*AN* Sorry about the last one, if it's still there. Meant that to go on CA3, but oh well, I was distracted… But anyway, I saw FT again! Woot! Awesome! Keep readin' !**
After the preliminary hearing, Natalie, Dylan and Alex conferred.
"Two weeks?! How in hell did he manage that?!"
"Calm down, Dylan, I'm phoning Leah and Bosley. They'll be able to search around for intel while we tune in to the second hearing. I'll set up a radio link…"
"Thanks, Alex."
Natalie fiddled with something in her purse and finally drew out a handful of black wires.
"Aha!"
"You keep those in your purse?"
"Sure do!"
She connected them to Alex's cell phone and beamed at the both of them.
"We're in business! Let 'em come. You hear that, Leah? Bos?"
She could barely hear Leah's reply through Nat's happy squeals. It made her feel a little better.
"Woot! We'll show that Irish prat who's boss!"
But just then 'that Irish prat' was led out of a secure room by a couple surly looking guards. They pushed him past the Angels to the door of the courtroom, but not before he paused right in Dylan's face.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Helen. Two weeks, you're MINE." he spat at her in a lilting accent.
She grimaced and watched him being dragged back into the courtroom before raising Alex's cellphone to her ear again.
"Leah? You still there?" There was a pause.
"How'd you ever like him?"
***
While Dylan took her seat back at the plaintiff's table, of course accompanied by Alex's cellphone and Nat's purse of wires, Alex dialed up Bosley on Dylan's phone. Natalie got a chance to look around the courtroom before the judge hit his gavel twice upon his desk. It rang through the room for a minute before everyone came to attention.
"Right," said the judge, standing up. "We are ready to begin."
Looking around again, Natalie noticed Alex wasn't the only one on a cellphone. A kid in the corner was conversing quietly, his head turned the other way. But when the jurors stood, he turned to attention and placed his phone on a bookshelf to the side. Natalie guessed quite correctly that he had a radio link as well. And that meant someone on Shaemus's side was listening.
"Look!" she nudged Alex, who took a picture of the back of the boy's head with her camera phone. But the boy's attention had, apparently, been directed somewhere else. His head turned quickly and unexpectedly, but Alex managed to snap a picture. Natalie, however, gasped. An almost perfect replica of a younger Shaemus stared back at her. She could only wonder.
Dylan had noticed as well, through curious side glances. She gasped and looked back at the desk in front of her. Nervously, she tapped the cellphone/radio on the table and leaned over to talk into it as if she were inspecting some papers.
"Guess what, Le'… Looks like the 'Irish prat''s got a brother…. And he looks about your age… I can't wait to let you kick his ass, hon…"
Before she could listen for Leah's reply, however, the jurors had managed their papers and had begun to speak. What she supposed was the head juror, a twitchy Asian man, rustled some papers and shifted on his feet. She noticed the papers slipping in his sweaty hands.
"We, the jury," he croaked, then cleared his throat. "Wethejurifendefendenatspeala" he said, releasing it all in one breath. Alex and Natalie goggled. What? A fellow juror nabbed the man in the stomach and took the papers. She pushed cherry red hair behind her ear and coughed lightly.
"We, the jury," she said slowly, "find the defendant's appeal legal in all cases and approved by all 12 members of this jury."
Dylan felt as if she'd been pushed in the face. What? This day was full of surprises, but what exactly did she mean? But watching Shaemus's head swivel around to face hers from the defendant's desk, she knew what it meant. She watched him mouth the words 'two weeks' and felt her insides freeze. In two weeks, he'd be released from prison and let loose on the streets. And more importantly, loosed on her.
She barely heard the judge's ringing gavel, nor saw Shaemus O'Grady's triumphant smirk. She shoved the cellphone into the purse and ran out of the room, kicking open the heavy wooden doors. She heard Shaemus's distant laugh but didn't care. How many people did he have to bribe? There were twelve jurors, and they all had unanimously agreed that he should be let out. What was going on? She had begun to loose absolute faith in the legal system, not that she didn't doubt it before.
"Adjourned!"
***
Natalie and Alex, meanwhile, were occupied. They shoved their equipment into their bags and discretely began to follow the teenage boy Shaemus out of the building. No matter how hard they tried, they knew he must have known anyway. And so they were cautious, looking out for any flying Irishmen. But they got nothing, and the boy disappeared close to where they had found Shaemus and crew only two months prior.
"Shit! We are having no luck today! None at all!"
Livid, Alex slammed her hand onto the hull of a nearby tanker ship, only bringing it back painfully, ignoring the dull thud her punch had made.
"Ow! Nat, what are we going to do? Dylan's really going to leave this time, I know she is!"
Before Natalie could say anything, a youthful Irish voice growled from behind them.
"Don't be so sure. I have a feeling you two might be the first to leave…"
Turning around, Natalie and Alex found themselves facing an arsenal of weapons, all pointed at their heads by various men, safe to say, they were Irish. And mini Shaemus was there to, right in front -- he was the one who had spoken. But another man, bulky and chock full of muscle, came up aside him.
"We can't kill you just yet, so get your skinny asses out of here!" he grunted.
Natalie risked a look over at her friend, even though a machine gun was leveled at her temple.
"I think it's safe to say they didn't learn from last time!"
Alex nodded. "Let the ass kicking begin!"
***
After the preliminary hearing, Natalie, Dylan and Alex conferred.
"Two weeks?! How in hell did he manage that?!"
"Calm down, Dylan, I'm phoning Leah and Bosley. They'll be able to search around for intel while we tune in to the second hearing. I'll set up a radio link…"
"Thanks, Alex."
Natalie fiddled with something in her purse and finally drew out a handful of black wires.
"Aha!"
"You keep those in your purse?"
"Sure do!"
She connected them to Alex's cell phone and beamed at the both of them.
"We're in business! Let 'em come. You hear that, Leah? Bos?"
She could barely hear Leah's reply through Nat's happy squeals. It made her feel a little better.
"Woot! We'll show that Irish prat who's boss!"
But just then 'that Irish prat' was led out of a secure room by a couple surly looking guards. They pushed him past the Angels to the door of the courtroom, but not before he paused right in Dylan's face.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Helen. Two weeks, you're MINE." he spat at her in a lilting accent.
She grimaced and watched him being dragged back into the courtroom before raising Alex's cellphone to her ear again.
"Leah? You still there?" There was a pause.
"How'd you ever like him?"
***
While Dylan took her seat back at the plaintiff's table, of course accompanied by Alex's cellphone and Nat's purse of wires, Alex dialed up Bosley on Dylan's phone. Natalie got a chance to look around the courtroom before the judge hit his gavel twice upon his desk. It rang through the room for a minute before everyone came to attention.
"Right," said the judge, standing up. "We are ready to begin."
Looking around again, Natalie noticed Alex wasn't the only one on a cellphone. A kid in the corner was conversing quietly, his head turned the other way. But when the jurors stood, he turned to attention and placed his phone on a bookshelf to the side. Natalie guessed quite correctly that he had a radio link as well. And that meant someone on Shaemus's side was listening.
"Look!" she nudged Alex, who took a picture of the back of the boy's head with her camera phone. But the boy's attention had, apparently, been directed somewhere else. His head turned quickly and unexpectedly, but Alex managed to snap a picture. Natalie, however, gasped. An almost perfect replica of a younger Shaemus stared back at her. She could only wonder.
Dylan had noticed as well, through curious side glances. She gasped and looked back at the desk in front of her. Nervously, she tapped the cellphone/radio on the table and leaned over to talk into it as if she were inspecting some papers.
"Guess what, Le'… Looks like the 'Irish prat''s got a brother…. And he looks about your age… I can't wait to let you kick his ass, hon…"
Before she could listen for Leah's reply, however, the jurors had managed their papers and had begun to speak. What she supposed was the head juror, a twitchy Asian man, rustled some papers and shifted on his feet. She noticed the papers slipping in his sweaty hands.
"We, the jury," he croaked, then cleared his throat. "Wethejurifendefendenatspeala" he said, releasing it all in one breath. Alex and Natalie goggled. What? A fellow juror nabbed the man in the stomach and took the papers. She pushed cherry red hair behind her ear and coughed lightly.
"We, the jury," she said slowly, "find the defendant's appeal legal in all cases and approved by all 12 members of this jury."
Dylan felt as if she'd been pushed in the face. What? This day was full of surprises, but what exactly did she mean? But watching Shaemus's head swivel around to face hers from the defendant's desk, she knew what it meant. She watched him mouth the words 'two weeks' and felt her insides freeze. In two weeks, he'd be released from prison and let loose on the streets. And more importantly, loosed on her.
She barely heard the judge's ringing gavel, nor saw Shaemus O'Grady's triumphant smirk. She shoved the cellphone into the purse and ran out of the room, kicking open the heavy wooden doors. She heard Shaemus's distant laugh but didn't care. How many people did he have to bribe? There were twelve jurors, and they all had unanimously agreed that he should be let out. What was going on? She had begun to loose absolute faith in the legal system, not that she didn't doubt it before.
"Adjourned!"
***
Natalie and Alex, meanwhile, were occupied. They shoved their equipment into their bags and discretely began to follow the teenage boy Shaemus out of the building. No matter how hard they tried, they knew he must have known anyway. And so they were cautious, looking out for any flying Irishmen. But they got nothing, and the boy disappeared close to where they had found Shaemus and crew only two months prior.
"Shit! We are having no luck today! None at all!"
Livid, Alex slammed her hand onto the hull of a nearby tanker ship, only bringing it back painfully, ignoring the dull thud her punch had made.
"Ow! Nat, what are we going to do? Dylan's really going to leave this time, I know she is!"
Before Natalie could say anything, a youthful Irish voice growled from behind them.
"Don't be so sure. I have a feeling you two might be the first to leave…"
Turning around, Natalie and Alex found themselves facing an arsenal of weapons, all pointed at their heads by various men, safe to say, they were Irish. And mini Shaemus was there to, right in front -- he was the one who had spoken. But another man, bulky and chock full of muscle, came up aside him.
"We can't kill you just yet, so get your skinny asses out of here!" he grunted.
Natalie risked a look over at her friend, even though a machine gun was leveled at her temple.
"I think it's safe to say they didn't learn from last time!"
Alex nodded. "Let the ass kicking begin!"
***
