Orb Weaver: Plague: Chapter 6

Normally, the PRT wouldn’t lead with Madison’s identity. But the E88 had already put it out. And Madison’s parents were in a safe house outside the city. She had no other close friends, in fact, many of the school students mentioned how they never agreed with what the three did.

I wonder if they realized how bad that made them sound. They didn’t agree… but wouldn’t stop it.

But right now the PRT was setting up the interview room. I saw Ms. Cho in one seat, looking up as the officials got ready to give their pitch. Armsmaster was with us, as head of the Protectorate in the Bay.

He would not be anywhere else. It didn’t take a detective to note that he had a certain desire to be seen as the leader.

“Again, Ms. Clements has made no attempt to attack civilians, and the incident with Glory Girl was clearly a panic reaction.”

Ms. Clements. The Empire had blown her ID, and so the Protectorate and PRT would use her name.

“What about the man who attempted to protect the other patients at the hospital,” a radio reporter asked.

E88 affiliated.

“The individual who used an gun endangered everyone in the hospital,” Director Piggot said. “Ms. Clements was presenting no threat at the time of the shooting, so he either did nothing, as fortunately happened, or he might have hit other bystanders, or worst case, might have triggered a panic response.” She glared at the reporter. “None of those was in the slightest protecting others and he is currently under investigation for bringing a firearm to a waiting room. While it was registered and permitted, that does not override laws regarding the possession of weapons in a health care facility.”

I doubted the man would be sent to prison. A panic defense, in this case, would be very useful, but it was highly likely he’d lose his gun permit.

But then it was my turn. I took a deep breath. As before, I couldn’t push my emotions off on my bugs. And here I wasn’t The Investigator, but Taylor Hebert. Dad had given his permission for me to give this little speech, as much as he honestly couldn’t care about Madison.

“Hello,” I said. “I’m ah, Taylor Hebert, and I know that you all know um, what Madison did, and why she was in juvenile hall. “

I would like to say my wording was part of my plan, but I was really nervous. It was strange how standing here as Taylor made me feel more vulnerable than standing before Hookwolf as Orb Weaver.

“Madison was terrible,” I said. “But she pled guilty, and was sentenced to her punishment for what she did. That was just. She broke the law. But it’s not just to be attacked for who she is. It’s not just for people to start going after her for something that isn’t her fault. Madison saved another person’s life. Madison, if you’re listening, the PRT and Protectorate can help you. You’re not in trouble for what happened. Just… come in. As for the people saying they’re on my side… Why would I want a bunch of bullies to be on my side?”

As a minor, there wouldn’t be any questions and I was relieved. Next, I would be asking questions.

As The Investigator.

*****

Dr. Mattis had a broken arm, from being run over by the panicked flight from the dining hall. He had come to the PRT, and Director Piggot had told me the room would be monitored.

Honesty. I liked it.

“So,” I glanced at him, more comfortable in my cape identity. “Madison Clements. I know much of her actions before she entered your care. What about during? How was she…” Settling in? “Acclimating.”

“Juvenile Hall is always hard.” Dr. Mattis said. “It could be a five star hotel and the fact that the doors lock from the outside would make it hard. Our institution is one of the better ones, but ‘easy’ isn’t in the description. In fact, ‘getting used’ to it can be a bad sign that they see no hope of ever moving on, or don’t care to.” He shook his head. “I am authorized to speak to you about this, so long as you do not speak to news media or any non parahuman law enforcement agency.”

“I will share my findings solely with the PRT and Protectorate under the Trigger Evaluation Act.” I replied.

“Very well. Ms. Clements fell into that category of person who was able to escape consequences. A smile, playing the sorry card. No doubt it started out as it does with most children, only in her case, she fell into… well, bad company, and had the misfortune to attend a school where the term ‘out of sight out of mind’ appeared to be the ruling anti-bullying policy.”

“And then it fell apart.”

“And then it fell apart. And suddenly all the consequences arrived at once.” He sighed. “To Ms. Clements’ credit, she appeared to take the right lesson from it. At first, a self interested one—look at where I am, and my parents look at me differently, but one that was evolving into a greater sense of introspection. I don’t know if you study these things, but sometimes the simplest question: am I a good person? Can be the hardest one for someone in her position to ask.”

“She was changing.”

He paused. “I don’t have the ability to read minds. Every patient is different, and the way we work with them differs, and there is no, absolutely no, perfect book of what to do. I have had people I could swear had learned, walk out the doors and be back in within a month, and people I swore would end up running with one of the gangs come back to thank me, college degree in hand. I wish there was a way to know what to do, I really do. Put simply, I wish that every person I worked with walked out the door—and I would never see them again as they go on to make a good life for themselves. To answer your question-I think she was changing. But Ms. Clements was a follower. She didn’t initiate the actions, but she went along with them. So she was changing—but I worry, very much about what may happen if she runs into a strong personality—or a manipulative one.”

I nodded. That tracked with what I knew.

Fortunately, Kaiser had taken himself out of that particular running, as had Lung.

“And her ugliness?” I asked. “You were in when she triggered.”

“I had other concerns.” He shook his head. “A child triggering in a fight is one of our worst nightmares, and so I was trying to assist people to leave when they ah, decided to leave over my body.” He chuckled. Then he became serious. “In a few of our meetings, Madison spoke of how she felt ugly, though. A sign that she was thinking of how her actions looked, I believed. After all, she’d used her cuteness to escape consequences. But as for the fight, she is not, at all, experienced with combat. Unfortunately from what I have seen… ”

“Even panicked flailing could be deadly, yes. Very well. And Rosita?”

“Ah, Rosita.” He smiled. “You’ll be talking to her?”

“Yes.”

“A very smart girl, and sadly, an example of how imperfect our system is. We put new inmates with her because she’s very good at helping them, without accepting bad behavior. She has taken full advantage of the services offered… Sadly…”

“Yes?”

“Her crime came up as part of the current DA’s election campaign, and unofficially, he will be exerting every measure to ensure that she is transferred to adult prison to serve out her term, and the Judge who sentenced her, now retired, had… a certain agreement with the E88’s platform. I expect that the drive will be to ensure she remains in prison as long as possible, possibly until her full term ends, when she is twenty-five.” He paused. “That is longer than the last manslaughter conviction for an adult E88 ganger, if you are curious.”

“And she would have spent more time in prison than out of it.”

“Sadly yes. Her mother has… left, and she has no family, which has…” His professional mask slipped, and I saw real anger. “Been used in some quarters to argue there is no great loss if she remains in prison.”

“I see.”

“I hope you do. I and the warden have consistently attempted to have her released on parole and be placed with a foster home. To no avail. Our authority is limited.” He looked at me. “But capes… capes have power. Especially a cape who helped solve the issue of the factory explosion. If you could exert your influence…”

A man older than my father comes to me, hat in hand, asking for help. Well. Not all cape power came from our ah, powers.

“The PRT and Protectorate are limited to parahuman affairs,” I mused. “And yet, Rosita might be in danger… From the Empire due to her association with Madison’s trigger event… which could make it a matter for the PRT and Protectorate. I will ask to have her held in protective custody, will mention how her intervention likely saved a number of lives, and depending on this plays out… Yes. Being publicly thanked by Armsmaster or Director Piggot might go far to convincing the DA to moderate his crusading impulses.”

And if not, Then Orb Weaver may visit him to remind him that those who claim to serve justice would be well advised to not break faith with it in the Bay.

“Thank you.”

*****

“Wow, second cape in a day!” Rosita said as I entered her secure room.

A hospital room with a door that locked from the outside. I remembered what Mattis had said about five star hotels and doors.

“Nice view,” Rosita said.

“Though only a view,” I commented.

“Eh, if you focus on the crappy stuff, you’ll never have fun.” She glanced at me. “So you were the person who figured out why the factory blew up.”

“I played a role.” I gestured at the chair. “May I?”

“Yeah, sure, you wanna know about Madison?”

“Yes. She triggered after you were hurt.”

“Yeah, I was bawling like a baby,” Rosita said. “You know, all those movies where the house wife breaks their leg and walks it off? They fucking lie. I screamed, and then I saw all my guts hanging out…”

She paled slightly. I changed the subject.

“The teen who knifed you. He was going for Madison?”

“Yeah. I tried to get him to back off, but…” She shrugged. “Someone’s going to big-boy prison unless the Empire can get him off.”

“He triggered someone who may be a Brute 8. He will not be getting off.”

“Good.”

I nodded. “Now about Madison. How was she? Her mental state…”

“Eh… am I supposed to talk to you about that?”

“I am not a law enforcement official and none of this will be used for anything other than to try to help her. My word.”

“Um… okay, well like she shows up, you know super scared because well, kids like her really get scared when they get chucked into Juvie. I bet the closest she’d been to a cop before were those don’t do drugs assemblies. So she comes in and she’s Locker Girl.”

“Locker Girl?”

“You know, because she shoved that other girl into the locker.” Rosita frowned. “You’ve never been in jail before, have you?”

“No.”

“Figured. Okay, here’s the thing, everyone likes to find someone they can look down on. The kid who is in there for vandalism knows that he didn’t lose his temper and beat someone up and the guy who is there for assault isn’t a drug pusher… you get the idea, right? So Madison, she’s like the lowest. Everyone can look down on her.”

“Who do you look down on?”

“Eh, mostly me? I mean, nobody made me be an idiot. So I tell her, it’s a good place, just keep your head down, mark off every day you’re here, so you keep track of time, and try to… you know, not fuck up.”

“And then the fight.”

“Yeah. Someone wanted her dead, and it wasn’t because she was Locker Girl.”

“No?”

“She was Jew Locker Girl. Everyone knows the E88 is in trouble after Orb Weaver ate Alabaster, no matter what the cops say.”

I didn’t correct her.

“Where do you think she’ll go?”

“Think she’s gonna hide. She was trying to do better, so I think she’s gonna find some place safe, ‘cause she’s scared.” Rosita shrugged. “She’s not as bad as some say, though, just dumb.”

Just dumb?!

“Really?”

“Yeah it’s like… I’m just joking,” Rosita sat up in her bed. “Because you keep telling yourself it’s just a joke or it doesn’t matter. Dumb. Then you realize it really wasn’t a joke and you gotta…”

“Yes?”

“Own what you did, or double down that it ‘wasn’t so bad’. Madison was trying to own it, but I don’t think she knows how to make it better. Told her she couldn’t.”

“Couldn’t?”

“Hey, unless you get a time machine… Can’t undo stuff. Just gotta learn.”

“I see. Thank you.”

“Hey, no problem. If you see her, tell her that I’ll still room with her.”

“I will.”

As I left I considered. Not the full information I’d wanted, but Rosita and Dr. Mattis had helped draw an image of Madison.

Someone trying to be better.

Did I accept that? Could I accept that?

Yes. Evil people could become good. It didn’t matter that in this case, the person trying to become good had hurt me personally.

To think otherwise would be entirely hypocritical.

Now, if I found Madison, I had information on what I had to say.