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Message-ID: <48621asstr$1090923002@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: Lazlo Zalezac <lzalezac@yahoo.com>
Subject: {ASSM} JC:Ed Biggers IV-17 (mf mmf ffm ff mm sci-fi)
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Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2004 06:10:02 -0400
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=====
Lazlo Zalezac
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac


		
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<1st attachment, "biggers4-17.txt" begin>

JC: Ed Biggers
Part 4: Adjournment
Chapter 17
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

The hall was typical of hotel conference rooms with folding 
partitions that allowed it to be turned into two separate rooms. The 
carpet on the floor was utilitarian, more than capable of resisting 
the normal spills of buffets, conference meals, and cocktail parties. 
Lined across the room, row after row of chairs faced the speaker's 
podium with a large screen lowered for display of computer 
presentations. 

At the podium, Kelly spoke about the career projections for 
individuals entering the medical field. The audience of 
academicians in charge of nursing programs at universities around 
the country did not look too happy about what she had to say. The 
number of graduating nurses was increasing to a point that in six 
years there would be a surplus. Unless the schools cut back on 
their nursing programs, they would be doing a disservice to their 
students and to the profession as a whole. 

When she announced that the Fusion Foundation would be cutting 
back in scholarships and assistantships for nursing students, there 
was a general grumbling in the audience. The hostility of the 
audience was understandable. They were in charge of growing 
their nursing programs and the news that they may have to 
consider cutting back their efforts was not something they wanted 
to hear. It didn't help when Kelly pointed to areas of the health care 
industry, in which growth was predicted, although none of which 
fell under a nursing related field. 

Sitting in the back of the room, Ed understood the difficulty of the 
task that Kelly had undertaken. She had accepted the burden of 
telling people a truth they didn't want to hear. That was the 
problem with serving truth and one that Ed faced almost daily. 
Most people preferred lies when it fit their particular goals or 
interests and pointing out the lies tended to make people angry. He 
didn't expect Kelly to have too many difficulties with the crowd. 
These were professionals and they would decide what actions 
made sense for their needs. The fact that the message was being 
delivered by a Druid gave it a significance that no other messenger 
would be able to convey.

Once Kelly was done with her presentation, she returned to the 
table. Leaning over to him, she said, "You can go and play now."

"Thanks," replied Ed with a wink before slipping out of the room. 
He wasn't really interested in the nursing field beyond being there 
as moral support for his wife. Walking down the hallway of the 
hotel, he was the subject of significant interest as people watched 
the Druid stroll aimlessly down the hall. Having nothing better to 
do, Ed stopped occasionally and looked at the displays of various 
shops within the hotel. 

Reaching the lobby, Ed looked around and decided that he had 
enough of being inside for the day. Stepping outside, he noticed 
the large square outside the hotel. People were sitting on benches 
as others walked past them with the intensity that comes of having 
a purpose that they saw as important. An occasional tourist took a 
moment to look around while consulting a map or asking for 
directions. Looking over the large square, Ed was disappointed that 
the ground was covered with paving stones rather than gardens. A 
little grass or flowers would have provided people with the 
connection to the earth that was entirely missing. 

Most of the benches contained two or three people, sharing a seat 
while busy following their own agenda. People read books, maps, 
or just watched others walking around. There were maybe fifty of 
people around the square, none talking to another person except on 
their cell phones. 

A woman, in her early thirties, sat on a bench alone. Her makeup 
was applied overly thick as though it was hiding a black eye. 
Shoulders slumped, back curved, and arms clutched tightly around 
her chest, her posture screamed out to the world, 'Leave me alone.' 
It was not the posture of a person that was angry for the moment, 
but the posture of a woman that had the life beaten out of her and 
was convinced that no one cared what happened to her. She sat 
there with a negative solidity that made her feelings a reality.

A dark ominous shadow fell across her blocking out the light and 
warmth of the sun. Looking up, she was shocked to see a black 
robed man standing in front of her with his hands on his hips and 
staring into her eyes with an intensity she had never before 
experienced. Her isolation from people and news didn't allow her 
to recognize him for what he was, a Druid. Driven by habit, she 
said, "Go away."

Looking down at the woman, Ed did not change the steady 
expression on his face in reaction to her command. Instead, he 
replied, "No."

Surprised by his flat insistence at staying there, she looked around 
frantically before she said, "Please go away. He'll see you."

This was what Ed had expected to hear and was the reason that he 
had come over here. Her fear of some powerful force, which 
although not present, was the reason that he didn't leave. The 
medallion around his neck felt warm. Instead of leaving, he sat 
down next to her and turned to face her. Indifferently he said, "I 
would assume that you refer to your husband."

His comment struck her as hard as a slap. Frantically, she looked 
around for some place to which she could relocate, but there wasn't 
an empty bench available. Thinking more about the reaction of her 
husband than the identity of the man next to her, she said, "Look, 
I'm warning you. You had better get out of here."

Crossing his legs and leaning towards her so that he gave the 
appearance that they were having an intimate conversation, Ed 
asked, "Is he that bad?"

"You don't understand. He's very jealous and doesn't like me 
talking to other people. Just get out of here. Now."

Looking beyond her, Ed asked, "Are you afraid that he'll hurt me 
or you?"

Getting angry at his continued insistence on talking to her, she 
answered, "He'll kill you and hurt me."

Ed continued to sit next to her even as she turned so that her back 
was facing him. With a very quiet voice, he said, "You can run, but 
you can't hide. He'll keep it up until one day either you or he will 
be dead."

"I have kids!" cried the woman as she considered the impossibility 
of her situation. Life was not like in the movies she had watched 
before getting married. Men didn't chase after women with roses 
and sweet words, but forced them into submission with cruel 
words and closed fists. 

A man came over to the bench and glared at Ed with narrowed 
eyes. He took in the robe and recognized that it meant this stranger 
talking to his wife was a Druid. He didn't know what that meant, 
but rather than confront the man, he commanded, "Come on bitch. 
It's time for you to get your fat ass home."

As though examining a particularly ugly patch of pond scum, Ed 
looked up at the man. The only phrase that went through his mind 
to describe the man was trailer park trash. With a very definite 
chill in his voice, Ed replied, "That's not a very nice way to talk to 
your wife."

"I suggest that you get out of here or else..."

The last two words of his suggestion hung in the air between them. 
The effect of the threat was undermined when Ed extended a hand 
to the woman and said, "I'm Ed Biggers."

The pathetic woman looked at her husband in terror and, on the 
verge of tears, begged, "I didn't invite him here! You've got to 
believe me."

Ed turned to look at the man, his eyes boring into the stranger's 
soul, as he said, "Her posture drove me here. I could not resist her. 
To see a person so afraid of some monster required me to come to 
help her."

"The slut is my wife, so get lost," replied the man with anger. All 
he needed was for this woman to start getting ideas. She was 
already a pain in the ass, requiring constant attention to make sure 
that she obeyed him in everything. 

A tight smile, almost threatening, slowly spread across Ed's face as 
he listened to the man. Nodding his head, Ed said, "It looks like I 
have found the monster."

The man reached out to grab his wife. Rather than grabbing her 
hand, he grabbed her hair to drag her behind him. As he pulled her 
off the bench, he yelled, "Whore, you're leaving with me. What did 
you promise him for his help, a blowjob? Taking it in the ass? You 
fucking bitch, wait until I get you home!"

Unable to resist the hand pulling her hair, the woman followed 
along. Her fear was plain for all to see, but no one else in the 
square moved to stop her abuser. Stepping in front of the man, Ed 
said, "I'm going to make your life so miserable, you'll beg me to 
take you in the ass rather than the federal hassles you are going to 
experience. Right now, I'd like to ask you about your taxes."

The man released his wife and turned to take a swing at Ed. Rather 
than ducking or blocking the swing, Ed accepted the punch 
although he made sure that it connected with his chest rather than 
face. As soon as the blow landed, Ed immediately wrestled the 
man down to the ground and held him there. Once the man was 
subdued, he said, "You have just assaulted a federal agent."

The woman had been about to hit Ed, but his comment about being 
a federal agent made her realize suddenly that hitting him was 
asking for serious trouble. Her enthusiasm for saving her husband 
evaporated when he shouted at her, "You whore. This is all your 
fault."

A police officer came over to investigate the disturbance. As he 
approached, Ed called out, "This man just assaulted me. Would 
you mind detaining him?"

The cop took in Ed's black robe and the gold medallion around his 
neck. The word among various law enforcement personnel was 
that helping a Druid was a very good way to get promoted. He 
immediately cuffed the man on the ground without asking a single 
question. Once that was accomplished, he turned to Ed and asked, 
"What happened?"

Ed pulled out his IRS badge and, after leading the officer a few 
steps away from the man on the ground, said, "He was pulling his 
wife around by the hair as a result of me engaging her in a 
conversation. When he hit me, I immediately subdued him and 
threatened him with arrest for assaulting a federal agent."

"Do you want him charged?"

For several minutes, Ed whispered some instructions to the officer 
while the man nodded his agreement and smiled. With great 
deliberation, Ed walked over to the woman and led her to the 
bench on which she had been seated. She stared at him with fear in 
her eyes, wondering what was going to happen to her and her 
husband. Looking off to the distance, Ed said, "You are 
responsible for your own happiness."

"What?" The unexpected comment took the woman by surprise.

"You are responsible for your own happiness."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Are you happy?"

She stared at him as if he were speaking a foreign language. She 
glanced at her husband who was listening to the policeman. 
Finally, she said, "No."

"That's your fault."

She bristled and said, "You don't understand."

"I understand much better than you can possibly imagine," replied 
Ed as he looked into her eyes. His voice was far colder than 
anything she had ever heard used in her presence. Without 
breaking eye contact, he said, "You have chosen to be unhappy."

She shivered as if it was cold outside under his intense stare. All 
pretense of protecting her husband evaporated, but years of self-
hatred came boiling forth. She said, "It's my fault that he's mean to 
me. I don't live up to his expectations."

"That's true, but not in the way that you intended. It is your fault 
that he's mean to you since you continue to stay with him," replied 
Ed as he looked contemptuously at the man on the ground. 

"I have children."

"That's not an excuse. They aren't immobile. You can take them 
with you. In fact, by allowing them to stay around your husband, 
you are harming them."

The woman, frustrated by his lack of understanding, broke down 
into tears. Sniffling, she knew that she was no good and couldn't 
do anything on her own. In her mind, it was a fact that she was a 
waste of space. Her parents had told her that and her husband had 
beat that fact into her all of the time. If she left him, she would 
starve to death before she could find a job. The only future 
available to her was as a prostitute and, if her husband was correct, 
she was a lousy fuck that wouldn't be able to get a single customer.

Ed watched as the woman cried knowing exactly what thoughts 
were going through her head. The last thing that she needed was 
for him to act in an understanding manner. She had tough truths to 
face about herself, her life, and her future. 

The cop knelt down next to the man on the ground. In an amused 
voice, he said, "You have no idea who you hit."

"You mean, I hit one of those religious freaks."

The cop laughed and said, "No, you just hit one of the most 
important men in the IRS."

"IRS?" asked the man as his stomach started performing flips on 
him. No one ever wanted an IRS agent angry with him or her. That 
was when he realized the guy had even started to ask questions 
about his taxes before he had hit him.

"Oh yes. His husband is a major player in the FBI. Dude, you're 
really screwed," laughed the cop. 

"FBI?"

"I imagine after they take your house, your earnings, your savings, 
and cars they will feel like it's a good beginning. Once you think 
you've hit bottom, then they will really get to work on you. You 
are so fucked."

Desperate, the man tried to think and came back with the 
comment, "I'll join the Fusion Foundation Emergency Response 
Team. They will hire anyone one."

"So long as that person hasn't pissed off one of the board members 
and congratulations, that's exactly who you pissed off."

The man stared at the policeman from his position on the ground 
and said, "You can't be serious."

"His husband is John Carter, founder of the Fusion Foundation. 
Did I tell you that you were really fucked? I'm beginning to think 
that was an understatement," said the officer.

On the bench, Ed had waited for the woman to finish crying. When 
she had stopped, he said, "You have a choice to make. You can 
stay with him until he either beats you to death or you kill him. If 
you don't like those choices, you can leave him today while he is 
detained."

Glaring up at Ed, she spat, "And where will I go?"

"There is a Fusion Foundation Shelter for Abused Women down 
the street. They can help get you a position in the Fusion 
Foundation workforce where you will receive training that can 
allow you to return to the private sector."

She had never heard of the shelter or that they could help her get a 
job. Her husband had restricted what she could watch on 
television, read in the newspaper, and with whom she could talk 
for the past decade. Hesitating, she asked, "What about the kids?"

"They will take you to your kids and bring them to the shelter with 
you. In five days, you will be located elsewhere and your husband 
will have to work through Fusion Foundation Lawyers in order to 
get in contact with you." Sherry had been the person that set up the 
shelter program for abused women and children. She had made 
sure that everything was done in a legal fashion to assure that men 
would not be able to follow their wives, but had to go through 
Fusion Foundation Lawyers. On the other hand, she had also 
assured that husbands had access to legal representation to prevent 
wives that used false charges of abuse from stealing the children 
away from their husbands.

The stated goal of the Fusion Foundation Shelter program wasn't to 
destroy families, but to allow families the chance to get help and 
treatment, protecting all members of the family from harm. Ed had 
agreed with that policy from the very first moment Sherry had laid 
out the goals. 

"There are programs like that?"

Nodding, Ed replied, "Yes, there are."

This was more than she could possibly have hoped in terms of 
helping her get out of her situation. The only problem was that she 
was basically worthless and they would soon discover that. They 
would throw her out of the shelter long before she was able to get 
anything established.

Ed stood and looked over at the man on the ground. Before 
returning to the policeman, he said, "The policeman will walk you 
to the shelter if you are willing to go."

Walking over to the man on the ground, Ed knelt next to the 
policeman and said, "You can walk her over to the shelter now. Be 
firm, but don't force her to go."

The cop said, "I'm sorry, but I told him who you were. I hope that 
isn't a problem."

"Not at all. Saved me the trouble, officer. Once she has entered the 
shelter, return here and we'll decide what to do with this guy."

The guy was still on the ground, uncomfortable with position but 
unwilling to draw anymore attention to his circumstances. The cop 
walked off leaving Ed alone with the man. Ed looked down at him 
and asked, "What am I supposed to do with you?"

Knowing that any argument would be futile, the man answered, 
"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hit you."

"That doesn't answer my question. What am I supposed to do with 
you?"

Unable to joke about his situation, he suggested, "You could have 
the cop take care of it and forget that this ever happened."

Shaking his head, Ed replied, "That just won't do."

The man on the ground felt like crying. He knew that he was going 
to get reamed big time by this guy and the idea scared the hell out 
of him. Everything that he had worked for was going to be taken 
away from him. His house, his money, his wife, and his kids were 
going to be taken away. He looked up in time to see the policeman 
walking away with his wife. He asked, "Where's she going?"

"To the Fusion Foundation Shelter for Battered Women," 
answered Ed pleased that she had made the decision to go there. 
For the next three days, she was going to be so busy with 
counseling and make-work projects intended to build her 
confidence that she wouldn't have a chance to regret her decision.

Her husband knew the consequences of her going there even 
though he had hidden them from his wife. She was gone and so 
were the kids. It would take him months to get them back. Feeling 
as though she had been stolen from him, he said, "I guess she's 
gone."

"Yes. If you go through the full process, there is a chance that you 
can get them back. Of course, that depends on both of you."

Frowning, the husband said, "Right. I'll only get to see her after 
five years of counseling with some fucking psychologist. By that 
time, she'll have turned the kids away from me."

Returning to the original question, Ed asked, "So, what should I do 
with you?"

"I guess you are going to fuck me over big time with your IRS and 
FBI buddies."

"Well, that might be what I could want to do, but I'm asking a very 
different question. What should I do with you?" Using waffle 
words such as might and could made it possible for him to make 
that statement. Even on his worst day, he wouldn't do that for his 
own desire but because the individual deserved it. 

The man looked up at Ed and said, "The law says that you should 
turn me over to the police. Then you have to decide if you want to 
press charges or not."

Nodding, Ed said, "What would happen if I didn't press charges?"

"I'd get off with just an arrest record."

"What could I do to you, if I wanted?"

"You could get everything I own, get me thrown in prison, and 
make it so that after I got out of prison I'd either be going right 
back in or be homeless on the street," replied the man honestly. 

"So those are the two extremes available to me. Basically let you 
go or put you in torment for the rest of your life." Saying it aloud 
made him realize just how much power he actually held over this 
man. There were many men that wouldn't be able to resist 
demonstrating their full power.

"Shit," mumbled the man on the ground at hearing the extremes 
and feeling that the hand of doom was about to descend upon him. 

Ed said, "I live according to two rules. If it harm none, then do it. 
Protect the weak from the strong. Now somehow between those 
two rules, we ought to be able to figure out how to resolve this 
situation."

"You've taken my wife and kids away from me."

"Yes, that answers the immediate application of the rule that I 
protect the weak from the strong. The problem is that doesn't do 
anything for future women that you may encounter."

The man on the ground sobbed as he wondered where this was 
heading. Ed asked, "What do you do for a living?"

Surprised by the question, he answered, "I sell used cars."

"I can cut a deal with the judge that you be enrolled in the Forest 
Fire Fighting section of the Emergency Response Unit of the 
Fusion Foundation for two years with the condition that you be 
counseled while there. Of course, counseling is required for all 
people in the Emergency Response Unit since the work often 
incurs a significant emotional impact," replied Ed. 

The idea of that didn't sound so bad compared to what could 
happen to him. Hopeful, he asked, "No prison?"

"No prison," replied Ed knowing that the man was seriously 
considering the offer. 

The silence was broken by the happy voice of Kelly showing up 
behind Ed. Looking down at the man on the ground, she asked, "Hi 
Ed. I see you have been having a little fun while I was stuck in that 
meeting. What did he do?"

The man on the ground looked up at Kelly and saw the robe. With 
a groan, he muttered, "Oh no. Another one."

"He was abusing his wife," replied Ed. 

Wanting to put a little scare into the guy and knowing that Ed 
would never do it, she suggested, "Why don't you just kill him and 
be done with it?"

Seeing the smile and wink that she gave him, Ed laughed at the 
joke and said, "We were just discussing cutting a deal with a judge 
that he go fight fires for a while."

"Um, maybe getting a little taste of fire might give him some 
insight into what hell holds for him," replied Kelly surprised at the 
solution that Ed had found to the problem.

That suggestion made the man on the ground think about the long-
term consequences of his behavior. Ed asked, "So, would you go 
along with that? We cut a deal with the judge and you go fight 
fires."

Defeated and knowing that he was defeated, the man answered, 
"Yes."

"You really want to go through with the whole judge thing?"

"Not really."

Nodding, Ed asked, "So when the officer returns, you would be 
willing to go with him so that you could sign up for that?"

"Yes," replied the man. 

Kelly smiled at Ed knowing that he would do just about anything 
to avoid having to spend a day in a court. All of her husbands had 
spent time testifying in court and detested doing it although it was 
necessary to finish many of their services. With a wink at Kelly, he 
said, "So when the cop comes back, I'll have him take you to the 
local Fusion Foundation Office and you'll sign up adding that you 
require significant counseling for your problem. You agree to 
that?"

"Yes, sir," replied the man.

Knowing that he was speaking the truth, Ed knew that his 
willingness to do that could change between here and the Fusion 
Foundation Office. He said, "Good. I'll tell the cop that if you do it, 
then everything is okay. If you change your mind before getting to 
the office, then I'll make sure that you feel the worst case 
possible."

The threat was not lost on the man. He would go through with it 
rather than face a lifetime in jail and lose everything that he 
owned. There was nothing left to do except wait for the police 
officer to return. It surprised him when Ed and Kelly helped him to 
his feet and led him over to the bench where he could wait with a 
little more comfort. Able to see all of Kelly for the first time, he 
was shocked by the affection with which she looked at Ed even 
though Ed had done nothing to demand that of her.

After a few minutes, the police officer returned and said, "Dr. 
Biggers, she went in the shelter and they've gone to pick up the 
kids."

"Good. Could I ask you to do one more thing for me?"

"Sure."

"I need you to take this guy down to the local office of the fusion 
foundation and sign him up for service fighting fires. Make sure 
that he requests additional counseling for his problem."

The police officer nodded and asked, "Am I supposed to press 
charges?"

"Only if he doesn't sign up."

The officer smiled as he realized that Ed had offered the guy a 
choice between a carrot and a stick. Domestic abuse cases were the 
toughest on police and this solution effectively killed all 
possibilities of it escalating into a more troubling problem. Smiling 
at Ed, the cop said, "I understand."

"If you give me your card, I'll make a little call this afternoon 
letting your watch commander know how much you helped me."

Happy at the news, the officer handed over the card and after 
removing the cuffs left with the man. Ed watched the pair walk 
away satisfied with his solution. A couple of years of hard work, 
good counseling, and a chance to reflect on his treatment of the 
wife gave him a chance to become a better man.

Kelly smiled and said, "Another damsel in distress?"

"Yes," replied Ed with a lopsided grin. 

The couple sat down on the vacant bench and watched people 
walking past them. After a few minutes, Ed said, "It's a shame."

"What's a shame?"

"I saved her only because I saw it. She had hundreds of chances to 
save herself, but couldn't convince herself to act."

Kelly was quiet for a long time. Years as a nurse had shown her a 
huge number of abused people that would show up at a hospital as 
a result of their abuse and then claim to have fallen down. Physical 
abuse was often easy to spot, but far more crippling in some cases 
was the emotional abuse heaped upon them. She said, "I know 
what you mean. It's just that very few people accept that they are 
responsible for their own happiness. If they are unhappy about 
their situation and choose to stay in it, they are shirking that 
responsibility."

"It's a whole lot easier to blame someone else than to accept your 
own role in being unhappy."

"Yes, there's also the threats."

"Staying in such a situation assures that she will suffer whatever 
abuse those threats promise," asserted Ed.

"More often than not," agreed Kelly. 

They were quiet as each thought about the situation. There were 
times when Ed wanted to pick up the abused women and try to 
shake some sense into them. How could anyone give up 
themselves to another for abuse and harm? How could they accept 
that they deserved it? It made no sense to him. Shaking his head, 
he said, "Can they hate themselves that much?"

"Yes, my dear husband. People can hate themselves that much," 
replied Kelly. Observing the sadness on his face, she said, "So 
many women are raised to think that they are second class citizens 
who must do as the men in their family say. They go into jobs they 
hate because 'he' tells them to do it. In many cases, it is a cultural 
abuse as in the case of Oriental and Muslim women."

"I never thought about that," replied Ed as he considered Ling and 
her confident manner. He looked over at Kelly and said, "So are 
oriental woman normally submissive?"

Kelly thinking about the number of men that had married oriental 
women thinking they would get a submissive woman only to 
discover that they had married just the opposite. She laughed and 
replied, "Not at all. Most just become very manipulative."

"Aren't we just being prejudiced in these generalizations? I mean, 
Ling is a very loving and giving woman that knows her mind. I 
would hope that many oriental and Muslim women are of the same 
character."

"I suppose I am being a little negative, but I've seen quite a few 
women that have been totally beaten up by the culture."

There was a long moment of silence as they each thought about the 
discussion. Finally, Ed said, "I've seen a lot of people of all 
cultures that have been totally beaten up by their culture."

"Too true."
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