The Trial Begins

A monotonous voice addressed us breaking the silence. With eyes wide, I gazed at the councilmen searching for some compassion. All I saw were 4 white men who were indistinguishable from each other. They were pale, fat, and surprisingly, each wore the same listless gaze that seemed to look through me.

Realizing that I wasn't going to get anywhere with them, I tuned back to the moderator, "…Mr. and Mrs. Winspere, who have been brought before the council to explain how they managed to lose one of this foundation's most sacred and priceless experiments."

All the strength in my body drained away at his words. My head bowed forward as dizziness swept through me.

I could feel the judgmental stares of everyone in the room pressing in on me like tangible weights. There was no hope! I felt Peter's hand trembling in mine and I knew he felt the same.

For the next 2 hours, evidence of our failure was laid out. One by one, men and women with whom we had worked for almost 20 years took perverse pleasure in telling the council about all our shortcomings.

I could hear the growing murmur of disbelief, and anger, from the people surrounding us each time a new witness took the stand. We had no chance of surviving this. There would be no redemption! I looked pass the witness stand to the Council to see their reaction but their listless gazes had not changed.

For a moment, confusion bubbled but I quickly dismissed it. They had probably made up their minds before they even entered the room.

Tears sprung to my eyes and I let them fall freely. There was no point in even defending ourselves. We might as well just ask them to skip ahead to the sentencing. I closed my eyes tightly and held my breath. Maybe I would pass out and die naturally; cheating all these bastards of the satisfaction of taking my life.

There was a rustling and the crowd began to buzz. Mildly curios at the sudden murmuring, I peeked through my eyelids. To my surprise, and delight, Dr. Levi was conversing with the Council in a low tone.

Hope surged through my body. Dr. Levi was always supportive of Peter and me. Maybe he would be the voice of reason that would stop this madness and save us.

I heaved a sigh of relief when the Councilmen all nodded in agreement to whatever was said and Dr. Levi turned towards us. He was captivating to watch; like a dancer performing to a song only he could hear. Every move he made was precise and elegant.

As I watched, his eyes seemed to brighten until they were almost shining. Suddenly, I was standing in the middle of my favorite fantasy.

I was in Bali, and the doctor was before me naked from the chest up. Up close, he was breathtaking. An Adonis come to life. Long eyelashes, closely cropped dark hair, and delicate pink lips. Everything about him whispered of an endless night of ecstasy."

Sue-Ann. May I call you Sue-Ann? You can call me Titus, if it makes you more comfortable." His voice had dropped an octave becoming deep and hypnotic.