Felicity stepped into the bright hall, leaving the dimming outside world.
“Hello?”
No one answered, but then, that was normal. Poking her head into the living
room, she saw Shadow and Dan going over something. “What’re you two doing?”
she “Could you leave the room, please?” Dan asked, too exhausted to bother with
talking with her any further. He didn’t mind Felicity; she was fine as long
as you were on her good side. Now was just a bad time to be talked too.
“We have to concentrate,” Shadow explained, standing by her belief that
everyone in this house should tell and explain all.
Felicity shrugged and walked towards the kitchen. This house had been tense
since they’d obtained it, though she couldn’t see why. She herself was
perfectly calm, believing that everything would be fine. And if it didn’t,
that’s fate. She was a definite fatalist.
Besides, what was the good of staying in the house? ‘There’s no point in
living if you can’t feel alive,’ was her motto. It was from a movie, and fit
her perfectly.
Her icy blue-green eyes found Trae and Mike sitting at the kitchen table,
talking. “Hey guys,” she sat down next to them.
“Hi,” Trae looked up, surprised. She hadn’t expected the girl, who usually
stayed out later, to be back. “What brings you back so early?”
“I just felt like it. Besides, there wasn’t anything else to do,” she
grinned.
Something about Felicity bugged Trae, and she guessed it was her carefree
manner. Felicity was taking this whole situation lightly, going out just to
walk around and go to clubs, while the rest of them were almost worried
sick. How did she do it?
“So, what’d ya do today?” Mike asked. Though he loved hearing about what
was going on, a part of him forced him to stay in the house until some
matters were cleared up. Since Felicity went out, he could hear what was
going on from her.
“Not much,” Felicity loved telling how much fun she had had, just to prove
that it was more fun out there. “I went to a café, hung out at a club, went
to a movie, trained my pokemon… you know, the usual.”
“I wish I could get myself out there,” Mike sighed truthfully.
Felicity raised an eyebrow in surprised. So there was something telling
them not to go, just as there was something telling her too go. Well, that
explained a lot. “Want me to drag you?” she smiled.
“Maybe you should,” Mike grinned back.
“By the way, do you want to go to the courthouse tomorrow?” Trae enquired.
“The trial is out until than.”
“Sure. Are you guys coming?”
Both nodded, and Felicity smiled again. “Are you going to be able to get
over your fears?”
“Yeah,” Trae chuckled, followed by Mike.
“Hey, guys,” came a voice from the doorway. “I’m going out for a bit.”
The three at the table looked up to see Ginger. “Where are you going?”
Felicity inquired curiously.
“I’m going to make a house call to a relative,” she smiled strangely,
picking her knife off of the desk.
“Huh? I don’t get it,” Mike said.
“That’s pretty normal. I’ll be back in a bit,” and with that, she walked
out.
“Where’s she going?” Trae asked.
Felicity shrugged. “I don’t know, but we shouldn’t be worried.”
“Who says I’m worried?” Mike snorted, insulted by Ginger’s comment.
“Oh, come on, where were we?” Trae leaned forward, attempting to keep Mike
from boiling his blood.
“Oh. What will we wear for the trial tomorrow?” Felicity asked.
Mike rolled his eyes. “Let’s see…”
“I’m getting a headache…” Shadow rubbed her temples, trying to get the pain
to disappear. So far, it wasn’t working. They had been working for three
hours straight, and still had more to do.
“I’m sorry, Shadow. But you’ve got to get these memorized,” Dan sighed. He
really was sorry. Feeling that Shadow was needed to help with the case, he
also liked her, and didn’t want her to feel any pain.
Staring into Dan’s eyes, Shadow wondered what he was thinking. Big and
confused, his soft eyes revealed nothing. Wondering if he felt the same way
as her, Shadow searched for the answer…
Dan saw the girl studying his face, and wondered if she knew how he felt.
Almost wishing she did, he knew it was hopeless. Shadow just wouldn’t like
it… Not at all. “We’d better keep working,” he sighed, and Shadow nodded, a
bit disappointed. What was he thinking?
Still and silent, the cool night air was almost comforting to Ginger. Just
glad to be out of the house, and surprised she was actually doing what she
was doing, she strode forward, toward the Celadon Motel.
Why go there? She wanted to talk too a certain relative. Why the knife?
This man might not be too happy to comply. In fact, he might get downright
violent if she didn’t make the first move. Neither had gotten along very
well, but this was for the trial…
This man might have the potential to be a convincing witness.
There it was; the motel. Basically, it was a long row of rooms for visitors
who didn’t have the money to stay at the Sundance Hotel, or else didn’t want
too.
Walking casually into the lobby, she saw a list of the rooms and what
guests were occupying them. “They certainly aren’t much on privacy,” she
thought as she found the name she was looked for. Room six.
Passing over the cracked sidewalk, she reached a wooden door and tried the
golden handle. Locked, just as she had expected. Well, at least he was smart
enough to do that. Unfortunately for him, she had a lock pick, and opened
the door quite easily and quietly after replacing the simple device.
Pulling out her knife, she slunk into the room and peered around a corner.
There he was, talking on an ivory-colored telephone. Perfect. A wonderful
opportunity…
Approaching the man from the back, she held the knife to his throat, and
hung the phone up abruptly after he dropped it, leaving the woman on the
other end utterly confused.
“What the hell…” her uncle growled angrily. His hard, brown eyes flashed as
she held his head up by his dark brown hair.
“Come on, Geoffrey, don’t talk like that,” Ginger smirked.
“Ginger?” Geoffrey recognized that tone of voice. “Well, this is a
surprise. I haven’t seen you in a while.” Letting his voice become smoother,
he had a feeling that she wouldn’t do anything rash. She was here for some
reason other than to kill him, which was just fine.
“Just thought I’d stop by,” she relaxed the knife a bit, knowing he wasn’t
stupid enough to try anything he’d regret. That was the thing with their
family; they seemed to know what to do when confronted.
“So, can I get you something? Glass of water, maybe?” Geoffrey joked
casually, in the manner he used when his niece, or anyone else, was
threatening him.
Ginger smiled for a second, used to this talk from him. “Actually, I’m here
to ask you a favor.”
Geoffrey started to laugh. “You want me to do something for you?”
“Actually, it’s for Giovanni…”
The laughing stopped abruptly. “Isn’t he on trial?”
“Yes, and that’s exactly what we need you for.”
“You want me to be a witness?” he couldn’t believe it.
“Yes,” she knew he was confused, but didn’t care, and went on. “We need
another witness.”
“Why should I?” There had always been a sort of feud between the two
brothers, and a few times, they had tried to kill each other. Of course,
both worked on different sides of the law, but he was still… family. And as
much as Geoffrey didn’t want to admit it, he didn’t want his brother killed,
which was a possibility.
“Well?”
“All right.”
Ginger almost fell over. “Really?”
“Yes. As much as I hate him, I don’t want to see him die.”
“Die?” Ginger hadn’t known that was a possibility, and felt a catch in her
throat at the mention of it. She’d just thought jail, a fine… But death?
Geoffrey nodded. “Yes…”
“Oh.” Ginger fell silent, appalled.
“Yeah, I know. What’s this world coming too? Even criminals deserve their
justice,” the man nearly laughed.
Ginger pulled the knife back. “How do I know you’ll be there?”
“I will,” he sighed. “Besides,” he nodded towards the knife. “You’ll
probably kill me if I’m not.”
Ginger nodded and managed a half smile, then handed him a few pieces of
paper. “Go over these,” she instructed. “They’re the questions.”
Taking the papers, he asked, “How can I help if I know, and have know, that
he was the head of Team Rocket?”
Ginger shrugged. “Lie.” It seemed the natural answer.
Geoffrey sighed. “Well, if I’m going to do this, I might as well go the
whole way. Sure, what the hell, I’ll do it.”
“Good,” Ginger started out the door, and turned back, grinning. “I know
you’re not just doing this because I threatened you.”
As she left, and Geoffrey started to look over the questions, both knew it
was true.
Sun began to stream through the glass windows as the crowd once again filed
into the courthouse. Sensations similar to the ones felt the day before were
apparent, and the judge once again cast a chilling feeling over the room,
while the defendant sent everyone shadows of doubt and fear.
Raising to the court, the bailiff spoke in his deep, crusty voice, “All
raise for the honorable Judge Snype. All sit,” he paused for a second while
every person got situated. “This is the second day of the trial Giovanni Oak
versus the state of Kanto.”
As the bailiff stood back, Snype bellowed, “Would the defense like to call
a witness to the stand?”
“Yes, I would,” Dan cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his
hair. “I call Shadow Manteal to the stand.” The girl stood up, wearing a
black dress with a navy blue vest. She hated being so dressy, but had to put
on a good appearance for court.
Both walked up, and Dan looked into Shadow’s eyes nervously. She just
stared back reassuringly, and he nodded, than began, just barely remembering
not to call her Shadow. “Ms. Manteal, is it true that you are a gym leader
for the Indigo League?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “I am the leader of the Curiosity Gym in Lavendar Town.”
“And did you ever speak to the defendant?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, on several occasions.”
“Did he seem dangerous?” Dan felt his mouth drying, and wished he had a
glass of cool, refreshing water to quench his thirst.
“Not at all,” Shadow smiled. “He was actually quite polite.”
“And did he ever tell you why he missed several meetings?”
“Yes. He mentioned that his business with the Celadon Casino and a few
other places kept him busy.”
“I see,” Dan wondered if this had helped his case any. “You may step down.”
Shadow walked placidly back to her seat with the other witnesses, hoping to
God that she had done the work right. Next to her, James kept biting his
lip, and pulling on his hair. “He isn’t even doing anything,” she thought.
“For my next witness, I would like to call Giovanni Oak, the defendant, to
the stand.”
Giovanni walked up calmly, and stared at the audience angrily. Dan realized
that he had better start. “Mr. Oak, are you the leader of Team Rocket?”
“Why would I be?” Giovanni growled angrily. No one had told him he was
going to be a witness, and he didn’t want to go against what he had made.
Others could lie about it, but not him.
“Do you have any wish to be?”
“No.” This was truthful. He didn’t. Not after what had happened. Glaring at
James, he almost smirked when he saw the kid grimace. Suddenly, he was hit
with a realization. Most of the team had deserted him. They could’ve
volunteered to stand up for him… He had seen five Rockets who were still
faithful to him. What did it matter if he lied?
“Have you ever been the leader of Team Rocket?” Dan repeated, hoping
Giovanni would give the right answers. Everyone had been surprised to see
him called up, but Dan felt he needed more evidence on his side.
“No, and I never want to be. And I think this is all a load of bull,”
Giovanni growled angrily. “I’ve never had anything to do with Team Rocket.
Heck, I don’t have the time to deal with running a crime organization!”
Dan saw the flame in his client’s eyes, and sighed. “You may step down.”
“Do you have anymore witnesses?” Snype asked, bored. The jury sat, heads in
their hands, half-asleep. Witnesses were almost snoring, and Orested was
ready to boast about how he helped bust the head of the organization.
“Well…” Dan began, and saw Ginger gesturing to him. “Hold on,” he walked
over to the side, and Ginger walked up, handing him a piece of paper.
“Just call up this witness, and ask these questions,” she explained. “It’s
where I was last night.”
Dan looked confused, and Ginger sighed, uncomfortable in the black skirt,
shirt, and vest. “Just trust me on this. He’s here. I saw him. It surprised
me, but I saw him.” With that, she walked back to her seat by Trae.
“What was that?” the fiery-haired girl asked.
“Another witness.”
Dan walked back up, and Snyder barked. “Well?” He didn’t like interruptions
in his court.
Looking up from the sheet, Dan fidgeted, and then called, “I call Geoffrey
Oak up to the stand.”
Looks of amazement from the audience became apparent as the man, wearing a
brown suit and tie to match his hair and eyes, walked up to the stand and
looked coolly out at them. He bore a similarity so like to Giovanni it was
amazing. The same looks, the same calm… The coolness hid anxiety. He knew he
could lose his job for this. He knew what could happen; yet here he was.
Giovanni’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. This was the first time
during the whole session he expressed any surprise. His brother? Geoffrey?
But why? He knew what could happen to his brother… and they both had hated
each other… so why?
Orested almost fell out of the seat, having worked with Geoffrey at the
agency for at over ten years. Why was he standing up for this man, who was
obviously the boss?
Suddenly, the jury sat up, sensing the reaction of the crowd. Not wanting
to miss anything good, they immediately opened their ears and listened.
Dan swallowed, and began the questioning. “Is it true that you are my
client’s brother?”
Geoffrey felt sick, but answered. “Yes, I am.”
“And have you known him for a long time.”
“Yes…”
“Have you been in touch with him lately?” Dan felt the stress, and wondered
if this would help at all. Certainly everyone was now listening, watching
his every move.
“Besides trying to kill each other?” Geoffrey thought, but knew better than
to say that, and instead replied, “Yes, we meet every month or so and
discuss business and the like.” It was the best answer he could have come up
with the night before.
Dan continued, wondering if anyone saw through the lies. “Did he ever
mention Team Rocket?”
“Yes, several times. He told me that they had broken into his casino on
quite a few occasions, and had to be cleared out by officers. He also stated
that he was working on a way to find the base. He never thought he’d
eventually be mixed up in this.”
“And how did he attempt to find the base?” Dan was now asking questions not
on the sheet, but he didn’t care.
Geoffrey’s mind quickly created yet another lie, and inside he cringed. “He
followed agents, forced agents to talk, and eventually got inside. Of
course, Mr. Orested,” he motioned with his hand, “Over there, chose that
time, with his friends, to break in, and they arrested the wrong man.” He
felt a strange surge of nausea, and nearly let it slip that he was lying.
Silence settled over the courtroom. For all everyone knew, this could be
the truth. The whole concept could be changed… Even the most stubborn
members of the jury felt the doubt creeping in their minds. “No further
questions your honor.”
Geoffrey walked off the platform and past Giovanni, who stared at him in a
way that sent a strange chill through his heart. “Why?” he mouthed,
completely baffled. Geoffrey simply shrugged and sat down.
“No more witnesses,” Dan sat down next to Giovanni again, who still
appeared to be in shock.
“Because Mr. Tress moved that there be no cross-examination, the court will
meet tomorrow for the decision of the jury. Remember, jury, that you are
deciding the fate of the man who is alleged to be the head of Team Rocket.”
Snyder wondered if he was the only one who truly and completely believed
that Giovanni was the man they were looked for. “Jury, go to the
deliberation room.”
Every individual stared as the group walked out, then looked at the judge,
who proclaimed, “We will meet at ten tomorrow.”
Raising, the people began excited conversation. Dan turned to Giovanni
before the man was led away and said, “I tried.”
“And you did a damn good job,” Giovanni nodded.
Dan walked over to Geoffrey, and tapped him on the shoulder. “What?” the
man sounded annoyed.
“I just wanted to ask why you lied for him?”
“He’s my brother,” Geoffrey shrugged.
Orested waked by and glared at his associate. “I’ll make sure Amy hears
about this. You’ll be fired and you know it.” The man walked away, laughing.
Dan cast a glance at Geoffrey, who shrugged. “I don’t give a damn. Really.”
He did, though. Fear was surging through him, but he was good at keeping it
hidden.
“Well… thanks.” With that, Dan walked over to Ginger, Shadow, Trae,
Felicity, and Mike, who were waiting for him by the door.
“Good job,” Mike patted Dan on the shoulder. “Where’d you get that last
witness?”
“I got him,” Ginger pointed out.
“Oh, be quiet,” Mike sighed, not really believing her. Ginger only rolled
her eyes.
“Can we just go home? My nerves are standing on end,” Dan sighed.
“Mine too,” Shadow agreed, and they looked out. Rain was beginning to drip,
but none of them minded. Together, they stepped outside and headed toward
the house.
Geoffrey stared after the kid, shaking his head. That one testimony had the
potential to ruin him… He hoped it wouldn’t. No one could prove he had lied.
No one knew what he had known… That hit him with a jolt. Safety was his.
Conviction was out of the question, because all he had done was testified
something no one could possibly go against.
Feeling a bit better, he headed out the side door, which was much less
crowded. On the way out, he saw Giovanni standing outside the van in the
dripping rain, while the officers unlocked the door at an annoyingly slow
pace.
Giovanni caught his eye, and felt confused all over again. Why in the world
had his brother helped him? After they’d tried to kill one another, he’d
lied. Why? Did he want something? The answer was plain and simple. No.
Geoffrey nodded at Giovanni, and walked on as his younger brother was led
into the back of the police transport.
Yes, he would come to the courthouse the next day.
Yes, he hoped Giovanni won the case. Next chapters n/a 12.7
