Back up officers that were normally on patrol and the ambulance arrived quickly. Amy seemed to be doing okay in the sense that the other teens hadn't beaten her to death, but her breathing was still somewhat labored. Marcella refused to leave Amy's side, and I heard her talk to the principal as the EMTs helped Amy up.
"I want to go with Amy," Marcella said to the principal.
"I'm not sure that would work," the principal said nervously, "it's fine with me... but I don't know if they'd allow you to go."
"She'll be fine so long as she stays out of the way," one of the EMTs answered, and then spoke into a small walkie talkie he was carrying, "victim is alive and doing well... though she likely has some broken ribs."
They proceeded to lead Amy out, with Marcella following close behind. I glanced to watch their departure before returning to the work at hand that I had.
"Do you know what happened?" one of the other officers asked.
"It likely started as some sort of bullying scare tactic," I sighed, "and least that is what Officer Barnes and I could gather from what the victims of the attack told us. However, with no teachers here, Officer Barnes and I babysitting the reporters, and the office staff in the office, when Marcella... the Maine Coon tabby... began to defend Amy... the teen going to the hospital... these three and their leader took it up a level..."
"Essentially starting a fight," Officer Barnes added, "Ms. Tyeree reported them pulling at her tail and forcing her away from Ms. Vin."
"Marcella put up a good fight in both her and Amy's defense," I continued, "she had clawed up these two here fairly well and bit one of them as they didn't back down."
The other two officers looked down at the three that I had caught.
"When I made it to that door over there, I found the two that had been clawed urging the third to physically rape Marcella," I continued, "and they had torn off her shirt and the third was fondling one of Marcella's breasts. Meanwhile their "leader" and a group of girls that either joined in the fight or were part of this group had Amy on the floor and were kicking her in the ribs. They all bolted when they realized they were caught."
"You don't know how the girls got involved in the attack?" the second back up officer asked.
"All these three have said is that it was "Donnie's" idea," I answered, "not much else. And since we've been trying to restore some semblance of order here, we haven't been able to review the security cameras yet."
"They need their rights read... or..." the first back up officer asked.
"Their Miranda Rights have been given to them," I nodded.
The two back up officers nodded and moved to stand the three up. Officer Barnes and I followed along to make sure they didn't try running again.
"We'll need to check the security cameras to see how everything started," the first back up officer commented as the three were put in the back of his car, "Officer Wainwright can watch them while they're in here."
I glanced to the second backup officer, who nodded. As Officer Barnes and I went back in, the Principal, the teachers that had arrived, and the secretaries and nurse were straightening out the area where the fight had taken place. Thankfully, none of the furniture appeared to be broken, and a small group of students were nervously peaking their heads back into the student center from the hallways near it. They had apparently fled when the fight started. For the moment though, they were unimportant.
"Hold on a minute Officers," the secretary that had given Officer Barnes and I the most grief came running, "I'll come with you. All of the kids that pulled this will ultimately be suspended for the rest of the year and will have to repeat it... that is if they don't just drop out."
Officer Barnes and I nodded and let her follow into our office where the next major thing would be checking on the identities of the other attackers and to see the exact details of how the fight started. Officer Barnes was quick to sit a the computer and began going through a series of typed commands, which were linked to the various security cameras that we followed during the day.
The first thing we did was follow the fight itself. Officer Barnes put the student center images on all of the screens and we slowly watched the image of Marcella and Amy sitting and talking. Most of their conversation was fairly quiet and seemed to focus on whether or not Amy would take the Animatrix Serum. They had just gotten to a point when "Donnie" and his three companions came in and surrounded both Amy and Marcella.
"Well if it isn't the fag and the freak," "Donnie" sneered from a position where I could actually see his face, he was the same teen that had made a glance earlier in the hallway, "Out sinn' six ways to Sunday!"
Marcella hissed at them to go away and leave them alone. "Donnie" and his pals continued to throw insults at them, though the three that I had caught messing with Marcella also behaved in a way that insinuated an almost lustful attraction. My best guess was that since Marcella was female, they figured it would all be part of the fun. They all continued to throw insults and used very vulgar language at Amy and at Marcella, but surprisingly also kept their voices low. Likely to attract attention from the teachers in the rooms near the student center.
Then things went from bad to worse and quickly. One grabbed Tabby's tail and tried to pull her backward while still in her chair. One of the ones ultimately trying to hold Marcella grabbed at Amy while Donnie flipped the table they were seated at. Marcella turned on the one pulling at her tail and struck at him claws extended, and then bit into his shoulder. That got him to release her tail, but attracted the the other two that I had found messing with her to leave Amy and begin to fight with Marcella. Marcella yowled and cried in the way any House Cat would when attacked and called Amy's name several times.
At this time, most of the other people in the area fled, and their screams could be heard while three male teens wrestled with Marcella and while "Donnie" backhanded Amy, knocking her to the floor. Amy tried to shield herself when three teen girls came charging forward.
"Why would you fuck a freak, queer?" one of them hissed at Amy, and then kicked Amy while on the ground.
The other girls leveled similar insults and they and "Donnie" continued to kick at Amy until I entered and gave them all a good scare with the roar to announce my arrival. Donnie and the girls got away, but three that had been messing with Marcella were caught.
"I recognize one of the girls," the back up officer spoke, "plays volleyball..."
"You mean that's Officer Tin's girl?" Officer Barnes gasped.
"I think so," the back up officer spoke, "Abigail Tin."
"We have student ID cards that are issued at the end of the summer," the secretary spoke up, "you should have them on file..."
Officer Barnes nodded and began moving with the computer's programs. He kept the security camera image paused at a spot where "Donnie" and all three girls could be identified. He pulled up a program that held a list of the student ID pictures on it. What followed was a lengthy search of the school's ID database to identify the teens in the image. The first was: Donald Blake, a 18 year old senior. Next was: Abigail Tin, a 16 year old sophomore. The second girl was: Fox Tyle a 17 year old senior. The last girl was: Penelope Wyre, a 17 year old junior. Officer Tin got the the various addresses the four were supposed to be at and wrote them down.
"Officer Tin is going to hate this," the back up officer commented, "I had thought she'd raised Abigail better."
"We rarely know much about other's personal lives," I commented, "and since all the girls fled, we have no reason as to why this attack started beyond the three males that couldn't get away... and all they've said is that it was "Donnie's" idea."
The back up officer sighed and then took the tape when Officer Barnes handed it to him.
"I'll be getting tot the bottom of this," the back up officer sighed, "thank you for at least catching those three."
"I'd better be going as well," the secretary spoke, "the principal will want the letters of suspension written and ready for mailing before the end of the school day."
And with that, Officer Barnes and I were left alone.
"Best go see if they need a hand straighten anything out," Officer Barnes commented.
As we came out of the office we ran into the the reporters that had been with us.
"Officers, do you know who the other attackers were?" the first reporter in the group asked.
I glanced to see that his cameraman's recording light was on.
"Now isn't the time," I spoke.
"Do you have any idea as to why this happened?" the other reporter asked.
"None that we'd care to share," Officer Barnes answered, "now could you cut that out?"
"But..."
"Listen," I spoke trying to retain as much of my cool as possible, "two innocent people were attacked and insulted by a bunch of kids because the human girl was a homosexual and the feline was an Animal-Person... and they have come to me for help on specific issues related to their relationship, the present elections, and my advice on what they should do. I have explained to them the situation as best I could and gave them the possible consequences of the possible choices they could make. The human female chose to take a stand that will help my wife and I... will help her Maine Coon girlfriend... and any other Animal-Person that might be living here."
I then gave a heavy sigh.
"But in doing so, the chaos that has been going around Columbia Falls came down on her personal life," I continued, "I tried to do what I could to prevent something like this from happening... as part of me feels personally responsible because they had come to me for advice, or I gave them the warning about what was coming. This is a semi-personal matter for me, and I do not want to answer questions on the riot right now. And neither do you really want to conduct any interview right now. My answers would not be as professional as they should be. Please... power down your cameras."
"Officer Howard will probably give some sort of official statement for our department once he's been filled in," Officer Barnes asked, "whether or not he'll allow you to film it is up to him."
"I see," one of the reporters spoke and then made a gesture to his cameraman to cut the filming. He then gave one parting remark, "thank you."
They then hurried off, likely to head to their vans to go and cover anything that Officer Howard would have to say on the subject.
"You think this will merit a formal press conference?" I asked after they'd left.
"Ms. Vin made a statement in our paper that explained why she had come to our office, how the suggestion for her to use the Animatrix Serum was made..."
"And in doing so, outed herself as a homosexual to a town that's only just trying to emerge from the racism that Beauregard raised..." I nodded.
"And the culture war was going on long before Beauregard," Officer Barnes answered, "the high profile of this incident will merit a press conference. At least to announce that the attackers have been caught. And Ms. Tin will not only be in trouble with the law, but with her mother as well."
I sighed. Things were not going well.