Chapter 41: Argue Your Way Out of This
Hadrian and Demadrian had just arrived back in Carrington. Hadrian had informed both Governor Sanguine and Governor Ebirb ahead of their arrival about Demadrian’s confession.
Hadrian and Demadrian entered Governor Ebirb’s office. Four guards escorted them.
‘Both of you take a seat,’ said Ebirb as he turned to look at Demadrian. ‘We are all delighted that you are well. You gave all of us a scare.’
‘You won’t be so delighted after I have explained why I am here,’ said Demadrian with sorrow in his voice.
‘I know why you are here,’ said Ebirb. ‘Your father spoke to me at length just a few days ago. I have also consulted both Chief Sanguine and your grandfather.’
‘I’m ready to sign a confession,’ said Demadrian. ‘I must face punishment for my crimes.’
‘Murder is a very serious crime,’ said Ebirb. ‘However, not all killings are classified as murder.’
‘Isn’t the intentional killing of someone else considered murder?’ asked Demadrian.
‘Normally,’ said Ebirb. ‘From the evidence sent through to me and with the help of expert opinion. It certainly looks like you killed those guards.’
‘I can confirm that is the case,’ said Demadrian.
‘However, killing those guards was not murder,’ said Ebirb firmly. ‘It was an act of self-defence.’
‘I killed them because I wanted to,’ said Demadrian.
‘You killed them because they were a threat,’ said Ebirb. ‘Those on the bus died because the bus was intentionally forced off the road. The bus was forced off the road by the guards’ vehicles. The paint marks on the bus and corresponding damage to the guards’ vehicles confirm that.’
‘My aunt, what about my aunt?’ said Demadrian in frustration. ‘I killed her.’
‘You went through so much trauma,’ said Ebirb. ‘I know you honestly believed you killed her.’
‘I did kill her,’ said Demadrian firmly.
‘She died from head trauma relating to the crash,’ said Ebirb. ‘It looked like someone pulled her from the vehicle in an attempt to save her life. Unfortunately, moving her resulted in her bleeding out.’
‘I… I… um… err…,’ muttered Demadrian.
‘In your mind, you recall yourself killing her because you were unable to save her,’ said Ebirb. ‘Your attempts to save her hastened her death. She would have died anyway. No one could blame you for helping her.’
Demadrian burst out crying.
Hadrian put his arm around his son.
‘What now?’ asked Hadrian. ‘Is my son free to go?’
‘Not exactly,’ replied Ebirb. ‘Your son is suffering from great emotional stress. I do not consider him a criminal, but his current state of mind could indicate he might be a danger to himself or even others.’
‘Our family would like to take responsibility for him,’ said Hadrian. ‘We can provide him with all the medical and psychological care he needs.’
‘I find that to be reasonable,’ replied Ebirb. ‘My staff will pay him frequent visits, let’s say once or twice a week. We insist he remain on your property at all times until he can be independently certified to be fit to return to society.’
‘I agree,’ said Hadrian.
Demadrian remained quiet. He was now deeply confused and began doubting reality. He had also not taken any blue juice recently. He was suffering from withdrawal symptoms, which appeared to worsen by the day.
Two days later, Governor Ebirb and Sanguine decided to give a joint press conference to disclose the conclusions they had agreed on. Governor Sanguine was to take the lead, and Governor Ebirb was available to answer questions. They were both in their respective districts. Yensid Media film crews were in both locations.
‘Our investigation into the events in North has been closed,’ said Sanguine. ‘I have consulted with various experts as well as Governor Ebirb. It appears there was a guards uprising. The guards decided to attack the facility. They burnt sections of the facility. They attacked staff. They pursued those who escaped in the bus. Then they forced it to crash off the side of the cliff. It appeared Patricia Alset was there to help those on the bus. Sadly, her vehicle went out of control and crashed. Demadrian Alset attended to her after the crash. Sadly, he could not save her. Later, he returned to the facility. When he encountered some of the remaining guards, out of fear and stress, he attacked them with their weapons. This resulted in their deaths. We have deemed his response excessive, but considering his state of mind at the time, we do not find him criminally culpable. The remaining guards have been detained. All of them have pleaded guilty to the uprising. They will be imprisoned for the rest of their lives. Of course, none of this would have happened if the Alset Company had relied on my official North Guards.’
The cameras then switched to Carrington.
‘Demadrian is currently being detained in Carrington,’ said Ebirb. ‘I will reiterate that he is not criminally culpable, but he has been deemed unfit to return to society. He will undergo treatment. He will be released when our medical staff determines it is safe to do so. We will now take questions from the media.’
In North. ‘Renlo, Yensid Media. Why would the guards suddenly attack the facility? What was their motive?’ asked a journalist named Renlo.
‘Is that a serious question?’ shouted Governor Sanguine. ‘For the last few months, all the media can do is yap on and on about how the Alset family abuses its employees. These moronic guards decided to take things to the next level. They actually attacked this family. I find it disgusting, and I find the likes of you disgusting.’
The room went quiet as Sanguine stared into the camera. His nostrils were flaring.
In Carrington. ‘Janet, Yensid Media. Demadrian was missing for some time. Where did he go? Why did he not turn himself in in North?’ asked a journalist named Janet.
‘Do you know what it is like to see a loved one die in front of you? Do you know the feeling of being powerless as the life drains from their body?’ asked Ebirb.
‘Personally, no,’ responded Janet. ‘However, that was a regular occurrence for the victims of Alset.’
‘You never fail to stick to your narrative,’ replied Ebirb. ‘The Alset family is not perfect. However, they are in mourning. Demadrian is devastated. He blames himself for his aunt’s death. He wanted to be locked away as a murderer out of guilt. He now sits in a corner of a room, shaking uncontrollably. I ask of just one thing, and that’s compassion.’
‘Sure, the same compassion the Alset family showed the families of those who died in the mines,’ blurted out Janet.
Governor Ebirb threw his microphone down and stormed off.
The broadcast returned to the studio.
‘There you have it!’ said the host in the studio. ‘Alset family members can just kill at will and still not be held to account for their actions. Their day of reckoning is coming soon.
Breaking news flashed across the screen.
‘We’re not going to leave you with this terrible news,’ said the host. ‘Governor Ryan has a really important announcement regarding the residents of North. Let’s bring you over to him now.’
Ryan was sitting behind his desk in the palace office.
‘The North district has had it the hardest of any district in Sapey,’ said Ryan. ‘The sale of the Alset assets in the North was supposed to usher in a new era for the district. However, things are never as easy as they are meant to be. Most of the assets are being relocated to the Capital and West Districts, and with the closure of mines, very few jobs will remain in the North District.’
Ryan looked down at his hands for a few seconds, and then he looked back up at the camera.
‘I’m inviting all residents of North to relocate to either the Capital or West Districts. I will build new houses for all. In the meantime, I will arrange temporary accommodation in the city. Just as I promised, I will make sure that everyone is taken care of.’
Ryan paused for a few seconds. He briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
‘We can compensate the wronged as much as we like, but that will only ever be part of the solution,’ said Ryan as a sad expression came over his face. ‘We need to properly protect those from being wronged or harmed in the first place. Our system is insufficient. The guards are insufficient. Our governors are not the best arbiters of justice. We saw that this evening. This is all about to change. I am building a special force to handle crime. I have already hired a thousand, and I am recruiting another ten thousand. This special force will be called enforcers. They will enforce the law for the whole continent. They will protect the weak and innocent from those who wish to harm them.’
A smile came across Ryan’s face. ‘Thank you for listening. Great times are ahead.’
Sapien Loop: End of an Era
Sapien Loop: Frozen in Time is the sequel to the book Sapien Loop: End of an Era. Sapien Loop: End of an Era is available on Amazon, in collection series on my @spectrumecons account, and in individual chapters in my @captainhive account.
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