Natural Selection (Elijah Kamski x Reader)

Part IV: The Omega

Reviewing Case File: Kamski v. CyberLife...

There was a staleness to the courtroom. The same moisture and humidity that saturated the wooden fixtures clung to your skin. It was chilled from an air conditioning system that was failing, judging by the sound the unit made when it kicked on. The carpet was still intact off the beaten path, but a clear line of worn-down, blue spindles was smushed to capacity where footsteps had commonly trod. And it was quiet...

The room was so quiet.

"Don't be nervous." Anthony whispered, smiling.

He looked different in his suit. Not different enough to be unbiasedly comforting. Elizabeth and "the defendant" were just behind him, blurred in depth of view. You refocused. Elijah pouted as if this hearing was nothing more than a thorn in his side, and this was the last place he wanted to be.

"Nobody wants to be here."

You thought about how you got there. The naïve girl who left home in search of greatness, clinging to the coattails of the greatest mind of your time. You thought you could change him. You thought you could be him. You tried to save him. Before this trial...Elijah, at long last, publicly gave you the credit you'd deserved all along, but it was too little too late.

Two words marked the end...the omega.

"All Rise."

A woman in a robe walked out from the side entrance, and as you studied her face more closely, she reminded you of your mother. You weren't sure if that was a calming idea, being surrounded by so many unknowns, or a welcomed figment of your imagination.

The bailiff turned to address the courtroom, "The United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, is now in session, the Honorable Judge Andria Fortana presiding."

"I have to admit," Judge Fortana sat down, jumping right to business as if no one else was in the room but you, your lawyer, and the other pair across the aisle, "After reviewing the case, I'm surprised that we're gathered here today. I expected a settlement to have been reached by now."

"My client would prefer to take his chances with the jury, Your Honor." Elizabeth answered.

She was dressed in a dark-blue suit with heels barely visible under her flared dress pants. She looked powerful, professional, and polished. You wondered if anyone had ever thought the same of you.

"I see." Judge Fortana continued, "Bailiff, please allow the jury to be seated."

He did as instructed, the jury entering and avoiding eye contact. Some of them seemed familiar, but you couldn't place why. You chalked it up to nerves. There's no way anyone you knew would be in the jury. You licked your dried lips, clasping your hands on the desk and turning your attention back to Anthony. Judging by his frequent glances towards the jury stand, he had his own suspicions.

"The case we are reviewing today is Kamski v. CyberLife. We'll now begin opening statements." The judge announced, "Mr. Deckart, the floor is yours."

Anthony looked at you, and the initial panic in his eyes subdued. He nodded ferociously as if you'd just given him a pep talk, but you hadn't a chance to say a word before he stood up, buttoned his suit jacket, and took the floor.

"When the top 1% decides to start the engine of change, the rest of us have no choice but to climb aboard and buckle up." He spoke with confidence, his shoulders squared and his chin high, "We have no say in what happens after the engine starts, and the vessel is always designed without a rearview mirror. Society is left behind, along with the consequences of those changes that they choose to ignore. The powerful elite claim to be all about the 'betterment of humanity,' but too often leaves 'humanity' to clean up its mess. When confronted about that negligence, you know what they say? They say, 'change is inevitable.' But you know what else is inevitable? Corruption."