CH26:HEFTY DECISION

[Central Desper.]

[Time: 6:00 PM]

*Ladies, Gentlemen, and those in between. Today's news broadcast brings to you, citizens of Desper and beyond, news about our aristocratic neighbors from above, the Neveahns.*

*During the late hour celebrations during New Year's Eve, the International Research Laboratory, IRS, was unexpectedly attacked by unknown group. The robbers chose to attack during the eleventh hour of the night since more people were in the city center and it was loud enough to silence the screams and alarms that came from the facility. Investigators and Neveahian police found dead bodies of scientists and zero survivors. Investigations are already on the way for the perpetrators and what their intentions were.*

*In other news,* Another commentator continued. *We're taking you to a live broadcast at the Mayor's Dystopian Office where the Chief of Desper's Police force is said to give a public announcement.*

Half of Desper's population was currently on a screen awaiting to hear what the chief of police had to say about the rumors of a serial killer. The city had a bad history of deadly serial killers so rumors were not taken lightly.

The news channels went live to the Mayor's Office where hundreds of journalists were waiting ot ask their questions.

"There he is."

"It's Chief Prince."

"Sir, is it true that there are serial killers?"

"Sir, what is Desper's police prepared to do."

"Attention all citizens of Desper." Chief Prince went straight forward to give the address and answer questions later. "As a law enforcement officer an head of Desper's Police Force, I am here to address the public about the ongoing situation with rumors of a serial killer on the loose. We understand the fear and concern that this has caused among our community, and we want to assure you that we, along with the Mutant Protection Force, are doing everything in our power to bring the killer to justice."

"The MFP?"

"That's outrageous."

"Those freaks don't deserve to meddle in our business."

The journalists began to quarrel amongst themselves but Prince ignored and continued with his address.

"We strongly advise all residents to remain vigilant and cautious, especially when traveling alone or at night. There is a strong speculation that the killer is a mutant, so please report any suspicious activity or persons to the police immediately. Do not hesitate to call in case of an emergency. Our detectives will be available to answer and are working tirelessly to gather evidence and interview potential witnesses to identify the suspect. We are also asking for the help of the public in this investigation. If you have any information that may be useful to our investigation, please come forward and share it with us. We promise to do everything in our power to apprehend the killer and bring them to justice. We ask for your cooperation and support as we work towards ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our community. Any questions?"

"Chief Prince. Chief Prince!! You said that there's a speculation that the killer is a mutant but you also said the MFP is getting involved. Doesn't this mean we're facing an actual mutant?"

"I said that it's a speculation." Chief Prince lied, knowing very well that the citizens of Desper would storm across the area killing every possible mutant they found. "Any other questions?"

"Why is the MFP getting involved?"

"We're working with the MFP to find the serial killer." He lied once more, this time with a scowl developing on his face. "Last question?"

"Sir. Will you manage to find this without having to involve the Gorillas?"

'Why would he ask such a question?' Prince complained. "The Gorillas and Police have no intentions of working together," He replied. "We do not have the power to stop them but we strongly advise them to stay away from this case and leave it to us. Thank you, that is all."

---------------------

Chief Prince returned to the mayor's office where he sat by a desk where the mayor was waiting for him. There was a second chair to his left and seated on it was a man with large prosthetic arms just like him. He had a large chest, powerful upper and lower body, an almost square-shaped head and long, thick hair tied in a pony tail.

"Do we really have a mutant on our case?" The man asked as Chief Prince sat next to him. "You know, my people basically run this town. You guys just deal with petty theft and protect political people and I would hate to have my people working with a serial killer on the loose, let alone a mutant."

"What are you doing here, Kong?" Chief Prince asked while glaring back at the Gorilla gang's leader. "How did you even get here so fast? Not many knew about this until last minute."

"You're not the mayor's favorite you know," Kong smiled. "Besides, we're both important business men and leaders in charge of keeping Desper safe."

"Bullsh*t." Chief Prince cursed. "We both know you're not a legitimate business man. One of these days, you'll end up in bars."

"And until then, we'll just keep working together to ensure the safety of our town." He smiled with a thumbs-up.

"That's what I like to hear." The mayor responded with a giddy tone as he walked into the office. He was a five-foot-tall man with a bold, round egg-shaped head, a slim body for a man of his age and a stubby walk.

"Gentlemen," He said while pulling out a bunch of papers. "I appreciate both of you showing up today. We've got some business to discuss."

"What's the problem, sir?" Prince asked.

"The Neveahian Governments want to instill new laws on us." The mayor sighed. "Apparently, they're suffering from high levels of increasing population numbers."

"That's not our problem." Kong remarked. "How is this even possible? I thought those people had a limit on how many children they were to have."

"We both know that Neveahian population is mostly composed of extremely powerful and rare mutants, yes?" He asked without giving them an opportunity to reply. "Well, mutants have been known to live for over one hundred and fifty years on record. Those cities have only been up for three hundred years and the more mutants produce….."

"The more their population increases." Chief Prince deducted. "Now, how does this include us?"

The mayor held his tongue and buried his head into his palms. After thinking for a while, he looked at both Kong and Prince with a weary face and said, "They want to send the weakest mutant students here. I tried to argue but they've already set up a school where all of Desper's students will be learning alongside the mutants from Neveah."

"OUTRAGEUOUS!!" Both men cried while practically destroying the table with their heavy arms.

"We can't mix normal and mutants in the same schools." Prince said.

"I agree." Kong continued. "There will be constant fights breaking out and with the numbers our student's possess, they might kill those Neveahians."

"It's settled," The mayor barked back. "It's a law that has already passed on and as we were in here, I had the vice mayor address this to Desper. You," He pointed at Chief Prince, "Your job is to ensure the safety of the Neveahians. If any of them die, we'll end up having war break out and you," He pointed at Kong, "Keep your people away from those children. We have a reputation to keep. Those kids show up here next week when the school term begins. I've already had the curriculum switched so both normals and mutant students co-exist."

"I want you to know that you're making a big mistake, Mayor." Chief Prince left after getting a notification of a possible mutant sighting, needing him to leave immediately. Kong followed a few minutes, leaving the mayor alone in his office…with a damaged desk.