Chapter 48
The Trial
Leo was pulled to his feet a second time.
The giant Boss judge stared down at Leo, as did her human counterparts, with a more normal number of eyes. “To begin, are we certain this is the correct individual?”
An elderly man sitting at a table across from Leo stood up. “Yes, we are, your honor. Both through his own admission and multiple eyewitnesses identifying him as Leo Edwards.”
“For this court, could you identify yourself and explain your qualifications to make that statement?”
“I'm Erick Stafford, your honor. I represent a large coalition of humans who wish to see Leo Edwards charged and punished for his crimes... er alleged crimes, against human and Ascended One alike. I'm, uh, the closest thing our coalition has to a criminal attorney and I've agreed to act as the prosecution.”
“Thank you, Mr. Stafford.” The Boss judge turned to Leo. “Leo Edwards, you have been accused of three counts of murder in the first degree, of two Ascended Ones and one human child. Conspiracy to commit many more acts of murder, irresponsible inflammatory hate speech that's resulted in the deaths of hundreds, possibly thousands of humans as well as thirty-two Ascended Ones. Agitation to commit genocide of the Ascended Ones. Conspiring with your fellow humans to commit genocide of the Ascended Ones...” The list went on and on. Leo quit listening. “Leo Edwards, do you understand the charges against you, and how do you respond?”
Leo tried to speak into the microphone in front of him, but this resulted in a loud, obnoxious beep.
“Somebody, please fix the microphone,” Damien said from beside him.
Leo tapped the microphone. “Is it working now?” his voice boomed into the amphitheater. “Yes, I understand. I plead guilty to all charges.”
For a second, you could have heard a pin drop.
Damien pushed himself into the air with his tentacles. “Your Honor. I request permission to speak to my client in private.”
“Granted,” the judge responded. “Court will recess for ten minutes.”
***
Soon Leo and Damien were alone in a private room. Damien looked down at Leo with his many eyes. “While there is a lot of evidence against you, there are also many forces and individuals influencing your behavior. For example, I think it's safe to say the aliens bear a great deal of responsibility for what has happened. They set up the situation we're in and have no doubt influenced your behavior. The fact that the aliens are no longer around to answer to these accusations makes them an excellent scapegoat.”
Leo laughed. “I see. ‘The aliens made me do it’ defense.”
“I believe, in this particular situation, that defense might work. Also, you've suffered enough trauma in your previous life that your sanity is very much in doubt. While I admit criminal law is not my specialty, I believe I can muster a suitable defense.”
Leo sighed. “I'm not going to lie to the court, Damien. My pleading innocent would be a waste of time for all parties and will do nothing to affect the outcome. My only regret is not killing more of your kind.”
“I see,” Damien said, not seeming to take offense at Leo's comments. “I will, of course, speak on your behalf, but you should know you may get the death penalty.”
“So?” Leo responded.
Leo suspected this was all a game—a diversion for Damien. The Ascended One didn't care about Leo, he just wanted a show.
“Very well,” Damien said with what might have been a sigh. “I tried.”
***
“Your honor, I've conferred with my client. I believe he does understand the charges against him and does not wish to change his plea, nor does he show the slightest regret for his actions.” Damien, like the judge, didn't use a microphone, being able to project his voice to the extent that he didn't need one.
“Leo Edwards, as you have pled guilty to all charges, a jury will not be necessary,” the judge boomed. “To assist myself and my two fellow judges in determining your sentencing, we will listen to the testimony of the friends and family of the beings you've hurt. This will aid the court and the world at large to better understand the enormity of your crimes.”
Leo didn't respond. Couldn't they just kill him already?
***
“Harold Jenkins was the nicest man you could hope to meet and a close personal friend of mine,” the Ascended One floated over the witness stand. Up on an enormous screen was a picture of a man in an expensive suit standing next to a woman, two children, and a small dog.
“Are we sure Harold Jenkins was the victim?” Damien asked.
“From the investigation and process of elimination, yes, we believe Harold Jenkins was the first Ascended One Leo Edwards ordered killed,” the prosecutor said.
“Harold Jenkins would dress up as Santa every Christmas to hand out presents to his family,” the Ascended One on the witness stand continued. “He was such a kind man he couldn't bring himself to lay off his employees, and he'd have to hire someone else to do it for him. He was a good, god-fearing man, none of that happy-holidays nonsense for him.”
The Ascended One's tentacles drooped as it started crying through multiple eyes and mouths. Over fifty large eyes dripped tears that rained down, creating a huge puddle on the floor underneath it.
Watching a High-Level Boss cry had to be the most disturbing thing Leo had ever seen, and that included a lot.
“Harold was such a nice man,” it sobbed. “He wasn't hurting anyone, and this human, Leo Edwards, killed him in cold blood. We have videos of Leo stomping all over my friend's body. He was proud of killing my friend. Proud!” All of its tentacles pointed at Leo. “You're a monster! A monster!”
“We realize this is an emotional time for you, sir, but we need you to calm down,” the senior judge said. “We will now show the mentioned videos, though I will warn the audience that they're not a pleasant sight.”
Two other Ascended Ones (security?) pulled the witness away.
Three hours later, all the videos of Leo walking on Harold Jenkins's corpse had been displayed on the screen—several times. The next witness was called.
The next witness was a human, a young man who sat up straight on the witness stand, a violet wristband revealing him as an implant wearer. “Me and my mates encountered this Ascended One. The Ascended One seemed pretty out of it, and because of what Leo said about them on the dark web, we tried to kill it. We didn't think we had a choice in the matter, so we attacked it. There were twenty of us. It retaliated and killed ten of my friends. Then two more Ascended Ones showed up, and the rest of us thought we were dead. But the two Ascended Ones restrained the first one and even helped us treat our wounds. They told us they wanted to work with humans to fix our broken world and apologized for their fellow's behavior, but pointed out that their fellow only retaliated after we'd tried to kill him.”
The man looked balefully at Leo. “We attacked the Ascended One because that person,” he pointed at Leo, “that crazy wanker told us that the Ascended Ones were monsters who were going to kill and eat everyone. That crazy wanker asshole got my mates killed!”
“As both a judge and an Ascended One,” the senior judge said, “I wish to apologize for the humans hurt by our kind while we were in the process of ascending. From personal experience, I can say ascending is a time-consuming and traumatic event. Something Mr. Edwards was well aware of.”
“This is not good,” Damien said quietly from beside him.
Leo didn't respond.
A new witness spoke in a language he didn't recognize. The young man also had a violet wristband.
“Umi Abari says he and his fellows had been trying to survive in a refugee camp and life was very hard for them when the Change happened,” the court-appointed translator said.
The witness continued speaking in his native language.
“When an Ascended One came to us with food and supplies, we drove it away. The Professor had sent us a translated version of Leo Edwards’ recording, telling us that these Ascended Ones were monsters that came to eat everyone. It took days before we realized they were honestly there to help, and not to kill and eat everyone. During that time, many in the refugee camp who might have been saved, died of hunger and sickness. ”
After a short recess for lunch, the testimonies continued. It seemed Leo's warnings had affected hundreds of people, human and Boss alike, and not in a positive way.
The dinner the guards brought him that night was so unappetizing he didn't eat. It would seem he'd become very unpopular, and sadly, there was little he could do about it.
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A thought gave Leo chills. What if the aliens sent him back in time, knowing he'd inadvertently help the Bosses do better this time around?
The next day was more of the same.
Even Liam testified. “I've known Leo for a few weeks, and from the beginning, he told us that if we didn't kill all the High-Level Bosses -- that is, the Ascended Ones,” he motioned towards the Bosses surrounding him. “If we didn't exterminate you, the human race was going to die. Though neither Ascended One we encountered showed any aggression towards us, Leo told us we had to kill them, and if we didn't kill them, we were all dead. On the first day of the Change, we lost two buses filled with refugees, mostly children, because Leo convinced us that killing the Boss we now know as Harold Jenkins was more important. During our battle with the second Ascended One, Leo ordered his friend to kill a six-year-old boy and showed not the slightest regret, as he believed the boy's death was necessary. I'm so sorry, guys. I'm sorry. We did what we thought was right, because of what he told us.” Liam pointed at Leo.
Had they lost two busloads of people on the first day of the Change because of him? Could the defenders have waited and rescued all their people before taking out the Boss? Leo honestly didn't know.
The crowd started booing him. Someone started a chant. “Death to Leo! Death to Leo! Death to Leo!”
Damien patted Leo on the back with a tentacle. “If it's any consolation, I still like you.”
It wasn't.
The testimonies went on for a week. A week of everyone imaginable testifying about how terrible Leo was and how he'd messed up their lives. At times, he wondered if he could have been wrong about the Bosses, but then he thought about the fifty years of hell he'd lived through and knew he was not. The crowd was eating out of the Bosses... tentacles? How did that phrase work? Regardless, they had the humans completely fooled, and Leo had no idea what to do about it.
Then the trial came to an end.
***
The Boss judge looked down on Leo. “In light of the many questions raised by witnesses and audience, the court would like to call Leo Edwards to the witness stand before we deliberate on his sentence.”
Damien floated upward. “Objection. My client has pled guilty to all the charges against him. What more do you want?”
“Beings want to better understand why Mr. Edwards did what he did,” the judge responded. “Mr. Edwards, please take the stand.”
“You can refuse to testify,” Damien said. “It won't hurt you, or your case.”
“That's okay.” Leo stood up. “I want to.”
Taking the stand, Leo felt sick with nervousness.
“When you ordered your friend to kill a six-year-old boy, how did it feel? How did your friend feel about it?” The acting prosecutor asked, reading from a long list of questions.
“My friend, Jason, who's now deceased, felt sick and guilty about what I ordered him to do. I did what was necessary, and I'd do it again.”
“You were recently voted the most hated person on the planet. How does that feel?”
Leo took a deep breath, and let it out again. “I'm sorry. To the humans in this amphitheater, and everywhere else, I want you to know that I bear you not the slightest animosity. You needed a genius – no, a super genius, to save the human race, and you got me instead. These High-Level Bosses have fooled smarter people than you, and I know many of you will be dead in a matter of weeks.”
“Boooo!” the audience shouted. An egg flew by Leo's head and splatted on the witness stand.
“Everyone keep in mind, Mr. Edwards is a very sick individual,” the judge's voice boomed through the huge space, “who sees us as human-eating monsters rather than members of the same churches, same schools, and beings who are happy subsisting on the blood and plasma humans have provided for us.”
Leo started laughing and couldn't stop.
The acting prosecutor spoke. “I believe Leo Edwards is a sick individual and there's little to be gained by further questioning.”
And it was over,
Damien floated upwards. “Your Honor, before you pass judgment on my client. I would speak on his behalf.”
“You may speak.”
“Leo Edwards had a terrible traumatic future life and then, somehow got sent back in time to his previous self. He did what he did, not for any selfish gain, but because he believes, no, he knows, that the Ascended Ones are monsters, and if he could, he would personally kill every one of us in this amphitheater, every one of our kind on the planet, and he wouldn't feel the slightest bit of remorse in doing so. Would you say that is true, Leo?”
Leo nodded. “Yes, it is.”
“Leo Edwards is a monster,” Damien continued. “But he is a monster created by the same aliens who created us. And though he deserves to die for his crimes, I would ask that we be the better beings and confine him to our psychiatric ward and work towards his rehabilitation. We must convince him, and others like him, that we are not the monsters he believes us to be.”
After Damien's speech, there was a long silence.
“Before we continue,” the judge said, “several religious factions would like to lead us in a group prayer for Mr. Edwards’ soul.”
“No,” Leo said.
“My client does not wish to be prayed for,” Damien said.
“Very well,” the judge said. “Mr. Edwards may leave us while we pray and deliberate on his judgment.”
Leo was taken from the amphitheater and left in a small room where he sat alone for what seemed like an eternity. Then they brought him back.
The Boss judge spoke. “Leo Edwards. Please stand.”
Leo was pulled to his feet.
“Leo Edwards. You brought untold suffering to an already suffering planet and you deserve to die. But your death would send the wrong message to a planet with too much death in it already. Our new world order is about life and new beginnings. We sentence you to life imprisonment, where you will spend your time contemplating and atoning for your crimes, and reflecting on how much misery your actions have brought to our world.”
There was a long pause.
“Mr. Edwards, is there anything you'd like to say?”
Leo didn't respond, remaining silent until they took him back to his cell.
Over the next couple of days, little changed. Ryan brought him some comic books and a small laptop loaded with movies and TV shows. No internet though. Leo tried watching the movies, but they reminded him of the time he'd watched TV with his annoying sister and he'd put his head in his hands and cried..
Then, for no reason Leo knew of, guards he didn't recognize took away his laptop and all his reading material, even the boring classics, leaving only a large bible and a bunch of books and pamphlets on religion.
Leo thought it was funny. The worst part of his imprisonment was waiting. He was sick of waiting.
November 19, 2059
His implant finished replicating itself. He set his implant to replicate a third time, though he was sure he'd be dead before it finished. Since he was asking the world's implant wearers to continually replicate their implants, it seemed wrong not to practice what he preached.
If they caught him with an implant, they would take it away. He rolled up the tinfoil-like implant while underneath his blankets and stuck it in his mouth. It turned out implants took up a tiny amount of space and he almost swallowed it more than once.
“Imp. What happens if I swallow an implant?”
It will not be affected by your stomach or digestive tract, Leo. You will simply poop it out again.
“I see.”
I've been reflecting on your plan, Leo. Do you have any idea why it's taking so long?
“They're much better organized this time,” Leo mumbled to his implant. “I think we've failed, Imp. The human race is fucked. But I have to go through with this. If there's the slightest chance my actions will help someone...”
I'm scared, Leo. I should be more accepting of our imminent demise, but I'm still scared.
“Me too.”
There were times Leo wondered if he was wrong. Could the Bosses have changed this time around? But fifty years of surviving in a post-apocalyptic hell told him they had not.
***
“You hear about people who find a million dollars and return it to the owner,” Leo said when his guards, Ben and Ryan, came with his evening meal. “Those guys are idiots. I'd keep it. Finder's keepers and all that.”
“Unless someone sees you finding it,” Ben responded. “In which case, it's better to be a good Samaritan than a criminal.”
Leo burst out in a huge fit of coughing. He grabbed a tissue from his desk and made a big show of coughing into it. Then he handed the tissue to Ryan. “Here. Get rid of this.”
Ryan's eyes opened wide when he saw the silver implant Leo had coughed into the tissue.
“Get rid of it yourself, Leo,” Ben responded. “What are we, your servants?”
“I think somebody's feeling crabby,” Ryan said while casually taking the tissue from Leo's hand and stuffing it and the implant into his pocket. “Just because he's serving a life sentence for getting a bunch of people killed, he thinks he can take it out on us.”
Leo made a show of rubbing his lips, a shhhh motion. “Have you guys thought about going home? I know you both have kids you're looking after.”
“We'd like to,” Ryan said, “but we're making too much money here. One hundred squid a day for sitting on our asses watching video camera feed.”
“Squid?” Leo asked.
Ben pulled out a dollar-sized piece of paper with a picture of a Boss on it. “We call them squid. One is good for a bottle of filtered water or the equivalent value in food or supplies. It's the new currency. And this is on top of room and board.”
“I see,” Leo responded. “I really think you should go home and see your kids.”
“We know what you think, Leo,” Ryan said. “We've been getting video messaging from our families back home. The Ascended Ones are flying children around and using their tentacles for swings and jump ropes. One of them rescued this little girl's kitten from a tree. I realize they're not saints, but they're trying so hard to make the Human-Ascended One Alliance work. I'm sorry, Leo, but your paranoia is sad.”
Leo didn't respond. He sat on his bed and waited for the guards to leave.
He'd been tempted to give the implant to Ben, the smarter of the two guards. But Ben was a large, overweight, elderly man. He'd be at the top of the Bosses' “to be eaten” list as soon as the Ascended Ones dropped their Mr. Nice Monster act.
The waiting was the worst part.
He'd thought the worst part of being captured would be being killed by the Bosses, but he'd been wrong.
It was the waiting.
Five days later, Damien paid him a visit.