The hours went by slowly for Casey Kane in the detention center. George was his only company, but after the arguement they had, not many words were spoken between the two. Holo-Bud was only sitting idly, only occasionally being asked by Kane to pull up his list of suspects. Other than that, the time went by with nothing ever happening.
On the third day of Kane's sentence, however, the Ministry finally decided to open visitation for Kane. Thus, that's where he'd spend a sizable chunk of his days until Angelo and his attorney arrived to bail him out.
The visitor's room one big room, with two chairs, separated by a glass panel in the middle. On Kane's side of the glass, guarding the entrance was Holo-Bud, and on the other Parker, the prison guard. There was an intercom connecting the two sides, and that was it.
Kane's first trip to the visitor's room has him meet with none other than his assistant, Koulis.
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Parker had led Kane to the visitor's room, in handcuffs of course, and sat him down on the chair, before heading to the opposite side. Koulis had his arms crossed, and a blank expression on his face.
"You have 15 minutes." Parker warned, then leaned against the door and watched the interaction unfold.
"Well, you've sure done it now, boss. 10 years, I mean..." Koulis fidgeted. "How did this even happen?"
"What do you think happened, kid?" Kane asked, crossing his arms. Koulis didn't answer immediately, instead scratched his head for a bit, fidgeted with his hands a little more, and stared at the distance.
"Are you sure we didn't accidentally hire that guy?" He finally said, and awkwardly grinned. Kane raised his eyebrow.
"He wasn't even wearing the uniform, dude. It's of my opinion that there's a mole in our ranks." Kane grinned, and crossed his arms.
"But who could it be?" Koulis asked as he scratched the back of his neck.
"I don't know yet, which is why I'm so glad to see you visited me. I need your help kid, so listen close. You're my and ears out there, until I get out. Regardless of what that lawyer does, I won't get out of here for a couple months at least. Keep close watch at our men, and find out who did this." Kane explained his plan.
"Alright, boss! I'll send you a letter when i figure it out... Will you be fine in here, though? We can bust you out if you want to." Koulis said, whispering that last part so Parker wouldn't hear.
"We were on the run from the Enforcers for almost a year, bro. I can handle a little solitude." Kane shrugged.
"If you say so, man. Hang in there, yo." Koulis said, and after that Parker escorted him out of the room, and Kane went back to his cell.
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Kane was called back to the Visitor's room a couple hours later, but instead of seeing a familiar face on the other side of the bulletproof glass, instead there was a woman with long brown hair, wearing a baby blue buttoned shirt, with a pair of thin eyeglasses in there right breast pocket. The lady waved at him when he entered the room.
Kane sat down at his chair, with an eyebrow raised and a puzzled expression on his face.
"Hi there, Mr. Kane! I hope you're doing well..." She said.
"Do I know you?" He asked her. The woman was caught off guard baby the question.
"Of course you know me! I'm Jess! Jess Pascal! From the castle?" She explained. Kane wasn't impressed.
"Doesn't ring a bell." He said, much to Jessie's annoyance.
"I'm basically, like, a princess, it's impossible for you to not know me. Especially considering I was there when you got arrested!" Jess pouted.
"Okay then, princess, what do you want from me? Here for a pity party? Well I'm not interested. Parker, get me out of here." Kane said, then got up to leave.
"Wait! I want to help you out,p why won't you listen to me first?" Jess stopped him from leaving, piquing his interest. Kane sat back down, gestured her to continue and crossed his arms.
"Okay, so, when you came back to Soweiland, the papers made a big deal about you, so I got to asking around -that cashier at McDaniel's was especially helpful- and I figured out that you were actually a good guy, despite what that snake Soleman puts out." Jessie explained. Kane got a little worried about what exactly Soleman wrote about him, but brushed it off as she continued to explain.
"And after that you got arrested and I felt really bad because that trial was obviously a sham, right? So now I wanna help you, because you seem really nice. My sister says I'm a horrible judge of character, but what does she know, she's adopted." Jess said, with a smile on her face. Kane was intrigued by the prospect of Jessie's help.
"And how do you intend to help me, then?" Kane squinted at her.
"Well, that cute guard mentioned something about a re-trial to Leo when they were speaking earlier, so I thought I could be a character witness or something!" Jessie explained, much to Kane's shock.
"Wait, Leo is here?" He asked.
"Oh yeah, I lost my driver's permit last week, so I told him to drive me." Jess giddily explained. Kane was less than happy, when Leo walked in the room.
"Well well well, Mr. Kane, seems like your next target are the King's kids, now? This meeting is over. Get out, Jess, I'm taking you home." Leo said.
"But-"
"Out." Leo pointed to the door, and Jess sighed, before getting up and leaving. Kane grimaced at the scene. "I don't care who you get, you're staying in here, Kane. Good day."
Leo immediately turned around and walked out, not even letting Kane get another word in. All he could do was glare at Leo's back as he left the room.
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The last visit of the day came in late in the afternoon, just before the end of visitation hours.
It was a pleasant occasion for Kane, when it was his good friend and follower, Sargent McLame.
"Nice of you to drop by, Sargent. Here to see how I'm doing?" Kane smiled at the older man, who did not return the gesture.
"Boy, are you alright?" McLame asked, catching Kane off guard.
"As well as I can be. Why do you ask?" Kane said, quickly regaining his composure.
"I noticed that after the boy came back from visiting you this mornin', he's been looking us all up an' down, y'hear? You don't think there's a traitor, do ya?" McLame elaborated. Kane looked around, before turning to face McLame in order to answer.
"A friend here in jail told me that it was impossible for Inferno to know about our protest before it even happened, so obviously someone told him." He explained. McLame just sighed.
"Boy, they're all hand-picked. Ya think one of 'em jus changed their minds one night?" McLame asked, leaning on the small shelf in front of them. Kane thought about it, but had no answer, other than mumbling something about how 'someone had to'.
"Listen to me, man. Instead of thinking about who, how's 'bout you turn yer thinkin' 'round, and ask yerself why someone would tell on ya. There oughtta be a reason!" McLame proposed, making Kane get lost in thought.
"I think you might be right, McLame. Thanks for the help." Kane thanked his friend, who finally smiled at him.
"Atta boy. You got this, man. See you on the other side, and good luck with that re-trial, y'hear?" McLame said. Kane nodded at him, and he took his leave as well, wrapping up Kane's second day in detention.
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The next day started as early as 9AM, when the detention was as lively as a cemetery. Despite the circumstances, someone had indeed decided to visit him.
Kane got a rough awakening from Holo-Bud, who took him to the Visitor's Room, in which another person he didn't recognise was waiting for him.
A bald man, wearing a lab coat, and large rectangular glasses, with a blank expression on his face. He was sitting up straight, almost completely motionless.
"Good morning, Mr. Kane. Sleep well?" The man asked, in a low voice.
"Who are you, lab coat? Another fan?" Kane mocked him, to no reaction.
"That information is irrelevant. I've simply come to make you an offer, Mr. Kane." The man explained. Kane squinted at him, not being able to get a good read on the guy.
"I'm listening." Kane finally said.
"I can help you achieve your revenge against those who have wronged you
The Kingdom of Soweiland, and their ministry. All that is required of you, is your cooperation." The man explained, only making a move to adjust his glasses.
"I'd love to help you, baldy, but I'm kinda in jail, as you can see, so no can do. Tha is for dropping by, anyhow." Kane said.
"I know about your re-trial, Cassandrian Kane. And about your attorney. I have faith he'll have what's necessary to get you out of your shackles in a timely manner." He explained.
"And you know all this how? Divine intervention from above?" Kane asked, confident as always, but the man definitely unsettled him a little.
"I have eyes and ears all over this country. I have resources that can make even your wildest dreams come true. I can make every single person who's ever wronged you bow down and kiss your feet. All you have to do, is cooperate. What do you say, Mr. Kane?" The man said, and then stared at Kane, awaiting a response.
Kane pondered about it for a split second, before coming to his senses.
"Thanks, guy, but no thanks. I may not be the perfect person, but I don't want what you're selling, as it's clearly illegal beyond belief. I won't rat you out, because I'm quite the nice guy deep down. Find another sucker." Kane said firmly, looking the man straight in the eyes.
"Very well, Mr. Kane, as you wish. We shall meet again, soon. I'll be watching." The man said, then proceeded to walk out, leaving Kane puzzled.
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At noon, Kane got his penultimate visit, from none other than Joe Gray. For someone who's supposed boss was in prison, he looked very pleased with himself.
"Everything alright, Joey? You seem happy for once." Kane asked as he sat down on his chair. Gray chuckled in response.
"Oh, you wouldn't know. So I noticed your pal, Koulis, has been looking me up and down weird. Something about thinking outside the box?" Gray asked, still smiling.
"He must suspect you're behind this then. But that can't be right, can it?" Kane explained, raising an eyebrow. Gray laughed again.
"Funny how you say that... It was 100% me, yeah. I did it." Gray deadpanned, staring right at Kane, who could only look at the guy in exasperation.
"And I'm sure you're wondering why I came all the way out here to tell you all this. It's quite simple really, I want you to know who did this!" Gray said, maniacally grinning up to the ears.
"Okay, but why? What did you hope to accomplish from this?" Kane asked, glaring at Gray.
"Because you got me fired! You indirectly caused the death of my boss, getting me fired, and now I'm a fugitive from my own country, and it's all YOUR fault!" Gray frowned.
"Seriously? That's what this is about? You endangered the lives of countless people because you got fired? Maybe try not to work for shitty people next time." Kane said, annoying Gray in the process.
"Well, I'm out here and you're in there, so ha! Enjoy life in prison, Kane!" Gray exclaimed, then began cackling like a crazy person. Kane could only cringe at the sights.
"Clearly you're not well informed. I'm not staying here, Gray, I'm having a re-trial, and I'm getting out. And when I get out, I'll find you, and when I find you, you'll regret ever coming in here to gloat." Kane threatened Gray, who didn't budge. He only blew a raspberry at Kane in response, making him grimace.
"You're an idiot, Gray. I should have known not to hire you. We're done here, guard." Kane signaled the guard and left the Visitor's Room, leaving Gray behind, very pleased with himself. Coming in to gloat to a guy with a following of tens of people would absolutely not have any consequences later down the line.
Back at his cell, Kane turned to look at Holo-Bud, who has of course been following him the whole time.
"Say, toaster, you didn't happen to record any of that, did you?" Kane asked the holographic assistant, who nodded positively in response.
"I keep a record of every conversation I hear for informative purposes." Holo-Bud clarified.
"Perfect."
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The next day, at 8AM sharp, Kane was called to the Visitor's Room for one last time. On the other side of the glass this time were two people.
One was Angelo, wearing the same orange Polo shirt he wore when he left 6 days ago, looking a little peeved, and another was a tall man with long blonde hair, a blue suit, and wearing glasses, with a shiny attorney's badge on his lapel.
"Good to see you again, friend." Kane smiled. Angelo didn't.
"Yeah, thanks again for ruining my vacation. I'm not leaving you in charge of anything ever again. Tiger says hi, by the way, and also a couple death threats in Portuguese I won't repeat." Angelo said.
"So, you've hooked me up with a retrial?" Kane asked. Angelo nodded.
"Courtesy of Mr. Gavin here. You should be thanking him." Angelo said. The attorney behind him smiled.
"Well thanks, Mr. Gavin! As a token of my gratitude, let's talk about the two witnesses I gathered while I was in here." Kane said, and leaned again the desk in front of him.
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Two days later, on Saturday, exactly one week from his arrest, Kane's retrial was held in the Soweiland District Court.
Gavin's unmatched skill in the courtroom, in combination with the testimonies from Holo-Bud and Jess, had the prosecution at a loss for words. Of course, a new jury had been assembled, at the request of attorney Gavin.
"That's preposterous!" Ross stammered. "Your honour, the prosecution finds this entire trial objectionable!"
"Overruled, Mr. Ecutor. Has the jury reached a verdict?" The judge asked, and turned to the jury.
"We have, your honour. On every count sans destruction of public property, the jury has decided to overturn the guilty verdicts." Juror No. 1 said. Kane could hardly contain his environment.
"Very well. Your sentence will be changed to 3 months in detention, and a 20.000$ fine. This court is adjourned!" The judge finally declared, and slammed his gavel, the echo of which was heard all around Soweiland.
When asked for a statement by the press, Kane commented "Suck it, Leo!". A warrant for Gray's arrest was released, but he had been long gone at that point.
Leo did not take kindly to the news of the verdict being overturned, and reassessed the salaries of both Ross, and the presiding judge.