Community Service: Cleaning Up The Mess (Inez, Garrison, Cain)

[x-desperado.livejournal.com]

After regrouping, Garrison pays another visit to the Salem Center PD, and this time he doesn't come unarmed."




"Hey look, the Mountie's back."

"Hey guys." Garrison said, returning to the police station. They were obviously amused at his third trip there. "I need to see the chief."

"Not going to happen. You'll have to wait for the hearing, just like we said."

"Not really." Garrison pulled out his identification and laid it on the counter.

"Shit. You're a Fed?"

"Got it in one. Which way to his office?"

***

Salem Centre's Chief of Police was Abe Carson, a red-faced man with a reputation for anti-mutant prejudices. Some at the school had talked about his son, Duncan, who was both a nasty piece of work and supposed to be connected to the local Friends of Humanity. Whether or not his father had any connections like that was something completely different.

"Chief Carson. Obviously I'm here about Inez Temple."

"Yes, Agent Kane. But it doesn't matter that you're FBI. This is a local matter and she's been charged accordingly."

"Oh, I'm aware. I'm also aware the charges are bullshit. I want the nonsense ones put in by your department dropped."

"I'm sure you do." Carson laughed. "I don't care what you want, Kane. The bitch is getting the book thrown at her, and there's fuck all you can do about it. Personally, I think it serves Patel right that a mutie trashed his place. If he had any sense, he would have barred them from entering years ago. Still, this is the fuck up of your school. Temple represents a clear danger to the people of Salem Centre, and it's my job to make sure they are protected against a mongrel like her."

"Well, you're refreshingly evil. That makes things easier." Kane slid over a piece of paper. "Sanjay Patel and the three teenagers involved in the incident have agreed to drop the charges against Inez Temple. We've worked out a settlement with both parties. That only leaves your charges. Now, I have a little story for you. It involves a police department suddenly becoming the centre of the media cycle, by trying to leverage charges after the people involved in the incident dropped theirs. Charges so tenuous that either the police are trying to make a point, or they're too stupid to figure out how to properly inforce the law. National attention, Chief Carson, and in the middle of it, reporters all over this town digging up backstory, like arson and anti-mutant attacks being barely investigated."

Abe Carson had gone very red in the face. "Are you threatening me?"

"You bet. The Friends of Humanity is on the Bureau's hit list, and I've got one really good witness who can make a compelling case that the Salem Centre police have offered tacit support to their activities. That makes it a federal case, and Fred Duncan really wants to break their organization." Kane shook his head. "Oh, I don't think that you're stupid enough to have evidence connecting yourself to them, but the investigation alone would put this place under a microscope, and one of the first things my instructors told me was no one is corrupt in just one thing. Anything irregular will bring in Internal Affairs to go line by line over the conduct of this force until they find something."

"I am not the kind of enemy you want to make, Agent Kane."

"No, you're exactly the kind I want to make, Chief." Garrison matched his glare. "You might be able to push around the locals, but I've got absolutely no patience for this kind of crap. You want to abuse the badge? Well, I got one too, and my complaints go high up very fast. You want to make it a pissing contest, that's up to you. Otherwise, drop your bullshit charges and release my damn student."

"This is not over." Carson promised darkly, as he began to tap on his computer.

"No, I don't imagine it is."



Once all the smoke clears, Inez gets to head home. But the ride back might make jail look preferable.




Inez was still surprised as the officer led her into the property room and let her sign for her property. There hadn't been much - watch, wallet, cell phone. Plus her shoes and jewelry. then she was unceremoniously taken to the back door and told "Your ride's here."

She'd been expecting Garrison, or one of the RA's. Instead, waiting outside leaning against the truck was one of the last people she wanted to see.

"I suppose you're gonna tell me how bad I fucked up and you guys had to cover for me, right?" she asked as she walked over to the passenger side.

"Nope," Cain Marko replied, getting in and starting the truck. "Figure two nights in lockup got that through your skull. You got a lot of work ahead of you."

Inez buckled up and stared out the windshield. "Like what? Helping rebuild the diner?"

Cain shook his head. "You're gonna be working at the diner until Mr. Patel figures you've paid off the damages. Your boss and I went to bat for you and got him to agree to drop the charges. Dani went and talked to the parents of those kids, there's gonna be some fundraiser thing to try and show the locals that not everyone with funky genes is some short-fuzed psycho." He glanced over with an arched eyebrow. "And by everyone I mean you."

Inez moaned and covered her face. Of course Ms. Frost had gotten involved. There was no way she was going to be able to look her boss in the eye again after this. "And the cops?"

"Gary pulled rank on them and put the squash on the trumped-up charges. Far's the law's concerned, you're free and clear." He pulled the truck out onto the main road and began the drive back to Xavier's. "Reality of the matter, though? You ain't free and clear by a long shot. What you did put a lot of folks' necks on the block, and you're damn lucky that people think you're worth it."

"Yay for me," Inez mumbled sarcastically, then yelped as Cain swatted her in the shoulder - not hard, but enough to get her attention.

"Ain't the time for smartassing, girl," he growled through his teeth. "You've got a long row to hoe, and it's full of Shut The Fuck Up and Do As You're Told."

Inez just nodded quietly. "Does this mean I stay at the school?" she asked after a long pause.

Cain laughed. "Means we ain't letting you out of anyone's sight until you square things away with Patel. You go to school, you go straight to the diner and back for work, you don't go nowhere else unless someone tells you to. Consider yourself grounded indefinitely until this blows over."

Sniffling, Inez nodded once in agreement. "I won't do it again, I promise."

"No shit," Cain grunted in acknowledgement. "Because next time you're gonna run into the one thing on earth worse than those cops."

"Yeah?" Inez said, figuring what the answer was.

Cain just nodded. "Me."

Any other day, Inez would have made a smartass comment to lighten the mood. Today, however, she could tell Marko wasn't in the mood for it. "Yes sir," she agreed without any levity.

They didn't speak for the rest of the ride home.