Box

Chapter 13

"... to five years of labour in Transition city," said the judge, who was sitting in her hologram form behind a block of dark wood.

A short sob escaped from Linda's mother, who was in hologram form and sitting in the chair beside Aydin. They were in a small cubic courtroom in New Town, where Box and Aydin had arrived yesterday, to serve as prosecutor's witnesses, and so that Aydin could testify as Linda's character witness. After they had given their statement, they moved to the second row and, together with Linda's parents, followed the rest of the trial in a gesture of support.

Linda, who sat in the front row, turned. Giving her mother what looked like an encouraging smile, she touched her mother's shoulder, her fingers going through the hologram before she faced the judge again.

Silently, Aydin sat in the chair while the judge said a few more words to Linda and then logged out, her hologram fading away. So did the prosecutor's. The brown wooden block on the platform that from Box's position looked like the real thing, folded into itself and glided into a wall. Linda's lawyer, also present as a hologram, logged out too, leaving Linda to exchange clumsy hugs and whispered words with her parents before their holograms vanished, and only the three of them remained. The wooden panelling and the rows of chairs shimmered and disappeared, exposing steel rods connected to the cubicle's white walls and ceiling that started to thin until they became transparent, opening a view of other cubicles that lined the hall and the people that passed them. Three officers could be seen waiting at the front of their cubicle.

Aydin stood. The chair folded and glided into the ground.

"Hey." Linda closed the distance between them, a small smile on her face and her hands folded against her belly. "Thank you for coming."

"I told you I would."

A small zap before the transparent ceiling above them disappeared and the sound of steps and voices could be heard in the background.

"Yeah. I just..." Another smile curled up her mouth. "I didn't believe you would go through with it. I don't know why not, since you have never broken your word before. I guess, I'm just surprised, pleasantly surprised that is, that after everything I have done, none of you are judging me." Her smile widened. "Jacob and the rest have even sent me encouraging words. Jacob used a lot of capital letters and there was some anger because I didn't confide in him, and he asked how he could help me if he didn't know I was having problems, but... It's all so positive."

The rods started to slide into the ground.

"I'm glad." Aydin squeezed her shoulder. "It's too bad that the punishment isn't shorter, considering your cooperation and that you were forced into breaking the law."

"Yeah, well... I did the crime, so I must do the time."

One of the officers stepped closer. "It's time, miss."

"Yes, right away," Linda said to the man before her attention was back on Aydin. "For days now, even though I've spent my time in confinement, I've felt freer than when I was at the station, worrying when I was going to be discovered and if they would start demanding more of me. I was trapped, and I didn't see any way out. So, you and Lee actually did me a favour when you exposed me, which is what I told Jacob after he told me about his rudeness towards Lee on my account. So, thank you for everything." Linda's arms wrapped around Aydin's shoulders. "Take care, okay?"

"You too." Aydin returned the hug. "I'll keep an eye on you."

"You do that." Her hands fell to her sides, and she looked up at Box, who was lingering beside Aydin. "You take care too, Box, and always stay this greatastic bundle of joy."