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Mercury One-shot Chapter 2: Forty-Eight Frames

My eyes scanned around the prison. It was dark, humid, and so little light could pass through. I have no other time available to meet him but only after my classes.

"How did your eyes adjust to this? I can't see your handsome face well..."

Of course, he won't answer me. As usual, I try to engage him in a conversation. I held my phone cause someone texted me, but I accidentally opened my flashlight. "Oops—sorry—"

He quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me close. I almost hit the bars. In a menacing tone, he slowly warned me. "Don't. Turn. That. On."

For a second, I felt his murderous intent. "Okay, Mr. Kiefer. I'll turn it off, and would you please...let go of me?"

His grip became firmer and tighter before finally releasing his hold of my hand. Ah....it hurts like hell. I turned off the flashlight on my phone. Stupid Helen! You know this guy is a murderer and rebel.

"I'm sorry, Kiefer. That won't happen again."

I stood for a moment waiting for him to respond, but he didn't say anything. After staying for an hour, I said my goodbye. "Alright, see you tomorrow, I guess. Again, I'm sorry, Kiefer...."

Clack. Clack, clack.

The next day, she came back.

The next day, I came back.

I was working on a series of animation stills on my walls, but I always did it in dimly lit areas of my cell. In the morning, before any guards see them, I erase them. I made sure I only made easy to erase media whenever I drew on the walls. My only mistake was waking up later than I used to.

I came earlier than I used to. I hope he has forgiven me last night. I even bought him his favorite orange chicken meal. Those are the thoughts that ran through my mind as I walked towards his prison cell. In my surprise, my eyes widened as I saw the series of drawings on his walls. Despite it being lowly lit by the sun, I could understand the shapes and forms of each drawing. Looking from afar, the whole picture of the animation stills is....

"Freedom..." I muttered to myself. There he lied--tired and sleeping soundly as his hand held a brush with an unknown painting medium on the concrete floor.

Slowly, my eyes blink open.

"How long have you been doing this?" she asked.

I look at her in horror while she seems impressed at my works that could endanger my life any moment. I rushed to her and held her by the ankle. Thankfully, when she fell, she landed on her butt.

"Please, I'm begging you....don't tell anyone about this," I begged with my voice as if whispering.

I nodded. I sat close to him. "You....tell me what really happened. I've seen your animation film. It was impressive."

I saw him frown at my compliment.

"I won't know how to tell them you're innocent if you could never tell me the truth. And I want your truth."

Silence. He turned away from me. With a worn out fabric, the drawings on the walls were erased in huge swoops of his hand. "Come back later at night."

"Then what?"

"The truth. I'll show you the truth."

At around eight o'clock in the evening, I went back to his prison cell. I told the investigator that I was still in the process of talking to Kiefer, and he just nonchalantly allowed me. Looking around, I made sure that no one is following me and silently went towards his prison cell.

It's too dark. Wonder why of all times—

Rumble!

I looked in the direction of the loud sound--flashes of lightning accompanied by thunder. Anxious, I continued to walk until I felt I was near the bars of Kiefer's prison.

"You came back."

"Of course," I responded, trying to hide my anxiety.

Boom!

Another thunder. My eyes went large when flashes of lightning showed images I shouldn't have seen. I gasped and covered my mouth.

After that encounter, I ran to my office and reviewed Kiefer's folder. I looked through the images and reread the statements of witnesses.

"It's so clean. How did they do it?" There was no evidence that was left as an opening to pinpoint the real murderer.

My hands were shaking as I recalled the animation stills of how the senator was killed. I can feel fear creeping into my spine. The chills—and the skin bumps. I feel dizzy.

Riiiiing, riiiing!

I flinched when my cellphone rang. "Hello?"

A muffled voice answered. "Hello? Are you Attorney Neumann?"

"Yes, I am. Who is this?"

"This is from the Strelitz residence. I am Larry Strelitz, the uncle of Kiefer. Can I meet you tomorrow?"

I held onto my phone, still bothered by the drawings of Kiefer. "Sure, Mr. Strelitz. What time will we meet?"

---777---

Author's Notes

For this one, I kept pondering maybe I can turn Kiefer into a film auteur. Like I imagined him as a free thinking rich boy then suddenly his world was thrown upside down, so his only solace, which is art, is hidden from the world. Yet slowly, Helen tries to dig more into Kiefer's psyche and emotional baggage. Unfortunately, since he has undergone through trauma and abuse, Kiefer is reluctant to open his world of imagination--or his soul--to her.

Mercury One-shot Chapter 1: Tainted Innocence

With a huge punch to the gut, I folded and fell onto the floor.

"That's what you get—you stupid—imbecile—shameless!" the investigator said as he kicked me till he ran out of energy to do so. He grunted and sat on his ankles. "You know, you could reduce your sentence if you just....just silently accept your fate, huh?"

My hands shook as I look at his eyes full of disgust and contempt. I stuttered, "I-I did not...k-kill him....GAAAAAAH!!" I choked on my spit when I felt his kick on my stomach one last time.

"You know, I pity you. If not for your blood from a rich bourgeoisie, I'm sure the president must have killed you instantly."

He spit on me and left me wringing from pain on the floor. Gritting my teeth, I cried. My tears wouldn't stop trickling down my face that I could taste the bitterness and saltiness of my soul.

I...am innocent.

I was falsely accused for the murder of a known senator of this country. For convenience, they even labeled me a rebel for creating a well-known animation film centering on youth empowerment. In a wrong turn of events, my most prized creation became my wick of downfall. The president said my film has anti-government propaganda, and I used it to brainwash the youth to go against the government. He even said that I killed the senator, a loyal party member of the president, in my frustrated attempt to fulfill my propaganda. Thus, I was captured alive and treated like a worthless creature in this isolated prison. For four years, I have been enduring abuse and harassment from the investigators, prison guards, and cellmates. My family used to visit me, but as years passed by, they have cared less for my being. This is the first in a very long time that they have given me a chance to escape, yet why an apprentice prosecutor?

In my own cell on a bed, I placed my hand over my head, thinking, "Do they want me dead instead? But why now? They could have just killed me right at that time."

Clack, clack, clack, clack.

"Hello, Kiefer," a sweet, honey-like voice called my name.

My eyes shifted to glance in the direction of the sound. Oh, it was that woman from yesterday.

I gulped. When I looked at her, I couldn't help but admire her elegance. Her eyes are fearless, yet you can sense fairness and stillness in her. I couldn't look away.

"Mr. Kiefer? I am here to talk about your case that's been pending in court for....four years to be exact. Today marks the fourth year you were captured as a government rebel." She brings out a white box.

I sat up. On instinct, I backed away and hugged my knees. She noticed my reaction, but she didn't leave. Instead, she sat on the floor and placed the white box beyond the bars.

"Orange chicken? I heard from your friends that you loved ordering them."

Sniff, sniff. It is orange chicken!

I rushed to get the box, however, when I saw her face up close, I retracted as I got the box. I returned to my bed and turned away.

"How are you, Kiefer?....I know, you're disappointed to see that an apprentice prosecutor was sent instead of an attorney of caliber to defend you. You may not believe me, but I can defend you. That is...if we work together...."

Together? I scoffed. "You...were but a number among the lawyers my family hired. I don't know how much they paid you for you to accept a death row case. But you can't change the minds of the judges."

"Who says we can't?"

What?

I looked at her in surprise. She didn't even flinch.

"Judges are humans, too. They may also have errors despite having years of experience in the field. So, who says we can't change their minds before your big day?"

"...But they are the judges. They can only be a judge after ten years of practice in law...."

She doesn't say a word. She opens the box and eats her own meal.

"Even if you don't believe me, what if I was your only chance to be free?" she asked as she looked at me intently.

I tried to build up the courage to say something to her, but my trauma from years of abuse prevented me. I waited for her to leave, and she did. However, I became bothered when she visited me every day and even told me about her day in her law school.

Scowling, I asked her, "Why? Why do you keep coming back?"

Ignoring my annoyance, she replied, "You are my client, Kiefer. Even if you told me I could just run away with the large sum your family has paid me, my integrity doesn't allow me to do so. Do you hate people with integrity, Kiefer?"

Her question made me gulp and rethink my words. "Integrity....I already forgot that word. It has been out of my dictionary ever since my life turned upside down."

---777---

Author's Notes

I just thought…what is it like to be falsely accused? Just how much does a person actually go through? Most of stories rooted from this concept are on people in a fantasy setting. If done on modern setting, the character was almost always a grown adult, but only a few center around on a teenage or young adult character. So, I was like okay, we'll bring this story to life.

Mercury One-shot Prologue

"This...is the man that gave the senator 48 stab wounds, hacked and slashed his body to pieces....and packed it in a travelling bag only to throw into the fields of unknown?" I asked the investigator.

"Yes, Attorney."

I reread the files given to me. Name, Kiefer Strelitz. Age, twenty years old. Gender, male. Background, the youngest son to Strelitz Publishing Corporation. Red tagged for propaganda against the government. I put down the folder and looked upon the face of the criminal. He has been in prison for four years. Downtrodden, beaten up, and malnourished—this is the face of the government rebel and murderer?

"What did the witnesses say?" I tapped my fingers on the table, trying to throw my sympathy away towards this kid.

The investigator answered. "They all had the same statement: A tall, lanky man about six feet in height went with the senator in the same room. Later, they heard a gunshot, and one of the senator's secretaries came in. He said the boy was trembling in fear, holding a knife."

His answer made me raise my eyebrows. "Huh? I thought the senator died from stab wounds and being cut to pieces?"

"He did. Because the senator was still alive from the gunshot. Then, this young man attacked the senator and stabbed him to death..."

"What did the secretary do? Why didn't he help?"

Clearing his throat, the investigator placed his hand on my shoulder, leaned close and whispered to my ear. "Well, he was afraid of a rebel. Of course, why would he try to stop a rebel?"

I felt him squeeze on my shoulder. He looked at the young man in question who couldn't afford to look at his intense condemning eyes. "Okay, then. Thanks for answering. I hope you'll leave your lines open for further questions?"

With a devilish smirk, the investigator replied. "Of course, attorney. Oooh, would you look at the time." He whistled as he took a glance at his cheap metal watch. "I'll have to leave you two first." He gave Kiefer one last look of warning before leaving me and

Kiefer alone in the interrogation room.

A moment of silence. I was staring at a terrified man who hadn't fully realized his adulthood yet. "Kiefer?"

Kiefer, seemingly afraid to even look at me, was trembling. His adam's apple moved as he gulped hard.

"Kiefer...." With a warm smile, I reached out my hand for him as a gentle approach to his elusive nature. "My name is Helen Neumann. I am your attorney. I'm here to defend you."

Look at this guy. He can't even speak or respond to my greetings. He's thinking if he should look at me, hold my hand, or answer me.

"Kiefer—"

BAM!!!

"I DID NOT KILL HIM—I SWEAR TO GOD! I DID NOT KILL HIM!" Kiefer grabbed me by my shoulders and shouted the same words as if he's chanting.

As if lightning, the investigator bust open the door and ran swiftly to intervene. He tased Kiefer who was defenseless from the device.

"Hey! You don't have to do that!" He just tased my client!

"Shut it woman!" The investigator roared. "You, shameless brat!" He dragged Kiefer away by his collar as Kiefer held onto his hand.

"Where are you taking him?"

"To the correction hub." He stopped by the door and glanced at me. "If you want to survive this country, don't get in too deep, young lady," the investigator warned.

Anxious and fearful, I shut my mouth and watched Kiefer be dragged away helplessly.

"I did not kill him—I did not kill him...." He cries while being taken away.

The room fell silent as soon as Kiefer left the room....

----777---

Author's Notes:

Just a draft script for a manga that hopefully would be actualized one day.

One of my favorite anime couples. <3

Hi! This is my first post ever. Enjoy a fanart of Petra Gurin. :’D