Page 19 of The Program

The Intergalactic Union at its core had been compromised.

My gaze whipped towards Brin who I found was already looking at me. Our eyes clashed, and a morbid understanding passed between us. She already knew. She knew how this meeting was going to go, and it wasn’t going to end in my favour.

I’d known that coming in, but that still didn’t prevent the absolute gut-punch the confirmation gave me. My heart dropped and my lungs constricted. A small noise of protest came out of me, but it was nothing more than a wheeze. I shouldn’t have tried to protest at all, but I was being driven by instinct.

I didn’t want to live out my life as a convicted rapist, especially when I wasn’t one. I didn’t want to spend the remainder of my life in a tiny cell, cut off from my friends and family and the outside world. I wanted my freedom. I wanted my life back.

No, I wanted to run away from here and start a life somewhere safe away from all this madness. Except the image that thought conjured included the one man that wasn’t here. The one The Program had taken from us all.

Fuck, I just wanted my friend back. I wanted to start a new life with him, to find partners and settle down and stay out of IU business forever. A quiet, peaceful life with one of the only people I trusted. I could even see the others joining us, except that was ridiculous. Bromm was a prince and Foryk would follow him. The captain’s sense of duty would force him to stay put and Brin would remain loyally by his side. Dorian, Urman, Henrik and Cadmus weren’t close enough with us to warrant abandoning life as they knew it for either me or Arty.

It really would be just the two of us.

The scratchy sound of a weathered voice clearing their throat brought me back to my unfortunate reality. I took a deep breath and tried to centre myself to get through the undoubtedly terrible outcome of these proceedings.

‘Reece Hastings, you have been accused of the brutal physical and sexual assault of multiple women. You have also been accused of sexual harassment in the workplace by a number of women who shall remain anonymous for their safety and wellbeing. How do you plead?’

‘He pleads not guilty,’ Brin spoke up before I could. I didn’t think it would matter either way. They had already decided my fate and were not going to be swayed by the evidence. For some reason, these people wanted me to take the fall for someone else’s actions, and it only reaffirmed my suspicions that the true culprit was also in league with The Program and they were covering for him.

The only question that remained waswhy me?Why was I being targeted for something that anyone who knew me would never believe? What had I done that made them view me as a threat?

‘Your plea has been noted. Bring in the arresting officer.’

The heavy ornate doors opened once again to allow the entrance of the emerald-green Tornu that had arrested me. He walked forward until he was standing beside the raised platform I was on. Not once did he even glance in my direction.

I brought forth the memory of what had happened when Nova Station had been taken. We’d been locked in that room together for quite some time until we’d been discovered, and then he was back to placing cuffs around my wrists and marching me to a holding cell. I’d not seen him since.

‘Please state your name for the council,’ the same hidden figure with the scratchy voice demanded.

‘Chief Kir Pemmel, sir.’

‘Chief Pemmel, it is my understanding that you arrested Reece Hastings, is that correct?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘And what evidence allowed you to make the arrest?’

‘There was video evidence recovered of the attacks alongside multiple witness accounts that corroborated with the footage.’

‘I see. And how many witnesses attested to Mister Hastings’ involvement?’

‘Sixteen.’

Wait… what?Sixteen peopletold everyone it was me? And that video was clearly someone else. There was no way... unless it had been tampered with.

Fuck, someone changed the video to make it look like me, didn’t they?

I exchanged another grim look with Brin, and that told me more than enough. This whole thing was only a formality.

‘And is there anything you would like to add that you have not already officially stated, Chief Pemmel?’

I watched the chief as he hesitated, his eyes darting to me briefly before returning to the official that was addressing him. ‘No, sir. There’s nothing else.’

‘Very well. You testimony has been recorded. You are free to leave.’

The large green man exited the room hastily, refusing to look back even when Brin glared daggers at him.

‘We have watched the video that has been submitted as evidence and read the witness statements. CWO Brin, is there any evidence that disputes the evidence currently in our possession?’

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