RPIII-The Promise and the Threat [Open]

[Christian Moynahan]

You’re in the presence of a king!
Scratch that; you’re in the presence of a god!
-Jay-Z, “Crown”

No one ever noticed his arrival. Perhaps they expected him to show up in a limo, or in some other stylish car, perhaps even as a show of power. There would be plenty of time for that later. For now, the tone was for him to appear as a normal man. 

So, just as on every other day of the trial, the media missed noticing the white Honda Civic as it pulled into the courthouse's parking lot, near a side entrance, through which Christian entered and was immediately attended by guards. They marched him through the hallways and into the expected room, where various parties were always waiting for him. 

He never put on the inhibitor before entering the courtroom. This was intentional. The guards never remembered to tell him to, even though it was in his hand. And so, every day, the judge sighed and told him to put it on. All who took note of the exchange would recognize that Christian's wearing of the inhibitor was completely involuntary. 

The difference with this day was that it was Christian’s first - and hopefully only - day on the stand. He was the defense’s only witness. The only other people he could have called to his defense were those who had been involved in the famine plan, and he was adamant about keeping those contacts a secret. The investigators, Mathias included, knew only that he had met with the group at the Hotel Angelis; the other identities had not been uncovered. The Angelis’ security was impenetrable; and, given that a Johessman had been involved in the meeting, that had become even more so once the meeting concluded.

Amusingly, at least to Christian, the prosecution had supplied as their reasoning for surveilling Christian a suspicion that Christian was a terrorist. Well. Christian had been unable to keep from laughing at that. Otherwise, he had kept his composure for the entire trial, sometimes fiddling with the ability inhibitor, sometimes leaning back, sometimes taking notes or simply doodling on a notepad. No one but those immediately around him could really tell which it was.

The jury, at least, had been well picked. Dakari and Adrianna had done their best in that. Thanks to them, there were three Specials among the twelve. That was all the court would allow them, but it was better than none. Not that the Specials would immediately understand his cause, but they would at least be able to identify with him and his inhibitor and the way he had been treated with regard to his ability. The rest of the jury… well, legally, he did not have to prove his innocence. In a criminal trial, the onus was on the prosecution; they had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Christian was guilty of the myriad crimes of which they had accused him. Those crimes, as the judge had presented them on the first day of the trial, were “espionage, theft of government property, willful communication of classified intelligence to unauthorized parties, and treason.” Christian thought the last one was going too far, but Dakari assured him that that was a point in their favor.

That had been on the first day of the trial, when the prosecutor and Dakari had made their opening statements. Things had been boring after that; several “witnesses” - actually professionals of various types who had examined Christian before the trial - had given their testimonies, all coming together to establish that yes, Mr. Moynahan had obtained information that should have been secured within the government, that he had taken it and shared it with unknown parties, and that those parties could have included persons who were either foreign or hostile parties to the United States. Could have. Dakari had hung onto that point and worried at it like a dog at a bone. They had refused to budge on that, but Christian thought that obstinance was proof enough.

She had also tried to get them to admit to the nature of the information Christian had supposedly stolen, but in that, too, they had been evasive. No matter. Christian was perfectly prepared to provide that information, and proof that it was happening - albeit not proof that he had stolen that information from anywhere. He had a brilliant mind, after all, and all he needed was an part of an idea to expand on and draw conclusions. The jury could take that as they wished.

For the first few days of the trial, he’d had a couple of familiar faces appear every now and again. Gabriel's had been one of them, putting in appearances every couple of days, between tending to his children and working; but, after the psychologist’s testimony, Gabriel had informed Christian that he was completely done with the trial. Christian hardly blamed him. If he could have walked out of the trial then, he would have gladly done so.

The psychologist that the court had assigned to meet with Christian before the trial had testified that Christian was suffering from an as-yet undefined bipolar disorder.

“First of all, that diagnosis is bullshit.” Gabriel was seething; this was the angriest Christian had ever seen the man. “Second of all, even if it wasn’t, what bearing does it have on the trial? This is clearly an attempt to influence the jury’s perception of you. It’s absolute bullshit.”

Quietly, only to himself, Christian was not as certain that the diagnosis was very far off, but there was no denying that it was an obvious attempt at character assassination. He was also not so certain that Gabriel truly felt that strongly about the diagnosis. Gabriel knew him well, and could see things even Christian couldn’t in himself. But he took Gabriel’s emphatic response as an attempt to strengthen Christian’s resolve. It was a pantomime of sorts, but not one that was unwarranted. And so he did not fault Gabriel at all for choosing not to attend the rest of the prosecution’s examinations.

This day, however, Gabriel was back in the courtroom, and he was far from alone. The defense’s side of the courtroom had been taken up by familiar faces - some fairly expected and hoped for, others completely surprising. Christian paused to look over the gathering, and smiled gently, suddenly feeling much happier and more positive than he had since the trial began. He felt his eyes beginning to mist up as well, so he closed them for a moment; when they opened again, there was that fire that many of them knew, that unshakeable determination, that touch of arrogance and that ever-present hint of amusement.

Christian joined Dakari and Adrianna at the defendants’ table. As he was going to sit down, the judge, as expected, gave Christian an annoyed look and gestured toward Christian’s wrist. Christian only smiled innocently, as always.

“Counselor,” the judge addressed Dakari, “apply the ability inhibitor to your client’s wrist, or, as I have threatened every day of this trial, I will hold him in contempt of court.”

With a dainty smile, Christian removed his outer coat and handed the inhibitor to Dakari, who secured the bracelet around his right wrist. He was in the mood for serious shenanigans, but he had promised Alice that he would behave, and so he would. Besides, doing so would help his case, and combat some of that character assassination the prosecution had tried their best to pull.

The prosecution had rested their case the day before, knowing that Dakari would call her own client to the stand. The judge called the court to order in all the usual ways, then addressed Dakari again. “The defense may now call their first witness to the stand.”

Dakari simply nodded toward Christian. Straightening his tie and smoothing down his shirt - the wine-colored one, his favorite, saved especially for this day of the trial - Christian stood and approached the witness stand, placed his hand on the Bible and repeated the oath, and then took a seat.

Also rising, Dakari adjusted her own suit and moved around the table, patting Adrianna’s shoulder as she passed. “And so it begins,” she murmured with a small smile.

“Mr. Moynahan,” Dakari said, barely moving from the side of the side of the table, “please state your full name for the court and for the record.”

His gaze swept the courtroom. A smile touched his lips, just enough to intimate exactly what he thought of these proceedings, and exactly what he was about to do to this court and everything above it.

“My name is Christian Kiernan Moynahan.”

[Outfit sans outer coat, use your imaginations <3]

[Alice Taylor]

It had been a long time since Alice had dressed in full business attires, complete with double-button royal blue jacket, a matching blue skirt, and just a very simple white sleeveless top. The design was more plain than what she used to wear, but just having that freedom to wear anything she chose was blessing enough. It wasn't very many years ago that Alice didn't even have a choice on what she had to eat and drink. Freedom is such a precious thing, and here she was in this court of law, sitting quietly along with other spectators, silently supporting her dear friend in his fight for freedom.

Alice took a seat close to another man she was vaguely familiar with. Gabriel, she thought, a good friend to Christian. The blond greeted the handsome gentleman with a smile, but spoke no words. She was nervous for Christian, even thought he was in the best of hands. Dakari Johessman was the most intelligent woman Alice knew. Kari wouldn't let anything happen to Christian. Still, nothing was ever certain, and in some moments, she felt absolutely useless, having nothing of worth to contribute other than to wish him good luck. If things went south, Alice thought, she could kill all the guards and Christian can make a crazy movie-esque escape, jumping into his getaway car like the Duke Boys and fly off a ramp. The thought was amusing to her, but Alice kept up a great poker face. No need to draw any unnecessary attention from more important matters.

Dakari and the other woman Alice had never met sitting at the defendants' table were busy with their preparations, and Alice made no attempt to disturb them. They needed to concentrate to help Christian win his freedom. Kari and Christian explained to Alice that in criminal proceedings, the prosecution essentially needed to roll snake eyes to get a conviction in a case like this, and any other outcome would mean they'd have to let Christian walk out a free man. But, even with such odds...

Then, the courtroom doors opened. Christian entered, with guards following closely behind. Alice glanced at him as he strolled in, confident as ever as he approached his table. As expected, Christian didn't wear that terrible device. Since no other special in attendance were required to wear inhibitors, Alice decided to send Christian a little telepathic message.

Bonne chance, mon cher ami. Nous sommes tous ici pour vous.

Of course, the judge immediately noticed Christian wasn't wearing the inhibitor yet again, and ordered him to put it on. Just the night before, Alice had asked Christian to be on his best behaviour, and behaved well he did, letting Dakari put the bracelet on his wrist. Inhibitors were annoying to specials, both physically and symbolically. Alice understood why it might be deemed necessary to be used. It was a tool which served the court, which served the government, and in turn served its people. But... there was something about watching Christian being ordered to be restrained like so that made Alice snap.

Inhibitors were complex and delicate devices. The protective shell of the bracelet housed very fragile and very tiny parts. Every component must fall in place at the precise correct location in order for the entire device to function, not unlike the prosecution's case against her dear friend. Should even a single assertion fail to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, or should even a single transistor became loose...

Alice blinked, her unchecked telekinetic powers finding their mark on the inhibitor. It only took a second, and no one except Christian would notice what had happened. At least, no one else would know before this war was won.

[Helena Rahal]

Forget our memories
Forget our possibilities
Take all your faithlessness with you
Just give me myself back and
Don’t stay

Maurelle was not eagerly awaiting this day and what all was going to come with it. Helena had been right with her predictions about what would happen with the reveal of the situation that the nation had found itself in. Already, before it was going to be declared for all of the world to hear by Christian there were riots popping up across the nation. It would be nothing like what was to come once Christian popped the top off the can of secrets that the government was holding. It was everything she had hoped to prevent and avoid with her ascendency into power and now it was what was supposed to be one her allies who was going to spark it all off.

Her eyes darted across the courtroom and she had to smirk at the collection of individuals in attendance. How many prominent Specials were here, how many more important businessmen and politicians? It was almost like a whose who of the nation's elite that had descended upon the federal courthouse, even some of those who thought better of not attending had found their way to this place. It was anticipated that the verdict would be made known today, if things went according to plan, after Christian's testimony, the cross examination, and then closing arguments.

Helena was sat beside her, hiding the gloom that had stricken her over the past few weeks beneath formal attire befitting of a woman who was a head of an organization such as hers. Maurelle was looking well herself, dressed in black with turquoise trim, and some feather earrings. It amused her that Gabriel Constant's partner was wearing the same earrings, though her off-shoulder forest green dress was in stark contrast to the cocktail style of her own. It was a shame that they were meeting in this way, as Maurelle had things she desired to discuss with Mr. Constant.

That however was for another time and place, today was about Christian and the chaos that was about to be unleashed upon the nation. Maurelle had done as much as she could to preemptively mitigate it in her domain, as her strike teams were prepared to move on a moments notice. Special donations to a few dozen local police departments for upgrades to their arsenals and repairs to their vehicles was not as random as they would have believed. It was as much as she could do to prepare for the onslaught and she doubted it was even near enough.

All the same, this was set in motion by the government themselves, for attempting to make Christian a scapegoat and martyr. What was about to happen was as much of their fault as it was Christian's, deciding to try to wipe the egg off their face with these vindictive charges. Had they simply seen the grand scope of things, at how Christian's efforts had helped ease the country through the crisis, perhaps no one would be here today for this cause. Christian would be busy working, she would be making her own plans come to fruition, Helena would be in New York tending to her children.

They were here though, mistakes had been made by every party, and now the fireworks were set to begin in earnest. Even she did not know what was going to be the eventuality that these divergent courses would cause as they met together. What was certain was that today was the next day in the course of the nation and she would have been a fool not to witness this in person.

[Lucius Kilvayne]

You built me up with your wishing hell
I didn't have to sell you
You threw your money in the pissing well
You do just what they tell you
Repent! That's what I'm talking about.

Lucius Kilvayne was glad this dog and pony show was damn near over, he had to admit. His whole family was in attendance, to support Christian. Alexander had come in late, having business...elsewhere. He was here now, as the trial was about to conclude. Christian was about to blow this whole damn thing open. All it would take for that to happen?

Just the singular matter of his giving testimony in his own trial, as it happened. What he was about to bear witness was not so much his own supposed crimes. He was going to bear witness to the travesty that was the United States government's piss poor handling of a crisis that Christian had been successfully managing without any input or sanction from said government. In short, this trial was going to be exposed for what it was.

They were just trying to punish Christian and Special-kind for being better than them. Lucius thought that was laughable, too. It was a feeble petty thing that was going to be seen as feeble and petty by the masses shortly after the time proceedings were closed today. This was history, turning on the thin blade of a knife's edge. Lucius had been assured things were going to turn out in his favor, which made this less nerve wracking than it could have been. He had Gabe to thank for that...


“And so it begins,”

Adrianna nodded, biting her lip. She was not so consoled by what Lucius had told her, and what Gabe had in turn told him. She had heard it said that not even precogs were right all the time. She was not used to that sort of thing, really. It wasn't in her nature to let that discomfort get too out of hand, however. She pushed it deep into her psyche, and imagined locking the self-doubt in a leaden chest. She was a Kilvayne, and her destiny was to dominate her field. With the tutelage of Dakari Johessman, that was most assured, she knew. She was quite thorough in performing the tasks needed of her.

Brogan stroked his beard thoughtfully as Dakari began her questioning. Alexander, Victoria, and Lex had been seated close to Sayeva and himself. Alexander smiled and nodded, glad to see his ancestor in attendance. That meant Brogan was still interested in what happened to his family in the present. Alexander felt that Brogan's involvement in family affairs would very soon be needed. This was a declaration of war. For his part, Brogan was aware that a revolution was at hand. Four thousand years of living had taught him to sense these things. The tension, the spirit of the age- it was revolutionary.

It was perhaps even, evolutionary. Lucius would certainly say so. Conflict and competition was central to the story of life on Earth. One organism lives, another dies. Resources were a hard thing to share when one put their own kind's survival above all else. And there was the fear. The fear of the threat of the other, and the promise of extinction when faced with something...

Superior.


The time was at hand when the testing of humanity would come to pass. They called it Judgement Day in some circles, and it was fitting that such a time should center in a court, presided over by a judge. It was almost too easy of a metaphor to use, really, Lucius considered. But what else could he call it?

Into this revery, something intruded suddenly. A jolting of power, a fluctuation in the electromagnetic fields of the room. He scanned the assembled masses, and noticed someone familiar. Someone with the kind of abilities needed to do what she had just done. Alice Taylor of all people was giving Lucius' friend and colleague a helping hand. He smiled. Perhaps she was seeing things the sensible way, now that she had a child. He hoped so, for her sake. Half-assed loyalties to special-kind would not be tolerated in the future. He released some of the electrical chaos that usually prevented people like Alice from messing with his head, letting the guard down for a moment in time.

Thank you, Alice, Lucius said in his thoughts. Thoughts intentionally concerning her might have gotten her attention he figured. He wouldn't allow her to get anything else out of him. Cordial as friends they may be, the truth was that she was still an enemy to be reckoned with.

I was about to do that myself, Lucius added as an...afterthought.

He closed his mind again, and turned to the trial, waiting for the examination to proceed. He loved watching Kari doing her job. This was her battlefield, and she was a Warrior Queen. It was a glorious moment for them , and all their kind. If only they knew what was coming...

Soon, soon enough...they would.

[Gabriel Constant]

Don’t fret, they’re coming
They’re lining up to join me
To save us all
Which ones will fall?
They don’t even care we’re here
How do you save someone without fear?

He was wearing his Prussian blue shirt.

There were perhaps three people who knew what that meant. One of them was wearing the same color. One of them was seated beside him. The last was probably not in the courtroom, but Gabe had him on speed dial. To everyone else, including Christian, it was just a choice in color of shirt, but although these were newer times, some things remained the same. Many things remained the same. Gabriel was still the Architect, merely unfettered. The Demoness and the Destroyer stood with him, and Gabriel suspected they were about to add one more to their number.

It always came back to what was known and what was not. Symbolism, subtlety. This was a gesture of solidarity. While he would normally have paired the shirt with brown or perhaps khaki slacks, this time, those pants were black. Black shoes, black watch.

This was his war uniform.

He had attended some days of the trial previously, when the prosecutors had put their “witnesses” on the stand. It was after the psychologist’s bullshit that he had quit. He did return for Christian, however, as he had said he would. He knew the prosecutor would get a chance to question Christian, and that was what he was looking forward to, in the worst of ways.

There were many ways in which this trial could play out. Most of those ways depended on Christian. Every word, every small act, every snide aside or cool response. The variables were too many for Gabe to get a clear idea of what would happen. In most outcomes, Christian beat the charges, but it was a close call. And the public… he was a little clearer on that. He had not been at the Angelis for the meeting, but he had not needed to be. He knew that several of the guests had been right - there was a growing panic growing, and Christian would be the one to set it off.

Although he was not one of the directly affected invitees, Gabe had offered his own resources to the crisis’ solution, as had Alex. He still had friends in many places, high-ranking officials in places that mass-produced various foodstuffs, and convinced them to divert a little more to the States on the cheap. Such was the benefit of being owed favors.

Christian had never given any of them away. Not his Washington contacts, and not the group who had offered assistance - and, essentially, according to his visions, a rescue - to the American people. The government had repaid that bit well, Gabriel thought sarcastically. Of course, there were no precognitives among them, but still, why hang the man who had saved him? Were they looking for a martyr?

Yet even if there had been precognitives in their number… Gabriel had found, rather disconcertingly, that he could not see the future past a certain point that seemed to occur around late December or early January. When he tried to see past that, he saw nothing. Just blackness. Even the death scene - the one he had seen when he was destined to destined to die of Huntington’s, and its many variations - and anything beyond it, since Lucius and Adele had cured him, all of that was gone. He couldn’t even see the Super Bowl. Were his abilities blinking out? He was not certain; his tracking ability worked just fine. He had told Alex, and she had confirmed that her abilities were in order as well. He knew a few other precogs, but the only one he felt comfortable with telling that he was losing control was… in the courtroom. He greeted Maurelle very simply, with a warm handshake, but with the clear intention that he wanted to speak with her later.

Part of him wanted to believe that it was just him. If it wasn’t, then there was a much bigger problem at hand.

He was surprised to see Helena Rahal seated there, given what had transpired at the Angelis. Christian had been the mediator in that, however, not a perpetrator, and the likelihood of Helena and Counselor Johessman crossing paths was low. There were no other Johessmans in the building. There was a reason for that, one Christian must have been aware of, but that was a contemplation for another time.

Gabriel was, of course, seated right next to Alex, her hand in his. Near him was Alice Taylor, the sweet young woman who they all shared an acquaintance with; and all around them, the Kilvaynes had come out in full force, all in support of Christian. Adrianna was at the front with Dakari, and the rest of them were seated on the side of the defense. Another show of solidarity. While there were some heavy-hitters in the political and business world on the prosecutors’ side, the group on Christian’s side was even more impressive… especially to those who were aware of who had abilities. No visitors had been made to wear inhibitors; Gabriel figured the court had decided it would have been pushing its luck in that. They were right in that.

There was a low, audible, feral growl in the room as Dakari was ordered to put Christian's inhibitor on his wrist. One would have sworn that there was a hyena in the room. Next to Brogan and surrounded by Kilvaynes, Sayeva Reardon rolled her shoulders and snapped her neck one side after the other. She was still not sure how the Kilvaynes, aside from Brogan of course, would respond to her… less human side, but it was there, and she was proud of it. She just did not want to alienate her intended’s family. But there were just some things….

She did not know Christian well, but the idea that he was that distrusted by the court…. He was a CEO, not a violent criminal, and he had duly paid attention to the moratorium on leaving the state. He had apparently gone into arrest and interrogation peaceably. What more did they want from him?

She glanced to Brogan as Christian took the stand. She was unaware of what was about to transpire, and only thought that Christian would explain what the prosecution had missed, and why he was innocent of the charges - which Sayeva was certain of, because her extended family was.

Next to Alex, Gabriel was shifting in his seat. A thousand thousand outcomes. That did not suit him well. It was all in Christian’s hands. Did he trust the man to tell the truth? Absolutely and completely. Did he trust how the man would tell the truth? He was not as certain. Did he know how the public would react to his words?

He had a general idea, and that was why his family would be remaining in Hawaii for the foreseeable… foreseeable… future.

Words: 1123.
Attire: Gabriel, Sayeva.
Excerpt: Papercut Massacre, “Lose My Life”
Comments: Bedtime.

[Christian Moynahan]

Conspiracy theorists screaming “Illuminati”
They can’t believe this much skill is in the human body
He’s 6’2, how the fuck he fit in the new Bugatti?
…….aw fuck it, you got me

Monday, December 16, 2013

Dolce & Gabbana. Christian Louboutin. Alexander McQueen. Paul Smith. All in black and blood, blood red. If anyone in the prosecution or in the courtroom thought she was fucking around today, they clearly did not understand her choice of wardrobe. This was war, and she was the general. It was time for this war to happen. Past time.

She had seen the way it had hurt Christian to tell them all what was happening to the country, about what the government had hidden from its citizens. She had seen the numbers. She had overseen the smuggling of the necessary items that had become the bloodlines of the nation. She had seen how she and everyone else at the meeting had been able to staunch that burst vein without anyone noticing at all. They could have kept it up - until the government responded to their response by arresting their mediator and mastermind, and repaid him by charging him with treason.

They did not know that she was part of the mission, of course, nor that most of the rest of them were in the courtroom. Christian had made sure of that. For that, they all still further owed him thanks. That was the man he was, Dakari supposed. And for that, she was representing him. Not some private attorney, not some state-appointed fool, but Dakari Johessman. Her name made plaintiffs’ lawyers shake and insist on a settlement. Dakari smirked. That was what she had always wanted. Among a few other things, anyway.

As soon as they won this case, she would be on her way out of the country. The Johessmans would likely antagonize the United Nations in some time, as they were taking over more land than they would likely be comfortable with. For that, she was much safer in the Dominion of Jamaica. She had an alternate identity she could use when she needed to see her fiancé, however, but how often she would be able to use that and for how long were questions in themselves.

She rolled her shoulders back. She had already cross-examined the “prosecution’s whores,” and well. They had been tight-lipped, however, and there was only so much she could do without leading the witness. The main prosecutor had been fond of using the word “objection.” This was her playground now, however; her battleground, however. Her territory.

The smaller guns first. They marched Christian in, she was made to attach his inhibitor, and he repeated the oath. All things she had expected. Everything had been anticipated to the best they could manage. Time was ticking closer. Dakari placed her hand on the table and smiled. The smile was full of malice.

The judge looked at her. “No motion to dismiss, Counselor?”

In most cases, the defense made a motion to dismiss the case, which meant the defense felt the prosecution had not delivered enough evidence to mark the defendant as guilty. Dakari usually made the motion in any case, no matter what she felt about the prosecution’s performance. Better to try, at least. Here, she was sure the prosecution had failed to show that Christian was guilty of anything. But Christian could not execute their plan if the case was dismissed.

She smiled and smoothly placed her hands one over the other. "I’m certain the prosecution will wish we had, Your Honor.”

The judge frowned, but gestured toward Dakari. She stepped away from her perch. “Please describe the events of October sixteenth, 2013, Mr. Moynahan.”

Christian barely moved. “An investigator arrived at my home and offered me the choice of a peaceful arrest or a public one if I attempted to escape. I chose the former.”

Dakari nodded. “And the following events?”

“I was escorted to some location and interrogated regarding any contacts in Washington which might be leaking me information. I responded that I did not, repeated. After a while, I was handed off to a proper jail.”

“How were you treated during the interrogation?”

Christian sighed. “I was hardly fed and water was scarce.”

“From there, Washington procedure required a presentment, which is known as an “arraignment” in most other areas,” she said, for the benefit of the jury. “What was asked of you, then?”

“The usual, I imagine.” Christian shrugged lightly. “How did I plead, my background, my family’s location. I thought it odd that the judge then asked about my abilities.”

Dakari nodded. “What was the result of that, Mr. Moynahan?”

“I had to make a demonstration of them. The judge then decided that I should wear an inhibitor for the duration of my trial. I explained that my ability is connected to my health, and he changed that order to wearing an inhibitor in the courtroom during by trial, with a medical professional on hand.”

Dakari turned to the Judge. “Your Honor, I respectfully request to be shown the medical professional.” She knew there wasn’t one.

The judge nodded and looked around. “As you wish, Counselor. Will the court-appointed medical professional please rise?”

No one stood up.

The judge sighed. “We will have an emergency medical unit brought as soon as possible. The court apologizes for the oversight, Counselor.”

By then, Christian already knew it wasn’t necessary.

Dakari nodded and turned her attention back to Christian. “When were you informed of the cause of these interrogations and these charges?”

“I was never informed of the exact event that set this off. I can only guess at it.”

Dakari tilted her head. She had to ask this question carefully or have an objected over “leading the witnesses.” With a step toward the Christian and the jury, she asked, “Are there any events that may have led to those events?”

“I assembled a meeting on October fifth of this year. Through independent research, I had found some disturbing evidence of a potentially devastating nature regarding our nation and our government’s response to it.”

Time for the BFGs. “And what did you discuss at that meeting?”

Christian took a deep breath. As with the others, he had heard the words multiple times in his head, but not what he was going to speak them, to the jury, to the judge, to the attendants, to the world… it felt almost unreal. But the time had come. He knew it. Dakari knew it. It was time.

“Starting on September twenty-third and terminating on September twenty-sixth, the contiguous United States suffered a complete series of crop failures, resulting in the near-complete annihilation of this year’s harvest. In terms of grains and vegetables, we lost everything.”

But the chosen, never wrong
He sat holding several thoughts
I’ll take anything that’s not bolted down
Bolted down!

Something about being on the stand made Christian feel very alone unless he looked at his side if the courtroom. His friends had come out in force, truly. That always made him smile a little, to himself. Otherwise he was completely serious, as he should have been. He had to assume that these people, the jury, knew him only as what the media showed of him, and not of of him. That reminded of something Alexandria Constant had said to him once. It had given him pause then, and it gave him pause now.

In that pause, he heard a soft voice. Bonne chance, mon cher ami. Nous sommes tous ici pour vous. He glanced to Alice and gave her a small smile and nod. As far as he was aware, she did not know what was about to transpire, and he felt sorry for her, in a way. No matter what came of it, he would protect her. She deserved at least that much.

Unexpectedly, he felt a surge of energy wash through him. Previously that energy had been held back by the inhibitor. Had it broken of its own accord? He had been wearing it for every day of the trial, and his energy was very much for it to handle. Or - much more likely - had someone loosed part of the inhibitor? He did not dare look at to see whether anything had changed on the outside. There were a few people in the courtroom who could have managed it, and he scanned their faces to see if anything gave them away. Nothing.

Dakari began to question him, and he answered each one truthfully. Finally came the reveal. He gave the words as easily as he could, as nervous as he was.

He was sorry for it.

All the same, the people needed it.

He loved his fellow citizens. That was exactly why he was doing this.

The cholera scare had taught them nothing. Complacency was still the rule.

It was time for that to change.

“And what did you discuss at that meeting?”

Dakari’s voice sounded as though it was coming through a tunnel. He knew this was the question. He was not visibly nervous; he had taught himself to show nothing. He gave the response just as he knew he would. It felt strange passing his lips.

The courtroom exploded into gasps, screams, and exclamations. The judge had to bang her gavel against the sounding pad five times to get their attention. “Order in the court! Order in the court!"

It was only then that anyone noticed that the prosecution was pressing an objection. “This was not presented during discovery,” the lead prosecutor insisted.

“Um, I believe it was,” Dakari said, leaning casually on the edge of the prosecution’s table. “Everything we had, including dates, rate of infection, and numbers of crops lost. Would you like me to pull out your briefcase and show you where it is?”

The judge eyed the attorneys carefully.

The prosecutor took a seat. “That won’t be necessary.”

Dakari turned back to Christian with a smirk. “Please present us with your findings, for the benefit of the jury.”

What followed was much like what was presented at the Angelis meeting, except with Christian sitting and asking Dakari to point out what he couldn’t, and a very vague explanation of how he and others had stopped it already. Finally, Dakari, asked, “Did you ever find what our government was doing to help or at least inform its citizens?”

“I was never able to find evidence of them helping or spreading information.”

Dakari gave a low nod that anyone who knew her would know was a subtle bow. “We will now allow the prosecution to cross-examine our witness.”

It was a strange thing to say, against convention. Usually, with no more questions - unless Adrianna wanted to take the floor or suggest anything - and no more witnesses, Dakari should have rested her case. However, she wanted a chance for a redirect if necessary; that is, a re-questioning of Christian.

The prosecutor rose. “Mr. Moynahan, how did you come across this information?”

“My own research.”

“And what inspired this ‘research’?”

Christian shrugged slightly. “What drives a constant seeker of knowledge? Curiosity. I noted that certain produce prices were inching their way up.” This was, also, technically not a lie. It just happened to have happened after his Washington contacts had made him aware of it.

The prosecutor looked unconvinced. “You mentioned a meeting. Who was present at this meeting?”

Christian smiled and tilted his head. “I believe that question should have been asked by the interrogators.”

“I don’t. Who was present?”

“Objection,” Dakari said. She was seated, with one leg crossed over the other, running one black-and-white-nail along her red lips. “Hostility totally unnecessary.”

The prosecution had tripped over itself in its own haste. Christian chuckled to himself. “Sustained,” the judge said. “Move on, Counselor.”

The prosecutor moved closer to Christian. “I don’t believe you’ve explained the nature of your abilities to this court. What is the nature of your ability, Mr. Moynahan?”

“Unregistered,” Christian replied.

There a few snickers at the prosecution’s expense.

“Answer the question properly, Mr. Moynahan,” the judge said.

Christian prepared another quip, this one to the judge, but he caught Dakari’s eye, and Dakari drew a line across her throat. “Psionic constructs,” Christian said. “I can make things with my mind.”

“Demonstrate this ability, please.”

Christian set his supposedly-inhibited arm on the edge of the railing.

“Right.” The prosecutor rolled his eyes. “One more question, Mr. Moynahan. Did the judge in Washington lower your stipulations from a constant presence of that inhibitor to a more temporary one?”

Dakari called, “Objection! Leading the witness,” at the same time that Christian answered, “Yes, after I explained that a constant application of an inhibitor would be dangerous to my health.”

“Objection withdrawn,” Dakari said.

The prosecutor took a step back. The judge looked at him. “No more questions, Your Honor,” the prosecutor said.

“Then the defense rests its case,” Dakari said.

From there, there were many official duties, such as such closing arguments and instructions to the jury. At that particular point, the judge could be seen gritting her teeth; any telepath or such would be able to tell that she was seriously considering instructing the jury to come back with a “not guilty” verdict. However, she sent the jury away, and everyone in the courtroom moved outside.

Dakari had her hands on her hips and was beaming brightly. “This is in the bag. It won’t even be a long wait. The prosecution was weak in the first place, but they completely screwed up with Christian. That’s what the jury will remember. That and the fact that he saved them from a fucking famine.”

One of the women frowned slightly. She had been at Gabe’s party where Lucius had proposed to her, Kari recalled. Sayeva. “Are you sure? I’m just nervous, I suppose.”

“I’ve seen a million of these,” Dakari said, moving over to take Lucius’ arm. “I’m absolutely sure.”

“Good,” Christian said with a smile that he hoped covered his own anxiety. “I’ve worked too hard for this. So have Dakari and Adrianna.” He glanced over the group, then gave them a sly smile. “By the way…” A soft, barely noticeable glow appeared just over his palm. “Who is responsible for this?”

Words: 2252.
Attire: Dakari, Christian.
Excerpt: Jay-Z, “Heaven” / Chevelle, “Another Know It All.”
Comments: Let the bad times roll!

[Helena Rahal]

When you're on the edge
And falling off
Then it's all over

Helena did not even know why she was here for this, it was not something that she had wanted to be here for. In fact, it had been at Maurelle's insistence and practically pulling her from Cazenovia that had resulted in her coming in the first place. Her place was not in the court room regardless of whatever her ties to Christian might have been or what she thought of these charges. Her place was back at the Rahal residence helping her wife tend to the twins as Felicia finished studying for her exam the following month.

Perhaps that was exactly why she had reluctantly agreed to come with Maurelle after all, since that was all Felicia had been up to the previous few months. Maybe she was exaggerating, yet it felt like every time she looked over her shoulder Felicia was there with some medical text or another in hand. It was not that she begrudged her wife for taking such drastic measures to ensure her passage in the upcoming exam, it just left very little time for just about everything else. Truth be told, she was feeling very lonely.

Here she was, dressed all up in the sort of stuff that the head of an international corporation was supposed to be dressed in, or so Maurelle told her. Honestly, she felt stuffy and out of place, like a skateboarder at a ski resort. It felt too much like it had at the very meeting that Christian held for why he was on trial, though the agents who had arrested him had not said as much. Very fortunately the identities of those who attended the meeting besides Christian had remained unknown or else it might have been her up there in the stands.

The prosecution and the court were making a fool of themselves, as Adrianna and Dakari had been intent on in their plan of attack. The whole inhibitor bracelet fiasco was already showing how in their rush to judgement that their side had failed to think about long term implications. Hopefully it would have changed Christian's mind about how he had wanted to get himself off of the charges. Helena had learned from Maurelle just what Christian had in mind and it scared her, not for her sake, but what would happen to the nation.

Yet the questions came and Christian answered them just as she had feared that he would, just like Maurelle had said he would. For some reason she found herself gripping the other woman's hands tightly, squeezing them for some sense of comfort. None was coming though, her warning to the CEO playing loudly in her mind as every syllable was spoken. There was going to be blood, lots of it, and now there was nothing left in the way to stop it. Certain elements in society were just waiting for an excuse to go on a riot, any little excuse would do, and now Christian and the government had handed them one on a silver platter.

"We should leave, it is not going to be safe." Helena half whispered, half whined to Maurelle. Maurelle just shook her head but put her arm around Helena, trying to comfort her more. Helena frowned but allowed it and watched and waited. The lawyers did what they were supposed to and Christian spilled out all the details that were required of him, painting the vast portrait of doom that they had been witness to that night in the Angelis for all of the crowd, for the nation.

The victory for Christian could be seen even before the closing arguments were made with how the judge was gritting her teeth. This battle had been one, with Dakari sounding utterly confident as they exited the courtroom for the recess. "Can we go now? The trial is over." With a frown, Maurelle gave a nod to her charge and a wave to Christian. She might returned without Helena, yet she could not just leave the woman to her own devices, despite however more upbeat she might have been since her impromptu visit to the growing Dominion in the Gulf.

For Helena, she knew that this battle was over, with a complete and total victory for Christian. In the end, she had done very little to help with the trial or the famine itself, only get in the way. Perhaps though she could change that in the coming battles, for the nation she knew was now shaken to its core and turbulence was well on its way.

FIN for Helena and Maurelle

[Alice Taylor]

Christian had told Alice close to nothing regarding the allegations against the man by the United States government. She knew he was being tried for treason, a very serious offence, but the circumstances were new to her. As the trial went on, Alice was being filled in on everything that had happened. She glanced around very quickly, catching reactions from the crowd. It seemed that while most were shocked, including the jury, many of the people close to Christian showed little reaction, indicating they knew this was coming all along. A particularly strong thought peered through the spectators after Alice wished Christian good luck in the most subtle of manners. The voice belonged to Lucius, thanking her for breaking the inhibitor on their friend. No doubt the fluctuation in the electrical circuit on the device caught the man's attention, and he had correctly deduced the perpetrator. Before Alice could send a message back, Lucius had put up some sort of telepathic interference field around his mind. No matter, they could talk later.

Alice's focus on this new information was not with whom this meeting involved, but rather a group of well-meaning specials gathered and solved a national crisis, one that the government wasn't able, or at least did not act to resolve. Now it looked to punish Christian for saving everyone, constantly reminding all that a special of all people is on trial for treason. Dakari's defence was based on the result of Christian's action, while the prosecution could only time and again bring up the fact that Christian had an ability. There was something very wrong with that picture, and fortunately, a quick scan of the jurors' thoughts proved they felt the same way. Gratitude was the feeling most of them had in their minds, a good sign for Christian's case, even if this could change during recess while the jury filed away from the courtroom.

As Christian gathered with his friends, Dakari already announcing this a grand victory, Alice quietly got up and walked over. Kari wasn't wrong, the judge's last thought was to tell the jury to give the "not guilty" verdict. Everyone was in better spirit now that the rain cloud had passed, but the lightning storm that would cover their entire country was on it way and fast. Christian asked the group who was responsible for the busted inhibitor. Alice slipped past the others surrounding her friend. Her friend that had been nothing but kind to her and everyone else, a special that had used his power and influence to help people instead of to further other selfish reasons, one that had gave freely and wanted nothing in return, not even a thank you, while those he saved turned their backs on him and treated him terribly throughout this ordeal. In Alice's mind, Christian was a super hero.

Alice walked up to Christian, her expression a mixture of happiness and sadness. Leaning forward and on tip toes, the blonde gave the tall man a quick peck on the left cheek before her arms wrapped around his body in a warm embrace.

"Thank you..." Alice whispered to Christian. "... thank you for everything."

She inhaled as she tightened her hug on Christian, and released him slowly on the exhale, stepping back so the others could surround him once again in celebration.

[FIN-ish for Alice]

[Christian Moynahan]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
You’re far too kind
Hold your applause!
This is your song, not mine!

And then it was done. It was a relief, in many ways. All that was left was to see how the public would react. Would they protest? Surely. Would they riot? Most likely. The States would fall into chaos, and their government would have to reshuffle to the people’s growing demand for transparency.

The charges were nothing. Dakari was sure of that, and so was Christian. Mostly. They could choose to damn him for his revelations. Make a martyr of him as the first example of the riots. He doubted that would happen, but it was a possibility.

“I refuse to acknowledge the possibility of failure.”

It was spoken in a low, barely audible tone, only picked up by anyone who might have been listening for it. Dakari did not hear it. She was too busy gloating. A premature celebration, Christian thought with some reluctance. Those hardly ended well.

A few members of his audience left early. Maurelle left with a wave, and with Helena beside her. Alice gave him a hug and a small kiss to his cheek, to which he responded warmly. “You’re welcome,” he said softly, although what it was she was thanking him for was something of a mystery to him. He had always been kind to her, of course, and he had always looked out for her. But those were things he had done out of love, and they hardly merited noting.

Nevertheless, he returned her embrace with a smile. Then he shook the hands of each of the Kilvaynes, including Sayeva, and conversed with them for a time, hardly noticing Dakari step to the side to receive a message.

“The jury is back,” Dakari announced.

They filed back into the courtroom and took their seats. To Dakari and Christian, the judge said, “Will the defendant please rise.”

Christian shook up. I did not fail. I will not fail.

The judge began once the foreman of the jury also rose. “On the count of ‘espionage,’ how do you find?”

“Not guilty.”

“And on the charge of ‘theft of government party,’ how do you find?”

“Not guilty.”

Christian realized he had been holding his breath. He let it go.

“On the charge of ‘willful communication of classified information to unauthorized parties,’ how do you find?”

“Not guilty.”

“And on the charge of ‘treason,?”

“Not guilty.”

The courtroom erupted then. Christian smiled and shook Dakari’s hand, then Adrianna’s. Dakari smirked. It was amusing to think that she was essentially now the personal lawyer of a man she had thrown out of a window just months before.

The judge dismissed the case and then left, and the prosecutors slipped out through a side door. Dakari patted Christian on the back.

“I think this merits a champagne party before the violence erupts, don’t you?”

FIN Christian, Dakari, Gabriel, Sayeva, and NPCs

[Lucius Kilvayne]

Prick your finger it is done
The moon has now eclipsed the sun
The angel has spread its wings
The time has come for bitter things

Christian's testimony was all that Lucius knew it would be. The revelation of the famine, how Christian had assembled the best of the best to solve the problem. Many of them had been present now, actually. Lucius, Dakari, Maurelle, Helena. And not once in all this had Christian betrayed a single person present, nor any of those who had given him the information in the first place. The man was honorable, loyal, and compassionate. In all possible ways, he was a good man. Lucius was not such a noble person, but he saw the need for people like Christian. For the world needed harsh men, it needed destroyers, it needed architects, but most of all it needed creators. Saviors. Healers. Lucius' hands were stained red with blood, but no one knew to what extent, save those closest to him. Christian by comparison was clean. Not that this government cared much either way.

They were out for his blood regardless if he had done anything to deserve punishment or not.

Lucius was quite pleased with how deftly his fiance and sister had handled this case. Adrianna dutifully assisting Dakari in the preparations, and Dakari herself delivering strike after strike against the prosecution's case. The coup de grace was especially well delivered. Likewise, she deftly parried every attempt made by her rival in the government's camp. It was masterful, from start to finish.

“I refuse to acknowledge the possibility of failure.”

" I am glad for that, as there is no such possibility," Lucius said with all due confidence.


“The jury is back,”

Lucius smiled, as the verdict hadn't taken long- as Dakari had predicted. Gabriel wasn't the only one with a knack for that in Lucius' inner circle it would seem. But then, when one had the level of expertise in an arena as Dakari possessed, it was simply a matter of experience guiding one to the logical assessment of the given conditions. It was simply knowing how all the numbers added up, what strings lead to where.

The judge and the jury spoke what Lucius and everyone there already knew. Christian was not guilty of any crimes. The crime was this trial and the government's schemes to deprive a good man of his freedom. Their desire to martyr a friend of Lucius Kilvayne was a crime they would be punished quite severely for.


“I think this merits a champagne party before the violence erupts, don’t you?”

Lucius smiled, "This victory needs a celebration, especially if the days that follow bring more hardships. I have a feeling that this war is far from over."


"Aye," Brogan said, holding close to Sayeva, " But now your enemies are the ones besieged."

FIN for Lucius and other Kilvaynes.