My Response to Kerth Challenge #2.
A Lawyer's View
Mayson Drake sighed in frustration as she entered her flat late that evening.
Annoyed, she threw her briefcase on the small chest of drawers next to the door and, after taking off her shoes and jacket, dropped exhausted into her comfortable armchair in the living room.
It had been a long and tiring day for her and she was done.
She had lost another case just because the defendant was obscenely rich and his lawyer had hammered him out with a completely moronic but unfortunately seemingly convincing argument.
And then there had been her date - or whatever she was supposed to call it - with Clark.
At least for her it was a date. She wasn't so sure what it had been for Clark or how he felt about her. He was certainly nice enough, but she was beginning to doubt whether he was interested in her romantically, especially since she had seen the way he acted around his colleague, Louise or something like that.
And then they had argued again, and of course the subject had once again been Superman.
Why couldn't Clark understand her point of view?
Mayson had just decided to call it a night when her phone buzzed.
Annoyed, Mayson reached for the hated object - as a senior prosecutor, she unfortunately always had to be available - and stumbled.
"TOMORROW NIGHT, 10PM. CRAVEN ROAD 48. CONCERNS SUPERMAN. COME ALONE!"
Her first instinct was to delete the message immediately and ignore it completely.
After all, her dislike of Metropolis' self-proclaimed heroes wasn't exactly a secret and she had no desire to make an ass of herself.
Especially since in her position she had not infrequently been lured into a trap by criminals to score points against their case.
Still, there was this little part of her that was just too curious and she wanted to know what it was all about.
***
This was a bad idea.
Mayson was at the agreed location at just before ten the next evening.
It was a somewhat run-down building, probably a warehouse of some kind, and she was far from sure that coming here was a good idea.
She was beginning to seriously doubt her decision and was planning to just go home when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Good afternoon, Miss Drake. Glad you could make it."
The voice was clearly that of a man, and Mayson thought she recognised it from somewhere, but she couldn't remember, try as she might.
She tried to turn so that she could see the stranger better, but he had cleverly chosen the meeting place and stood so obscured in the shadows that not much but a silhouette was discernible.
"Since you seem to know me, would you be so kind as to introduce yourself as well?"
"I will think about it after we have had our conversation, Miss Drake."
"So, what exactly do you want to talk about? You said it was about Superman?"
This was a really bad idea, Mayson.
"That's right. I would like to know why you have such a negative attitude towards him."
"What do you mean?"
"Is it because he's from another planet? That he has powers that humans don't have?"
"No. It's not about that. I may be a lawyer, but I'm not racist or anything like that."
"So why then?"
"He can't just fly around and decide he can do whatever he wants. There are laws."
"So you don't think he's a threat to humanity or anything?"
"No, that's not the point! Or yes, it kind of is, but not primarily."
"Explain please! “
Mayson realised that she didn't have to justify herself to this stranger at all, but it fascinated her to have finally found someone who actually cared what she had to say. In a world where everyone seemed to worship a flying madman, this was a refreshing change.
"Very well. It's like this: he just goes around, decides to hand people over to the police who he thinks have committed a crime, or worse, were about to do it. I, as a prosecutor, then get police reports like "Got arrested because Superman says he walked into a bank and had a gun hidden under his clothes." You wouldn't believe the headaches and bureaucratic crap he causes with his superpowers. There is no one who has the same powers and abilities as him. What good is it to have X-ray vision and super hearing if there is no one who can confirm his observations? It is then just hearsay or one word against another's, in this case the suspected criminal. Just as an example."
"So it's not about him breaking laws or helping others?"
"Not really, no. He can play boy scout, put out fires and stop earthquakes all he wants for all I care. My point is that he has no authority to pursue and/or arrest criminals, let alone decide their status."
"Is that something he does?"
"Maybe not willingly, I don't know, but he is corrupting the legal system. Imagine if everyone who felt like it played vigilante and just stopped crime themselves. Think how much chaos that would cause. Just because he has special powers, he still doesn't have permission to do that."
"Does that mean you'd be okay with what he's doing if he worked for an official agency like the police?"
Mayson was silent for a moment. This was something she had never thought about before.
"I think that would somehow make it less problematic," she reflected. "You know, the core problem is that there is no one to answer to.
No one to control what they do. People are impressed by the forces and don't think at all about possible motives or problems."
"Like what?"
"Just think what could happen if some criminal decided to hurt or kill someone Superman cared about. I don't know the man personally and I doubt he would feel like meeting me, so I don't know how he would react. What if he decided it was okay to seriously injure or even kill criminals? Who would - who could - stop him? Where do we set the limit of trust? There is literally nothing and no one on this planet, to my knowledge, that could stop him should he get out of control."
"Well, Miss Drake, thank you for your honesty," said the person in the shadows.
Suddenly something strange happened. The person seemed to turn in her direction, there was a small gust of wind, and in front of her, in a bright and full outfit, stood...
"Superman!" gasped Mayson. That was ... unexpected.
Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "You couldn't have just called my office and made an appointment?"
"Would they have received me then?"
"Well, that ... is not the point!"
The silly superhero gave her a slight smile. "If you say so."
"So why order me here?"
"I'm sorry about that, but it seemed like the easiest option for me. I admit I was... worried about you."
"In what way?"
"Look, Miss Drake, I don't know how much you know about my history with Lex Luthor. In short, I made the mistake at the time of confronting him directly with my suspicions, which caused him to view me as his number one adversary and to launch a series of actions against me."
"And that has what exactly to do with me? Do you suspect me of working with or for Luthor?" hissed Mayson angrily.
Superman smiled reassuringly. "No, Miss Drake. I was quite sure - and am now completely so - that you are an honest lawyer. Or at least as close as you can get," he couldn't help but make that point.
"Ha-ha, very funny!". She scowled at him.
"Excuse me. So, when I learned of your ... clearly public negative attitude, I began to wonder if you had dangerous plans concerning me. After Luthor and Church, both men in positions of influence, I couldn't be sure."
"So what, the whole covert-in-the-warehouse meeting was some kind of test?"
"I guess you could call it that, yes. I didn't want to repeat my mistake of that time and not ask you personally, as it would be unlikely that you would tell me if you were planning something against me."
"Like what? You are invulnerable."
"That may be, but there are other ways to hurt me. Mentally, emotionally, if you like. Luthor did it several times, and people had to die in his plans. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and avoid repeating those things."
"And you seriously thought I would commit crimes just because I don't like your attitude?"
"Well, no. Not really. But I had to be sure."
"So what was the plan?"
"I let you think you were talking to an uninvolved person or even a potential Superman adversary to find out your true feelings towards me. If I had felt you were a threat to me, I would have left and you would never have been the wiser about who you were talking to. I would then have discreetly started investigating or asking people I trust to do so."
"Like your good friend Clark Kent?" mocked Mayson.
Superman looked strangely pained at this statement. "Possibly, yes. But I understand you and your thoughts better now. I think you only want what's best and I can understand some of the issues you've raised."
"So what happens now?"
"Well, we may not agree on everything, but I can try to talk to the prosecution and the police about how we can improve the situation and what I can do to make sure that everything is legally safe and that the bad guys get the punishments they deserve, no more and no less. I was not aware until now that my actions were causing so many bureaucratic loopholes. I thank you for bringing this to my attention, I have no intention of breaking the law and will therefore consult with you and the police department to do better in the future."
"Well, that's ... good. We'll see how successful it is."
"Good. Do you want me to give you a lift back home? It's not necessarily safe for someone to be walking the streets alone at this hour?"
"Thanks, but I can take care of myself, Superman!"
"All right".
He was already halfway to the exit when he turned around once more.
"Oh, and Mayson?"
"Yes?"
"There is a way to physically injure and weaken me. A radioactive meteorite, probably remnants of my planet."
"I remember reading about it. I thought it was just fictional?"
"No, it isn't. Someone I trust is in possession of kryptonite. So if I ever go crazy or anything, I hope that person will stop me."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"So you can be reassured. Because I think you are a good person. And because you are not wrong. No one, including me, can know what the future holds, and it is always better to be prepared. I just want to make sure that no people are hurt unnecessarily by my actions. Good night!"
And with that he was gone in a gust of wind.
Well, that was... interesting, Mayson thought as she walked to her car and drove towards her apartment.
The next few weeks would be interesting.
- END -
FDK welcome and apreciated!
Last edited by BlindPassenger; 03/05/21 05:16 AM.
