Justice Ch. 06: The Gift of Freedom

"And the wives?" Max asked.

"Most of them... disappeared," Ginger said.

"You suspect foul play?" Max asked.

"We do. In fact, I'd like to have a little talk with this character, maybe get his brain feed and see what I can find out," Cameron said. "I have a feeling there's a whole lot more to this that what meets the eye."

"I think we can arrange that," Max said. "Thanks for all your work on this. I'll be in touch."

"No problem," Cameron said.

...

Judge Alfred Stone sat in his chambers as Danni Jones and the strange Texas Ranger walked in. He remembered the Ranger from an incident that happened years ago when he was still married to Alice. Seeing the tall, square-jawed man again after all these years sent chills up his spine. He stood and greeted his guests.

"Danni, it's so good to see you," Alfred said. "How are the young 'uns?"

"They're doing great, Your Honor," she said. "Growing like weeds."

"I'm so glad to hear that," he said. "And please, call me Alfred. We've known each other far too long to be so formal."

"Thank you, Alfred," she said, smiling.

"And you, Ranger," Alfred said, turning to Eli. "It's been quite a while. You look the same as you did the last time I saw you. How are things with you?"

"Doing jes' fine, Your Honor," Eli said, shaking the judge's hand. "Thank you for asking."

"Please, have a seat. Tell me, what brings you to the big city?" Alfred asked.

"It's a rather... sensitive issue, Alfred," Danni said. "We have a client who has been held against his will in a private clinic owned and run by a Dr. Edwin Skitz."

"Skitz?" Alfred asked, interrupting Danni.

"Yes," she said. "Are you familiar with the man?"

"Actually, I am," Alfred said. "Excellent doctor, from what I've heard. Has the bedside manner of a Nazi stormtrooper, though. Pretty well-known in the country club circle. Lots of political contacts. You say he's holding someone in his private clinic against his will?"

"Yes," Danni said. Alfred turned to Eli.

"Can you shed some light on this, Ranger?" he asked.

"This Dr. Skitz feller was holding our client against his will," Eli said.

"Was?" Alfred asked. "Where is your client now? Is he at that old west town of yours?"

"No," Eli said. "He's somewhere else. But we have reason to believe he's holding others against their will."

"And we have reason to suspect that he's holding those men hostage so he can use their wives, sexually," Danni added.

"Those are some serious charges you're making, Danni," Alfred said. "Do you have any evidence to back this up?"

"Yes," Danni said, handing the judge a small thumb drive. "There are some videos on that drive." Alfred put the USB drive in his laptop and brought up the first video. He watched for a moment, then paused the playback.

"How did you get this?" Alfred asked, frowning. Danni and Eli looked at each other for a moment.

"That's where this gets a bit... dicey," she said. "I've been told those videos came directly from our client's memories."

"His memories?" Alfred asked, his eyebrows raised. "Danni, I've given you a lot of leeway over the years, but you know this will never fly in court."

"I know," Danni said. "That's why we wanted to show you this in person. So you would know this is real." Alfred looked from Danni to Eli.

"So, what is it you want from me? An order to get this man out of that facility?" Alfred asked.

"We've already gotten him outta there," Eli said. "But there are others in danger."

"I see," Alfred said, recalling his own encounter with Eli decades ago before he became a judge. "Where is he now? At that old west town of yours?"

"No, he's in no shape to travel right now," Eli said. "He's somewhere... safe. And he's being looked after. But as I said, others are in danger. I want that place shut down, and this Dr. Skitz behind bars. I'd rather do it proper-like."

"I understand, Ranger," Alfred said. "But that may not be as easy as you think. This Skitz character has a lot of powerful friends. Have you spoken to anyone in the state Medical Board yet?"

"No, we haven't," Danni said. "We both felt this is a time-sensitive issue. You know how long it can take for things to work through that process."

"Yes, I do," Alfred said.

"And a lot can happen in that time," Danni interjected. Alfred glanced at the video as he thought.

"Tell you what I'll do, Danni," he finally said. "I'll look through your... evidence, maybe make some discreet calls. You dig into this a bit deeper, get me something a bit more... useful in court."

"And if we can't?" Danni asked.

"Then I suspect the Ranger here will probably have to act independently," Alfred said, giving Eli a knowing smile. Eli nodded his head.

"I think I understand, Your Honor," Eli said with a sly smile. Alfred nodded his head.

"Good," Alfred said. "Do what you have to, Ranger. I'll give you all the cover I possibly can."

"Thank you, Your Honor," Eli said. He turned to Danni. "I think we've done all we can here, Danni."

"But... Can't you at least issue an injunction? A restraining order? Anything?" she asked Alfred.

"Based on what, exactly, Danni?" Alfred asked. "A video from someone's memories? We'd both be laughed out of the legal profession, and you know it. The Ranger here can handle this. I'll support you as much as I possibly can."

"It's alright, Danni," Eli said. "We can handle this on our own."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Absolutely," Eli said with a grim smile. Alfred stood, signaling the end of the meeting.

"Good luck and happy hunting," he said as he extended a hand. Eli took it and nodded his head as the two men shook hands. "Let me know what you find," he told Danni as they shook hands. Danni was a bit confused when they left Alfred's office.

"What just happened?" she asked.

"We'll take care of this ourselves," Eli said as they walked to Danni's car.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" she asked.

"I suspected it might," Eli said, all trace of his Texas accent gone.

"So what do we do now?" Danni asked.

"Adrestia tells me Max is sending this Cameron fella to speak with Skitz. According to her, he can get the good doctor's memories. That should be quite interesting," Eli said.

"Yes, it should," Danni said, confused.

...

"I'm here to see Dr. Skitz," Cameron said, giving the receptionist his business card. He remembered her from the last time he was at the clinic, and he watched her look at his card, then glance back at him.

"You were here the other day, weren't you?" she asked.

"Yes," Cameron said.

"One moment, please," she said before picking up her phone. She spoke into it for a few moments, and Cameron heard only her side of the conversation. He surmised she was talking to the doctor. A few moments later, she put the phone down and motioned for him to follow her.

She ushered him into a well-appointed office with wood paneling and the obligatory framed certificates on the wall. The man sitting at the desk stood and extended his hand. Cameron accepted it and felt the slight spark that indicated the brain feed download had commenced.

"Sorry, must be static," Cameron said with a slight smile.

"That's quite alright," Dr. Skitz said, rubbing his hand. "Please, have a seat." Cameron sat and looked at the man, taking note of the 3D anaglyph effect, indicating this was not a man to be trusted. He had seen this quite often since acquiring his abilities and had learned how to deal with the headaches it usually caused.

"So, what can I do for the, uh, Burnage Agency today, Mr. Drake?" the doctor finally asked, reading Cameron's business card.

"We're doing a followup regarding the treatment of one James Eastland, a patient of yours, Dr. Skitz," Cameron said. "We were hoping you could shed some light on his status. From what we gathered, he should have been discharged several months ago."

"Well, Mr. Drake, as you know, in order to answer that question, I would have to violate doctor-patient confidentiality. Privacy laws simply do not allow me to pass that information on," Edwin said.

"I see," Cameron said. "So, you're refusing to cooperate in our investigation. Is that right?"

"My hands are tied, Mr. Drake," Edwin said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Very well. I won't waste any more of your time," Cameron said, standing up. "Good day." He turned and left Edwin wondering what the hell had just happened.

"Wait a minute, Mr. Drake," Edwin said as Cameron reached the door. Cameron turned to look at Edwin.

"Yes?" Cameron asked.

"Weren't you here earlier with another man and a woman? According to our surveillance cameras, the three of you spoke with Mr. Eastland, didn't you?" Edwin asked.

"Yes, we did," Cameron said.

"Strange," Edwin said. "After you left, Mr. Eastland went missing."

"Missing? Did you report it to anyone?" Cameron asked.

"No, we didn't," Edwin said.

"And why not?" Cameron asked.

"Police wouldn't do anything for at least 24 to 48 hours," Edwin said.

"You mean to tell me you let a patient who supposedly can't even feed himself go missing and didn't bother to report it to anyone? What kind of a shithole are you running here?" Cameron asked. He already knew the answer but wanted to see Edwin's reaction -- and he got it.

"Now see here," Edwin began, his face red.

"Save it, Dr. Skitz," Cameron said. "I'll just add that to my report. Good day." With that, Cameron left. Smiling to himself, he left the facility since he got what he came for anyway, namely, Dr. Skitz's brain feed. Cameron briefly connected to Edwin's mind to see what the doctor was doing. He wasn't surprised to see Edwin talking to someone on the phone.

"The man's name is Drake. Cameron Drake. He was one of the three who came here to see Eastland earlier. Follow him. Find out what you can about him. He may just lead you to Eastland. If he does, you know what to do," Edwin said.

"Yeah, boss, we know," a man at the other end said.

"Get to it. Report back to me as soon as possible," Edwin said before ending the call. Cameron smiled to himself. He couldn't wait to meet Skitz's goons. Walking out of the clinic, Cameron saw two large men with shaved heads, goatees, and no discernible necks climb into a black SUV. He also noticed the bulge in their jackets that indicated they were well-armed.

As he sat in his SUV, Cameron considered his options regarding these goons. He could take them on a wild goose chase around town before confronting them, but he didn't want to waste time on these clowns. Cameron finally decided on a more... direct... course of action. After looking at the layout of the place, he started his SUV and put it in gear.

He saw the two goons glaring at him and decided to have some fun. He pulled out, but instead of heading for the exit, he pulled right in front of the SUV containing the two gorillas and stopped, effectively blocking them. The goons were baffled as they watched Cameron get out of his SUV and walk to their driver's side.

"What the fuck?" the goon in the driver's seat asked.

"Yeah? What the fuck is your problem?" the other goon asked.

"You are my problem," Cameron said calmly.

"The fuck you talking about, asshole?" the first goon asked, his face red.

"Yeah. What the fuck are you talking about? Fuck," the second goon said.

"Trust me. You don't want to follow me," Cameron said, focusing his mental prowess on the first goon. After sizing them up, Cameron realized their combined IQs and vocabulary were just a bit lower than the average eggplant. The first goon looked at his companion.

"You know, I really don't want to follow this fucking guy," Goon Number One said.

"Yeah, me neither," Goon Number Two echoed. "Fuck."

"In fact, it's too nice out to be cooped up inside," Cameron said. "Maybe the two of you ought to go downtown and jack each other off in a busy intersection."

"Yeah, let's go jack off downtown," Goon Number One said. His companion nodded his head in agreement.

"And don't forget to wave your guns around while you do it," Cameron said.

"We won't, man," the first goon said. "Thanks. Have a nice day now, you hear?"

"I will," Cameron said. "You do the same." He left the two goons and got back into his SUV. When he pulled onto the street, he saw the goons head in the other direction, toward downtown. He smiled to himself and drove home.

...

"How is our guest doing?" Max asked when he got home that afternoon.

"He's doing a bit better," Adrestia said. "He's starting to come out of his persistent catatonic state. Actually spoke a couple of words without too much difficulty."

"That's good to hear," Max said. "I got the preliminary report from Cam on Dr. Skitz's brain feed this afternoon."

"Oh?" Adrestia asked. "And?"

"He suggests we move quickly. It seems the good doctor is feeling a bit... pressured. And he's preparing to eliminate the other men he's holding," Max said.

"That's not good," Adrestia said. "Eli is on his way over now. By the way, did you see the news earlier?"

"No, I was a bit busy," Max said. "What happened?"

"Well, it seems a couple of Dr. Skitz's hired guns were arrested for causing a public disturbance earlier today. I bookmarked the video report so you could see it," Adrestia said, handing him a tablet. Max chuckled as he watched the report.

"Two men were arrested earlier today for causing a disturbance in a busy downtown intersection," the female newsreader said. "According to a police spokesperson, the men allegedly stripped down and masturbated each other while waving handguns. The two men claimed they could not comply when officers ordered them to stop. Several people took video of the incident and forwarded them to Eyewitness News."

The next thing Max saw was a video shot by a pedestrian with a cell phone. Two large bald men sporting goatees were naked from the waist down. They frantically masturbated each other with one hand while holding their pistols in the air with the other. Although their genitals were blurred out in the video, it was clear what they were doing.

Police quickly arrived and surrounded the two men, their handguns drawn. Max could hear the officers order the men to stop and lay down their weapons. He also listened to the two men's responses.

"We can't, dammit," one man said.

"Put the guns down and stop what you're doing," an officer ordered.

"Dammit, we already told you we can't stop," the other goon said as he furiously stroked his partner's dick. "Fuck!" Three officers pulled out their tasers and shot the two men, who instantly crumpled to the pavement, dropping their weapons. Officers rushed the two men and quickly handcuffed them before leading them away.

"The men have reportedly been charged with indecent exposure, creating a public disturbance, and illegal possession of firearms," the newsreader said. "Authorities tell Eyewitness News the men are undergoing psychiatric evaluation. We reached out to the private clinic where the men are employed as security guards but received no comment." Max laughed out loud.

"I take it that's Cameron's doing," Adrestia said.

"Yeah, that sounds like his style," Max said. "By the way, he said he'd be coming by tonight."

"Good," Adrestia said. "Eli is coming as well, and he's bringing his grandson. We can discuss the case and plan our next move."

...

"DAMN," Edwin exclaimed as he watched the news report. Tina Eastland came into the office from an adjoining bathroom and walked up behind him.

"What's the matter, dear?" she asked quietly.

"Those two stupid apes I sent after Drake got picked up by the cops," he told her.

"For what?" Tina asked.

"Are you ready for this? They decided to go jack off in the middle of an intersection. Downtown. Talk about stupid," Edwin said, slamming his fist on the desk.

"Why would they do something like that?" she asked.

"Beats the hell outta me," Edwin said. "You know what I need right about now?" he asked, looking at Tina with lust.

"What's that, dear?" she asked.

"I need a good blowjob right now. And a good fuck to help me relax. Why don't you shimmy outta those clothes so we can do it?" he asked.

"Uh, well, my period just started," Tina said. "And to be honest, it's not as much fun without James here to humiliate." The truth was that Tina's period was late, and she had been feeling a bit queasy lately. But she didn't want to tell him that out of fear he might do something horrible to her.

"What, are you developing a conscience or something?" Edwin asked.

"No," she said. "You know how I get this time of the month."

"Yeah, yeah. I know," Edwin said with a heavy sigh. "Go on, get outta here. Go home or something. I'll get someone else from my harem to fuck. Call me when you're ready for some action."

"Okay, Edwin, er, Master," she said. He picked up the phone as she left the office. "Lisa? You wearing panties? Get them off and come to my office. I need to fuck. Yes, right now!"

...

Eli, Danni, and I entered the large house and were greeted by Max and Adrestia. Danni agreed to join us this evening and arranged for her parents to look after the kids. I knew all about Adrestia and met Max sometime back when he was in the hospital after his ex-wife's lover beat him to a pulp. We shook hands, and I gave him the once-over. He seemed quite different from the last time I saw him.

"You're looking pretty good," I said.

"Thanks," Max said. "Amazing what a good woman can do for you."

"I agree wholeheartedly," I told him, glancing at my wife, Danni, who smiled in return.

"Come on in, the whole gang's here," Max said. "Care for something to drink? Tea? Beer?"

"I understand we're talking work tonight, so I'll have some tea, please," I said.

"Tea sounds wonderful, please," Danni added.

"You got it," Max said. We followed him into a relatively large room. Adrestia was there, along with another man I had never met, and she stood and introduced us.

"Amos, Danni, this is Cameron Drake," she said. I shook his hand, feeling a bit out of sorts. I was always taught to look a man in the eyes when shaking hands, but the gold specks in his blue eyes made me feel a bit... uncomfortable.

"Amos Jones," I said. "And this is my wife, Danni."

"Eli's great-great-great-great-grandson," Cameron said with a smile. "And you must be the lawyer," Cameron said as he shook Danni's hand.

"Yes, I am," Danni said.

"Excellent," Cameron said. "Every family should have its own lawyer," he jokingly added. "Seriously, Eli's spoken about you two a lot. All of it good, by the way."

"That's good to hear," I said. "So, what do you do?"

"I do a lot of work with Max and Adrestia," he said. "Mostly information-gathering."

"Yeah, that's when he's not sending goons to jack off in the middle of the street," Max said with a smile as he handed me a cup of hot tea.

"Huh?" I asked, confused.

"It was all over the news," Max said. "Those two guys jacking each other off in the street earlier today. Did you see the report?"

"Yeah, I heard something about that. You made that happen?" I asked. Cameron shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, I kinda planted the suggestion in their minds," he said.

"Like a Jedi mind trick or something?" I asked.

"Something like that," Cameron said.

"Sounds like you've got a regular Justice League thing going here, Grandpa," I said. He looked at me funny, not understanding the context.

"Justice League?" Grandpa asked, confused.

"Yeah, you know. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern. You've heard of them, haven't you?" I asked.

"Can't say that I have," Grandpa said.

"Well, those were all cartoon characters," Cameron said. "This is the real deal. Except you won't see me running around in tights." We all laughed at that, except for Grandpa, who didn't seem to understand Cameron's joke.