"Morning."
"Morning, Locke."
A new day. Having completed another iterative upgrade, Locke felt as though the entire world looked different.
Sitting in the car, Gwen offered a smile and a greeting before asking curiously, "You seem very happy today."
Locke smiled back. "Because I'm the President now."
He truly wanted to share his joy with Gwen. However, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he intended to keep his core secrets sealed until the end of time.
Gwen nodded. "True. President Broughton, congratulations."
"The same to you."
"Huh?"
"I intend to invite you to be the new Student Council Assistant," Locke said with a smile. There was a difference between a general student assistant and a Student Council Assistant. As the incoming President, Locke had the power to appoint one person to the role—much like how a President selects a Secretary of State.
Again, Locke had zero interest in the day-to-day building of the Student Council. But he had a massive interest in using the Council's name to rake in money... ahem, to rake in points.
However, if he just farmed points and ignored the Council's duties, he'd likely be impeached by next year. Therefore, he needed his own "Secretary of State," and Gwen was undoubtedly the optimal choice.
Gwen blinked. She wasn't surprised by the offer. She nodded and accepted readily. "Sure."
Her academic performance was high enough that she could effectively choose her own price when looking at college offers. But school was school; those days were meant to be a stepping stone for entering society. Gwen had a very clear plan for her future, which was why she balanced being a student assistant with an internship under Dr. Connors at Oscorp.
Elite grades allowed her to haggle with universities, and a distinguished extracurricular record would help her maintain an advantage once she hit the professional world.
Seeing her agree, Locke smiled and prepared to start the car. But as he did, he saw George Stacy, dressed in plain clothes, walk down the stairs and climb directly into a police cruiser.
Locke watched the siren-blaring car speed away, feeling a bit puzzled.
That's not right.
The files linking Nina Bell's family and their organization to terrorists—specifically evidence of them receiving donations from secret terrorist accounts—had been handed over to the FBI.
"Is George at home? I thought he usually left at six?"
"Dad has a meeting with the FBI today," Gwen explained. "But this morning, that Supervisor Colin from the Bureau said they needed to push it back a bit, so Dad didn't have to leave so early."
"Oh."
Locke nodded and drove toward Midtown High. He understood now. Colin likely wanted to organize the evidence first so that during the meeting, he could hand George and the NYPD a massive "gift."
'Look, the face you lost, we've found it for you. So, in the spirit of us getting revenge on your behalf, let's shake hands and be friends again.' That was how Locke figured it was playing out.
...
Half an hour later.
As Locke's Audi R8 pulled into the parking lot, Gwen leaned out the window and saw Cindy, Kahn, Kim, and Matt waiting nearby.
As they got out, Cindy's eyes lit up. She hurried over, looking excited. "Gwen, did you hear?"
Gwen looked confused.
Betty and Carrie walked over as well. "Word is, the FBI raided Nina Bell's house last night and took the whole family away."
Gwen froze. "What happened?"
Kemm said indignantly, "Supposedly, their family was accepting donations from terrorist groups. No wonder they were so bold."
Terrorists?
It had only been four years since 2001. September of that year was a scar on the hearts of New Yorkers. Naturally, they were well-acquainted with the groups that had caused it.
Sam Malik, who had just arrived and overheard the news, joined the group. "I heard the Congressman who gave them their green cards was also hauled off to Quantico."
The FBI headquarters is in Quantico, and much like people refer to the CIA headquarters by its location, Langley, the FBI is often simply called "Quantico."
The group looked at Sam. Since Sam had been the first to "surrender" to Locke, they didn't mind him joining the conversation.
Kemm looked at him in surprise. "Really?"
Sam nodded. "My sister told me."
As it happened, the Malik family currently had several legitimate projects that required the vote of that specific D.C. Congressman. They had been debating whether or not to invest, but the moment the news broke, they had their answer. If they had invested, they'd be trying to fish him out now; since they hadn't, it was none of their business.
Betty patted her chest. "Thank God the school suspended her yesterday. Otherwise, the FBI probably would have surrounded the campus."
Locke's move had been a precision AOE strike. Of course, all the evidence was fabricated. But could Nina Bell find an expert capable of proving that? Did they have the funds?
Clearly not. Without an expert to debunk the files, the evidence was real. Even if the FBI realized the evidence was suspicious a few days later, they wouldn't admit it.
Carrie, Gwen, and Betty chattered away, but Carrie's eyes flickered toward Locke. Locke, standing with his hands in his pockets, felt the gaze and offered a small smile.
...
Inside the classroom, Locke's phone rang. It was Lawyer Laun.
Just moments ago, the FBI had decided to charge the Bell family with no fewer than three federal felonies and five federal misdemeanors.
However, this also meant that Locke's civil lawsuit would have to be put on hold. Conservatively speaking, if Locke still wanted to sue, the civil case would likely have to wait a hundred years.
In Laun's words, he had never seen the FBI move so decisively and swiftly on a case. There hadn't even been a leak; the Federal Court had already approved the indictment from the District Attorney's office, meaning the FBI had airtight evidence and total confidence.
Laun chuckled over the phone. "It feels as if some intelligence agency made a deal with the terrorists, and the terrorists organized all the evidence themselves and hand-delivered it to the FBI."
'I'm no terrorist,' Locke thought.
After ending the call, he looked at Gwen on his right, Betty who had turned around in front of him, and Carrie on his left. He put his phone away and said tonelessly, "Criminal prosecution takes priority. My civil suit probably won't see a courtroom for another century."
The three girls had varying expressions. Locke glanced at the empty desk behind him, feeling a bit dazed.
Truth be told... if that transfer student who hadn't arrived yet really turned out to be Wanda, and she happened to sit behind him, Locke felt he would be completely surrounded.
Gwen on the right. Carrie on the left. Betty in front. Wanda behind.
Good grief, that would be a fiery lineup.
However, even as June approached, there was no sign of the two students supposed to be transferring from Sokovia. Locke had used his Peerless Assassin channels to investigate and found that a plague had apparently broken out in Sokovia. Callum Lynch's daughter was hospitalized, so their return to New York would be delayed.
This left Locke a bit lost, making him even more curious as to whether Callum Lynch's daughter was actually Wanda. But there was no information online, and Callum Lynch was an elite assassin. Locke had hacked the Sokovian surveillance and spent a whole day looking, but found no trace.
'Forget it,' Locke thought. He stood up and shook hands with the Student Council President of Trinity, who had come over to grab a drink with him. He then watched as the other drove off in a red sports car.
Gwen walked out of the coffee shop with him. "Trinity is on board. The platform for your 'High School Student Council Knowledge Competition Super Cup' is officially built."
During these past two months, Locke hadn't been idle. As he prepared to take office in June, he began manifesting his blueprints into reality.
Choate Rosemary Hall. St. Paul's. Maria High. Brooklyn High. Trinity.
Locke had personally called the presidents of various student councils to pitch his Super Cup plan. The other presidents were highly interested. After all, creating a joint knowledge competition platform for New York State high schools was a massive political achievement for their resumes.
Especially since the presidents of these major schools were all newly elected. They all needed a "big win" to kick off their terms.
***
Bonus, and damn 200 stones so fast. I have a feeling we'll hit 500 stones this week for sure.
Thanks for the support 💕
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Read 40 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666