Chapter 72: The Execution
In Carrington City, the Alset family had been confined to their mansion. Their guards were stripped of their weapons and were confined to their quarters. Demadrian, Jenna, and Hermon were in the lounge. They were monitoring the television and radio for any news of what was happening with Hadrian. There was nothing. Ever since James had been arrested, very little news was being broadcast. It was mostly reruns of shows from before the Grand Final.
‘I can’t stand not knowing what’s going on,’ said Demadrian angrily. ‘What’s the deal? What’s the deal? What’s the deal?’
‘You just have to be patient,’ said Jenna as she tried to comfort Demadrian. ‘I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.’
‘I bet he’s in the Capital City now, sipping from a giant coconut, putting that twat Sanguine in his place,’ said Hermon confidently.
‘See, he’s optimistic,’ said Jenna with a smile.
‘He’s also an idiot,’ said Demadrian.
‘That’s a blatant lie,’ replied Hermon as he jumped on the sofa. ‘I have invented tons of cordless devices and compact portable energy generators.’
Jenna shrugged her shoulders, and Demadrian shook his head.
The next morning, in the city hall, the jury was ready to pass judgement on the accused. Everyone returned to the same positions they were in the previous day.
Atlas was the last to enter the hall. He took his position on the stage behind the jury.
‘Good morning, everyone,’ said Atlas. ‘I have great news! The jury has made their decisions.’
The audience gently clapped. Percival walked over to juror one, who was holding a folded piece of paper. The juror handed the piece of paper to Percival. Percival walked up on stage and handed the piece of paper to Atlas.
‘Thank you,’ said Atlas to Percival. Percival walked away without acknowledging him.
Atlas unfolded the paper and looked at it. His face fell when he saw what was on it.
‘Hadrian Alset, you have been sentenced to death. In two weeks, you will be burnt at the stake,’ said Atlas, gritting his teeth.
‘This is madness,’ shouted Hadrian. ‘What kind of sick, twisted sentence is this?’
‘It’s better than you deserve, you sick bastard,’ shouted juror twelve.
‘You’ll be silent,’ shouted Percival.
The room became quiet again.
‘Jurors, raise your hand if you agree with this sentence,’ asked Atlas firmly.
Eleven jurors raised their hands. Juror four folded his arms in disgust.
‘Sentence passed,’ said Atlas in a solemn voice.
The audience in the room applauded.
‘Next we have the rest of the Alset family,’ said Atlas, shaking his head. ‘All Alset family members will be stripped of all assets and property. They will forever be confined to the city of Carrington. The family will be given food in exchange for the output they produce. If any family member escapes, they will be severely punished.’
‘This is slavery,’ said Hadrian angrily.
‘They get to stay in their cosy mansion doing the things they love,’ shouted juror three.
Percival was about to intervene, but the room went quiet.
‘Jurors, raise your hand if you agree with this sentence,’ asked Atlas with a sigh.
Ten jurors raised their hands. Jurors three and twelve did not.
‘Sentence passed,’ said Atlas, shaking his head.
The audience clapped loudly.
‘Next we have the technicians,’ said Atlas. ‘The accused technicians will be transferred to Carrington. They will continue to work for the Alset family. They will not be permitted to leave the city and will not be paid a salary. They will be provided with sufficient food and lodging to survive.’
‘We’re going to Carrington,’ shouted a technician as the group of them began jumping up and down.
‘Calm down, calm down,’ said Percival in a raised tone as he walked towards the technicians.
The technicians put their thumbs up to Percival and sat back down again.
‘Jurors, raise your hand if you agree with this sentence,’ asked Atlas in a slightly confused tone.
Only four jurors raised their hands.
‘Well, what’s the deal?’ asked Atlas. ‘Why was I given this decision?’
‘Yesterday, we unanimously supported this,’ said juror ten.
‘I’ve changed my mind,’ said juror three. ‘They seem too happy.’
‘Once you’ve submitted your decision, you are not allowed to change your mind,’ said Percival firmly as he turned to face the jurors. ‘Raise your hand if you supported this decision yesterday.’
All twelve jurors reluctantly raised their hands.
‘Sentence passed,’ said Atlas firmly. ‘The technicians will be placed and escorted on buses to Carrington City later today.’
The technicians began clapping. A few moments later, so did several in the audience.
‘Next we move on to James Yensid,’ said Atlas. ‘He changed his plea to “not guilty”. Therefore, he has been granted a trial. His companies, Yensid Media, Yensid Studios, and Yensid Pharma, will be placed under public control. If, in the highly unlikely event, James is not found guilty, his companies will be returned to him. The date of his trial is yet to be determined.’
There was a slight round of applause from the audience.
‘That brings us to the end of today’s session,’ said Atlas as he abruptly turned and left the stage.
The jurors rose to their feet and followed him out of the hall.
Percival walked over to Hadrian, who had his face in his hands. ‘You will have a chance to appeal this barbaric sentence,’ said Percival to Hadrian. ‘I will speak with the Head Enforcer regarding our next course of action.’
That night, Tiberius was in the study listening to his favourite music. His enjoyment was interrupted by a knock on the study door. A palace guard entered the study.
‘The Deputy Head Enforcer is here to see you, sir,’ said the guard in a formal tone.
‘Send him in,’ replied Tiberius.
Percival entered the study.
‘I must congratulate you on your superb performance throughout the investigation,’ said Tiberius as he looked straight ahead without turning to face Percival.
‘Thank you, sir,’ replied Percival. ‘I need to speak to you urgently about Hadrian Alset’s sentence.’
‘The mass murderer who the Capital has decided to burn at the stake,’ said Tiberius as he reached to pick up the glass of juice beside him.
‘His crimes are horrific, but we have a duty to protect our own,’ said Percival.
‘My father reminded me of that on a regular basis,’ said Tiberius curtly as he turned suddenly to face Percival. ‘It was as if not being a pureblood noble made me ignorant of his ways.’
‘You are the son of the great Chief Sanguine,’ said Percival, as he stood a little tense. ‘There is no one of nobler blood than yourself, sir.’
Tiberius turned away from Percival and sighed. ‘We follow the rules of democracy here,’ he said. ‘The common folk have decided he must die in this manner.’
‘I have a suggestion, sir,’ said Percival.
Tiberius gestured Percival to continue.
‘On the day of the public execution, we could ask the crowd in attendance if they wish to grant mercy to him,’ said Percival. ‘The sight of him tied to the stake might arouse a positive response.’
‘You are forgetting. They are not civilised like you and I,’ replied Tiberius calmly. ‘Instead of showing mercy, they will scream for his blood.’
Percival walked over to Tiberius, and he placed his hand on his shoulder. ‘They might surprise you,’ he said to Tiberius in a soft voice.
Tiberius turned and looked up at Percival and said, ‘Fine, you will see the truth and their true nature. Besides, we need to demonstrate our loyalty to the other noble families.’
‘Thank you, sir,’ said Percival as he stepped back. He turned and left the study.
It was the day of Hadrian’s execution; the stake was erected in the centre of the city square. Around thirty metres from the stake, a stage was set up. The media was present this time. The execution was to be shown live on television. This would be the first time any of the proceedings of the trial and judgement would be broadcast to the public. A large crowd had shown up to watch the execution.
In Carrington City, the enforcers had forced the Alset family to gather in the lounge to watch the execution. Two enforcers stood either side of Demadrian. They were concerned he would become violent once he realised what was happening.
Two cars arrived at the city square. In the first car was Atlas. In the second car were Sanguine and the Head Enforcer. They got out of the cars and walked up on the stage. Sanguine stood behind a small podium. The Head Enforcer stood to his right and Atlas to his left.
‘Today, we hope to mark the end of the most tragic period in our great Capital’s history,’ said Sanguine to the crowd. ‘Today, we put the monster who perpetrated mass murder to a fiery death.’
The crowd roared in excitement.
A van arrived. It stopped behind the first two cars. Two enforcers got out of the vehicle. They opened the back of the vehicle. Two more enforcers came out. They had Hadrian with him. They took him over to the stake. They hoisted him up and then secured him in place.
The crowd jeered and booed Hadrian. Demadrian stared hatefully at the television. The others looked on in fear.
Sanguine walked off the stage to the stake. The Head Enforcer walked over to the small podium.
‘It has been two weeks since sentencing,’ said the Head Enforcer. ‘We have had time to reflect on everything. Democracy has led us down this path. Today, we can use democracy to confirm this path, or we can use democracy to change this path. We can painfully execute this perpetrator for his heinous crimes, or we may grant the mercy of a life sentence. Only you can make that decision. Death or mercy?’
The crowd started chanting, ‘Death! Death! Death!’
The Head Enforcer turned his head towards Percival, who was standing offstage to his left with a group of senior enforcers. He nodded and grinned. Percival sadly bowed his head.
Suddenly, loud music began blaring out. It was Saliyah’s song, ‘My Hero’. Ryan’s campaign bus had arrived.
The crowd roared with excitement. Ryan leapt off the bus. He walked towards the stage. The Head Enforcer stared at Ryan in shock as he climbed up on stage. Ryan stood behind the podium. He gestured towards the bus for them to stop the music. The crowd continued to roar for a few minutes before calming down.
‘I have been away for some time,’ said Ryan. ‘I have been through the unimaginable, and so have so many others.’
The crowd became silent.
‘Pain can control our minds,’ said Ryan firmly. ‘It can turn our thoughts to darkness. It can push our actions to darkness. Once we cross that line, we may never come back.’
Ryan looked around at the crowd. They were staring intently at him. Tears began to roll down his face.
‘We may think what we are doing today is justice,’ said Ryan as his voice began to crumble. ’This is not justice. This is revenge. Revenge only leads to more suffering. Only love can cure pain.’
The Head Enforcer watched on in disbelief.
‘I lost the love of my life because of his actions,’ shouted Ryan as he pointed to Hadrian. ‘For my heart to heal, we must grant him mercy,’ shouted Ryan as he turned back to the crowd. ‘I ask you, do you grant him mercy?’
‘Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!’ chanted the crowd.
The chant lasted several minutes.
Once it died down, the Head Enforcer turned towards Sanguine and shouted, ‘The crowd has spoken. Cut him down!’
The crowd roared in excitement again.
In Carrington City, Demadrian sighed deeply in relief as he leaned back in his chair. Jenna looked across at Demadrian with a slight smile on her face. The senior members of the Alset family got up and hugged each other.
A senior enforcer approached the television and turned it off.
‘That’s the end of your viewing for today,’ he said firmly. ‘You will all assemble here tonight. Governor Ebirb needs to brief all of you.’ The senior enforcer led the other enforcers out of the lounge.
In the city square, the crowd had finally quieted down. Hadrian had been cut down and taken back to the vehicle he had arrived in.
‘You cheer me, like I am your hero,’ shouted Ryan. ‘Alas, I am not. I was not here during your true time of need. I was overwhelmed with pain and grief, so I left. By doing so, I left others to pick up the pieces.’
‘We forgive you, Ryan,’ shouted someone from the crowd.
‘Yes, we do! Yes, we do!’ chanted the rest of the crowd.
‘It is more than that,’ shouted back Ryan. ‘I am a poor judge of character. I allowed myself to be led astray by a greedy, self-absorbed advisor. I am not worthy of your applause, nor am I worthy to lead you.’
The crowd moaned loudly.
‘I am formally announcing my resignation as your governor,’ shouted Ryan.
The crowd became silent.
‘I want to pass the torch to someone who can lead you with conviction,’ said Ryan as he lowered the volume of his voice. ‘Someone who has led you through this difficult time. Someone who will not be deceived by the lying words of his advisor. Someone who respects democracy. Someone who urges for mercy when needed.’
Sanguine walked up on stage with a big smile on his face. Ryan briefly turned to look at Sanguine, and then he turned to face the Head Enforcer and said, ‘Someone who puts duty before themselves.’
The crowd began to roar again.
‘The world needs to hear your name,’ called out Ryan to the Head Enforcer.
The Head Enforcer stepped forward to stand beside Ryan. He looked around at the crowd. They began to chant, ‘Head Enforcer! Head Enforcer!’
‘My name… My name is Tiberius,’ shouted the Head Enforcer.
‘Will you take the mantle as the new governor of the Capital District?’ Ryan asked Tiberius
Tiberius looked directly at Ryan, and then he smiled and said, ‘Yes, yes, I will.’
The crowd began to chant, ‘Tiberius! Tiberius! Tiberius!’ as loudly as they could.
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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