance ability now would pay off later, he knew.
He made his way back home after that and went about preparing for the night. The tablet and electronic bugs, he set up ahead of time so they could just turn them on and go. Then, he opened up his work room and checked the surveillance as a force of habit before opening up his gun safe. Reaching in, he pulled out a wood stock lever action .22lr and checked it over, looking through the red dot and 4x booster to make sure everything was working before putting the caps back on. He grabbed his cleaning kit and put it on the table nearby, then went about cleaning the rifle.
Once everything was clean, he put it back together, screwed the suppressor back onto the end of the barrel, and grabbed his rifle bag. The rifle and its (loaded) magazines went in and he took it, a box of ammo, and the brass catcher for it out to load into the trunk of the car.
Crystal never texted back, but shortly after five, just as he was getting ready to head over to the Hebert home, she landed in his back yard and let herself in. "Hey sexy~!" the curvy blonde greeted, molding her body to him in a hug, before flying up the few inches that separated them and stealing a kiss.
"Hey," Shinji greeted with a smile, squeezing her ass through her painted on jeans. "No costume?"
"It's under my clothes. Should I be in costume for this?"
"Nah. Plainclothes are fine," he shook his head, letting her go as he grabbed his things and locked up, before climbing into his car.
"So, what are we doing tonight?" Crystal asked, wagging her eyebrows suggestively.
Rolling his eyes as he got the car started and pulled out, Shinji answered, "Getting Taylor some experience."
"Kinky~."
"Not that kind of experience," he sighed and she grinned. "I figured we could take her out to celebrate a bit, since we made the arrests at Winslow today."
"Nice. That should hopefully let her relax a bit. That girl's wound way too tight." Humming, she pulled out her phone and hit speed dial, reaching out and turning the volume down on Shinji's radio as she did. "Hey Ames, it's your favorite cousin! Listen, you doing anything tonight? … Perfect. We'll be there in a bit to pick you up. Ah ah ah! Don't argue! Socializing is good for you! You need to get out more. … Does it matter who's going? Don't you trust my judgment? … Wait, wait! Don't hang up! Me, Shinji, and Taylor, okay?! Jeez, you'd think I've earned a little more trust than Vicky when it comes to surprise social events. … Casual is fine. Bring your cloak if you want, but we're not doing anything that should require it. … Alright, see you soon."
She hung up and Shinji sent her an amused look. "Kidnapping your cousin?"
"She needs to get out more and those two get along pretty well. They're both quiet and snarky. So, how big was the bust?"
"Big," Shinji said, then went on to detail just how many people they had brought in, and how many they had left.
They pulled up to the Hebert residence and got out, Shinji knocking on the door and waiting. A moment later, Danny came to the door. "Detective, Ms. Pelham. I wasn't expecting you."
"Well, I've got some developments I thought I'd share," Shinji explained, and Danny waved them inside. "And I'd think it's Shinji by now."
"Sorry," Danny shook his head. "Got a lot on my mind. You know, with everything…" he trailed off before gesturing towards the living room couch. "Please, sit. Can I get you anything?"
"No thanks," Crystal shook her head and Shinji echoed her.
"Is Taylor in?"
"Sure, I'll go get her," Danny nodded, and headed up the stairs. A few moments later, he returned with the teenager in tow, and the pair sat down in two of the other chairs around the coffee table. "So, what's this about?"
"As Taylor already knows, we made some arrests today. I can't really go into much detail, but I can tell you that we should have enough evidence to bury everyone involved. Jail time for some, fines and probation for others, minimum."
Taylor actually smiled, pulling her feet up and hugging her knees to her chest. "It was great. They arrested about half the faculty in front of the whole school." Shooting a questioning look at Shinji, she asked, "Why did you do it that way, anyway?"
"Wait, hang on. What do you mean, in front of the whole school?" Crystal asked. "You didn't mention that part."
"I didn't?" he asked, and she shook her head. Shinji nodded and looked Taylor in the eyes. "Don't let what I'm about to tell you spoil the night for you. I'll be honest, here. Even with… unorthodox methods, having enough solid evidence to start issuing warrants wasn't going to happen, as long as everyone kept their mouths shut. And they were. Every single one of them. No one was going to talk. The students, because kids are shitty, as you well know." Taylor nodded at that, a frown pulling at her lips. "The faculty, because Blackwell threatened their jobs if they said anything. I got the impression that my predecessor and I were both supposed to just look around, pretend nothing was going on, and wash our hands of it."
"It's Winslow," Taylor shrugged. "So, how did you get what you needed?"
"Before I answer, tell me. If you have a problem—say, an illness. You can fix it, but you've got two choices. Would you rather go after the symptoms, or the cause?"
Taylor made a displeased noise. "I can't deal with both?"
"You've got one shot," Shinji shook his head.
Danny opened his mouth, only to close it again and smile ruefully. When Shinji looked at him, he shook his head and nodded towards Taylor. The girl looked frustrated, as though she suspected exactly what Shinji was going to say next. Crystal spoke up, trying to soften the blow. "Think of it like this. If I were going after a gang and had the chance, I would rather take down the leader than bust some low level mooks. Yeah, those people don't just go away, but the problem that enabled them does."
Looking annoyed, Taylor muttered, "Then I'd go after the source, to make sure it didn't happen again."
"Good choice," Crystal smiled, reaching out and squeezing Taylor's knee.
Seeing the girl looking at him expectantly, Shinji explained. "I went after the weakest link, closest to the center. I'm not going to say how, but I got some leverage and put pressure on Madison Clements. I made her turn on her friends and give a sworn confession, in exchange for a legal slap on the wrist. Some community service and her parents pay a fine. None of it goes on her permanent record. Then I did the same with Emma, and then Sophia."
"Fuck."
Hearing the quiet curse, the detective sighed. "It's not a total win, no. Sophia is getting the worst of it and will probably wind up going to juvie for a year or two, until she turns eighteen, but the DA will let himself be talked down from pursuing the maximum sentence. I've spoken with him and he agreed that a condition of Emma's probation was that she get therapy and show serious improvement, and if she doesn't go, or tries to fake it, she'll be going to jail. However, with the confessions and evidence from those three, we have a pretty air-tight case for criminal negligence on the part of the school. I would honestly be surprised if Winslow wasn't shut down inside the year. Everyone involved is, at minimum, likely to be blackballed from the community. Their careers as educators are over. Blackwell, her assistant principal, and several teachers are going to see jail time. And thanks to Sophia, we've arrested a… PRT consultant. Ultimately, the person responsible for the whole situation, by applying pressure to Blackwell using PRT funds. I can't say why."
"Why," Taylor started, only for her throat to clench up. Forcing herself to swallow, she asked, "Why can't they all go to jail?"
It was Danny who took that one. "Because that's how the system works. It's built on compromise. Give a little to get a little. It's awful, but it's what we have. I deal with it every day."
"Hate to say it, but he's right," Crystal nodded. "I used to be an idealist, you know? I wanted to bring in all the criminals, no matter how small the crime, because it was the right thing to do. No compromise, ever. But the thing is, when you stop being willing to compromise, so does everyone else. My family learned that the hard way. My mom and aunt didn't want to compromise, either. They wanted to bring down villains, no matter who or where they were. Back before the team was New Wave, the Brockton Bay Brigade attacked Marquis in his civilian identity, in his home. Not long after our aunt Jess, Fleur, was killed in her civilian identity by a member of the Empire looking to make a name for himself. Compromise is what keeps the villains and gangs from just tracking us down and killing us all in our homes."
Her eyes closed and her fists clenched, Taylor was tense for several moments before she eventually went limp. Quietly, she sighed out, "I hate it."
"We all do," Shinji agreed. "Listen, Taylor. Don't let it get you down. It's still a win. A big win, even."
The girl nodded. "I guess… I'll take what I can get, then."
"Great! With that in mind, we were thinking you might want to come out and celebrate. I've invited Amy. Nothing too big or public, just friends hanging out," Crystal grinned, before turning her gaze on Danny. "You're welcome to come too, Danny."
"Much as I'd like to, I've got work in the morning," he begged off, looking to his daughter. "Since the school is going to be closed for a while, why don't you go out and have fun?"
Taylor considered it for a moment before nodding, deciding it would be a good excuse to talk shop with Crystal and Amy, and since they and Shinji already knew her secret, there was no reason not to. She was disappointed that she wasn't getting everything she wanted, but…
She was getting vindication. All of the adults who had turned a blind eye were going to be punished for it. Somehow, the Trio had pulled a karmic Houdini and mostly gotten away with it, but Crystal was right. Without Blackwell and nearly the entire school behind them, they had been defanged. They couldn't hurt her anymore.
But just to be sure… "Dad, I've got something I want to talk to you about."
"Sure, hon. Is this a private thing, or…?"
Taylor shook her head. "I don't want to go back to Winslow. I want to drop out and get my GED."
Danny sighed, but nodded. "Alright. We'll start on that this weekend."
"Thanks, dad," Taylor sent him a smile, getting up and moving over to hug him. "I'll see you later?"
Danny chuckled. "Don't stay out too late."
With that, Taylor ran upstairs to grab her coat and backpack, and the three of them left.