Day four of The People vs. Caden Spears began with palpable tension. Media reportage spoke to Uriel Zander, who, in spite of the violent attack on his life which sent him to the hospital with injuries, is still forging ahead. It was that kind of fable that captured the public imagination: their young, brilliant defense attorney who battled impossible odds, never yielding, even with a threat against his life.

The steps of the courthouse were a jam of reporters, their cameras flashing as Uriel stepped forth. A little slower than usual, his body still recovering from the attack; his face was stoical, set in determination. Karen was at his side, watching him closely, ready to intervene if he pushed himself too far.

The courtroom was already full inside. The jury sat, the prosecution was ready to roll, and the defense table for Uriel was piled high with folders and files. Uriel sat down beside Caden, who looked even more nervous than usual.

"You shouldn't be here," Caden whispered low, his tone guilt-ridden. "After what happened… I thought you'd—"

"I'm not letting go, Caden," Uriel cut him off, beyond calm and beyond firm. "This is bigger than both of us now."

Caden nodded, even though his hands were shaking all over as he looked around the courtroom. Something disturbed him, a lot more than just the usual pressure for any trial.

The judge entered and ordered the court into session.

The trial resumed, with Uriel ready to cross-examine the FBI's next witness. That was when it happened—the huge television screen in the courtroom, put up to display evidence, suddenly lit up. Of course, at first, Uriel thought that something was wrong with the hardware or a related glitch. Then the video feed sharpened up.

The grainy but clear image on the screen took in a shot of a dimly lit warehouse.

Uriel felt his heart sink as he realized who the figure captured in the video was. It was Caden.

The video did not have any sound, but it didn't need any. The images were enough. All over the screen appeared Caden Spears doing a series of transactions where large sums of money were passed between him and clearly identified men from the trafficking ring. Scenes interchanged with each other, each one showing a little more clearly the number of Caden's involvement. There he was, without doubt, right in the middle of all that was illegal.

The jury sat riveted, eyes glued to the screen. For even the judge, umbrage clouded across his face. The lawyers for the FBI watched with thinly veiled satisfaction, and Uriel and Karen just sat frozen as the defense tumbled in front of them.

His face went white as his body began to shake. He couldn't even look at Uriel, the shame and fear radiating off of him like a palpable force.

The heavy silence finally welled in the courtroom after the video had ended. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke.

Then Marlowe, the lead FBI prosecutor, stood—her face smug in triumph—"Your Honor, I would like to introduce this video as *Exhibit Z*—new evidence that directly implicates the defendant, Caden Spears, in the trafficking operation."

Uriel's head spun. This footage—where had it come from? Wasn't part of the original evidence. The FBI hadn't presented it. This was new, lethal.

"We've never viewed this footage before, Your Honour," Uriel snarled, his voice expanded and as steady as possible while his whole inside was churning. "We would like an opportunity to view this evidence before it's admitted."

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The judge looked equally surprised by the footage himself and nodded his head in agreement. "The defense shall have a brief recess to view this material. Court is adjourned for one hour." He brought his gavel down, and the courtroom tore into hushed conversations.

Uriel was all hardness when he turned to Caden, "Where did this come from?"

Caden shook his head, the volume low. "I don't know; I swear to God, I didn't know they had footage of me like this."

Uriel hunched forward. His voice was low and steely. "Everything just changed, Caden. This footage places you squarely in the middle of those deals. You told me you weren't that involved."

Caden's eyes clouded as he spoke through a plea of fear. "I never lied to you, Uriel. I never! I wasn't in charge. They made me do it—to make the deals. They are using this to bury me."

Karen, silent 'til that moment, leaned toward him. "Who's *they*, Caden? Those people in the organization that set you up?"

Caden nodded, his voice no louder than a whisper. "Yeah. I told you, there are those above me. It's them that you take to court, not me. But they are too powerful and too well-hidden." His voice took on a defeated note. "Then I become the scapegoat."

He lay back, his mind racing. It was all starting to make sense now. The attack was part of the same plan as the sudden appearance of the video; the organization had simply been waiting for just the right moment to drop the hammer. They let the trial play itself out long enough to lull Uriel into a false sense of security before unleashing the footage that could destroy everything.

And so, at recess, Uriel and Karen withdrew to the cramped courthouse conference room and played the video on repeat. With each repeat, the weight in his chest seemed to thicken.

"It wasn't the FBI," Uriel whispered, staring at the screen. "They didn't have this footage. It's too convenient, too well-timed." Karen nodded, pacing the small room, trying to work it all out in her head. "Someone out there wanted this footage released now, right when the trial actually started to tip in our favor."

Uriel leaned forward, placing his head in his hands. He had been prepared for a hard battle; but this—this was a blow. Whatever contexts one tried to give for his behaviour, the jury would find Caden guilty of the crime.

"They're trying to sink us, Karen," Uriel muttered the words, the stiffness carrying across to his voice. "It's a message being sent—back off, or we'll bury you."

She ceased her pacing and stared at Uriel with fearful determination in her eyes. "What is it that we are going to do?"

Uriel breathed more slowly now, his brain racing for angles of escape. "We have to push the coercion angle harder than ever. This footage does not explain it all. Caden was coerced into these deals; he was not the mastermind. If we can just convince the jury that there is more going on other than what they have seen, then we just may have a chance."

Karen nodded, her eyes still filled with doubt. "It's going to be an uphill battle. The jury's already viewed the footage. They've reached their conclusions." Frustration and anger welling high within him, Uriel's fists automatically clenched and loosed and clenched again. "Then we'll unmake them. We're not done here."

The trial resumed and Uriel stood before the judge arguing against the admissibility of the footage.

"Your Honor," Uriel began, the weight in his tone firm. "This footage does indeed show my client, yes. But it doesn't tell the whole story. The defense submits that Caden Spears was coerced into these dealings, and this is just a snapshot, not the big picture."

Marlowe stood, cutting the air with his interruption: "Your Honor, this footage quite clearly shows the involvement. Whether or not he was 'coerced' is for the jury's decision, but the facts are there—he was there, committing illegal activities."

Uriel knew this was going to be a hard sell. The footage was damning, but he had to find a way to make the jury question it. To help them make sense of what they watched was not all there was to it.

After a moment of tense silence, the judge nodded. "The footage is in. The jury will consider it, but the defense may offer more arguments during their case."

Once more, the gavel went down, and with it, at least part of Uriel's heart went with it. The evidence was now officially on record, like some sort of emotional time bomb waiting to blow its top.

As the trial further did continue—with each minute he felt that the pressure kept growing. For the time being, the organization moved, and now it was time to counter. With every hindrance that was coming in his way, the road to victory kept narrowing. And in the very bottom of his heart, Uriel knew the final battle was yet to come.