While she knew Vergo's trial process wasn't going to be a walk in the park, Hitomi realized that he was far too familiar with court proceedings to have never been through one before. Vergo exercised his right to remain silent expertly, refusing to answer questions and leaving all of the talking up to his lawyer.
Mr. Lucci, consequently, could barely be stopped once he started. The first time they'd officially met, Hitomi was barely able to get two words in during the conversation. How the tables had turned, she thought.
This must be how others feel when dealing with me. To be confronted with her own tactics was a new experience.
He was tall and slim, with long locks of black hair. It was well trimmed and taken care of, as he made a point of keeping his appearance perfect. Most lawyers were at least courteous enough to follow simple social etiquette, professional enough to know that neither side of the court system was superior to the other, but Mr. Lucci chose to skip her attempt at a handshake and questions of 'How are you?' entirely. Instead, he went straight to business and refused to backtrack on something that had previously been discussed.
He was a freight train of a lawyer. Stubborn and unmoving on any position. Vergo had been smart choosing him. Perhaps he was in Vergo's pocket somehow. She suspected as much, but it wouldn't do to go looking through his own secrets or allegiances. If she was found in contempt of court for pursuing things that didn't involve Vergo directly, or if the judge felt like she were pursuing a personal vendetta against them, it could run the risk of getting the case dismissed.
Zoro had noticed her laser focus over the past few days, commenting on his concern for her own sanity.
"I'm fine." She mentioned, brushing off the worry.
"You haven't slept properly since you got this evidence." Zoro pointed out, crossing his arms and placing himself in front of her. "Put it away for a bit and take a nap."
"I'm not risking this case getting thrown out because I missed something. Please, just let me do what I do, Zoro. I need to make sure he goes away for life, especially after what he did to Soma. I'll be ok." She said, watching him through piercing eyes.
They were both stubborn, but Zoro eventually caved. Now, if only she could get Mr. Lucci to do much the same, but he was just as, if not more, bullheaded than the green-haired man could be. Because it was his job to be stubborn. He'd perfected it over his 18 years of being an attorney.
He had the experience and the notoriety over her, something she also had little interaction with. For once, she was the underdog in this case. How strange. It brought her back to when she was fresh out of Law school, taking on her first case.
Besides that first day, she had little communication with Mr. Lucci, as she knew it would be a repeat of the same pattern as before. Hitomi would call with information she was required to share with him, and he'd bowl her over with reasons and claims that she was just making it easier to get the case thrown out, dismissed, because of improper handling and the like. She was honestly tired of hearing him talk, and decided to stick with email communication after that point unless absolutely necessary to talk face to face.
Her work was cut out for her as they stepped into the courtroom together for the first time in the preliminary hearing. She'd done these things hundreds of times, but never had it been so tense for her. Anything she did would be picked apart by her compatriot and used to his advantage. The best course of action would be not to give him any ammunition at all.
Escorted inside by two police officers, Vergo was dressed in the customary orange jumpsuit, his sunglasses missing, with his hands and feet cuffed together. The chains on his feet were slightly longer, allowing him to walk if need be, but not in long strides. His expression was calm. Unafraid of the possibility that he'd be in real trouble with this case.
"Your Honor," Mr. Lucci began, smoothly rising from his seat and taking a stance at the podium facing the judge, documents in hand, "I'll be brief and to the point. My client and I would like to file a Motion of Dismissal, on the grounds that we cannot verify the authenticity of the evidence Ms. Silver has presented as proof of my client's supposed crimes. We have yet to receive the identity of the informant she received them from despite having submitted the official request, so I cannot verify that any of these papers are not forgeries. Not to mention, the integrity of my client's arrest process is also in question. I have many concerns regarding the overall handling of this case."
Hitomi raised a brow at the audacity of Mr. Lucci's claims. So many reasons given for having a case dismissed. If one didn't work out, he could always hope the others somehow were true, she assumed was the plan. The judge sat back in his chair and regarded him, while the court reporter continued to take down their words on her electronic typewriter.
"I request that Ms. Silver present the authenticity of her evidence before any further hearings continue." The defense attorney gestured to her behind his back. "We would also like to file an appeal to overturn the denial of bail for my client which was decided upon last week."
For a moment the judge said nothing, taking in everything Mr. Lucci had requested. Well, more like demanded from his confidence and vocal tone. "I suppose we should hear from Ms. Silver herself before we move forward with any motions or appeals, as it is her evidence that has come into question."
The judge gestured with his hand for her to approach the stand, and in turn Mr. Lucci returned to his seat, looking just as confident he had been up to this point. Hitomi crossed over, her own files in hand, and took her place at the podium.
"I hope I don't forget anything mentioned, Your Honor, so I'll begin with what was first claimed." She said, a small slight to Mr. Lucci's numerous points of contention. "In regards to the authenticity of my evidence presented, I have already taken the liberty of verifying their legitimacy with the proper agencies and departments with which they pertain."
With measured patience, she produced five separate files and laid them out on the podium, at hand in case the judge wanted to look at them. "You'll find within the evidence that I sent to both you and the defense, each piece of evidence has been categorized in association of their origin. Each document was then sent to the appropriate experts and officials within those organizations and confirmed by their own physical records to be, in fact, correct and in no way fabricated or doctored. Their statements and written testimonials to their validity is included."
Hitomi resisted the urge to look behind her at the defense attorney. No need to fall down to his level of pettiness over anything. The judge nodded understandingly. Score 1 for Hitomi.
"Now, onto the informant. Truthfully, I do not know the identity of the person who provided me with this information. Even if I had known their identity, whoever they may be, I would have requested their identity remain undisclosed. As with a case of this magnitude, and the high possibility of gang affiliation, I would fear retaliation against them for the information they brought forward. It was in their best interest to remain anonymous."
No objections from the defense table. Hmph. Score 2. She cleared her throat, continuing on. "As far as the defense's arrest process, I'd like Mr. Lucci to elaborate on what he means and specify what concerns he may have."
The defense attorney stood, straightening his suit jacket. "My client claims to not have been read his Miranda Rights at the time of arrest, and was subjected to unnecessary force while being escorted to the police vehicle. I have a medical report that shows significant bruising on his wrists and neck from the treatment he endured." He said, holding up a manilla folder.
"I'd like to see that, thank you." The judge said, and Mr. Lucci walked up to the judge's bench, handing over the document. He then returned to his place at the defense's desk, waiting for him to look over the evidence.
Hitomi had seen the document as well, but she suspected that all of Vergo's claims were false. Sure, he had bruising, but in the commotion that occurred inside the drug den, anything could have happened before his arrest to cause such things.
The judge's eyes scanned the paper, reading every word of the medical expert before setting it down on the desk. "I will need to have some sort of evidence that the policeman's treatment of the defendant did indeed cause these wounds before I can set in motion a dismissal of this case."
Hitomi nodded. "I will contact the police department and requisition the body cam footage from the arresting officer. That should provide answers."
Mr. Lucci coughed behind her, no doubt wanting to speak up and say that he would get a copy of the same footage, but she'd already voiced her opinion and at this point he would come across as untrusting or suspicious. So he kept quiet.
"Very well. We will adjourn for now-"
Mr. Lucci interrupted. "Your Honor, if I may mention again my client's desire to appeal the denial of bail-"
"At this point in time, Mr. Lucci, your request is denied." The judge said briskly. "I myself have reviewed Ms. Silver's validation of her evidence. There is an overwhelming number of charges your client faces prosecution for, not including the drug possession and distribution charges he was originally arrested on."
The judge pointed in emphasis at the attorney. "Given the circumstances, I'm not willing to release your client back out into the public so readily. This case is not insignificant, and given the relation to gang activity, as Ms. Silver mentioned, it is in the court's, as well as the public's, best interest to keep him in custody until judicial process is seen to completion."
Mr. Lucci was effectively silenced, and he bowed his head an inch or two. "Yes, Your Honor."
"Kaya," the judge turned to his secretary at the desk beside him, "what days are available to reconvene regarding this case?"
The blonde woman typed away at her keyboard, eyes searching her computer screen. "You have two weeks from today, at 3:00 pm, or the 11th at 1:00."
"Let us continue this matter on the 11th." He decided, writing something down in his book. "We will pursue the claims of misconduct on the arresting officer's part and revisit scheduling for the date of trial."
With that, the hearing was over, and those attending were permitted to leave the courtroom. Vergo was led away again by officers, back into the holding area for those in custody.
Wherever they had brought her, it was cold, dark, and smelled awful. She didn't recognize where she was, and they'd knocked her out with some sort of sedative before they'd left, so she wouldn't be able to guess what route they took to get here either.
Summer was slumped against the concrete wall of what she wanted to think was a warehouse of some kind. It was the best guess she could come up with in the fog of her mind. The sedative was still somewhat clouding her thinking and making her reflexes sluggish. The handcuffs dug into her wrists, unkindly tightened past the recommended point to make it constantly painful. There was no comfortable way to place her arms where it didn't pull on her skin in some way or another.
Her eyes heavy, she breathed evenly. The walls were cold, but she had no blanket or jacket to combat it. Her body shivered, but only slightly. Whatever drug they'd used numbed her senses as well. So despite it being cold, she could almost feel nothing at all.
They hadn't let her bathe herself while in their captivity, so she could probably use a shower at this point. Her hair felt greasy and flat against her head. In the back there were obvious tangles and knots. There was no brush in sight to fix it, though. Too bad.
Despite her weariness, her eyes still flitted around the room, trying to find a way out of this somehow. There was no handle on her side of the metal doorway. No windows of any kind, the room only illuminated by a single lightbulb bracketed into the ceiling. It was old and looked like it would fizzle out at any time.
There were suspicious dark stains on the floor. Oil, maybe. Or…well, she didn't really want to think about the second option that came to mind. It wouldn't help her quickly waning bravery.
She wasn't sure quite what the smell was, but it closely resembled sewage mixed with some sort of liquid you'd put into cars. She wasn't a car expert by any means, but there was something acidic about it that she couldn't put a name to. Something almost familiar but not entirely.
Her sobs and tears had eventually quieted until she could cry no further. Summer felt drained, both of energy and any water left in her body. The inside of her mouth felt dry, her lips chapped, and the sound of a drink of liquid of any kind sounded heavenly. If they didn't give her something to drink soon, she'd die of dehydration over any other method.
Not that they'd made any attempts to kill her thus far. A bit of knocking around, maybe, some bruising here and there, but nothing more drastic than that. She hadn't made any attempts to escape or otherwise resist, so maybe that was the reason. But she felt like they had their sights set on someone else rather than her.
Law, of course. That's what this was all about, wasn't it? According to Law, Joker wanted to use him to build up his empire again. But…hadn't Law used all of his favors to do the exact opposite? That had been his plan before she'd left, anyway. So many things could have changed since then.
She hoped he was alright. She hoped that he would come to help her. Part of her hated that thought, seeing as she was well aware that this was just a set up to lure him into their hands. They'd told her as much. Law would walk himself right into this place without any resistance because he wouldn't risk her being hurt or killed.
If she had not have been captured, he wouldn't be put in this situation and maybe Law could have taken Joker down like he'd said he would. Who knew at this point? Summer wished they'd never been found out, still wondering how it had happened in the first place. Shachi and Penguin had been careful, cautious to a point where they probably could have afforded not to be on a few occasions, but somehow they'd still been discovered.
Shachi and Penguin. She hoped they were ok. Last she knew, Penguin had been shot in the apartment, but she'd passed out before knowing anything else after that point.
Please let them be alive. They've done so much for me that they deserve to live…please…
A commotion somewhere nearby caught her attention. Her eyes flicked to the door, waiting to see if she could identify the noise. Footsteps on concrete. They got closer and closer. A sudden thought popped into her head, surprising her. What time was it? There weren't any windows in here and if she saw the sky she'd probably be able to tell. Was it dark outside?
The footsteps stopped in front of the door, followed by the jingle of keys on the metal surface. The door swung open to reveal the man who'd put her here in the first place. She didn't even know his name, but he wasn't nice.
"Get up." He stated bluntly.
Summer tried to stand but couldn't manage it herself with her fatigue. The man noticed her struggle and sighed.
"For fuck's sake…come on." He approached and grabbed her arm, dragging her into a standing position.
She was half dragged, half lead through the door of her makeshift cell and down a concrete hallway. The man didn't say anything more to her, but sigh and groaned again because he had to do all this work just to get her to move. Summer couldn't care less what he thought, but the best course of action would be not to anger them too much. They were the ones who decided if she lived or died after all.
They navigated this place—Summer spotted lots of safety warning signs on the walls for flammable materials, but she still couldn't determine what exactly this building had been used for—until the man turned a sharp right and into a large open space.
Joker, as she'd come to learn his name, stood there with a pistol in hand, lazily watching as she was dragged into the room and dumped unceremoniously directly at his feet.
"Useless dead weight…" The man mumbled under his breath, standing back a few feet and crossing his arms.
"Thank you, Diamante. Please leave us be."
The man cocked his head and frowned. "Are you sure you-"
"I have unfinished personal business with Law, and I'd prefer to face him myself. No need to put any more of my trusted family members at risk. Why not watch the entrance for our guests to arrive?"
"You needn't worry about my safety, Joker. He'll be unarmed and-"
"Leave."
The one-word command was enough to send Diamante away, looking back once before disappearing around the corner again. Unfortunately this meant she was the only object of interest within the room, and turned his sunglasses down to look at her.
"Have you ever watched somebody die, Ms. King?" He asked quietly.
Eyes wide, she shook her head silently, too afraid to speak.
"Hmm. They say the first time is always the worst." He said, popping out the magazine of the pistol to inspect what ammunition he had, before slamming it back into place with a sickening click.
Law's feet practically dragged on the sidewalk. He wanted to see for himself that Summer was still alive, but what shape she was in was the unknown here. Was she ok? What had they done to her in the meantime? Would she be able to forgive him for putting her through all this mess to begin with?
Despite his hurry, he couldn't push past the dread that froze his whole body, making his movements sluggish and morose.
He had debated even bringing his firearm with him. At this point, would it even do any good? Still, the small chance he had, if one was presented, he'd take to kill the bastard that had set all of this up. Joker had hammered the final nail in the coffin. Because he vowed one of them was dying today.
Kidd watched from the back passenger seat of the car, seeing one of Joker's men pacing in front of the entrance of the building. He looked bored, or irritated in some way. Kidd was itching to go in there and kill him already, but orders were orders. If things worked out, he'd secure a spot in the new network that would rise from Joker's dust and debris.
His leg tapped a steadily impatient beat in the backseat, energy having nowhere else to go in this cramped cabin. The boss in front of him was an unusually big man, meaning Kidd had little room in front of him.
Plus, the various weapons and duffle bags of ammo in their laps took up significant space too.
Kidd assumed the boss expected a heavy resistance inside of the building. According to their intelligence, it was a center for Joker's business. A headquarters, if you will. The snake's nest, more like it.
A man rounded the corner up ahead, heading straight for the doorway that Joker's man guarded. Kidd recognized him instantly. Law, the fucker. Part of him hated that they had to wait for him to get inside to start their plan of action. Having to depend on Law for any reason was demeaning, in his opinion.
Law stopped in front of the man, who shoved him against the wall and patted him down for weapons. The bartender didn't seem to resist in any way whatsoever, before being roughly pushed back towards the entrance. He went inside, looking just as numb and dejected as he had a moment ago.
"Do we go now?" The person beside Kidd asked, but the boss up front shook his head.
"Not yet. Let the brat gain Doflamingo's attention. We'll go in once they've started."
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