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My World, My Justice Ch.12
🕑 Added 2024-12-06 17:03:31 +0000 UTC-Amy Dallon-
Amy arrived home hours earlier than usual. It wasn’t by choice really, as if she ever had one. The hospital had called about an emergency: a drunk, or more like heavily under the influence of drugs, driver who’d turned his legs to paste against a brick wall. The kind of injury that meant a lifetime in a wheelchair, at least for those relying on conventional medicine.
She’d left class early to handle it, because of course she had to because that was her responsibility as a healer. The dumbass hadn’t even seen the wall he was accelerating towards.
Would it have killed him to use his damn smartphone and call a taxi?
But since the kind and sweet Panacea was already at the hospital, she obviously couldn’t resist healing everyone else nearby. No matter how minor their injuries were, because that’s what Panacea did. Fixed the broken arm, the infected cut, the persistent cough. It was what Panacea did.
That’s what everyone expected of their precious healer.
Instead of returning to class, she’d come straight home to change before her next shift at the other hospital, where she volunteered out of the kindness of her heroic heart. The house was dead silent when she entered - no greetings, just emptiness. Though it wasn’t really empty. Mark would be in his room being... well, Mark, probably mumbling some slurred nonsense before falling back asleep due to the heavy medication.
And Carol? Carol was undoubtedly holed up in her office with her lawyer's work.
And honestly? Amy preferred it this way. The last thing she needed was Carol breathing down her neck every second, telling her to hurry up and get to her shift.
So she stayed quiet, allowing herself the luxury of a cup of tea for her parched throat. Just one miserable minute of peace. That’s all she wanted.
But just as her lips touched the hot liquid, a strong knock echoed from the front door shattering that insignificant wish.
Amy slumped her shoulders and groaned, setting her cup down with more force than necessary. Better to answer it herself than risk Carol emerging from her office - the last thing she needed was another lecture about responsibility. As if she ever got to forget about those.
She twisted the doorknob and pulled the door open, only to freeze mid-motion. There, filling the entire doorframe with his massive body, stood a grinning mountain of muscle that had been plastered across every social media platform lately.
True Might raised one hand in an enthusiastic wave.
“HARK-“
The door slammed shut before Amy fully registered moving. She stared at her hand still gripping the knob, blinking rapidly as her brain attempted to process what she’d just seen. After a moment’s hesitation, she pulled the door open again.
“-AND WELL MET, FAIR MAIDEN OF HEALING!” His voice boomed with unrestrained enthusiasm, as if the door incident hadn’t happened at all.
No, she hadn’t hallucinated. True Might was actually standing on their doorstep, his smile not diminishing one bit despite having a door slammed in his face.
Amy felt a headache building behind her eyes. This day was already spiraling out of control, and she hadn’t even made it to her next hospital shift.
With a drawn-out sigh that seemed to come from her very soul, she opened the door fully, resigning herself to whatever was coming next.
“I BESEECH THEE, O NOBLE ALLY OF JUSTICE PANACEA!” He struck a dramatic pose, right fist pointing at the sky and his voice rattled the windows. “MIGHT I ENTREAT YOUR MOST DISTINGUISHED HOUSEHOLD WITH A MATTER MOST RIGHTEOUS AND JUST? FOR THE CAUSE OF HEROISM AND FAIRNESS DEMANDS NO LESS THAN THE ATTENTION OF NEW WAVE’S FINEST!”
Amy was sure of one thing.
She should have just gone back to her damn school.
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-Carol Dallon-
Capes being held accountable for their actions was a very important principle that many should follow. But that also could come back to bite you in the ass later in the future.
Public identity meant no mask and maintaining a public image, and if people wanted to find you, they would manage it with little effort. It also meant villains could attack you out in the open without breaking the unwritten rules, since you had no hidden identity to protect.
So it wasn’t a surprise to occasionally get visits from Protectorate heroes or independents asking for Amy’s help most of the time.
But it was certainly a big surprise for the day when one independent arrived at her doorstep. She mentally pushed back the fact that Amy was home instead of school - she’d deal with that later. For now, her full attention was on True Might who had arrived at her home, not requesting Amy’s help but actually hers.
Not as Brandish but as the lawyer, Carol Dallon.
Carol never turned away from legitimate work, particularly since she was the household’s primary breadwinner. Heroics didn’t pay the bills, and she steadfastly refused to allow any sponsorship deals for New Wave because she knew very well the concept of give them an inch and they will take a mile. Besides, her high profile as both a hero and attorney guaranteed lucrative cases, and cape-related legal matters commanded premium rates.
Even still, she didn’t expect to end up representing the newest beacon for independent capes in Brockton Bay. Or more precisely, he just walked to her home looking to hire her as a lawyer.
Still, she hadn’t expected to find herself representing Brockton Bay’s rising independent cape star. True Might’s appearance at her doorstep, seeking to retain her services, was unexpected. His effusive praise of her legal reputation and what he called her status as an “ally of justice extra plus” admittedly stirred a sense of professional pride, even if she found his phrasing somewhat… dramatic.
Sarah wasn’t lying about him being rather peculiar.
Oh, right. Sarah gave him their contact information. It made a lot more sense why he came to her home.
However, it wasn’t a criminal case he was looking to hire her for, but legal representation for contracts with media companies.
The nature of his case proved interesting - not criminal defense, but legal representation for media contracts. While Carol generally disapproved of heroes entangling themselves with sponsorship deals and corporate restrictions, she was well-versed in these contracts. She had studied how companies often disguised predatory agreements as fair deals, essentially stripping heroes of their rights and image control. Initially, she assumed financial necessity drove True Might’s interest in such arrangements.
That assumption evaporated when he paid double her usual rate upfront without hesitation. The casual display of wealth suggested a privileged background - an interesting detail that Carol filed away for future reference.
Carol settled into her work methodically, scrutinizing every clause and footnote in the contracts. Years of experience had taught her how corporations could exploit capes through deliberately convoluted language and hidden clauses. She’d witnessed far too many cases where heroes ended up with nothing but empty promises and worthless “benefits.”
To her growing astonishment, these contracts were unlike anything she’d encountered in her legal career. She found herself double and triple-checking the documents, searching for the usual traps and ambiguous phrasing that typically concealed predatory terms. But each review only confirmed her initial assessment - these were genuinely equitable agreements, structured to benefit both parties fairly in both immediate and long-term arrangements.
Carol methodically arranged the documents across her desk in precise order, ensuring every page requiring signatures was properly flagged. She’d already prepared a detailed checklist for the signing procedure - a habit ingrained from years of legal practice.
“We’ll proceed with the formal signing now,” Carol stated, her tone carrying the polish of countless contract procedures. “I’ll need you to initial the bottom right corner of each page to verify you’ve reviewed the content.” She indicated the spots with practiced precision. “This acknowledges your awareness of each clause, particularly sections 4.3 through 4.7 regarding image rights and merchandise distribution.”
She guided True Might through each document systematically, ensuring every required field was properly completed. “Full signature here on page 12, which covers the primary terms of engagement. Initial here beside the confidentiality clause, and again here for the mutual termination provisions.” She paused at each crucial section, maintaining the methodical pace that proper legal procedure demanded.
“These sections here,” she indicated two flagged pages, “detail your retained rights over your hero name and costume design. The licensing terms are specified in Appendix B, which you’ll need to sign as well.” Carol watched carefully as each signature was placed, her attention to detail unwavering.
Once True Might completed his portions, Carol proceeded with her own role. She affixed her notary seal where required, added her attorney registration number beside her signatures, and documented the time and date on each critical page. She then had the company representatives sign their portions, verifying their credentials before allowing them to proceed.
“I’ll need to make three copies - one for each party, and one for my records,” she explained, moving to her office copying machine. Each copy was carefully collated and certified, with original signatures verified on all documents. She placed each set in separate labeled folders, maintaining the precise organization that had become second nature in her legal practice.
The company representatives bowed respectfully before departing, taking their copies of the now-properly executed contracts, and Carol noticed Miss Militia waiting outside - an unexpected detail that piqued her interest. The Protectorate hero’s presence as a chaperone was unusual enough to warrant mental filing away for later consideration.
“MOST MAGNIFICENT Lady Dallon!” True Might boomed, striking a dramatic pose with his fist raised high. “Your reputation as a warrior of justice in the courts of law shines as brilliantly as the morning star! Truly, you stand as a beacon of righteousness, wielding the mighty sword of legal precedent to strike down injustice without raising a hand!”
“Just doing my job,” Carol responded evenly. “Thank you for your business.”
“Fear not, noble defender of justice!” True Might declared, placing one hand over his heart while extending the other toward the sky. “For it is I who must thank you! Together, we stand as pillars of righteousness - I, who battles evil in the streets with righteous might, and you, who champions justice in the hallowed halls of law!” He struck another pose, flexing his arms dramatically. “BEHOLD! The mighty duo of justice, ready to rain down legal and heroic righteousness upon this fair city! FOR JUSTICE!”
Carol sighed quietly, but nodded in acknowledgment. While his theatrical manner wasn’t to her taste, she couldn’t deny that his generous payment made the experience worthwhile.
The case had proven both professionally interesting and financially rewarding - a satisfactory outcome by any measure.
Although, she would have preferred it without that much theatrics and noise.
------------------------------------
-Daniel (True Might)-
After that surreal meeting, I finally manage to disentangle myself from the suits and their contractual talk. Thank god for the fact that I knew that Carol Dallon was a lawyer, a very good one as well, so I picked her to help me with all this paperwork and legal proceedings.
Not like I know many other lawyers in this city, and since they caught me out in the open, I really needed one fast.
Still, Oracle was right. I really needed a lawyer. Those media guys were practically salivating over merchandising rights. Action figures, t-shirts, lunch boxes - the whole nine yards. But thinking about it a little further, it makes sense in a world with actual superheroes; I guess. Everyone wants to be first to market and secure the rights with a new rising star.
So I should expect a call next week to approve some stuff or maybe do some posing.
But enough about that. Time to focus on the real mission at hand - the Taylor situation. Credits are credits, and the company’s offering good money for a relatively simple mission.
An intrusive thought of just showing up at Winslow and dramatically confronting her bullies and maybe even going as far as roughing them up. Morbidly funny, I admit, but definitely not happening.
No excessive violence against innocent civilians, no matter how tempting. Or all the reputation and image I’ve been building so far will crumble in less than a day.
Right. Back to the original plan.
I fish out my phone and dial Oracle’s number again.
“Greetings once more, wise Oracle! Your counsel regarding legal matters was most fortuitous! Now I seek your guidance once more in the pursuit of justice, for the righteous never work alone! There are shadows of evil that require your illuminating wisdom!“
I can hear her giggling on the other side.
At least someone’s enjoying my crippling cape speech.
“What kind of help do you need this time, oh champion of justice?” Oracle asks, keyboard clicking, already audible in the background.
“During my righteous patrols around the grounds of educational institution, my finely tuned senses of justice have detected most troubling disturbances! The very air reeks of wrongdoing!“
“Winslow, right?” The clicking pauses. “Yeah, that tracks. Place is basically a gang recruiting ground at this point. ABB, Empire, even the Merchants sink their hooks into kids there, like there are mini-gangs there already. Pretty depressing when you think about it.”
“SUCH EVIL SEEKING TO CORRUPT THE MINDS OF OUR YOUTH IS BOTH UNACCEPTABLE AND DEEPLY REGRETTABLE! WE MUST TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT THESE INNOCENT SOULS FROM THE CLUTCHES OF VILLAINY!“
More rapid typing sounds. “I know a few things about what goes on there, but I’d need something more specific to focus on. Any particular issues catching your... justice senses?”
“AH, MY KEEN SENSE OF JUSTICE MERELY POINTS TO GREAT WRONGDOING! THE SPECIFICS REMAIN SHROUDED IN SHADOW, YET THE CALL FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS RINGS CLEAR AND TRUE!“
I hear her sigh through the phone. “Alright, alright. I’ll dig around, see what I can find. Once I’ve got a proper report together, we can narrow down exactly what problems your justice-dar is picking up.”
“YOUR ASSISTANCE IS MOST APPRECIATED, NOBLE ORACLE! TOGETHER WE SHALL SHINE THE LIGHT OF TRUTH INTO THESE DARKENED HALLS!“
“You’re welcome.” She chuckles. “Try not to fight any big dragons while I’m working on this. Oracle out!”
Weird wording, but I won’t comment on it.
I stretch my arms above my head, feeling that satisfying pop in my joints again. Today’s been productive already - got those merchandise contracts lined up, once again thank you Brandish for agreeing to handle that mess, and set Oracle on the trail for the Taylor mission to get the maximum rewards. Not bad for someone who slept through a prison break, if I say so myself.
Now I should go on another city patrol, but I doubt anything will happen after the prison break.
I’m patrolling through another set of rundown streets, the kind that always seems eerily isolated even in broad daylight. The silence is broken by the sound of cackling - specifically, a young girl’s laughter - followed by angry shouting.
Looking ahead, I spot the source: a little girl running at full speed, clearly having the time of her life, while a large but older man in a store apron chases after her, spewing curses as he naturally falls behind.
“HALT, YOUNG MISCREANT!“ I boom as I land in front of the girl, making her skid to a stop with a yelp. She can’t be more than twelve, wearing a worn jacket and carrying what looks like... candy bars?
“CRIME, NO MATTER HOW SMALL, PLANTS THE SEEDS OF GREATER EVIL! BUT FEAR NOT, FOR I SHALL GUIDE YOU BACK TO THE PATH OF JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS!“
The store clerk finally catches up, red-faced and panting. “That little- she stole from my store!”
The girl, rather than looking scared, just grins up at me. There’s something strange mischievous about that smile.
“Young one, the path of petty theft leads only to darker roads! Return what you have taken and let justice guide you to a brighter future!“
“Wow, you really talk like that?” She actually giggles, bouncing on her feet. “That’s so cool! Are you gonna do the pose thing too?”
Wait, what?
“Just grab her already!” the clerk wheezes.
“FEAR NOT, GOOD CITIZEN! I, TRUE MIGHT, SHALL RESOLVE THIS SITUATION WITH THE WISDOM OF JUSTICE!“ I turn back to the black girl, who’s looking at me with an expression that’s somehow both annoyed and amused. “Now young one, what say you-“
“Actually,” she cuts me off, her grin widening, “I think I’ll keep it. Thanks for the entertainment, though!”
And with that, she bolts down an alley with surprising speed for someone her size.
I mentally roll my eyes as I easily catch up, by jumping on a building and then dropping onto the other side positioning myself right in front of her just as she’s looking over her shoulder so of course she doesn’t notice me and stamps herself against my body.
She bounces off and lands on her butt with a groan and her candy bars scatter across the floor. And by the looks, she has stolen a decent handful of them.
“Young one, the path you tread leads only to ruin! Though your crime might be small, it is but the first step down a darker and evil road!“
The girl rubs her nose, looking up at me with a defiant glare. “Damn, you’re built like a brick wall, you know that?” I extend a hand to help her up, but she swats it away with a scoff, pushing herself to her feet.
“What, you gonna lecture me about the evils of candy bars now?” She dusts off her jacket with exaggerated movements. “Or maybe call the cops on a black kid? Real heroic.” Her voice drips with sarcasm and I’m gonna pretend she just didn’t try to pull the race card.
Ah, this girl is an attention seeker. Now it makes sense why she stole those candies and then tried to escape while acting tough when caught. Classic cry for attention if I’ve ever seen one.
“Justice seeks not to punish the young, but to guide them toward the light of righteousness! Come, let us return to the store and make amends for your misdeeds!“
The girl kicks at the scattered candy bars, rolling her eyes. “Man, you really don’t break character, huh? What’s next - gonna tell me about the power of friendship?” She grins wickedly. “Come on, Cape Cheese, give me another speech! This shit’s better than TV!”
“While your youthful spirits are admirable, your mockery of justice shall not deter me from my sacred duty! Now, shall we return together to make amends, or must I escort you more firmly?”
“Escort me? What, you gonna pick me up and carry me back?” She snickers, crossing her arms again. “That’d look real good on the news - big hero manhandling a little black girl. I can see the headlines now!”
I pause for a moment. She’s got a point there, even if she’s using it to be manipulative, but the news is very shitty and only looks for reactionary headlines. Damn, teenagers are really different from toddlers. How should I handle this now?
Well, from memories of my time as a shitty teen, teachers were strict as to not give an inch, so maybe I should try that approach?
“Perhaps then, young citizen, you would prefer to explain your misdeed to the authorities?”
“Pfft, like they’d even show up for some candy bars when they ignore a dude getting stabbed in broad daylight.” She picks up one of the scattered bars, unwrapping it with deliberate slowness. “Besides, I’m doing that clerk a favor. Place was dead empty before all this shit. Now everyone’s gonna want to see where True Might showed up to stop the great candy bar heist.”
Damn this girl.
“Your attempt to justify theft through publicity is both creative and concerning! Surely a mind as sharp as yours could be better applied to more righteous pursuits!”
“Aw, you think I’m sharp?” She takes a big bite of the chocolate bar, talking through a mouthful of chocolate. “That’s sweet. But I got better things to do than play hero and villain with you all day. Places to be, people to annoy. You know how it is.”
She starts backing away, clearly ready to bolt again.
“Tell me, young one,” I say, softening my tone as much as I can and falling to one one to try to be on her eye level., “Why does one so bright with so much potential choose to skip their education and engage in petty theft? Surely there must be a deeper reason than mere mischief.”
She pauses mid-bite, her cocky grin faltering for just a second. “What, playing therapist now? Stick to the justice, ham man, they’re funnier.”
“The path of justice includes understanding, not merely punishment. I see a clever young woman who could be capable of great things, yet chooses to waste her time on such trivial misdeeds.”
“Great things?” She barks out a laugh, but there’s an edge to it now. “Like what? Sitting in a classroom while teachers pretend I don’t exist? Do absolutely nothing but sit on my ass? Or maybe I should go home and...” She catches herself, the mask of defiance slipping back into place. “Whatever. You don’t know anything about me, Cape Cheese. So kindly fuck off and beat some skinhead or asian’s shitheads.”
“Perhaps not. But I know that someone who can so skillfully challenge a hero and turn their own words against them has far more potential than this.”
“Yeah? Well...” For once, she seems at a loss for words, fidgeting with the candy wrapper. “Maybe I like living down to everyone’s expectations. Ever think of that?”
Come on, kid.
“I think you are far too intelligent to truly believe that.”
“Oh, don’t give me that bullshit!” She suddenly snaps, all traces of playfulness vanishing from her face. “You don’t care. None of you heroes actually fucking care. You just want to feel good about yourself, right? Save the poor troubled kid, add it to your list of good deeds?”
She throws the half-eaten candy bar at my chest, where it bounces off harmlessly.
“You wanna know about my potential? About how intelligent I am? Where were all you heroes when my mom was getting high? When I was...” She cuts herself off, hands clenching into fists. “No, you know what?! Fuck this. I don’t need your fake concern or your stupid speeches about justice or all that crap!”
“Young one, I-“
“Stop calling me that!” She’s practically vibrating with anger now. “I got a name! Not that you care what it is. You’ll probably forget all about me the moment I’m out of sight, just like everyone else does. So just... just go find some real criminals or something. I’m sure there’s plenty of Nazis around here you can give your shitty speeches to!”
Her voice cracks slightly at the end, betraying the emotion behind her rage. She’s backing away again, but this time it’s a less playful escape and more retreat.
“Yo-“
“Save it for retards who believe in heroes.” She spits out, turning to run.
“WAIT-“ I call out, but she’s already disappeared around the corner. And given how fast and agile she proved to be, I doubt I’ll catch her again unless she wants to be caught.
Well... that escalated quickly.
I stare at the scattered candy bars on the ground, trying to process what had just happened. One minute she’s laughing and mocking me, the next she’s practically radiating pure resentful anger. There’s clearly a lot more going on there than simple teenage rebellion.
The mention of her mother and drugs... that hit a nerve I wasn’t expecting to touch. And that bit about heroes not being there when she needed them - ouch. Can’t exactly argue with that one, considering I just got to this world relatively not long ago.
I gather up the scattered candy bars with a sigh. Might as well return these to the store clerk, even if I failed to bring back the actual thief. Though ‘failed’ might not be the right word. I know that detaining her wouldn’t have helped whatever’s going on in her life, but just make it worse.
Goddammit, this is actually far more complex than I thought it would be.
That doesn’t mean I won’t help tho, just need to think in a different approach.
Yeah sue me, maybe I’m a sucker for this kind of thing.
