Seeing is believing (Riot P1) (OPEN)

The shop was quiet, as it often was. Jack lay dosing in a corner, occasionally flickering an eye open to check on his human pouring over one of her books. Verdy was reading a detailed instruction on how to etch a pattern into leather without compromising its strength when the song that had been playing through the radio on the desk petered out, and the intro to the hourly news update began. She set down the book and stretched out in her chair. Sometimes the news gave updates that changed the way she would get home. Once a broken down bus along her route slowed her down by more than an hour, and after that she made a point of checking the traffic update, as well as the other news segments. No harm in keeping up with the current events.

The reporter’s voice was calm through the segments that had already been discussed in the earlier news update, but when she began talking about a video gone viral on the internet her voice shook with some emotion Verdy couldn’t quite place; suppressed rage perhaps, or tears. This alone made her pay attention, in general this was a reporter who sounded perky even when delivering dire news.

“… brutal bashing of a mutant at the hands of police. I am informed that the mutant in question had been taken to a hospital, and the officers involved are undergoing investigation…”

Her fingers were already smashing out the url of ViewTube and she didn’t even have to type in a search, the video was there right at the top in the ‘popular now’ section. The still was a scene of horror and she felt sickened as she realised she had seen the girl before about the mansion. From what she recalled the girl had seemed nice, not at all someone who deserved to be treated the way the video was unfolding. The still wasn’t the worst of it, she couldn’t even imagine the pain and damage done to the delicate wings. Birdlike bones, from what she knew, were hollow, and apart from anything else plastering wings couldn’t be an easy task.

The video came to its brutal end and she stood and began pacing the room. The news update was over now, and she had missed the traffic report. This was bad, very bad. Bad things happened to mutants all the time, be it from bigots, zealots or simply the ‘system’ but this was different, this was the kind of thing that could cause big trouble. Jack’s eyes followed her as she continued her tracking back and forth across the concrete floor, then suddenly threw herself back into the chair and began scrolling through the comments. There was outrage, of course, and the usual trolls and scammers that tried to get a rise regardless of who they were mocking. Some people spoke in the defence of the police, saying that different measures needed to be taken with mutants, because they could turn dangerous instantly. Others commented that regardless of the situation the treatment of the girl was inappropriate. Comment after comment was hidden, flagged as spam. Flicking through to other sites she saw the extent of the virality. It was being shared on almost every social media platform she could think of, and being discussed on pretty much all the others.

The danger was suddenly very present, she could feel the tension within herself and she forced herself to take several deep breaths. What was important now was taking Jack and herself home. Getting somewhere safe, and accountable. She needed to see people, people she trusted. She guessed that due to the nature of the incident all of MRC would be busy, and to call Jorge would only slow him down if he were dealing with any aftershocks. She considered her other options, Cafas, Slate, Andrew, Andrea. It felt like too long since she had spoken to them to call them now. Cafas was the exception, but she guessed that she would see him at the mansion when she got there. If she got there.

Gathering up her books and scooping them into her bag she clicked to Jack and he got to his feet, his fluffy tail wagging slowly, uncertain of this sudden change in activity levels. She locked the door carefully, sliding across the protective metal lattice and ensuring that the code box was on and armed. She didn’t want to be alone in this.

The people waiting at the bus stop spoke in hushed tones about it, and she passed them by. Sometimes drivers would turn a blind eye to Jack, letting him ride unnoticed, but today with the fear she could feel in the air rules were more likely to be enforced, to keep the peace. They set out on the long walk home, made longer by the tension crackling in the air. This would pass, give it a few days, still there was no point in being foolish, and her hand found its way into her pocket to clutch the small cool spheres there. No point in being defenceless either.

~~~

By the time she got back to the Mansion she was sweating despite the coolness of the air, and Jack was panting heavily. Their frequent walks did not prepare them for a sudden adrenaline-pumping trot through the city where people murmured and shifted uncomfortably on the streets. The Mansion was too quiet, and she could sence the video here, on screens in rooms and common rooms. She could hear the muffled sounds of the video through the doors as she passed them and the sickness passed over her again. People here would know the mutant girl, and more than the passing recognition Verdy could claim. There would be friends, waiting anxiously on updates. Lovers, even, as the boy recording the video had mentioned she was an attractive mutant. Was. Verdy wondered if her graceful limbs would ever recover fully, if the beating had damaged some part of her body or her mind so badly she would never again be herself.

Think about it, hearing it, made her angry, and she moved to the kitchen where she wrenched a can of cold drink from the fridge and threw herself down on one of the stools to try and calm herself. It would get sorted out. She was safe now, in the Mansion.