The Doom that Came to Winslow: 8

Discussions:

While seemingly unimportant in the short term, adopting a proper legal strategy to mitigate long-term issues is a vital part of managing any parahuman event…

PRT Manual: Image, Law and Justice.

Emily Piggot frowned. She should be doing something else right now—she should be doing fifty different things, all at the same time.

But here she was, dealing with Sophia Hess.

“I have fifteen minutes, so let’s get this started. First. Legal. How likely is she to face criminal charges?”

“For Taylor, none. The effect was clear and direct.” The legal affairs officer said. “But her confessions of violence during her patrols… As I understand it, that can’t be easily dismissed as a master’s influence.”

‘That is not what our report said,” Dr. Yamada said, her face displayed on one of the screens. She sighed. “It’s important to understand that the brain—the personality—isn’t something like a switch board. It’s a web. Pull on one string and a dozen others can come undone. Sophia, Emma and Madison were cruel, there’s no other word for it, to people beyond Taylor.”

“And?”  Renick asked. “The effect only marked Ms. Hebert.”

“That effect. Yes. But I’m going to ask you a question. You suddenly get an urge to be cruel to someone. Then you meet someone else. But if you’re not cruel to them, if you’re not a naturally cruel person, which none of the three appeared to be, at least in that sense…. What do you do?”

“I… re-examine my priorities?” Dauntless asked from his position.

“And If the effect is continually reinforced?” Dr. Yamada asked. “Then what many people do, is that they fit it into their world view. It’s okay to be mean to others. Because that lets you, both consciously and subconsciously, avoid wondering why you’re cruel to this person and nobody else.”

“Are you certain?” Emily asked.

“Let me put it to you this way. How many illegal caches and cases of assault has Sophia just cleared up?”

“Too many.”

“And yet if she was only conditioned to dislike Taylor, why sell herself out that way?”

“Guil—oh, I see.” Dauntless nodded.

“But you cannot say it’s directly due to the Master effect,” Emily said.

“No. In fact, while it’s impossible to say for certain without a great deal of in depth interviews, Emma Barns and Sophia Hess were uniquely vulnerable to their past history.”

“And Madison?”

“A follower. Also vulnerable in her way.”

“Emma Barnes is on her way to the Asylum…” Emily frowned. “Dr. Yamada, Mr. Jamison, then for the record. Do you think that first of all, their external cases of bullying and criminal activity, other than those directly related to Taylor can be tied sufficiently directly to the Master influence to provide a diminished capacity defense?”

“Yes. Undoubtedly,” Dr. Yamada said.

“For criminal cases, yes.” Jamison said. “But A jury that won’t convict when it’s a question of putting a girl in prison, especially for something like this, may be far more willing to convict when it’s just money, especially when that money is going to people who were undoubtedly harmed.”

“Christ,” Emily said.  “We need to get ahead of this. Sophia, Ms. Barnes, anyone who we think was influenced into illegal behavior gets noted as having a diminished responsibility, but I will also be talking with Costa-Brown about kicking open the Master Compensation Fund—if we shower them with money first they may not decide to sue.”

“You may end up giving people money who…”

“Better too much than too little,” Emily said. “We need the aftermath calmed down as quickly as possible.” 

Not to mention, that Rebecca will be the one Congress calls in front of them if they decide this was wasteful, not me.

And Emily really couldn’t find it in herself to feel bad about that. If Costa-Brown didn’t want the headaches, she shouldn’t have taken the job.