Social Experiment

War Criminals (Elle)

"Aww! She's so adorable!"

I scratch a golden retriever's head, looking up at the guys. "Where'd you find her?"

"Chamber 27." Zeke answers with a grin.

"If there was a Chamber 666, we would've found it there."

"What's your problem?" I question Xavier, whose face is oddly wet.

"He has no soul. Also, he hates dogs."

"Rightfully so." He mutters, "Do we have towels in this place?"

"Chamber 5, with the showers."

His face lights up. "Perfect! I'm going to take a shower, see you... and this mutt... later."

He turns to leave and the dog jumps on him, knocking his thin stature over with ease. I laugh as she begins licking the side of his face.

"Stop! Stop it! Off! Bad dog, BAD DOG!" He raises his voice as the dog gives him a wet willy.

"Okay, okay, that's enough." I giggle, tugging on her collar.

She barks, wagging her plumed tail. Xavier mutters something and heads towards Chamber 5. Zeke and I exchange glances, then laugh.

"Let's take this pretty pup to Abbi."

I knock on her door, gripping the retriever's collar tightly. She opens it, grinning, then looks down. A piercing shriek is heard throughout the hallway.

"A dog! You found a dog? Oh, where did you find her? She's absolutely gorgeous!"

"Isn't she? She's smart, too. I think she can tell if you don't like her."

"That's why she assaulted Xavier with her tongue? Repeatedly?" Zeke asks with a smirk.

"I think so."

Abbi bends down, ruffling her fur. "What's Xavier got against her?"

"He doesn't like dogs, apparently."

Zeke nods. "He called her disgusting."

"She is not, are you my precious little pooch?" I ask, and she responds with a resounding: "Ruff!"

"This will be great! People need something to keep their spirits up," Abbi thinks aloud, "especially since the recent events."

"Yeah, maybe we can vote on a name for her after the trials."

"Speaking of which, Elle, I thought it'd be a good idea if we had a mass trial for the supporters and a separate one for Terrance."

"That makes sense." I agree.

"What if some are less guilty than others?" Zeke asks, "Specifically Rodney..."

"What makes him less guilty than the others?" I point out, "Grace shot someone, so obviously she's the most guilty, but other than that..."

"We've talked to Rod before! He's a good guy, maybe they threatened him or something."

"Yuri's testimony will shoot that theory down fast." Abbi says, still scratching the dog's head, "He said they were looking for volunteers."

Zeke frowns. "We should still hear what each of them has to say."

"We will, but during one trial. They'll all recieve the same verdict and same sentence, once we elect a leader. It'll save time, and-"

"What about Grace? She should be tried seperately."

"That I think we can all agree on."

I glance between them, grabbing the dog's collar. "I'm taking her to the Matrix, see if we can motivate people to do something other than sit on chunks of rock talking about the drama of Terrance's uprising."