Prison break in the eyes of Michael

Chapter 2 - The court and the man with the guilty con-science

I sat in the court. Witnesses stared at me with convulsion and some with pity. My lawyer Veronica Donevan stood next to me her face red with fustration.

JUDGE: Rarely in the case of an armed robbery do we hear a plee of no contest. Are you sure about this Mr Scofield?

" Absoloutly your honour."

VERONICA: Your honour we would like to interrupt it appears that my client is confused at the moment.

" I'm not your honour"

VERONICA: He is your honour.

I looked at her increduasly she is ruining everything I'm not going to give up now.

JUDGE: Perhaps you should take heed your representations device, take some additional time to consider your response?

Why didn't anyone understand I had made my choice why couldn't the judge accept that and just let me get on with it. I already had a limted amount of time anyway and I still needed time to think things through.

In haste I replied." I already done that your honour."

Veronica looked at me again her mouth hanging wide open and disbelief possessed her face.

The judge sat back and contemplated for a while.

" I retire to my chambers to determine sentencing, courts recessed until 1:30." Instanaeously two officers took their places by my side and began to walk me from the court. I was stopped in my tracks by a familiar voice. 

"Uncle Mike"

LJ?

I turned around to see a roughly dressed teenager with long brown scruffy hair.

" I didn't want you to come. go home LJ. I didn't want you to see this."

Then we were escorted from the hall leaving LJ wide eyed behind me.

Veronica walked behind me eyeing me skeptically.

" He's not going to take this well at all."

VERONICA: Can you blame him you're his Uncle, he's gonna get the impressions that anyone he gets attached to is gonna end up in prison and he's not the only one beginning to think that Michael. Don't you understand that justice and punishment are the same thing to the judge?

" I know that"

VERONICA: Then will you tell me what you are playing at?

" We've been over this"

VERONICA: I've known you my entire life you don't have a violent bone in your body.

I looked at her in disapproval avoiding eye contact in case I told her why I had actually done this.

VERONICA: "I know you didn't need the money.

" Veronica."

VERONICA: Why won't you let me help you?

" You've been good to me my whole life.. you have but you gotta let me deal with this, ok?"

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COURTROOM

JUDGE: Considering your lack of prior criminal record, I am inclined to a probation however the fact that you discharged a deadly weapon during the time of the robbery suggests malice to me for that reason I see it incumbent that you see the inside of a prison cell Mr Scofield.

I looked at her again a smirk played at the corner of my mouth. This is actually going to work! I mentally celebrated and again locked eyes with the judge.

JUDGE: It say's here that you have requested to be incarcerated somewhere near your home here in Chicago, i'm willing to honour that, the closest level 1 facility.....

She was interrupted by Veronica who spoke with utter horror.

VERONICA: Level 1, thats maximum security your honour.

JUDGE: I would ask council to refrain from interrupting me. Veronica looked down apparantly embarrassed and perhaps even angered that she had been dismissed so crudely.

... "As I was saying the closest level 1 facillity would be Fox River State penitentary. As for the term of your sentence....... 5 years. You'll be illegable for parole in half that time sentence to be carried out immediatly."

As I was agan escorted from the court a full beaming smile stole my face and I was loaded, handcuffed, into a transport vechile.