"Dawson..." Alexei checked his reflection for the nth time "...how do I look?"
"Superb, sir."
He adjusted his cuffs "I'm now a happily married man, you can't keep making passes at me."
"I know, you remind me of that every morning."
Alexei looked over his shoulder to smirk at him "Are you jealous?"
Dawson held up his left hand "I am also married, longer than you have in fact."
"I assure you, Dawson…" he adjusted his collar again "…if I had met Ethan earlier, we would have been married on the spot, maybe even much longer than you have."
"I highly doubt that."
"Why would you say that?"
"If memory serves me right, you rejected him a few times, quite vehemently in fact."
The smirk morphed into a look of dissatisfaction "Where is today's resignation letter?" he held out a hand "Hand it over, I'll sign it."
"I was explicitly told that I have been granted something akin to tenure at Hanzel."
He sneered "Who would tell you such an outrageous thing?"
"You did, sir. Remember? The last time I handed in my resignation letter."
"Well, go print a copy."
"You also said it was a waste of company resources."
"Tch!" He returned his focus to the mirror and adjusted his tie once more for good measure "Shall we?"
Dawson nodded and led the way.
It was time to formally announce the launch of N foods new nutrition supplements and the complete annihilation... sorry, acquisition of NEDA. Alexei shook his head and gave himself a mental caution about his wording.
The double doors opened and the studio staff led him to his seat for the interview. The interviewer stood, extended her hand out for a handshake and offered him a seat.
"What's wrong Anis? Your reception today is a little cold?"
She scoffed, doing very little to mask her contempt "Are you going to keep up the pretense?"
"You play stupid games, win stupid prizes."
The stupid prize Anis had won? Alexei had almost put her whole career in jeopardy. Her network suddenly felt the need to revise her contract. She had been flailing about aimlessly until she heard Alexei had a dinner with one of the studio executives.
He leaned in, lowering his voice, so only they could hear "If I find that any of your cronies are snooping around my husband again, I will crush you. No, no..." he chuckled "…Not just your cronies, anyone. So, you had better use the mercy I've bestowed wisely."
Anis knew that he meant every word and now she was being forced into a position where she had to guard his interests. The fucking bastard!
"Ready!" The director announced the start of broadcast.
The pair adjusted their microphones.
"Alexei Rockwell..." Anis fawned "...how lovely to have you back."
He undid the buttons of his jacket and crossed his legs in a smooth, natural manner "As always, it is an absolute delight to be your guest." He said with a disarming smile.
"Oh you..." She playfully flicked her wrist with an equally charming smile before turning fully to the camera to rant off a rather brief introduction of the man without even the slightest bit of sycophancy. It was straight to business. Their statements were bouncing off each other in a smooth, seamless fashion. They were a frighteningly efficient and complementary duo.
"So, tell me, as a person whose main business is pharmaceuticals, what do you make of the recent Rush II drug crackdown?"
He tapped a forefinger rhythmically, on the armrest as he contemplated "Honestly?" He sighed "That thing is a weapon, one designed to kill."
She leaned in "Why do you say that?"
He straightened in the chair "Our facility encountered a few of its victims, its mode of action as a drug was rather interesting, that led to some interesting discoveries, but I digress. If we put aside its initial acute phase, which in its own way is extremely dangerous, its lasting and long-term effects are equally just as devastating. My views are very much in line with the State, it should be wiped out."
"Elaine Rockwell, your cousin is on top of this case. What's your take?"
"Well, Elaine is a very capable prosecutor. I believe she will handle it thoroughly. She has always been a very efficient person. Having her spearhead the charge was a good idea, in my humble opinion."
"It must run in the family."
"Come on…" He held open his arms boastfully "…look at me."
"You're right. What was I thinking?" She redirected her inquiries "You said there were some interesting discoveries?"
He grinned at her "I did? Huh? How odd."
She cleared her throat.
He chuckled "Sorry, I really couldn't help myself, you looked so invested."
She shook her head in defeat "You are still such a tease."
"Well, what can I say?" he grinned innocently. "Hanzel happened upon a new way of, you know, modifying modulators… suppressants, inhibitors and such to tailor to its intended user. It was fascinating. Truly, I'm always in fascination of our team."
"This is in addition to the birth control and nutritional supplements, you will be launching soon?"
"Oh, no!" He shook his forefinger in the air as he tutted to emphasize his point "No, no, no… This is Hanzel specific technology. You have to be registered under Hanzel Medicals to access that."
"Don't you think such a life-altering innovation should be made available to the general public, especially with all the recent fires being put out?"
He tilted his head and observed her for a moment, tapping a finger against the armrest in a slow rhythm "The development is a very capital and labour intensive endeavour but you are right." He faced the cameras directly and cleared his throat "As stated by the very astute Anis, this is a very difficult time for the State, Hanzel should lend its support." He made a deep look of contemplation for a second, gave a curt nod of understanding before gazing into the cameras "All you need will be a reference letter from the office of the Prosecutor General and the doors will be opened to you."
"Is this for anyone?" She asked excitedly.
He scoffed as he adjusted his jacket "No, just the victims. Don't be silly..." He shot her a quizzical look "... I'm still a businessman."
The two looked at each other and shared a knowing laugh.
"One last thing before, you go..." She was cautious but she broached the subject "...you are wearing a wedding ring, It's a little hard to miss so I just have to ask, when did all this happen?"
He held out his left hand to inspect the platinum band on his finger.
Something strange happened.
Alexei smiled, not the disarming business smile that they were familiar with but a genuine affectionate smile.
It was chilling.
"Thank you for noticing, I am indeed happily married. It's been a while now."
"WOW! I thought we were friends..." She made a show of being hurt "I had no idea. You were so quiet about it, we never even heard of an engagement."
"Well, what can I say? My partner was very eager, they are fiercely protective and quite possessive. It couldn't be helped."
Anis scoffed internally.
Somewhere, Ethan rolled his eyes.
Alex: Baby, did you see?
Alex: I told the whole world about how your wanted to tie me to your bedpost
Alex: did you just roll your eyes?
Ethan scrunched up his nose at the messages, before scurrying to Mari side.
He was let go immediately he handed in his two week notice. It was strange but he tried not to overthink it.
Now, he just spent a good portion of his free time at Marielle's.
"Did you pack the lunchbox?" Mari asked fondly.
"Yes."
She ruffled his hair "Good. Enjoy your lunch date."
He nodded obediently and hugged the warm bag to his chest.
"Can you believe it?"
"No, I mean... It's Hanzel, right? Is it really that surprising that they're treating people for free?"
Ethan's ears pricked at the mention of Hanzel, he deliberately slowed pace.
"Is it really for free? He just said he's a businessman."
The other laughed "It's clearly a strategy. Think of the people attached to the case, fuck... Think of Neil, if he goes in for treatment, that's free endorsement, right there."
The other party let out a sad sigh "I can't believe someone did that to him, you would think with his popularity he'd be untouchable... I mean...."
Ethan walked away, doing very little to suppress his smile, a fountain of pride sprung in his chest. That man was his husband, shameless and perverted as he was, he was his Alex.
Due to the highly sensitive nature of the testimonies involving sexual acts, drug use, the threat of emotional and psychological harm to victims and witnesses, all victims and a few key witnesses for this case have been assigned a pseudonym.
The courtroom will be closed during their testimonies.
All victims involved in this case and several witness will be testifying via a video link, with their faces obscured and voices distorted, from a separate undisclosed location. The names, images or any identifying information of all victims and key witnesses will not be disclosed by the court, the defendants or the lawyers. Media outlets are barred from publishing these details that are deemed distressing or may serve as identifiers of protected persons.
All documents containing the personal information of all victims and key witnesses will be sealed by the court.
The trial of The State vs the criminal enterprise known as the Bohemians, Dionys.
Parties charged: all persons in the Bohemians, all persons in Dionys
Charges:
Umbrella charge: Racketeering and criminal conspiracy; distribution of controlled substances, possession with the intention of distribution of controlled substances; sex trafficking.
Charges for specific person(s): aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, sexual assault and rape, sexual battery; administration of a drug with the intent to commit a felony; cyberstalking, unlawful surveillance, unlawful distribution of intimate imagery, cyberflashing, transmission of threats in interstate commerce; solicitation and prostitution
Newly added charges: witness tampering, witness intimidation, evidence tampering and obstruction of justice.
Head Prosecutor: Ian Daenstein
Opening statement:
"WOW!" Ian took loosened his tie and let out a low whistle "I mean wow... This case gets me a bit riled up." He paced back and forth on the floor as he pressed the thumb and middle finger of his left hand against his temples, rubbing them in small circles. He cast a sweeping gaze over the jurors put his hand down and shook his head "This is crazy. In fact, it's simply unfathomable..." He walked towards the jury box, his expression was one befuddlement, he straightened the buttons of his jacket "... colleagues..." He said as he came to a stop a few steps away "...think about it, we are all a part of a group or a community in one way or another. No matter how small or how large, no matter the subject of shared interest. From something as complex and thought provoking as various philosophies of life and literature to an interest as mundane and ordinary as knitting, it is enough to bring people together." He huffed "There's a special feeling one has when they are a part of a community, it signals inclusion, a sense of acceptance for who you are, that in its own ways fosters confidence for who you are." He huffed again, the next time he spoke, his voice was louder, firmer almost commanding the attention of everyone in the room "A community is where one believes they can be and will be accepted for who they are because there are others who see the world just the way they do. They have similar interests, where they can be free to express their thoughts. Which is why this case absolutely baffles me." He let out an exasperated sigh, turned on his heels and returned to the podium as he continued "I personally am part of such a community, a soccer fan club; my partner is a part of a literary club, my daughter is one of many staunch supporters of an idol group and my parents belong to a social charity club. It allows us to share interests we might not be able to share with our families. As I am sure, every one of my colleagues seated here, from juror to defense has one or two such clubs or communities they belong to." Standing behind the podium, he took off his jacket, loosened his tie "What happens when such a progressive and positive tool meant for social bonding becomes a grounds for breeding, what can only be considered, the very worst versions of humans? We shall explore that today." He placed both hands on each side of the podium, cast another sweeping gaze about the room, his eyes lingering on each person for a brief moment before moving on "Let me introduce, the Bohemians. Their stated ethos, liberalism. The freedom to be one's self especially when that self does not align with what society demands of an individual, non-conformity if you will..." He paused "...which in itself is not a bad thing. In fact, it is progressive, it is cultivating..." Another pause "...but was the stated ethos the true ethos of the group? Were they, in fact, non-conformists?" He laughed bitterly and shook his head "What is non-conformity? There is nothing wrong with being an individualist or a free-spirit. Those are great traits in a person, to be able to stand firmly in one's belief is truly awe inspiring." He added quickly and casually, with a blank face. "The Bohemians are anything but their stated ethos, they are not non-conformists, they are reckless hedonists; they are not open-minded, they are a group of petty, vindictive and entitled individuals; they are not liberal, they are group of assaulters, rapists and cyber bullies; they are not a social group, they are a racketeer influenced and corrupt organization and a group of conspirators and they must be made an example of, not just for their victims present here today but for the sake of planting a seed that will grow to protect our loved ones when they venture out of the home, away from our reach, and into the society."
Ian paced the floor for a moment, turned to the witness stand "Please could you state your name for the court?"
She leaned closer to the mic "Joana."
"Your profession and credentials, if you please."
"I'm a forensics psychologist. I have a bachelor's in Criminal Justice from the University of XXX, a masters in forensic psychology from the state university and a double doctorate from the University of SSS with 1500 completed hours of supervised clinical experience as well as a license to practice."
He nodded "That's impressive, Doctor Joana."
Her lips curled up in to a small smile "Thank you."
"I believe you analysed the evidence, which were mostly chatlogs from the group chat, 'The Bohemians' and multiple messages sent by individual members of the group to their victims. You have read many testimonies and statements and that brought you to a conclusion..." He turned on the wide screen, displaying her written analysis of the group "...can you read out the highlighted part?"
"Yes." She adjusted her glasses and calmly read the words off the screen "This group, the Bohemians, is not a loose social group with an ideation centred around social liberation, free love and a deviation from traditional gender roles."
"NOT A LOOSE GROUP WITH AN IDEATION CENTRED SOCIAL LIBERATION, FREE LOVE AND A DEVIATION FROM TRADITIONAL GENDER ROLES." He echoed, as he walked to the screen "If not that, then what are they?"
She pushed up her glasses to sit properly on her nose "An organization that consistently engaged in a pattern of criminal activities with detail to coordination, as evident by their rules both spoken and unspoken, and a shared goal."
He nodded "Please, for the sake of comprehension, give a simpler explanation."
She stole a quick look at the jury and straightened in her chair "The group has consistently displayed a pattern. First, they operate under a clear structure, there are organizers, recruiters and influencers with the general members acting as enforcers, collectively. Their operations are guided by a set of explicitly stated and implicitly understood rules, all of which ensure their shared goal is achieved. The evidence, their chatlogs, shows an in depth discussion of their shared goals."
"So... They are united in their actions?"
"Yes."
He crossed his arms "That would essentially make them an organization or enterprise of a sort, do you agree?"
"Yes."
He sighed "They are an enterprise..." He clicked the button, displaying the rules of the group on the screen "…operating on specific rules, please read out the highlighted parts from your assessment."
"Their explicit rules are a blueprint for conspiracy. It shows an extensive level of planning, organization and mutual agreement to engage in a pattern of activities that can easily be considered criminal acts. Simply put, it is premeditated and sophisticated."
"And these rules, could you give us an idea of what they are?"
"They followed a strict code of conduct, with special regards to their 'group activities'. Every member was expected to provide a recent health report signed by at least 2 doctors from a specified clinic of their choosing, especially if that member wished to participate in their group activities or funtime, like they often referred to it. There was also strict and compulsory screening of any and all drugs, alcohols, foods and any other items for consumption in all and any form as well as the strict adherence of all to specified safety standards. Finally, the filming or any form of recording in any shape or form was strictly prohibited as well as, the unspoken rule of partner sharing and the expected reciprocation."
"What is a loose interpretation of this rules? What can you say they imply?"
"They knew well the risks involved and tried to manage them."
He nodded again and sighed "They are an enterprise that operated on a set of rules that serve as a blue print to commit crimes, repeatedly. There is evidence for a great deal of planning and sophistication..." He shrugged "You studied criminal law, just off the top of your head what is a word for planning to commit a crime?"
She raised her eyebrows, leaned towards the mic "Conspiracy."
He pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed heavily "And when there is a consistent pattern of criminal activity, especially the ones that have been highlighted?"
Her lips twitched "Racketeering."
He tucked his hands into his pockets and shrugged "You said it."
He cleared his throat "Can you tell me how you happened to encounter the group, the Bohemians?"
Lein was on the witness stand again, well he was in a different room testifying via a video link, but still, on witness stand all the same. He glanced down at his hands, they still pale and pruny but the trembling wasn't as much as he had anticipated. He clenched and unclenched them rapidly, took a deep breath "I was a bartender, um… a Sayer's and someone from the group approached me"
"Sayer's is...?"
"The happening bar where they..." He clenched his fists "...gather."
"So, you were approached and you joined immediately?"
"No. I turned them down."
He crossed his arms on the podium, leaning in "Are you saying they kept approaching you?"
"Yes. About five times, the last time they said..." He unclenched his palms and rubbed them against his pants "...they said it would be fun."
"Was it?"
"At the time, yes."
"Do you have any idea why, you in particular, were approached?"
"They... They said I was a good fit for their group."
He nodded and walked to the display screen, he clicked the button "Do you have any idea who these individuals are?"
A few looked familiar but he didn't really know any of them. He shook his head "No."
Ian scratched his forehead "Were you charged a fee to join the group?"
"No."
"Did you ever pay money to participate in the group activities?"
"No."
"Were you offered any form of… of compensation after your participation in these activities?"
His brows furrowed "No."
Ian shut his eyes for a second and pressed his lips together, the discomfort was beginning to overwhelm him "Did you know..." He paused "...Sir, did you ever wonder how exactly the money for... for the consumables were made?" He asked awkwardly.
Lein's world stopped.
Ian wanted to retch.
This was the fourth victim that was finding out about the secret prostitution ring operated by some members of the group, on the witness stand "I'm sorry. Would you like to take some time to calm yourself?"
Silence
"Sir?"
"No." A very weak voice finally replied.
Ian looked helplessly at the judge, but he continued "How long were you a member of the group?"
He clenched hands loosened and fell lifelessly to his side. His insides felt hollow. He stared blankly into the camera. He felt no anger, in fact he felt nothing. He just wanted everything to end. The person that approached him had been so persistent and even somewhat forceful, is that why?
"Sir?"
Dull eyes focused on the screen "I was a member for about a year, about three years ago."
"Can you describe your first experience with the group?"
"I was taken to one of the backrooms of the bar, everyone was drinking and chatting. It seemed like they were having fun…" he sighed "…someone handed me a drink, led me around the room and introduced me to some people. Then someone asked me to try a drug. It felt good." His answer was monotonous.
"Did you have any history of drug use before this time?"
"No."
"How often did the group activities happen?"
"I think once or twice every month."
"Did you not participate in every event?"
"Yes... No..." Lein frowned as a thought popped into his head, why exactly did he keep going back ? "... initially, I didn't." He rubbed his nose with the back of his hand "Then I started going over at least once every month."
Ian held off on making any more revelations "Did you also adhere to the rules? The mandatory testing? The drug and alcohol screening? The safety guidelines? The absence of digital documentation?"
"Yes. I went for testing after every event. As for the rest... I didn't really contribute in any way."
"How is that?"
"I did the testing. They always met up at the bar so I just joined them when I could."
Ian nodded "Were there any notable dynamics in the group? Like subgroups? Any fights? Drama?"
He scratched the back of his neck "Well... I wasn't really invested in the group but... I may have made some enemies while I was unaware."
"Why do you think that?"
"There were times people tried to attack me, and it led to a fight or two, because..." He bit the insides of his cheeks "...I guess I was a bit careless back then. I hurt a lot of people."
He hummed "Anything else?"
"There were some people who kept asking me to date them, but that was it, I guess."
"So, you were essentially non-committal to the group, no attachments?"
He nodded "Yea."
"When did you leave the group?"
"After a year."
"Why?"
An involuntary smile formed on his lips when he thought of Jason. He missed him "I quit my job, my partner said it was dangerous."
"And that's when the messages started?"
"No..." He felt his stomach churn, he pressed a palm against his abdomen "...I was always getting those even before I quit."
Ian pushed a button, the screen was soon covered with an endless stream of messages. There was a low gasp from the jury as he pointed to the screen behind him "These messages?"
He hummed in reply.
"Sir?"
"Y..y-yes." he answered quietly.
"Sorry." Ian turned off the screen facing the camera "You must have felt awful."
"I do... I did."
"At the time, what were your thoughts? How did you feel?"
He tasted bile in the back of his mouth "I felt... It felt like I wasn't human, just something for cheap sex."
"When you left the group, did the messages stop?"
"…n-b." his whole frame trembled violently when he recalled the memory. The slurs, the unwanted declarations of love, those disgusting videos and pictures he never asked for "They got worse..."
Ian pushed the button, this time only the jury and the judge could see the messages while Lein's monitor remained blacked out. Another gasp of sheer horror came from several members in the jury box.
"...no matter what I did, they didn't stop." He remembered sitting in bathroom, deleting them with shaky fingers, later that night he had a fight with Jason over something... He couldn't even remember what it was about, it was just stupid.
"There are a few videos of you and your partner entered into evidence, are you aware of the existence of such videos?"
"Y-yes.. ju-just the first one." He reached for a tissue to wipe away his tears.
"The first one?"
He wet his lips and swallowed, it hurt "The one in the parking lot, I found out about the others much later."
Ian looked at the screen, there were five videos. He frowned "How did you find out about it? the one you were aware of?"
"They set it to me..." He explained with a hoarse voice "...they kept sending it to me." He repeated.
"Would you like you-"
"No." He took a deep breath "No... Let's continue." He sniffled.
"Are you sure?"
"Yea, I'm sorry…" he sniffled "…let's finish it."
He nodded and pushed the button, another barrage of messages covered the screen. There were some murmurs but those died down quickly.
"These messages, how did they make you feel?"
He felt like shit, he lived in the constant fear of Jason finding out about it. He was terrified. Anxious, he never wanted to leave the house, he never wanted Jason to leave, going as far as trying to trick him into staying home "Scared. Like I was being watched. They kept asking… demanding to sleep with my partner." Whenever he saw Jason talking to someone he wasn't familiar with, he would just lose his mind.
"Did you reply to them? These messages."
"N-no."
He nodded "Can you say these messages affected your life in any way?"
He nodded, folding the soiled tissue into a square "At the time, I had withdrawal symptoms..." He took a deep breath "...my partner and I... we were... I was always scared and anxious, like they were just around the corner waiting for... for me." He took another breath "I wasn't okay... We... We were fighting all th-the time."
He pushed a button and Lein's screen came on "Are you familiar with this person?"
"Yes. He approached me once."
"Did anything happen between you two?"
"No. I wasn't in the mood, I told him to leave."
"Do you have any relationship with this individual?"
"No."
Another click "And this person?"
"Yes. June."
"Any relationship?"
"He's the one that attacked... We fought and he… we were not really close." He said quietly.
"Why?"
He licked his lips "He said I was always stealing his partners." He answered in a low voice.
"And did you do that? Were you intentionally seducing his partners?"
He shook his head "...no."
"What else happened besides the fight?"
"He approached me once, after I had just fought with my partner. He said he was just there ti talk and that we could just hang out. He led me to Sayer's and while I was incapacitated, he..." He gasped "...he sent some pictures and videos to my partner, with my phone."
Another click "This?"
"Eddie."
He nodded "Relationship?"
"He harassed me and then he drugged me."
"I believe that was the fellow who just received a sentence from the trail that just ended."
"Yes."
Another click "How about these individuals?"
"Ye-yes." The two from the cocktail lounge.
"Any relationship?"
"No... They approached me and my partner once and... and said some things. They told him about the group and what I did there. Just stuff, that happened in the past."
"What happened after that?"
"He left... My partner did."
"Do you have any idea of these schemes against you?" He asked as he clicked a button, displaying the chatlogs "All these individuals approached you with a clear goal in mind, were you aware at the time?"
His vision blurred, he blinked away tears as he read the chats "No."
"Are you perhaps aware of any reason they would go this far?"
"…m-maybe they hate me?"
"Really?" Ian crossed his arms in front of his chest as he stared at the screen for a moment "It looks to me that they were jealous and wanted to punish you for trying to build a life for yourself, outside the group."
The prosecution's closing statement:
Ian faced the jury box squarely "There is clearly an established pattern in their behaviour. These people lure unsuspecting individuals with a facade of offering a place away from society where they believe they can be themselves or in some cases, hound and badger unsuspecting individuals to join their group. After that they are drugged and conditioned into dependence, ensuring the members do not leave." He walked to the edge of the box and leaned against it "The place eventually becomes a place where jealousy, malice and entitlement fester; bullying, sexual harassment, assault and even poisoning occur; the prostitution of unsuspecting individuals, demands and coercion to share one's partner, conspiracies to lure unsuspecting people in traps in a bid to ruin their relationships. Various forms of harassment aimed to inflict the highest amount of psychological torture possible..." He made a look of disgust "... revenge porn, and invasion of privacy just to give themselves some twisted form of superiority and feed schadenfreude. And if all that wasn't enough, they harassed the victims even more so they wouldn't press charges." He straightened and returned to the podium "What was revealed here today was horrifying to say the least. Under the guise of anonymity and community, they tormented the people they deemed were different from them. The testimonies and evidence presented through the course of this trial have shown us that and even more. We have seen that this is not a group of fun-loving or liberal peoples, they are a highly organized criminal system. They knew what they were doing, they had rules set in place to mitigate the real dangers of their practices. These very rules have, today, testified against them before the law." He took a deep breath "They should be made an example of, to teach the rest of the world what a community must not be. What it should not become."