I gestured at the sleeping giant, who snorted.We both jumped, staring until the snores continued.
“Stacey, I don’t like any of this,” Eddie said.“What if you’re not even really dealing with Vic?”
“What?”I asked.
“You heard me,” he said.“I know he’s your boyfriend too, and you all have known each other for a while, but isn’t it a little convenient that through all of this, he’s been telling you exactly what to do?”
“I mean.He’s been right so far,” I said.
“Stacey, you trust people too easily,” Eddie said.
“We can work on my personality flaws when the fate of the city isn’t at hand,” I said.“You gonna go in the scary arcade with me, or are you going to try and sneak around the giant undead thing like a Tom and Jerry episode?”
“Goddamnit, Stacey,” Eddie hissed.“What if there are clowns in there?”
“You’re shitting me,” I said.
“Zombie clowns, Stace.Think about it.Or even worse.Pizza rats.You know which one I’m talking about.”
“The one that gives kids tokens for good grades.”My voice was flat.
“Stacey if I come face to face with the Pizza Rat I’m gonna lose it and it won’t be pretty.”
“Please show me on the Animatronic puppet where the Pizza Rat hurt you.”
“It’s not funny,” Eddie said.
“It kinda is,” I said.
“Marital spat asides,your plan was to infiltrate the Arcade two blocks away and penetrate Feedworthy from there,” Brynholf said.“Judging from the article you’ve written—the widely dispersed disinformation article linking Toxemia Plasmosis in foreign-grown hazelnuts to a rapid onset version of Rabies—I am assuming it was a success.”
“Yeah,” I said.“Actually, I can’t take all the credit for that.Gabe helped out a lot.And my boss.”
“Oh, finally, some recognition,” Gabe said, somewhere behind me.“Do I get a cowriter credit, though?I’ll let you stew on that question.”
I tried not to look at anyone.Abe cleared his throat and stood up, climbing up his step-stool again.
“I would argue, your honor, that Stacey’s actions helped prevent the destruction of the city and helped prevent or stagger a 3P violation in the middle of an already serious breach of code.Her actions here today mark her as a hero, and it’s the Defense’s recommendation that we perform a counter-investigation into the Prosecution’s intentions for trying her,” Abe said.
“No,” Brynholf said.“That’s not what’s going to happen here.There are still a few other charges on my list.Some of which are incredible lapses or breaches of protocol.You can’t initiate a counter-investigation until all charges have been overturned, which they haven’t been.”
“Name the rest of your relevant ones, please,” Judge Volkheim said.He yawned.“I’m getting tired and I’m having trouble keeping track of all this.Also.Does anyone want to go in on a pizza?”
“I do,” Agent Maxwell said.
“I’m pretty hungry,” I said.
“You’re also on trial.How do you feel about pineapple and ham?”
“I would rather eat an infected hazelnut,” I said.
“More for me, then,” Judge Volkheim said.“Someone go order my pizza.Brynholf.You’d better come up with something of substance or I’m going to dismiss your whole laundry list of charges.”
Brynholf sneered and then paged through his handbook.After a few turns, he nodded.
“There is still the matter of the terrible breach of 3P protocol,” Brynholf said.“Nagisa of the Crimson Suns not only forcibly shapeshifted in front of a crowd of human beings once-he also did it again during the siege at Le Bean Caffeine.Not only was Stacey aware of his actions in the first place—according to the reports here, it states that she was actively encouraging and assisting him in doing so.”
“Is this true?”Judge Volkheim asked.“Transformation in a crowd is a serious breach, and in fact it’s one of the primary causes for the death penalty for our people.Nagisa, as a city council member, someone who is supposedly an enforcer for this county’s 3P Bylaws, do you not deal with violations like this on a daily basis?What would make you think it’s a good idea?”
