Venom

22: The Great Mayor (P1)

"What do I look for?" She roughed out, running a hand down her face. Something about that notion made me want to smile, but I merely gestured to my right.

"We have less than ten minutes if they decided to keep the information on live time or decided they need to come to update a file." I checked the clock on the wall and set a time window. "Take the right side of the room, instead of looking for specific names, see if you can find the witching files. Anything to do with multiple public outbreaks of similar crimes or cold files that span sixty years on crimes against witches or some done by them." I opened a random cabinet myself while I talked, partially doing as I told her while also keeping an eye open for any familiar last names. I'm not saying crime run's in all families, but some skills were illegal no matter how impressive they were, and it was because they were impressed that the council made all types of silly rules to try and trap promising talents. After all, what better way to protect the community from a possible problem child than to take them off of their family's hands and turn them into law-abiding, civil service providing citizen who was under the council's watch? 

"Anything else?" I heard the whizzing sound of what could have been an electric fan, I peek over to watch her fingers go over the files so fast that the sound was coming from her. I sighed at the natural-born gift. If I tried that I'd end up leaving evidence as I bled all over the place. 

"...large coven incidents, reports or anything related to covens of this area. If you find anything on protests on large scales that works as well." I shut the file and moved on to another one, throwing out more as I went on reading as much as I could and throwing out what felt unneeded. "Redacted files. Empty files."

There were a few last names that stood out to me, but the pictures were of younger people who resonated with no familiar features. I looked over at the wall before shutting the files and going over to the monitors, the only thing here I expected to give me any type of useful information. This would be a bit tricky. I pulled out a chair and plopped down, fingers drumming on my legs as I took in the system in front of me.

It really did resemble a computer monitor if one excluded the fact that it was nearly transparent as it floated peacefully or the shimmering flecks of silver that floated around the monitor. I reached under the table, fingers spread as I searched the flat surface for something that did not belong. I slid further down the table. I dropped my hands when I felt nothing, leaping off of the chair and onto all fours as I ducked underneath and scanned. I was about to rise when I caught sight of what I had been hoping for. Wedged between a loose bolt and the back of the chair a carefully folded piece of paper awaited for its usage. There was always someone terrible with long passwords. Unfurling the paper I set it beside me and looked over the monitor. Now came the tricky part. There was a more than likely possibility that all searches and types in keys would be recorded, but at the moment the biggest concern I had was if this thing-

"Three coven rebellion files, with heavily redacted information, seventy-seven missing or declared deceased witches within this range. Fifteen of them have no more than two pages of basic information on them and one of the missing reports made for them." Viper called over. I whirled around and went to where she was pointing to, a handful of cabinets were left slightly open, all of the files she wanted me to check out poking out unnaturally high. I picked out the closest file and opened it, an article was pinned to the inside of the file.

" 'Bewitched By False Promises'

In the span of seven years complaints from the witching community in regard to the highly monitored magic practices have risen after The Kirpan Company Incident in which a building of highly volatile spells went haywire after a defensive counterspell locked onto a safety net and disrupted the spells within the safe, causing a mana influx. It was during this incident that a worker stepped forward and cast unregistered magic that saved half of the building and the lives of many of the workers, but when authorities showed up the unregistered witch was apprehended which caused an uproar in the community. Multiple small anti-magic control factions took this incident to let their voices be heard and carried with the momentum of the people. The witchling in question-"