The Power of Hope
Chapter Thirteen
By: Lily Handle
Author's Note: My eyes hurt from staring at the screen. At this rate I'm going to need glasses. Yikes.
This was it, Hope thought, watching as the gallery filled in the courtroom, the final day, her one last chance to make the jury see things her way. She prayed Murdock had a good closing statement and the McKenna would suddenly lose his voice or better yet, have a heart attack and court would have to be delayed. Horrible, really, to wish someone would suddenly become deathly ill, but she promised she'd never wish harm on anyone again if McKenna would just keel over clutching his heart. She'd jump up, proudly proclaim she's a doctor, then save his life. When he recovered, he'd drop all charges and apologize profusely.
"Doctor," Murdock tapped her shoulder, startling Hope out of her little daydream. "Relax."
"Sure, sure," Hope refocused her attention but it didn't last long. She rose when the bailiff announced the judge, but she was watching McKenna out of the corner of her eye. He wasn't clutching his chest, or looking even the slightest bit pale. Damn.
"Prosecution, are you ready to give your closing statement?" The judge asked, looking sternly over the bridge of her nose at McKenna.
"Yes, your honor," McKenna sent a quick grin towards her and approached the jury, "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, for the past few weeks you've heard the same facts used two very different ways. Mr. Murdock would like you to believe that the facts of this case point towards self-defense, but when you look at the definition of self-defense you see that this can not be. Self-defense is only when the person's life, in this instance Dr. Chandler's life, was in imminent danger. Except that you heard Dr. Chandler admit that when she killed Mr. Trask, he had no weapon on him. He wasn't pointing a gun at her, or holding a knife to her throat. I won't defend Mr. Trask to you, if you acquit on the victims past then we've been wasting your time. And yes, what Dr. Chandler suffered at the hands of this man was horrible, but no matter what kind of monster Wilson Trask was he did not deserve to die at Dr. Chandler's hand and in the manner that he did. She did not kill him in self-defense, doctors said she could have survived another three or four days, which would have given Agent Logan plenty of time to find her, so her life was never in imminent danger. She killed him because she had to ability and the anger to. This case is of cold blooded murder, whichever way you look at the fact. Thank you."
Hope felt like gulping, she didn't like the look a few members of the jury were shooting her way. Oh lord, she was going to prison.
"Mr. Murdock, are you ready with your statement?"
"Yes, your honor, thank you." Murdock picked up a pile of newspapers from the corner of the table and approached the jury. He dropped the stack on the railing in front of them and the thump they landed with echoed through the court room. "There are twenty-seven newspapers in this stack. Twenty-seven papers that all have this court case as the head line. They range from simple over views of yesterdays testimony to a few in-depth analysis's of the case. Probably this morning you read one of these papers and probably read the article on this case. I had my assistant read a few of the articles to me and I noticed one thing they all had in common. Dr. Chandler's name is only used once, then they writer always refers to her as the defendant. Odd isn't it? How inhuman that makes a person. Mr. McKenna and the press have been trying this whole case to turn Dr. Chandler into an inhuman monster. She's a mutant, call her that instead of doctor. She's on trial for murder, call her the defendant instead of a kidnapping survivor. Oh yes, if she had restrained herself for three days Agent Logan may have found her, but if he had and Wilson Trask was alive who do you think Mr. McKenna would be prosecuting instead of Dr. Chandler? The only reason Dr. Chandler is here right now is because of her mutant status, something she has never hidden, and the only reason Mr. Trask isn't is because he threatened her life. Thank you for your time, ladies and gentlemen."
"Okay, ladies and gentlemen of the jury," The judge said, turning towards the jury, "You will now be sent into deliberations. Until you reach a verdict you will not be allowed to read, watch or listen to any media pertaining to this case. You are not allowed to discus deliberations with your family, friends and most especially the media. If you do, this case will be declared a miss-trial. You are only allowed to consider the evidence presented in court during your deliberations, if you need something brought to you, send the foreperson with a not to the bailiff, he will be standing outside your door. You're dismissed to jury chambers."
Hope watched the jury file out, while cameras flashed and reports snuck out of the gallery to give reports from outside or lie in waiting for her to leave. How long would it take, she wondered. Would she be waiting days? Weeks even? Or just hours for the jury to render a verdict? She would probably go mad before then.
It was odd for Hope to return to the Institute so early in the day. Usually she didn't get back from court until the late afternoon, but she arrived with Maverick just after the students got home from school.
"Well, Doktor, what are you going to do with your afternoon?" Maverick asked as they climbed the front steps.
"Work, I think," She shrugged, "The Infirmary could use a once over and my files are becoming rather disorganized."
"Shame, shame," Maverick scolded while he held the front door open for her.
"I know, I'm such a slo…" Hope stopped dead halfway through the door when the alarm went off. "Intruders?"
Maverick tucked her behind his back and was about to push her through the door when Sabretooth came sailing over the front gate. "Get Logan,"
"Already here, Viking," Logan shot past them, heading straight for Sabretooth. He never made it. Halfway there he froze in place and Hope knew instantly what that meant. She stepped around Maverick, and shook off his arm when he tried to hold her back.
"Alright, Magneto, what do you want?" She called out, slowly walking down the steps. Sabretooth circled Logan and chuckled at him.
The front gate started to glow and then blew inwards. Hope shielded her face with her hand and when she lowered her arm, Gambit walked in with Colossus and Pyro. "He'll be here in a minute, chere."
"X-men!" Scott called from behind Hope, but she held up a hand.
"No, wait. They aren't here to fight," Hope stepped closer to the three Acolytes, "You're just the welcoming crew, aren't you?"
"What can I say?" Gambit shrugged and grinned at her, "He likes to make an entrance."
"Well, the show was lovely, but I would like to hear what he has to say to me and then send him on his way."
"Hope, how can you be sure this is what he wants?" Hank asked from the steps behind her and she glanced over her shoulder at him.
"He visited me once before already, and…"
"Made her an offer," Magneto said from above their heads, "It's good to see you under much friendlier conditions, Doctor."
"Seems pretty hostile to me, Magneto, you couldn't have settled on a phone call?" She asked, casually cocking a hip as she regarded him. She was playing it cool, when what she really wanted to do was step back behind Maverick and let him and his muscles take care of it.
"It's better if we talk in person. Creed," Magneto didn't even glance at Sabretooth who had been circling closer and closer to Logan, "Later." Sabretooth growled once at Logan then stood off to the side with Gambit, Pyro and Colossus.
"Can we get this over with, Magneto? I have things to do with my afternoon," Hope rolled her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently.
Magneto chuckled at her, of course Doctor," He touched down on the yard and regarded her just a coolly, "I'm sure you know your friends here have been digging around through MPD files and other records?" Hope nodded, "I have been doing the same, Mystique proves most useful at infiltrating government organizations."
"I'm sure she's a hoot at parties as well," Hope raised an eyebrow, "What can you tell me that my friends here haven't already."
"Quite a bit actually, though you probably know about the MPD planning on using their success in this case to get more funding, build bigger, better mutant prisons and develop a system to track mutants."
"The jury could still acquit me, Magneto. It's innocent until proven guilty here," She shot back but Magneto just laughed.
"Actually, Doctor, in your case it's guilty until McKenna stops paying the jury."
"What?" Hope went still, not liking at all what Magneto was implying.
"Oh, they didn't tell you? McKenna's been paying off the jury from the start. They'll vote anyway he wants them to and that means guilty. Sorry to ruin the surprise for you." Hope was speechless. "You see Doctor, there's no hope for humanity. They want mutants locked up, and they'll do anything to see that it happens. You will be convicted and you will be sentenced to death. Unless, you join me."
"Dr. Chandler would never!" One of the students called from behind her and Hope swallowed.
"I can see your tempted, Doctor. Join me, and you'll never have to spend a day behind bars, you'll never have to face months and months on death row, with a date hanging above your head. Appeals will never go anywhere and all it will do is slow down the inevitable. What would you like for your last meal Doctor?"
"Erik," Hope felt Charles move closer to her, "I'm asking you to leave. Now."
"Well, Doctor?"
"I'm sorry, Magneto, but I gracefully decline your offer," Hope said coolly, though she wanted to scream, "Please, have a nice day." With that she turned on her heel, pushed her way through the crowd of students and slammed the door of the Institute closed behind her. She could remember Logan's words to her the night he'd gone to the docks, "We'll keep you informed." Informed her ass. Why hadn't anyone told her the jury was being paid? Did they think she couldn't handle it? That she'd snap? Everyone was so damned worried about her mental condition they wouldn't even tell her the truth. Fuming she stormed through the Institute with no clear destination in mind. Some place where she could get rid of her anger. Some place where she could be alone.
"Doktor!" David called and she whirled on him, raising a hand that crackled ominously with her power.
"Don't," She growled, "Don't say anything, David. I don't want to do something I'd regret." What bothered her most was under all the anger she was hurt. Hurt that no one believed she had the strength to get through this. Where was the trust? She wondered. I'm supposes to trust that behind the scenes everyone's doing stuff to save me when they won't trust me to handle what they find?
"Liebchen, please just hear me out," David tried to sooth, but Hope shook her head.
"I don't want to hear it!" She yelled, "Just leave me alone!" When he reached for her Hope lashed out. David's eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed. She felt a slight sting of guilt, but she had warned him. Leaving David where he lay Hope headed for the backdoor. Maybe she'd jump the wall and head for the bus depot. Her family was in Washington, she could stay with them until the trial was over. A nice fancy hotel room, where she wouldn't have a hulking German following her around all day, or an over protective, son of a bitch, weasel being sweet to her one moment then being an ass the next. God she was angry. She slammed through the backdoor with enough force to have it bang against the wall. She ignored it and kept going. If she dared to admit it to herself, which she never would, she was trying to ignore the sick ball of fear rolling around in her stomach. The one that she seemed to carry around with everyday now, only it kept growing. Each day it seemed to grow with every headline she read, or news report she happened to catch. And now she finds out the jury's being paid! That just sickened her. And on top of that why didn't they present any of this to a judge? That would end this whole mess quicker than she could blink. Her name would be cleared and she could go back to her normal life. Now, angrier than ever she whirled to go back to the house and have her say.
"Logan!" She hated how he managed to sneak up on her every time, but it sure made everything more convenient. "You no good, son of a bitch…"
"Don't start, Doc," He growled right back at her, but there was a reason people feared the Chandler family temper.
"Damn right I'm goin' to start, and you're goin' ta shut up and listen. What happened ta that promise that you were gonna to tell me about what's goin' on? About those little undercover missions you and that rat bastard Mav'rick were runnin'? You promised me that you'd keep me informed," She shoved at him, "Instead I have ta find out from a super villain with a bad fashion sense!"
Logan grabbed her wrist, "What good would it have done you to know?"
"That's not the point!" She yelled up at him, trying to pound on his chest, "All y'all are treatin' me like I'm some sorta child."
"And you're acting like one, aren't ya?" She glared at him, her body vibrating with anger. It was easier to be angry, easier to lash out at him instead of clinging to him like she had before. "You're acting like a spoiled little child who didn't get let in on a secret and," He just held her wrist tighter when she started to struggle against his hold, "What you did to Ricko proves it. He was only trying to explain things to you, and what do you do? You take out your fear on him."
"I'm not afraid," She whispered harshly and Logan laughed bitterly.
"I can smell it, Doc. You're afraid, and…" Logan sighed, "And you're hurt. I'm sorry for that. I know it's not going to help, but I didn't want to tell you."
"Why?"
"Because you need all the hope you can get," A corner of Logan's mouth tipped up, but it quickly fell back into place, "What good would it have done you to know? The jury's being paid off, you can't change that."
"You can take that kind of information to the judge, get McKenna arrest and another trial for me," Hope accused, "Why haven't you?"
"Someone is pulling the strings here, someone who wants you in prison. We don't know who or why and until we find out, whether you get a mistrial or acquitted, you're going to be hunted."
"So, you'd rather leave me hanging instead," When Hope pulled her hands away this time, he let go.
"Doc…Hope, whoever is after you is going to go for the students next, but they're going to wait. Bide their time until we're not paying enough attention, then…" Logan trailed off and Hope hung her head.
"I shouldn't have had to find out from Magneto about it, Logan. I was wrong to take it out on you and David. I'm sorry, but…it should have been you or David who told me."
"You're right, Doc, sorry about that." He opened his arms and Hope went willingly into them. She buried her face against his neck, her anger fading away. Maybe she didn't like the way Logan and David were doing things, but they were some of the only people trying to save her. She had to trust they knew best.
Hope sighed, "Now with the testimony over and the jury deliberating, I feel like I'm hanging in midair, waiting to hit the ground and it just won't happen. I thought the trial was bad, but this, this is worse. I hate waiting."
Logan shifted her so his arm draped over her shoulders and started to lead her back to the Institute, "Doc, I know the feeling. When I was workin' with S.H.I.E.L.D. lookin' for you, nothing moved fast enough. I felt like I might never find you."
"Thank you, Logan," Hope rested her head against his shoulder.
"Now, when did you start callin' Ricko by his name?" And she burst out laughing.
Hank found Maverick slumped in the middle of a hallway, just coming around. "Easy Lieutenant," He said, steadying the man when he tried to get to his feet.
"Gott, she packs a punch," the man groaned and rubbed at his head.
"Here, lets find you a place to sit."
"Nien, gotta calm her down. I got to explain things to her."
Hank steered Maverick back towards the library, "Logan went after her, I'm sure he's explaining things. Though it is curious that you didn't mention to the rest of us about the pay offs."
"What would have been the point? You couldn't tell anyone since we're still trying to find who's behind all of this and telling Hope," Maverick sighed, "She's angry, but she's also hurt. She thought she had a chance, I hate for her to lose that."
"There now," Hank helped the man into a chair, "I'm glad to see you're concerned for her, but she has plenty of people ready to help her get through this emotionally. You and Logan needn't worry about that."
"Ah, mien blutsbruder, he would worry anyway about that one." Hank chose to ignore the comment, "Danke for your help."
"Would you like me to get Hope for you? Or would you rather wait until your well enough to go after her yourself?"
"I'll wait, better to let Logan handle her for now." Hank nodded and slipped away with the excuse he wanted to talk with the Professor. Instead he followed Hope's path and headed for the backdoor that she had slammed out of. He stopped just outside the door when he saw Hope and Logan at the edge of the pool deck. She had her hand against his cheek, and she was smiling softly at him. He ran his hand over her hair and then started to lean down to her. Hank looked away before they kissed. Honestly, why was he surprised at all that Hope had taken an interest in Logan? The man at least looked human. He turned around and started for his room. He hadn't felt heartache like this in a long time, like someone had just squeezed all the blood out of his heart and kept squeezing.
"Hank?" Ororo called after he brushed past her without a word, "Is something wrong?"
"No," He said as he kept going, "Nothing, I just have something important to do. That's all."
Being humble was not something Hope was use to. Call it a learned superiority complex, but after years of being a doctor she didn't like the way being wrong felt in her stomach. Of course apologizing to David was the correct thing to do, but she still was uneasy about it. She found him in the library, sitting in a chair and idly rubbing his head with one hand.
"Can I come in?" She asked, glancing at him briefly before look at her feet.
"Of course, take a seat," He gestured to the chair across from him. Hope scurried over and sat on the edge of it.
"I'm sorry," she blurted after a few minutes of silence, "I shouldn't have…I didn't mean…I just…"
"It's alright, Hope, I think if I had been in your place, I may have done the same thing."
"Really, David, I shouldn't have acted the way I did, it was wrong of me."
He chuckled, "And what way should you have acted? Calm? Nien, you had a right to be angry at me. When I first thought something was wrong with the jury I should have mentioned it to you."
"You, you thought something was wrong a while ago, didn't you?" Hope asked, reading his expression.
"Ja, the first day of court. The jury looked bored, like they didn't want to be there and couldn't we speed things up?" David shook his head, "A jury on a landmark case should be thrilled, or nervous, anything but bored. I mentioned it to Logan, and he got that brown haired girl to work on it."
"Kitty," Hope said, "She's an expert with computer apparently."
"And a soft spot for Logan," David smiled at her, "He's good with the students, but he looks out for her and Rogue, I noticed."
"His "favorite" students," Hope smiled back, "He pushes them harder than the other students, but he always watches their backs and frets constantly when they're in the Infirmary."
"He's nothing but a softy, really." And Hope laughed.
"Yes like a big fluffy marshmallow," She snorted and waved a hand at David, "Just a pussy cat really."
Maverick caught her hand and turned it over to look at the back and the three scars, "I wondered about this when I first saw it, you know. It's not mentioned anywhere in the S.H.I.E.L.D report, but I'd know these kind of marks anywhere. An accident?"
"My powers can't go through cloth, apparently. I had my hands wrapped and needed to get the bandages off quickly. Logan's claws were handy."
"You never healed it?"
Hope frowned at him, "How did you know I could heal myself?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D. files are very good."
"Scary to think Colonel Fury knows that much about me."
David chuckled, "He knows more than that, believe me. Why didn't you heal it?"
"I passed out before I could." Hope pulled her hand away and curled it against her chest, "When I woke up the doctors had already started to repair it. I was a bit…paranoid after what had happened to me, and I didn't want the doctors to know I had powers so, I let them fix it. Stupid really since they already knew who I was."
"Fear is never stupid, it can save your life."
"Irrational fear is, it was stupid to be paranoid like that," Hope pointed out and David leaned back into his chair and looked out the window.
"Maybe I've been a spy too long, I spend my days looking around corners, just waiting for something to jump out at me. Paranoia and fear, because your stupid if you don't feel either, that'll keep you alive for a long time."
"Seems a tragic way to live if you ask me," Hope looked out the window as well, stroking her scars with her other hand.
"Probably is, but it has it's moment," He grinned at her, "Certainly makes life interesting."
"I'd rather lead a dull live then," Hope muttered, "Better to be bored than dead."
"Don't knock it 'till you try it, Doc" Logan said and they both looked towards the door where he was standing.
David rolled his eyes, "You've never been dead, blutsbruder."
"I'd hate to think you've been there, David." Hope said sincerely, "I'm rather fond of you."
"Moving in on my girl, eh, North?"
David snorted, "Like I'd be so stupid. You'd tear me to pieces if I tried move in on your girl."
"His girl?"
"Damn right."
"Though, she is tempting," David smiled charmingly, "How about it, bewundernswert you leave this brute behind and come see East Germany with me?"
"Why, David, I never thought you'd ask!" Hope pretended to look joyous and batted her eyelashes at him, "Can we leave tonight?"
"You're both a riot," Logan snorted, "Doc, you're dad's on the phone."
"Oh, well, I better go take it then. I am sorry for what I did, David."
"Nichts davon halten."
"Thank you…I think," Hope said and then left to get the phone in her room.'
"You two back on good terms?" Logan asked, studying Maverick.
"Of course, no woman can resist my charm."
Logan grunted, "Can't wait to mention this to Elena the next time I see her."
Maverick went white, "You wouldn't."
"Told ya I'd rip you to pieces if you tried to take my girl."
It took the jury three weeks to seemingly reach a verdict. What they really discussed Hope didn't want to think about. The call came while she was supervising a game of soccer out in the yard. Grim determination made her walk into the courtroom and face the jury. Greed was a sickening thing, she thought watching them file back into the jury box. A few had the decency to look away when she met their gaze, others showed no remorse or guilt. McKenna looked like he was about to dance a jig. The bailiff took the paper from the foreperson and handed it to the judge. Camera lights flashed and the silence in the room was like death. The judge handed the paper back to the bailiff and the bailiff returned it to the jury.
"In the matter of the People versus Dr. Hope Chandler, how do you find?"
Author's Note: Okay, so it's not really a cliff hanger, but if the verdict got in, I would have to keep writing the scenes and this chapter would be really, really, really long. So, you only get a cliffhanger if you haven't been paying attention! And Maverick says some new German words in this chapter, nitchs davon halten means think nothing of it and bewundernswert means beautiful. If you can't figure out what Gott means, tsk, tsk.