by Bob Cooper
Dirk fell into the chair next to Tony holding his head. Somehow O’Malley must have gotten to them.
“Raina will testify that she was paid by O’Malley to plant the murder weapon that killed Bob Haskall,” Dirk said.
Tony slowly turned and looked at Dirk. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
“Dirk, she’s in intensive care and not expected to live.”
***
The intensive care unit was in the hospital wing connected to the Hall of Justice. The secure facility used to house prisoners, and each area of the hospital had armed security personnel who kept track of who came and left. Raina laid unconscious, hooked up to the maze of tubes and sensors. O’Malley knew she was the last piece of unfinished business he had to take care of. Wearing a fake beard and an over-sized coat, he hobbled up to the nurses’ station using a cane. He approached the station with a bouquet of flowers and spoke softly to the head nurse.
“Could you please see that the young woman in room 3425 gets these?”
“I certainly will she replied,” taking the flowers and handing them to an aid.
He stood around with his head hung, staring at the floor, hoping to attract the nurse’s attention again.
“Is there something else I can help you with?” she asked.
“Yes, would it be possible to see her. It might be my last chance to see my darling niece. Since her immediate family is gone, I’m the only family she has left.”
The nurse looked at his forlorn face. He even managed to bring a tear to his eye. No one in intensive care was supposed to have visitors, but the nurse was moved by his actions.
“No more than five minutes. I’ll notify the guards to let you in,” she said.
O’Malley smiled to himself as he walked down the corridor to the room. The guards posted outside let O’Malley in. They didn’t seem to pay much attention as he walked in and closed the door. Raina was on life support and in a coma. O’Malley put his hand in his pocket and fingered the syringe filled with the drug guaranteed to stop the heart and not leave any telltale signs. It would take several hours to work, and he would be long gone, leaving no suspicion that he was the cause. It would look completely natural. He scanned the room for video monitors—he saw none.
He pulled the needle out of his pocket and removed the sheath. Moving closer, he found a place on her left arm that was not already penetrated by needles and sensors. He took one more look around and was about to inject the deadly drug when alarms sounded. He jumped back putting the needle back into his pocket. Nurses and doctors rushed in. He moved out of the way and watched them frantically assess the situation.
“She flatlined! Get the resuscitation equipment stat!”
Her body started to convulse wildly as the nurses readied the paddles to shock her heart back to life.
“You must leave now,” the head nurse instructed O’Malley.
He nodded to her and walked out with the hopes that nature would take its course.
***
The gray, sterile courtroom had only one window to let in light. The judge sat next to his clerk, reviewing today’s docket, and discussing how to keep the media at bay. Already gathered outside, they had begun setting up their communications equipment for what promised to be the biggest media event of the year. The Earthers stood outside in force, shouting out their slogans and recruiting whomever they could into the movement. Barricades blocked all entrances to the courthouse and scanners kept security tight around the building. Acey heard the crowd before she saw it. She and Hillary were hustled into the armored transportation vehicle along with Dirk. They instantly hugged each other before being separated by officers. It was the first time they had seen each other since their arrests.
“Has anyone heard about Raina?” Dirk asked.
“No one will tell us anything,” Acey replied.
I wonder why they are transporting Aidan separately, Acey thought.
It was a short ride, and the vehicle came to a stop at the courthouse entrance checkpoint, where the driver and the guards exchanged documents. The media caught sight of them and rushed the vehicle. The security forces did all they could do to hold them back as the vehicle inched its way through the crowd and into the gated entrance. Since they left Earth, several political factions used the events to promote their views. The Earthers continued to push their closed society and no alien contact agenda, while the Academy rallied people who believed the opposite.
One thing was for certain—Dirk served as the catalyst for both sides, portrayed as either a hero or villain. Then there was the fringe element promoting their religious views and those there just for the party atmosphere — vendors parked up and down the street, hawking their wares and capitalizing on the situation.
Once inside the entrance to the People’s Superior Court, the gate slammed shut, and the vehicle entered an underground road that spiraled downward for about two stories. When the transport stopped, several security guards greeted them and led them into a holding cell where they shackled their arms and legs and then left them to wait. Two hours passed before the door opened. A guard shoved Aidan in and then locked the door. Acey shuffled to him and pressed her body as close as possible to his. Aidan was also in shackles, but he could feel the heat.
“Has anyone heard about Raina?” he asked.
“No one’s telling us anything,” Hillary responded.
“We don’t know if she is alive or dead,” Acey chimed in.
Dirk looked at her, and Acey could see her choice of words struck a nerve with him.
“Of course she’s alive. Don’t think anything different. It won’t be long before she is here with us,” he said as firmly as he could without yelling.
They heard the door unlock again and Tony walked in. This wasn’t going to be an easy case, but he took it for two reasons: first, because he was convinced by friends that Dirk was innocent and second, because he saw an opportunity to gain notoriety from this well-publicized case. He also needed the money.
“Let me explain what’s going to happen this morning,” he said fumbling through his briefcase for papers. “You will be asked individually how you plead. You will all answer not guilty,” Is that understood?
Everyone nodded in compliance.
“I want you to read these papers. They are the formal charges brought against each of you. You will see Dirk is the only one charged with murder. The rest of you are charged with aiding and abetting in Dirk’s escape. Aidan is also charged with dereliction of duty and not upholding his sworn oath to the Citizen Guard, which is a felony. Now, I’ve talked to the prosecution, and they already mentioned a possible plea bargain so…”
“What do you mean plea bargain. He’s totally innocent, and we can prove it,” Acey interrupted.
“Without the tapes that you allude to, we have no conclusive proof that O’Malley had Bob Haskall killed,” Tony replied.
“We will have Raina’s testimony that she planted the murder weapon she stole from Dirk.”
Tony looked at Acey. He could see that they didn’t know. They stared back at him, waiting for a reply.
“Raina is in a deep coma and is not expected to live,” he reported gently. “Besides, they are moving her to an undisclosed maximum security hospital for reasons not yet clear to me.”
The door opened abruptly, and three security guards entered.
“Please come with us,” the leader said.
***
Raina’s world was black except for vibrant swatches of colored light that flashed in her mind every now and then. They became more frequent since they moved her, and some of them congealed into abstract visions. Her brain sensed the laughter like that from a little girl. It was sporadic; in between other sounds that the brain could not yet identify. Then deep blackness consumed her again. The episodes repeated themselves while her physical presence lay in the bed connected to tubes and wires. Monitors kept her watchers apprised of all her vital signs.
The visions and sounds morphed into quasi-
dreams, where the brain could discern childhood scenes. Her brain detected the sounds to be the speech patterns of Raina’s mother. She was telling silly stories that made Raina laugh. The brain could now detect images of them sitting on a mountain ledge overlooking a deep canyon with a large river running through it. Her brain recognized it as a place they frequented and sensed the taste of sweet nectar spread on breads and bubbling cool liquid as it entered her mouth. The endorphins released by this vision overwhelmed every other part of the brain, and physical reactions began to take place. The most noticeable was a smile that came and went and a warm tingling sensation over her entire body.
21
The courtroom was one of many found in the People’s Superior Court. People scurried in and out of the hallways after fighting their way through the media crews and equipment that were set up outside. The large screens at the entrance to the building projected the circus-like scene inside to those who could not get in. The media billed it as “The trial with major political and social implications that would affect society for many years to come.” The Earthers continued to chant their slogans and demonstrated. Those who supported Dirk and the Academy’s views stood firm with signs, shouting to drown out their opposition.
Acey and the group came into the building through a secure underground entrance but saw some of the media extravaganzas as they were led into the courtroom. All were securely shackled as they sat and waited for Tony to enter. The prosecution consisted of an older gentleman and two younger female attorneys. Dirk recognized the male from pictures in the news media. He was running for political office and always took the high profile cases. Tony arrived only seconds before the judge entered and had no time to sit or say anything before the Bailiff announced the beginning of the proceedings.
“All rise for the Honorable Judge Judith Cummings.” She took her time walking to the bench as she looked over the crowd in the courtroom. This was not going to be your run-of-the-mill trial, she thought. She almost wished she had not been chosen for this case. She whispered something to the Bailiff as she approached the bench and turned to the attendees.
“Please be seated. Will the defendant’s counsel please approach the bench?”
Tony hesitated a moment gathering some papers and walked to the front of the room. He knew her to have a reputation as a no-nonsense judge and had felt the sting of her tongue at other trials where he was involved.
“This is Mister Anthony Tarkington, and he will represent the defendants,” she said to the court. “Bailiff, please read the charges.”
Tony listened to the charges and watched the people’s expressions. Those who came as spectators were equally divided—those rooting for acquittal and vindication on the right side, and those for sending them to prison on the left. The Earthers who were permitted to attend showed extreme restraint as the charges were read. The judge must have had words with them before the proceedings started, Tony thought. When the Bailiff finished, the only sounds Tony heard were two chimes from the computer acknowledging the capture of the charges and the judge shuffling papers. All eyes were on him as he walked over to the defendants, hovering in front of Dirk and looking him straight in the eye. He then turned towards the Judge.
“Will the defendants please stand. I will ask you how you plead to each of the charges, and you will answer either guilty or not guilty. Then you will be seated,” the judge instructed them.
Acey was the first to stand. She turned to Dirk and then to Aidan and then back to the judge. With her head held high, she looked the Judge in the eyes.
“Not guilty, your honor.”
Hillary shot up and pleaded not guilty and sat back down. Aidan was slow to rise. His eyes focused on the table. He couldn’t bear to look up at the judge. Acey watched him tense up.
“Not guilty,” he said, barely audible.
It was now Dirk’s turn. He turned to the spectators and found O’Malley sitting in the last row. He stared at him for several excruciating moments before the judge intervened.
“Mister Saunders. Please tell the court how you plead.”
“I plead not guilty your honor, but that man is the guilty one,” he shouted, pointing at O’Malley.
“This man is a murderer and a corrupter of our youth,” O’Malley shot back.
All hell broke loose as the spectators saw this as a good time to shout their views, while the judge slammed the gavel repeatedly demanding order. The Citizen Guard removed several people from both factions before the court settled into some semblance of order.
“Mister Saunders. If there are any more outbursts such as that again, I will see that contempt charges are added to the list. Is that clear,” she said forcefully trying to control her temper.
Dirk acknowledged her as Tony stood behind him, encouraging him to calm him down. Acey shook her head, knowing that his emotions might get the best of him. When Dirk looked at her, he knew he messed up. He gave her a nervous smile and then stared at the table.
“This trial begins in two days. Witnesses shall be disclosed by that time. Bail is set at three hundred and fifty thousand credits for each of the defendants except for Dirk Saunders and Aidan Carter. They will remain incarcerated until the trial begins with no bail.”
Acey gasped and was ready to shout at the judge when Dirk grabbed her hand.
“Listen to me. I will be okay. Work with Tony and find out how Raina is doing.”
“Court is now adjourned,” the judge said.
They fought through the packed hallway filled with sound booms, recording devices, and protesters. Once they were in the safety of the security vehicle, Tony told them he would arrange for bail and gave them last-minute orders not to talk to anyone without him being present.
Acey watched as Aidan slunk down in the front seat. He had been quiet throughout the proceedings, and yet she could sense what was going through his mind. She leaned toward him, put her mouth close to his ear, and whispered quietly. He smiled without turning around as the vehicle pulled into the prison. When they got out, she hopped over to him and kissed him, causing them both to lose their balance since their hands and feet remained shackled.
The security guard, startled by the sudden movement, pointed a blaster at Acey until he realized what was happening. Aidan was escorted inside his cell first.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay,” he told Acey quietly.
Dirk’s cell was next, and Acey kissed him as he passed her. He smiled at her as the security guards urged Acey and Hillary to their cell. Once inside, Acey broke down and sobbed. Hillary comforted her until she fell asleep.
***
O’Malley wiped the foam from his mouth after he drank half the glass of beer down in one chug. Franz met him in the bar after the hearing at O’Malley’s request. They had one last piece of unfinished business to take care of, and they needed to attend to it fast.
“Still no word one way or the other on Raina,” Franz told him.
“Did you talk to the head nurse at the facility?” O’Malley asked.
“I did. They are under strict orders not to let anyone in unless they have written permission, and then only with a security guard escort.”
O’Malley finished his beer and held up his glass to the waiter for another. He scanned his brain for anyone he knew who could provide the necessary paperwork to let him into Raina’s room. Since he visited her once, and his name and face were all over the media, he knew he couldn’t take the chance of going there himself. He looked at Franz fidgeting with the beer coaster.
“You will have to be the one to go and administer the shot,” he said to him.
Franz looked up at him. Too much has gone on for him to refuse now. Deeply entangled in O’Malley’s web, there was no way out. O’Malley had too much on him. He knew O’Malley had the power to have him put away for a long time.
“Call me when you’re ready and let’s get this over with,” he said.
***
Acey was huddled in the corner of her ce
ll on her bed when she heard the door unlocking. She saw the guard and his food cart through the narrow slats in the door. He looked directly at Acey as he pushed two trays of food in and slammed the door shut in a hurry. Acey picked them up and gave one to Hillary. It didn’t look very appealing. Hillary pushed it aside until she noticed writing on the napkin tucked under the plate of stale looking fruit. She picked up the napkin. Raina’s life is in grave danger. You must act now to save her.
“What’s that,” Acey asked.
Hillary gave her the napkin, and Acey let out a gasp.
***
Aidan recognized him walking down the hallway towards his cell. He always carried his briefcase tucked under his left arm and walked with a purpose. The guards had all they could do to keep up. As they approached his cell, the guards entered, shackled Aidan, and escorted him to a small conference room at the end of the hall, where they sat face-to-face staring at each other. Tony waited for the guards to leave before he spoke.
“The case against you is not good at all. Aiding and abetting a criminal and breaking the Citizen Guard Code of Ethics can get you significant time. I talked to your superiors, and they are reluctant to speak in your defense publicly, although they have confided in me that they believe you are a good law enforcement professional with a clean record up until now. I can only see one way out of this mess for you.”
“And what might that be?” Aidan asked.
“We have to show that you were an unwilling participant in this whole fiasco and that you were coerced to go to Antares by Dirk. You will have to testify to this on the stand and ….”
“Tony! Stop right there. None of that is true. Dirk is innocent, and O’Malley is behind Bob Haskall’s murder.”
Tony studied Aidan’s face for a minute and could see the sincerity.
“That’s what I hoped you would say. Now we can prepare your defense. The best way to defend you is to vindicate Dirk. Your testimony has to center around that. Are you willing to support me in this?”