Shaggy awoke in another room. The white walls and florescent lights were gone. Replaced by bright beige walls and actual sunlight. He was in a large, carpeted room. Two couches sat in the middle, a brown coffee table between them. On the far wall ahead of him were three floor to ceiling windows that let in the yellow streams of sunlight. A drinks cart and some cookies were placed beside one of the couches and Shaggy spotted a young man idly sipping a drink and munching on snacks.
Shaggy himself was leaned against a wall. His arms held fast to his body by some weird silvery metal. It was like a straitjacket was molded to his torso. His legs and waist were strapped to whatever he was laying against. Shaggy rolled his eyes as a thought occurred to him.
“Please tell me they aren’t going to roll me out on a dolly like some kind of maniac.” He groaned.
The young man gave a start. Cookie crumbs falling from his face. He was a slight, browned-haired man. Wearing a suit that was at least a size too big for him. Shaggy could see the kid was looking over a data-tablet on the coffee table. The young man gulped noticeably before he effected a smile.
“Uhhh, nope. It’s… uhhh… a raised repulsor platform, actually. Fitted with a Moldi-metal vest and heavy caliber restraints. You’ve been deemed an escape risk. So the HLO called for the maximum level restraints. I think it’s... uhhh... a little excessive. Ha!”
Shaggy rolled his eyes. “Either way, they are wheeling me around on this thing, right?”
“Uhh, floating you around. But I take your point. Bu-b-but don’t worry. I didn’t allow them to take or do anything untoward. You’re my first client, but even I know prosecutors can’t just go around touching the defendant.”
Shaggy coughed. “Whoa! I’m already at trial?! What the hell? What happened to due process? Do the HLO get to just step all over that?”
The man straightened his suit jacket. “Well… no. But they lobbied to expedite the case. You have been deemed a significant enough threat to warrant such actions. Dangerous Supers need to be contained as soon as possible. So the Judge granted the motion and my firm was tapped to defend you, Mr. Robertson.”
“And as the lowest ranking lawyer, you got stuck with the job, huh?”
The young lawyer got a sour look on his face, but didn’t disagree. He quickly rallied his facial features and put a smile back on his face, though. “I assure you, I’m licensed to practice Super/Enhanced law in the state of Texas. So you have nothing to worry about there. As a C-Tier Super, you rate high enough for an Ultra-Max prison, though. But I believe with the plea deal presented we can…”
“Plea deal?”
“Yes. The prosecution has offered a substantial deal. Which I think you would be a fool to ignore. They are offering a reduced sentence in a modified Super-Max for a plea of guilty. With good behavior, you’d be out in thirty-five to forty years.”
Shaggy blinked, fixing what was apparently his lawyer with a glare. The bright young man simply smiled as Shaggy tried to suss him out. He couldn’t decide if the young man was stupid or on the HLO’s take. Either way, Shaggy would not be taking any deal.
His lawyer kept smiling even as Shaggy shifted in his uncomfortable metal jacket. The thought of attempting to shift crossed his mind. But he set that aside for now. He kinda wanted to know about the state’s case against him. If he was going to have any way out of this, it would take patience and insight. Which had Shaggy anxious.
“Ahem… So I won’t be going with any deal. How about you explain the State’s case against me?”
The young lawyer grimaced. “I don’t advise you to take this path. The case against you is strong, as are most these days. But I feel I should inform you it’s not the state making a case, it’s the HLO itself.”
“How is that a thing?!”
“Well, the HLO control a huge portion of the city’s drones and maintains the storage area where the footage is housed. Not to mention the genetic records of all Supers operating in the city. So any case against a Super is tried as the HLO Vs that individual. In this case, it is the HLO Vs. Shaggy Robertson.”
Shaggy filed that info away and tried to keep his mind on the task at hand. “What are the charges?”
The younger man sighed and adjusted his tie. He went to say something, but apparently thought better of it. Instead, he spun toward the coffee table and picked up the data tablet. With a quick few scrolls, he went over Shaggy’s various crimes.
“Looks like we have multiple cases of Resisting Arrest, Assault, Assault against HLO-registered Supes, Fleeing the police, and Vigilantism. Also, there is your Escape from custody, the Murder of George Alan and various misdemeanors. Most of which were caught on camera.”
“Uh-huh, sure. What does the video show exactly?”
“Mr. Robertson, as your lawyer, I cannot recommend this course of action.”
“Show me the video, kid, and maybe you’ll actually win this case.”
The lawyer didn’t look convinced, but he swiped his finger across the tablet a few more times. Eventually, he spun the slim blue tablet around and showed it to Shaggy. A video was playing of him and Slink running away from the cops. He was in his old brown wolf form, fighting off the multi-colored motorcycle riders. Shaggy snorted.
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“That’s not my wolf.”
“Beg your pardon?”
“My wolf is a big black one with horns. A symbol of my devotion to the Blood God.” Shaggy intoned sagely. Hoping it made him sound legitimate.
“The prosecution says that they have DNA evidence.”
“Which was taken unlawfully while I was in police custody. Also, they didn’t read me my rights. Doesn’t that mean that all this is moot?”
The young man sighed again. “No. It just means that any evidence they gathered after arresting you is inadmissible. Did they interrogate you after arrest?”
“No. They tried to fry me to death and stole my blood. But they didn’t talk to me.”
“So, the genetic evidence is yours?”
“The one they gathered at the police station. Do they have any evidence from this instance?”
His lawyer scanned back through his tablet for a few seconds. “No. The evidence they have was gathered during the George Alan incident. It says here you took part in a riot and injured or outright killed several gang members. The nature of the night and who you... hurt allows us some leeway. But it’s not a lot.”
“There was a riot in the street! I had to fight my way out. The whole incident can be chalked up to self-defense, can’t it?”
“But you're a Supe. That means any action you take against criminals is automatically vigilantism.”
Shaggy nodded. “I can accept that. But that doesn’t mean I killed George. We fought, but I was tossed through a building.”
The man swiped through the tablet again. This time, visibly excited. “The drone footage is extremely unclear. But the heat signature shows an enormous mass being tossed away. Is that you?”
“Are there any other large, four-footed signatures in the area?” Shaggy asked, exasperated.
“No! Just you, George, and the weird armored guy. This could work! But what about the escape from custody charge? You knowingly fled from police custody.”
Shaggy tried to shrug in his metal vest. “Hey, the transport was under attack. A few of the other prisoners died! I had to get out of there. I was fleeing for my life.”
His lawyer nodded idly as he swiped. “Okay, so we may have an argument there. It doesn’t look like there were any survivors of the incident and drone footage is choppy. Clearly, it’s from the PD’s drones. But then why didn’t you surrender to the police when you got away?”
“Hey, the police already proved a poor defense to whatever hit that convoy. How was I to know that I’d be safe back in police custody?” Shaggy said, spinning fast. “For all I knew, the people who hit the convoy were after me.”
His lawyer nodded a few more times, carefully looking over his tablet. Eventually, he sighed. “So I guess we are entering a plea of not guilty?”
Shaggy nodded. “Of course. I’ll admit guilt on the vigilantism. But that’s it.”
“Okay, I’ll go get started on the paperwork. We’ll enter arraignment here in a few hours. Just… relax and don’t do anything stupid. There are dozens of HLO sponsored Supers out in the hall.”
Shaggy nodded idly as a weird scent hit his nose. He was searching the room for it as his lawyer opened the door to leave.
“Oh, I forgot to mention. My name is Mr. Errado, and I’m part of the Tudo Agency. Glad to be working with you.”
“Uh-huh, me too.” Shaggy said, still searching the room for the familiar scent.
Once Errado was out the door, the scent became stronger and Shaggy realized where he had smelled it before. Mr. White phased into the room like a ghost. His white suit shining in the sunlight. The snow-white alien man was grinning as he removed his hat and bowed to Shaggy.
“Masterfully argued Mr. Robertson. You have brought up a few sticking points in my people’s case against you. But I can assure you none of them will work.”
Shaggy grunted and actually attempted to flex out of his iron vest. But the thing seemed to flex with him and then constrict twice as hard. He winced against the pain as he said.
“Maybe. But you have to try, right?”
“No, Shaggy. You certainly do not. In fact, I would prefer it if you would simply roll over and play dead, as it were. But you seem dead set on fighting us.” Mr. White sighed dramatically.
“Well, I don’t want to make it too easy for the globe-spanning corporate entity. If I can make you lot get some dirt under your fingernails, it’ll be a good day.”
Mr. White raised a pale hand, black fingernails reflecting the sunlight. “Oh, you wouldn’t believe the grime under my nails, Mr. Robertson.”
“Really? You know you said something similar last time. Something about ‘terror.’ I have to say, Whitey, if a court case is all you people in the HLO can manage, I am not impressed. Or maybe you meant more of your stooges. You going to sic your cat on me again? We can have it out right in the courtroom.”
Mr. White snorted. “Hmph, Mr. Ryall is a little too mercenary for my taste. Although I will have to retract his payment. He claimed to have killed you outright. But that is no matter. You are firmly within our grasp, Mr. Robertson. So wiggle all you want, play your games, spout your nonsense. But in the end, you apparently didn’t even warrant the terror I can inflict. Soon you will go the way of Cog and find yourself banished to a… how did you put it? A place worse than hell? I think we at the HLO can find you such a place.”
“Oh great, you’re going to make me a file clerk?” Shaggy quipped as Mr. White faded away.
The smug bastard’s grin seemed to linger, as he didn’t answer Shaggy. Instead, the pale alien left as secretly as he came. But his words about Cog stuck with Shaggy. The inkling of an idea formed in Shaggy’s mind as Mr. Errado came back in. His lawyer started to quickly go over what was going to happen during arraignment. But Shaggy was only half-listening, the other half was doing something Shaggy absolutely hated: Digging through the in-game forums.