Mandy Shapiro on the Phone
Justice Wing

⎇001JW Justice Wing: Forebears #7

This entry is part 7 of 14 in the series Forebears

The orange fire formed patterns along the clouds and in the sky — fractals twisting and playing and growing, a sound like a ball bearing rolling down a copper tube echoing in the street. I wondered how many of Holland’s neighbors were looking out their windows at the sound… looking up at the burning mandala of mathematics in the sky, and watching it flare a brighter orange…

With a crack, one corner of the fractal seemed to shatter, opening a hole to grey glowing nothing. A craft the size and shape of a tour bus fell through that hole, frost and ice cracking along its surface as it fell. It was at least a hundred meters up and falling, until six underbody turbofan vanes like the flyer’s snapped out and kicked hard to cushion the landing. Above it, the orange fire faded to nothing, even as the medical float leveled off and twisted down towards the ground.

Mandy Shapiro on the Phone
Justice Wing

⎇001JW Justice Wing: Forebears #6

This entry is part 6 of 14 in the series Forebears

Mandy felt an itch, just at the base of her neck. Her headache seemed to pulse a bit more. She narrowed her eyes — what…?

Mandy felt a spike of pain. She ignored it, spinning and grabbing Jake’s arm. “Jake, run!”

Mandy Shapiro on the Phone
Justice Wing

⎇001JW Justice Wing: Forebears #5

This entry is part 5 of 14 in the series Forebears

Mandy snorted. “West? Do you know why they pull cops with a personal stake off cases? It’s because they have a personal stake. That throws them off. You know that. You must know that. You know better than to—”

“Than to what, Shapiro? Than to bend or break the rules in the name of justice? What the Hell do you think Vortex was doing out there? Huh? What the Hell do you think Nightstick or Foolhardy or even the Beacon do in their cities? So tell me why I have to just live with my son in a cemetery and play by rules that don’t apply to Holland or anyone like him! Huh? When’s it my turn to get to take the short cut?”

Mandy looked at West. “Never,” she said, simply. “It’s never your turn.“

Mandy Shapiro on the Phone
Justice Wing

⎇001JW Justice Wing: Forebears #2

This entry is part 2 of 14 in the series Forebears

“…they told me there’d be a lawyer sent over. I’m not sure I should discuss this with you.”

“Right. Because you want to be loyal to the syndicate. I get it.” Mandy paused, for effect. “You realize that lawyer isn’t coming, right?”

Mandy Shapiro on the Phone
Justice Wing

⎇001JW Justice Wing: Forebears #1

This entry is part 1 of 14 in the series Forebears

“You people defend super villains. Criminals. World conquerors. Mass murderers. And you expect me to just let you walk in here—”

“We ‘people?’ Interesting phrasing, Detective Corporal. I’ll assume you mean ‘lawyers.’ And yes, my firm specializes in parahuman criminal defense, because some police officers and district attorneys forget that parahumans get the same rights every other criminal gets. Like — just to throw out an example? The right to a zealous defense. Not all police officers, of course. Not even most. Just some.