Orb Weaver Interlude: The Director, the DA, and the Boogeywoman

Emily Piggot wondered if she had personally insulted the gods at one point or another. It would explain this.

“Mr. Evans, I am here, in person, because I hope to resolve this issue.”

“Rosita Reyes.”

“Yes. A girl who both worked with Madison Clements, and who was involved in her trigger event, who Madison Clements both respects and has struck up a friendship with. A girl, I might also add, who has by the records I’ve found, done everything she can to make the best of her situation, after her admittedly severe crime…” Emily took a deep breath. “And who you are intending to keep in prison longer than some murderers in the Bay.”

“Less than four years ago, this ‘lost child’ as some claim, smoked enough marijuana to set up a store, stole a truck, and then severely injured a mother and her daughter. Severely enough that when Panacea came on the scene two years later, the mother and daughter were both on the list—because they’d suffered ongoing health issues from her little joyride for almost two years.”

And you made that a major part of your election campaign. Stop ‘teens running wild’ unless they’re E88 members.

“And the mother has made her belief that Ms. Perez has paid her debt to society clear.”

“Well yes, but well, I’m convinced she thinks she’s doing well,” Evans leaned back in his seat. “But that’s why we don’t let victims set policy, for good or ill. Not only that, but the absence of her family means she’d just be remanded to a foster care system, and children, especially children with a criminal background very seldom do well. She would be a burden on the system, presuming she just didn’t end up back in detention. So you see, there isn’t much to be gained, and much to be lost by ill-considered charity to the less fortunate.”

Emily took a deep breath. She didn’t trust parahumans. Hell she didn’t trust many people, but Rosita had put her own body between a friend and a knife, which was more than you could say for most people.

“She is Madison Clements’ friend. And while this is not public knowledge, Assault and Ms. Clements have sent back results from the New Mexico test ground.”

“Quite interesting, I’m sure—“

“Madison Clements’ strength and durability is close to Leviathan’s. We can’t say equal, simply because we really don’t have equipment that can test to that degree. It’s certainly close to or equal to Alexandria’s strength. So let me put it to you in simple terms. Rosita Reyes is someone who has had a good influence, both emotionally and mentally, upon a girl who is now probably in the top five of physically powerful parahumans in the world.”

“Which is not an issue that the Bay District Attorney’s office can take into account when considering requests for parole or early release. She still has no income, no home, no—“

“I can provide her with an internship with the PRT,” Emily said. “That would come with a stipend, and because of the security issues surrounding the PRT in general and Ms. Clements in particular, would come with more supervision than any foster home could provide.” Mainly thanks to the fallout from Sophia, but you don’t need to know that.

“In other words, you would reward her.”

God Dammit.  Emily knew the game. He’d built his career on dealing with crime, especially teen crime, for the simple reason that teens were stupid, easy to catch, and generally weren’t valuable enough to the Empire or ABB that you’d trigger a reaction—especially if half the teens that he actively went after were oddly always the “wrong types” as the Empire would call them.

And the thing is, he’s not even being bribed. He’s just knows that the Empire can deliver votes, and who cares about anything else? Sometimes, I hate humanity.

“Yes.” Emily finally said. “I would. Because the point of prison, I thought, was to get people to mend their ways. I am sitting on a stack of letters, from her supervisor, from the psychologist, from the warden, all agreeing that Mr. Reyes has learned her lessons. Which  you also have recieved. Given that the Bay’s juvenile detention facilities are always overcrowded, I’m surprised you aren’t taking the opportunity to reduce their population.”

“That will come on her 18th birthday, when we decide whether or not to transfer her to the state penitentiary.”

And you’ll be right there, arguing that since she has a criminal record, and no real job experience, why not just keep her in prison…

“I’ll be speaking to the state Attorney General and Governor about this.”

“The Governor who ran on law and order? I wish you all the luck. If you don’t mind, I have another appointment.”

“Very well. You know where to contact me.”

Emily got up and walked, well, waddled out. Fucking Nilbog, I can’t even do a good stalk anymore.  She shook her head, as she headed to the outer office.  He was right. She probably wouldn’t get much done with the governor. The governor mostly liked to pretend the Bay didn’t exist and prayed that all the real lunatics would stay in the Bay.

As she left the office, she glanced at the woman sitting down, probably his next appointment. She nodded at Emily, a stylish fedora perched on her head as she got up and headed to the office.

*****

By the time Emily got to the PRT building, she was in a fine mood.

“Good job, Ma’am,” Renick said, as she came in.

“For what, talking to a brick wall?” Emily said.

Renick blinked in puzzlement. “No, for getting Ms. Reyes released to our custody.”

What? 

“The email just came in. She’ll be on probation and parole, but it’ll be ours to handle. Didn’t he tell you that?”

“No. At the point I left, the good DA was dreaming of sending Ms. Reyes to prison the moment she turned 18.”

“Guess he changed his mind,” Renick said.

“Let’s make certain we have everything nailed down before he changes it back. Get with legal, get everything signed and sealed and put anyone you can find on determining the disposition of her family. I don’t care if they left the Bay, I don’t want them coming back to throw a monkey wrench into things at the last minute. I’ll set up a meeting with Ms. Reyes and explain what is going on.”

“Very well, Ma’am.”

And now for the meat of the day. Paperwork. Normal paperwork, including yet another request from Vista that she be given a taser (no.). One from Tenebrae suggesting a flash bomb for Vista… Huh, he’s sent in his reasoning.  “So she can get clear if someone manages to grab her.” She put that in the possible file, along with a reminder that the moment Tenebrae graduated to the Protectorate to put him in for a close combat instructor position. He might not be formally trained, but he had a very good grasp of the kind of dirty tricks you needed in a fight.

And Krewe wanted to work with Kid Win to figure out if there was a way to duplicate anything she was carrying when she split off a number so she could… “pull the Oni Lee infinite grenade bullshit.” Armsmaster didn’t believe it would work, but he signed his approval as a way for better Wards interaction and a goal that might stretch Kid Win.

Emily signed it, even though she knew she was going to hear about it from image…

Still, the day hadn’t been as horrible as it started, and in the Bay, that was a win.