SG: The League #1 (Part 2 of 3)

[Whistling in the Dark]

(Continued from Part 1)

      Elizabeth Tirkoff stepped off the elevator. She wore a blood
red coat and skirt and cream blouse. Another year, another crop of
students. Another series of crushes. One of the downsides of
telepathy was knowing exactly when a fourteen year old fell in love
with you. While her shields were impeccable, it was hard to screen
out 'Doctor T looks *amazing*' when it was thought right at her.
      Though more and more, that was followed by 'for a woman her
age.'
      "Afternoon, Liz," Mandy said, stepping out of her office and
moving into step with her."
      "Don't call me Liz," Elizabeth said, almost by rote. "Do I
really need to be at this meeting?"
      "You're on the Foundation's Board of Trustees. Yeah, you have
to be there."
      "It's just -- the sixth grade is going on a field trip to the
Museum of Science, and--"
      "You can play with the giant Van der Graff generator another
time."
      "They make *lightning* with it," Elizabeth said, grinning.
"It's so *cool.*"
      "Elizabeth, you've been to the Ottsamattawidu homeworld. You
remade the universe itself once. You're good friends with sentient
machinery."
      "Yeah, but do any of those things shoot homemade lightning?"
      "Half the planet Hottentot shoots homemade lightning!"
      The Board of Trustees, largely made up of wealthy people and
appropriate financial and community leaders, paused at this outburst
as the Chair and one of the Senior Trustees was walking in.
      "Yes, they do," Andy Awesome said, smiling slightly. "But I'm
sure we have  other business at hand. Unless the Rogers Memorial
Academy for Preternaturally Gifted Students has a new Hottentot
student I'm not aware of."
      "We don't tend to get Ottsamattawidu aliens," Elizabeth said,
walking over to Andy and kissing his cheeks. "You look wonderful,
Andy. But then you always do."
      "I try to keep trim," he said, awesomely modestly.
      "Trim or fat, there's too much to be done to waste time," Mandy
said, settling in her seat. "Plenty of it's important, most of it's
boring, and the opening's gonna thrill everyone."
      "Let me guess," Nouveaux Skunk said, thumbing through the most
recent prospectus. "The League."
      "Sadly so," Mandy said, taking some sheets out. "There's
*significant* State, Local and even Federal pressure to get some
kind of control over them."
      "Forgive me for asking the obvious," Elizabeth said, "but what
business is it of ours? They're *not* the Adjusted League. There
hasn't been an Adjusted League for more than seven years."
      "Everyone assumes they're backed by the Rogers Institute,"
Professor Burns said. The professor looked amused. And rumpled.
"They know that most of the League went to school at the Academy.
Parvenu, Reflects and Incandescence were all in the Mob together,
and they were affiliated with the A.L.U. Hazard and Iceweaver were
*in* the A.L.U. The only two A.L.U. heroes still known to be active,
I would add."
      "We don't have positive confirmation on any of their
identities," Elizabeth said. "They *seem* like our associates--"
      Mandy snorted. "Come on, Tirkoff. A woman who's constantly on
fire, a woman who looks like a silver statue, a drop dead gorgeous
Spandex Babe double who explodes--"
      "All that could be handwaved away," Nouveaux Skunk said. "The
problem is Trashman. When he's sighted fighting alongside them.--"
      Elizabeth frowned. "Trashman's dead," she said. "Everyone in
this room knows that."
      "Good for people inside this room." Mandy closed the portfolio.
"It doesn't matter. So long as people look at this 'League' and
think 'Adjusted League,' it's going to reflect on *us.* And that
makes it our problem. They're not sanctioned, and this is still a
war zone."
      "The Lickmi invasion is four years old," Andy said. "And it's
been confined to a couple of neighborhoods in this one city. And
this city's been largely sealed off anyway. I don't think anyone
still considers this a 'war zone.' There's just a... continuing
active negotiation with the Lickmi."
      "One involving shotguns, missiles and the occasional dark spell
of containment," Doctor Burns said, smirking.
      "These days, that's just considered life in Boston," Andy said,
leaning back. "But given the rampant crime, the potential
destruction... why aren't we simply lending our official, tangible
support to the League? After all, we still train superheroes here."
      "We train paranormals here," Mandy said. "We don't need a
superhero school any more. We're out of that line of work." She
leaned forward. "I'm not asking for your permission to deal with
this knockoff League. I'm telling you we're *going* to deal with it.
If you don't like it, find someone else to run this popsicle stand."
      Nouveau Skunk arched an eyebrow. "One would think you take all
this personally, Miss Harken."
      "That's because I do. I was a member of the Adjusted League
Unimpeachable. No one else here can claim that. They're screwing
with the A.L.U.'s legacy and its place in history. And I'm going to
stop it."
      "Okay, let's calm down," Andy said. "Of course we'll approve
any actions you feel are appropriate. Now, shall we get on to more
mundane matters?"
      Elizabeth was frowning as they left the meeting, a couple of
hours later.
      "You seem pensive, Elizabeth."
      "I'm just thinking about the League," she said. "Thinking about
where we've gone." She shook her head. "I keep thinking back to
CalForce. Everything we talked about in there
      "CalForce?"
      "We were somewhere between a party and anarchy. And we just
assumed the world would be behind us. And we were right."
      "You don't think the League's like that?"
      "That's not what I mean," Elizabeth said. "I think they are. I
don't think they're worried about what the Rogers Institute does, or
the police does, or the Feds do or say. They just assume that the
people will back them."
      "Yup. Coffee?"
      "Love some. I'm dying here."
      They walked for the executive break room on the same level.
Just another change in a building once organized more for defense
than even not for profit business. "You understand that the League's
right," Mandy said as they walked.
      "Meaning?"
      "The people *will* back them. The people *do* back them." Mandy
looked at Elizabeth. "The city and the state say to arrest them, but
the police don't exactly bend over backwards to do it. And if they
managed to do it, the city's populace would have a fit." Mandy held
the door for Elizabeth. "There are too many factions in too many
parts of the city. The Scullers here in Kenmore. The Scions of the
Phoot in Central. The Ensemble in Beacon Hill. The Trudis in Jamaica
Plain--"
      "They don't back 'the League,'" Elizabeth said, somewhat
annoyed. "They back the *Adjusted* League. They think that's who
they are."
      Mandy shrugged. "Maybe they're right about that, too. Dani,
Maria, Laura -- not to mention Kid-E, Trans--"
      "They're not the Adjusted League. And I don't care who says it
-- we both know there's no Trashman. Not any more."
      "So, you're not advising me to leave the League alone?" Mandy's
voice was soft.
      Elizabeth looked at her for a long moment. "No," she said. "I
want them taken out. However we have to do it. If they want to come
in -- make a case for the Board, we can discuss reopening that door.
They don't get to just declare it. And that's assuming the city or
the state goes for it. And that's not even touching on the Federal
government. We're *not* Canada."
      Mandy half-smiled. "Too true," she said. "But--"
      There was a rush of wind and a green blur shot through,
skidding to a perfect stop six feet from the pair, even as it seemed
to grow a wriggling appendage. Alice, still in the green and yellow
costume with the lightning bolts on it, was holding a young blond
boy in a grey training outfit by the scruff of the neck. "*There*
you are," the speedster snapped.
      The nine year old struggled, his arms and legs still hazy and
indistinct. "Let me *go!*"
      "*Kirby,*" Elizabeth snapped. "I've *told* you not to go
snooping!"
      "I'm not *snooping,*" the boy groused.
      "You certainly weren't invited to this meeting today. That's
snooping enough for my purposes. Alice--"
      "Hey, sorry. He's gotten better at this."
      "Not better enough. You found me."
      "That's because *I'm* good. You're just better than you were."
}{And that's too good,}{ the former Momentum sent telepathically to
Mandy and Elizabeth. }{He goes psi-null when he goes stealthy. I've
had to track him down by figuring out psychic dead spots.}{
      }{Greeeeeat,}{ Elizabeth sent back. }{My son the sponge.}{ "I'm
not going to have this conversation with you again, young man," she
was saying verbally. "If you're going to be a student at this
Academy you're going to have to do things properly."
      "This isn't *fair,*" the boy snapped. "This is the Rogers
Institute. I'm the only person with the last name of Rogers here! By
rights you all work for me!"
      "Well, when you turn eighteen you can fire me," Mandy said.
"But right now, I've still got the job and you've got a trust fund
and a bunch of stock your mother votes for you."
      "And you *can't* fire me, eighteen or eighty," Elizabeth said.
"I'm always going to be your mother."
      "I don't know why you care anyway," Kirby said, kicking the
ground now that Alice had set him down. "You just talked about money
and boring things at your dumb meeting. That and the League."
      "The League?" Alice asked, eyebrow arched.
      "They're gonna throw them in jail." Kirby said. "They're all
pissed off because Trashman sided with them instead--"
      "*Kirby!*" Elizabeth had gotten good with the full Mom voice
over the past nine years. She didn't break it out more than she had
to, but when she did....
      Kirby flinched. "Sorry," he said.
      "We don't use that language. We find better ways to express
ourselves. And that's *not* Trashman."
      "You just don't want it to be Trashman," Kirby said. "If it's
Trashman, then he didn't die, he just left you!"
      The silence was palpable.
      Kirby looked down. "I'm sorry, Mom," he half-whispered.
      "We made a choice when we decided to tell you about your
father," Elizabeth said quietly. "We decided you were old enough to
know the truth. That's a trust, Kirby. You need to keep it. Now go
on. Ms. Mercury will take you back to the Academy wing. We'll talk
about this later."
      Alice's lips were pursed. "Sure thing, Lil. C'mon, kid."
      "Sure," she said. "See you, Alice. Later, squirt."
      "See you. Love you, Mom."
      "Love you, Kirby." Elizabeth watched Alice escort her son out
of the room. She turned to Mandy. "Yeah," she said. "I'm all *for*
taking the League down."