Title: Unexamined Life - Part III
Author: whosjeebus
Rating: M (lime ahoy!)
Pairing(s): Seto/Joey, Tristan/Joey (with brief hints of Yugi/Téa, Joey/Mai, Tristan/Duke & Duke/Mai)
Beta: Jennie B. & Angryhamster (teaming up to save the world from bad grammar once again!)
Spoilers: Slight mentions of the ending of the anime series.
Disclaimer: Don't own it. Would like to, but they won't let me. Wonder if that restraining order is still in effect? Mr. Takahashi, it was all just a big misunderstanding, I swear...
Summary: Nearly fifteen years after being forced apart from the one he loves, Joey Wheeler reminisces on the events leading up to their separation, and holds onto a dim hope that they might one day be reunited. But, after hardships faced and conquered, can things EVER really go back to the way they were?
A/N: A space age A/U with no specific setting, based loosely on a number of popular science fiction premises, tweaked and molded to fit the LOLA challenge criteria, which it was NOT originally intended for. However, the more I wrote on it, the more I thought, 'this fic has EVERYTHING to do with the passage of time and the memories we build in conjuction WITH, and ABOUT the people close to us.' If that doesn't just scream ANNIVERSARY, then I don't know WHAT does… A number of things happened along the way, and I scrapped this idea in favour of another, but, eventually I came full circle again. (I think) I'm glad that I did. Anyway, enjoy!
Special note on the A/U concept behind this fic: Though it DOES technically have a sci-fi premise, the futuristic aspects of this fic are meant to be a bare bones backdrop to the overall story itself. Do NOT expect to see wildly OOC behaviour or ridiculous notions such as 'Space Captain Kaiba Saves the Universe'. That's all in the sequel, folks. Not.
This fic was written for the 'Love or Lies Anniversary Challenge' at A Dragon's Lair
xxxxxxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx
Joey awoke slowly to the sensation of a warm hand gently nudging his shoulder. He blinked furiously against the bright overhead light that attempted to creep beneath his barely parted lashes.
"Joey? You awake, babe?"
"Wha...? Tris'? M'blind..."
"Shit. Sorry 'bout that." The blissful half-gloom of the transport ship's interior was restored as Tristan reached over Joey's head and flipped the switch. "Better?"
"Much. What's up? We there yet?"
Tristan flopped down in the seat to Joey's left, nearest the window. He lifted the shade and pointed out into space. "Sorta."
Raising his seat back up and leaning over Tristan's lap, Joey saw that their transport was currently waiting at the end of a long queue encircling an orbital space dock. He clearly recognized the planet below from his previous visit to the Culver Beach Colony, but he couldn't recall ever seeing a port this busy anywhere in all his travels. "What the hell is goin' on down there?"
Tristan shrugged. "Don't have a clue. The pilot came back a few minutes ago and said that all he'd been told was that it was some kinda customs snafu. The long and short of it is we're stuck here in orbit for the five hours they estimate it's gonna take to straighten things out."
Huffing in exasperation, Joey exclaimed, "That's just great! We'll barely make the press conference as it is! And we might as well just say 'fuck off' to any chance of bein' able to check in to the hotel first!"
"Whoa. Sounds like someone didn't get enough beauty rest. Everything OK?" The brunet put a hand out to touch Joey's cheek, his voice moving smoothly from joking to concerned.
Joey smiled wanly and grasped his husband's hand with his own, bringing it to his lips for a chaste kiss. "Sorry, it's just..." he trailed off, uncertain how to continue. He settled for looking Tristan in the eye and stating simply, "It's the eighteenth."
Tristan made a low noise in the back of his throat. "Wrong. It's the nineteenth in this quadrant. We've gained a whole extra day on the way here." Joey didn't seem terribly pleased at this revelation, so Tristan decided to try a different tack. "We could, uh, pull the rest of the shades down while I try to take your mind off of it, " he offered suggestively. "Might kill some time, anyway."
Laughing, Joey released the hand he was holding so that he could wrap an arm about the brunet's shoulders and pull him over into a heated kiss. When they finally parted, Joey rested his forehead against Tristan's and breathed out, "As much as I appreciate the offer, I've got one bitch of a headache at the moment."
Snorting, Tristan stood up and languidly stretched his arms above head. "Like I've never heard that one before."
"You haven't. At least not from me anyways, since I always give it up. Who are you bangin' on the side, Tris?"
"Your momma."
Growling, Joey tossed his empty water bottle at Tristan's retreating back as the other man scurried for ample cover. "How old are you? Twelve?"
A dark head popped up from a few rows in front of Joey. "Heh. You left that one wide open. Besides, I married you so we could be juvenile together for the rest of our lives. Since you're not laughing, you must finally be growing up on me."
"Never. You can come back out now; I'm all outta ammo."
"I don't believe youuu..." the brunet taunted in a sing-song voice as he crept out into the aisle on his hands and knees. "I think I'll come over there and frisk you, just to make sure."
"Tristan Taylor, I swear to God, if you try to tickle me again I will put my foot up your ass."
"Ooh, kinky."
"Knew you'd think so," Joey snarked, leaning back against the headrest. He grimaced, closing his eyes tightly as he massaged his temples with firm strokes of his fingertips.
Tristan's playful demeanour turned serious as he crawled over to Joey's side. "Can I get you anything? It's not another migraine, is it? Honestly, I told you this press tour would be too much. I mean, couldn't we have just --"
"Tris', it's OK. I'm OK. I just need a little more sleep."
The brunet nodded his head in agreement, then dipped down to place a quick kiss on Joey's lips. "Good thing I brought a book with me. You're shit for company on this road trip."
Joey took a half-hearted swipe at Tristan as the other man stood and made his way back to the front of the cabin.
"Love ya, babe. I'll be up here if you need me."
"Love you too, Tris', and I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Get some sleep."
Joey reclined his seat once more and blanked his mind, knowing his thoughts would inevitably drift to where they wanted to go; where they always wanted to go at this time of year. The day his very world had come to an end and his life had changed irrevocably...
xxxxxxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx
He stood numbly amongst the crowded throng outside the courtroom, not really aware of his surroundings except for the comforting touch of Yugi's hand on his elbow. Whenever the crowd moved forward an inch, Joey did too, mechanically placing one foot in front of the other. When they reached the imposing, dark paneled double doors, Yugi showed his identification to the bailiff, indicating Joey with a sweep of his hand, but none of the words exchanged made any sense to the blond. The bailiff nodded brusquely at Yugi and quickly ushered Joey inside, away from the milling mass of reporters and would-be spectators.
The court room was eerily hushed, despite the shoulder to shoulder seating and the presence of a number of additional reporters and their camera crews. Joey turned to ask Yugi where they should sit when he suddenly became aware of the fact that he was alone. Vaguely, he recalled his friend mentioning that he wouldn't be allowed in during the proceedings, due to the possibility that the Ruling Council might be called upon to hear an appeal in various, special circumstances. None of this had really registered with Joey when he'd first been informed of it, and he'd spent pretty much the entire span of time since receiving Yugi's frantic phone call in something of a fugue state. He viewed everything through frosted glass; every sound that reached his ears had been muffled by layers upon layers of wool. The world turned around him in slow motion, and Joey couldn't quite bring himself to notice or care. He had to see Seto, he had to know if what Yugi had said was true...
He finally took a seat in the rear of the courtroom, on what he hoped was the defendant's side, but he really had no way of knowing at this point. He sat with his head bowed and shoulders ramrod straight as he tried to piece together the fractured shards of his life. None of this felt like it could truly be happening, but he'd already spent more than enough time trying desperately to wake himself from his worst nightmare made real.
The call had come not long after Joey himself had phoned Yugi at home at three AM Sunday morning, panicked after Seto had not returned home from the office following an afternoon of Saturday meetings and general catching up. He hadn't come home and he hadn't called, either, so Joey was well past the point of panic when he'd spoken with his friend, frantically informing him that he'd already checked every hospital emergency room in the district, and please, please, was there anything Yugi could do to help? All he knew was that Seto's secretary had seen him leaving Kaiba Corp headquarters around six PM, and the parking garage attendant could attest to the fact that Seto's Porsche had checked out around fifteen minutes later.
Yugi had promised to do anything in his power to find Seto, and this had quieted Joey's fears somewhat. He knew from experience that his best friend could fix just about anything that went wrong in Joey's life, so he was at least becalmed by Yugi's reassurances that everything would be just fine. Then Yugi had inadvertantly betrayed his trust by phoning some two hours later to inform him that Seto had been arrested for murder. And not just any murder; Seto's alleged victim was none other than Mai Valentine herself.
Now, a little more than twenty-four frantic, sleepless hours later, Joey was sitting numbly on a wooden bench, still waiting for someone to tell him what the fuck was going on. Yugi hadn't been able to find out much, but at least he'd been able to get Joey in to observe the actual trial itself. It still amazed him to think that, long before he was born, people actually had to wait months and sometimes even years for a case to come before a judge and jury. With the advent of the Mnemonic Display Device, or MDD, as it was commonly known, criminal trials were simply a matter of filing the right paperwork and making sure all parties involved showed up at the right time and place. The MDD had eliminated the need for lengthy investigations, witnesses, and in most cases, even expert testimony. A jury in situ was really the only factor that required any amount of time to put together, and even then, it was a task easily accomplished in under a day. Though Joey himself had never witnessed a real trial, or seen the MDD in practical use, he was aware that it was a speedy process from start to finish. He tried to tell himself that this was a good thing, and it meant that Seto would be acquitted all the more quickly and Joey could take him back home where he belonged. Their one year anniversary was coming up in a matter of days and they had big plans...
Everyone in the court room abruptly stood up, and after a moment's hesitation, Joey did too. The man in the row directly in front of him was obviously a Belorian, being that he was half again as tall as he was wide, and Joey struggled to peer around the enormous alien to see what was happening. Then the bailiff from outside the door was making his way up the aisle to the front of the courtroom, instructing them all to be seated once more. He caught the phrase 'court is now in session', and 'the Honourable Judge Harry Preston presiding', but the rest was meaningless chatter. When the Belorian sat down again, Joey was able to see that the judge had arrived and settled in, as had the prosecutor and the defense attorney, a man Joey recognized from a number of previous Kaiba Corp business and social functions. Joey was relieved to note that he was, indeed, seated on the correct side of the courtroom.
Joey's breath froze in his lungs as a door on the left opened and Seto was brought in, striding arrogantly ahead of the security officers who attempted to escort him. In spite of the handcuffs that he wore as if they were a designer accessory, the defiant smirk firmly in place on that handsome face left no doubt as to who was in charge, and who was merely a barely tolerated entourage. He looked beautiful, Joey thought, despite the fading bruise that marred one delicate cheekbone, all insolence and confidence. In fact, Seto seemed ready to take on the world, and God help anyone who got in his way.
He paused a moment as he stood before the defense table, allowing one of the guards to unlock his restraints and taking a moment to turn his fierce scowl on the gathered crowd . His eyes lit up as they fell on Joey, who was still standing dumbstruck at the back of the room, paralyzed with shock and struggling to make sense of what he was seeing. Seto's scowl transformed into a tremulously reassuring smile when the blond met and matched the intensity of his gaze, but that smile faltered and faded away altogether as his lover showed no outward indication of returning it. Frowning once more, Seto turned to face the front of the courtroom as he gracefully swept his long coat out of the way and settled into the chair next to his attorney.
Joey's legs gave out underneath him, and he plopped back down in his seat with a soft grunt. He'd literally been immobilized at the sight of his lover, the reality of the situation had crashed down upon him all at once, and he'd been wholly unable to acknowledge or respond to Seto's heartbreaking gesture. Now, all he could do was stare stupidly at the back of that beloved auburn head, silently begging for Seto to turn around and smile at him again. He hated himself for needing the comfort he knew only Seto could provide, and wished he could be the strong one, just this once.
Seto appeared visibly shaken by his lover's lack of response, and his lawyer had apparently picked up on it as well. The man put a hand on Seto's wrist, leaning over slightly to whisper in one ear as the brunet nodded tersely in agreement, his CEO mask reaffixed to his face and meeting everyone's stares evenly once more.
There was a sudden flurry of activity on the prosecutor's side as the assistant District Attorney stood up and began to read the charges against Seto. The legal jargon mostly flew over Joey's head, but one phrase stood out in his mind with crystal clarity:
Second degree murder.
The judge interrupted at this point, shuffling through the papers in his hands and asking, "I thought we were hearing a case for voluntary manslaughter, Mr. Marcus. Has something changed?"
The ADA cleared his throat and answered respectfully, "Yes, Your Honour, that WAS the situation at the time of the arraignment. However, the state has decided to forego manslaughter and up the charge to murder in the second. Forensic evidence suggests the victim was non combative, and did nothing whatsoever to precipitate the attack. All the paperwork was filed this morning, and you should have a copy of the new motion in that latest batch of folders."
Judge Preston nodded as he turned to the defense table. "And you were made aware of these changes as well, Mr. Sawa?"
"Yes Your Honour, and we have no issue with the expanded charges. The defense is confident all allegations will be proven false."
"Mr. Kaiba, you are aware that the mandatory sentence for anyone found guilty of second degree murder is complete memory erasure and re-implantation, yes? Manslaughter only carries a maximum penalty of partial erasure and rehabilitation. That's a big difference, son."
Seto crossed his arms defiantly over his chest. "I'm aware of the difference. With respect, the sentencing is irrelevant, as I am innocent of all charges."
The judge seemed satisfied with this and requested that the proceedings continue, but Joey remained swept up in the horrific sensations that had assaulted him when the he'd heard the words 'complete memory erasure and re-implantation'. Seto could get mem-wiped? The very thought of having one's memories purged, essentially having everything that made you who you are, gouged out and replaced with a new, false identity terrified Joey beyond the capacity for rational thought. That was the harshest punishment doled out by the Colonies' justice system, reserved for only the most serious of offenses. Joey couldn't believe the possibility hadn't occurred to him before now.
A niggling voice spoke up from the recesses of his brain, insisting that if Seto were guilty, then it was certainly no less than he deserved. Joey suddenly felt very sick to his stomach. He knew, deep within his heart, that Seto was innocent, yet the voice refused to be quieted.
/Are you so sure of him, even now? Do you think a year with you has changed him that much, remade him in your image? Is he a better person for it? Wow, you certainly think highly of yourself, don't you? You really don't even know what he might be capable of.../
On and on in endless circles, the voice taunted him, made him doubt Seto's love, doubt his own self worth, until at last, Joey had had enough.
/Stop! I refuse to listen to any more of this! I know, without a doubt, that taking another's life is something Seto is not capable of. He's never had it in him to do such a thing, and everything will turn out OK, I know it. It just has to.../
Snapping out of his reverie, Joey saw that Seto was being led to the witness stand, his head held high and his trademark disdain for everyone and everything around him writ prominently upon his face. A smallish, middle-aged man in a white lab coat trailed along behind him, carrying a small black bag. As Joey watched, rapt, Seto seated himself arrogantly in the witness box, regally reclining in the plush leather chair as if it were a throne, and one found to be sub par, at that. The other man followed him up onto the dais, opening his bag and pulling out various instruments, bottles and phials. Behind and to Seto's right, more security officers were busy setting up a huge, flat vid screen, making it easily visible to the entire courtroom.
The man in the white coat turned out to be a doctor, Joey found out, as he observed the man perform a perfunctory examination on Seto, checking his heart rate, measuring his blood pressure and shining a small penlight into narrowed blue eyes. Seto complied willingly enough throughout the entire process, though his face wavered somewhere in between smug assurance and outright distrust. Joey flinched in sympathy when the small doctor inserted a needle in the back of Seto's hand to start the IV, though the brunet himself didn't even blink at the discomfort. From what he knew of the MDD via word of mouth and countless television crime dramas, Joey surmised that the drugs administered through the IV were to help the witness relax and to allow easier recall of memory. Seto looked anything but relaxed however, and by the time the doctor had attached all the trailing electrodes and placed the thin metal headpiece on Seto's brow, he seemed more than ready to bolt. Not that anyone else would be able to tell of course, but Joey knew every nuance of expression, every nonchalant gesture, every taut muscle as well as he knew his own, and it was obvious to him that Seto Kaiba was scared shitless. Joey's heart ached for his lover, and he wished with every fiber of his being that it were him up there on the witness stand in Seto's place.
After the doctor had stepped away, Seto could no longer resist the urge to fidget, and with a wary expression on his face, his hand strayed upward to caress the metal band of the MDD on his forehead. Joey almost laughed aloud at the sight, his traitorous brain supplying him with the thought that Seto Kaiba had finally met a piece of technology he didn't like. Joey shoved the slightly hysterical giggle back down, focusing again on the events rapidly progressing at the front of the courtroom.
Mr. Sawa strode confidently up to the witness stand, sparing a kindly smile for his client and employer. Seto's face was once more composed into what Joey had always thought of as his 'dueling mask' and he now knew that this selfsame expression pulled double and triple duty as his 'closing the deal' and 'addressing the boardroom' mask, respectively.
"Mr, Kaiba, if you would, please recall for the court the events of this past Saturday, January 13th; specifically what occurred that evening, as you were leaving work."
Seto glanced up at the huge vid screen hesitantly.
The judge peered over the banister at Seto, giving a reassuring nod. "Just start talking, son. The device will do the rest."
Seto cleared his throat lightly and began speaking in a clear, concise voice. "I finished up my work day around six PM and was looking forward to heading home." His eyes met Joey's across the crowded room, and the blond was overwhelmed by the longing he saw reflected in the blue depths.
/I wanted that too, Seto/ Joey thought desperately. /I want that more than anything, now. God I can't lose him.../
Seto pulled his gaze away from Joey and continued addressing the court. The screen behind him remained dark. "As I was on my way to the downstairs parking garage, I received a call on my private cell phone line. The caller was Mai Valentine."
A soft ripple of murmurs spread throughout the spectators, and Judge Preston banged his gavel impatiently.
"She sounded panicked. It had been nearly a year since I'd spoken to her last, so I was surprised to hear from her, to say the least. She was borderline hysterical the whole time, and she repeatedly begged me to meet with her at her apartment. When I questioned her as to why it was so urgent, she insisted that she couldn't talk about it over the phone; that I had to meet her in person."
The screen behind him began to flicker and show images from the perspective of someone, obviously a very tall individual if all the men and women seen at shoulder height were any indication, striding purposefully through the crowded hallways at Kaiba Corp Headquarters. Joey was floored when he realized that they were actually seeing through Seto's eyes. Seto too, had noticed the vid screen come to life, and his words trailed off as the story unfolded for all to see.
Seto's voice could be heard repeating an address back into the cell phone, and suddenly Mai's voice reached Joey as if it were in his own ear.
"Please, please hurry. I know we've had our differences in the past, but you know I wouldn't ask if it weren't important."
/Differences? Now if that wasn't the understatement of the year.../
Joey recalled how those two had spent the better part of three whole months fighting over him, before he'd even found out about it. When Tristan had finally let the cat out of the bag, Joey was even more chagrined to learn that he was, indeed, the very last person to know. As it was, Joey's relationship with Mai had fizzled after a handful of dates, and he'd refused to even entertain the notion of going out with Seto until he'd proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he could at least be civil to Joey's friends.
He was brought back to the present by the odd, echoing quality of Seto's voice as he soothed the frantic Mai. It truly was as if he were hearing himself speaking into the cell phone.
"Just relax, Mai. I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Whatever it is, I'm sure everything will be OK."
Through the phone's earpiece, Mai's could be heard laughing unsteadily, and her voice was tinged with hysteria. "No. No it really won't. Look, just hurry!"
There was an audible click as the connection was broken, and onscreen, Seto could be seen agilely flipping the cell phone closed with one hand. Elevator doors slid open to reveal Kaiba Corp's underground parking garage.
Seto's attorney stepped smoothly back in front of his audience. "Thank you, Mr. Kaiba. Could we please skip ahead to when you arrived at Ms. Valentine's residence?"
The huge display screen flickered, and the scene changed to one of Seto standing outside a battered and closed apartment door. The lettering on the door read simply, '7E' and Seto's fist could be seen and heard rapping impatiently on its scarred, wooden surface. Another long-fingered, elegant hand entered the frame, pulling up Seto's coat sleeve to prominently display the insanely expensive watch Seto wore on his left wrist. The time was nearly 6:15 on the dot.
Turning his back on the monitor, Seto picked up the exposition again with practiced ease. "When I arrived at her apartment, she was still rather upset. Once inside, I escorted her over to her sofa and attempted to calm her and find out what the problem was. She was still a bit too emotional to make much sense so I stepped into the kitchen to get her a glass of water. When I came back into the living room she was --"
Seto stopped speaking abruptly when a loud, collective murmuring began to spread throughout the gathered throng. Events onscreen had begun to diverge greatly from Seto's narrative, and to Joey's horror, had taken a sickeningly violent turn for the worse.
Mai's apartment door was opened barely a crack, and half her tear-streaked face could be seen peering out from inside. As she closed the door to release the chain, one of Seto's hands could be seen forcing the door open the rest of the way, while the other shot out with remarkable speed and wrapped around Mai's throat. Her violet eyes widened in terror as she was forced back inside the apartment, choking and gasping for breath. The sound of Seto kicking the door shut behind them echoed throughout the stunned courtroom and Joey watched, helpless, as Mai was shoved down onto her own sofa, frantically struggling to break the iron grip around her throat. Once Mai was in a prone position, Seto was able to use both hands and his superior body mass as leverage to strangle her in earnest. Her full lips paled, and then slowly morphed into a frightening shade of blue as her blood oxygen count decreased rapidly.
The packed courtroom was abuzz with talking and the occasional outburst as the assault played out, and Judge Preston was required to bang his gavel frequently to keep the noise level under control. Meanwhile, all the colour had drained from Seto's face as he stared, transfixed in terror and revulsion as he was forced to watch himself commit an atrocity.
Mai's hand had released its hold on Seto's wrist, realizing it was useless to pit her strength against his. Instead, she scrabbled frantically at several items on the end table next to the sofa, her fingers finally closing on a heavy, decorative sphere made of leaded glass. She brought her arm up and around in a wild roundhouse punch that landed squarely on Seto's cheekbone with a nauseating thud.
Growling in pain and anger, Seto released his hold on her throat and grated out, "You bitch! You're going to pay for that!"
As this scene played itself out in excruciating detail, Seto incriminated himself further by lifting one shaking hand to his cheek and gently fingering the fading bruise there. All eyes were on his movements and reaction, and this gesture did not go unnoticed by the jury. Joey himself knew the true story behind that bruise, and it turned his stomach to think that his own clumsiness might actually help to damn his lover.
Late Friday night, or early Saturday morning depending on one's perspective, Joey had awakened around four AM, groggy and disoriented, and had staggered his way to the en suite bathroom. He hadn't bothered turning on any lights as he went, and even though Joey had been living with Seto for close to six months, he was still not entirely accustomed to sharing both a bed and a bathroom with another person. They had surely experienced their own fair share of awkward moments as a result.
It hadn't even occurred to Joey that Seto might already be up, preparing for an early day at the office, and having the bathroom door flung open to strike him full in the face had been quite the unpleasant wake up surprise for the brunet. Seto had gone down hard in a tangle of long limbs and a bathrobe, and Joey had been mortified at his cloddish mistake. Of course he had also been MOST apologetic, insisting on kissing every single one of Seto's myriad of bumps and bruises before the injured CEO was even allowed to leave the house. This, in turn, had escalated to further enjoyable antics and had ultimately resulted in Seto's actually being late into work that day. Despite being forgiven, as well as fucked into oblivion that morning, Joey couldn't quite bring himself to look at Seto's black eye without feeling a twinge of guilt. It was technically his fault that Seto had even been at the office that late on a Saturday. If he'd already arrived back home when he'd received Mai's call, then Joey could have gone with him to the apartment, might have been able to do something to prevent...
Shaken out of useless recriminations, a raspy yell pulled Joey's attention back to the action on the vid screen.
Mai made a mad dash for freedom, only to be pulled up short by Seto reaching out at the last second to savagely yank at a handful of trailing blonde hair. She screamed hoarsely as she fell onto her knees and began crawling toward a wooden desk situated in the corner, Seto following close behind. She jerked open the nearest desk drawer and began pawing through it urgently, her panicked sobbing the only sound audible in the small apartment. The perspective shifted somewhat and Mai fell out of the frame as Seto's gaze lit upon a metal letter opener lying atop the desk. His right hand closed over it and then Mai was shown again, backing along the floor and waving a small, handheld stunner out in front of her. Swiftly, Seto dove down upon her and began stabbing her repeatedly in the chest and neck, droplets of blood flying everywhere and partially obscuring his vision. With a last, dying effort, Mai leveled the stunner and pulled the trigger. Seto's hand clutching the letter opener suddenly halted its descent, his fingers opening and closing convulsively as the weapon fell from his grasp to land upon Mai's now unmoving chest. Then the screen went dark.
Chaos ruled the court room as a massive roar went up from the gathered spectators. The judge banged his gavel agitatedly and called for order. Seto was up on his feet in the witness box, struggling to be heard over the din. "NO! That's a lie! That's not how it happened at all!"
Still striking his gavel against the podium in exasperation, the judge pointed his finger at Seto's hapless lawyer. "Mr. Sawa, I'm going to have to ask you to restrain your client or I will have him forcibly removed from my courtroom!"
The poor attorney in question was pale and horribly shaken, but he somehow managed to stutter out a coherent reply, "Y-yes, Your Honour." As Mr. Sawa placed a calming hand on his client's shoulder, Seto pushed forcefully past him and addressed the bench with fury evident in his face and voice.
"I'm not going to stand here and be railroaded by this mockery of a trial!" He forcefully ripped the MDD off his head, electrodes and all, and flung it at the feet of the prosecutor. "This device is faulty, and I demand that it be examined at once!" Seto slammed his fists down on the banister between them, all semblance of his former control lost.
Judge Preston stared at him evenly. "Son, the mnemonic display only shows us what's in your memory. It can't lie, even if you do."
Enraged, Seto began tearing at the IV needle in his hand, breathing heavily and glaring wildly around the courtroom. The judge motioned to the waiting security officers, indicating Seto with a wave of his hand. The brunet wiped his bloodied hand on his suit jacket and whirled to confront the jury, blue fire blazing balefully from his eyes. "WHY?" he shouted at them. "Ask yourselves that! Why would I kill her?" The security guards had flanked him by then, and in the end, it had taken all four of them to wrestle Seto to the ground and fasten the cuffs around his wrists. They forcibly dragged him from the courtroom, with the CEO kicking and cursing the entire way. As they exited the same door through which they had first entered, Seto implored the jury one last time, "I had no reason to kill Mai! This doesn't make sense! Can't you people see that?" And then he was gone from sight.
Mr. Sawa sat at the defense table, looking like his life had just come crashing down around him, and Joey could easily relate. He had felt the same way when he'd stepped through the doors and into this courtroom, only now, he was filled with a fiery determination to prove Seto's innocence. He'd never been more sure of anything in his life before now. In spite of his eagerness to go out and do something to correct this travesty of justice, he decided to wait out the results of the trial, hoping against hope that the jury would see reason. The worst case scenario involved nothing that Joey cared to dwell on, though the gears were already turning in his head, making plans to set things right. He knew that he would need to enlist the help of his friends, and as he plotted, he only halfway listened to the prosecutor make his closing argument. As it stood, Joey hadn't even been allowed in to see Seto yet, but he was willing to bet that a quick call to Yugi would be the best place to start trying to rectify that situation. Tristan would be willing to help, without a doubt. He had never been fond of Seto, even after he and Joey had started dating, but the other brunet was like a brother to him, and would never refuse a plea for help. Rebecca would be a must to have on board as well, in case they needed access to the police report or any government documentation. He sorely wished Duke was able to be called upon, for his own sake as well as Seto's -- the former reporter had sources of information that boggled the mind and made even Rebecca's extensive database pale in comparison.
While Joey pondered and problem solved, the jury had quietly filed back into their seats and announced that they were prepared to render their verdict. They'd barely been gone for fifteen minutes, and Joey knew for certain that such hasty deliberations did not bode well for Seto. He watched, and listened, his heart in his throat and his pulse pounding painfully as the jury foreman stood and announced the unanimous verdict:
"Guilty as charged."
The words echoed in Joey's brain as the judge dismissed the jury, thanking them for their services. Less than an hour had passed from start to finish of Seto's trial, yet somehow, it was deemed adequate time for the boy he loved to be declared a cold-blooded murderer. How could everyone just sit here and let this happen? Why wasn't someone doing something about it?
Frustrated, he pounded his closed fist against the back of the wooden bench in front of him, earning him a disapproving glare from the giant Belorian. Joey couldn't have cared less, though. He had realized the main flaw in the Colonies' use of the Mnemonic Display Device as the end-all, be-all, 'humane' alternative to traditional methods of interrogation. It was ridiculously easy to pinpoint, actually, and he could finally see what all the nay-sayers had been so vocal about in the past. Using the MDD eliminated one very vital component of the fair trial process: justification. Sure, it enabled the jury to witness the intimate details of a crime first hand, and pinpoint the perpetrator with deceptive ease, but what about motive? None of the people on that jury had even stopped to ask themselves why, so stricken were they by the gory details of the murder itself. They were probably too busy patting themselves on the back for doing the 'right thing' instead of trying to step back and take a look at the 'big picture.' And now, Seto would be the one to pay the price for that short-sightedness.
The judge had turned to address Seto's devastated attorney. "Mr. Sawa, do you have any motions at this time?"
The lawyer lurched sluggishly to his feet. "Yes, Your Honour. I'd like to move that the verdict be set aside in the interest of -- "
"Motion denied. Is your client able to be returned to the courtroom for sentencing?"
Sawa's face fell once more. "No, Your Honour. I've just received word that Mr. Kaiba is being held in isolation under heavy sedation. He won't be joining us anytime soon."
Nodding as if this were the answer he'd been expecting all along, Preston addressed the room at large, "Very well; I'll make this brief. I've seen no reason to make an exception in this case, and despite all of Seto Kaiba's past accomplishments and contributions to the Colonies, he has proven himself to no longer be a productive member of this society. I find his crime heinous enough to place him in a category judged beyond the help of rehabilitation and therefore I have NO choice but to impose the harshest sentence allowable by law. I feel it's time to start over and render this individual harmless."
Joey couldn't help but notice that the judge was looking particularly smug during this speech, and it made him want to vomit. Faces around the courtroom mirrored the judge's expression and various heads bobbed up and down in agreement. None of these people even knew Seto; how could they hate him so much?
"Mr. Kaiba is hereby sentenced to total memory erasure and re-implantation, sentence to be carried out five days hence, on Saturday, January the 20th, no later than eight AM Galderma Prime Mean Time. May God have mercy on his soul. This court is dismissed."
With one final bang of the gavel, Joey's world came to a complete stop. /You can't/ he thought dumbly/That's our one year anniversary/
All he knew immediately after that moment would only ever come back to him in the briefest fits and flashes. Being ushered out of the courtroom with the rest of the assembled throng, shoulder to shoulder with people chattering aimlessly about the excitement, the juicy scandal of it all. He hated them all, blindly. He wanted to lash out with his feet and his fists, to make them all pay for their smugness or force them to see reason; either one would suffice. But he resisted; he wasn't even sure what he wanted himself, anymore. He remembered his vision blurring with tears as he stumbled along en masse, when suddenly Yugi was there with him, tears streaking his own small face, telling Joey, "...sorry, I'm so sorry..."
And then he was pushing past Yugi, shoving him away and running. Running and not thinking, not stopping, not remembering anything until he woke up at Tristan's apartment the next morning. Joey spilled the entire story in a rush, sobbing into Tristan's arms and barely pausing for breath. In the end, the two of them, together, began to formulate a plan. But what had struck Joey the deepest, what he remembered most clearly even today, was that Tristan had never hesitated in his unwavering loyalty to Joey; had thrown his lot in with his best and most trusted friend, no questions asked. Joey remembered feeling hot tears prick his eyelids once more as Tristan had stated simply, "We have five days left, Joey. Where do you want to start?"
xxxxxxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx
tbc