Post by Dr. Mitchell Weiss on Mar 11, 2009 5:43:14 GMT 1
The day's events had been exciting.
Just that morning, Deputy Director Weiss had been leaning back in his short leather chair, sipping a cup of sweet tea. It had been around ten-thirty - only an hour after a light breakfast - and he was currently glancing over papers on his solid oak desk that were sent to him from one of the Council's subcommittees on public educational tools in the school facilities. The documents pointed out the exact costs that had been forwarded to the San Francisco branch from the State government, and had been "officially" approved. It was now his job to cut back the unnecessary pork barreling - updated text books, replacement desktops for broken ones (the students should be more careful with their computer centers), renovations to damaged hallways and improved hygiene. He would then use the extra coin to pay off particular experts and parents that even considered talking about the injuries of their children or patients. By then, he was able to cut out about seventeen percent of the original bill.
It was nearing ten-forty when it happened. As he finished his tea, a noticeable rumble broke through the building, followed by a brief flash of two bright lights in the distance. Glancing through his full-wall window, Weiss ignored the cries of his secretary outside the door as his glasses observed the rise of smoke and debris cloud the blue sky above the two great schools of San Francisco: the reputed Hircine High, and the powerful Paragon Institute. Now, it seemed, they were nothing more than dust and the burial of young, foolish corpses.
He knew the instant he saw the explosions that the forthcoming day would be hectic, but as he picked up his beige telephone to call the Director before the Media tried to break through, he gave one last glance to the window and smiled.
Six hours later, Dr. Mitchell Weiss stood behind a sturdy podium with a massive ensemble of reporters, newscasters and cameras. The lighting in the small, enclosed room of City Hall's open section was enough to make anyone blind, but Weiss simply cut off his sense of sight as it overloaded and instead focused on reading out the speech he had written last night and had approved by Troutman during the attack.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please calm down," Weiss began, his forehead sweating profusely and his skin tone rather pale and flaky, his eyes darting in rehearsed anxiety, "please sit down so I can explain the situation, please!"
Fixing his tie with a twitch as he allowed the last of the crowd to demand questions he'd never answer, Mitchell finally sighed to see their obedience and began the speech, "As you're all aware, a terrible tragedy has befallen the great city of San Francisco. At 10:41 a.m., the exemplary establishments of Hircine High School and the Paragon Institute were horrifically attacked and decimated through sabotage."
Outrage responded to what could be considered Weiss' "weak" reference to the events, and he waved down the criticism, "Yes, I know. This was clearly the work of... truly evil and despicable people, who should be hunted down by the long arm of the law and made to pay for their crimes! Because today, at 10:41 a.m., those two schools were not just damaged or delayed by a small rooftop collapse or an elevator shutting down. No... Hircine and Paragon were the victims of high-grade explosives, and burned to the ground, with dozens upon dozens of young souls and their teachers in its midst. Our city, after years of fighting to protect and educate our young, has been wrongfully tarnished by terrorism!"
A wave of gasps and cries followed, and Weiss gave the crowd a moment to absorb the immense weight of the fact. He nodded his head to sympathize with those who must have felt truly sorry for the ignorant dead before continuing, "Yes, our community has been broken by an assault. And not just an attack on our comforts or our faith, our existence or our policies. But these monsters dared to spill the blood of our children for their own selfish and sadistic cause! This Council has come to the conclusion - yes, we already suspect the culprits, as they've come forward in admitting their deed - that none other than extremists against the Corporal Punishment System are to blame! These tyrants who claim the discipline of our students is wrong, that our care for their future is ill-founded, chose to murder those they were supposedly trying to help just to prove a point to us!
"They think that this System, this glorious protection of our children - your children - is a hearsay of old ways. They'd prefer we turn to anarchism, or even socialism, to prepare our children for the future! But how do they share their opinion, their concerns with a society of peace and civility? Not through protests or public forum, oh no, but through violence - the very form they accuse us of using against our children to teach them! Truly, do they think we are so blind?"
At that, Weiss stared at the crowd for a moment, before planting his hands onto the podium, breathing heavily, and nodding his head in disagreement with the supposed claims of a little-understood "terrorist organization."
"No. They are the tyrants, the blood makers. We will not let them lose our way, frighten us with their extremism! All they will do is make our will stronger, our desire to protect our children greater! Starting today, as our great United States government begins inquiries into the whereabouts of those monsters, this Council will use all of its resources not only to build a new facility for those left without education by the devastation of the Hircine and Paragon attacks, but will also guarantee that every school in our district is better protected, better disciplined, and better controlled for their security and ours. For we believe it could have been some of those very students that turn to extremism, and in order to protect our students, our children, we must protect them from themselves.
"So, beginning on the first day of the founding of this new facility, a new position will be instituted into the Corporal Punishment Pillar System. A student representative, a School Arbiter, will begin their examination and enforcement of Council policies of this new school, guaranteeing that all teachers are following the standards of this institution, that every student is properly following their education, and that even those Pillars and Captains that failed to act when their own turned against them remain vigilant. Further, this Arbiter will begin his own investigation into the identities of the Hircine and Paragon bombers, and help bring them to justice. And I can promise you, we will find them."
As usual, Weiss simply waved his goodbye to the crowd and stepped aside, ignoring the rising cheer and cries for further answers, his walk limp, making him appear exhausted. Indeed, he was brimming with a lack of energy, as sweat began to dry on his brow and his clothes lost their adhesion to his skin. But for the first time in his career as Deputy Director, Doctor Mitchell Weiss had never been more excited in his entire life.
Finally, the System would conquer all.
Just that morning, Deputy Director Weiss had been leaning back in his short leather chair, sipping a cup of sweet tea. It had been around ten-thirty - only an hour after a light breakfast - and he was currently glancing over papers on his solid oak desk that were sent to him from one of the Council's subcommittees on public educational tools in the school facilities. The documents pointed out the exact costs that had been forwarded to the San Francisco branch from the State government, and had been "officially" approved. It was now his job to cut back the unnecessary pork barreling - updated text books, replacement desktops for broken ones (the students should be more careful with their computer centers), renovations to damaged hallways and improved hygiene. He would then use the extra coin to pay off particular experts and parents that even considered talking about the injuries of their children or patients. By then, he was able to cut out about seventeen percent of the original bill.
It was nearing ten-forty when it happened. As he finished his tea, a noticeable rumble broke through the building, followed by a brief flash of two bright lights in the distance. Glancing through his full-wall window, Weiss ignored the cries of his secretary outside the door as his glasses observed the rise of smoke and debris cloud the blue sky above the two great schools of San Francisco: the reputed Hircine High, and the powerful Paragon Institute. Now, it seemed, they were nothing more than dust and the burial of young, foolish corpses.
He knew the instant he saw the explosions that the forthcoming day would be hectic, but as he picked up his beige telephone to call the Director before the Media tried to break through, he gave one last glance to the window and smiled.
*****
Six hours later, Dr. Mitchell Weiss stood behind a sturdy podium with a massive ensemble of reporters, newscasters and cameras. The lighting in the small, enclosed room of City Hall's open section was enough to make anyone blind, but Weiss simply cut off his sense of sight as it overloaded and instead focused on reading out the speech he had written last night and had approved by Troutman during the attack.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please calm down," Weiss began, his forehead sweating profusely and his skin tone rather pale and flaky, his eyes darting in rehearsed anxiety, "please sit down so I can explain the situation, please!"
Fixing his tie with a twitch as he allowed the last of the crowd to demand questions he'd never answer, Mitchell finally sighed to see their obedience and began the speech, "As you're all aware, a terrible tragedy has befallen the great city of San Francisco. At 10:41 a.m., the exemplary establishments of Hircine High School and the Paragon Institute were horrifically attacked and decimated through sabotage."
Outrage responded to what could be considered Weiss' "weak" reference to the events, and he waved down the criticism, "Yes, I know. This was clearly the work of... truly evil and despicable people, who should be hunted down by the long arm of the law and made to pay for their crimes! Because today, at 10:41 a.m., those two schools were not just damaged or delayed by a small rooftop collapse or an elevator shutting down. No... Hircine and Paragon were the victims of high-grade explosives, and burned to the ground, with dozens upon dozens of young souls and their teachers in its midst. Our city, after years of fighting to protect and educate our young, has been wrongfully tarnished by terrorism!"
A wave of gasps and cries followed, and Weiss gave the crowd a moment to absorb the immense weight of the fact. He nodded his head to sympathize with those who must have felt truly sorry for the ignorant dead before continuing, "Yes, our community has been broken by an assault. And not just an attack on our comforts or our faith, our existence or our policies. But these monsters dared to spill the blood of our children for their own selfish and sadistic cause! This Council has come to the conclusion - yes, we already suspect the culprits, as they've come forward in admitting their deed - that none other than extremists against the Corporal Punishment System are to blame! These tyrants who claim the discipline of our students is wrong, that our care for their future is ill-founded, chose to murder those they were supposedly trying to help just to prove a point to us!
"They think that this System, this glorious protection of our children - your children - is a hearsay of old ways. They'd prefer we turn to anarchism, or even socialism, to prepare our children for the future! But how do they share their opinion, their concerns with a society of peace and civility? Not through protests or public forum, oh no, but through violence - the very form they accuse us of using against our children to teach them! Truly, do they think we are so blind?"
At that, Weiss stared at the crowd for a moment, before planting his hands onto the podium, breathing heavily, and nodding his head in disagreement with the supposed claims of a little-understood "terrorist organization."
"No. They are the tyrants, the blood makers. We will not let them lose our way, frighten us with their extremism! All they will do is make our will stronger, our desire to protect our children greater! Starting today, as our great United States government begins inquiries into the whereabouts of those monsters, this Council will use all of its resources not only to build a new facility for those left without education by the devastation of the Hircine and Paragon attacks, but will also guarantee that every school in our district is better protected, better disciplined, and better controlled for their security and ours. For we believe it could have been some of those very students that turn to extremism, and in order to protect our students, our children, we must protect them from themselves.
"So, beginning on the first day of the founding of this new facility, a new position will be instituted into the Corporal Punishment Pillar System. A student representative, a School Arbiter, will begin their examination and enforcement of Council policies of this new school, guaranteeing that all teachers are following the standards of this institution, that every student is properly following their education, and that even those Pillars and Captains that failed to act when their own turned against them remain vigilant. Further, this Arbiter will begin his own investigation into the identities of the Hircine and Paragon bombers, and help bring them to justice. And I can promise you, we will find them."
As usual, Weiss simply waved his goodbye to the crowd and stepped aside, ignoring the rising cheer and cries for further answers, his walk limp, making him appear exhausted. Indeed, he was brimming with a lack of energy, as sweat began to dry on his brow and his clothes lost their adhesion to his skin. But for the first time in his career as Deputy Director, Doctor Mitchell Weiss had never been more excited in his entire life.
Finally, the System would conquer all.