3.22 – A New Arsenal

With a bargain in place with Chet, Aurora smiled a bit more. “Of course. It’s nice to have you on board with us, Agent.” She dipped into her bosom pocket and slid out her communicator. She activated it and displayed her identification, then switched the page to display her contact number. She was glad that this man agreed with her stance on the issue of how to handle the Xevolve victims. It wasn’t just because Sarah was involved—she’d have come to that conclusion regardless of any personal bias.

“So what comes next?” she asked.

Agent Carlisle considered before answering in a slow and deliberate tone. “Well, for now, I think we should show you the new metahuman cells first. One of the perks of moving an ARISE office into town includes a modest budget for providing support towards the effort here. I myself spent these discretionary funds, therefore this station will now be sporting a few containment cells where metahumans can be held until they can be transported to the Tartarus facility.” He gestured, waiting for adulation.

They looked at him blankly.

Chet’s lips twisted faintly in a ‘come on, praise me’ smirk before Kirby finally contributed to the discussion. “Yeah, well, anyway, thanks to the kind and generous donation of some federal dollars, we have some new Penance Co. Metahuman capture and containment gear,” Detective Kirby hopped up from his chair and moved to the door, opening it for the other two. He motioned for them to follow and directed them along the hallways toward another room.

Chet scowled faintly at having his thunder stolen slightly.

The group walked deeper into the building for a few moments before finally arriving at what looked like the main holding area, Kirby spoke as they came to a stop. “The stuff is here, Aurora, and in a couple of the other precincts. Let me show you what we’ve got to support the battle against meta activities.”

“Alright,” Aurora said, smiling curiously. Anything that would help contain them for even a short time would be helpful. San Isidro might actually be a little behind many of the other major cities in the nation in terms of facilities like this, despite the high crime rate. It had simply been too safe for too long on the metahuman front. The S-rank threat known as Gravitas had chosen to attack San Isidro over a decade ago now, and that had been the last major superhuman incident. Not even the Control Incident could compare. Control was a B-Rank villain at best, by her estimation. Aurora knew from personal experience how dangerous that villain truly was and it was no comparison to the threat real heavy-hitters posed.

Chet stepped forward after studying Aurora’s questioning expression, taking the helm again. “Unfortunately,” he said, “a police organization that does not have a Code: Blue section cannot legally use or house weaponry designed to defeat metahumans.”

Kirby took over, nodding. “It’s a vestige from way back when we stocked paramilitary weapons just to damage or contain the few metas that appeared—not that it really seemed to help much. SWAT gear is basically what we have to bring metahumans down nowadays. We definitely won’t have any of the fancy stuff like what they have up in Seaside.” His tone was complaining.

He went on. “All we’ll be able to have on-site is containment. Penance Co. makes some of the best gear worldwide, despite the implicit problems.”

Aurora considered the problems Kirby was referring to. Having followed a number of super-topics discussions, she knew that one of the most prominent debates concerning Penance Co. was that it was a private corporation specializing in metahuman containment and control. It funded numerous projects for eliminating meta powers because its founder was a fundamentalist former pastor who believed that metahumans were an affront to God’s divine plan. Aurora was pretty sure the company kept getting contracts because of a combination of kickbacks and politicians who secretly but sincerely agreed with that hardline way of thinking.

As they moved forward, Holly’s voice crackled softly in Aurora’s brain.

I’ve checked our records on Penance Co. gear. Effective, yes, but ethically questionable. Their restraints have a reputation for… excessive discomfort. Their designs certainly don’t seem too concerned about whether those restrained suffer or not. A brief pause. It seems the lines between containment and punishment blur far too easily.

Kirby gestured, leading them onwards through a doorway and down some stairs to the basement, where there were a number of holding cells. The criminals within said cells looked on, hooting and whistling at Aurora as they walked past.

Aurora ignored them but cringed inwardly. It was difficult not to glance at them. Thinking hard about the equipment they wanted to show her helped her keep her cool. She thought more about the ethical issues at concern.

She did not at all agree with the design and application philosophies being put into practice. The owner was clearly anti-meta and was sending a message that attempted to generate and promote negative sentiments. Some sort of gear would naturally go hand in hand with containing these villains, but it was inhuman how this equipment harmed the subject.

On balance, these tools proved frustratingly two-sided—they were assets, and yet, using these on the Padua kids exposed to Xevolve was a horrible mistake.

“I’ve been thinking,” Aurora spoke up when they cleared the occupied cells, “about starting a relationship with the affected kids to keep them from falling from grace. They somewhat know of me, but I feel that if they were familiar with me personally, it might be easier to talk them down if they went off the proverbial cliff.”

She walked with light steps, certainly aware of where they were and who was potentially within earshot.

Agent Carlisle turned as they reached the end of the row, and Detective Kirby turned with him. Chet fielded her speculation.

“That might be a problem, due to their right to privacy. I don’t want any of us to be exposed to an issue where sensitive information is given out to a civilian…”

Detective Kirby looked at him and shrugged. “Aurora was there at the camp and saw the kids in person, if only briefly. I imagine her powers give her total recall or something and she can say she’s just checking in.”

Carlisle shook his head and rubbed his neck. “That’s dangerous thinking, Detective, but thankfully I didn’t hear you say a thing.” He shrugged back. “Anyway, as you can see, these here are the two Penance cells we retrofitted. Hopefully, we will never need to put them to use.” He spread his arms to either side flamboyantly. “None. The. Less. I’ve already given basic instruction to Detective Kirby on their use.”

Aurora looked into one and then the other. They were equipped the same way. There was a bench built into the floor, and in the wall, something looked like a USB plug, though it certainly couldn’t be that.

“What’s with the plugs? I know we don’t want to be inhumane, but are we letting the residents have cell phones? Is that the improvement you were talking about?” She gave them a quizzical look. “The cells don’t otherwise look very different from the others.”

“Bravo! Excellent insight.” Chet clapped slowly. “You indeed noticed the only significant change. What are those strange plugs, you ask? I will tell you.” He paused dramatically. “Those are the plugs for the inhibitor collars.”

Aurora recognized them immediately. Certainly, they were not USB ports—the shapes were hexagonal and looked kind of high and wide, like a hex nut. She’d seen them talked about once on the news. Supposedly, these collars suppressed the meta genes of anyone fitted with one, and they did a good job. However, there had been a scandal a few years ago when a villain lapsed into a coma while wearing one during transport, raising questions about how widely they should be adopted.

Chet continued, “Each collar will only have a limited power supply on its own, of course. Roughly two to four hours on the outside. Once in the cell, they would be plugged into the wall and held in restraints to keep the collar from being unplugged. The usual field generators wouldn’t fit inside the walls of these cells, so this is our workaround solution.”

Kirby frowned. “Except you aren't supposed to keep prisoners restrained unless they pose a clear threat.”

Chet frowned. “I’m not going to debate the legality of the issue with you, Detective, but while I agree with you in principle, this is all that could be done with the existing infrastructure.”

Aurora nodded. “It makes sense, I suppose. Though I think a meta with violent tendencies would be a clear and present threat that needed suppression, I don’t like the reputation of the Penance company nor their devices. I won’t cut off my nose to spite my face, but I still hope we never have to put any of this to use.” She sighed.

Holly’s voice chimed in, softer than usual.

This approach… it leans too heavily into control rather than rehabilitation. Even from a purely strategic perspective, a cornered animal fights harder. There was a brief pause before she added, I doubt the people designing these systems have ever been on the receiving end.

Chet smiled slightly. “Do you want to test their efficiency? It might put your mind at ease.”

“I’m sure that’s not necessary.” Detective Kirby shrugged. “But if you do, I’ll dig out the stuff.” He was skeptical.

Aurora shook her head definitively. “No, that’s alright. I’m not into that kind of kinky stuff.” She said it with a slight joking smile, but her stomach twisted. Truth be told, those restraints brought up all kinds of unpleasant memories and feelings. So yeah, hard pass. If she went into a coma the moment it activated, that would be the end of things for her. This was such a bad idea.

“Ah,” Chet said, blushing and scratching his head. “...I meant it in a professional capacity, only to give you peace of mind. My only intention was for you to get a better understanding through a practical demonstration.”

Kirby suppressed a laugh and patted him on the back. “All right, Agent Carlisle, I think we’re all set then, I don’t want to hold you up.”

Chet frowned slightly and spoke, “That’s fine then. Let me just test this.” He pulled out his cell phone and dialed her card. It buzzed as expected. “Ah, good. My fingers put the right numbers in. All is well, all is well. Ah, but I mustn’t tarry too long, plenty of business yet to do now. The office should be up and running in under a week. The surveillance may take a little longer. I’ll be in touch if there’s anything else we need to talk about.”

Aurora tilted her head. “Good. Nice meeting you, Chet.” She smiled faintly. Though she still wanted to call him Agent Carlisle, she would respect his wishes. “If that’s all, then it looks like it’s time to work our way back through the whistles and catcalls.” She looked to Kirby. “Was there anything to bring up on your side, Detective Kirby? He did most of all the talking.”

“I’ve got nothing else for you right now.” Kirby smiled. “Come on, allow this gentleman to escort her ladyship past those uncouth clods,” he said, gesturing for her to come with him.

As the three walked, the criminals lived up to expectations and catcalled again.

Kirby grumbled at them this time. “All right, you idiots! Keep cool or she’s going to pull you through the bars, got it? Shut up!”

They mostly ignored his threat, jeering.

Chet patted her on the back. “Don’t worry about this sort of thing. Superheroines in particular go through this a lot, I hear, but don’t let it demoralize you.”

She looked at him with a laugh. “Demoralize me? Some of the things they’re saying are crude, cringey, and downright awful, but rather than get me down, it just makes me laugh. The interest is somewhat flattering, though I’m not interested. It’s best to just tune it out even if it’s annoying.”

When they reached the top of the stairs, Agent Carlisle nodded to Aurora. “Well, rest assured, it has everything to do with them knowing they won’t be seeing a woman as beautiful as you for months, if not years.”

He essayed a shy small smile and turned. “All right, this is where our paths part. Take care of yourself, Aurora. If you need ARISE support, you have my number.”

He walked off with his hand raised high in a parting wave.

As Chet left, Detective Kirby walked out from the holding area. He scratched his head. “Ha, he seems to have a little crush on you. Well, see what I meant? What with the kata thing, the short sword, and his whole schtick in general. I made a few calls to get some background, and he’s definitely legit, but despite what he said, I get the feeling he’s still pretty new. What about you? You get an OK vibe from him?”

Aurora chewed a nail thoughtfully, tilting her head. “All in all, he seemed alright. He made the right calls where the kids are concerned. That alone says a lot about him. I can’t speak for any ulterior motives he may have—particularly his wanting to test the gear on me. I’d rather think it was a rhetorical question than a serious request. Other than that, I’ve only just met him, so I can’t really say much for his deeper character.”

“While he does seem new, he also seems well-informed. Who else except a green sproutling would be assigned to this city, where it hasn’t been especially necessary until now?” Aurora chuckled. “You’d probably know better about this kind of thing than I ever would. And for what it’s worth, I do get the impression he could hold his own in a fight too. I doubt those weapons were for show. But a combat hero a tier or two below Midnight Avenger could probably take him in a martial arts matchup.”

She grinned at the thought of them sparring. It likely wouldn’t go well for Chet.

Kirby barked a laugh. “Yeah, well, I tend to put my money on the guy holding a sword in a fistfight. That thing in and of itself is pretty strange, I think. Plus, you should see his car. It’s… impressive. I’m no gearhead, but it’s a classic sports car, so he’s either pretty well-off or maintains it well.”

Detective Kirby stifled a yawn. “Do you need food for anything? It’s about time those of us here usually order out. Probably Chinese today, if you’d care for some.”

Aurora grinned, tempted by the offer. Very tempted. Yummy… Chinese! Her family had gotten it now and again, though Goonie had insisted on full vegetarian dishes for their health. Once in a while, she permitted a meat-laden dish for her kids.

“I’d love to, but I’d best head off home for the moment.” Home was a little more dull than it used to be now that Quinn was gone. Goonie worked, so the house was empty most days. She did want to be there when Goonie came home so they could enjoy some family time together. Leona loved her Goonie dearly. And even though home life was extremely stable and predictable, she had plenty of excitement outside, so a soothing atmosphere was appreciated.

“If you’re right, I’m sure he’ll make sure I see his car at some point.” Aurora chuckled. “But for now, see you later.”

She waved and headed all the way upstairs back to the roof, where she took off, feeling happier.

As long as she could remember, she’d never been a fan of being inside buildings since they dredged up echoes of claustrophobia within her. But she wasn’t about to bow down to a pesky emotion like fear.

Rather, she celebrated when she could rocket high above the world where there was nothing but delightful open space.

She was happier than ever to be in and amongst the winds. Though the novelty had worn off a bit, nothing could dampen the thrill she felt too much.

Who she was—a pure expression of freedom.

More important than being happy, the increased confidence she’d found was helping to mold her as an upstanding and upcoming heroine.

Experience and time change people, and she was aware that she wouldn’t always be a child.

Facing the hard choices and the evil of the world had a way of maturing a person gradually.

Even so, she wanted to hold onto her youthful vigor and the joy of spreading her wings and spinning through the air.

She flitted upwards and thought about what Kirby had said about the reporters.

Perhaps it was time to make a move in that direction.

She played among the buildings that sprouted up amidst the streetways with their grand gothic and Victorian designs, heading vaguely in the direction of her home.

Letting her mind meander as much as her path, Aurora thought perhaps seeking out one of the reporter types would be more fun than having them come to her.

But where to look?

Should she try a public directory?

Or maybe the internet could be of use when she got home. Sure, she could ask Holly to handle the matter, but she felt that this would require her personal touch.

Oh sure, she could web search on her communicator, but nothing beat a full keyboard when there was something important to do.

Maybe a discrete message or two placed carefully on, say, popular message boards or microblogging sites would get the message across.

Aurora smiled.

A lovely little plan was coming together.