Then the door opened. The detective I had spoken to in front of the Bright Star Casino sat down.
"I'm Detective Fantone, Macross PD," he said.
"Do I get a lawyer?" I asked.
"You're under United Nations jurisdiction," he said. "You may see a lawyer when I' am done questioning. Tell me where you were at 7:18 PM."
"I was at the Greenleaf Salad House. I was with my girlfriend Jenna Murphy. She's a lieutenant in the Marines and a veritech pilot."
"And you claimed to have seen the bomber."
"Yes. The first time was at the SDF-1 launch ceremony. I saw a scuffle and the Spacy police arrested a man. I saw that he was wearing dynamite on his waist. I looked into his eyes. The second time was aboard ship, just before we visited Mars."
"Do you really think the Spacy police would release a man who tried to blow up the ship?"
"The enemy attack on that day probably gave him an opportunity to slip by."
"You say he's a member of an anti-UN faction."
"One of the Islamic factions. They send people to blow themselves up to destroy civilian targets, promising eternal paradise as a reward. They were doing that even before the SDF-1 arrived on Earth. I'm from New York and I know what these people can do."
"So you say. How do we even know you are who you say you are? Anyone could have lied when they registered for residency on board this ship."
"That bomber probably did."
"And last October, you filed a report to the police claiming to have seen someone who tried to bomb the ceremonies?"
"Because I did," I said.
"We'll get you a lawyer tomorrow morning," said the detective.
I was then escorted to a jail cell.
oooooooooo
The next morning, I woke up and looked around, seeing a rectangular room and bars. I was in jail. The jaier served me some breakfast which was simply bread and orange juice.
Some police officers arrived. "Your lawyer's here," they said.
They took me to the room where Detective Fantone interrogated me. I waited for a minute and then this man entered. He had short blond hair on his head. He wore a suit on his body and glasses on his face.
"I'm Harvey Wayne," he said. "I'm your attorney."
"You know what they're accusing me of?"
"Yes."
"So what's next?" I asked.
"Well, most likely the ship will reach Earth before trial begins. You will be tried in a United Nations criminal court."
"Do I get bail or anything?"
"You are on board a military vessel. The authorities may confine you or isolate you as they see fit as long as you are a passenger."
"Well, this is a way for me to get home. In chains."
"We're within realtime communications range with Earth," said my lawyer. "I'm going to speak with the authorities, see if we can ID the man who did the bombing. But you have to tell me everything you know about the bombing."
"Okay," I said.
ooooooooooo
I spoke with Harvey Wayne, and he told me he would do everything in his power to get me released. There was not much to do in jail. I did a a visitor in the evening.
Three of them in fact.
"Hi," said Jenna, accompanied by her friends Katie Taney and Lani Hart. "How are you doing?"
"Just waiting out, I guess," I said. "I might still be in jail when SDF-1 returns to Earth."
"There's no way you could have been involved."
"They think I'm involved because I warned them about the terrorist a few months ago."
"What dickheads," said Lani.
"Maybe we could tell Colonel Beckett," said Katie. "Maybe we can get Captain Gloval involved."
"By the way, how's Vince doing?" I asked.
"Vince is doing well," said Jenna. "He just had some more surgery. He's alive though. I just wish Lieutenat Reese wasn't killed. Why did he have to die?"
"He didn't have to," I said. "Somebody made a choice to kill him and others just because of a false promise of paradise. Eight years ago, I lost an uncle to those kind of people. They're probably worse than the enemy you guys are fighting."
"I'll make sure to visit you after work," said Jenna.
"I'd appreicate that," I said.
I went back to my cell, as if I had anywhere else to go, and lied down on the cot. I wondered about my future. What evidence do they have against me? Where on Earth would the trial take place? Would I be put to death if I was convicted?
oooooooooo
The next day, after lunch, I was interrogated by the Spacy police officer who was present.
"I am Lieutenant La Salle, provost marshal for SDF-1," said the officer. "We met before."
"Yes, you told me to watch what I print."
"That's right. We now have realtime communication with Earth. I spoke to Interpol and ask them to tell me what they could about you. And they came up with somerthing interesting."
"What?" I asked.
"Two years ago, you wrote up something favorable about one of the anti-UN factions."
"I was doing a story on the Ivory Coast," I said. "It was a year after the UN signed a ceasefire with them granting them complete independence. The government invited foreign reporters to a press conference and I was one of them. I was completely objective. And besides, they just wanted to be left alone. They're nothing like the terrorists who want to impose Islamic law."
"So you favor one anti-UN faction over another."
"I don't favor any anti-UN faction. I just think that some we can live with, while others will destroy us if we don't destroy them. And you must know that I had nothing to do with the bombing. You checked the name I gave you and it matched records on Earth."
"We'll see what happend, mister," said La Salle. "if we find something connecting you to any anti-UN faction, you'll be in deep shit."
ooooooooooo
"I believe it," said Jenna. "She grilled me that way when she questioned me in her office."
"Just because I went to an anti-UN country to do a story suddenly means I'm an Islamic terrorist?" I asked.
"A lot of people did die in that bombing, including Reese. People want someone to blame."
"Then blame it on those aliens for all I care!"
"Just have faith. Sometimes when I fly out there, I wonder if I'll come back. I know you'll get through this."
"How about we talk about you," I said. "How are you doing?"
"Fine. The enemy hasn't attacked since Valentine's Day."
"Maybe they have other priorities," I said. "Who knows what other enemies they have besides us."
"And Earth had not been attacked since we left. The ship now has realtime communication with Earth. We're close to home."
"Yeah, and here I am in a jail cell."
"Visiting time is over," said the police officer. I was escorted back to my cell. I just lay in my cell, staring at the ceiling, with only the jailer to keep me company. Time seemed to stop and I couldn't sleep. I wondered if spending all my time in a small cell will be in my future.
ooooooooooooo
The next morning, I was given breakfast. I just sat in my cell. This was boring. this was more boring than the day after the fold operation when the city was still out in the island. What was I supposed to do? I could sleep half of the day off, but when I am awake I need something to do.
Then some people came to my cell. I saw my lawyer Harvey Wayne, along with Chief Scott Bernard, Detective Fantone, and Lieutenant La Salle.
"The police released you," said Wayne.
My mood became ecstatic. I was free!
I signed a form and then the police gave me the stuff they took when I was arrested. I got dressed in my own clothes and then I walked out of the police station.
"The guy who did the bombing was Abu Musab Salim," said my lawyer. "He was on Interpol's terrorist watch list. There was not enough evidence connecting you to any terrorist acts on Earth, and none will be found."
"I'd better make a phone call," I said.
I went to a public telephone and dialed the number for the Knight Squadron office. I asked for Lieutenant Jenna Murphy.
"Hello," said Jenna.
"I'M OUT OF JAIL!" I yelled.
"I knew they would release you." Then the siren screamed. "I've got to go."
I immedaitely ran for the observation deck. The battle had already started. I could see fireballs. In the distance there was a ship. It was purple instead of green. Was it a different enemy? I watched as out fighters engaged the enemy fighters and pods. I noticed a destroid out there. It was moving pretty fast for a destroid. I knew that destroids can manuever in space, but not with such agility. Then the destroid returned back out into the battle.
The fireballs stopped, and I saw the fighters returning to Prometheus. Then I saw two battloids escorting an enemy pod. We captured an enemy pod. I made sure to take notes.
The all-clear signal was given as I was returning to my office. I was going to review the notes I took of the battle I observed.
I saw a blinking light in my answering machine. I pressed it for my two messages.
"This is Jenna," said the first message. "I'm calling to let you know I made it back alive. Got to go to the debriefing."
"This is Lieutenant Commander Fokker," said the second message. "I am pleased to inform you that Rick Hunter, Max Sterling, Ben Dixon, and Lisa Hayes have returned."
Not only was I free, but the missing crew members have returned. I was in a great mood. I looked forward to seeing Jenna tonight.