She squeezed Shin's hand back, almost, but not quite fast enough to be instinctually.
"I liked it. Really as long as you make the helmet tough enough to keep you from getting hurt again though, I'm happy. Now's not really the time for the rest though, Shin.
When Mattie talked about 'helping' Praetoria with her power surges though, Kylie's eyes sharpened.
"Kayla, don't forget, there's an evil snake in Mattie's head that wants to eat you. Giving Mattie your power will hurt her. If you need release, there are safer ways."
Kayla’s heart started racing and she blushed a bit at Psyche’s projected message, but she shakes her head and says ”I’m fine. Go see if there’s anything she can do that you like!”
”I’m fine.”
"You clearly aren't. Don't pretend that you are for so long that you do something foolish."
The team is suited up in their newest outfits, linked up and loaded for bear. Red interior lighting of the vessels bringing the Sentinels to the target location shows how serious the mission is.
Comms crackle online, and the voice of the team's mentors come through. Whippoorwill speaks to everyone on Inquiry where Horizon, Isaiah, Praetoria, and Psyche are, giving last words of encouragement before they deploy.
Similarly, on board the Rhino, Silver Shield gives her final admonishments to Frostbite and Scorch, with Gallowglass and Bear in the back listening in.
This is it. Is the team ready? Have they trained enough to face what is just outside? But ready or not, they have to face it down and hopefully live to see the other side.
The doors swing open, letting blinding light and deafening sound pour in. They step out --
-- And onto the stage at the center of Halcyon City before the Alliance Headquarters, with hundreds of onlookers, city councilmembers, police and rescue crews, media, and other well-wishers all cheering.
Standing at the podium before the array of TV cameras and live-streaming devices are the leaders of the two premier teams of Halcyon, Captain Stalwart of the Alliance and Nimbus of the Heralds. They're joined by Mayor S. Martin Lieber who gives every one of the Sentinels a vigorous handshake.
The rest of the Alliance and Heralds are interspersed around Marston Plaza at various strategic locations.
After everyone's taken their positions on the stage, the mayor steps up to the podium and clears his throat. "Good afternoon, Halcyon! What a turn-out! This is great! Seeing all these heroes and heroines all in one place! Look at all these great, flashy costumes! I'll say, there's no place on Earth like Halcyon City!" The crowd dutifully cheers, and flash bulbs go off in a rapid staccato.
Mayor Lieber turns to Captain Stalwart, then to Nimbus. "We've always been lucky to have two such great and valiant teams of superheroes to protect this city, to say nothing of all the solo heroes who put on their tights and work to make this city a better place. But lately, we've got another team that's been making headlines, and it's high time we thanked them for what they do!" Another round of applause rises from the assembled crowd.
The mayor calls Captain Stalwart to the microphone and steps back, not really caring that the premier hero of the city receives a much more enthusiastic response from the crowd. The gold-and-blue hero gives a confident grin as he addresses the crowd. "Thank you, mayor. I couldn't agree more. It's always an exciting time when a new team of young heroes steps up to serve and do what they can to defend, not only this city, but the world when the call comes. I consider it an honor to recognize the Sentinels! Halcyon's newest defenders!"
The crowd raises a deafening cheer, buoyed by Captain Stalwart's exhortation. The outpouring of support swells and then finally tapers off as it appears the Captain has more to say. "I'm not going to recount all their efforts since they've first joined forces, but I do want to talk about something that happened not long ago. As it sometimes happens, we got a visitor from space. This one, however, was no Altru Man. This was a Rogue Shard, a relic from an ancient starfaring race that attacked Halcyon City for what makes it special. And it's opening salvo depowered roughly ninety percent of the heroes here in the city."
Nimbus steps up to the microphone and continues. "The Sentinels rallied to the defense of the city, and what's more, they were able to reverse the nullification field and restore the powers to the Alliance and Herald members who had lost them. Without the efforts of the Sentinels that day, Halcyon City would be without most of its defenders. We owe this team our thanks. I owe this team my gratitude." He turns and then gives each Sentinel a firm handshake and the warmest of smiles while the crowd cheers.
After everyone is recognized, Captain Stalwart again takes the podium. His face is sober and the crowd hushes when they see him get serious. "While doing the right thing is its own reward, sometimes it requires sacrifice. Sometimes, in saving others, we run the risk of losing ourselves. And when that sacrifice is freely given, we can only humbly acknowledge our immense gratitude and admiration for those who have place so much of themselves on the line to save others. It is for this reason, that I have requested Mayor Lieber to award the Halcyon Star to Sentinel members Praetoria and Psyche."
The mayor steps back up to the podium with two ornate medals in lacquered wood cases. He invites the two heroes to step forward, so that he may place the medals around their necks. They also are given the opportunity to say something to the crowds.
What do you do???
It was actually better that Praetoria was getting a medal for this too. It was actually even better that her name was first. The best part of awards like this, after all, the part that made her safer, was that Psyche would be associated with superheroes who actually were beloved. What better way was there for that than for Praetoria to get half of the ceremony. More than half really, if we're announced in one group and she goes first. Praetoria gets more than half.
It's better this way. Really. I don't want to be othered any more than I already am by having my synthetic form be made public, and after all, why wouldn't Kayla get a medal for being sucker-punched by a psychic parasite and being unconscious for the whole fight.
Does she know how truly ridiculous this farce is? I can't even bear to look right now. Her parents Actually make a sacrifice, and because of that she gets half of the medal I earned for rewriting reality and saving almost every hero in Halcyon. More than half of my medal. Honestly, could there be something more Kayla Taylor than me sacrificing, and caring, and working to save someone, and Kayla flying off with her gratitude anyways?
She let Kayla go first, waited her turn, eyes turned towards her friend with her best pageant smile beaming, before she stepped forwards, bowing her head to the mayor. "Captain Stalwart, Mayor Lieber, I will do everything I can to be worthy of the honor you have entrusted us with today. Thank you." Turning to the Sentinels, Nimbus, and Captain Stalwart she continued, still cheating out to the audience so her words would carry appropriately, "But even the mightiest among us is nothing without the love and support of their friends and their family. Let us show the world that together, there is no villain or force that can stop us from keeping Halcyon or her people safe. And if you'll forgive me for paraphrasing the motto of our state, let the skies be no limit to Halcyon's tomorrows.
"Ever Upward!"
Shin is uncomfortable being out in public like this. He hates the attention, hates the need to validate to everyone that they were worthy. He understands that it has to be done, but he still hates it.
Quietly, he accepts his praise without much more than a muttered word of gratitude to the Mayor. He looks at Psyche, and wonders how she feels about all of this. He knew her well enough to know when she was putting on a mask at least, and this was a pure fiction she was weaving with the smile and the waving. He'd take time to talk with her after this, see if there was anything he could do.
He was glad that he wasn't one of the people being given a medal. He felt that he'd work better out of the limelight. Maybe he'd start doing patrols during the night instead of the daytime. With school on the horizon (no pun intended) he had to rethink his schedule.
Kayla had been forewarned by Angela and Augustus as to the purpose of this whole affair.
The whole thing made Kayla sick.
When the time came, and the medals were presented, she numbly bowed her head to let the medal be placed around her neck. And when it came time for her to speak, she stepped up to the microphone, prepared to give the thank you speech Angela had prepared for her.
The cacophony of muttered whispers between those in attendance as well as the roar of the camera shutters thrummed in her head. Looking over the crowd she could readily see people looking at her in awe, others unabashedly ogling her, and others glowering at her jealously.
She opened her mouth to speak, but paused. She glanced to the side of the stage and saw Angela standing there giving her a hand signal of “Go on! Talk!”
”Th-Thank you all so much for this honor,” she started before a long pause as she looked down at the medal.
”But I do not deserve it,” she says flatly, going way off script. Cameras went into overdrive. ”This award should go to someone whose actions in these recent events were truly deserving of this recognition. And that belongs to everyone else on the Sentinels,” she says as she turns to face them. She takes the medal off of her neck and steps over, handing it to Horizon as more cameras flash in overdrive.
She then leans in and gives each of them a hug before subtly slipping off stage. She passes by Angela with her head held high, refusing to make eye contact. Once she is back in the staging area, she sits down and buries her face in her hands. Outside she can hear the roar of drama filled whispers of the crowd, her aunt’s mumbled rage to Augustus and his replied defense of her actions, not to mention the distant growl of the city beyond. Her hands slid to her ears as she tried to block out the sound as her eyes filled with tears.
Rory's mind was a million miles away and there were about two million he would rather being doing but this was just one of those things that came with the job. The primary object of his thought was Siphon, was she ok, was she somehow in on everything, had it been a trap that failed...? He was brought back to the here and now when Praetoria and Psyche received their medals.
A few moments after Kayla slips of stage, Rory follows placing hand on her shoulder, "hey, are you ok? oh and your aunt is pissed by the way. I haven't seen anyone that red since the last time Beastmode wanted to murder me," he said trying to both comfort and elicit a laugh out of his teammate.
I didn't do that, right? By accident? No... no I stayed out of her head. Would've been a lot better if she'd worked her way through all that in advance though. Spurning Captain Stawart and the mayor on live television is really only a good PR move if you're going fully counterculture, but...
I really don't know what to do to help her.
She didn't establish a full link, but let her mind brush against Kayla's. Just the equivalent of squeezing her hand.
”They are trying to...to reward me for...for causing all this and my parents dying because of it! It doesn’t make any sense! All because Angela and the others are pulling strings to make sure the family gets the recognition!” Kayla rants emotionally.
”I’m sick of everyone thinking I need pampered, controlled, or...or...whatever!” she says as she gets up and starts pacing.
She sinks to the ground, her legs to her side and leaning on her hands. Her silver hair hangs in front of her face past the new tiara she wears as part of her “new look.” ”It’s all my fault, Rory...this is all my fault and all they care about is getting a good shot of it. Right now there are like, four or five photographers trying to slip around here to get a good shot of me...doing this!”
"Your fault, how? Did you summon the scrubber, did you kidnap your parents and hand them over to Dr. Dread? These are villains and random forces of destruction through out the cosmos, and if we want to be heroes we have to accept that there is a chance of failure, that things won't go our way. Because if there isn't the risk than nothing we do is heroic. Your parents died because evil people killed them, and you fought them and because of you those evil people are where they belong. " Rory tries to interpose himself between Praetoria and the paparazzi.
"Rory's right. Pretending this was your fault is ridiculous. Wish you'd been better if you must. Learn from where you fell short if you can. But don't be so arrogant as to believe you caused a war between a reality shaper and an alien invasion, or that you were responsible for your parent's deaths. They were trapped in hell long before you were captured; if anything, your capture gave them a chance at escape, but in the end, they made the decision to risk their lives in order to keep Dread penned up. If you don't deserve the reward, you certainly don't deserve the blame."
Isaiah nodded and smiled and generally looked as inconspicuous as someone on stage in a flashy outfit could. He half expected something terrible to happen at this celebration, given their recent luck, and kept a close eye out for anything amiss. He could hear Praetoria and Rory talking, but given the recent chat he purposely ignored them for the time being.
"Horizon! Horizon, why did she give the medal to you? Did you actually stop the alien menace?"
"We all contributed to its defeat. K- Praetoria is still grieving her parent's death at the moment. I feel we should all give her more time to come to terms with that," Shin quickly spun.
As everyone fumbled about trying to comfort her, Kayla started breathing heavily and tears started rolling down her cheeks. They didn’t know, didn’t understand. How could they? They weren’t forced to play helpless passenger as some other thing unraveled their entire lives.
The flash of a camera. Kayla’s head snapped up and at the photographer that had managed to slip between the stage and backstage areas. Her eyes flared to pure golden light as her teeth clenched.
Captain Stalwart gives the encroaching reporters a stern look. "Everyone, give them space. They're not taking questions." The presence of the hero makes the paparazzi shrink back out of respect.
He makes a gesture with his hands and the throngs move back to center stage. "The life of a hero isn't easy. Those who step up to serve others, to protect the ones who can't protect themselves -- whether they have powers or not -- have my respect. The least we can do is honor their efforts and be there for them when the sacrifices they make are too great for one person to bear." He turns, giving both Kylie and Kayla a sympathetic look.
Captain Stalwart turns the mic over to Mayor Lieber who starts playing to the crowd with his usual enthusiasm. The Sentinels are able to head into the Alliance Headquarters with a final echoing cheer from the crowd.
Once out of sight from the mob of people, the Sentinels can relax for a moment. Yeoman appears with a tray of refreshments. Captain Stalwart sighs as he pulls his cowl off, exposing his wavy hair. He shakes his head at the archaic robot. "I've told you over and over, you don't need to wait on us."
"It is a pleasure for this one to serve," Yeoman responds. Then he turns to the Sentinels. "Drink?"
"I don't need a drink; thank you Yeoman."
"Should you be here right now, Kayla? If a simple photo-op is too taxing... Or do you just need something appropriate to hit?"
"No thanks, but thank you for offering."
Isaiah nodded to Yeoman, more familiar than most with the mindset behind its desire to serve. The drive to be useful ran deep in the Federation.
"So... while we appreciate the chance to get out of the hubbub, I'm guessing that's not the only reason you pulled us back here."
”Kylie! I’m fine! I just had someone come up to me and say ‘Your parents died, here’s a reward!’ Forgive me for not reacting like a prom queen!”
The paparazzi had been wrangled and escorted away by security before anything untoward happened. Kayla didn’t quite recall what all had happened between that and this post-reward celebration, just that she was standing off to the side, holding a cup of punch, being lectured telepathically.
She sighed and looked about, eventually finding Rory and Mattie. She stepped over to them and mumbled ”Isn’t this just loads of fun.”
Shin stands in the room and sips from the glass of iced tea Yeoman had brought. He was at least glad that they were out of the eyes of the press. He didn't like trying to spin things to not look like they were incompetent children.
"Can we go back to our hideout now? I just want to relax for the rest of the day. That event was more stressful than taking out Shard."
Kayla eventually takes a deep breath and makes her way over to Captain Stalwart. ”Excuse me, Captain. I just wanted to say, before it appeared my family had pressured me into it, that I’m sorry for how things just went. It wasn’t very professional of me,” she said, looking into his eyes as she said it.
"I guess that depends on your idea of fun, but I'm not a huge fan of the press as is.." Rory mumbles to Kayla under his breath after accepting Yeoman's offer.
"Thank you Kayla. I know this is a hard time for you, but being seen as a hero like that could mean all the difference when I go before the judge."
Kylie seemed to be in the middle of a private conversation with Kayla, but that didn't stop Shin from going over to her side, a hand on her shoulder. "The hearing's coming up. It's probably a good idea to prepare. Should I wear a suit, or do you think it would be better to be there in this?" He asked.
"There shouldn't be any cameras if everything's gone according to plan, so formal but nondescript is the dresscode. I won't be there in costume either, so you, or anyone else who wishes to attend, should also be in civilian clothes."
"No thanks, but thank you for offering."
Isaiah nodded to Yeoman, more familiar than most with the mindset behind its desire to serve. The drive to be useful ran deep in the Federation.
"So... while we appreciate the chance to get out of the hubbub, I'm guessing that's not the only reason you pulled us back here."
Captain Stalwart shakes his head with a grin. "Actually, no. I think you all have earned a little rest. So if you want an assignment from me, I would say, relax. Do a group activity; some bonding. You never know when the next mastermind is going to strike, so it's always important to savor the quiet times."
True to his word, the time at Alliance HQ is quiet. The Sentinels can take advantage of the location's exercise area or lounge for the rest of the day, knowing that the next day is Psyche's court date.
============
The Halcyon Judicial Complex located near the center of Downtown is a grand marble and stone building with heavy columns rising above the wide steps.
The juvenile court, however, is located in one of the annexes half a block away. The good news is, it has its own parking garage so there's not that much of a walk.
Psyche and her mother meet Mr. Turbeville in one of the skywalks linking the garage to the courthouse. He has a cane to help him walk. He takes Psyche and her mother toward a separate entrance reserved for courtroom personnel and defendants.
The rest of Kylie's supporters who decide to attend are instructed to enter through the public entrance.
Upon arrival at the building, everyone has to pass through security.
You have your own security checkpoint to go through. The concrete-walled sally port contains a variety of sensors and a pair of guards in high-tech gear. An ominous sign on the wall reads, NO POWERS MAY BE EMPLOYED FROM THIS POINT.
The guards are clearly expecting you. They hold up a collar that looks similar to the one you wore when you were arraigned. Mr. Turbeville displays a piece of paper and announces, "I got permission from the judge. Power sensor only. She's one of the good guys." He turns to you. "The collar is just a sensor, not a dampener. Don't use your powers, it won't go off, and everyone's happy."
The guards don't look happy, but they comply and take out a much slimmer, less ominous collar. Then they gesture for you to step through the metal detector.
What do you do??
Kayla arrives in a short but formal mint green dress that would be comfortable in the last of the summer heat. She stood quietly alongside the others of the group who were present in their civilian attire, taking care to avoid any of the Sentinels who were also present so she didn’t risk revealing their identities.
Shin wears a tweed jacket and slacks, shifting the thick-framed glasses up his nose as he steps through the metal detector. He figures this look would meet the standard for civilian attire. Though he has a quick change pack in case someone were to call on Horizon for testimony. He doubts that's the case, since he was never called to speak to Kylie's lawyer, so he hopes it won't come to that.
He takes a seat next to Kayla, trying to keep his opinion to himself. He almost got there.
"Isn't that dress a little too...showy for court?" He asks her. "I mean, I don't know anything about 21st century fashion, but I figured that she wanted us to not stand out."
”Shin,” Kayla says softly but firmly, ”You are right, fashion is tons different than what you are used to. Besides...” she pauses as she sighs, before adding glumly ”I stand out everywhere I go.”
Psyche nodded, but made her trepidation visible.
"How sensitive is it?" "Mom?" "I can refrain from extending myself," "When I stop using my powers" "but there's a certain amount of passive awareness" "I'm going to look different, but it's okay," "that's inseparable from things like sight and hearing." "It's going to be fine. I'll fix it. Just don't look shocked, okay?"
She dropped her veil. Her 'hair' gradually re-merged til it was all of a piece rather than individual strands, since she wouldn't be able to make it move like real hair without telekinetic attention. Her skin stayed nearly the same color, but by its sheen was clearly artificial. Fuchsia lines glowed at her joints and along the long 'meat' of her arms and legs where they emerged from her demure dress. [i]Though I suppose that will hardly be what people are staring at anyways.
"You may require something more specific than a metal detector for your examination."
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"Well, that's nice. Good to hear there's no new crises just yet. Though, I might want to talk to the Alliance in private sometime soon. Some... acquaintances of mine detected something you might want to know about."
---
Isaiah attended, but in one of his civilian personas. Casually, he approached the security.
...And passed through without a blip. Man, quick-hacking this was too easy. I'd have felt better if it were harder. Well, it will be now.
The sensors didn't report anything unusual about Isaiah. They did, however, start parallel-reporting their readings to him, in conjunction with the usual dandruff of spycams. And their cyber-security got a few unlisted upgrades and a bug sweep, free of charge.
Mattie arrives with any of the others (including Kayla) who's identities are known, wearing jeans and a shirt. As the group prepares to enter, she remains quiet, lost in thought.
There's suddenly a loud WRRRRRNNNNN sound and the lights of the small room go out. A short scuffle is heard in the pitch darkness, then the lights go back on. Psyche is standing where she had been, looking normal.
"What, what just happened?" Mr. Turbeville rasps, hand clutching his heart and his cane raised.
"Kylie??" her mother gasps, pressing up against the wall.
"Sorry. A little joke," she says with a perfect smile. She takes the power sensor and snaps it around her neck. It blinks green, signifying her powers are not active.
"A joke?" her attorney says in disbelief. "The only person in the courtroom allowed to have a sense of humor is the judge. You pull [i]anything like that in the courtroom, the deal'll be gone and you'll wind up in juvvie!"
"Kylie! Did you cut the lights?" Her mother grabs her by the arm.
"Not on purpose, if I did," she says innocently.
The guards settle down, seeing the collar on her. "It was probably a short. All this sensitive equipment, it can be overloaded sometimes. They're really due for an upgrade, you ask me," says one of the guards. He checks the computer screen and inputs a couple commands. "Working fine now. Step through, please."
As Kylie steps through with the sensor alerting only to the collar, her mother chides, "Why would you make us think you looked like some robot?"
"Just a thought I had while coming here. There are robotic heroes. Do they have to go through metal detectors to come to court? Or do they even have rights?"
"Kid, that's a looong answer," Mr. Turbeville says as they leave the sally port.
When the door shuts, the two guards look at each other. They nod wordlessly, open the compartment underneath the counter, and pull out the still, robotic body of Psyche. One speaks into his mic on his collar. "The switch is made. Ready for extraction."
Your sensor hack catches an area that blacks out for a short time, but it comes back on.
Juvenile courtrooms are generally not open to the public, but there are exceptions for family members and close friends. Thankfully, there is no media presence either.
Kylie's supporters sit down in the gallery of the small wood-paneled courtroom. At the state's table, a prosecutor is busy shuffling through the stacks of papers. Another man is seated next to him, looking stern. He has a Dawkins Research Facility ID card pinned to his jacket pocket.
The judge is not on the bench, but a court reporter and court clerk are busy setting up at their spots next to the judge's seat.
After a few more minutes go by, Kylie, her mother, and her attorney step into the courtroom from a side door. While the attorney moves with a painful gait over to the state's table and starts engaging in a whispered conversation, Kylie turns and gives her teammates a smile. She's wearing a small high-tech collar with a blinking green light. She sits at her table while her mother sits in a spot immediately behind her.
Kylie's attorney finishes whatever he was talking about with the prosecutor, then sits down next to Kylie. He whispers a few things to her, and she nods each time. She sits straight with perfect posture, hands clasped in her lap.
A bailiff steps inside from a door at the back of the courtroom, followed by a dark-complected man in a judge's robe. "All rise!.
Court is now in session. The Honorable H. Salomon Vasquez, presiding."
"Please be seated," the judge says as he settles into his chair. He takes a file that the clerk hands him, flips through it, then nods to the clerk.
"Case Number 19-33-139745, Kylie Wolfe-Ascher," the clerk announces. Turning to Kylie, she instructs, "Please stand and raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"
Kylie complies, standing smoothly. "I do," she says, then sits back down.
Judge Vasquez leans forward. "All right. Ms. Ascher, it is a pleasure to see you again. I'm very glad you behaved while awaiting this hearing." Kylie nods, but doesn't say anything. The judge turns to the attorneys. "I see that we've an audience. Are there any here that we need to ask to step outside when we talk about certain private matters?"
Kylie's attorney whispers a question to her. She turns around, glances at everyone in the gallery, then shakes her head no. He then stands slowly and says, "No, your honor. Everyone here is aware of my client's other identity."
"Good. Okay, then. Let's get this underway. I'm to understand that there has been a resolution in this case?"
The prosecutor rises this time. "That's right, your honor. I've been told that Ms. Wolfe-Ascher will be pleading guilty to unlawful intrusion into a restricted facility. In exchange, the state will dismiss the remaining charges. Also, we'll recommend a year of probation and a CR class."
Judge Vasquez nods, then turns to Kylie. "Is that what you want to do?"
She rises again and says, "Yes, sir, it is."
The judge leans back in his chair. "Okay. Remain standing for this. I need to ask you some questions before I can accept your plea. If there's anything I say that you don't understand, stop me, and I'll try to explain it better, or I'll let you talk to your attorney. Okay?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Okay, now, you don't have to plead guilty, you know that? You can ask for a trial. And at that trial, you'd be presumed innocent. The state, that man there, would have to prove that you're guilty. He would have to call witnesses to come and testify. You'd get to see, hear, and have your attorney ask them questions. You'd get to call witnesses to tell your side of the story. You can remain silent, which means you don't have to say anything at all. That's what you get a trial. But if you plead guilty, you give up all those rights. Do you understand that?"
"Yes I do."
"Do you want a trial?"
"No, sir."
"All right. Now, you have the services of an attorney. Are you satisfied with the job he's done for you? Has he answered all your questions? Is there anything you think he should have done that he hasn't?"
Kylie shakes her head. "I'm satisfied, sir."
"Very good. Now, are you under the influence of anything that would mess up your thinking? Alcohol, drugs -- whether legal or illegal?"
"No, sir."
"Any medications that you should be taking that you're not taking?"
"No, sir."
"Has anyone threatened you, forced you, or given you anything of value to make you plead guilty when you really don't want to?"
"No, sir."
"You still want to plead guilty?"
"Yes, sir."
Judge Vasquez nods. "Okay. I'm going to ask Mr. Jeffers to tell me what happened, okay?"
The prosecutor stands and clears his throat. "May it please the court. On the third of last month, Ms. Wolfe-Ascher intruded upon the restricted island in Halcyon Bay where the Dawkins Research Facility is located. She did not have permission to be there. Using her telekinetic powers, she ripped the heavy, reverse-pressure doors open, constituting a breach of the research facility. Thankfully, nothing was released. She was ordered to stand down, refused, and had to be restrained by the DRF guards. State's case."
The judge rubs his temple, thinking for a moment. He jots down something, then turns to the defense table. "Mr. Turbeville?"
Kylie's attorney stands up. "Thank you, your honor. May it please the court. My client admits that she did those acts. It's pretty straightforward. But let's be clear: her superhero name is Psyche. She's a member of the Sentinels, and she's been doing some good in this crazy city. She wants the Court to know that one of her teammates was going through some weird metahuman genetic crisis. So she took her to the one place that could help. The DRF."
Mr. Turbeville makes a pointed look at the DRF employee sitting behind the prosecutor. "She made a mistake. Her friend, her teammate, her fellow hero needed help. And you know what? Despite what Psyche did, they took the girl in. So, I'm not here to tell you that she didn't do wrong on that day. She's pleading guilty because it was her powers that ripped that door off its hinges. But we're asking the Court to keep that in mind when considering the State's recommendation."
Judge Vasquez looks at the man sitting behind Mr. Jeffers. "Is that true? Did the Facility really take her in?"
The DRF man looks sour. "That's classified."
The judge sighs. "Well, that's good enough for me. All right. Ms. Wolfe-Ascher? Anything you'd like to say?"
Kylie smiles sweetly and shakes her head. "No, sir."
"Well, all right. Did I hear right, the recommendation is a year's probation and a civics class?" Both attorneys nod. "Okay, I'm going to accept your plea and adjudicate you delinquent. Anything more before I pronounce my sentence?"
Mr. Turbeville stands up. "I believe there's a letter from Captain Stalwart, signed by all the members of the Alliance and the Heralds. Did you get that?"
Judge Vasquez holds it up. "It's right here. I've already looked at it. And I streamed the ceremony yesterday. Thanks for sending me the link."
Kylie's attorney nods, his smile clear under the large mustache on his face.
"Your honor, I'd like to say something," says the DRF representative as he stands. When the judge acknowledges him, he continues. "Phil MacGovern, Public Relations Liaison for the Dawkins Research Facility. I want to say that our facility is the preeminent genetic research facility in the world. We make advancements in understanding the metahuman gene, alien genetics, and microbiology every day. Understandably, we are therefore a target by all sorts of nefarious individuals seeking, ahem, superpowers or the next doomsday weapon. I must stress that we are not an ER, and we cannot condone even the best of heroes showing up at our doors, ripping them off hinges, and demanding that we address whatever they find to be important. An example must be set."
Judge Vasquez clasps his hands and leans forward, looking serious. "I can understand your position." Then he opens his hands with a helpless gesture. "But I can't help you, because this is juvenile court and the records are sealed. She can't be an 'example.'
"Would anyone else like to address the court?" the judge asks, looking to the everyone in the gallery. "Stand up and state your name, so the court reporter can take it down. But as I said, the record's going to be sealed."
Mattie had remained seated and watching the proceedings silently. When the judge asked whether anyone else wanted to dress the court though, she raised her hand and, at the jude's nod, stood and stated her name.
"Mathilda Noble, and um, Scorch." she said nervously. "Um, I'm the one that Kylie took to Dawkins. I just want to say that she was just trying to help me. She was scared and I was,.. my powers were being really weird and after all the stuff happened they took me in and ran all sorts of tests and things and they were able to help, a bit. If Kylie hadn't taken me there then I don't know what might've happened to me. I think I could've died - or worse. So, um, yeah. I thought that you should know that before you decide anything. She wasn't attacking them or anything. She was being what she is - a hero."
Shin sat and kept looking at Kylie the whole time. He had to assume that the collar she was wearing was there for suppressing powers. Which worried him, because it clearly wasn't working. He knew that Kylie could be a little vain, and definitely had issues to work out about her new body, but how she'd managed to make them believe she was collared when she wasn't scared him a little. It was a risk he didn't think she'd take with how seriously she took the hearing.
Still, he was there to support her, leaning forward and giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze, smiling at her. Still don't want your mother to know, I'm guessing, He thought at her. You're doing great. I know it's not what you wanted, but you'll be out of here soon enough.
Something here smelled fishy.
Add to that the fact that he presumed Psyche should be power-suppressed or some similar thing, but yet did not appear as she should in such a situation. Something felt definitively off.
And he knew full well that the local security wouldn't hold up against anyone well trained and equipped with the right tools. He needed better information.
Outside, still disguised as a parked car, Inquiry stirred and went to active scanning, seeking for things that looked out of place.
Isaiah sat quietly and maintained his mundane guise, but gave Psyche a good, long, look.
Judge Vasquez gives Mattie an earnest smile. "Thank you. Anyone else?" He waits a moment, then continues. "All right, hearing nothing more, it is the sentence of this court that you be remanded to the custody of the Juvenile Justice Department for a period not to exceed your eighteenth birthday. That sentence is suspended to probation for a period not to exceed one year, and no less than four months. I'd usually say six months, but I'm going to give you credit for the time with the monitor."
He leans forward, resting his elbow on his desk. "Mr. Jeffers, Mr. MacGovern, I appreciate the state's recommendation. But in this case, and considering the juvenile's cooperation, and her, well, heroics, I believe she's earned a chance to keep proving that she's a hero who made a mistake. Even the best intentions can go wrong, but we need to remember to keep those intentions in mind."
Turning to Kylie, he says, "Now, don't go ripping off doors anymore. Halcyon City is always under some kind of repair, thanks to the damage the super fights cause. But that doesn't mean it's okay. Think of the people that have to clean up after you. It's a lot of work. Understand?"
Kylie nods. "Yes, sir."
"Okay, if there's nothing else, we'll stand adjourned." He lightly raps his gavel and exits the courtroom.
A juvenile officer steps in and approaches Kylie and her mother. "Let's get you signed up, okay?"
A typical weekday around a courthouse is busy. Today is no different. There are all sorts of business going on, from contested divorces, custody battles, alimony settlements, child support disputes, and more. Judges, attorneys, guardians ad-litem, protective services, clerks of court, deputies, bailiffs, paralegals, law clerks, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and the principal parties all go about their oft-conflicting business. A steady stream of people flow in and out of the courthouse.
Below street level, there is additional activity. Transport vans haul defendants in to court and take them out back to the detention facilities. Several security checkpoints control access into those lower levels. Other forms of deliveries are also brought into the courthouse through the lower level, packages and parcels. Things are taken out of the courthouse as well, boxes of files and other documents that are either scanned in and destined for shredding or physical evidence that are carried out for storage.
In this thrum of activity, there is nothing especially that stands out on its own as suspicious. There's plenty of intense things going on in the courthouse: adoption papers are getting signed giving a child a home; a couple divorcing are in a shouting match over who gets to keep the aquarium; an attorney is arguing for an order compelling a parole agent to turn over his opponent's address so he can serve a come to court notice, but the court can't rule on his motion because the opponent isn't present*; and two attorneys are debating over which spouse cheated on the other first.
Below, a group of people found guilty of contempt of court for nonpayment of child support are being loaded into a van. An armored car is moving bags of cash into an adjacent bank building that shares the underground access point. A pair of security guards move a filing cabinet into the back of a truck. A law clerk is returning with lunch for several judges.
[smaller]*true story[/ooc]
Well, Isaiah could at least answer one of his suspicions easily.
He pinged Psyche's wireless comm.
<Hey, everything alright? Something feels off.>
Too much bustle. It would be much too easy to get up to all kinds of subterfuge in here. They'd need to change focus. Inquiry started scanning for supernatural power traces... and for incoming or outgoing communications traffic off the normal bands. It also tried to figure out what caused the blackout... though that might be a lost cause, as it hadn't been watching closely at the moment it happened.
Kylie is escorted from the courtroom, leaving the attorneys to start packing up. Mr. Turbeville and Mr. Jeffers shake hands and exchange a few words, while Mr. MacGovern heads straight towards the exit.
Kylie is gone for a while. After several minutes, the officer comes out and asks her mother to go back into the side room so a few more things can be taken care of.
Roughly a half hour passes, and finally Kylie and her mother step out into the courtroom and then move with everyone else out into the hall because another pair of attorneys enter and begin setting up for their hearing.
Kylie is no longer wearing the collar. She stays close to her mother and her attorney, who is giving her a few final instructions.
Isaiah receives no response from Psyche's internal comm.
Outside, Inquiry detects no nearby fluctuations of supernatural power (though he can't widen the search too much or he'll start picking up the usual craziness that is Halcyon City).
Similarly, he cannot detect any active signature similar to that which caused the blackout.
"Well, that's nice. Good to hear there's no new crises just yet. Though, I might want to talk to the Alliance in private sometime soon. Some... acquaintances of mine detected something you might want to know about."
Captain Stalwart folds his arms and rubs his chin, appraising. "Well, no time like the present. Your knowledge about the reality scrubber was invaluable. If you know of another possible threat, let's hear it."
With a gesture to follow, he takes a very specific route through the oblique dimension vessel, which takes the two into a seemingly door-less and window-less room. "Crazy place, huh?" he chuckles. "It's like an M.C. Escher drawing." He looks at the alien with him. "Though, you might not find this place strange at all.
"Anyway, this is as secure as we can get on short notice. What have you learned?"
Well, that settled it. Inquiry started looking for Psyche in particular; knowing it was looking for an android should help narrow things down, especially since it was familiar with Psyche. If she was getting kidnapped... ugh, two teammates in two weeks was too many.
---
Isaiah followed Stalwart through the non-Euclidian passages.
"Well, It isn't the first time I've been in some weird architecture, that's for sure, but this hyperdimensional stuff is still a headache, though I might be better at comprehending it that most people here."
Switching to a more serious expression.
"Well, apparently too many people went back in time to try to kill Hitler, and it's caused a big enough snarl that the timepoint was quarantined, then the mess attracted a Chronowraith that ate the quarantine ship, and is now lurking somewhen on Earth."
Isaiah quietly contacts the rest of the team (sans Psyche) on comms (if possible).
"This isn't Kylie. At least I strongly doubt that it is. But we shouldn't let on that we know just yet-act normal, but be ready and alert."
Mattie stiffened when Isaiah' s voice came over the comms and shot a glance at Kyli, her mother and the lawyer before turning away to try to disguise her sudden doubt. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus and control her sense of the power emanating from those surrounding her. She hadn't really tried to do focus on individuals quite so much before, and had grown used to the blocking out the unique signatures of her team mates - especially the almost overwhelming power emanating from Kylie and, more recently, Kayla. Now though she needed to focus - to try to find Kylie's unique power signature, wherever it was.
Rory waits outside the courthouse in the rhino.
Shin stumbled briefly, blinking and looking confused before his eyes widened, staring at Kylie before settling down and approaching. "You did great, honey," He told her, using a pet name he'd never used before with Kylie. "I'm proud of you. We should celebrate this, right? Let's go to that club, the one with the great shrimp carbonara in aioli sauce I had last time."
He looks in his pocket, before taking out a couple pieces of chocolate wrapped in foil. "You're probably starving," He tells Kylie. "Here, these should perk you up."
Captain Stalwart looks grim, but nods. "Thanks for the information. I'll spread the word. We'll keep an eye out."
Mattie cannot find any active presence of Kylie's energy signature. She's either purposefully suppressing it, is shielded somehow, or shut off.
The Kylie who comes out with her mother smiles at Shin. "That sounds nice, but I'm going to dinner with my mother. We're going to do some catching up." She looks at the chocolates in his hand, then back up. "No thanks. It'll spoil my appetite. I'll see everyone later! Thanks for coming out and supporting me!"
She waves at everyone as she starts to follow her mother back to the parking garage.