Meta Box Set | Books 1-3, page 60
part #1 of Meta Box Set | Books 1-3 Series
Despite not actually being half-man, half-bird like I had hoped, Dr. Hawk does kinda look like a bird. His frame is thin and his suit seems to hang off of him. He looks like he's in his fifties or sixties, and his hair is an unnaturally dark black, likely the result of being dyed to try to make him look younger than he is. It doesn't. He has a small, almost invisibly thin pair of spectacles perched on top of what is a truly humongous, crooked nose. For his sake, I hope the nose came later in life, because I can't even imagine the amount of teasing that happens to a boy with the last name Hawk and a nose that looks like that.
He picks up a remote control on the lectern and lowers his glasses to try to identify the labels on it before he glances up at the screen and realizes that the presentation has already started on its own.
"Sorry about that. I hadn't realized the show had already started. They must have shown me how to use this damn thing a thousand times, but I still don't get it. Can't teach an old dog new tricks, I suppose. Anyway," he says as he picks up a cylindrical object off the desk and keeps it in his hand, "today we'll be talking about Citizen's Arrest."
He uses the object in his hand to draw a digital line underneath the words on the screen. Seems like he's got the hang of the virtual marker at least.
"Now, unless I've been derelict in reviewing your personal files, no one currently seated in this classroom is a member of law enforcement, the courts, or the military. Why is that important? Because that means you are, by definition, citizens. That means the rules, regulations, and laws surrounding any detainments you make fall under a different set of guidelines than those working for a branch of the government."
"Dr. Hawk?" a student sitting in the front row asks as she raises her hand.
Dr. Hawk sighs before he acknowledges her, and I remember what Michelle said about there being a lot of question askers in this class.
"Why does it really matter? I mean, when one of us catches a bad guy, it's not like the police, or whoever, is going to ask how we caught them," she says, not realizing that's not really a question as much as it's just a statement.
"Nine times out of ten, you'd be right, Miss Quinn," Dr. Hawk begins, "but what about when it might not be so clear-cut? What about if you apprehend a metahuman committing a crime of which there are no other witnesses? Or what about if you apprehend a metahuman before they actually commit the crime that you suspect they are planning?"
"If you've got a good relationship with the public and the police, it doesn't really matter, though. They'll take your word for it and take the guy into custody," another student chimes in. "It's not like they're just going to say, ‘Sorry, we don't believe you,’ and just let the guy go."
"No, in many situations, the authorities will take your word for it and take the suspect into custody without many questions. The problem we're addressing today isn't one that occurs at the time of arrest. It's one that can occur later, when the suspect has their day in court and argues that you did not have evidence of their supposed crimes. Now rather than a lawful arrest, one that a police officer can perform based simply on reasonable suspicion, you have just unlawfully imprisoned a person. This means not only may you be in danger of being arrested yourself, but also that the case against the suspected criminal will be dropped as the result of a mistrial."
"That's why I don't bring my bad guys to the cops. Just bring 'em to The Agency. They don't ask a whole lot of questions," the same student says, eliciting some knowing chuckles from others in the room.
"Well that is an option, and we all saw how well they did with detaining the suspects at Silver Island after all," Dr. Hawk replies.
The class is filled with a mixture of laughter and surprised gasps. I feel eyes on me, and suddenly I'm acutely aware of just how many people at this school see me as part of the failure at Silver Island. It bothers me more than it should, because on some level, I agree with them. On some level I know that I'm to blame.
"The purpose of this class, and certainly this entire school, is to change the way we, or rather you, think of your place in society. As we're continuing to see in Bay View City, there are many in this world who wish metahumans did not exist.
"If there is to be a place for metahumans in our society, it will involve working alongside the already established laws. When one thinks that because of their powers or abilities the laws no longer apply to them the same way, they're on a very, very slippery slope, one that often ends with a scenario similar to the one we're seeing in Bay View City, I believe.
"Returning to the idea of citizen's arrest, the biggest difference between an arrest you make and one a law enforcement officer might is that you are not protected by what is known as Mistake of Fact. This means if a mistake outside of the officer's control or knowledge has been made without their awareness, they cannot be held responsible for the false arrest. For example, if a police officer arrests a private citizen because they believe they have a gun on them, they are protected, in most cases, if the suspect does not actually have a firearm, as long as he or she can present probable cause.
"If one of you believe a suspect has a gun on their person and you detain them, and it turns out you were wrong, you have opened yourself up for possible litigation. At the very least, the arrest, and any other evidence obtained as a result, will become null and void. At worst, you may find yourself being served with a lawsuit."
I'm not exactly sure why, but this makes some in the class laugh.
"I know that for many of you the idea of being forced to appear in court to protect yourself in a lawsuit is laughable, but it is a very real risk. Failure to appear in court can result in a warrant for your arrest, which on the whole can make your part-time careers as vigilantes and freedom fighters hard, if not impossible.
“You may all think that you're invincible because you're young and because some of you actually are invincible, but that doesn't mean the law can't make your lives very difficult, and it doesn't sound like the metahuman circus is going to be hiring again any time soon," Dr. Hawk says in what seems to be uncharacteristically frank terms.
He doesn't sound angry, but he does sound serious, and the effect is felt by the rest of the class, which quickly stops laughing.
"I'd like to show you all an example from a court case during the first wave. You'll probably find it difficult to concentrate on the actual proceedings thanks to the clothes being worn at the time, but you're just going to have to ignore that. Let's just say that the first wave of metahumans might have done more damage to America's idea of what was considered fashionable at the time more than anything else."
This gets a laugh from the classroom, but this time it's one that Dr. Hawk was seeking, of course. He again removes his glasses to more closely examine the buttons on the remote control.
"This all used to be a lot easier when you could just roll a TV set into the classroom, but I suppose that's probably before most of your times, even before you came to this suped-up classroom of the future," he says, likely parroting how the classroom technology was pitched to him.
"Do you need help, Dr. Hawk?" a student from the second row asks.
He waves her off.
"No, no. I've got to learn how to operate this myself sometime or else it's going to be a very long winter for all of us, I'm afraid. Hmm, here we go."
The teacher points the remote at the wall of the classroom and hits a button that he seems confident will perform the task he's trying to accomplish. It half does. The screen blinks and changes from displaying the fake white board back to the multichannel interface that was on when I first came into the classroom. There are a few scattered snickers throughout the room as Dr. Hawk mumbles some intelligible curse word under his breath and continues examining the remote.
One by one, students in the class seem to realize that this may take a while. There's scattered chatter throughout the room as they turn to talk with each other. Some pull their phones out to get a quick game in. My phone's currently dead, the result of forgetting to find out what the Wi-Fi password is down here and instead just leaving my phone searching in vain for a cell signal a mile underground for the past few hours. Luckily, I've got about thirty different TV channels on right in front of me.
A lot are on commercial breaks, but as my eyes wander from screen to screen, one channel grabs my attention. I squint my eyes to try to see it more clearly from my seat in the back row of the classroom. At first it's like my brain can't fully process what I'm seeing, but without even thinking, I'm on my feet, walking closer to the screen to see.
A few students glance up at me as I walk past them, my eyes locked on the screen, but most turn back to their conversations or phones quickly. Dr. Hawk is still cursing the remote control as I inch toward him and the screen.
The sound is a faint mix of all the channels. They're almost completely indistinguishable from one another. All I can make out are one- or two-word snippets, completely out of context. But there's no doubt about the words I'm reading on the screen splashed across Meta News 1: "Reports of Suspected Silver Island Terrorist 'Iris' Spotted in Colbytown."
"Quiet," I say almost under my breath at first. There's no response from the rest of the classroom, so I quickly find myself suddenly yelling it instead. This works, although I can still hear a few quietly laughing at me, the crazy new kid who just yelled at a class of peers to be quiet.
"Mister Connolly, can I help you?" Dr. Hawk asks in a way that's meant to snap me out of whatever it is I think I'm doing.
It doesn't work since I still can't hear what they're saying on the channel. Without a second thought, and barely moving my attention from the screen, I yank the remote control out of Dr. Hawk's hand and quickly find the button to bring this channel up front while muting all of the others.
"... reports are flooding in over social media that the fugitive metahuman known as Iris has been spotted in Colbytown and is currently making her way toward the downtown area. Iris is wanted in connection to the recent prison escape at Silver Island, which resulted in the escape of many of America's most dangerous metahumans, almost all of which are still unaccounted for. Federal law enforcement has instructed all residents of Colbytown to remain in their homes until further notice and not to attempt engaging or in any way interacting with this dangerous individual. We have the Meta News 1 quadcopter en route to the scene and hope to be able to bring you live pictures as the drama unfolds."
"How do I get to Colbytown?" I ask Dr. Hawk. He's still in slight shock from me grabbing his remote and ignoring his instructions.
"Wait ..." the blond newscaster says as she puts her hand to her ear, indicating that she's receiving more news via her earphone. "This just in: we've received word that the metahuman known as Enforcer is currently en route to Colbytown from Empire City and is planning to neutralize the situation. At this time, we, again, remind residents to stay in their homes. We also caution all other metahumans in the area to not interfere with what we assume may become a standoff in the downtown area of Colbytown. Federal officials have extended temporary emergency law enforcement privileges to Enforcer, meaning he is the only metahuman permitted to engage with Iris at this time. The governor's office has issued a statement reiterating this warning and explaining that they wish to keep collateral damage to an absolute minimum. Any other metahumans on the scene will only exacerbate what is already an incredibly dangerous situation."
"How do I get Colbytown?" I ask, now practically screaming the question.
There are gasps from the classroom.
"Are you deaf, Mr. Connolly? Did you not just hear the statement that was issued?" Dr. Hawk asks rhetorically.
"Fine, I'll figure it out on my own. How do I get out of here at least?" I ask, remembering how long the elevators take, since during classes, they are usually set back to wait at their default positions above ground.
Dr. Hawk is still not answering me. I take a step closer to him. I seem angry, but it's really just panic. I ask him again.
"Mr. Connolly, I'm well aware that I cannot stop you from doing what you please, but if you intentionally break the law, I'm afraid there's nothing the school can do to protect you from the consequences, and that's not even mentioning how dangerous Enforcer is and how likely it is that you will get yourself killed if you decide to disobey and travel to Colbytown."
"I know how dangerous he is. That's why I need to go. He'll kill her. He won't ask any questions or take her into custody. He'll murder her and he'll get away with it. I can't let that happen. How do I get out of here?" I ask one final time.
Dr. Hawk sighs with the recognition that if he doesn't tell me, it may just make the situation worse at this point.
"There are emergency tunnels every five hundred meters in the main hall. They're hidden behind the overhead lights. The ones that are blue have a false ceiling above them. Behind those false ceilings are escape tunnels. They're not ideally discrete and are only supposed to be used in cases of extreme emergency."
"Good. That's what this is. Thanks, doc," I say, happy that if I'm going to die, I at least got to say, “Thanks, doc,” in an appropriate context once in my life. Probably won't be too many chances to cross any more items off the bucket list before I get to Colbytown. I rush out of the classroom, but not before embarrassing myself in what will likely be the last time these people see me by mistaking a pull door for a push.
I run toward the main hallway, trying to remember in my mind's eye if I ever noticed that some of the overhead lights were a different color before. It doesn't matter now, though. I've just got to get to one, and when I see it, I'll know.
Reaching the main hall, I turn left and then right quickly, trying to see which direction might have the closest emergency escape. From here I can't tell, so in a moment of panic, I just choose right and start running. Light after light passes above me, but they're all the same bright white. Could Dr. Hawk have lied to me? Are there actually no emergency escapes down here after all? Maybe he just told me this to get the dangerous-seeming kid out of the classroom long enough for security to have a chance to respond.
But then I see it, way down the hall, off in the distance, one light that stands out amongst all the others. The hue of blue is subtle, but noticeable when compared to the others if you're looking for it.
Five hundred meters. I'm panting from running full out, but I can make it without slowing down, I think. I'm not sure what's wrong with Iris, but I know that somewhere deep down, this isn't her. It can't be. This isn't the person who I met above the clouds on the night I found out I wasn't alone in this world as the sole metahuman any more.
I'm so busy thinking about how I can't fail protecting her that it hasn't even occurred to me that I don't need to be running. It took a lot of work to get out of the habit of producing my metabands without a second's thought and now I've gotten so good at it that I forgot to even turn them on.
My pace slows ever so slightly as I thrust out both of my arms. The metabands appear instantly, and I'm glad to see that my self-control hasn't disappeared. I bring them together in front of my chest and the Omni suit explodes out of each to wrap my body. My feet are no longer touching the ground as I begin to levitate and then fly down the hallway. I'm not sure how “fake” the fake ceiling is, but when in doubt, it's probably best to fly at full speed. If Dr. Hawk was lying and there's just more bunker and earth hiding above this light fixture, I'm going to have a hell of a headache tomorrow.
The florescent light explodes into a thousand glass shards, followed by a layer of steel, concrete, and wood. Dr. Hawk was lying; there isn't an escape hatch, or at least, this isn't it, but then suddenly there's no resistance. I continue to fly up, faster and faster. It's dark, but I reach out my hand ever so slightly, and I can feel the wall of the tunnel I'm in. He wasn't lying after all.
Even though there's no resistance, I bear down and push myself to fly faster. A mile underground might seem like a long way, but it's not when you're flying as fast as I am, and if the exit of this thing is anything like the entrance, then I'm going to need some speed to break through it cleanly.
There's a pop, followed by a split second of silence, and then light. Not much, but the moon's providing enough to see what it was below me that caused the silence: a marble fountain in the middle of campus. There's a trail of water falling back to the earth below me and thankfully not a soul in sight. I might have succeeded in keeping both my and the facility's secret safe, even if that won't be enough for them to ever allow me back here again.
22
Any fear that I have of being able to find Colbytown quickly disappears once I'm able to get high enough into the air. It's a clear night, which is extremely lucky, because I don't think I'd be able to find the downtown area of Colbytown if it wasn't. Miles in the distance, I can see part of the town where the buildings are taller and brighter. That has to be it.
Just before I take off in the direction of Iris's last sighting, I hear a strange noise in the distance, almost like a soft rumbling. It grows louder and louder until, without warning, I'm tumbling end over end in mid-air. I regain my balance and tilt myself upright again, turning back toward the city to see what the hell just happened.
In the air above the city, I see it, or rather, him. It's a bright yellow streak across the otherwise empty night sky, the same shade of yellow as Enforcer's suit. If he's already here, then I don't have much time.
I'm a streak of color across the night sky too, heading straight for Downtown Colbytown. As I approach, the buildings become clearer, and I can see massive traffic jams backing up cars for miles as everyone tries to flee the area and avoid whatever's coming next. Behind one of the taller buildings, I see the debris from an explosion flying into the air. Looks like I've found my destination.
I fly over the building, hoping to gain some idea of what I'm heading into before I'm neck deep in it. Perching on top of the building's antenna, I see her below, standing in the middle of an intersection: Iris. There's something off about her, besides the fact that she's using an electrical pole as a baseball bat, sending parked cars and sparks sailing all around her. The area seems to be clear of any pedestrians, which must mean that she's been here for a while, long enough for anyone nearby to flee.
