2007-11-21: Character Consequences

Starring:

Cam_icon.gif Church_icon.gif

Guest Starring

Marshall, Goons, and Asst. Principal O'Donnell

Summary: A Master Plan goes into effect at Brubaker Secondary School.

Date It Happened: November 21st, 2007

Character Consequences


Brubaker Secondary School

It's been a few days since Marshall cornered Cam in the closet, but he hasn't gone to report that Jakey fell like he was told. He was being pretty careful until now, but after spilling some paint on himself from his last-period art class, he's heading down, alone, towards the showers in the gym area.

True to his word, Church is waiting down below in the same general area. He's currently situated alone and in the dark, behind a set of seemingly locked doors(from the other side, they are, but on his, they're wide open). Each wooden door has a slit of a window in it, but enough so that he can keep a peripheral view of the staircase from above and the front of the room on the other side. His ears are the tools most at use now, though. He doesn't have any of his usual gear for 'baggings', and frankly, Church feels somewhat naked doing a stakeout without them all. At least he's got hands, right? That'll do.

One dweeb in the art class shot a text message to one of Marshall's flunkies (RAT GONE 2 SCRUB), and sure enough, on forged hall passes and through areas where the camera recordings will be confusing or inconclusive, Marshall and a couple of jerks come rolling up. They breeze past Church's hiding place, headed for the showers with ugly intent, one carrying a small gym bag with him full of heaven knows what implements of destruction.

Cam pulls his shirt off in the shower area first, holding it out to inspect the paint-covered mess, and then puts it aside. He's expecting Marshall, of course, but he doesn't make it apparent, he's going about getting ready to shower, if a little slower than usual, as if he wasn't expecting anybody to show up.

Church presses his shoulder enough to the door to not open it- but it gives him another view of Marshall's back as he passes by. Merely getting ready. When he hears something, he'll move again. Lucky for him, there is a morbid silence floating around as the end of school often brings.

"Hey, snitch." comes Marshall's sneering voice as he and the jerks come in, one quickly moving around the outside of the room to the opposite exit so as to block off escape. From the bag one of the jerks pulls a looped-over electrical cord, taped tightly into a makeshift sap. "You must have had water in your ears, you still haven't talked to O'Donnell, have ya?"

Cam jumps slightly, spinning around to face Marshall at the voice. His eyes widen slightly as the cord's pulled out, and he takes a few steps back. "She hasn't been in her office whenever I checked!" A lie, of course.

Church can hear the boys, but doesn't see the makeshift club. He already assumed they'd bring something, but maybe not quite so hardcore. His hand comes to a rest on the handle of the door, but he does not move this either. It's all about timing, and right now Lawrence is about as tense as he can get. This kid had no reason to trust him, so he's hoping to whatever that Cam is foolproof.

Jerk with cord says: "Could have waited." Marshall: "Yeah, where do you have to go that's so important that you couldn't wait for her, you fucking little rat?" Closing in from all sides now, the three of them converge on Cam. "Looks like you need another reminder." Marshall sneers.

Swallowing, Cam looks around at those surrounding him, and then looks back up to Marshall. Biting his lip, he turns and tries to bolt. He knows he can't make it past Marshall's goons, but that doesn't stop him from trying.

Marshall and his jerky friend grab him and start shoving him down, holding Cam against the tiles as the jerk with the cord lifts it high to slam downwards.

Confidence that Church is going to show up dropping by the second, Cam panics. Yelling out as he's pulled to the ground, he calls on his power, if not quite on a conscious level. If it works, one of those holding him down, somebody touching his skin at least, would find their hands suddenly going very cold.

He's not quite a superhero, but with the timing on his side, Lawrence's shoving open of the door is practically a herald of angels compared to the sounds of that clubbing. The man bursts through the double doors as if he had been running for them, only pausing a second to feign thought before running towards the showers. No verbal warnings for them, apparently.

Marshall yelps, then starts cursing: "Get your hands off me! Let me go, don't you know who I am? I didn't do anything! My mom is going to sue you!"

Cam crawls to the bench and climbs up to sit there, wiping the icy tears off his face quickly as he can. He's calming down now, but still doesn't smile, just watching what's happening.

"I know exactly who you are, y'little stinker. And school's out." For Marshall, or literally? Both. The others have a better frame of escape now that Church has this one strung up. He has a few moments to observe them and Cam all the same, and whether his blink at Cam is for something other than his natural tears is up in the air. "You're coming with me. Assault is a crime, little boy." Oh, maybe he's got drugs! But that will be searched for come better custody.

"Dammit, let me go!" Marshall continues to whine, but he's busted and he knows it, his face hot with anger and helplessness. Even if the cops consider it a schoolyard scuffle and don't file charges, he's still suspended at a minimum and he can see his rivals taking advantage, it's all slipping away for him.

Cam, still just sitting on the bench, looks up to the adult and asks, "What about me?" Still playing the part as if he has no clue why Church showed up with such good timing. He hasn't put his paint-soaked shirt back on yet either, though he's picking it up to do so.

With the others gone and Marshall virtually under wraps, Church motions a hand towards Cam, beckoning him along. "You need to get your shirt back on and come with me. I'm going to need you to finger the other ones, kid. " His grip on Marshall lessens, but only so that he can make sure he has the boy; his free hand moves to Marshall's to wrench away the makeshift club. If the boy dropped it, in that case he'll just pick it up. Mine, thank you.

Marshall says, "Yeah, you can tell him how I came in and tried to get them off you." with a smirk. "That's what you'll tell him, right? We'll get those bastards, won't we?" But the smirk is hollow and his bravado is nervous. The sap was dropped by the kid that brought it.

Cam starts to say something, but then looks to Marshall. In the end, he doesn't say anything, just pulling his shirt on and standing up to move after the adult and his prisoner, leaving Marshall to guess what he's going to say.

"I'm old, not blind. Nor stupid." Lawrence comments on all that with his own smirk, taking Marshall along for the ride when he moves through the locker room and towards the stairs. Maybe if there are still students wandering about, they'll get a bit of a show. Mostly Marshall being dragged along.

There are some after-school clubs and teams starting their meetings and practices…sure enough there's some staring and pointing as Lawrence drags Marshall overtly and Cam slinking along behind towards the administration office. Marshall tries to sneer it off but it's really not working.
Of course, Cam's doing his best not to look as happy as he's feeling. He doesn't want to be connected after all. The fact that he's still in pain from the hits he took before Church intervened helps, of course. He just follows along behind, quietly.

Church feels an awful like a hunting dog with a prize. After they get halfway to the guidance offices, Cam gets a cursory glance. "Are you alright? Do you need to see the nurse?" Still acting a little. The concern is mostly real, but the questions were forced from his end.

Marshall says, "I'm fine, thanks for asking, nitwit. Hope you like ramen, that's all they give out at the food stamp office when you get /fired/." Marshall is not what you'd call a real Oscar Wilde.

Cam looks up to Church and nods a bit, "I'm ok, I think. Just hurts a bit. Been beat up lots worse." Like just a few days ago. He doesn't say it though. Of course, had the beating been allowed to continue, he'd probably be in a lot worse shape.

Church nods once at Cam, peering back down at Marshall with a quizzical look. "I do like ramen. Even better is the real kind." Read: Fail, Marshall. "I use a lot of coupons anyway. But- I'm not getting fired anyway, so I'm not worried."

Marshall says, "Yes you are, you're totally getting fired…" but he's whining now as they proceed into the administration building. Assistant Principal O'Donnell comes out from her office as Church approaches with Cam. "Mr. Church?" says the diminutive administrator. "What happened here?"

Cam should probably still stay silent now. But, O'Donnell's question has him speaking up, "What you shoulda known would happen." His skill at acting is no match for his anger at not being believed, apparently.

Church isn't that tall compared to other men, but generally- he's a big guy. And now faced with another small person. His hand with the cord in it rises partially towards Cam in a silencing gesture. "I caught this one-" Marshall gets a sideways nod. "-and two others, using this-" He brandishes up the sap. "-on Mister Reynolds here. I also have reason to search his belongings, where I may or may not find something more interesting than a cord." Perhaps all the mystery to Lawrence's being hired here in the first place adds to some of his possible danger. He was hired by people far above O'Donnell- and about now, if she hasn't- she will probably realize the seriousness of his place here. Surprise, I'm useful!

O'Donnell gives Cam the icy death glare of death doom and death, but reaches out to take the sap from Church. "Is this true, Cam?" she asks. Marshall keeps his mouth shut.

Cam shuts up at Church's gesture, though O'Donnell's glare spooks him just a little anyway, and he takes a step back. Still, at the question, he gives a little nod, "Yes ma'am."

Church isn't going to relinquish the ~evidence~ so easily, and tucks it back down against his forearm with a slight frown. He gives Cam a look again, though this one is a more serious nod rather than a silencer. It's okay to talk when you're asked questions, you see- otherwise you may compromise yourself. P.S. - Don't let the spooky lady scare you! Church can take'er.

"Mr. Church, I'll need that cord from you." O'Donnell says coolly. "Put Marshall in my office. Marshall, sit there quietly until I come in. Cam, if you're not hurt, go home. I'll handle this."

Cam blinks as O'Donnell tells him to go home, a little unsure. He glances up to Church as if for guidance (no pun intended) as he takes a slight step back towards the door.

"No." Is the answer she gets. Lawrence's eyebrows have since creased together, and his mouth similarly so. "I'll be handling this one, actually. Cam is staying, because I need him for when the police come in, ma'am. This is procedure, and if you have me go against that, I might have to report you." He speaks smoothly and without a hitch, glancing only momentarily at his smaller partner. "You stay." And with that, he even tucks the cord under his elbow.

O'Donnell's brow creases. "We are not discussing this in front of the two boys. Put Marshall in my office. Cam, you are excused. You can sit in the hall if Mr. Church thinks he'll need to speak with you again."

Lawrence and O'Donnell are officially butting heads, and possibly in front of more than simply the boys. "If they can put themselves in these adult situations, they can surely handle the physical aftermath and the topic of such in conversation. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking both boys into your office, if you feel so insistent. I'm going to only ask you to only supervise protocol as I call the law in here and empty out some pockets with probable cause. Come with me, Cam." He now actively makes an attempt to herd Marshall and himself around the woman and into the administration offices.

O'Donnell says, sharply, "Mr. Church, I'm not going to put Cam at any further risk - if you are able to say you saw him assaulted, he shouldn't be in a police report that…." But Church is bigger, and stronger, and better in every way than her. He gets what he wants.

Cam bites his lip as he looks between the two adults, but stays back by the door. Until he's told to follow Lawrence, and then he nods a bit and steps to follow after him, though looking a bit nervous after O'Donnell's words.

Perhaps this is a start of a strained relationship- or perhaps it's the beginning of some kind of revolution. In the back of his head, Church does know that she's no longer fit her job- nor most of the administration. Hell, he could do it. Why doesn't he? Once inside of O'Donnell's office, he directs Marshall to one of the chairs. And hey- it is a nicer office than his, too. Bigger desk, too. He keeps silent about these thoughts for now. "Sit down, Marshall. Cam, stick around wherever you want."

O'Donnell follows along, now behind them. From the paperwork on her desk, Church could no more do her job than he could land the space shuttle. She keeps silent, she's said her piece, Church is digging now, whether it's a foundation or his own grave. Marshall cooperates.

Cam nods a little, and moves around to stand where he has the desk between him and Marshall. He doesn't say anything for a moment, just looking between the two adults and Marshall quietly. Finally, though, he says, "Niki'll be here to pick me up soon…"

Sharp brown eyes stick to O'Donnell as she follows, and Church even gives her a smile as he picks up the phone and dials for the police station. "Hopefully we'll be done quickly, Cam. If she comes before anyone else-" He picks up a pencil from the desk and a bare piece of paper from one of the blank bins. "-Write a statement about what happened today. If you feel it relevant, write about what's happened before. Sign it, date it." On the phone now. He gives the on-duty officer the information, and in a matter of minutes, is also calling Marshall's parents. Lawyer is going to have a hard time battling this one. Sorry, but the Law won.

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