From: | ANGLISS BRIAN EDWARD <angliss@****.COLORADO.EDU> |
---|---|
Subject: | News from Haven |
Date: | Wed, 4 Oct 1995 12:19:55 -0600 |
morning at Haven. In case you don't know me, I am one of Pat's, er,
Valentine's aids and fellow teachers here at Haven, and am also one of
the first children he ever pulled off the street and gave a new life to.
You can call me Mozart.
Classes started as usual....well, wait a minute, I may have access to the
camera logs. They would tell the story far better than I can.... Ahhh,
here we are....
+++++Uploading Camera logs+++++
The time on the logs says 7:30, and classes for the day have just begun.
Children, late as always, are still filing into their classrooms, and
various camera shots show teachers beginning to teach music, magical
theory, mathamatics, english, etc. Nothing happens until about 7:45,
when you hear in the audio feed something. It sounds like an attention
notice.
"Attention, please. All students and instructors, your attention
please."
You recognize the voice of Valentine/Patrick O'Kennedy, and if you aren't
mistaken, he sounds sad and very disappointed.
"I am very sorry to disturb you so early in the morning, especially with
news such as this. No, I am not letting you out early today." and you
hear groans of disappointment from the kids.
"I am, however, receiving several guests in 15 minutes, and it is
possible that they will want to talk to me for a while. I may be leaving
Haven for an unknown time.
But do not dispair, children, I am with you, in spirit if not physically,
and you will be expected to continue your studies and to attend classes
whether I am here or not. That is all, and may the gods bless you all."
You see on the moniters and hear on the audio the low rumblings of
children talking to each other. You also notice several of the teachers
talking to the senior students and leaving them in charge of the class,
while they head out into the halls and to the teacher's lounge. However,
like Val's office, the lounge appears to have no cameras or audio taps.
Another 15 minutes passes, and on an external feed, you see a large van
drive up. It is un-marked, but to those of you who know, it has all the
markings of concealed weapons and heavy armor. Out of it step 5
individuals, wearing otherwise normal clothing and packing no visible
weaponry, but also identified by the International Police badge. The
only other identifying feature on all but 1 of them is a shoulder flash
showing them to be members of what is arguably the nemesis of the
shadowrunner community: the sword and shield over a black star of
InterPol's Special Branch. The fifth member, however, is blatant in his
identifying features. Long snout, fangs, vertical slitted eyes, spined
back, spiked tail, claws, and unusual legs. There is only one individual
this could possibly be: Commander Drake, Head of Operations for Special
Branch.
The five head up to the main door, only to find that it will not open. A
computerized voice says "check all weapons at the weapon check.
Admission to Haven will not be allowed unless weapons are checked."
Drake, obviously not taking this questioning of his authority well,
reaches over to the telecom panel. "This is Commander Drake of
Interpol. I have a court order to serve claiming custody of one Arial
Borimer. Admit us or we will force our way in."
Coming out of telecom you hear Valentine: "Not through those door,
Commander, but since I will not allow weapons into Haven except under
very special circumstances, I will come to you."
"Bring Arial with you, Mr. O'Kennedy."
"Of course....after I verify the veracity of your court order."
On the internal camera moniters, you see Valentine exit his office and
head to the young child's dormatory. There you see a little red-haired
girl playing with an unusual pet, a Century Ferret. With her is the
young Japanese elf, Little Dragon. "Come Bruce, come Arial. The men are
here to see you now." "Ok, Uncle Pat."
The look on Valentine's face is very pained, but you don't know if it is
for Arial or for some other reason. The three of them walk to the main
door and open it, stepping out onto the landing.
"Commander Drake, this is Arial. Please excuse Bruce, but he has taken
himself to be her big brother and naturally wanted to be here. The court
order, please."
Drake hands Val the document, which he opens and reads carefully. You
notice that not only is Arial hiding behind Little Dragon, but the
century ferret is curled around her shoulders. It's eyes seem a
little....unusual.
Valentine sighs, and hands back the court order. It appears that
everything is in order, Commander. Unfortunately, I cannot let you take
Arial until my challenge to your order in the District Court is heard. I
filed the motion last night as soon as I heard. It should have been
first on the docket this morning."
"Mr. O'Kennedy, it was. And I use the past tense intentionally. It was
thrown out of court for not following proper filing procedures. You do
know, don't you, that you must file such challenges during normal
buisness hours? And were you also aware that because it was thrown out,
you cannot file another one for 24 hours? Well, until then, we have
legal custody of Arial. And during a custody battle, because we are
challenging your fitness to raise her in this environment, we will be
able to retain custody of her.
Arial, would you care to go for a ride with me?"
Arial, probably afraid of the dragon-faced man, pops her thumb in her
mouth and shakes her head.
"I will not allow you to take my ward, Commander." Valentine literally
places himself between Little Dragon and Arial, and the Interpol agents.
"You have no right, legal or otherwise, to claim custody. You plan on
using Arial to get to her mother. You are using an innocent child and
the motherly love of Lissa for Arial, to catch a criminal. I find that
morally and ethically repugnant, regardless of it's so-called
'legality'. I will not let you take her, Commander."
"As you wish, then." Drake pulls out a second document from his custom
vest, and hands it to Valentine. "I had hoped not to need to use this,
but what you hold in your hands is an arrest warrant for one Mr. Patrick
John O'Kennedy, on the charges of aiding and abetting known felons,
harboring fugitives, conspiracy, and numerous lesser charges. You are
under arrest, Patrick O'Kennedy. As per the local laws, I am required to
read you your rights under the UCAS Constitution. You have the right to
remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a
court of law...." and the Miranda rights go on. Val nods, sad and
obviously very disappointed, and turns to present his hands to the agent
who has produced a set of hand-cuffs. They appear to be about to gag
Valentine with a mage-mask when he says "That is not necessary. I am an
honerable and law abiding individual. I will not attempt to escape."
Drake turns to the agent, shakes his head, and the agent puts the hood away.
"I warned you, Pat. You shouldn't have tested me. Now, Arial, please
come with Mr. Drake."
Arial continues to shake her head, and backs up as Drake advances
slightly, holding out his hand. In a movement that nearly catches Drake
and everyone else off guard, Little Dragon blurs into motion and strikes
out at Drake's hand. If he had surprised Drake a bit more, or if that
particular arm hadn't been a cyberlimb, he probably would have shattered
the radius, ulna, and elbow. As it was, there is only a very hard
sounding 'Whack' as Little Dragon's hand hits Drake's.
"Drek! Get him!"
One of the agents closes his eyes and appears to cast a spell. Little
Dragon suddenly stops moving, appearing paralyzed, but radiating anger
and hate through his eyes.
"Bruce Tokagawa! Stop immediately!" Val yells, and Little Dragon goes
limp, only to be picked up and held tightly in the expert grip of one of
the IP agents. "No violence here!"
Obviously, the players on the steps are so involved in their goings on,
that they have failed to notice the children gathering around the steps
and on the grounds. And the number is growing, and with the children are
thier teachers, apparently leading them outside via the side doors.
"Come, Arial. I know you want to take a ride."
And suddenly a new voice is heard, seemingly from nowhere. "She has made
it clear she does not wish to go with you." A floating voice, almost
elven, but not female. It takes you a minute, but you finally realize
that it is coming from the most unlikely source: the century ferret. "I
suggest you leave lest you instigate something here you would not be able
to finish."
"Who are you to 'suggest' anything to an agent of the law?"
"I am myself, and the girl's protector, by her own wish as well as my
own. She does not wish to go with you, so you shall leave without her."
"Get the fraggin animal, Rhett." And one of the agents steps forward
only to face a century ferret that no longer is a ferret. In a blink of
an eye, it's form changes from a small forest creature to a large elven
man, dressed in hand-stiched leather, wearing a ferret's skin on his left
arm, and carrying a feathered spear in his right. It appears to be one
of the rarest manifestations of nature, a Man-of-the-Woods.
The instant change obviously surprises Rhett, but not the mage in the
group, who whispers something to Drake.
"That would not be wise, good magician. Especially in this place of
peace. I would suggest you leave, without Arial."
Drakes slitted eyes grow noticably narrower, and he turns to Valentine.
"Control your spirit, Pat."
"He is not mine to control. He is free to do what he pleases, and he has
made his choice, much as I have. Look around you, Commander. Look at
all the children. They will not stop you, as they know this place, but
no-one enters or leaves Haven's grounds except by their own free will.
And there is nothing you can do about that. It is the nature of the site
as I have created it and influenced it with magic for years. But even if
you were able to get Arial off the grounds, would the gangers out there
painting your van let you take her away? Here there is peace and
safety. Past that fence is safety only because the gangs have decreed it
to be so. They can just as easily decree it violent again. Because they
honor me and what I stand for and what I believe, you would not be
harmed, but neither would you be allowed to leave with Arial.
I'm sorry it has come to this confrontation, Commander. I had hoped to
avoid this, but you chose your own path and it led you here. Now you
have a choice to make. I am going with you freely, will that be enough?"
Drake is frustrated, and you can hear him swearing in multiple languages
under his breath, and then he turns and marches out of Haven, off the
grounds, with Val and the agents in tow.
"Remember what I said, children. I'll be home soon."
+++++End download +++++
As you can see, Patrick is under arrest. He's being held without bail,
due to the sheer number of charges against him, in the Redmond
correctional facility.]<<<<<
-- Mozart <12:18:41/10-04-56>