He was interrupted by a thundering boom that ripped through the institute. It was followed by frantic pounding in the walls, one so strong the floor vibrated. They glanced out through the vestibule archway into the main space of the pyramid, and Addison almost expected to see falling mortar and daylight breaking through the distant ceiling.
“This is really it,” he whispered, awe-struck.
Taka said nothing, but moved a few inches closer.
“It must be why the levellers are rushing this through,” Addison continued. “Doing both trials at once. One last gasp before the lights go out for good.”
Taka turned, grasping his arm.
“Are we sure about this, Ads?” he said, suddenly uncertain. “If the defences really are about to fail, does any of it actually make a difference? Either Hannah and Thibault die now in there with them, or in a few hours out here with us. What does it matter?”
Addison smiled.
“It matters,” he said plainly.
Taka shook his head, ashamed.
“Sorry. Gah. Last-minute jitters.”
Addison smiled again.
“You had something to tell me?”
“Well, what I was going to say was that I–”
Changing his mind suddenly, Addison put a finger to Taka’s lips.
“In fact,” he said. “Tell me after.”
“After?”
“I’m going to hold you to it.”
The very concept of an afterwards was thrilling. It was madness, pure fantasy, but it was also a promise. If there was an afterwards then there was hope, and if there was hope maybe they would make it after all.
“Ready?” Addison asked, reaching for Taka’s hand.
“If you are.”
And together, they pushed open the courtroom door.
– Chapter 8 –
The Last Trial
The courtroom was a din of chaos and confusion.
“Order!” One shouted, banging his gavel repeatedly. “I said order!”
So far, the trial had been a mess.
Exactly as planned.
Aided by the pounding in the walls, which had reached such a deafening pitch the levellers were having to shout to be heard, Thibault was making himself every bit the nuisance Addison had instructed him to be. The Belgian was currently spasming on the floor of the witness stand, having managed to get himself tasered a third time, sapping the mantis drone of yet more precious juice.
“Order!” the judge repeated, as the noise abated slightly. “I have a verdict!”
The levellers had barrelled through their evidence at breakneck speed, as if the institute might fall any second. But trying two people at once was time-consuming, and they were visibly frustrated with their progress. Addison understood of course, doing things properly mattered, even at the death, but he was enjoying watching the levellers tie themselves in knots.
“Thibault Peeters of Bruges, European Federation,” One cried, banging his gavel again. “Hannah Jakande of London, Britain, I find you both–”
There was another thunderous peal from the walls. The judge hesitated, face flickering and in amongst the rapidly-flitting expressions Addison spotted one he hadn’t seen before: terror.
The judge was afraid.
On the row of benches behind Two, Taka used the distraction to budge a few inches to his left. Between the pounding and Thibault’s distractions, he had been moving unnoticed through the court, shifting and sliding along the mistwall benches and slowly getting himself in the best place to strike. Now, behind Two and within spitting distance of the drone, Taka was finally in position. All the pieces were in place
Eventually, the noise subsided.
“I find both defendants guilty!” One cried. “Now, to sentencing!”
Addison tensed. This was it. They had played the clock down as long as they could. Soon they’d be forced to make their move. He tried to catch Taka’s eye, but his partner’s gaze was elsewhere. He was frowning, looking at Four who for some reason was ducking out the back door.
One was still talking.
“Through overconsumption, overtravel and inaction,” he announced. “You have committed egregious acts of ecological damage, contributing to the crime of terracide for which your punishment shall be death. ”
Addison finally caught Taka’s eye, but his partner shook his head minutely. It took him a moment, then Addison saw the drone had moved closer to the defendants, covering for Four’s absence. It was struggling, losing altitude then jerkily correcting itself, but it was still too far away for Taka to reach.
Damnit.
“Four,” One called. “Please bring in the device!”
Addison’s heart sank even further. This wasn’t in the script. The main doors banged open to reveal Four pushing a huge wheeled contraption into court. For a second, he was transported back to primary school, the teacher wheeling out a special whiteboard for the class, then he caught sight of the swinging cords, the baskets and the glint of a sharp blade.
“Is that a fucking guillotine?” he gasped.
“Very astute, Mr. Moore,” the judge said, as Four rolled the device down the aisle.
Addison was speechless. Taka, Thibault and Hannah were all staring at the contraption in horror, and at the defence table Five looked equally appalled. The judge had clearly left him out of this particular decision.
“As you must be aware,” One continued. “We have been having ongoing power issues. Our drone assisted, but doing so drained it. Make no mistake, its sting is still as potent as ever, but heat death would prove overtaxing, particularly we now have two defendants. We therefore found ourselves in need of something a little more analogue.”
Four was still coming down the aisle, wheels squeaking as she approached the judge’s bench. She was close enough for Addison to see the contraption had a pair of semi-circular indents etched into a mistwall slab, room for two. Thibault must have seen too, because he started hollering again, quite unprompted. Another sharp crackle of electricity from the drone forced him back into silence.
“It was actually you who gave me the idea, Mr. Moore,” the judge smiled. “If you recall our very first session, when you chastised us for our approach? I did not know the term, but after some research I was rather taken with the concept. We had one constructed last night and although it is perhaps not as poetic as our previous method, it is still very efficient. What
