Titanic II: Revival (REVISING!)

019

One Month Later

Finally, after a month of meetings with my lawyer, interrogations, hearings and the inability to leave my house without being watched by officers, it was time for my trial.

Dr. Johnson did not hesitate to press charges for "stealing property of Johnson Labs", and I did not hesitate to plead innocent. Not only was I being prosecuted, but I was being prosecuted as a criminal.

The drive to the courthouse felt like it lasted hours. My destiny, wether it be jail or freedom, lay inside the tall white building. The suspense began to eat me from the inside, out.

Finally, my lawyer pulled up in front of the courthouse, stopping the car and putting it in park. She turned her head to look at me, and I did the same.

"Remember what we talked about." She reminded me.

Ah yes! How can I forget the hours of planning each word which was going to be said inside the courtroom! I felt as if I had an entire script stapled inside my skull for this trial.

We stepped out of the vehicle, before making our way up the many stairs in front of the building.

I sighed as I opened the large door.

• • •

My lawyer, Miss Debora, and I entered the court room. We seemed to have been the last people who needed to arrive besides the Judge.

We walked to the front of the room, before taking a seat at a table opposite of the one Dr. Johnson had been sitting at.

I looked back at the crowd, to instantly see Jack Dawson sitting amongst them.

I felt my eyes water a bit as I had the intense urge to go over to him and hug him tightly, but I couldn't.

Then I saw my mother, sitting near the back.

I flashed her a slight smile, but she looked away in return. I'm not even sure why she bothered to come if she had been so disappointed in me. She didn't have to.

Finally, the judge entered. But I didn't pay attention to anything he had been saying.

I stared at my hands which sat on my lap, thinking back to when this whole mess started.

Perhaps if I hadn't been so reckless and just left Jack alone, this wouldn't happen.

I mentally slapped myself.

This was worth it. If he's free after this trial, it is definitely worth it.

"Defendant Bukater, you plea innocent?" Asked the man behind the large desk at the very front of the room.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Debora beat me to it. "Yes. Ms. Bukater pleads innocent."

"Alright. Dr. Johnson, do you have any evidence or witnesses that Ms. Bukater in fact, 'stole' your property?" The man asked as he looked over at the table across from us.

Dr. Johnson and his lawyer stood, before he began to speak. "Yes, your honour. We have multiple witnesses. The first witness I call up, is Mrs. Bukater."

I froze.

My heart seemed to stop.

My mind stopped thinking properly.

It had began to make sense. My mother did not come to support her daughter, she came to support the prosecutors.

I lifted my head slowly to see my mother walk up to the front of the court room, before taking a seat beside the Judges desk where a microphone stood in front of her.

After taking the oath of Sworn Testimony, the questions began. And each answer made me look guiltier and guiltier. I couldn't even look at my own mother.

Finally, she sat back down. The judge then looked at me and sighed. "This is not looking very good for you, Ms. Bukater."

"I'm aware, your honour." I muttered, nervously brushing my blonde hair behind my ear.

"Do you have anything to help your plea?" He asked.

"I do." I answered.

I looked over at Debora, as she gave me a reassuring nod. I then stood from my seat, and made my way to the centre of the room where I can speak to the crowd and jurors.

"I did NOT steal property from Johnson Labs. I am innocent. Reasoning? Because a man is not another man's property. He is not a science experiment. Jack Dawson is a living, breathing, eating, sleeping, and feeling human being who deserves a life as much as we do." I look around the room at all the faces around me, seeing a few nod. "I know my way of problem solving wasn't ideal. But what would you do? What would you do, when you met a man who, in his mind, had literally just died from the sinking of the Titanic, and was now being poked and prodded as if he was a lab rat? For the sake of science?" I turned to look at the judge. "Jack Dawson is a rich part of our history. He is the last survivor of the tragic sinking of the Titanic. And this is not how we treat our history." I turned once more, to look at the crowd. But really, I was looking right at my mother. "I do not regret anything. Jack Dawson deserves to be set free. Even if that means I have to be imprisoned. Thank you." As I walked back to my table where my lawyer sat nervously, murmurs broke out around the room. The judge grew impatient and began to bang the wooden hammer he had on his desk.

"That is enough!" He shouted, and suddenly everyone grew silent. "I think I have heard enough evidence from both sides. Now I have a question for everyone in this room."

People began to whisper in confusion, as I myself, was also confused.

"Raise your hand if you believe that Jack Dawson is NOT Johnson Labs property." He shouted.

I raised my hand, looking back to see 95% of the crowd and Jurors had done the same. I smiled, looking over at Jack who had been smiling too.

"Hands down." He ordered, and everyone lowered their hands from the air. "Looks like most of us are on the same page. We, the jury, find the defendant to be 'not guilty'." He said before banging his wooden hammer on his desk one last time.

I stood from my desk, running over to Jack and hugging him tightly. He picked me up, and spun me as he tightly embraced me back.

"You did it!" He whispered into my ear, pulling away to looked at me. He wiped the tears which had been falling from my eyes, before pulling my lips to his.

A warm feeling erupted through my body. A feeling of relief.

Finally, he was free.