[There really ain't no winners anymore
Just victims of this uncivil war]
--- Lyrics to 'This Uncivil Way' by Martina McBride
Life... Really Part 24
As cameras continued to flash all around, Duo's cat ears twitched at the sound of gasps and shocked voices whispering as he walked down to the front of the immense court room. His violet eyes looked at either side of him at the many stunned gazes watching him. Every bench was filled with people, in anticipation of seeing what was being presented before the Supreme Justices. They certainly had not been quite prepared for this.
Danielle conspicuously reached a hand to squeeze the back of the braided teenager's when she sensed him becoming a bit unnerved at the attention that he was receiving. "Just look straight ahead, Duo," she spoke quietly. Grateful for something to ground him, the cat-tailed youth gave a small nod and focused on the table in front and on the right-hand side.
When they approached the gate, Trent held it open for Duo and Danielle before following them to their table. Straight and certain of herself, Danielle took her place at the boy's right while Trent flanked the left. The two lawyers took their seats along with their client, opening their briefcases to remove their pads and paper.
Biting his lip, Duo peeked directly behind him. His violet eyes brightened when he spotted Heero with Relena, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei and Sally all sitting together in the first row. The nicely attired group smiled reassuringly at the braided teenager. In seeing his lover and his dear friends, Duo smiled in relief.
Quietly slipping into the only space left on that long bench of friends, two familiar young woman sat beside the Japanese teenager. Blinking in surprise, Heero sputtered, "D-Dorothy? Catherine? I didn't expect to see you here."
Adjusting her long, grey skirt that matched her business suit, Dorothy winked at him and smirked, "I wouldn't miss having the chance to witness your mother and the infamous Trent Clark in action before the Supreme Justices for anything."
Catherine just chuckled deeply and rolled her eyes at her friend's comments. "That and you're here to continue checking out my brother." She laughed quietly when the blonde director blushed slightly. In hearing the conversation, Trowa cleared his throat and glared at his sister with a blush on his own cheeks. The look only bade the redhead giggle more. She truly loved teasing her brother now that he was dating her best friend.
Duo turned back again, his violet eyes widening before filling with joy in spotting the young women that he had met when he had been hiding his identity. He waved to them excitedly. For a moment, Dorothy and Catherine stared in stunned silence in seeing his cat ears and tail, but regained their senses and returned the smile and wave.
When the braided youth turned back, the blonde young woman said quietly to her future student, "More importantly, we're here to support Duo." Catherine nodded at the sentiment. Heero didn't know how to thank either of them enough, but he had a feeling by the way they warmed at the sight of his smile that he managed to convey his appreciation without words.
At the sound of the courtroom back door opening again, all eyes turned to watch as Dekim and Jacob entered. In seeing the dark-haired man that walked ahead of them, Danielle's eyes narrowed as growled deeply, "Septum."
"Figures," Trent gritted as he watched the procession. "Dekim knows that our firms are competitors. If they're going to win this case, they really want to have it rubbed in our faces by losing to our rival."
When the braided teenager turned to him, his tall ears drooped and concern in his eyes, Trent smiled, "Don't worry, Duo. Septum may be good, but he has yet to win a case against the Yuy firm. It's been a constant thorn in his side. We'll see that it stays there." Duo gave the smallest smile of appreciation as he struggled to keep his fluttering stomach of nerves calm.
Septum took his seat alone at the other table in the front of the room while Dekim and Jacob took their seats in the first row behind him. The two scientists smirked at Danielle and Trent when their eyes met.
Not ones to be affected by such taunts, the two lawyers just smiled sweetly back with firm nods of acknowledgement. All the while, Duo kept his head lowered, his eyes studying the wooden table before him in effort to not feel the burning gazes of his captors on his back.
"I suppose we best take the high road and greet Septum well," Danielle suggested with a deep sigh. Trent rose to his feet with her and together, they walked over to the table at the left side of the room. Before they stepped aside, Danielle bent at the waist to whisper to Duo, "Courage, little one." With a grateful smile, the cat-tailed youth nodded up to her.
As he continued to remove his notes and other paperwork from his briefcase, Septum looked up from his work as the pair approached. Standing before their opponent, Danielle smiled kindly and exchanged her hand. In a velvety smooth voice, she offered, "Best of luck to you, Septum. I have been looking forward to sparing with you, myself, for some time now."
Ignoring the hand stretched out to him, Septum did not even bother to have the decency to rise to his feet. "Believe me, Misses Yuy," he began with a smirk, "I have been even more anxious for this day. This is one case that I do not intend to lose."
Trent had to fight to keep his voice calm when he replied, "Nor do we." With a nod of his head, he placed a hand on Danielle's shoulder and concluded, "It has been a pleasure as always, Septum." He bit back his urge to laugh at the glare that had earned him. The last time they met, Trent had delivered a crushing blow to Septum in their last case. With that, the team of lawyers went back to their table.
"Well it is good to see that he is as pleasant as ever," Danielle chuckled deeply as they headed to their table.
Another moment passed and silence fell over the courtroom, the gossipers and news anchors stilled, as the bailiff stepped into the room. Turning to face all those present, the African American man seemed dwarfed by the tall, seventeen podiums with leather seats that rose behind him. "All rise," he bellowed in a commanding voice. "The honorable Supreme Justices will now preside. Justice Harris will be overseeing this case."
Everyone present rose to their feet as two doors at opposite sides of the room's front opened. One by one, the black-robed Supreme Justices rose up to their seats with the emblem representing the Colony where they came from. A white-haired man took the center podium, the only one with an image of the Earth on it, while his fellow justices stood at their places.
As the wide variety of young, old, race, religion, men and women reached their podium, they looked down with wide eyes and just as varied measures of shock on the cat-tailed boy. Duo felt his cheeks color the slightest bit as he peered his own wide eyes up at them. He swallowed hard under their scrutiny.
The older Justice representing the Earth, his name plate in bold letters residing 'Justice Harris', turned to the group gathered and gave a firm nod. "Please be seated," he spoke in a kind enough voice. As one, everyone took their seats. Silence fell heavily in the courtroom such that a pin dropping in the hallway could have been heard.
Sitting up in his seat, Justice Harris's brown eyes turned to the defendant's table and began, "Misses Yuy, Mister Clark, it is my duty as the overseer of this case to advise you that you will be fighting the uphill battle in this.
"In matters involving the government, we- the supreme Justices- tend to side with them. And so, going into this trial, you have already lost your case. It will be your difficult job to sway us otherwise."
Folding his hands together on his desk, the Justice continued, "The format of this trial will not be quite different from any other that we have presided. Seeing how we have already given the victory to them, Septum will not be calling any witnesses. You may call as many as you like, with the exception of your client, whether we have been informed of their being called upon or not. After that, allowing Septum will have the chance to cross examine them.
"If you are not able to provide any solid evidence that the government does not have the right to use its resources to better our security, the judgment will be unanimous against you."
Danielle's widened eyes blinked. She had not been expecting this. Never before had she started without the upper-hand, even if she was the only person who knew it at the time. While she knew that she had her work cut out for her going into the trial, she never expected to hear from the Justices that she had already lost. The fear and shock was in Trent's eyes as well, when she turned to him. Duo paled a couple shades as his ears fell a bit.
With a quiet chuckle, Septum smirked in amusement in watching his competition try not to physically squirm at the announcement. Behind him, Dekim and Jacob were shaking hands in what was sure to be a celebratory exchange. Heero shifted uncomfortably in his seat while his friends showed signs of their own unease.
Swallowing to dampen her dry throat, Danielle nodded firmly. "I understand, your honor," she replied in a clear voice. Trent nodded his own comprehension of their situation. Under the table, Danielle found Duo's hand at his side and squeezed it in support.
"Very well," Justice Harris nodded back. "We will begin with your opening statements, then."
* * * * * *
The opening statements were made on both sides of the fence. A brief recess was called not long after, as the arguments went a bit long. Danielle and Kent did their best to set the stage for their case, but there were no reactions from the Justices that were favorable to winning them over. Septum, on the other hand, received several nods of agreement from the jury of judges.
Running a hand through her hair, Danielle sighed in frustration. "This is... not very promising," she confided in Trent as they waited in the break room that had been set aside for them.
From where he sat across from her, the young man frowned deeply, "It certainly will be a challenge, to say the least. Calling Duo to the stand to plead his own case was something that we had been counting on. Now, we no longer have that to our advantage."
He shook his light-haired head and thought aloud, "I suppose that it would weigh less on the Justices' consciences to hand him back into Dekim's hands if he was seen and not heard. But then again, not many of them looked at him more than once since the time they entered the room."
"We have to cut our list of witnesses," Danielle stated suddenly as she watched the braided boy sitting beside her son with their friends at the table on the other side of the room.
His eyes widening, Trent repeated quietly, "Cut our witnesses? Danielle, we have the floor to use as many witnesses as we want. I don't think that it would be wise to shorten that list of people we have."
Danielle shook her head, "If we have too many people on the stand, the Justices will see through out attempt to drag this out as long as possible to find the right witnesses. They want to be shown why the government is wrong to carry out their feat of cell splicing and cloning.
"If we have Duo's friends take the stand repeating the same sentimental feelings that they have for him, we'll lose their interest and they will glaze over the rest of our case. Our only chance is to keep that list as short as possible, leave out the sentimental angle as much as we can. Keep the Justices' attention."
Weighing her words in careful consideration, Trent sighed deeply, "You're right." He had to agree with her in the end. It all made perfect sense. Removing his list of witnesses that they had planned on calling, he asked, "So who do we want to cut?"
* * * * * *
After the brief recess, everyone returned to their seats. Leaning forward with his hands folded, Justice Harris addressed the defense, "You may call your first witness, council."
Rising from her seat, Danielle announced, "The defense calls upon Vice-Foreign Minister Darlian." Behind her, hushed whispers spoke in quiet surprise.
The doors in the back opened as the tall man entered. As the Foreign Minister approached the front of the room amongst the occasional camera flashes, Septum turned to whisper amongst Dekim and Jacob. Danielle picked up on that out of the corner of her eye, wishing that she could be a fly on the wall to overhear what they had to say.
Relena practically beamed at her step-father as their gazes met. When he passes through the wooden gate, Minister Darlian smiled and winked at the braided teenager at the defense table. Duo smiled brightly, his cat tail swishing happily behind him.
The exchange was not lost to several of the Justices, the two lawyers noticed. Several sat up with looks of expectancy. Perfect. Already, they had their full attention.
After her witness was sworn in and stated his name for the record, Danielle approached the stand with a friendly smile. "Vice Foreign Minister, I thank you for taking the time in your busy schedule to help defend my client, sir."
"No trouble at all, Misses Yuy," he grinned back, sincerely. "I am happy to do my part in seeing to Duo's safety. I owe that boy a great deal of service than merely this."
Playing dumb, Danielle forces her eyes to blink in surprise, "Oh? Would you mind elaborating on what you would mean by that? Perhaps some of the Justices would like to hear what a mere government experiment would do to warrant the aid of such a high government official."
With a nod, the Foreign Minister answered, "That child protected my daughter, Relena, from a group of brutes at her high school. Putting himself in harm's way, he turned their attention on him.
"I had paid Duo a visit the following day to thank him personally, to find that he had been pretty beaten in his valiant effort. Despite his pain, when he learned that I was Relena's father, the first thing out of his mouth was his voiced concern of how Relena was. The only thing that he had been worried of was whether he had been successful in protecting her. Valor such as that is quite hard to come across with today's youth."
Danielle nodded, "That it is." Her hands moved in vague gestures as she continued, "Now, when you went to pay Duo this visit, did you have any suspicion that he was anything other than any other teenager? Did you sense that there was something different about him?"
Shaking his head, Darlian smirked, "Not at all, His tail had been hidden and his ears were tucked behind head wrappings. I was quite shocked when Relena had told me of what he had successfully hidden for months from the public eye."
With a pleased smile, Danielle commented, "Quite a feat." From his table, Septum glared heatedly at the young woman. She was steering this discussion quite well. Even a couple of the Justices who seemed less than amused at the start of the trial were now leaning forward to listen closely.
"She's doing beautifully," Trent whispered to his client with a small smirk. Trying not to show too much emotion, as he had been trained, Duo nodded subtly.
Pacing across the front of the courtroom, Danielle inquired, "What else took place during your visit with my client on that day, Vice-Foreign Minister?"
At that, the tall man sat up and answered, "I awarded Duo with a Purple Heart that I had made in his name." Several gasps rang out throughout the crowd gathered.
Her cobalt eyes widening again, as though it were the first time she were hearing this, Danielle repeated, "A Purple Heart? But that is an award presented to a man or woman who showed bravery in the face of danger to themselves, sacrificing injury to defend what they believed was right. Surely you, a member of the government, would not have given such a prestigious metal to a mere science experiment-"
Septum's eyes narrowed fiercely as he rose to his feet, shouting, "Objection, your honor! Speculation and hearsay! The true identity of the defense's client is why we are here today. There is no need to draw out negative images that could sway your decision."
After careful consideration with a hand rubbing his chin, Justice nodded firmly, "Sustained." He turned to the young woman as she trained her face to show only calm over her bubbling frustration. "Careful with your words, council."
Nodding, Danielle replied, "Yes, your honor. I will rephrase my words." Back at their bench, Heero swallowed hard as he felt small beads of sweat forming on his brow. At either side of him, his friends all seemed to be silently struggling to keep quiet in watching the braided teenager's fate being fought before them.
She turned back to face her witness. "Minister Darlian," she returned to her defense without missing a beat, "Knowing what you know now the true form of my client and how he came to be, do you feel that the metal you had given him- under the assumption at the time that he was like any other teenager- do you feel at all that his metal should be stripped away?"
Trent's eyes widened slightly at the unrehearsed question. "Brilliant," he chuckled deeply, low enough that only Duo could hear. "She is asking the same question, just in a way that it would go over Septum's head to keep him from objecting again."
A wide, warm smile spread on the politician's face while his gaze fell on Duo. "As you mentioned, the Purple Heart is an award presented by a representative of the government, such as myself, to a man or woman." Slowing his words to give them emphasis, he stated clearly, "I presented the award to a young man."
Voices from their audience filled the air in reaction, murmuring to each other. Nearly turning red, Septum rose and yelled again, "Objection, your honor!"
"On what grounds?" Justice Harris turned a confused gaze to the prosecutor. Several Justices were covering their mouths as they leaned together to speak amongst each other. There faces were difficult to read, but it was clear that several eyes had been opened.
Clenching his fists, Septum responded, "On the grounds that Minister Darlian's comment was purely a statement of opinion. The purpose of cases such as this is to hear only the facts, what can be proven beyond reasonable doubt. Again, this is speculation on the witness's part."
Not needing a moment of consideration this time, Justice Harris waved his hand with a glare. "Overruled. While the statement is a matter of opinion, let's not forget that this case pertains to the government's stand on what should become of the defendant. Vice Minister Darlian is a member of that government, and so his opinion will be weighed in this matter."
Releasing the breath that he had been holding, Duo gripped his tail in both hands. That had been a huge point in their favor, he knew. By the way that Danielle smirked at him over her shoulder with a wink to him and Trent, he could feel his nerves ebbing for the first time that day. More than that, the Vice Foreign Minister just called him a young man. A young man. Small tears filled his violet eyes.
With a wide smile, Danielle looked to the Supreme Justice on their podiums and bowed slightly. "No further questions," she announced smoothly before walking back to her table. When she took her seat, she glanced over the relieved faces of her son and the friends surrounding him.
Taking her seat at Duo's left, the red-haired lawyer let out a long breath. Behind their chairs, Trent reached over to squeeze her arm with a proud smile on his face. Giving him a small nod, Danielle grinned.
The white-haired presiding Supreme Justice nodded to the other table, "Your cross examination, then." At that, the dark-haired prosecutor rose from his seat and quietly thanked him properly.
Removing a short stack of papers from his suitcase to sit on the table, Septum headed to the witness stand. "Now, Minister Darlian," he began coolly, "As you had mentioned earlier, you are the step-father to Relena Peacecraft, is that correct?"
With a look of confusion at the question, the brunette politician nodded, "Well, yes. That is correct."
"And I understand that you have children of your own as well?" The dark-haired prosecutor went on, folding his arms.
Minister Darlian shifted in his seat a bit, his confusion growing at the odd line of inquiries. "I have two sons of my own," he answered, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Turning towards Trent, Danielle frowned deeply, "Where is he going with this?" The young man shook his head with his own look of disquiet. Duo swallowed hard, trying not to think of what it was that had the two lawyers worried at their competitor's tactics.
Septum frowned, "Forgive me if I become personal with my next question, Minister. But, I understand that you had a third son who died six years ago."
Again, Trent and Danielle shared a nervous look. They had never known any of this before. Her eyes widening in worry, Relena squeezed Quatre's hand. Few people outside of her family knew of her third step-brother.
For a moment, Darlian's eyes widened. Clearing his throat, he nodded, "My son, David, was in the military. There was a disturbance between negotiations between the Earth and Colony C43. He was sent there to see that the peace was kept. He was killed during a sudden uprising while he was there."
Hushed voices from the audience began to rise. Smacking his gavel, Justice Harris's voice boomed over them, "Order!" Instantly, the whispers ceased. Relena bit her lip and Quatre squeezed her hand back, his blue eyes widening in never having known any of this.
Lowering his head in forced sympathy, Septum said, "I can only imagine the kind of pain something like that could bring. A young life taken in such a senseless act of violence." He turned his back to retrieve the papers he had left out.
The Vice Foreign Minister glared ahead, not looking at anything in particular as he lost himself in his memories. "It didn't have to happen. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time," he hissed.
"Like so many other men and women in the military," the prosecutor urged on. Looking to the papers in his hands, "And so, for those mothers and fathers who shared your grief, to spare those parents with children who could be sent to war, you signed the bill to call upon the services of Dekim Barton and his association to cell splice, cloning those specimen to create a limitless army. The name of that bill, 'The Front Line'."
Danielle, Trent, and Duo gasped in shock and disbelief, their eyes widening. Darlian turned ashen, his own eyes widening. "I-I didn't know that... I was grieving," he breathed. Covering her mouth, Relena held back a sharp sob as tears filled her eyes.
His own eyes narrowing, Septum spoke in a loud voice, "I have your signature on a copy of that bill in my hand, here, Vice Foreign Minister. You, yourself, signed the rights to have creatures such as the defendant to be created and cloned and yet you sit here trying to cover the fact that you are one of the very reasons he exists! Exactly which side are you on, sir?"
The voices rose again, cameras flashed and people rose to their feet at their benches to get a better view of the scene. The Supreme Justices all watched in shocked, wide eyes in witnessing the exchange. "Order!" Justice shouted over the crowd, slamming his gavel several times until people were back in their seats and silenced.
"Oh my God," Danielle whispered, covering her face with her hands. "Oh my God," was all she could whisper again. Small tears filled Duo's eyes again, only these were not out of joy as they had been earlier. He could feel a steel chain wrapping around his neck, locking into place and ready to pull him back into captivity.
The calm in the room was about simmer into oblivion as whispers grew louder. Not ready to let up, Septum stalked towards the stunned witness. "I repeat, sir, which side are you on!" he cried, slamming his fist on the wooden railing protecting the Foreign Minister.
Rising from her seat with narrowed eyes, Danielle shouted, "Objection, your honor! Badgering the witness!"
Without hesitating, Judge Harris nodded with a clear and loud voice, "Sustained." Glaring at the dark-haired prosecutor, he growled. "You have made your point." With a nod, Septum stepped back from the stand with a quiet apology to the white-haired man.
The Vice-Foreign Minister's mouth opened and closed but his voice was lost. Sweat ran down his pale face. In seeing the distraught state of the witness, Justice Harris turned to everyone gathered and announced, "We will recess for lunch and resume in two hours."
The gavel fell with a resounding, thundering echo.
TBC...
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