Disclaimer: The Thunderbirds do not belong to me. They are the intellectual and actual property of Gerry Anderson and his affiliates. Any original characters are a product of my imagination.
AN: Back from the evacuation centre and made it through the rough day with the fires. Not completely out of the woods (a watch-and-act level is better than an emergency evac), but living to fight another day.
The sequel to Devils in Disguise, which is currently housed in the 'M' section of this site for subject matter and safety.
Needless to say, as a sequel story, OCs established in the other tales will feature, briefly, in this, but I'm thinking it could still be understood if you haven't read them. Anyway, enough from me... hope you enjoy.
Chapter Twenty Eight
Virgil slumped against the back of his chair, swilling he dregs of ground coffee around the bottom of his paper cup. With a heavy sigh, he glanced down at his watch. The trial had just started, and it killed him from the inside out, knowing that he was not allowed to be there in the court room, silently supporting his brother. Something must have shown on his face because John came down and sat next to him, slinging an arm around his shoulder.
"All good, Virg?"
A non-committal shrug.
"We'll get our chance to tell the jury our side of the story, Virg. Don't throw in the towel just yet."
Another non-committal shrug.
"He knows you support him, Virgil," John continued, knowing exactly what was bugging him. "We'll get through this farce of a trial, Scott'll be a free man and order will be restored to our universe. We'll get our equilibrium back."
Virgil countered the argument with a shake of his head, pointing out that since Scott had resigned from International Rescue, there would be no way of re-establishing their equilibrium again.
"God, why did he have to be so stubborn?!" Virgil spat out. "After the prison fire, why did he have to be so bloody obstinate?! If he had just let me take him back to the island, we wouldn't even be here today!"
John considered this, tilting his head to the left. "No, we wouldn't be here today. But if you did that, he would never be able to leave the island, not for anything. Tracy Island is a beautiful place – I'm not going to deny that – but if you can't come and go as you please, even the most beautiful place becomes a prison."
"That's what everyone else keeps telling me," Virgil huffed. John was simply echoing what Scott had said the day he hijacked Thunderbird Two, simply restating what Gordon had said as well. It still didn't make it any easier to accept.
"I just… I'm worried for him. I worry about him in there," Virgil admitted, mind clearly stuck on the fact that his brother had been beaten up and then placed in isolation in jail.
"We all worry about him. But it's out of our hands now; it hangs on the jury. I've met the lawyer and she's good; trust her, and trust that she's doing her best for us."
Virgil heaved another sigh. "I guess it's all we can do for now."
The air in the courtroom was heavy and palpable; tension could be cut with the knife. Scott swallowed anxiously as the District Attorney stood up and faced the jury. He could feel the nerves intensify as twenty four pairs of eyes (well, twenty eight if you included him and his lawyer), burned holes into the prosecutor, staring at him with rapt attention. This was the worst part, Scott thought. He was aware of his defence, as Christine Julian had kept him in the loop as much as she could, but he did not know what the prosecutor was going to say; variable statements that could make or break his life.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," the prosecutor boomed out, pacing up and down in front of them so that their attention was solely on him. "You are here today to ensure that justice is done in this courtroom. In this instance, justice means that you will find the defendant, Scott Tracy, guilty of murder."
There was a sobering silence, where the District Attorney let his words weigh down on the jury, letting it hit them full force. Scott recognised it as a tactic he used when he was younger and acted as a referee between the squabbles of Gordon and Alan.
"Yes, murder. It's shocking that I'm identifying a seemingly respectable business man, a family man as a murderer. He certainly doesn't look like Hollywood's version of a murderer, unkempt and dishevelled. But, ladies and gentlemen, this is not Hollywood, and murderers come in all shapes and sizes. Let me tell you what happened; on June 24th, Scott Tracy walked into a hospital room with the strength and intent on ending another person's life. Scott Tracy walked into that hospital room to play God. At the conclusion of this trial, you will know the defendant for what he really is underneath that suit – a cold blooded murderer."
Scott eyed the DA as he moved towards the juror's box, uneasy at what would come. His lawyer had told him that the prosecution was allowed to place whatever spin on the evidence presented to the jury, but that didn't make it any easier to just sit there idly while it happened.
"The defence will try to play to your emotional side and attest that the defendant merely acted in self defence and the defence of others – namely his family. That is not what happened. Let me tell you what did occur. On 24th June, Scott Tracy walked into a hospital room with the sole purpose of committing the murder of Belah Gaat by brutally assaulting and smothering his victim. You will hear testimony from leading investigators that found tangible, physical evidence that ties the defendant to the scene of the crime. You will hear about the motive that Scott Tracy had against Belah Gaat, and how Scott Tracy waited until an opportunity presented itself in order to seek revenge over a man that had wronged him in the past. You will hear testimony that explains that this murder was premeditated; comments from the defendant over recent months alluded to his crime."
Another moment of sobering silence, ensuring that the prosecutor had the jury's full attention. The opening statement, along with the closing statement, was the most important part of the trial; it would tell the jury the premise of the case and wrap it all up in a neat package that was easy to understand.
"The defendant is charged with first degree murder. A person is guilty of such a charge when they intentionally act to cause the death of another. Did Scott Tracy kill Belah Gaat on purpose? Absolutely. Were his actions deliberate? Definitely. The Devil comes in many disguises. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, don't let this devil fool you."
Christine Julian eyed the prosecutor with practiced ease as she buttoned up her suit jacket and drew herself up to her full height of five foot nothing. As tiny as she was, she knew she could pack a punch and with the floor being hers, she needed to paint a very different scenario to the one the prosecutor had painted. She wouldn't deny it; the District Attorney had portrayed her client in the worst possible light, but she knew each story had many sides, and now it was her turn to ensure that Scott's voice was heard in all of this.
"My learned colleague did a fine job with his speech. Unfortunately, he was only right about one thing; Belah Gaat is dead.
"The State will say that Scott Tracy committed murder. In order to assert that, they have to demonstrate that the case is true, beyond reasonable doubt. However, they cannot make such an assertion. The evidence the prosecution will present is purely circumstantial; with circumstantial evidence, there is always an element of doubt."
"The prosecution will try to seduce you into thinking that the world is black and white, that there is only right and wrong. Unfortunately for prosecution, that is not this case. The world is all shades of grey.
Christine took a step closer to the jury, making eye contact with each and every member, a stark contrast to her client who was staring dead ahead.
"You all have family members, people you care about more than your life's worth. People who you would take a bullet for. There comes a point where you'll do anything and everything for them, except cross that line from which you can't come back – those moral dilemmas of where the line is forms the shade of grey. Scott Tracy is no different to you; when his family – the people he would take a bullet for, literally – was threatened, he did everything in his power to protect them without crossing that line, without crossing his shade of grey."
Christine moved again, this time placing her hands on Scott's shoulders. Having gone months with minimal human contact, it was not something he was expecting and he flinched at the contact. If he ever did get out of this predicament, Scott wondered just how easily he could assimilate back into the life he once knew; his family was extremely tactile and he didn't want to have to avoid them because he couldn't adapt to that after months of social isolation.
"Here before you sits an honourable, selfless young man who put his life on the line to save countless others. Here before you sits a man that sacrificed his health and wellbeing so that others could be saved. Here before you sits a man who was part of International Rescue; shaped his life around its ethos. To kill would go completely against his very nature. And yet, Belah Gaat had no shame, no remorse and no respect for that conviction; on numerous occasions, he had tried to eliminate the team of men and women who have worked tirelessly to make our world a safer place. You will hear testimony of the crimes that Belah Gaat conducted against Scott Tracy while he represented International Rescue. You will hear about the psychological trauma and psychological effects that Belah Gaat put this man through, and you will hear how this imparted an extreme, emotional scar on my client.
"We are not denying that Scott approached Mr Gaat in the hours before his expiration; we are denying that he was in any way associated with that death."
The lawyer paused, letting that sink in for emphasis. A quick glance to Scott, whose face was indiscernible, and she made a mental note to encourage him to let his guard down; to acquit him, the jury needed to see that he was incapable of murder, and to do that, they had to relate to him as a human being.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, a man is dead. That is a tragedy. Don't make the mistake of compounding that tragedy by sentencing an innocent man for life."