The air in the room seemed to leave in an instant. It was as if time had slowed down as Timothy spoke his confession out loud. Faces, or things that equated to faces, turned and looked at each other. It was rare to get an admission of guilt, so rare that there were a few chuckles from the back, falsely assuming that it was some form of gallows humor. Mr. Ham himself, even though his piggish finger was situated over the trigger of his executer’s cannon, was a little taken aback.
The blond boy looked around, feeling that the eyes of the crowd were on him now more than ever. But he didn’t care about them, instead, he turned to his friends. They were horrified, it was as though they were watching a bomb go off, without any way to stop it. He felt the guilt finally make its way into his soul, like water from a broken dam reaching the town it used to protect. This was the last thing that he had ever wanted, and he hated that he was causing his friends so much distress. Though perhaps, they weren’t his friends anymore.
“Tim?” Sophia’s words came out slowly and with much difficulty. An hour ago, she couldn’t have been convinced that her friend could do something like this, but at the same time, she was watching it happen.
Timothy took a deep breath, looking at the ceiling as his eyes fluttered wildly. “I’m sorry.” He spoke, though a smile was still forced onto his face. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
Neil pulled his tattered coat together, crossed his arms, and then lowered his head. Something inside of him stung, it was like a wasp had crawled inside and found a nest in his heart. He hated being right, and he despised that, finally, his paranoia had been proven right. Nothing in him wanted to see his old friend get hurt, but there was little he could think to do to stop it. “Why?” He spoke, trying to find some meaning in the chaos. “Why did you do it, Tim?”
“I…” The boy thought for a moment. “I don’t know. I suppose I must have been angry that Corpus had stolen the winning lottery ticket away from me! With all that money, we may have been able to pay our way home.”
“You did this all, just to get back to Earth?” Neil asked, his face twisting.
“I was worried about you guys!” Timothy admitted. “You seemed concerned about staying here… I wanted to get you out!”
There was the sound of a stool sliding over as one of the patrons jumped to their feet. “So that’s why you killed Corpus?” Shouted Short-Barrel John-John, who was less jittery than normal. “You ruined my life for bus fair?”
“I-I’m so sorry!” Timothy pleaded. “Believe me, I just didn’t want anyone to get hurt!”
From her corner, Sally Silver stopped twirling her gun between her fingers. “You didn’t want to hurt anyone, but you shot a man dead? Darling, someone needs to teach you priorities.”
“Oh, can we all stop with all this rambling?” Cried Vander Extemorst from his seat. “Just shoot the scum and get it over with, then we can be done with this nightmare.”
ARI-47’s disc-like head perked up. “But sir, wouldn’t it be best to inquire about your lost credit before the execution takes place?”
The businessman scowled for a moment before his shoulders slumped, and he gave in. “Where’s the credit, boy?”
Jenny McClain was standing near her men’s booth and had been watching the proceedings quietly. “You don’t seem too concerned about your precious lotto anymore, do ya Vander?”
“Quiet, you grunt!” He barked back. “Let the delinquent speak.”
The delinquent in question reached down and patted his pockets, “I’m afraid I lost it.”
“Lost it!” John-John blurted, nearly screaming. “How the hell do ya lose the most valuable credit-chip in the universe?”
Timothy looked down, clearly a bit embarrassed as the crowd looked at him with disgust. “I… I… I sort of…” He trailed off a bit. “Someone stole it from me when I was coming here. They picked it right out of my pocket!”
The entire room looked at each other, some immediately stood to their feet, and rushed out the door for even the slightest chance to track down whoever had the payout of the century.
“Who?” Sally asked, leaning forward.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know.” He admitted slowly. “I didn’t get a proper look at them.”
The bar groaned.
“You have to be the worst murderer I’ve ever seen!” Vander spat, rolling his eyes as he pressed his back against the counter behind him. “My entire life, ruined by someone who couldn’t even have the decency to get away with it! How pathetic.”
“Well, I guess that’s that.” Jenny moaned with a shrug. “Let’s get this over with.”
As Mr. Ham raised his weapon once again, Sophia looked over at Jenny. The pirate met her gaze strongly, her eyes teetering for a moment to the boy. The woman shook her head, picked up a rather big mug, and took a long sip.
“Stop it, now!” The girl in green demanded, walking over to the behemoth. “Just let him go, why bother killing him? What’s the point?”
The pig man had very little patience for the girl who had just shot him in the head moments ago, but he elected to speak anyway. “Rules are rules.” He said, his finger tightening around the trigger.
“Yes, they are.” Spoke a voice from behind Sophia. The girl jumped as WaldAcker, somehow, managed to sneak around without anyone noticing. He walked over to the gun and tapped it with a gloved finger. “It’s not time.”
Mr. Ham grunted, clearly not understanding.
The helmet on the man’s shoulders rolled around a little. “It’s not time yet.” He reiterated, raising a glowing arm to show some strange timekeeper. “This blond, murdery fellow has two more minutes to live, given your previous arrangement.”
“Oy, who cares?” John-John bickered. “Same difference.”
“If you have a disagreement, then you should settle it yourself,” WaldAcker replied, matter-of-factly. “I believe that’s rule 2, isn’t it? Don’t tell me that Mr. Ham, of all people, is going to renege on an agreed-upon deal? Wouldn’t that set a bad example?”
The behemoth's eyes narrowed, a sneer drawing along the pink lines of his face. “Two minutes.” The cannon lowered, and the crowd moaned- this show was taking forever to get to the good part. Mr. Ham walked slowly to the bar and took a seat, and Pollum Mock was quick to fix him a drink. Without another word, but with a strange thumbs-up, WaldAcker strolled back over to his seat and waited for what was to come.
Timothy hugged himself with his arms, not daring to meet his friends for fear of what horrid looks they might give him. Everyone watched as he slowly lowered himself to the floor, taking a cross-legged position. He smiled to himself, although the rest of his face looked more than devastated.
Alex was barely able to speak, but he pushed himself to do it. “What are you doing, Tim?”
“I’m thinking about my room.” Came the reply. “The hole in my wall, to be more specific. You know, I spent all my life looking out from there? Once, Mr. Graham gave me this splintered piece of wood to cover it up with, but I didn’t want to! I always liked looking up and seeing the stars in the night sky. It made me so calm knowing that no matter where I am, or what I did, they’d always be there looking back at me. I imagined that one day I could go see them up close, but I never thought that would happen.” He looked back, immediately seeing the looks of apprehension, fear, and doubt on all of their faces. “Then I met some friends, and I forgot all about the stars- even though I was in them. But I’ve always been a bit of a bother, so it’s only natural that they would have to leave me at some point. I only wish it wasn’t so soon.” He smiled wide. “I’m sorry guys, for all this mess I’ve made. Go see the stars for me if you have the time!”
Sophia shook her head. “No.” She spoke, her words wavering. “No, this isn’t right. Guys, tell me this isn’t right.”
Alex looked at her, his eyes bloodshot and his body shaking. “Soph… I can’t.”
She turned to Neil, but he could only look away. It was like his shame was too powerful to look her in the face, even though he knew he had done nothing wrong.
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With no friends to turn to, she looked over at the pirate captain. Jenny almost seemed sad, but surely that was a trick of the light. “I…” She looked to the ground where Timothy stared back up at her with those eyes- the eyes that reminded her so much of her brother. “I can’t do this.” The crowd watched as the girl in green broke off from her group and ran out the door.
Neil popped the collar of his coat and slunk back, trying hard to keep himself from breaking down. “Alex, man, I need you to tell me. Am I right? God, please just say I’m wrong, I’d really like to be wrong right now.” He looked his friend up and down, but there came no response. “Just tell me I’m crazy, tell me I’m paranoid! I’d take that over this, any day.”
But Alex couldn’t respond, he couldn’t even hear his friend speak. Inside his head, the sound of his own voice was yelling louder than any planet could ever scream. Why are you so surprised? You knew this was going to happen since the beginning, you’ve just been putting it off. The boy covered his head in his hands, pressing his body down on the table in front of him. I tried; I swear I tried! I did all that I could, this is not my fault. But isn’t it? You were the one that suggested Tim take the pilot seat, and you were the one that forced him to fly the ship again. Isn’t this, in a way, all your fault? No, it’s not! I didn’t tell him to kill anybody! But you didn’t talk to anybody about the voices in his head, either. Wasn’t it obvious how unhinged he was? It should’ve been clear that he was dangerous from the start, and yet you missed all the signs! A man is dead now because of your failure!
“Alex?” Asked Neil, watching as his friend shivered uncontrollably.
“I failed…” He said, under his breath. “I failed again…”
Mr. Ham’s footsteps approached- time was almost up.
At least have the dignity to watch the consequences of what you’ve done. Alex raised his head, his tired eyes searching the crowd for any sign of hope. All he got, however, were eager faces. It was ironic, all this time he had fancied himself an actor, and now that he had an audience, it was the worst thing he could imagine. He looked to Timothy, who was now standing to greet his executioner with a polite wave.
“Hello.” Spoke the boy as Mr. Ham raised his gun to his chest. “I’m sorry I’ve troubled you.”
The pig man grunted. Even now, this strange outsider remained a mystery to him. He had his confession, and that was all that he needed. But it didn’t sit right, something was wrong. A small part of him didn’t want to pull the trigger, which was a feeling he had never experienced before.
“Before I… go,” Timothy asked, politely from the other end of a cannon barrel. “That thing you said, about Alex? Since I did like you told me, does that mean you’ll let him go?”
Mr. Ham glared at the boy in the booth. Alex knew that he was being judged somehow and felt a shiver down his spine. After a moment the executioner simply nodded in reply.
Timothy sighed in relief, “thank you.”
“What?” Alex spoke, the words barely left his lips.
“It’s nothing,” Timothy replied, but his poor poker face betrayed him.
“Tim, what did you do?”
From over at the bar, John-John had been eyeing his timekeeper carefully. “Times up!” He cried. “Place your bets, everybody! Will he fall backward or forwards?”
“Have a little respect!” Jenny snapped
“Timothy, what did he tell you to do?” Alex repeated, standing up from his booth.
The doomed boy looked away, “I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”
Alex’s thoughts rushed back through his head like a tidal wave. If before he was drowning, now he was touching the bottom of the ocean floor. Something’s wrong here, I know it! What did he do, what did they say?
The cannon started charging.
Even if there was something wrong, you wouldn’t be able to find it! You weren’t able to help him before, and you won’t be able to now!
The inside of the gun started to glow.
But maybe I can just figure it out! I can put the pieces together; I can make them see!
Timothy closed his eyes
Look at this crowd, they don’t care about the truth! They want to see a spectacle, and the show must go on!
Mr. Ham reached for the trigger.
Admit it to yourself, all you are, all that you’ve ever been, is a stupid, pathetic, fai…
“Shut! The! Fuck! Up!” Alex screamed into the air, the entire bar turning to see that he was shouting at no one but himself. “I’m done playing this game! I’m done doubting myself! And I’m done sitting by while all of you watch like the angry, grubby, vultures that you are!”
“Alex?” Neil cried, shocked by his friend’s sudden burst of energy.
Back from outside, Sophia entered in. It was unfortunately clear that she had been crying, but that was all behind her now as her brow narrowed in alarm. “What’s happening?”
“That is a very good question,” Jenny said. “Did you just call us vultures?”
“Yes, I did!” Alex did not let up, his eyes glowing with indignant rage. “All of you swarmed here to see an execution, and to see ‘which way the body falls.’ None of you came to see who really killed Corpus Rex! No one batted an eye when he was shot, you all just moved on with your secretive little lives, not caring if the wrong person got the blame! So yes, I did just call you vultures, because all you do is just pick what you want off the bodies, and then fly away!” Although he neglected the fact that the aliens he was speaking to had no frame of reference for what specific Earth bird he was referencing, they all seemed to get the point.
“You’re talkin’ a pretty big game, for someone who has been sitting in a corner this whole time.” Sally couldn’t help but mention.
“Well, let me fix that.” With a surprisingly athletic jump, Alex launched himself up onto the table. At first, it seemed like he made it, but his exhaustion made him stumble under his own weight, and he fell on his arms. Quickly though, he struggled back up, walking as far as the table would allow him to go. It was far enough to meet Mr. Ham eye to eye. “What did you tell him to do?” He insisted.
The behemoth didn’t offer any form of explanation.
Sophia was taken aback by her friend’s sudden guts. “What are you doing?”
“I’m getting answers before our friend gets executed.” He replied, his gaze not breaking. “I think that it’s only right to have all the facts before blood gets spilled.”
Timothy was standing with his mouth agape, he didn’t know whether or not he was more surprised to find himself still alive, or to see that his friend had become so full of adrenaline that he was willing to challenge a man with a cannon. “Please, be careful!”
Alex gave a sarcastic half-smile. “The time to be careful came and went a long time ago, and the time to step on eggshells has arrived!” He made a strange dramatic gesture that no one really understood. “Let me ask you this again, what did you tell my friend to do?”
The crowd waited patiently for a response, but none came.
“Tim, tell us.” Neil pleaded.
The boy looked away, seemingly ashamed. “He said that if I confessed, he wouldn’t…”
“Accept my duel!” Alex interrupted, his hand slapping himself way too hard across the face. “God, that should have been so obvious!”
“Wait, you pressured him into a confession?” The tears in Sophia’s eyes burned away in an instant, replaced by pure anger as she looked at Mr. Ham. “What the hell!”
“Coercion, really? That’s what you do to get a confession?” Alex shook his head. “I guess even in the depths of space, even among criminals, scoundrels, and murderers, one thing remains the same- Cops are always cops, even if they have a different title.”
The pig man grunted, “doesn’t matter.”
“I’m afraid our hulking friend is right,” Vander spoke up. “Even if our ‘cops’ methods are, let’s say, less than savory, that still doesn’t mean that the boy’s confession wasn’t genuine.”
“You’re right,” Alex admitted. “But there’s one thing that we’ve been overlooking that can prove his innocence.”
Neil’s ears perked up, and a smile appeared on his lips. “What’s that?”
The boy with half a tie dropped down from the table, just barely able to keep himself standing. With a quick motion, he put his arms around Timothy and hugged him tightly. “The fact that he’s our friend, and there’s no number of aliens, amount of murder charges, or anything in this galaxy that could convince us otherwise!”
Timothy looked surprised and confused, but the hug provided him with a warmth inside his heart that felt better than anything he had ever experienced. “I’m sorry, I…”
Alex placed a finger on the boy’s mouth. “Hey, what did I tell you about apologizing? No more of that, you got it?” He smiled as he turned to his other friends. “Oh, look at us! We’ve been so paranoid and afraid, that we missed the simple fact that Timbo would never hurt anyone, not in a million years!”
“But the gun, the casino, and the rest of the evidence?” Spoke Neil, though it was clear that he was eager to be proven wrong.
“Unlucky coincidences,” Alex said with a shrug. “Sure, there was a billion in one chance for any of those things to happen, and maybe I’m crazy, but I know that it couldn’t have been Tim.”
“While I’m delighted by this display of friendship, that doesn’t really hold up as viable evidence.” WaldAcker chimed from his seat.
“You’re right, it doesn’t!” John-John mocked, throwing his hands in the air. “Stop with the stalling and shoot him! No one cares about the particulars!”
“Got any real proof, kid?” Jenny called.
Alex opened his mouth to reply but stopped when the looming truth brought him back to the surface. “I, uh…” He stammered. “I don’t yet, but…”
The crowd openly groaned- the anticipation was getting stale. “You lot, shut up!” Sophia screamed. “We’re trying to save our friend here, and if you don’t like that you can get lost!”
It was noticeable how suddenly Alex’s eyes glazed over as they scanned around the room. This time, however, his thoughts were clear, and his goal was clearly set. Evidence, evidence, evidence… just something to hold them back for a while. Who did it? Who would want to do it? Hmm, this all still seems so backward, something’s wrong here. I just need something more, one more piece to click into place! Neil’s right, this doesn’t… His eyes fell onto a member of the crowd- and widened. Oh. Oh! OH!
Mr. Ham was done waiting, and he raised his cannon for what seemed like the hundredth time this night. “No!” Neil shouted, finding himself stepping in front of Timothy in reaction. “J-just wait another minute, man! We need more time!”
“I’ll have to correct you there, my friend.” Alex declared, climbing back on top of the table. “We don’t need time anymore because I think I may have just figured it out!” With a flourish, he mimed a lightbulb turning on above his head.
Mr. Ham grunted and shook his head; these outsiders were becoming a pain in his side.
Likewise, the entire bar seemed unconvinced, but the boy was having none of it. With one hand, Alex reached into the shopping bag and pulled something out with a flare. With the other, he popped open his collar, discarding his old tie and replacing it with a new one. He seemed to be an expert in tying a knot, and in a second a new black tie with red undertones had appeared around his neck. Clearing his throat, he took a step forward to the edge of the table, a performer’s glint in his eye. “Ladies, gentlemen, fauna, flora, insectoids, and all those in-between, you have gathered here tonight to see my dear friend Timothy bite the dust! I’m sorry to say it, but this performance has been canceled due to extenuating circumstances. However, if you want a goddamn show so bad, I’ll give you a goddamn show! Tonight, with a little help from the audience, I will present to you the true killer of Corpus Rex! So, grab your fucking popcorn everyone- because the show is about to begin!”