by Jan Stryvant
“Ah and here comes the food. Have you eaten here lately? The new cook is rather good.”
Cynthia looked at the massive amount of food coming to the table. “You always eat this much?”
“I was expecting company. So, tell me what’s new in your life?”
After Cynthia left a few other people stopped by to say hello, or more appropriately, pay their respects. Most people knew what had just taken place, Shadow had just moved up in status in the underground. Shadow himself found the whole thing rather stupid, but ces’t la vie.
Eventually Carl finally slid into the booth.
“Evening, Carl.”
“You’re not holding any grudges, are you, Shadow?”
“Not against you, Carl. Did you win big?”
“They’re trying to get out of paying; they claim I tipped you off.” Carl grumbled.
Shadow laughed. “Tell them to pay up or I will take a personal interest in the matter, Carl. Betting on the welfare of one of my women would seem to indicate a certain amount of prior knowledge about what was going to happen. Knowledge I might just find offensive.”
Carl smiled, “You got it, Shadow. So how’s Circe doing?”
“She’s well. Everyone is well.”
“Glad to hear it. So,” Carl looked around and lowered his voice, “I see you ran them off. Nice to see you coming up in the world, Shadow. There’s a lot of us who like the idea of you being one of the Kingpins.”
“Don’t be so sure about that, Carl, I’m not a boss, I’m not going to put together an organization, I’m not going to change one bit.”
“Exactly,” Carl said grinning. “The others think that this is some sort of social club and they’re running it. But you know better. All the unaffiliated folks down here, they’re all looking up to you now. Like one of their own made it big. And knocking up Circe, that was a masterstroke, you not only tamed her, but you went berserk when someone messed with her. Worse than anything people would have expected out of her!”
“That’s not how it all went down, Carl,” Shadow sighed.
Carl laughed, “I’m sure it wasn’t, Shadow, but perception isn’t reality, and what people perceive is that you’re really not quite human, that you really are something of an animal, and that all this organization is a human thing. Well we don’t think of ourselves as members of the human race exactly either. So you’re our hero now, Shadow, like it or not.”
“If people start to worship me, Carl, I’m going to be really annoyed!” Shadow said shaking his head.
“I wouldn’t worry about that, but I overheard your little speech about ‘balance’ back there. That was good, and people are going to eat that up down here. No one likes dying, and none of the smart ones want psychopathic killers among us, 'cause you never know who they’ll go for next. Nope, we all understand how the game gets played, and sometimes you lose, sometimes you go to jail. It’s that risk that is the reason we’re all here. That’s what makes it fun. So just remember that you have a backing, whether you want it or not.”
Shadow pondered that a few minutes, “Thanks, Carl, I appreciate that, I really do. I honestly never really thought about it that way before.”
“Always happy to keep you informed, Shadow,” Carl smiled, “and on that note, you might want to talk to your lawyers. I’ve heard a few rumors that the folks uptown are a little unhappy with some of the images that came out of your taking care of that slimeball. Later, Shadow.”
Shadow nodded and made a note of it.
“Thanks, Carl, see you around. Time for me to go as well. Good night.”
Shadow shifted to his stealth form and slipped out the back, he wasn’t a hundred percent after all, and he wasn’t interested in any ambushes either. There were people watching for him, both front and back, but what they wanted he had no interest in finding out. The rest of his trip home was uneventful, though he did have a lot to think about.
“Shirl, have you heard anything about any legal reactions to what I did last month?” He asked her much later that night.
“Mmmm, no. Want me to ask around?”
“Might be wise to not get involved, I’ll call my sharks in the morning and see what they can find.
“Okay, Hon,” she yawned and snuggled up closer.
The phone call to his lawyers wasn’t terribly enlightening; they’d heard rumors, but not much else. However they would investigate it now that he had expressed concern over the issue. Later in the day however they called back.
“Mister Shadow,” it was Bert, “I’m afraid I must inform you that there has been some outrage over the recent bit of unpleasantness. There has been some pressure for the DA to ‘do something’.”
“Does that mean what I think it means,” Shadow sighed.
“I am afraid so, Mister Shadow, they would like you to come in and testify.”
Shadow sighed, “Do I have a choice, Bert?”
“Actually, Mister Shadow you do, this is only a discovery hearing.”
“Oh, well in that case I’ll pass!”
“Umm, Mister Shadow, as your lawyer I would recommend that you show up for the hearing.”
“Why, Bert?”
“Because they might try to compel you if you do not. There is much politicking going on over this currently. To show up willingly, Mister Shadow, that would be a very good gesture.”
Shadow sighed again, “Alright, Bert, just tell me when and where.”
“Very good, Mister Shadow, I will have my office send you the details as soon as I have them.”
“Oh, one last thing, Bert,”
“Yes, Mister Shadow?”
“Find out who is supposed to represent my wife for the government, you and Charles also represent her now, and you have final say. Make sure they understand that.”
“Of course, Mister Shadow, we understand that.”
“Oh, and you’re representing Circe as well, if it should come to it.”
“Are you sure about that, Mister Shadow?” Bert sounded surprised to Shadow’s ears.
“If she needs representation, I want her to have the best. If it will cause legal issues or hurt our cases, then you may find someone else.”
“Umm, Mister Shadow,” Shadow could hear the uncertainty in Bert’s voice, “Miss Circe, she has something of an ah, reputation in the legal circles.”
Shadow chuckled, “If you have a woman attorney on your staff, I would let her interact directly with Circe. If you want me to be handy when any of your people meet with her, I will be. I will make sure she behaves, okay Bert?”
“No offense, Mister Shadow, but can you do that?”
“Yes, Bert, I can. And I will if I have to. I have my reasons.”
“Okay, Mister Shadow, we will deal with it for you.”
“Thanks, Bert, you guys are the best.”
“You're welcome, Mister Shadow, we will be in touch.”
“So, are you all going to be at the hearing tomorrow morning?” Shadow asked Shirley, it was much later and except for his one venture out to Bell’s, for which he had been soundly scolded by Shirley, he’d been staying at home.
“Yes,” She nodded, “Tomas wants us all to show together,” and she looked up at him and smiled, “And that includes you.”
Shadow smiled, “Giving orders now are we?”
“Definitely, you’ve never had to deal with the aftermath before, but this is something we’ve been trained for.”
“You actually train for this?” Shadow asked surprised.
She nodded, “Another one of the drawbacks of being the good guys, we have to answer for what we do.”
“Ugh. Is it too late for me to return to the underground?”
“Yes, Dear. I’ve got my claws in you and you’re just going to have to get used to doing some things the right way,” Shirley laughed.
“Only some things?”
Shirley smirked at him and ran a finger down his chest through his fur, “Well I wouldn’t want to mess with the parts that w
ork, now would I?”
“Oh, I like the sound of that ....”
Shadow slept the whole way into office, waking up only long enough to get out of the car and into the Team’s van that they then took to court. He didn’t stay out as late as he used to, however he still didn’t do mornings well. The cat thought the sun was for laying in and sleeping under, not for actually doing things while out.
Shadow didn’t have a lot of experience with the courts and the legal system to be honest, he really didn’t know what to expect. He had been fairly successful in avoiding the law and all the bad things that it usually entailed.
“Okay, look good for the cameras,” Tomas warned them as they pulled up to the courthouse.
“Cameras?” Shadow groaned, “Can I sneak in the back?”
“Shadow, the whole reason that the rest of the team is here today is so that you can be seen with us. People trust us, if we’re seen obviously backing you, they’ll think that whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.”
“I chewed a guy’s face off, Tomas. I think folks aren’t going to get around that.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised what people will forgive, Shadow. Now everyone, look positive, look professional, and let me do the talking. That means ‘no comment,’ Shadow to anything anyone asks you. Got it?”
“I think I can handle that.” Shadow nodded and yawned.
“And what those yawns, Hon,” Shirley warned, “those canines are a little too impressive.”
“I’ll try to remember.”
“All right everyone, let’s go!”
They got out of the van together, and Tomas led them up the steps of the courthouse. Shadow was behind Centurion, who was holding hands with Fiona, with Chen and Jimmy behind him. Shirley was bumping hips with him as they walked, and he had an arm around her waist. It was hard not to smile walking with her; she was his everything, plain and simple.
The press descended on them en masse and they were asking questions of everyone, but Shadow was the topic they were most interested in. Shadow ‘no-commented’ the few times a mike was stuck in is face. The newsies were a little bit afraid of him, but they weren’t afraid of his wife. He found it amusing that several reporters circled him to be able to try and get a word out of her. On an impulse he switched to his sex form and did his best to look enticing, it seemed to work, as people seemed to be less threatened by him. He decided to stay in that form from that point forward.
They got inside without incident and Shadow was surprised to see that all of the press stayed outside.
“Aren’t they coming in?” He said curious.
“Cameras aren’t allowed inside the courthouse. There will be reporters inside, but as this is only a hearing the amount of spectators has been limited.” Tomas told him. “Now, this way.”
They all followed Tomas as he led them into a courtroom. They all filed down the aisle and through a gate past a small railing like Shadow had seen in the movies, and then went to sit behind a long desk to the left. Shadow sat near the end with Shirley on his left and Tomas on his right. All of the rest of Tomas’s team sat to Tomas’s right.
As they sat there more people filed into the room, filling up the seats, the ones that were there for the press wore their ID’s out in the open. The DA came in and sat behind a table on the right side of the room, the jury box Shadow saw was empty, but then this wasn’t a trial. After about fifteen minutes they were all told to rise and the judge entered the room, one of the city’s more well known justices Shadow noted. Then they all sat, and the lawyers and the DA with his assistants approached the bench and they had a quiet conversation with the judge.
“What’s that all about?” Shadow asked Tomas.
“They’re making sure everyone knows who is representing whom. Setting the rules of the game down and all that. You and Angel there aren’t the only ones with private attorneys, I have one, Centurion has one, Chen has one, and then there is the government paid one that represents the entire team when on official business. So it can be quite confusing.”
“Ah, okay.” Shadow nodded and sat back in his chair. He must have dozed a bit because he suddenly heard his name called and noticed that it was the judge calling it.
“Um, excuse me, your Honor?” He said sitting up straight.
“If you would be so kind as to not fall asleep in my courtroom mister,” the judge admonished him.
“Sorry, your Honor, I am nocturnal by nature but I’ll try to stay awake.”
“Nocturnal you say?” The judge asked him.
“Yes, primarily. I have managed to change some to fit in better, but anything before noon is rather difficult for me, Sir.”
“I see, why didn’t your lawyers ask for a later time then?”
“Well, I didn’t want to cause a problem, your Honor,” Shadow said. The truth was his lawyers told him he hadn’t a chance of getting it changed, so complaining would be pointless, so he didn’t.
“Well, try to stay with us.” He turned to Shirley then, “Young lady, if you could pinch him when he nods off, I’d appreciate it.”
“Yes, your Honor,” Shirley replied with a smile.
“Now then, let’s begin. Counselor, you may start.”
Shadow watched as the DA stood up and addressed the court, “Your Honor, the purpose of this hearing is to investigate the events and actions taken on April fifth prior to, and up to, the moment that one Jason Dowd, aka ‘The Dispatcher’ died. It is common knowledge that Mr. Dowd did die from wounds sustained in single combat with the person known as ‘Shadow Cat’ currently sitting in this courtroom, and that the circumstances surrounding that death bring forth claims of self-defense, defense of an innocent minor, actions taken in the public good, reasonable actions in the apprehension of a super intent on murder and mayhem, and all items covered in section twelve of Title nineteen: Means available to Person’s of extraordinary powers when bringing other such Person’s to justice in the defense of life, limb, and liberty of the community.”
Shadow blinked, that was quite a mouthful.
“There have been legal motions made that the actions taken that day may have been in violation of the standing laws and legal provisions. The purpose of this hearing is to determine if that is so, and if so, to ascertain what laws, if any, have been violated.”
“Thank you, Mister Prosecutor. If there are no objections?” The judge looked around and there were none. “Then we will proceed. Call your first witness.”
Shadow watched as they slowly went through the members of the team. They started off with the ones who hadn’t seen anything, that is, who hadn’t seen what had been done to Circe. Next they called those who had been in the same room as Shadow and Circe up to the point Shadow had left.
This led to the first objection, by Shadow’s lawyers, and a female lawyer Shadow was unfamiliar with. They approached the bench and Shadow swiveled his ears to pick up what they were talking about. He gathered that there was a request by all three lawyers to leave the name of the victim out of the testimony for various reasons of privacy, which were granted. Also to leave the paternity of the child out as well for reasons of privacy as well as the child’s welfare. The Judge gave Shadow and Shirley a long look before granting that one, but he did grant it, with some reservations.
Shirley was called then and Shadow definitely paid attention.
“Are you the Super Hero known as ‘The Angel’?”
Shadow noticed they had asked this with the previous members. Under the law supers were entitled to a legal alias and could not be pressed for their real names. His lawyers had used that to his advantage in the past. Of course as ‘The Angel’ worked for the city, they wouldn’t press her too hard.
“Yes, I am.”
“Could you please relate to us the events of that afternoon?”
“Well as you have already heard testified, we were heavily involved in a case looking for the deceased. He had been tied to four murders at that time, and was the prime suspect in five more.�
��
“Was he ever tied to those five he was suspected in?”
“Yes, in the following weeks forensic evidence was uncovered tying him directly to them.”
“So you were involved in this case, doing what?”
“We were investigating it, reviewing our clues and making plans for a stakeout later that night when my husband called ....”
The DA interrupted her, “Your husband called? Miss Angel, I was not aware that you were married, who is the lucky fellow?”
Shirley smiled rather radiantly and pointed at Shadow, “Why that handsome black devil I’ve been sitting next to of course!”
Shadow was rather amazed at just how quiet the courtroom got at that instant and looked around rather surprised at the large number of shocked expressions.
“You married the Shadow?” Shadow heard someone exclaim from the back of the courtroom.
“I, I see,” The DA said pausing a moment. “So, Shadow called you on the phone.”
“Yes, my husband called me at work to tell me that he knew who the next victim was, that he was on his way there, and could I bring the team.”
Shadow sat a little straighter, conscious of the eyes on him as Shirley reaffirmed that they were married. He felt like preening oddly enough, so he just smiled.
“Did he say anything else?”
“Other than to say where he was going? No. I got the impression he was rather busy at the time.”
“I see. So tell us what transpired when you arrived at the scene?”
“Well, we were too late to catch the Dispatcher, however they had left rather recently and the victim had not yet died. Shadow had stabilized them, and told us that the victim’s child had been taken.”
“And you took his word for this?”
“Of course, Shadow would never lie to me; it’s just not in him. Furthermore, we were in a child’s room, and there was a lot of evidence of an abduction, as well as several dead bodies from what was apparently a vicious fight to protect something or someone. Beyond that, the victim was someone I was familiar with by reputation and whom I knew had a child.”
