Ch.25: Courtroom Collapse

I didn't sleep. I didn't eat. I spent the two hours before dawn sitting in a taxi parked three blocks from the precinct, watching the entrance.

When the sun rose, I walked in.

I was wearing my court suit, which was now wrinkled and smelled faintly of sea water and smoke. But I had my badge. I had my ID.

I had to be in court by 9 AM for the Miller hearing. But first, I had a meeting with a ghost.

The back entrance of the 9th Precinct was a loading dock for the morgue vans. It was quiet, secluded.

Kael was waiting in the shadows. She wasn't wearing her tuxedo. She was in plain clothes—jeans, a hoodie. She looked small. Vulnerable.

"You came," she said.

"I told you I would."

"Do you have it?"

"Do I have what?"

"The leverage," she said, her cybernetic eye whirring softly. "You said you knew about Chimera."

"I saw the video," I said. "I know he killed your family."

Kael flinched. A spasm of pain crossed her face, raw and unfiltered.

"He didn't just kill them," she whispered. "He erased them. He deleted their birth certificates. Their medical records. It's like they never existed."

She looked at me, her human eye filling with tears.

"I want him to hurt, Harper. I want him to lose everything."

"Then help me get the shard," I said. "It's in the evidence locker. Bag 44-C. Under my name."

Kael nodded. "I can get you in. But the locker is biometric. Only the captain can open it."

"Miller?"

"Yes."

"I destroyed him yesterday," I said. "He's probably suspended."

"He's not suspended," Kael said. "He's desperate. Sterling cut him loose. He's in his office right now, shredding files."

"Perfect," I said. "Let's go say hello."

We entered through the service door. Kael led me through the labyrinth of hallways, bypassing the checkpoints with her override codes.

We reached the Captain's office. The blinds were drawn. We could hear the shredder humming inside.

I didn't knock. I kicked the door open.

Miller jumped, dropping a stack of files. He looked like a wreck—eyes bloodshot, uniform unbuttoned.

"Vance?" he stammered. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm here for my property," I said, walking to his desk. "And for your resignation."

"You ruined me!" Miller shouted, reaching for his gun.

Kael was faster. She had a knife at his throat before his hand cleared the holster.

"Don't," she whispered.

Miller froze. He looked at Kael, then at me.

"You're working together?"

"We're unionizing," I said. "Open the evidence locker."

"I can't," Miller said, sweating. "Sterling changed the codes this morning. He locked it down."

My heart sank. "What?"

"He knows," Miller said. "He knows the shard is in there. He's coming for it. He's on his way right now with a federal warrant."

I looked at the clock. 8:15 AM.

I had to be in court in 45 minutes.

"If Sterling gets that shard," I said, "we're all dead. You included, Miller."

Miller looked at Kael's knife. He looked at the shredder.

"What do you want?"

"Override the lock," I said. "Manually."

"That will trigger a silent alarm."

"Do it."

Miller typed a code into his terminal.

**EVIDENCE LOCKER: ACCESS GRANTED.**

A siren didn't wail. But a red light on his desk started flashing.

"You have five minutes before SWAT rolls on this location," Miller said. "Get your trash and get out."

I ran. Kael followed.

We reached the locker. I found the bag. My name. My boot.

I ripped it open. I reached inside.

My fingers closed around the cold metal of the shard.

"Got it," I breathed.

"Go," Kael said. "I'll hold the hallway."

"Come with me," I said. "We can protect you."

"No," Kael said, turning to face the corridor. "My fight is here. Go win your case, Counselor."

I didn't argue. I ran.

I made it to the courthouse at 8:55 AM. I was out of breath, my suit was a disaster, and I was carrying a stolen piece of evidence that could bring down the city.

I burst into the courtroom.

"Ms. Vance," Halloway boomed. "You're late."

"Traffic," I wheezed, dropping my briefcase on the table.

Sterling was already there. He looked calm. Too calm.

"Your Honor," Sterling said, standing up. "Before we begin, the Prosecution has a motion."

"What motion?" I asked, still catching my breath.

"A motion to disqualify Counsel," Sterling said, smiling. "On the grounds of mental incompetence."

"Excuse me?"

"Ms. Vance has been seen breaking into a secure facility," Sterling said. "She has been associating with known mercenaries. She is clearly suffering from a breakdown induced by grief."

"That is a lie!" I shouted.

"Is it?" Sterling asked. "Then explain why you are currently in possession of stolen police evidence."

He pointed at my pocket.

He knew. He knew I had the shard.

"I..." I stammered.

"Your Honor," Sterling said. "I request Ms. Vance be removed from this case immediately and remanded for psychiatric evaluation."

Halloway looked at me. He looked at the P-Stock ticker.

**VANE INNOCENT: 75%**

The public was with me. But Halloway was desperate.

"Ms. Vance," Halloway said. "Empty your pockets."

I froze.

If I showed the shard, I was caught stealing evidence. If I refused, I was in contempt.

I looked at Julian. He was watching me, his eyes intense.

*Do something,* I pleaded silently.

Julian stood up.

"Your Honor," he said. "My counsel is not incompetent."

"Sit down, Mr. Vane!" Halloway roared.

"She is not incompetent," Julian continued, his voice rising. "She is the only person in this room who isn't bought and paid for!"

"Bailiff! Restrain the defendant!"

Two guards grabbed Julian.

"She has the proof!" Julian shouted, struggling. "She has the proof that you are all corrupt! That you killed her brother!"

"Gag him!" Halloway screamed.

"You can't silence the truth!" Julian yelled, headbutting a guard.

It was chaos. The gallery was screaming. The cameras were zooming in.

Julian wasn't just causing a scene. He was creating a diversion.

"Run, Harper!" he shouted, looking right at me. "Run!"

But I couldn't run. The doors were blocked.

Sterling was walking toward me, his hand outstretched.

"Give it to me, Harper," he whispered. "It's over."

I looked at Julian. He was on the ground, three guards on top of him. He was bleeding.

He looked at me. And in that moment, I saw it.

He wasn't fighting for himself. He was fighting for me.

He got himself held in contempt to save me from humiliation.