Transformers Galaxy Force: Thunder Storm

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers

Chapter 168

Ella Dowilch sighed. She had been forced to skip work for two days to get her nose set to heal. Her Editor had called immediately afterward, requesting to see her the second she stepped into the building. Ever since the Trial, she had been on thin ice with her Editor. She didn't know why, but she had a bad feeling she was going to find out.

It also didn't help that the day before, Human Liberation was placed under heavy investigation by what was left of the Alliance Counsel. She had been hoping that the aftereffects of the Trial would have allowed her to interview more of the members about what happened. Instead, most members were being indited.

Just one thing after another, she thought sadly, entering her Editor's office. "You wanted to see me?" she asked.

The Editor looked up at her, and seemed almost sad before beginning to speak, "Ella Dowilch, when I hired you, it was for your skill as an investigative journalist. You were able to expose the corporate crimes of 3 CEO's. You were a master of your art. Then, you tried to take on the Cybertron Army, believing that something so open about participation and activities had to be hiding some sort of secret.

"In a way, you were right. You eventually found out about the marriage of those two kids. I thought maybe you had found the holly grail of deceptions, until now."

She raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

He pushed a notepad to her, "That's running in tomorrow's paper, front page." She picked it up to read it, feeling a chill run over her as she did.

There comes a time in a man's life when he must admit his mistakes and atone for them. In my case, I cannot atone for my foolishness, nor my willingness to be blind to the truth as it stared me in the face. I thought that maybe, just maybe, the Cybertron Army was hiding something. But it wasn't them. It was a pair of individuals who wanted nothing more than to be allowed to live a good and honest life. The point was driven home to me two days ago when I received the following in the mail:

"We, the undersigned, are appalled by the borderline harassment that our morning paper has given to the unfortunate couple who greedy and covetous men have tried to recently tear apart. We hereby petition the editor and writer of such articles to apologize for their slanderous and unprofessional behavior, and beg them to start looking at facts, rather than fall sway to the obnoxious noise generated by a small and immoral group."

Attached was over 12,000 signatures, all of them loyal readers. To them, I will ultimately admit my folly. To the world, especially to the family of the above-mentioned couple, I profusely apologize for my actions or lack thereof. It is clear to me that I lost sight of what I should have been, an honest professional, and instead became a greedy man hoping to increase his own personal paycheck. Because I no longer trust myself, I hereby declare my resignation. As my last act as Editor, I am dismissing the writer known as Ella Dowilch.

She stopped reading there, the blood draining from her face, "You're firing me?"

He nodded, "My replacement will be coming in two days. You need to clean out your office tomorrow."

"You can't fire me!" she yelled in desperation.

"We tried to ruin lives, Ella," he said gently. "Instead, we've ruined our own. No one else knows yet, so lets try to leave with some dignity intact."

"You hired me to expose lies!" she protested.

"I hired you to be a journalist," he replied. "Instead, you became obsessed. Do you have any idea how much I sacrificed because I believed you? Do you even have any idea how many times the Simmons and the Hansons filed for Harassment Charges and Restraining Orders? You wanted to prove the Cybertron Army had a dark secret so badly that you pried into a private affair. Exposing marriages isn't what I hired you for."

"A private affair?" Ella nearly screamed. "That boy was illegally married to that girl and was raping her!"

"Was he?" her Editor asked in a low tone that made it hard for Ella to swallow. "True, he was convicted, but was it a just conviction?"

She finally managed to swallow the lump that had developed in her throat. She had heard the rumors, and being who she was, she felt that there was something behind them. Did the Destron Army really find a way to fix the Trial? The timing between the Trial, the attacks on Speedia, and the investigation into Human Liberation was far too convenient. The Alliance was crippled by the Trial, and was now barely holding together while the Destrons took advantage of the turmoil.

Did she unknowingly help them pull the trigger?

"Let's look at the facts," her Editor said calmly. "Any judge worth his salt would have thrown the case out if not during the Trial, then certainly by now. What did Human Liberation argue, and how did those two kids counter?

"Underage and illegal? The age limit happens to be dependent on citizenship records. They provided evidence that they had become legal citizens of Seibertron, and the age limit there is 50, but only as a Transformer. The equivalent age for Humans – when the Amendment that states you cannot discriminate between the rate of aging of separate species is applied – is 16. Since they were married on Seibertron, they didn't break any underage laws. Furthermore, to respect their US citizenship, they received parental permission and took premarital counseling.

"Strong-armed into the relationship and raped? If that were true, she would have testified against her husband, not for him. If that were true, she never would have willingly become a Terraformer to save his life. If that were true, she would be here right now rather than on the Galactic Missing/Abducted list."

"Stockholm Syndrome," Ella muttered.

"Did a psychiatrist prove it?" he challenged. "The only leverage Human Liberation used to get a conviction was arguing that Galaxy Convoy had no right to marry Humans, meaning that those kids were never married in the first place, meaning that – in combination with the girl's testimony – the kids had sex under false pretense, making it rape.

"But why does the boy get charged and not the girl? It could have just as easily been proved the other way around: the boy the victim and the girl the villain. Furthermore, who are we to say that Humans can't have Seibertronian marriages – which Galaxy Convoy has every right to perform – or Transformers have Human marriages, especially when the Galactic Constitution, like our own US Constitution, allows for Freedom of Religion, regardless of belief, race, or even deity for that matter."

She stayed silent as he laid out the facts, realizing he was right. Even worse was that she hatted the fact he was right. She had just dug herself her own grave without realizing it, and ended up burying both of them in it. She had dedicated so much time, so much energy to a false tabloid that she had caused a train wreck in her carrier. In making enemies of corporate criminals, she gained friends, readers, and a reputation. Now she had alienated them all by chasing after a ghost that only existed in her mind.

A janitor entered the room, his cap over his eyes, walking over to the Editor. Before the Editor could ask what was wrong, the janitor plunged a syringe into the man's arm, injecting a red fluid. The Editor tried to cry out in alarm, only to let out a whimper and fall silent.

The janitor lifted his cap, revealing his identity as Daniel Simmons. "Call 911 and tell them he's had a fatal heart attack. They won't find any drug in his system, so you'll be able to take his place. The Destron Army needs people like you to get the truth out."

"But he just fired me," Ella whispered, holding up the paper she was reading. He took it from her, and she continued to stare at the dead man who used to be her editor.

"Does anyone else know?" Daniel asked. When she shook her head, he pulled out a lighter and burned the pages. "Then no one ever will."