by J C Ryan
CHAPTER 42
Eighth Cycle Site, Grand Canyon, USA
DESZIK CAME TO with a headache like he’d never experienced before. After a moment, he hung his head over the side of the bed and relieved his stomach of its contents. The movement and retching sent a sharp stab of pain through his head like a hot dagger slicing through it. Retching again, he saw stars and momentarily feared he would pass out and fall off the bed.
“Easy does it, son,” a male voice said near him. Very slowly and carefully he turned his head and saw a tall, muscular man speaking to him from beside another bed nearby. He was in a hospital room.
“What happened?” Deszik asked quietly to keep the pain in his head to a minimum.
“You were subjected to a high-pitched sound wave that interfered with your chip causing you to lose consciousness,” the man replied stepping next to Deszik’s bed. “My name’s Max.”
“They decided to spare me then,” Deszik stated flatly.
“Yes.”
“And the others?”
“They have all been destroyed.”
“Help me up.”
“I suggest you stay on your back quietly for a while until your headache goes away.”
“You don’t understand, Victor is expecting a report. How long have I been out?”
“About two hours.”
“We’re running out of time,” Deszik groaned as he tried to sit up. He immediately regretted it. His head pounded, and he retched again and then managed to stand weakly beside his bed.
“Sit back down, and at least let me give you something for the pain.”
“Make it fast.”
Max was already retrieving the medication and returned to Deszik’s side quickly, giving him the injection almost before he stopped moving. “Now give that a minute or two to work through your system and you should start feeling better.”
“Thanks,” Deszik said standing and making his way to the door.
“Hey! I said give it a minute or two!” Max objected.
“It’ll have a minute or two on my way to the command center. I have to report to Viktor,” he said as the door closed behind him.
Shaking his head, Max returned to the bed where Jack lay unconscious. He didn’t know what instruments had been used to torture Jack, but he knew he was fortunate to still be alive and unconscious.
Stepping through the doorway, Rebecca inquired, “How is he?”
“Not good.”
She reviewed his vitals before examining his injuries.
“The external damage is minimal compared to the internal damage,” she said after a while.
“What the hell did they do to him?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t think I want to know. I’m fairly certain he will recover,” she said checking the IV’s. “We’ll just have to keep a close eye on him.”
“Why are they still unconscious?” she asked indicating the figures of Linkola and Korda on the other beds.
“With the headache that Deszik woke up with, I thought it was better to let them sleep a while longer. So, I injected them with morphine. Hopefully, that will help them wake up a lot happier than Deszik.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Yep,” he said nodding to the area on the floor next to Deszik’s bed displaying the contents of his stomach.
* * *
ROBERT AND SIASHA literally ran into Deszik stepping through the doorway.
“Sorry,” Deszik exclaimed reaching to steady Robert on his feet.
Shrugging Deszik’s hand from his arm Robert said, “No problem. Where are you going in such a hurry?”
“To the command center, I must report to Viktor.”
“We’ll go with you,” Robert stated.
Siasha trailed along behind them in silence hoping Robert would come to realize that Deszik was on their side.
Reaching the command center, Deszik started to open the communication channel to Viktor when Robert leveled a gun at him saying, “One wrong word, and it will be your last.”
Deszik nodded.
“Ah, Deszik, my son!” Viktor’s voice came over the speaker. “What have you to report?”
“Sir!” Deszik started, “I regret to inform you that The Beast is no longer here.”
“What?” Viktor yelled. “You idiot, clearly you’ve overlooked it!”
“No, sir. It is not here. The team has searched the entire place three times, and then I personally searched it as well. When we entered the site, we found a B’ran scientist that was awakened when the Rossler’s entered the site a few years ago. I… questioned him extensively, and he told us where the Rossler’s hid it, but then Brideaux apparently found it and removed it.”
“You questioned him?” Viktor sneered. “I would like to speak with him myself.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
“And why not?”
“Because he succumbed to the methods used during the extensive questioning.”
“You tortured him? I didn’t think you had it in you.”
Deszik didn’t comment on that. Instead he said, “He had considerable resistance, but in the end, he told us the truth and gave us the location of a hidden vault where we would find it.”
“Where is it?” Viktor demanded.
“He said it’s in a side canyon not far from here. Apparently, there is a hidden hallway leading to it. I’ve sent two teams to investigate and report back.”
Viktor leaned forward and said in a low, tight voice emphasizing each word, “I want that equipment found. Is that clear?”
“Very clear, sir.”
The call ended without another word.
“Well, Deszik,” Robert spoke lowering his gun. “I see that you are an experienced liar.”
Deszik made no reply. He just looked at Robert to continue.
“I have to wonder, are you lying to us too?”
“Robert, I don’t know what I have to do to convince you that I am on your side. That I am as eager as you are if not more to destroy Viktor. I have lived with him for more than a hundred years. I know how deranged the man is. But I can’t make you believe me. As far as I am concerned, you have to get over yourself, and we will then be able to start to work together to stop Viktor and his Re’an.”
Robert stared at him for a while longer, then without saying a word, got up and left the room.
Siasha touched Deszik’s arm and said, “Don’t mind him. He’s having a hard time with the constant battle of the two personalities in one body.”
“What do you mean two personalities in one body? That’s…”
“I will explain later. We’ve got something very important to ask you first. Please come with me to see Raj and Roy,” she said and took him by the arm to support him and led him out of the room.
CHAPTER 43
Naval Base Kitsap, Bremerton, Washington State
DANIEL DESCENDED THE stairs of Airforce One returning the salute of the soldiers lined up to greet him. Taking a few extra minutes, he stopped to shake hands with many of them.
“We should keep moving, sir,” his agents urged.
Daniel continued shaking hands. “We’re almost there.”
Salome, who had joined him on the trip, grinned.
Still the Daniel Rossler I know! The presidency had not gone to his head.
As they entered the car, Bill Simms commented on the beauty and greenness of the area.
“That’s Washington State for you,” Scott Jenkins said. “All the rain keeps things green!”
The trip across the base to the courthouse where the trial was held only took a few minutes. Daniel used the time to review the status. He had been following the trial of the prisoners, as had most of the world, through the live broadcasts from the courtroom, but thought it best to complete a quick review before he arrived.
“Mister Jenkins,” he said addressing the Attorney General. “Please refresh my memory on the history of the International Criminal Court and its processes.�
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Jenkins nodded. “In 1998, at a convention in Rome, a statute known as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, or simply ‘the Rome Statute’, was adopted. It was the first, permanent, treaty-based international criminal court established. The countries that accept the rules of the Rome Statute are called States Parties.
“The ICC is independent of the United Nations and is not intended to, nor does it replace the existing national criminal justice systems of the member countries. It is intended to complement those systems. It is preferred that the individual States maintain their own oversight of those who commit international crimes.”
“Then why did we involve them in this?” Daniel asked.
“Many of the most atrocious crimes committed during the twentieth century - especially during World War Two - went unpunished for lack of a court like this. It was the establishment of the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals, along with the adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, that made the United Nations realize a permanent International Court was needed. The ICC only deals with those who, based on the evidence, carry the most responsibility for the crimes that are committed.”
“Given the worldwide impact of the actions of Brideaux and the Supreme Council, this was the only agreement that could be reached for the trial and punishment of the accused. None of the countries involved could agree on who could be trusted with the trial, and what was acceptable punishment, but they did all agree to abide by the ICC’s decisions.”
Daniel nodded. “I see. Please continue.”
“The ICC is divided into four components: The Presidency, or the Head of the Court; the Chambers which is responsible for ensuring fair trials; the Office of the Prosecutor which handles investigation and prosecution, and the Registry which provides administrative support for the court.
“The Chambers is further divided into three sections. The first is the Pre-Trial Chambers. Among other things, they ensure the integrity of the investigation, preserve the rights of all involved, and make the determination to confirm bringing charges against the accused.
“The second is the Trial Chambers which is composed of three judges who try the case, render the verdict, and in the case of a finding of guilt, sets the sentence of anything from making reparations to life in prison.”
“They don’t have the authority to invoke the death penalty?”
“Yes, that’s correct. However, in this case, they have been endowed with that power, I think due to the number of Americans accused and the fear that they will escape true punishment through the appeals process. The American Justice System has so many checks, balances, loop-holes, and other red tape that it would take years, if ever before a death sentence would be carried out.”
“Doesn’t the ICC have an appeals process?”
“Yes, the Appeals Chamber is the third in the division. Again, in this case, an exception has been made; all countries have agreed there will be no appeals granted. I believe this was done to prevent the issue from being dragged out further.”
“So, the verdict and sentencing we hear today are final?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What is the expected outcome?”
“There is little doubt that they will be found guilty.”
“What are the likely sentences?”
“The prosecutors have been pushing hard for the death penalty for all of them except Rafael Martinez. His lawyer had been arguing that his client was instrumental in ending the carnage and bringing Brideaux down. They argued that his actions clearly speak of deep remorse, and as you know, he was the one who killed Brideaux. The prosecutors seem to agree with Martinez’s lawyer, and it is likely that he might escape the death penalty.
“However, I’ve heard from the lead prosecutor that Martinez has requested to address the court before his sentencing. None of the others did, despite being given the opportunity to do so.
“There is speculation that he might ask the court to impose the same penalty on him as on his fellow accused.
“Bizarre, I’d say.”
Daniel shook his head. “Maybe not. I remember a short conversation I had with him after they were arrested in Brussels. The man was guilt-ridden about what happened, and his share in it. Even though he has changed course, he told me he felt he had the blood of countless innocent people on his hands and therefore was not exempt from the consequences.”
“That’s going to be a tough decision,” Simms said.
Arriving at the courthouse, they quickly made their way inside and took seats in the right, front area of the gallery set aside for them.
The accused sat in metal chairs in a double row along the left side of the room on the other side of the bar, while the prosecuting and defense teams sat in their usual spots along the bar in front of the bench.
The three judges walked in and took their seats facing the gallery. The small woman in the middle who was the presiding judge, from Sweden, ordered the defendants to rise.
She started by reading out the names of the thirteen accused which included the twelve prisoners rescued from the Trepang and, to Daniel’s satisfaction, Barbara Cohen.
“You have been accused of genocide defined by the Rome Statute as acts that are committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group by killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, including imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.
“In regard to the charge of genocide, based on testimony given and evidence presented here, the International Criminal Court unanimously finds you guilty.”
“You are also accused of crimes against humanity,” the Judge continued. As defined by the Rome Statute, this is knowingly committing acts as part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilian populations. These acts include but are not limited to: murder; extermination; enslavement; imprisonment; torture; and other similar inhumane acts that intentionally cause great suffering, serious bodily, or mental injury.
“In regard to the charge of crimes against humanity, based on testimony given and evidence presented here, the International Criminal Court unanimously finds you guilty.”
The judge paused as sighs were heard throughout the room. Daniel could almost feel the heavy atmosphere of gloom dissipating from the room.
No one moved.
The defendants were emotionless. It was obvious none of them expected different verdicts.
“As you have been made aware at the onset of this trial, because of the great extent and the brutality of the crimes committed, world leaders have unanimously agreed that the prohibition on invoking the death penalty be lifted and that no appeals be granted in this situation.”
Turning her focus directly to Rafael Martinez, the judge spoke to him. “Mister Martinez, you were the only one who took up the offer to address the court before sentencing. You now have the opportunity to speak.”
Martinez cleared his throat. “Your Honor, I don’t have much to say. My crimes were severe, and this court has justly found me guilty. I am deeply ashamed of my actions, and although I saw the error of my ways before the others and set out to rectify my wrongdoing, it was too late. I am still responsible for immeasurable suffering and death of innocent people. I should suffer the same fate as the rest of them.” He hung his head and with tears in his eyes, added, “I deserve to die. I beg of this court to grant me my wish.”
Gasps and whispers could be heard from the public gallery which grew in intensity.
The Swedish judge looked at the rest of the panel of judges and mouthed the question, “Adjourn?” They all nodded, and she said, “The court will adjourn for half an hour.”
* * *
FORTY MINUTES LATER, the court was back in session.
The Swedish judge started by reading the names of twelve of the accused, leaving out the name of Rafael Martinez, following each name with, “You are hereby sentenced to death for your crimes against
humanity and of genocide.
“These sentences will be carried out by a representative of, and in accordance with the laws of, each person’s respective country of citizenship in two hours.
“May God have mercy on your souls.”
In the gallery, people began to stir, some wept openly with the knowledge that justice had been served, the threat was finally over, and they could move on with their lives.
Turning her focus directly to Rafael Martinez, the judge said, Mister Martinez, this court has considered your request to receive the death penalty, like the others. We found it a very strange request, yet a noble gesture and proof of your deep remorse. However, the court has decided, unanimously, that given your actions once you came to comprehend the transgressions committed against humanity, and your role in ending the carnage, the death penalty is not appropriate. You are hereby sentenced to ten years in prison.
“It is the hope of this court that once you are released from prison, you will spend the rest of your life assisting humanity in their efforts to recover from the terrible suffering caused by the Supreme Council of John Brideaux."
Martinez just nodded his head in disbelief.
“This court is adjourned.”
Two hours later, the twelve prisoners were executed, and Martinez was transferred to a prison in Brazil to commence his ten-year sentence.
* * *
AS AIR FORCE One took off from the runway, Daniel leaned back in his chair and sighed.
Salome looked at him with a slight frown.
“John Brideaux is dead and so are his cohorts, I should be relieved, but I’m not. The Eighth Cycle and all the evil it left behind is still haunting us.”
Salome nodded. “Yes, that is indeed true. But I’m confident we’re not too far away from eradicating it for good. Eliminating the group that tried to take control of the canyon site was a big victory.”
“That’s true, but it was only one battle in the war. We still don’t have a solution to deal with the seven-hundred and fifty who are now in our cities.”
