2013-01-24 - The Last Straw: The Best Defense

It's cold to be outside. Well, unless you're something like a Kryptonian...or a Hulk. She-Hulk acquiesced to her new client's request to talk outside so she could smoke. Not a habit she's ever understood, even in her pre-green days, but she's not going to argue about it. The woman certainly has enough stress in her life right now. "So. First...I want to go over what actually happened."

Kenzie nodded, looking about nervously and pulling you towards the side of the building. Leaning up, kenzie tugged her coat tighter and lit her cigarette. "Wha'dya wanna know?" she asked. "Shit its cold, and if the teachers catch me smokin again amma get an ear full" she said, but she looked stressed, "Ahh mean, ahh was ...walkin home from this guy's house..and then this van pulls up all fast lahhk, and the next thing ahh know ahhm on the ground with mah head bleeding and someone tiein mah hands behind mah back." she said coldly, "it begins t'get fuzzy about there..."

She-Hulk nods. "So, you have no memory of what happened after that?" Jen sighs a bit. "Well, at least the courts are beginning to understand that mind control happens."

"Its ..hard to explain.." she said "Ahh remember bits..." she looked up "Ahh remember tryin t'kill you.." she said. "Ahh couldn't stop it, dat guy what was controllin me, it was almost lahhk he was playin a video game. He...gave me shots, den he told me thins. It made me confused, and then, ahh felt lahhk ahh was movin all on mahh own."

She-Hulk nods. "Fortunately, there's plenty of evidence of the drugs he was using on you. Designer stuff. I doubt there's any way you could have fought it. Not without a metabolism like, say, Wolverine's." Sounds almost like she knows the guy. A certain amount of respect for him is audible in her voice.

"Shoot Ma'am, wit how mahh heart used to beat, that stuff was through mah system in seconds." she said stubbing out her cigarette and then dipping it into a puddle to make sure its out before tossing it in a trash can. "Mah hearty used to beat lahhk ahh was gonna have a heart attack" she said. "Before ahh lost mah powers anyways."

She-Hulk hrms. "That's probably an effect of the drugs. It might or might not wear off. At the same time...we need to emphasize that you, even *with* out powers, could not resist those drugs." She's in lawyer mode now.

Kenzie nodded slightly, "Ahh dun think it'd have helped. Mah powers aint really help me like that." she said, looking down and biting her thumbnail, "The agent said they're gonna execute me if ahhm convicted. Is that...likely?"

"I won't let that happen." She's quite firm on that. "You have a legitimate defense. But be warned...the prosecution won't use kid gloves on you. They'll go into your character, your life, they might try to blame it all on mutants being unstable...which we both know isn't true, but..."

"Can we..." she bit her lip. "Ahh mean, is there any way t'make the jury side wit me? Ahh been thinkin of usin this time to get my G.E.D., m..m..maybe if we show the jury ahh aint such a dumb girl, they'll be nice?"

She-Hulk nods. "That might help...although I don't think you're stupid." Maybe unlucky and maybe a *little* careless to get nabbed in the first place, but Jen isn't going to judge her. She's going to be very professional about it.

Touching the back of her head, Kenzie frowns at the stitches. They were already beginning to dissolve thanks to what ever was used to speed up her tissue regeneration from the surgery, but it hurt like hell. "Ahh aint never been in trouble with the law before...what's it gonna be lahhk? Is it lahhk it is on tv?"

She-Hulk shakes her head. "Not really. The television tends to drama things up...and cut out the tedious parts." She doesn't mention that the fact that the kid is here not in jail is a very good sign; if they don't consider her a flight risk it's highly unlikely they think they can bring capital charges. "The most important thing is to be consistent. Not to accuse you of lying, but they'll try to trip you up. And they'll ask you what happened, over and over again."

"But..its confusing, ahh got things all jumbled still. And..ahh still see em.." she said "The faces of those people, the things ahh done.." she said solemnly.

"You didn't do them. The people who took you did them." Jen sounds firm on that. "Trust me. I'm a prime target for any villain with mind control capability."

"You know..." she said, "Ahh didnt wanna kill ya...well..." she shakes her head "Ahh did too but, ahh didnt WANt to want to...it was lahhk....ahh was this puppet.."

She-Hulk nods. "Exactly. I've been there. Not for an extended period, but like I said...prime target." Jen studies her. "Look. What we need is to convince a jury that that kind of thing can't be fought, can't be stopped. Not unless you have the right kind of powers.

Kenzie begins to shiver and says "Lets go inside, y'all wanna drink? Food?" she was trying to be a good hostess as she lead towards the door. "Ahh aint the best cook, but ahh can make some fried eggs and bacon!"

She-Hulk laughs. "I'll take it." She moves to follow the young woman inside. "That's our strategy. And to show them you would never do it without influence. To show them you're a decent person. Who can vouch for your character?"

Kenzie bit her tongue. She didnt want Alex, or Jacob in the courtroom, she wanted people to stay the hell out of her personal life. "Well.." she looked down as she moved into the kitchen leading you warmly. "Some of the staff here are fond of me, and...uh.." she bit her lip as she paused. "Ahh aint really had a long record of....good deeds..."

She-Hulk nods. "I've seen your record. But you have not...and I suspect would not...killed anyone." Which is really key. Playing vigilante and screwing up is hugely different from murder.

Kenzie moved to open the fridge, fetching a slew of eggs, bacon butter everything for a big ol southern breakfast. "Ahh aint never killed noone before dis...but.." she cracks a few eggs and begins to shift the skillet about, almost giddy as she does this. "Daddy he and dem friends of humanity...dey likely gonna try to show what a monster ahh am.." she said "Hell, he put 7 bullets in me when ahh took his leg. Ahhm sure he dont consider it even." she turned and smirked, "Sunny sahhd up okay?" she asked before turning back to her work. "What about gettin someone famous t'lahhk say dey tink ahh aint did it...could dat help?"

"Not really. It has to be somebody who knows you...and don't worry, I can spin your father. He's actually an FoH member, or just a sympathizer?" Yeah, she's going somewhere with that.

"Ahh aint sure, he's just.." she sets the skillet down for a moment and unzips her hoodie, a small slightly faded pattern of scars runs down between her breasts under her bra and along her stomach. Seven holes in all, "He did this.." she said before ziping back up and turning to dump the eggs out onto a pair of plates before tossing some bacon into the skillet.

She-Hulk nods. "Point is, he's an anti-mutant fanatic, and I have plenty of experience in making that type lose all of their credibility." She's pretty sure Kenzie won't mind her dad being humiliated.

"Ahh...w..what if ah also volunteer for lahhk some kind of outreach, ya' know, those tings where ya help troubled kids cause lahhk, you been there?"

She-Hulk hrms. "That might be a little hard when you aren't supposed to leave the school." Which still beats a jail cell. BY a lot.

"Ahh meant, Ahh wanna do it when ahhm free." she said "Ahh wanna help kids who are where ahh was...when ahh ran away from home..." she smiled, "Ahh kinda learned what's important..."

She-Hulk nods. "I doubt mentioning it would hurt." She considers Kensington for a moment. "Okay. The teachers here, which ones do you feel comfortable trusting?"

Her words come out as a reaction rather than something she had to think about "Alex Summers..." she said, a slight flush on her cheeks. "Hes...someone ahh'd trust with mah life." she smiled before moving to the kitchen table, sliding a plate over. "But all of the staff deserve mah trust.." kenzie smiled.

She-Hulk detected a crush and smiles a bit. "I'll want to talk to him, then. I know you *probably* don't want to involve him, but..."

"Ahh dont want..things to get complicated.." she said softly. Kenzie didnt want things to get more chaotic than they were. Taking a bite of her eggs, kenzie smiled "Mama's teachings never fail" she smiled

"The most important thing is getting you out of your legal trouble, Kensington. You can't let anything get in the way of that right now." Even feelings like that. A very serious She-Hulk, right now.

Kenzie bit her thumbnail, turning her fork around against a peice of bacon. "W..wuld they really...do it..if we lose?" she asked, refering to the death threat the FBI agent made to her.

"Kenzie. If they seriously meant that, you'd be in juvie right now, not here." Jen lets out a breath. "I've handled mind control cases before, and most of them with a lot less physical evidence than this one."

Kenzie paused as she ate, considering this and nodded. "Thanks. For everythin. Aint every day someone you try to make inter a puddle forgives you and tries to save your life.." she smirked, "So...uh.." she asked "ahh uh...hope it didnt hurt..since..you know, yer all ....not dead.."

"I'm a Hulk. I probably CAN be killed, but it would take quite a bit. More than that, certainly." Jen smiles. "Don't worry about it.