Rating: PG (rating will change for later chapters)
Warning: This story is NOT for Maggie Beckett fans!
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyright material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual. I only own my original characters.
Authors Note: As you guys know, this same fic can be found on my Ao3 account (under the same story name and username) but on that site there's pics to go along with the story! Anyhow, please R/R!
In a jailhouse across town, the sun's rays were filtering through the barred windows. Despite the sunlight, inside the prison was relatively dark. Along with its depressing scenery, the smell of body odor and vomit was a putrefying mixture as it wafted through the entire facility.
In one particular cell sat the three sliders.
And for the past three days this was the Sliders home. They were all dressed in a navy blue jailhouse denim.
Currently, the sliders were still in their jail cell. Quinn was leaning against the cell door, Rembrandt was pacing, Wade was sitting cross legged on her top bunk, and across the room Arturo was still asleep on his bottom bunk.
But then a loud voice carried from down the corridor.
"Arturo, Brown, Mallory, Welles! Get up and let's go. Your lawyer's finally here," yelled a guard. Everyone but Arturo heard him. "I didn't know the professor was such a hard sleeper," whispered Quinn to Rembrandt as Wade jumped down from her bunk and crossed the cell then she began to pat the older man's large middle until he awoke.
About few minutes later, the sliders were sitting at a table behind bars shackled and not long after a guard opened the bared door and let an attractive black woman holding a folder inside. Once the door clanged shut and he left, the woman identified herself.
"Hello. I'm Naomi LaLache, your public defender."
The four greeted her as she took a seat across from them. "So I have your file here and it says that you all were arrested for crude remarks and drugs in public."
"That's not completely true," said Wade. "Did you or did you not buy alcohol after 3pm?" "Well yes but…" said Quinn but was interrupted by Naomi.
"And did you or did you not make crude gestures, eating off of forks, in public?" "Well we didn't know it was crude!" exclaimed Rembrandt.
Naomi raised an unimpressed eyebrow and continued, "And did you not have drugs hidden in a strange device?"
"NO!" they all exclaimed simultaneously.
This got the public defenders attention. "Alright. If that's not true then tell me your story. The whole story. Including what that strange device was."
The Sliders looked at each other for a moment before Arturo said wearily, "Madam it's a long story. One that I don't think you'd quite believe."
"Look Mr. Arturo, the more I know about your situation the better I can defend y'all."
The sliders took a collective breath before Quinn took over and told her the whole story. Starting with him creating a sliding machine, how Rembrandt got taken with them, how they're now lost trying to find home, and when they came here they obviously didn't know what customs were crude. Also, they did not have any drugs. "And we don't do drugs and we would never store it in the timer-which is the strange device that you called it. Without that device we can't get home."
All the while, Naomi was attentively listening as she was taking notes and showing no facial expressions as to whether or not she believed them.
As she was taking her notes, Arturo couldn't help but study her. Naomi had a quiet eloquence about her that complemented her beautiful features. The physics professor took in her smooth silky cinnamon brown complexion with its golden undertones, her deep brown eyes, and her golden brown hair that was placed up in a nice professional bun with a few strands that escaped and framed either side of her high cheek bones.
"So basically, you expect me to believe that due to a science project, that got really out of hand, you're lost and came here by accident. And because of this accident, you didn't know about our laws and ended up breaking them. Am I correct?" Naomi said as she regarded them all with a stern expression. They glumly nodded.
"And this is definitely the story you all are sticking with?"
They glumly nodded.
Naomi took a deep sigh before saying, "Well people. I'm not going to lie to you all. This is going to be very hard. Especially with your story…"
"So what's going to happen?"
Naomi was quiet for a moment before saying, "My plan is to use portions of your story and weave it in such a way that helps us instead of hinder us. You being foreigners is going to be essential."
"Will that work?"
"We're going to find out. And in the meantime, I'm going to talk to the arresting officer and see what he has to say about the drug charges. Maybe there's something he's left out of the file."
"Yes perhaps it's the fact that we didn't have any sort of drugs on our person," growled Arturo.
At his remark, Naomi turned her focus on him. "Now that we have the ground work of a defense, let's discuss payment."
"Payment? What are you talkin' about? I thought you were our public defender." asked Rembrandt.
"Right," drawled Naomi with a strange look on her face, "I forgot. You're from Mars."
"Not Mars just another dimension."
"Sorry other dimension. Well here on this earth, public defenders are still paid by their clients."
"What happens when the client can't pay? Because we don't have any money to pay you," Wade said.
Naomi sat in silence with a contemplative expression across her face before abruptly standing up. "Look. Let's discuss some kind of payment or barter once you get out. Sound reasonable?"
The sliders simply nodded.
"I'll be in touch to let."
~|S|L|I|D|E|R|S|~
The next day, the sliders found themselves back in the jail conference room. The room was filled with an anxious air.
Although none of them spoke out loud, they were all dreading the news that their lawyer was bringing. None of them were expecting a good outcome.
Thankfully they didn't have to wait very long. Because about fifteen minutes into the wait, Naomi was being let into the conference cell.
And judging by her frown, as she sat down, the sliders knew they were right about a bad outcome.
"Look under the circumstances, I have a deal for you." Naomi says as she pulls out a couple sheets of paper but places them on the table and rests her hand on top of them. "Due to the crimes that were committed I must advice you to plead guilty for publicly committing a crude act and attempted purchase of alcohol in the late afternoon."
"But we didn't know!" exclaimed Wade. The others were about to follow Wade's lead but a silencing hand from Naomi stopped them dead in their tracks.
"Ignorance of the law is not a viable defense. Now if you want the best outcome you're going to want to let me finish," sternly said Naomi.
With that little bit of hope shining through, they nodded while Arturo motioned for the lawyer to continue.
"As I was saying, the deal is for you to plead guilty and serve a minimum sentence of three months in our city's labor camp. With this deal the drug charges against you will be dropped. If you do not take this deal, the drug charges will not be dropped and you will be put to death by beheading within two days of your sentence. Regardless of the world war, possession of drugs is a huge crime here. Are there any questions?"
The sliders were dumbstruck at the mess they were currently in and didn't know how to respond.
Naomi took this opportunity to slide some stapled papers, which were previously under her hands, to the person sitting directly across from her: Arturo.
"Here. You do have a right to read your full deal in its totality and on the back y'all be able to find a payment method I've come up with. I'd advise you to read it carefully. So with that said, I don't have another client for another two hours so please let me know if you have any questions."
Arturo was about to retort but the paper in his hands stopped him in his tracks. On the front of the page it said: 'DON'T READ THIS ALOUD. DON'T MAKE ANY CERTAIN EXPRESSIONS. INSIDE IS YOUR REAL DEAL AGREEMENT.'
Arturo's eyes widened slightly in surprise then opened the next page. 'I'VE NOT EVER DONE THIS BEFORE. BUT I KNOW THIS IS WORTH IT. LIKE I SAID BEFORE, TO STAY ALIVE YOU HAVE TO PLEAD GUILTY AND YOU WILL BE SENT TO A LABOR CAMP; HOWEVER, WHEN YOU ARRIVE THERE YOU WILL BE IN CONTACT WITH A MAN THAT GOES BY SKURGE. AFTER THREE OR FOUR DAYS AT THE LABOR CAMP, SKURGE WILL STAGE A DIVERSION OF SOME SORT AND YOU ALL, WITH SEVERAL OTHERS, WILL FLEE WITH SKURGE TO A SAFE HAVEN. I WILL MEET YOU THERE FOR A BARTERING ARRANGEMENT.
ONCE AGAIN IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU SHOW NO EMOTION AFTER READING THIS. THERE ARE PEOPLE WATCHING AND LISTENING!
FURTHERMORE, DO NOT DISCUSS THIS DEAL WITH ANYONE. ALL OF OUR LIVES ARE ON THE LINE.'
Arturo looked up from the pages he has just read and passes it to Quinn on his right before saying, "Alright counselor. We'll accept your deal."
"Great. Once everyone's read it fully I'll go talk to the prosecutor."
~|S|L|I|D|E|R|S|~
A few days later, the sliders were sitting at the defense table listening to Naomi as she spoke to the judge about the deal that she had made on their behalf with the prosecutor.
As she stood and confirmed their deal, Arturo once again found himself unintentionally admiring the woman that stood beside their table.
The woman that stood before the court today was, in short, a warrior. In her simple attire, he could clearly see that she fought against injustice with everything that was within her.
Naomi completely commanded the room with her self-confidence and her stern gaze never wavered from the judge.
"Councilor why did Officer Tahno recant his findings of drugs?" asked the judge, snapping Arturo out of his riviera.
"He said that it was a mistake, Your Honor," said Naomi in a strong voice.
The Judge shook his bald head disapprovingly.
"I understand that we are in the middle of a world war but these kinds of mistakes aren't acceptable."
Then the judge regarded the prosecutor, "And the deal Counselor LaLache has brought forth is completely acceptable to your office?"
"Yes Your Honor."
"Alright. I here by sentence the accused to three months of hard labor in our city's labor camp. It is so ordered," the judge said as his gavel came down.
With that ruling the judge went back to his chambers for a ten minute recess, the prosecutor left the room, and a few court officers came to escort the sliders out of the court. But before they left, Naomi gave them a smile and said, "Behave yourselves."
With a final nod, the sliders were taken away.
..:TBC:..
FANCAST: Naomi LaLache is played by Margaret Avery!