Bumbling over his shackles only gave the guard more reason to hear himself talk. Van also found out the exaggerated dragging from the weight of his cuffs was reprimanded by a bruising slap to the back. The humanoid thought it easier just to keep walking as fast as he could without tripping over the chains that grated against the floor in between his ankles. The walk didn’t last long, but Van was escorted downstairs. Aside from the cafeteria on this floor, Van had never been to any of the other rooms and corridors of the prison. The raven-haired boy began to wonder if he should be worried that the walls were no longer the see-through glass like the walls upstairs.
The chains clanked violently together suddenly. Van was jerked back by his metallic collar, to stop his progression from going any further. He winced only slightly at he millisecond that his windpipe was forced to meet his spine. “Hold up, prisoner.” Unreasonable sarcasm dripped off that last word and Van was left to stand bare foot in the lighter hallway as the guard fished out his keys from his belt. The guard’s thick fingers were suddenly in his hair, and Van couldn’t help the strangled gasp that passed through his lips. The giant man jerked his head backwards, the Vyborg’s eyes suddenly blinded by the fluorescent lights overhead. He could hear the jingle of keys and the man’s amused chuckle. “Precaution,” was all he said before he shoved Van’s head forward, body following soon after.
Van was suddenly in a very dim room, standing awkwardly as the door closed behind him. The light that had flooded into the room was now gone, and only a single desk lamp was let to illuminate the quarters. It was silent as he stood still. The guard had not followed in after him. Van hadn’t expected him to. Lawyer-client confidentiality forbade it. Left to his thoughts, he reached up to his scalp, rubbing the spot where the guard had jerked his hair. ‘Precaution’ still echoed in his ears. He realized that the oafish man did not want the cyborg to see the key he used to open the door. Smart man.
It was three minutes and twenty-one seconds (twenty-two….twenty-three…) by the time he made another observation. He looked at his feet and wiggled his toes. The floor wasn’t cold and hard but rather plush under him. His eyes began to adapt to the darkness, auto-mechanical pupils rotating to the left to clear his vision. It was still pouring outside. Van knew this because the far wall was comprised of intricately designed windows. Very high class appearance for a room in a prison. The rain pelted the window, sliding down on the other side of the glass. Even being comprised of mechanics, Van gave a visual shudder at the thought of being out there in that weather. Looking to the rest of the room, he found that it was nothing special but still extremely extravagant for a penitentiary room. “Perhaps this is the warden’s office,” he guessed.
The walls were made up of book shelves and in the center of the room about six feet away from the windows sat a large, wooden desk. Curious, Van allowed himself to walk forward into the vast room. Lifting both hands to leverage the shackles that connected his wrists together, he let one hand glide over the furnished desktop. Walnut cherry wood…Very- “Resilient in nature yet soft to the touch.” Van turned his head to see where the voice had come from. He hadn’t even heard the door open. He recognized the man’s face instantly. Mr. Avery Macintosh, the only lawyer who willfully offered his services to try and prove Van’s innocence. Honestly, Van thought the man represented his case skillfully, trying to point out Van’s human nature over his mechanical one. Unfortunately, he was still proven guilty. The question was: Why was he here now?
“Mr. Macintosh. Good to see you again,” Van said respectfully. The tall man smiled at the polite greeting and did the same with a nod of his head. He stepped into the room, the door closing behind him. Van noticed the manilla folder in his hand and became hopeful. “Has there been a rebuttal in the case?” In his grey suit, Mr. Macintosh walked around Van and the desk before taking the seat behind it. The room was silent except for the sound of the rain against the window. The man seemed to think over his words carefully before saying anything. “I will not lie, Van, but your situation is looking rather bleak. The jury insists that you are a threat to the common man.” He seemed to take a pause, looking straight into Van’s eyes before saying the next phrase. “They are discussing the terms of your life-sentence and are even contemplating forgoing it and going straight to the Death sentence.”
Even for a cyborg with programmed emotions, Van couldn’t hide the surprised look on his face. “The Death Penalty? For a crime they have no real evidence against?” He wasn’t yelling but his calm tone did resemble something close to hysterics for a normally calm humanoid. This was news he had been dreading. He expected some kind of leniency. Even though he couldn’t prove his innocence, it was still his first offense, and it wasn’t pre-meditated. Van leaned on the desk, both hands splayed out to hold himself. “Surely you’ve come up with a plan to counter, Mr. Macintosh.” The lawyer raised his hand to Van. “Call me Avery.” Van nodded in understanding. This situation was too dire to worry about correct mannerisms. He continued. “Avery. Why else would you come here?” The other man across the desk nodded into his hand. “We need to make you appear more sympathetic to the jury’s point of view.” Van frowned. How could he accomplish that when he was stuck in prison?
Avery leaned back in his chair, holding the folder in his hand once more. Van eyed it curiously. “The only reason the people of the jury want you dead is because of that very fact that they ARE people.” Avery tossed the folder onto the table, the spine landing first and cracking open, revealing it’s contents. Van’s eyes widened. “These are-” “Your body’s blueprints,” Avery confirmed. Van let his fingers touch the papers, spreading them out to get a good look. How did-? Van looked up at Avery, his face a mix of expressions. “You obtained these from the doctor?” Avery simply nodded. Van still didn’t understand. “He would never hand these over so easily…”
His lawyer didn’t make any facial expressions that resembled apologetic or guilt. Instead he remained passive. Van was appreciative that at least one of them was so calm. He waited for a reply, and the other was taking his time to explain himself. “After you were tried and sentenced, the investigation team went to his home in hopes of finding further evidence against you. They were looking for reasons to keep you locked up. Luckily, I was there among the search team, and had the chance to speak with your creator before they could interrogate the man. He gave these to me, hoping that the answer to your freedom was somewhere in here.” It seemed like a logical answer but Van turned his gaze to the floor before standing up straight. “How is he? …My creator.” It had been only a week but surely the towns’ people…Van felt a tweak in his systems and it registered as guilt. He was locked away in this holding station while his creator was still out there, baring the weight of Van’s infamous publicity.
Avery seemed to see the change in his features and even hear the hint of worry in the robotic man’s voice. Interesting that this thing would have such feelings. Resting his chin on the back of his hand, he simply replied, “He’s doing well. He is dismayed at this turn of events but I promised him that I would make sure that your end will not come so quickly.” The attorney’s words ease Van somewhat knowing that the doctor had been reinforced by such kind offers. The humanoid reached up with both hands to rub the side of his neck. He glanced at the lawyer who sat leisurely before him. “Thank you, for all you’ve done. I’m sorry to admit this, but when I saw those blueprints, I was a bit skeptical of your help. But you’ve assured me of your status as a good friend who is willing to help. Once again, thank you very much, Avery Macintosh.” The chains clanking together, Van bowed to show his respects to the man. However, the man only seemed to smile a bit in return to the boy’s words. But Van couldn’t see it from his view of the floor. The smile was something cruel and if not a bit wicked.
The raven haired marionette only looked up when he heard the sound of the chair squeaking backwards and towards the dark windows. He stood up straight when Avery approached him from around the desk. Van didn’t back away, not fearing this man no longer but instead smiled when his attorney simply put out his hand in a gesture of a handshake. Shackles linking his wrists together, Van lifted both hands to shake his. “Mr. Macintosh, it is rather quite a conundrum for me. You’re doing so much for me and I have nothing to return to you. Maybe you should inve-” Van’s eyes widened by a fraction when he was suddenly silenced by a pair of lips pressed against his own. Taken aback, Van couldn’t calculate a response that befitted such an act. The blond man seemed to keep in close contact, his hand still gripping Van’s own. “I believe I’ve said this before,” the man whispered. “Call me Avery.”
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