Raven & Josie - Chapter 16

Raven makes a selfless decision to give up her personal freedom in order to serve the greater good, and ends up in prison.

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As she was being led towards the police car, Raven stole a final glance over her shoulder in search of her father. She saw him standing on the porch beyond a sea of angered people who were raising their fists and hurling insults at Raven.

The police had a hard time in keeping the angered crowd and the numerous journalists and camera crews at bay. Most of them seemed eager of venting their rage upon Raven. Some even threw objects at her or her house, which the police were unable to prevent.

Raven caught a glimpse of her father on the porch, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. It was a familiar stance - one he often took when faced with emotionally-charged moments.

From observation, Raven had learned that her father had the habit of getting restless with his hands and fingers, fidgeting them uncontrollable when faced with internal restless.

Raven could see the pain in her father's face, despite his attempts to hide it. His stubble was unkempt and the tuffs of hair his head still had was disheveled, not to mention the dark circles under his eyes, that revealed the burden he carried. It was obvious to anyone who saw him that he was walking through a dark valley in the landscape of his life.

Mom’s departure and subsequently the letter she’d left behind was a tough break for all of them.

He seemed like a mere shadow of his former self, with rare moments of sunshine bursting through the dark clouds that hung over him.

Raven always thought her Dad was the kindest person alive; he didn't deserve this. And now, on top of everything else, he had to see one of his daughters being taken away by the police, portrayed as a dangerous criminal for all to witness on life TV.

Raven did not want to, but she could not restrain herself from letting her gaze land on the window of the first floor where Josie’s bedroom was.

The curtains were tightly shut, concealing any activity inside from prying eyes - except for Raven, who had the unique ability to see through objects with her penetrating vision.

There she saw Josie standing behind the ‘privacy’ of the curtains in her pajamas and messy morning hair. The moment their gazes met, Raven averted her eyes as she found that her sister was not worthy her attention and stepped into the police car to take place on the back seat.

The police officer slammed the door shut with a thud, just when a rotten tomato flew through the air before splattering against the window. Its slimy red juice dripped down the glass, obscuring Raven,'s vision.

Raven shifted on the backseat as she could not find a comfortable position while cuffed with her hands on her back.

She repressed the urge to just break them – which would have cost Raven less effort than a mere human needed to snap loose a string of spaghetti wrapped around her wrist. Everyone knew that these cuffs were pointless, even the public for whom the police put on this facade–but they did it anyway.

Someone just had to be scapegoated. The public demanded it. And the authorities were all the happier as Raven selflessly volunteered to take up this role, citing her own negative influence as the reason for Josie's unstable behavior.
The only thing Raven asked in return was that her family was left alone, so they could live in peace and that her sister Josie was allowed to pick up her old life.

Josie's recent actions had already caused quite a stir, exposing Raven's true identity as Infinity Woman's daughter and revealing her own inherited supernatural abilities. But she managed to bring even more shame upon the family when she accidentally set fire to acres of agricultural fields in a nearby city one night while goofing around with her heat vision to alleviate her boredom.

The event also resulted to the decimation of a nearby grain elevator as the flames crept up to it, triggering a dust explosion. The tragedy claimed three lives and left several others with injuries.

The breaking point had been reached. People were fed up and demanded that the authorities finally take action against these girls.

However, seeming that these gals had superpowers and were virtually invulnerable, the authorities were reluctant into using a strong-arm tactic.

Experts advised the decision-makers that a subtle approach was crucial and avoiding upsetting any of the girls should be the utmost priority. No one could predict how they would respond if their mental state was disturbed. Even in the best-case scenario, with powers like theirs, the potential consequences could be disastrous. The aftermath could include millions of dollars in damages and countless casualties.

Their mother – the globally beloved and ever stable Infinity Woman – would be the key to call the girls back in line. However, she was nowhere to be found and the only explanation the family gave them is that their mother and wife was on a highly needed sabbatical for an indefinite period and that she wasn’t on earth.

The family was put under pressure, and it was made clear to them that an intervention was needed to prevent further escalations from happening.

There were already protests sprouting up throughout several cities that became gradually grimmer. People wanted to see someone held accountable for all the damage and deaths, as well as for the economic consequences it had for many in the aftermath of these events.

It riled people up if the assumption lived in their heads that certain individuals stood above the law. The law applies to everyone, and those who break it must face consequences, regardless of their position in society or if they had powers.

After a high-profile trial – that was more akin to a charade with lots of media attention than a fair legal proceeding – Raven was sentenced to imprisonment in a nearby prison.

The prosecution insisted that the girl be sent to a supermax prison with solitary confinement, but the judge dismissed this demand, arguing that such punishment could cause irreparable harm to the mental well-being of a teenage girl.

The judge did not openly confess that he was coerced by the authorities to take this course, as they did not dare to bother Raven any more than necessary.

A human-made prison was just as effective to contain a girl like Raven as a cardboard box was to a human. If Raven wanted to go, she'd just went, and no bars, nor brick walls would be able to stop her.

The authorities were already content that Raven offered herself up to play the scapegoat, so they made sure she was comfortable within the frames of her punishment. She was given a spacious cell with various amenities and unrestricted access to the internet.

There was always a risk that the public would find out, especially with Raven being treated more like royalty than a prisoner among her fellow inmates. But it was a risk they were willing to take, as long as Raven remained sane and did not engage in any erratic behavior.

There were serious concerns about whether they could stop Raven if she decided to go rogue. In the shadows, the brightest egg heads around the world came together to devise a plan for handling this scenario.

Their first priority was finding out where Infinity Woman was. The hope was that their mother was able to reign her daughters in.

However, they did not want to be interiorly dependent on the whims of a mother and her unpredictable teenage daughters, so there was also a second priority. A top-secret project involving the brightest minds in a think-tank. Their goal? To find a way to neutralize the threat a Sethion could pose.

The group had been active for several years, but as Infinity Woman proved to be more of a hero than a threat to humanity, interest and funding dwindled. However, with her daughters exhibiting reckless behavior and their mother missing, the group's importance resurfaced.

Fat cats and ballers from all over the world, fearing any potential negative impact on their businesses caused by the actions of one of the girls, generously donated to the group, ensuring that they had ample funding to operate at full capacity.

As Raven was escorted away and the government scrambled to come up with a plan to neutralize the elusive girls, another individual was occupied with something entirely different.

From his study, Bartley Tanner set his book down on his mahogany desk and called out with a voice that sounded normally strong but was now weakened due to his medical condition, "Enter." After

hurried knock was heard on his door.
A shady individual, a man in his thirties with a buzzed haircut and cold, calculating eyes, sauntered into the room. He greeted Bartley with a curt nod before dropping a small object onto the desk. "It's done," he said with a hint of satisfaction. "Only an expert with a keen eye would see the difference between what is authentic and what is false."

Bartley Tanner's hand instinctively went to the faintly curved scar on his left cheek as his gaze landed on a leather-bound diary with the name "John" etched onto the front cover.

Bartley, in the midst of a violent coughing fit that caused him to cough up blood into his napkin, reached for the diary on the desk. He flipped through its pages before finally settling on one and gazing at it thoughtfully. He then slammed it onto the desk and pushed it back towards the man who picked it up. Next, Bartley opened a drawer and retrieved an envelope, sliding it across the desk towards the man. “Come back for the rest when the deed is done.”

Stuffing the envelope into his pocket, the man turned to leave but then glanced back at Bartley. His scar, running from his left eye to his upper lip, caught the man's attention for a moment before he spoke. "This is more than just revenge, isn't it?"

Bartley leaned back in his chair and proclaimed, “Call it a revelation,”

The man arched a brow. “Of what?”
“These Sethions intrigue me.” Bartley continued, intertwining his fingers in thought as he gazed out the window. “Did you know that within their species, the females hold more power than the males?”

Not knowing what to do with that information and realizing that Bartley wasn’t going to say anything else the man simply left, leaving Bartley alone with his thoughts.

Bartley took hold of a picture standing on his desk, depicting Tara. He looks at it and places it away, then watches some Netflix.