Logs:Wise Counsel

Wise Counsel
Dramatis Personae Tian-shin, Malthus	2022-02-16 "If you do not comply by..." She glances at her wristwatch. "...5pm yesterday, you will have committed a procedure due process violation.
Location Federal Plaza
The DHS building in Federal Plaza is what you'd expect; an austere-looking office-building with multiple floors and offices to handle the many bureaucratic issues and legal proceedings surrounding a federal agency dedicated to matters of 'terrorism'. HAMMER's offices are a notably recent addition, and include their own small parking garage for dedicated vehicles, a data-center, and even a small holding pen. Among these amenities (notably much more stark and straightforward than the rest of DHS) is a small room with ugly florescent lighting and several recently trimmed electrical wires (neatly capped and twisted off) dangling from the walls. There's a desk (plastic), several chairs (also plastic), some pads of paper and a cup of cheap disposable pens -- and not much else. Despite its ostensible purpose (to permit meetings with outside authorities and conduct interviews), it looks more like a police interrogation room. Here is where Tien-shin has been told to wait -- for fifteen minutes. At last, the door opens; Malthus Rogers steps in. In one hand, he holds a steaming paper cup of coffee; in the other, his black coat, folded neatly. He's dressed in a sharp blue-collar shirt, the sleeves rolled back to expose his forearms, one end peeled back just far enough to nearly reveal a tattoo (just the bottom half of the lettering is visible). "My apologies for the delay," he states, as he steps inside -- the snarl across his blind eye dipping down to the side of his mouth, tugging his lips up into a scowl that nearly bares his teeth... but not quite. The other half of his face, as always, appears strikingly calm -- almost serene. "Ms... Tian-shin, I believe?" He pronounces it 'tee-anne shanne'. "My docket has been quite full, today." Tian-shin sits primly where she had been bidden to wait, looking sharp in a black pinstripe suit jacket, matching pencil skirt, white blouse, sheer black hose, and no-nonsense black pumps. She has her own coffee in a silver Genetic Equality New York travel mug and a slim black work tote laid precisely on the table to either side of her, and directly in front a black leather portfolio. She stands when Malthus enters and bows instead of offering her hand. "Tian-shin," she corrects, her tone neutral and perfunctory, "but my surname is Hua. Thank you for taking time out to see me, Captain Rogers. I appreciate you have much to do, and the matter that brings me here needs not take long." Here she gestures at the table, waiting for her host to sit before resuming her own seat. "Ms. Hua, then -- of course." Malthus lays his coat upon the back of the chair before pulling it out. He sits, placing the coffee down, arms laid atop of the table; fingers steepled together. There is a quiet curiosity with which he regards the woman -- for a moment, his eye drifts to the silver travel mug with its logo. The eye returns to her face. The slightly-twisted line of his mouth twitches into a hint of a smile... though, on account of the way the scar pulls at it, it looks more like a grimace. "I presume this is regarding Mr. Holland's current status." Tian-shin nods, opening up a portfolio to produce a manila folder labeled "Holland, Jackson - Pretrial". "My client asked for me on the record, but your office has not permitted him to communicate with me or his family," she says, equable but firm, as she flips open the folder, "nor complied with any of my requests for information." She glances over the page on top. "I have documented all of my interactions with your subordinates, if you wish to review them." Her eyebrows lift as she looks back up at Malthus. "I trust I do not need to inform you it is illegal to deny him access to counsel, but perhaps your subordinates might need some additional training." "And I trust that I do not need to inform you of the charges that have been brought against your client," Malthus responds with an icy mien, his singular-functioning eye regarding Tian-shin with an undiluted focus. He makes no attempt to examine the folder, nor the document contained within; instead, just stares at her. It's hard to tell if he's appraising her as his enemy or looking for a tell. Possibly both. "Whatever you think of Mr. Holland's activities -- whatever you think about these charges -- we have intelligence which suggests he carried these acts with the support of the Brotherhood -- a direct, clear, and very present danger to the United States of America. Until we can determine his involvement with the Brotherhood, we must consider him to be a member of an active terrorist organization. It is in the interests of national security that his location remain secret until we are certain that this location will not be attacked the moment it becomes known." Tian-shin folds her hands primly across the folder in front of her. "My client voluntarily submitted to arrest and to my understanding has cooperated with you, your agents, and the NYPD." Her tone is even and patient, like someone explained what they consider a simple concept to a small child. "Your warrant and your case against my client pertain to his alleged past activities in connection with the Prometheus Project. If you have evidence or other supporting material that my client is or has ever been involved with the Brotherhood's activities, you are required to submit it to the judge for review, and to grant me access to the relevant pretrial materials. If you do not comply by..." She glances at her wristwatch. "...5pm yesterday, you will have committed a procedure due process violation. That is an offense not only against my client, but the Fourth Circuit Court. Now..." She unfolds her hands, slender fingers splaying wide. "I understand you have a lot on your hands this week, and if you grant my client his constitutionally guaranteed rights as requested, I do not see any need to pursue this matter with Judge Wilson." She shuffles her papers and comes out with a sheaf of forms from another folder marked "4th Circuit Court". "If you cannot or will not do this, I will be forced to file an injunction against you and your agency, request the intervention of the DHS, and speak to the media regarding this gross miscarriage of justice." She sets the papers down and takes a sip of her coffee, maintaining steady eye contact the entire time. "Mmh." Malthus retains that quiet, focused stare for at least five or more seconds than is necessary -- before, at last, his half-lidded eye lowers to examine the document Tian-shin has set in front of him. His fingers untangle as he plucks it up, perusing it swiftly. "I admit, I'm tempted to fight you on this -- I imagine any judge would be highly sympathetic to our position given recent events combined with the extraordinary challenges of maintaining informational security in a post-mutant environment. Particularly given who we are responsible for interning. That being said, I'll be frank with you, Ms. Hua: We're already dealing with an escalation in Brotherhood activities, and I just don't have the time for this. I'll back down, but on the condition that your communication with Mr. Holland occur either via teleconference -- or, if you insist on speaking in-person, in a secondary location that will be provided an hour before you meet with him. Is this acceptable?" "Again, the dispositions of other persons within your custody or under your investigation," Tian-shin says, in the same slow, careful tones, "are not relevant to this case or to my client unless you submit the information and the judge rules it admissible. These are pre-trial procedures regarding a person who has been convicted of no crime, not a matter of your sympathies, Judge Wilson's, or even my own." She squares the papers in front of her. "I would like to speak to my client, in person, as soon as possible. I will of course cooperate fully with any security measures legally permitted, which do not include restricting attorney-client consultation to telecommunications." "I can have arrangements complete within..." Malthus's gaze drops down to his own wristwatch. "Forty five minutes. You can speak with him in person in under two hours. Presuming that is acceptable, I'll begin making the necessary accommodations." Malthus rises to his feet; the steaming cup of coffee he brought with him is beginning to cool, remaining untouched. As he stands, he regards Tian-shin for a moment, considering. Then -- he adds, almost as an idle after-thought: "It appears Mr. Holland chose his counsel wisely."