[ WP ] You live a a world in which you can be granted any superpower in times of emergency . There have always been strict laws about not using such powers at any other time , with no explication as to why . Today you find out what happens when you do so .

We arrived less than two minutes after the first 911 calls came in, which under normal circumstances would have been a sterling response time. 
 
 Not so much though when Unleashings were involved, which unfortunately was the case this time. Two minutes was an eternity when Unleashings were involved. 
 
 `` Careful around the edges of the Stasis Field,'' I grunted to Ben, the rookie I had been assigned to mentor. `` The last thing I want to have to do is to explain why the police is also caught up in this mess.'' 
 
 `` Got it, Sir. Shall I begin the recovery analysis?'' 
 
 `` Does a bird ask before it poops? Geez.'' 
 
 Ben scurried to examine the scene closer, making notes on his tablet as he went along. The Academy believed in methodical analysis, and that philosophy showed in all the graduates they cranked out. Me, I was part of the old guard who never had the benefit of formal training. Our teachers were the smouldering corpses of our peers who were careless or hasty. Life experience, in other words. 
 
 I think our syllabus was better. 
 
 `` Sir? It seems like there are five of them, and only one is Unleashed. I'll continue to see which ones we can save.'' 
 
 Ben was n't wrong, but I wished that he did n't have to narrate every step of his analysis to me, as if he were waiting for a pat on the back. And if he thought we could save any of these punks... Well, he was in for a surprise. 
 
 To the untrained eye, there was plenty of time to intervene once we turned off the Stasis Field. Thing is, most people do n't know that Stasis Fields are deployed only when the sensors pick up aberrant energy levels, and until we developed more sensitive devices, Stasis Fields were always going to be triggered too late. 
 
 In this case, the Unleashed already had his hands directed at his attackers, and I recognised the telltale emerging tendrils of a flamestrike. His attackers were too close by for us to whisk away, and by the looks of surprise on their faces, I do n't think they were preparing to evade anyway. 
 
 `` Sir, seems like these four here were trying to attack this guy over here with blunt weapons, thereby triggering an Unleashing.'' 
 
 `` That's all the input you have?'' 
 
 `` Er... Sir, my assessment is that we have enough time to pull the four out of the way, before the attack hits them.'' 
 
 `` Rookie, tell me why we should n't just let them sort this out themselves? After all, the laws are clear. Self defence is a good reason for an Unleashing.'' 
 
 `` Er... To prevent unnecessary loss of human life, Sir?'' 
 
 I smiled wanly. There were some things that they do n't teach you at school, after all. 
 
 `` The reason, rookie, is that if these four are also in danger themselves, they are likely to Unleash too. That chain reaction is what we're here to prevent, not save these four lives alone.'' 
 
 `` But Sir... I think we still can save them. If we wrench them out of the way just as the field goes down, they should be safe.'' 
 
 `` And if you're wrong? What if we Unleash too, given that we're in the line of fire?'' 
 
 I let that sink in as I skulked around the Stasis Field myself. `` Besides, look at the stances they are taking. I do n't think this was a real assault, they're way too far apart for that. Look at the last guy too, he's got his phone out, he's recording it all.'' 
 
 `` How does that change things, Sir?'' 
 
 `` Well, get a warrant, we'll hack his phone from here to check the recordings. My guess is that these are all friends, and they were trying to induce an Unleashing for kicks. Maybe they were going to upload the video for views too, who knows. Thing is, I have no sympathy for people who take such liberties.'' 
 
 `` Sir! You mean we're going to let them die?'' 
 
 I shrugged. What better way for this rookie to learn the ropes? 
 
 `` As I said, go get the warrant. We'll let the Courts decide whether we should be decommissioning the Unleashed or the other four from outside the Field, before they can react. Either way, we're nipping this chain reaction in the bud.'' 
 
 `` Sir! We ca n't do that! We have to find a way to save them all!'' 
 
 I walked over, laid a hand on his shoulder, and peered into his eyes. They were clear, earnest, untainted. 
 
 We'll see what my teachers have to say about that. 
 
 -- - 
 
 /r/rarelyfunny 

