This is a sidefic for my story BLADE. It's going to be a one-shot story. I got the idea after watching this movie where a fifteen year old girl got the death sentence because she Killed a man. When she did that though she was so high on drugs that she didn't even know if she was still on earth and she was also emotionally unstable, plus there was this other guy who had her do prostitution for him and he made her Kill the guy AFTER he fed her so much drugs she was completely off the world! Now the girl was killed for killing a man and the guy who made her do it and fed her the drugs is still out there somewhere. I think it's not right that she was given a death penalty because she was on so many drugs that she couldn't have possibly been sane enough to say that she killed him because she wanted to and I also think that it's not fair that they let the guy who made her do it and as such was guilty of aiding in a murder run free of charges. Anyways on with the fic hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I don't own gundam wing or anything related to that and endless waltz. I do own Blade, the judge, Miss Caulfield the head of jury and the prosecutor and this story.
NOTE: I'm going by what I've seen on TV! I have limited knowledge of trials so I'm going by what I know and make the rest up as I go!
to choose between life and death
"All rise for his honor judge Renholt."
"Court is in session. Silence please!"
"Case number 3452-6975h. ESUN versus Blade Mc Neal. Will both parties please rise? Again." Judge Renholt said calmly mumbling the last as he skimmed through the papers concerning the case again to refresh his memory. He looked up and watched the two lawyers and their clients stand up. He eyes the petit girl on his right and sighed. He knew that he was going to be needing a vacation when this trial was finally over. For the past three months he'd been judge at this girl's trial and he still did not see a bloodthirsty killer in this child.
She was polite and answered every question. When they came to arrest her she didn't resist. When she was kept in a small cell with barely any food or water and no bathroom breaks she didn't complain. When she was brought before the jury and stripped of everything including some fake skin to show her cyborg parts she didn't resist and let them. She only looked at that boy on the first row, that preventor kid with the raven black hair in an extremely tight ponytail, who sat silently watching the events with desperation and pain in his eyes. Renholt shook his head and told them to sit. Today was the final day today the jury would decide over the girl's life. Renholt knew that the decision could make or break not only The petit girl sitting before him but also that kid on the first row.
"The prosecutor may speak." Judge Renholt said with a sigh.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury you've seen the evidence we have given you which include the diary with a detailed description of the atrocities that have been committed to make the girl the way she is and that she has committed herself, the eye witness statements and computer log that her creator has kept on her progress. I thing you will agree with me that we must give her defendant the death penalty. She is simply to dangerous to let her live among us." the red haired man spoke calmly. Wufei gritted his teeth frustratedly. This was not going well, Milliardo would have to pull all the strings he had if he were to change their minds. The prosecutor was a famous one known to have never lost a case.
When they first were notified that Blade was to be arrested and trialed Milliardo had immediately offered his services as her Lawyer and Blade had gladly accepted. Blade had accepted the trials as she knew it was to come to this one day from the moment they put an end to NEOGENISIS. Now several trials later they were standing before the ESUN court the highest court and Blade's last chance of getting out of her death sentence. Throughout it all Wufei and the others had felt extremely helpless as they were called to testify by both parties. It had hit Wufei hard when he heard they wanted to give her a death penalty. But by far the hardest for all of them was that all of their evidence and their eye witness accounts were now used against her. Milliardo had told them to trust him, but it was becoming increasingly more difficult to do because this was Blade's last chance.
"Defense may speak." Judge Renholt said.
"Your honor, ladies and gentlemen of the Jury. The evidence Mister Cole has presented is the same as mine. The eye witnesses have all claimed that the girl has not done anything to threaten them or kill them safe for the day that she was under Gareth's control and even then she did not kill anyone. Her journal shows how she fought against her creators proving further that she never wanted to kill. As for the computer log, my client has shown it to me and I have seen only the evidence that a monstrous man forced my client into these atrocities! Therefore Mister Cole has as much concrete evidence that my client is a monster as I have evidence that she is not." Milliardo said calmly before sitting down.
"Your honor, asking permission to bring in exhibit R. (1)" Cole said with a smirk.
"Granted." Renholt said. A man came in carrying a bag.
"This bag has been found in Blade's possession and contains a gun of brand colt 45., a set of nine daggers, two Katana's, two sais, another gun of unknown brand and twenty-five shurikens." Cole said as the man who brought in the bag extracted each weapon as it was named.
"Objection your honor, exhibit A can not be considered evidence as my client has a license for each weapon and all are registered with the Preventor organization where she is currently employed having finished with her education!" Milliardo said standing angrily.
"Both lawyers step forward please." Renholt sighed. Milliardo and Cole stepped up to the judge.
"The weapons are registered, you can ask Lady Une about it. Why was I not told of this evidence?" Milliardo said glaring at Cole.
"Mister Cole?" Renholt said with a sigh.
"I don't know. I was told I could use exhibit R as evidence! I thought it had been settled with him." Cole hissed angrily. Renholt dismissed them back to their seats.
"Exhibit R is irrelevant for this trial because the weapons are registered and the girl has her licenses for it. If that is all I will now give the word to the head of Jury Miss Marilynn Caulfield." Renholt said looking at the two men who glared at one another.
"Mei-Lin Porter AKA Blade Mc Neal have you anything to say in your defense?" Miss Caulfield asked. Blade stood calmly and looked at the people who were at her trial and more specifically her friends and lover.
"I have nothing to say in my defense. I did what my heart told me was right. I-" Blade began but Cole interrupted her.
"Your heart? You have no heart just a piece of metal that has taken your heart's place!" Cole spat angrily.
"ORDER!" Renholt said firmly.
"Let the girl speak her mind Mister Cole." Miss Caulfield said glaring at Cole.
"I helped the Preventors stop a man who turned innocent children into machines because he could. A fact of which I am proof. I can say many things but it will not change the fact that I am who I am or what I am. The changes that were made to make me into what you see before you can not be undone. I will put my faith in the hands of this jury and accept their decision. I-I heard that someone who is about to face death is entitled to a last wish. I wish that if I am to be given the death sentence, I may spend my last days with my friends and my love. So I may say goodbye and have wonderful last moments to remember when I die." Blade said then she sat down again. The entire courtroom burst into a loud applause. Blade smiled sadly and sat down.
The jury members left the room to debate their decision. Three hours would pass in tense silence. Blade sat outside the courtroom against the wall with Wufei in her lap. The Chinese youth had broken the moment their group was alone and now lay half numb and half asleep from pain in the petit girl's arms their friends sat next to them trying to comfort the two. Milliardo was in discussion about the trial with Une, Sally and Noin. Cole paced around the hall with a smug smile. The people who had been in the courtroom walked around restlessly the reporters and camera crews who had filmed the trial were waiting at various places all of them giving the raven haired teens some peace during what might well be their last hours together. Outside the courthouse the entire ground surrounding it was swapped by people who wanted to hear the verdict. Billions of people with divided opinions sat in front of their TV's or radio's everywhere waiting to hear the head of jury speak the verdict.
Finally they were called back into the courtroom and took their seats. The jury walked in and sat down.
"Has the jury reached a verdict?" Renholt asked not meeting any eyes.
"Yes, the jury has." Miss Caulfield said her voice shook with unshown emotion. Silence followed.
"I can't do it. I resign as head of jury." Miss Caulfield said handing the paper with the verdict to the man next to her and taking a seat in the courtroom. The man looked at her angrily and cleared his throat.
"We the jury have decided that Miss Mei-Lin Porter AKA Blade Mc Neal is a danger to the ESUN and as such she must undergo the death sentence." the man spoke. The whole world seemed to gasp and from the first row in the courtroom a strangled cry broke the tense silence that had followed the man's statement. A woman member of the jury stood up.
"However we have also agreed that her last wish will be granted and Mister Winner has kindly offered his home near this courthouse for Miss Porter and her friends to stay at under supervision of Lady Anna Une Head of Preventors. The sentence will be carried out three days from now at 09:00 hours. It will be done by poison on miss Porter's own request." the lady spoke calmly.
Four days later
It rained since yesterday morning. It seemed like the heavens were crying for the petit girl that had been brought to death at that moment. Her friends were now gathered under an old oak where a coffin was being buried. They had all said a few words for the dearly departed and now watched silently as the coffin was lowered into the ground.
"How do you feel?" asked a young woman with short red hair.
"I'll miss her, but I'll manage as long as I have you." Wufei said staring at the coffin with an emotionless face. The others gathered around and hugged the two.
"Well that's it I guess." Duo said with a sigh as they walked away toward the station.
"How does it feel?" Quatre asked the young woman as she walked next to him.
"Strange. It's not everyday you get to see your own funeral." the woman said softly looking at the monument covered in flowers and surrounded by candles. Still people were gathered there to pay their respects. The past three days people everywhere had protested until the last second against the unjust court system, but it had not helped the girl was put to death for something in which she had no hand or choice.
The six teens looked at the old oak one last time. No one but the six of them knew that the girl that had been buried there was walking amidst them. The boys had quit their jobs as Preventors and were heading to the station together. From there they would go their own ways.
Duo went with Heero to quietly disappearing without a trace supposedly back to the colonies. Quatre and Trowa went to their homes where Quatre would leave Iria and his second eldest twin sisters in charge of WEI before meeting with Trowa at the circus and going to live with his lover. As for Wufei and the young red haired woman where they would go no one knew.
At the station the six said their goodbyes, made promises to keep in touch and visit and went their separate ways. When their train arrived Wufei and the young woman got on it and found their coupe. They sat down silently and watched the city fly by.
"Ready for our new life?" Wufei asked softly smiling at the young woman.
"Yes. Though I'll have to get used to you calling me Me-Li now." she giggled snuggling into him. Wufei chuckled and played with her once black hair, remembering all they had to go through to finally make things work. 'Me-Li' had fallen asleep leaned against him. Wufei settled with a content sigh.
"I love you." Wufei whispered in her ear.
(1) I have no clue how much things can be shown as evidence to support a case so I'm just going with a lot. LOL!
Well that's the sidefic! Let me know what you think! Again I haven't really much of a clue of how courthouses work so I went by what the movies have taught me!
