Ch.59: The Tribunal Set

The hour passed in agonizing silence.

The courtroom was reconfigured for the Tribunal. The Judge's bench was lowered. The jury box was emptied—the jury was now the entire city, voting via their P-Stock apps.

Sterling sat at the prosecution table, flanked by a team of high-priced lawyers. He looked confident. He knew I had no evidence.

I sat alone.

"The Tribunal of the Obsidian Circuit is now in session," Halloway announced, his voice echoing in the cavernous room. "The Defendant, Harper Vance, stands accused of capital crimes. The verdict will be decided by public referendum."

He pointed to the massive screen.

**GUILTY: 50% | INNOCENT: 50%**

A dead heat. Sterling's smear campaign had worked. The city was divided.

"The Prosecution may begin," Halloway said.

Sterling stood up. He didn't use notes. He didn't need them.

"This woman," he said, pointing at me, "is a terrorist. She murdered a witness. She bombed a power station. She is a danger to every citizen in this room."

He walked toward me.

"She has no defense. She has no evidence. She is stalling for time because she knows she is guilty."

He turned to the camera.

"Vote guilty. End this madness."

The ticker moved. **GUILTY: 55%**.

"Ms. Vance," Halloway said. "Your opening statement."

I stood up. My chains clinked.

"I need access to the audio system," I said. "To present my evidence."

"Denied," Halloway said. "You have no evidence."

"I have a song," I said.

Sterling laughed. "A song? Is she going to sing for her life?"

The gallery tittered.

"Your Honor," I said, my voice rising. "The evidence is embedded in the city's infrastructure. In the blockchain. To access it, I need to play a specific audio frequency."

"This is a courtroom, not a concert hall," Halloway sneered. "Denied."

I looked at the ticker. **GUILTY: 60%**.

I was losing them. I was losing everything.

*Julian,* I thought. *Where are you?*

The doors at the back of the courtroom didn't just open. They burst inward.

"Objection!" a voice roared.

Julian Vane strode into the room.

He wasn't wearing a suit. He was wearing tactical gear, stained with sewer muck and dried blood. He was limping slightly, but his head was high.

Behind him was an army.

Hundreds of them. The Rats. The homeless. The forgotten. They poured into the courtroom, filthy, angry, and silent. They filled the gallery, the aisles, the balcony.

"What is the meaning of this?" Halloway shouted, banging his gavel. "Clear the court!"

"This is a Public Tribunal," Julian said, his voice carrying without a microphone. "The public is here."

He walked down the aisle, the Rats parting for him like the Red Sea. He reached the defense table. He looked at me.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, winking. "Traffic was murder."

"You look terrible," I whispered, relief flooding through me.

"You look beautiful," he said.

He turned to the Judge.

"I am entering an appearance as Co-Counsel for the Defense."

"You are a fugitive!" Sterling shouted. "Arrest him!"

"I am a citizen," Julian countered. "And under the Tribunal rules, any citizen can stand for the accused."

He looked at the guards. They hesitated. They looked at the army of Rats behind him. They didn't move.

"Allow him," Halloway said, his voice tight. "Let's get this circus over with."

Julian stepped up to the podium. He placed a small device on the wood. A high-powered audio transmitter.

"You wanted a song, Marcus?" Julian asked, looking at Sterling.

He hit a button.

A pure, clear tone filled the room.

*Nightingale.*

It wasn't just a song. It was a key.

The screens above the bench flickered. Static. Then, code.

Lines of green text scrolling so fast they blurred.

**BLOCKCHAIN ACCESS: GRANTED.**
**DECRYPTING LEDGER...**

The code vanished. Replaced by a stream of transactions.

**FROM: CHIMERA SOLUTIONS.**
**TO: JUDGE HALLOWAY.**
**TO: DISTRICT ATTORNEY STERLING.**
**TO: COMMISSIONER GORDON.**

Millions of credits. Billions.

The room gasped.

"This is the money trail," Julian said, his voice booming. "This is the price of your city."

Sterling's face went white. He lunged for the transmitter.

"Turn it off!"

Julian shoved him back.

"We're just getting started," Julian said.

He looked at me.

"Ready to burn it down, partner?"

I smiled. I grabbed the microphone.

"Let's light the match."